Another post for the day...

During my and Jen's 12+ hour day of fun yesterday, I totally forgot we took this shot together.  Jen lives in two towns....Knoxville and Nashville.  A normal week for Jen is getting up at @ 4:00 am to leave for Nashville where she works Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from like 6-6.   Sometimes she leaves a little early on Thursdays to drive back to K-town.  So, she misses out on a lot.  She got to come home on Wednesday this week so she got to hang out with me all day Thursday.  We never plan days like this, but when they happen, we have so much fun.  

Jen came over at 7:30 in the morning for our 8:00 golf time with Kimberly.  We played 9 holes at the Concord golf course for $6.00 apiece.  Jen played some as a kid, and I have played a total of maybe 3 times prior to yesterday.  So much fun.   Jen actually got a birdie.  I had a couple of good shots, but never anything consistent.  Like I said previously, we have agreed to start working on our golf.  Totally random for us, but absolutely fun.

After we finished playing golf we went to deliver some furniture for Jen's job.  I helped by staying out of the way basically.  Well, I moved her bike out of the back of the Sprinter to help.  Next, we decided to ride the greenway from Jen's house to downtown to check out some furniture stores and to pay Jen's KUB bill.  I had found some chairs at TJMAXX that I decided I had to have, but were sold when I went back to get them, so now we are searching all the stores in K-town for something similar.  Yeah, I don't usually buy furniture, but I enjoy finding good buys every once in a while.  I did score another table from my dad.  I love going through his barns on his property and spotted an antique dining table gathering lots of dust.  Lucky for me, my dad LOVES me and Smap, so we got a new dining room table.  It needs work, but should be ready for duty soon.  THANKS DAD...WE LOVE YOU!

Jen and I got back to her house around 4:30 from riding greenways etc, and we had to meet our husbands to ride together at 6ish for Sundown.  We left that at like 10ish and rode back to our cars, so she and I were actually together for a good 12+ hours.  Fun times.  Never a dull moment with the two of us.  We can always find something interesting to do whether it is riding, painting walls, shopping, walking, or whatever.  

Cheers!

Summer blogger slacker!

I am not a complete slacker this summer, just a blogger slacker. I have been having so much fun though! Since school has been out, I have been to two Sundown in the City's down on Market Square mall. Last night Smap and I rode down with Jen and Jay Smelser. We lucked out and had one friend (our friend Suzi, who owns World Grotto) invited us down to the VIP lounge at the World Grotto (free food and nice bathrooms), and then we noticed our friend Jay Nevans had his door open up at his office very close to the stage on Market Square. We got to listen to Robert Earl Keen (I think I spelled it correctly) from very close up. It was a fun show. I even went down to dance some with Jen. She and I somehow ended up in the younger age side (the kids were in their high teens to low twenties). It was amazing to see how old we really were just by standing in that section. We felt out of place so quickly moved.

Jen and I played golf yesterday with our friend Kimberly Pemberton. It was a BLAST. Jen and I agreed to start playing more. We need a lot of work, but it is fun to do something SO different than riding a bike. Jen and I also did a big greenway ride from her house yesterday. We successfully spent over 12 hours together yesterday. It was a good time.

I am on the computer in the "cold" room. The room is no longer cold because we still have yet to turn our AC on. Our electricity bill for last month was something like $80. We were pretty proud of that. Smap downloaded a bunch of photos from my camera, so I think today I will finally get around to putting some up.

Enjoy:

Recognize anyone familiar in the above shot???

Above are shots from my Cohutta 100 race. Smap was able to get a shot of Mr.Landis at the start line. He did a 8:27 I think. I think I may be in the shot below somewhere???

Here is my first shot ever of my other BIL (brother-n-law) and his new wife Leslie. They were married in December and have a little one on the way! I am very excited to be an aunt for the first time! Leslie also has a 10 year old from a previous marriage who is equally as good looking as she is. Jay is the middle brother of the Apking boys. I married the oldest of the three.

