Gracie's New Wheels

I'm gonna admit, I was a little wary when my Christmas gift came with the disclaimer, "You have to give part of this back." 

The wariness became complete confusion when I opened the bag and the first thing on top was a hole saw.....especially since up until that moment I had never seen a hole saw. The confusion didn't really subside when I pulled a punch out of the bag. I still had no idea what was going on. 

Of course then I saw the bright blue Surly rim strip and it all made sense. Gracie was getting some new wheels for Christmas! Better yet, I got to spend the whole day helping. (If you can call incessantly babbling while Santa did all the work helping.....)

We started off in my apartment, but after one hole we realized I'd never be able to walk barefoot in there again if we drilled 59 more.

So we moved Santa's workshop outside and hoped the neighbors didn't come home and want to park.

We finished wheel one in the daylight,

but then the drill needed to charge so poor Santa had to finish up in the dark. Good thing El Jefe gave me a headlamp for Christmas!

Gracie loves her new kicks! So do I since they make the bike feel 5 lbs lighter..... Now it will be easier to chase Santa around on his sleigh!

Don't worry- I gave the hole saw back and cleaned up the mess in the neighbor's parking spot....

No Sled, No Problem

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” 

-Thornton Wilder

The holidays have been a little rough this year. There's been a lot of "new" in my life all at once. Not that new is a bad thing, but new anything is sort of like new jeans- it takes some time before they're comfortable. So while I'm breaking in and getting used to all the new, I find solace on the bike or running. This morning was no different. I headed out to practice some cyclocross skills. At some point I got distracted and just started playing around on my bike instead. Of course then I realized that there are a millions things in my life to smile about......