Let's ride!

Finally, after growing up in a family of mountain bikers and being married to one for the last eight years, I finally took off my black sheep costume, got a bike for my birthday and started riding. I have had a blast! I have hooked up with a fun group of girls at the gym who try to ride together once a week...an awesome group that are girly, tough and a total blast to hang out and talk with. We have conquered some of the local trails and even managed to get momentarily lost, fix a flat tire on the trail, and ride some serious downhill, single-track in pitch black darkness. My brand-new white bike being our only light source. Although at the time, I was anxiety ridden and thinking I was maybe not cut out for mountain biking, I woke up the next morning and realized that I had had my first 'epic' ride and lived to tell about it.

Jake and I have had to work together to make this biking thing work. With him wanting to ride, me wanting to ride, and kids who expect us to be around in the evening, we have had to sacrifice and compromise to make it possible. Don't tell Jake, but I will admit that he has sacrificed more than the rest of us, I would not have had the fun I have had he wasn't so great. And, every now and then, we even get to ride together.

Logan to Jackson

Why anyone ever signs up and pays money to suffer for over 9-15 hours on a bike is beyond me. That doesn't mean that I don't like to tag along, in the comfort of my car, and cheer on a few of the bird-brains that I know racing. First and foremost...my Dad. We thought he had moved on from this lunacy but he felt the need to make another go of it. So...we sent the kids to stay with friends and looked forward to a nice weekend with peace, quiet and family. He suffered through 130 miles of the 206 mile bike race before his 55 year-old knees told him it was time to stop. We tried not to act too excited when he finally threw in the towel, but looked forward to getting to Jackson Hole a few hours early and with energy to still play. It has been at least 5 years since Jake and I have had the chance to get away with my parents without kids. This is mostly because they are the ones watching our kids when we are gone. We had a blast shopping, eating and visiting with each other without any interruptions or schedules to follow. I am soooo amazed at my Dad's fitness and determination and although he has sworn to never do this race again, I hope that we come up with some other excuses to get away with my Mom and Dad very soon.

School Days!

Suprisingly, Will started one whole week before Elli. At first she was quite annoyed, but enjoyed the couple of days we had to just hang...us girls. Will goes to school twice a week, with the cutest class of nine and what seems to be a great teacher, Mrs. Donalee. He had no hesitations the first day but was left screaming on the sidewalk on day two. Mrs. Donalee took him to pick corn in her garden and that seemed to fix whatever problem he was having. Which was obviously nothing serious, because we have had no drama since. I can not believe that we are fast approaching the big #3 with him, I keep trying to tell myself that he is only turning two and am trying to cherish every little sweet moment I have with him.

I am still in slight disbelief that I actually drop Elli off to kindergarten each day, it just does not quite seem real. I think that it probably because my little girl is such an outgoing, confident and adaptable little thing. It is just another day for her. She had only one brief moment of nervousness walking through the big doors that went away almost immediately when she saw all the excitement inside. She loves her teacher, which she no longer thinks is funny looking, and is enjoying getting to know all her new friends. It seems that all is well.

Oh, the first day was all about the clothes. The bling on her pants, the leopard ballet flats, and the backpack. With all those things so right, what could have possibly gone wrong?