Below is Alex and Kate. By the way, all these shots of Smap's brothers and such were taken in Cinci, OH several weeks ago for a big family dinner honoring Jay and Leslie's marriage back in December. It was a fun night with yummy good and good company.

Here is a shot of Jay and Barbara (the lady who produced all three of these fine gentlemen!). She is very tiny and VERY pretty. Sweet too. I lucked out in the in-law department!

Below is Kate and Leslie, followed by an after dinner shot of the two of us having a little bit too much fun (everything was funny on the way home that night). Also, a couple shots of our dogs on the way up to Cinci that day (Kate loved how Ippon insisted on sticking his nose up through the head rests so he could see what was going on).

I found a shot of "The King"....above is Steve Apking himself (yellow sweater). Smap, Jay and Alex's dad. He is called "The King" because of his ability to play golf. His pals at his golf club have dubbed him this name. Kate, Leslie and I were looking at some old Apking family albums the other day and found that Big Steve looked so much like Smap in his younger years. Smap also looks like his mom if you ask me.

Below: Dagger 20th Reunion shots. I didn't take many because I was too busy talking. Steve Scarbrough (one of the original 4 owners) promises a CD of shots coming soon. Here is a shot of the yummy cake Teri and Tony's sister made for the occasion. My boss (also very good friend)Teri is below in the pink. Bucky is standing behind her. The shot below her is of DR (David Rose) and his beautiful daughter and Mark Brown. The final shot is of Mark and Tom Windham. Tom and I use to commute from Knoxville to Harriman together. He lives in Kentucky now so I haven't seen him since I was on top of Brass Town Bald in 05' waiting on the Tour de Georgia to race to the finish.

Okay, that is enough fun for the day. I shall post more shots soon. I have a lot of back-logged shots to post. I just don't have the time now! Gotta go work at the bike shop. Keep those boys straight!

Peace

Last day of kids for 10+ weeks!

I'm soooooooo glad today is my final day with this group of kids! They just get ridiculously annoying after TCAPs in April. Today, they are SUPER annoying. Only a few more hours and they will be gone!

Last night we rode at Haw Ridge. I rode w/my good friends Jimi and Kimberly starting out and then the newly married couple (Karen and Jeff) joined up with us for a little while. I am starting to get the hang on my new single speed. I LOVE it even more than my old one! It is so much more responsive than the old Genisis geometry. It is lighter and the new FOX shock is totally AWESOME!!!! I just can't wait to ride this bike ALL freaking weekend long! And all next week, the week after that, and the week after that.... I have 10 weeks off to ride! Well, I do have to work at the bike shop, but it is a fun job (most of the time when SD isn't there).

Too bad I don't have any good shots to post for today. 2.5 more hours......

Smap's big llama day

My dad and stepmom have a thing for taking in animals. They have always had a good amount of dogs (5 as of the other day), a few cats, horses (?-the amount varies...usually 4-5), and some sort of cattle (off and on). Over the last 10 years they have branched out to taking on the pot-bellied pigs (9 at the moment), which come from the pig refuge in Crossville (or Cookeville...I get the two places confused). Since last February, they have started adding to their "zoo" and have the 11 llamas now. These are also overflow from a local llama refuge I believe. Dad and Joyce love them and so do Smap and I.

Yesterday was llama shearing day at Laughalot Farm. Smap took off work early with Ippon in tow to help Dad, Joyce, and the llama refuge people shear the llamas. Dad said the llama people were amazed by Smap's natural abilities with the animals.

Smap's job was to blow out the llama's fur and then try to brush them. They were keeping the fur for weaving I think. All the llamas have names by the way. I believe the one just above is Corky. Every animal on the farm has a name except for the cattle (they are usually my uncle's). Dad and Joyce even have most of the Koi in their upper pond named. I have blogged previously about the Koi, Ippon's favorite attraction on the farm.

