Holy Bloggie, Batman!

Yes, yes, long time since my last post. I have no excuse. I've been doing Facebook more now...easier to update, quicker to upload pics, and takes less time. There, that's my excuse. :)

Lots has happened since my last post. Annabelle is getting bigger and more human like...Heather has been doing a great job on her blog with Annie updates. She's pretty darn cute and fun. I've been doing some bike racing, adult hockey league started last week, we did the Vermont trip, etc, etc. All good times. Here are some pics from VT.

The pool table in the ghetto basement of our 2nd B&B.

Heather risking limb to pet a horse.

Pic with a waterfall.More waterfall fun.

Trent, Jeff, and I acting tough (really just staying warm).

Tonia and I cresting a climb.

We toured the B&J's factory.

Tonia ready for another day of cycling.

Vermont countryside is similar to WI, just with mountains.

All of the buildings at this college were yellow.

There are more pictures from our trip posted here. The password is madone. It is all the pics taken by our tour guides...11 pages worth.

Halloween time. Annabelle's 1st Halloween, and she was excited. She picked out a ladybug costume.

That's about it for now. Maybe I'll post again in a month or so. :)
Some sad/good news...I may be departing Team Brown Bear for next season. There is a new regional team forming next year that I was asked to be on...I'll post more details as those come about.

Start them young...

With hockey season right around the corner, I figured it was time to outfit Annie with the right equipment. So I bought her a little Sioux jersey so she has something to wear while we watch UND games this winter.
It's way too big for her right now...we have to roll the sleeves about halfway up, so she'll probably be wearing it until she's 5 years old.
She's officially mobile now, crawling all over the place. I think she digs the independence...she can go where she wants and investigate whatever she wants. It's kind of scary at the same time though...she can now get into mischief. :)
Fall is approaching fast, but the weather has been glorious for the last couple weeks here. Perfect days. We're getting excited...our big trip to Vermont is coming up soon, and then cross racing and adult hockey season starts the weekend that we get back. Fun times!

Try, Try Again

Tomorrow, August 6th, is a big day here. It combines Heather's birthday along with Annabelle turning 8 months old. Good times.

To celebrate her upcoming 8th month, Annie decided that she wanted to pull herself up in her crib.

Her first effort "fell" a little short:

But, like the little trooper she is, she tried again. And her 2nd attempt was much better:

Nice job Binky. Her first two teeth are coming in nicely...right on the bottom front. She'll be eating meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy in no time.

On the new job front - it sounds like I have a good chance at getting the job...as long as the budget gets approved. With our dealer show, Trek World, being next week, I probably won't hear back until after that.

Busy, busy...

Another busy month, and I just kind of forget about the blog. Oops.
It seems that we've been driving all over the place lately. This weekend it was nice to just sit at home and relax.

A few races since my last post. I did a crit in Waukesha...my first crit in over 2 years. The last few corners were pretty sketchy, so I just rolled it in with the main pack. Then I did a road race in Whitewater. Felt really good, I was in the leading group of 13 riders with a half mile to go in the race when two riders right in front of me tangled bars and went down. I ran right over them and hit the pavement. Luckily my bike escaped relatively unharmed...the wheels trued back up, just a couple small scratches on the frame, few marks on the shifter...some new hbar tape and it was rolling again. I had some good road rash on my arm, hip, and palms though.

The next weekend Annabelle and I headed to ND to visit the grandparents and do the Prairie Rose road and mtb races.
Here she is at one of the pit stops, enjoying herself.
The road race was on Saturday. Once again, I was feeling really good and was in the leading group of 7 riders on the last lap of the 50 mile race. About a mile past the start/finish line, my rear tire flatted. Crap. My sealant didn't work, so I had to walk it back a mile. Turned out I had a nice chunk of glass in my rear tire.
The mtb race was on Sunday, and that went better. Vino, Greg, and Sears were there, so it was good seeing them. Jay Richards, a semi-pro from MN, was also there. He and I got away on the first lap and rode the rest of the 6 laps together, taking turns pulling through the horse trails. Some new sections of singletrack out at Turtle River...great loop. He got me on the uphill paved sprint finish, so I got 2nd place overall. Jay's take on the race can be found here.

Annabelle and I arrived home on Monday, and then on Wednesday we were on the road again to our annual lake retreat with the Josef parents, this time near Phillips, WI. That was a nice, relaxing time. It was pretty cold for July...didn't go swimming or anything, but I managed to read some books, do some puzzles, play some board games, and watch the Tour.

This past Tuesday after work we headed back to ND. RIP Jack. Our thoughts are with the entire Leedahl family.

Random notes...I may be getting a new job at Trek. I have a 2nd interview on Monday morning, so I'll keep you informed of what happens with that. Also, a group of players from my league hockey team signed up for the 2010 Pond Hockey Champs in Eagle River, WI in February. That should be a really fun time. And that's all for now.

Catching up...

Back at it again. Let's get it started...the last few months in pictures:

Auntie Alane visited us for a weekend. We went for a nice bike ride.

Then Tonia, Dad, and Danette all visited over Memorial Day weekend.
Tonia said the cows smelled just like Trent.

Annabelle loves swinging at the park.

Sometimes I want to partake in the fun as well.

This week we started Annabelle on some "solid" foods. She liked that.

Within two days, she already figured out how to work the spoon. Now I just put the food on the spoon and hand it to her. She takes care of the rest.

I got a new bike as well. It's fast and light.

Last weekend was the WI State Champ road race. I got 5th overall and 2nd for WI riders...I missed being the state champ by about 2 inches. So close...so that's both cool and annoying at the same time. The winner soloed for the last two laps and second place was none other than Robbie Ventura (ex-pro rider for USPS and ex-coach for Floyd Landis)...he wore a helmet cam and taped the whole race. There was a hill about 200 ft before the finish line and another rider attacked on that...only me and one other rider went with him. Here's the sprint developing, a little closer, closer still, and then me being disgusted that I lost the sprint. The first three places were all IL riders, so if I would have beaten that one dude at the end, I would have been state champ. Such is life sometimes... :)

Fun stuff coming up...first mtb race of the season for me next weekend. Road race on July 4th weekend. Then July 11-12 I am planning on heading back to GF to visit and to race the Prairie Rose road/mtb races. Annabelle has been all over the US with her mom (Michigan, Maryland, and soon Kentucky), so it's about time that her and I went roadtriping together.

Over and out.