Sprint Tri

I'm going to try and convince my hubby that I can leave him home with the kiddos for a long weekend in April. I have a sprint tri in mind. My girlfriend Tracey has convinced me that it would be fun to compete in a tri in Texas in April and I agree... it would be a blast not to mention it would keep me motivated this winter. I might have to log a few hours on the treadmill, not my favorite, but I believe it would be worth it. I haven't competed in a group event in a long time and sort of miss those butterflies in my tummy and who knows maybe it will convince me to do a few bike races this summer right in my backyard. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I believe the changing of the seasons always inspires me with great aspirations. It seems anything is possible. I'm motivated now though. I am recommitted to my yoga practice, for almost three weeks now. I've been running several times a week and I've got climbing back on my radar. I want to be on the rock again and who knows maybe a few climbing trips will be in my future. Ah, the endless possibilities. I'm putting all these goals/dreams down in writing so I will have a reference point for the future and hopefully a way to motivate myself when I'm feeling like a sluggo. You know, mid-winter when it is 20 below out.

Writing Again

It's been a long time since I've posted. What's been happening since the last post? Well for starters it stopped snowing! Summer finally arrived here at 9000 feet. My garden is in full swing. I'm currently harvesting chard, several varieties of lettuce, snap peas, radishes and mustard greens. To answer the questions out there, yes, we do eat it all. I'm waiting to see what type of potato and garlic harvest I will have. The tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and green beans are coming along. They are a labor of love in the mountains. I'm hoping for a reasonable amount of veggies from my very babied plants but an early frost could kill any hopes of fruit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

For those of you who don't know I have a horse to ride this summer. She's a beautiful bay arab and has brought me lots of joy this summer. It's been fun exploring some of the trails I've only hiked or biked via horse back. I can't say that I want to run out and buy one though. Having a horse to care for has certainly given me a reality check. I think two kids, two dogs, one husband, and one house are enough for me right now. Ask me about the horse thing in 5 years though and I may have a change of heart... sorry Eric.

Also, I have a brand spanking new mountain bike to ride too! Yep, I'm one spoiled girl! I've been holding out as a hard tail rider forever but then I had to go demo a full suspension Yeti mt. bike. Seriously! The best idea a bike company has ever had is free demos. I rode a couple bikes and then hopped back on my trusty hard tail.

Me: "I really liked that Yeti I rode yesterday."

Eric: "Yep, I've been trying to get you to demo that bike for 2 years now."

Me: "I know... I really liked riding that Yeti I rode yesterday."

Eric: "Well, maybe we can go and look at what they have in Gunnison tomorrow."

Me: "Okay. I probably won't get one though."

Fast forward one day

Me: "Wow they have just the bike I want in stock as a demo bike I bet they won't want to sell it yet though and it's probably too expensive. Too bad I really like that bike." (visualize me looking really cute and smiling at my husband)

Me: "I can't believe I just bought a mt. bike. Yippie!!!"

So now I'm riding a very cool Yeti 575 full suspension mountain bike and I couldn't be happier! And even cooler is the fact that the kiddos are now old enough to hang with the grandparents so that Eric and I can ride together from time to time.

That's the recreation side and why we live here so that's pretty important.

Eric is kicking ass at the Gas Cafe. They've been really busy and that's good... remember the mt. bike purchase. We've been camping with the kids and grandparents too (mine not E's). Fun stuff. The Crested Butte Arts Festival has come and gone so my duties as a board member are fulfilled. And as always the nights are getting cooler, the bears are more active (more on that later), and school is just around the corner so fall is on the way.

More soon!

Spring is really Winter

Spring in Crested Butte is really Winter by another name. Since the spring solstice, it hasn't stopped snowing. Okay, it has stopped but not for any length of time. Although the accumulation is minimal in town the accumulation of gloom on my person is significant. It needs to stop snowing. For goodness sake, rain, it's spring! 

Ahhh, with fond memories I remember spring in Dripping. Full creeks, trees in bloom, wild flowers galore, and green grass. In CB we have: mud, more mud, dirty snow, and soggy dog poop. Doesn't quite compare. The newest addition to our aging snow banks occurred last night when another storm blew in and left us with red snow. It seems the storm picked up significant amounts of sand from Utah and when it blew in last night the sky was reddish brown. It is what I imagine the sky on Mars must look like and then when the snow fell it was red as well. So now, we have red snow, mud, more mud and soggy dog poop. 

Not to complain too much once summer arrives CB cannot be beat as far as places to be; it's the getting there that has me in the dumps right now. So I sit here and listen to the red snow fall off my roof with big thumps and admire my desert sand stained deck. Meanwhile, it's still snowing...

Yoga Again

In the tradition of resolutions I'm back at my yoga practice. It's humbling to realize what 31 years on this planet can do to misalign your body. I'm happy in my humbling and anxiously awaiting the Iyengar book I ordered so that I can look at a few series and integrate them into my practice. I'm hopeful that I can practice at least 2 or 3 times a week. I've realized that a daily practice is a little out of my league right now. I've got too many other things that I want to do but even a once a week practice would be better than nothing at all which is where I've been until a week ago. 

Amazing what a bad case of whiplash will do to a girl. 

The Harder They Fall...

It is a well know fact that the bigger they are the harder they fall. Apparently, the older they are the harder they fall. 

I've been nursing a bad case of whiplash for the last week and Eric keeps reminding me that I am 32 as if that explains why my neck hurts so damn bad!  It started out with a sudden backward fall on the snowboard while cutting through a nice bunch of powder. Josiah was with me and ironically fell at the same time. The big difference is that he came up laughing and I came up wondering why my helmet had popped of my head and moaning that my neck was really going to hurt tomorrow. That was one week ago. Since then skate skiing and yoga have resulted in an intense tightness on my left side that leaves no doubt where each of my individual muscle ligaments attaches to its appropriate bone. I think the term "stabbing" is an accurate description. Since trying to exercise my way out of this predicament has not worked I'm officially benching myself and starting a strict diet of vitamin I. 

Hopefully this does the trick. Happy 2009 to me. And Eric... I won't be 32 until February so your theory is bunk! 

Making Granola

Today I decided to try my hand at making homemade granola. I combined several recipes and am hoping for the best. The smells coming from the oven are delicious and I'm hoping that is a sign of good things to come. If I'm successful I'll be happy so share my recipe with all those other hippie types out there. 

Happy Halloween