We don't let the dogs get around the llamas because they throw a mean kick. Sometimes I get scared around them because I have heard from my dad who has learned first hand that you don't want to get spit on by a llama. Especially if it is the worst of their THREE types of spit. I think Dad said there are several degrees of spit, and one of them is considered absolutely horrible. Luckily Smap did not get spit on yesterday, but he did say a few of them looked like they were getting ready to. He also said some of the llamas really liked getting sprayed off, brushed and sheared, but some hated it. Kind of like washing dogs I guess. Ippon is one of those dogs who will just put up with bathing. He puts up with getting washed just so he can have the towel rubbing at the end.

Smap also took several great shots of the llamas yesterday, which I will post from home at some point. My dad is always really good at emailing me shots the day after he takes them, so I can put them up as I get them. Also, my computer here at school is FAST. I will be without it for ten weeks....oh well. Guess this will be my last blog from this machine till August!

Cheers!

Pollen! ... is my problem!

I realized yesterday while riding that the pollen is making me sick. I hate it. It is in my eyes, my nose, and my throat. I will be SO glad when it is gone. I got in a little over 30 miles yesterday. I didn't get my heart-rate up one time because I probably would have fallen over and died if I had. The pollen just feels like it is shutting my body down at times. It was nice getting out and riding because lately all I have been doing is swimming. In just a few days I will be done with school and able to ride EVERY day and swim EVERY day. I am looking so forward to having 10 weeks off from kids. I will still be working at the bike shop and maybe for Smap at the label company, but it will be nice not having to discipline and scold every day for a while.

I still have a lot of photos to post from recent past events. I will have plenty of time to do that as well.

Smap and I checked out the new Nama last night (where the old Cha Cha was in Homberg). It was really good, but unfortunately they don't have beer on draft. This really bothered Smap as he is a draft beer drinker. We have plenty of local breweries in town for which the restaurant could have been supplied to. Good draft beer is the way to go. Having kegs prevents less waste, and by going with local breweries, they are supporting local companies (we have a kegerator at home with Knoxville's own Woodruff's beer- 2 flavors). Hard to believe the owner didn't put in draft lines in his new bar! The gal working in the bar last night said, "there is no room for kegs here". My goodness, the Nama bar downtown is TINY and they have like 6 different flavors to choose from on draft. Doesn't make sense. Oh well, perhaps the owner will change his mind down the road.

Cheers to less than 2 more days of school!

Sunday and sick :(

It doesn't happen very often, but today unfortunately it has....I don't feel good.  I just got off the phone with Kate (my sister-in-law who just moved here from San Fran..)  and she said the same.  She felt like crap this morning.  She seems to think we both feel this like crap due to our other sister-in-law's baby shower we both attended Friday afternoon.  The gal who hosted the shindig's house was COLD.  Smap's poor 100 pound mom was with us and she was absolutely frozen by the end of the 2nd hour.  We sprinted to the car when it was over to get the heat on.  I went home Friday night and got into bed fully clothed under an extra blanket.  I guess I just haven't gotten that cold out of me and it caught up to me today.  I worked at the bike shop most of the day yesterday after getting a good swim in prior.  I'm sure that swim didn't help much either because I swam outside in the COLD water with the wind blowing pretty hard.  

This week I plan on getting back into my solid riding routine.  I have three and a half more days of school and I am done until August.  This school year really flew by quickly.  One more year and I will be tenured!  Seems like ages ago I went back to school to get my teaching certification.  Crazy how time flies.  

I'm looking forward to mountain biking, swimming, and just relaxing for the next 10 weeks!

YEE HAW!

Bike to work/school day! 2008

Today is bike to work day. I did something differently today. I rode my single speed mountain bike instead of my road bike or geared mtn.bike. My geared m.bike is still recovering from the Cohutta. Smap found that I had severly damaged a tire, so it has yet to be fixed. I didn't want to ride my road bike this morning due to the fact that the ground was very wet still when I left for school, and I HATE to ride wet roads now on a road bike (I went down last April during the 3-state 3-mtn challenge on a wet turn and am still recovering).

So, the single speed is great for commuting except for the 32x22 gear I have on it. I probably looked like a dork spinning my ass off on the flat section to school. Oh well....it was fun anyways.

