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......

Persistence

I've learned a little something about myself doing cyclocross.

What I lacked in coordination....

I make up for in persistence. 

Just when the bruises to my ego start to match the ones on my arms, legs and ass, I figure out how to do something new. That always makes it worth it. 

Live, Laugh Ride!

Go About Your Way

My dad sent me a copy of a sermon yesterday. He's done this before and while I always read them, I'm not necessarily always moved or inspired by them. This one got to me though. I'd just had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with a friend about people who "change the world" and how neither of us was particularly inspired to do this. Neither of us was quite sure how riding our bikes all the time was really changing anything.

So yesterday I got the sermon from dad's pastor, Stephen McConnell, and in the middle it said this:

Did you know that you have a way about you? For better or for worse, you have a way about you. And this way you have about you...tells people, whether you like it or not, what you think is most important. The things you say, the time you spend, the emails you write, the items you spend your money on, how you parent or don't parent, the way you relax- it all makes up your way. It's the one thing you cannot deny.


Did you you know that the thing that will most outlast you about yourself....is your way.   Your way is the most lasting thing about you. For better or for worse. How you go about your life.


By your way you are making an indelible impression upon the lives that surround you.


So basically he's saying we all change the world, in some way.  Sure there are people who affect thousands of lives all at once by donating money or serving food to the homeless, but is that any more important than quietly changing the life of one friend by picking them up when they're down? Or is it any more important than putting a smile on a stranger's face because you took the time to talk to them while you waited in line at the grocery store?

So, to that friend who wondered if riding his bike so much really helped him changed the world, consider this...... You once picked me up at the airport in the middle of the night. The next morning when you found me in bed feeling sorry for myself, you rolled me up in the covers, dumped my ass on the floor and made me get up and start the day. You once went mountain biking with me in the rain. When I insisted on trying the same corner over and over, you stood there in the rain encouraging me. Later when I pretty much pitched a fit because I never got the corner, you somehow convinced me to suck it up and get back on the bike. Your way has slowly worn off on me and become part of my way. Because of that, I'm a little bit tougher, a lot more focused and much happier.

Any of you reading this have probably affected me with your way as well. For that I have to say thank you.

Now go about your way and enjoy the day.....

Dance!

Every day I count wasted in which there has been no dancing.  Nietzsche

I'll admit I'm not that much of a dancer, (unless there's tequila involved) but I'm thinking Nietzsche didn't technically mean dancing. I'm thinking maybe I can interpret "dancing" as "celebrating life." To me, that means getting my butt off this chair and onto my bike because although it's only 35 degrees and I'm not all that motivated, I know I'll get to see something like this:

So I'm off to "dance" my way around a few lakes, up a few hills and through a few trees.....

How Old Are YOU?

El Jefe asked me this week if I felt 40. (I'm pretty sure this was supposed to be a prelude into a conversation about how my 16-year-old-boyish belching at work is inappropriate.) I said no, although I'm not sure if that's really true, because I don't really know what 40 is supposed to feel like. He got me thinking though, about what it is that keeps me feeling young. Right now, it's cyclocross racing because, really, who could feel old when they're riding their bike in circles in the dirt, jumping over stuff and running through sand. The only way it could get better would be if we could do it barefoot.

They even let us do fun stuff while the fast guys are racing, like hide money in beer cans to see if they try to pick it up while running up the hills. 

The answer to that is yes. It took awhile though to get someone to pull this one out of my hat.

The crowd tried to explain that I'd have better luck if I put the dollar somewhere else. I refused, saying, "If a guy is going to take a dollar out of my clothing, he has to at least look at my face." That's bullshit though. I just didn't want to admit that if I tried to put a dollar in my cleavage it would end up at my feet. (Sorry Pop- at least I did the respectable thing, even if it wasn't for the respectable reason.) 

That said, here's one of my favorite quotes. 

Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees. It is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigour of the emotions....Youth means predominance of courage over timidity, of adventure over the love of ease....We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul....You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hopes, as old as your despair.    B. Ullman

Just think how young we'd all feel if everyday we let go of just a little bit of doubt, despair or fear and replaced it with a little hope.....

It's About Time!

My pop sent me an email saying he'd read my whole blog. Well then, I guess I'd better get on with it and write some more.

A quick run down on the summer:

1- I brought truth to the "If you ain't first you're last" theme of my last post by managing to somehow spend the entire summer alternating between first place and nearly last place in my races. Funny thing I realized- first and last don't really feel all that different if you put it all on the line.

2- I finished out the summer in the "chalet" in the woods and then moved to the city. The dichotomy that became my racing season also seemed to transfer over to my life....

3- I actually had a job this time when I moved, which is a step up from the last three moves. I did, however, sell all my furniture again. Don't worry- I kept the giraffe. My new boss, aka El Jefe, found it quite amusing that I arrived with a 6 foot tall giraffe and no furniture.

4- I proved, yet again, why owning a mini-van is so practical. All I own, including 6 bikes, made it to MN in one trip. I've also proven that the mini-van works quite well for weeding out men who care way too much about what a girl drives......  Hmmmm, maybe my dad gave me this van for a reason.....

So- after almost exactly a year in one of my favorite places on earth, I'm on to the next new adventure. My high school English teacher once told me that if you were truly adaptable you could live anywhere. Life is what you make it - so here's to making it one big adventure in Minneapolis.

I'll keep you posted!