While on the way, I thought about the four geared mtn.bikes (2 of which are commuters) that Smap owns that I could have used today instead...oh well. The Rig was an experience. It also made me realize that my next bike needs to be a fixed gear commuter. I think I will save up this summer to get one...it will be perfect for school commuting and to the pool this summer!

I had four girls "bike to school" today! I was so proud of them and they were SO proud of themselves. I can only hope they will ride again in the future, and others will follow their example! I offerred a CBC water bottle to anyone who commuted to school today. I honestly didn't think anyone would ride to school. It was so cool to walk into my classroom to see four other bikes besides mine! The girls didn't have locks so I just had them decorate my room today with their bikes. I needed to bring a bike pump and tool to fix their bikes for their commute home, but oh well. A few of their bikes have hardly any air. I'll see what I can do.

Anyway, it has been a LONG week with the house and the kids going crazy due to school almost being out! Smap and I are REALLY looking forward to the weekend.

Rach

The TREE again....

Here is what Smap had to say in an email he just sent me....

Dirk came by to loan me his bee keeper jacket. I had pretty much had it sealed by the time he got there. The tree service showed up and I went up in their bucket truck with Dirks jacket and made sure it was completely sealed. I stayed until they got the tree down and the bee keeper showed up. He should have it hauled off by now and the tree should be clear. I called KUB and told them it was good to run power so hopefully they will get to it today. I also called the Comcast and hopefully they will have the cable hooked back up by tomorrow.

So, all is good. I just hope the bees survived the ordeal!

Later!

Still no power...maybe tonight?

Well, the tree guys came yesterday to take out the trees. They got most of the big limbs cut away, when they found a honey bee nest. I did not realize this until yesterday, but the honey bees are on the endangered species list. It is a federal law to try to kill them. WE DON'T WANT TO KILL THEM! If the bee population goes, then human's existence goes along with it! Bees are vital in pollenating our plants. We have to have plants for oxygen....

Anyway, Smap was getting together with Dirk Pullman (a very talented cyclist living in K-town, who is also educated in this bee field I guess) this morning to hopefully save our bee nest. I'm not sure where they will take it or how they will accomplish such a feat, but I wish them well. I left this morning as Smap was setting up the tallest ladder we have up against the tree leaning over our driveway. I guess he has some indian in him because the guy has no fear of heights what-so-ever. I can get up maybe three steps and I am done. I didn't wait around to watch them due to having early bus duty this morning, but I will update as I am updated. I hope they can save the bees.

So we were again without power last night, which I didn't miss except for once again (warm shower, dishwasher, and laundry). My house is becoming cluttered which is starting to annoy me (I can be OCD about such things). Our kitchen, which is not very big at all, now has three batteries to collect the power generated from our three solar panels on our roof, and an inverter as well. There are wires everywhere and a new light which Smap has hooked up to his solar works. One of these days our hot water heater will be hooked up to an inverter and solar as well....HOPEFULLY!!! I can actually do with out the dishwasher also...I don't mind handwashing my dishes... It is nice to not have to rely on others for power. Hopefully soon, we won't have to rely on water either (water catchments).

Maybe we'll get electricity tonight? We'll see. If they get the tree out and KUB comes back, then yes. Also, in the midst of the trees going down, they heavily damaged our retaining wall for our driveway....so, our driveway will not have to be cut open so they can repair the retaining wall and such.

I still love trees even though all this is happening. It is a learning experience. I always have to turn a negative into a positive....as my dad would always tell me to do.

CHEERS

Off the grid....sort of....

Well, Mother's Day brought on the winds in East Tennessee. Unfortunately with the winds, it brought down some huge trees across our power lines and onto our house. I believe Smap and I are two of the luckiest people on this earth. We always seem to have luck in so many ways.

KUB came to our house this morning at 3:30 to "reconnect" our power (still out since Sunday). Not possible....especially at 3:30 in the morning. These trees are so enormous, they will have to be taken out before KUB can even get to our lines. As for our house, it could have been so much worse! The trees took out a corner of our roof, but as far as we can tell did no structural damage to the foundation or brick (except the brick retaining wall holding up our driveway).

I don't mind being without the electricity except I would like it for 3 things...for the hot water heater to take a noncold shower, the dishwasher (ours is very energy and water efficient)...I despise having dishes in my sink, and the washer and dryer (also very energy and water efficient)...I can't stand getting behind on laundry, but luckily I did all of our laundry SUNDAY morning.
We are use to camping, so living out of a cooler is nothing for us. I would like to be able to clean out our fridge though.....ick. Also, we have gas for our stove, so cooking is not a problem....we have been using our camping coffee maker for our coffee addiction, and lastly we have a generator that we finally hooked up briefly last night and this morning. This morning Smap hooked it up to grind our coffee....otherwise we probably would have been okay.

I am an avid reader, so finding time to read has been a lot easier for me. I just wish the damn mosquitos would leave me alone! I also wish I could finish a book and stop starting new ones. I have a horrible reading problem/addiction. I go into book stores and buy more books and borrow more books, and start them all and read them all at the same time. I am so thankful school will be out soon, so I can go sit somewhere and read alone for a LONG LONG TIME. Currently I am really into 4 books....two of which I started reading in my classroom to my kids and never finished. I do this on a regular basis....I start reading novels to my kids just to get them hooked, then they go to the library or go buy the books. This method works great for getting my nonreaders to read.

I bought a lottery ticket last night hoping our luck will change. But I am sure if we were to win the lottery we would still have to deal unlucky circumstances.

Happy Mother's Day!

I need to give a shout out to my mom! Thanks for everything mom!

Happy Mommy's Day! I love you.

What's going on? Anything??? The 20th Dagger Reunion Yesterday

Below are some photos and memories from the Dagger days. Enjoy....

Above, is a overnight trip Smap and myself took on Lake Fontana. Below, I am in the yellow and red composite boat...if you can find me. This was the Ijams Nature Center Adventure race (the one and only one that they ever had). I borrowed a boat from the demo fleet and did pretty good for being so hungover that day (I thought I would be able to celebrate a friend's 40th the night before and still be able to race after drinking all night....lesson learned). It was super hot and there was no water on the 3-mile run...not good for someone who was already dehydrated. I was the 2nd person done with the paddling portion of the race and 4th female overall.

Teri and her "organized" cubicle. Nothing was ever thrown away. Insects were left on her keyboard to surprise her on random mornings. :) Thanks for the laughs MJ and Mark Brown.

MJ and Mark Brown. I think Mark Brown looks a little bit different from the Mark I saw yesterday...
The Customer service/In House Sales crew: Brad Taylor, myself, Teri, Fairan, and Mark Jackson. Fun times....
The photo below is of my and Teri's cubicles. So many times we would email each other instead of turning around to speak to one another. It was pretty histerical. Over the wall sat Woody and Andy G. Every day I would learn new vocabulary from John. When a word interested me, I would run over to ask him the definition. Also, John would cook some amazing food (John we talked about this yesterday at the reunion). Teri and I were always hoping you would share.
Yesterday was a great day. I got to reunite with a lot of my old coworkers from the best job I have ever had. It was my first job as well. It seems like a lifetime ago that I worked at Dagger. I was so young....23 years old. It was the first time I ever had to own up to my own mistakes and the first time I gained any confidence in my own person. I have to credit Teri Lee for most if not all of it. I would ask and ask and ask and ask her so many questions. Finally, she looked at me one day and just said, "Rach, you have got to have some confidence in yourself". I am not sure if she remembers saying this to me, but I remember it every day that I have to make any kind of decision in my life. I never needed anything so badly in my life than Teri saying those few words to me. Thanks Teri Lee!

The reunion took place just half a mile down the road from where Dagger stood in the Roane County Park. I had forgotten how beautiful it was out there. I use to run and run and run around that park. I spent so many lunch hours either running around that park, riding past it, or have a good walk with Teri through there. I also had some fabulous rides everywhere around Roane County during my lunch hours. Being an outsider in Roane County, I still probably knew the town better than anyone who lived there all their lives. The roads and hills out there were some of my best friends.

When I started working at Dagger I had thought I died and gone to heaven. The company was so awesome. My boss, my co-workers, the factory workers. We all got along famously. I had so much fun giving tours to outsiders, helping lay out custom boats, walking up the backside of Dagger to the old R&D building with Teri to check out new boats or just to go see Tony.

***Above is the boat I drew up for Smap (Stephen), my future husband. I even went out and helped lay out the plastic (one of my FAVORITE things to do). Here is also my Outlaw I designed, but later changed the colors to be red, white and blue right after 9/11.***

The trips I got to take with/for Dagger were so memorable too. The Outdoor Retailer shows were the hardest days I probably ever worked in my life, but the most fun as well. The first year I went out there was the tornado. We were not allowed back into the Salt Palace, so we all got to walk around the amazing town of Salt Lake City. I loved getting to meet all my dealers from the west coast and partying with all of our "competition" and other friends of the industry.

The first demo I ever did with Dagger was the "Spring Fling" over at the Nantahala with Chris Hipgrave. He had his cartwheel machine hooked up. I couldn't get enough turns on that machine. He had an Infrared (I think) hooked up to this arm hooked into his truck. I wonder if he still has that thing?

There were also horrible trips too....my infamous trip to Elijay, GA. I went down with Andy G. (pictured above) The demo was for a really annoying dealer, whom I can't even remember the name. I guess they thought that since we worked for Dagger, then we were some hard core partying peeps...which I can/am/have been, but these guys were NASTY. Their house/trailer was grimy and smelled of years and years of animal waste. I couldn't sleep that night due to the owners partying in the room next to my room, which had paper thin walls. I made an executive decision the next day for Andy and me to get a hotel room for the next night. Dagger had a sleep cheap, eat well policy. If we could find a free place to stay, then we took it. I decided Dagger could afford the $35 for Andy and me to get out of the piss house. I remember hardly anyone even showed up for that Demo...I'm not sure if we even got any thanks from them...it was a thankless job at times.

I also had "drawn straws" to work a demo in Huntsville, AL one weekend. I pretty much had to work it because everyone else in CSR and Marketing were working demos that weekend in the SE, or had worked one the previous weekend. I had what was left over of the demo yard (which was about 10 boats). Once I pulled up to the demo, the owner of the shop basically chewed me out for my lack of boats. I tried explaining that he along with half the other dealers in the SE were having demos on that same day and the pickings were slim for demo boats. He was so rude to me and did not even bother to help me unload the boats from my truck.....some were canoes. Luckily I had worked plenty of demos and was well schooled in the art of loading and unloading boats. My fear of heights was put on hold and challenged on a regular basis when I was up on top of those trucks. I also had to use my newly gained confidence in myself for these occasions. It was the challenge though that I loved. That guy didn't thank me either. He didn't have a lot of folk show up for his demo either.

Those were the only two bad demos I think I had to work... The great ones definitely out-numbered the bad ones. My first big demo was the Sea kayak symposium in Charleston, SC. I got to drive over with Oscar. Oscar and I played "punch-bug" all the way over and back. We both had the biggest bruises when it was all said and done. That weekend was my first experience of the "sleep cheap, eat well policy". Luckily Andy-Bob had a good friend living in Charleston, so we only had to sleep one night on the hardwood floor of a cabin. Oscar, A-Bob and I luckily got real beds in a house and got to benefit from eating well in Charleston. Except for the oyster hell-hole we went to....I can't remember the name, but it was a total dive and the guy shoveled oysters on to your table. I think we all got the runs after that dinner. It was memorable though or I wouldn't be writing about it. :)

As Dagger became more entwined with Watermark, we began to be able to afford better sleeping accommodations. I think I liked it better the way we had it in the beginning. Better stories to tell...

It all ended that horrible day we were all called into the new warehouse for a company-wide meeting. We didn't have meetings like these very often, so I had an ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen. When we were told we were being laid off, it was like someone had ripped my heart out. I was so sad not just for losing my own job, but losing such a great family and friends. The last several months at Dagger were horrible. No one was nice to one another, Teri and I didn't speak. It sucked. It was not Dagger though. It was not the company we all signed up to work for.

The Dagger I signed up to work for was the Dagger I saw yesterday. We may have not been in our old building, and I may have not remembered everyone's names (Tom didn't even remember my name), but I did remember the faces, the warm smiles, and all the friendliness I always felt when I went to work everyday for three years. Dagger was back together for a few short hours. The ones that didn't show up were there in our conversations and in spirit. Everyone was mentioned if not in the conversations I was a part of, but most likely in all the others that took place yesterday. We had some great laughs revisiting so many fun times we had together and hilarious incidents that were always taking place. We laughed so much at Dagger.

We laughed, we loved, we lived.

Thank you Dagger for all that you gave me!

(including the very cheap pair of Atlantis's I got off of Woody when the time came to get rid of the Dagger demo fleat as we were closing the doors in Harriman...Smap and myself getting ready for a over night paddling/fly fishing trip up on Fontana Lake).

Another good t-shirt idea....

My latest t-shirt idea isn't actually brand new.  Also, my friend Kimberly helped me come up with it.  We were talking one day while mountain biking about how banged-up our bodies usually are from all the hell we put them through on the trails.  Kim and I both belong to the same gym and we both sometimes feel weird in the locker room with all our bruises.....like, "no, I don't have an abusive husband".  So, I think I need a t-shirt that reads, "My husband doesn't beat me, I am a mountain biker".   I think that should solve the problem.

Maybe?

I need a t-shirt that says....

This morning while riding to school some stupid make-up infested bia decided to pass me just to come to a stop sign. There was absolutely no reason why she needed to pass me especially when there was an on-coming car right there in the area for which she needed to get over, so I was left with barely any room. I rode up next to her at the stop sign (she was 3rd in the row), looked at her in her window, then pulled right in front of her car. I need a t-shirt that says, "If you hit me, you may be killing your kid's teacher). I mean really...

I have some other t-shirt ideas in mind and will post about them as needed.

Sunday fun

I still haven't had the chance to put up photos from the previous two weekends, but I will get them up soon.  Right now would have been an ideal time for me to put them up, but I left the camera in Smap's car.  Anyway, Smap's youngest brother (Alex) and his wife Kate are staying with us for a little while until they get their house fixed up enough to live in while they continue the never ending battle of home renovation.  Alex's mom found a killer house for them in a great location.  The house needs a TON of work, but they couldn't ask for a better piece of land due to the vegetation growing on their acre of land and the seclusion they have from other houses. 

Lucky for all of us, they have a great dog just like us.  Her name is Luna.  The top shot is little Luna. The next one is of my perfect dog, Ippon, and then the last one is of one of my favorite pieces of art I own....Angels on Bikes.  

SO, this weekend I got to ride my beautiful RIG twice at Haw Ridge.  Today, the trails were so perfect.  I enjoyed every last second of my solo ride today.  Friday, I rode with my good friend Jen and our friend Alan.  Saturday was a day for swimming.  I felt pretty decent in the pool.  After swimming I took Kate to Cherokee Blvd to walk our dogs.  She had never been so it was fun introducing her to the dog park.  We ran into an old friend of mine from Dagger.  I haven't seen Brad Taylor since Dagger closed back in 2001.  Gosh, I miss that place so badly.  It was my first adult job.  

More later....

I've been slacking...

Sorry fans, I have been slacking recently due to very nice weather and no inclination to sit on my arse at home after school. I shall be posting photos and other nonsense as soon as I have a rainy day and I am not working another job (bike shop).

I've been riding quite a bit, swimming laps, and hanging with my lovely husband, dog and family.

I promise a good blog soon.
Rach

P.s...I am thinking about changing the name of my blog anyways...