Pots!

On Tuesday nights, my real husband and I have started taking a pottery class. I figured it would be a good way to do something together that leans towards our interest in art. I am a huge fan of all things artistic but I've never successfully found my artistic side (unless you count my husband) - I don't expect that I'll be a potter of note anytime in the next several decades - but this should prove to be a lot of fun.

Day 1 of our class: I giggled at the gooey feel of the clay beneath my hands - you'd be SHOCKED how much strength it takes to center a piece of clay. Who needs P90X - just wedge and center a 2-4lb ball of clay each day!

We are taking our class at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. Our instructor is named Jennie and she and her husband are both potters. We are the only "couple" in class and guess who is the only man in class...yep, poor Clint. But as usual, he's a natural. In no time at all as you can see above, he had pulled up his very first pot!

My first attempt at pulling up a pot yielded a not-so-appetizing clay doughnut...

As the night went on I got a little better although not before I had thrown my clay (and I don't mean on the wheel like I was supposed to), shed a few tears and ruined several pounds of clay. Jennie came over to assess my skills and was able to talk me off the ledge by the window and encourage me to try a few variations of the techniques she had taught. It wasn't easy, but in the last few minutes of our two and a half hour class, I finally birthed a bowl that was worthy of making it's way to the firing shelf! I'm not sure it's centered but it should make a perfectly fine paper clip receptacle!

It's Not About the Ride! (or...the best way to spend your day)

Note to my regular readers (ha!) I'm just no good at this whole blogging thing...

As you have undoubtedly noticed, I STILL have not posted the rest of my Tour of California photos. I have a ton - but tagging them all takes forever and the TT photos take a lot of time since the riders on each team all look quite similar. And they should look similar - since they are wearing the exact same outfit and ride the same bikes. Anywho - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I will one day post the photos, I promise.

Enough about what I haven't been doing..

What I have been doing, which is arguably more important, is riding my bike. I got into a riding rut for a little while there - the desire never left but the schedule wouldn't allow for anything other than my Sunday ride. This is problematic for a few reasons:

1) I like riding my bike. Being a cyclist would really stink if I didn't, wouldn't it?

2) When I don't ride, I get fat. Being fat stinks.

and most importantly...

3) I miss out on therapy. Riding is my therapy. I learn more about myself on a 3 hour ride than I can possibly explain to my readers (all two of you). If you're a cyclist, you get it. If your not - you should become a cyclist to save me the agony of trying to explain something for which there are no words to describe. And so that you can experience free therapy that is WAY better than the kind you pay for.

I took part in therapy with these folks today. Only because I ride have I been blessed with the opportunity to get to know them. So I guess riding is a blessing in addition to being therapeutic.

We headed out for a 55 miler this morning. By we, I mean myself, the FCA endurance team, Lynn, Barry, William (who is kicking some bicycle butt this year after having a kidney removed!!), Jason, my bicycle husband (not to be confused with my real husband who never updates his blog anymore) and myself. Somehow, I let bike hubby convince me that we needed an extra 15 miles. This means that we agreed to meet at the farm at 7:15 and commute to our 8:00 ride (note: "the farm" is my house. I still haven't figured out why we call it "the farm"). As usual, we were running late so the warm-up/commute/extra mileage over was...um...fast. I like fast - it's another one of those reasons that I like cycling and refuse to buy a motorcycle. Unfortunately, fast requires effort. a lot of effort. Sooooo...by the time my 55 mile ride began, I had already ridden 8.....ahem...."quickly paced" miles.

And I had a mini bagel with two tablespoons of peanut butter for breakfast. Yummy but not smart. I had a banana in my pocket but warm bananas are not so yummy.

The ride itself was great. We took a new route from McDonough through Locust Grove and Jackson. We crossed over Lake Jackson and zig zagged our way back to our starting point.

The not-so-fantastic part was my climbing skills (and the 92 degree temperature w/ killer humidity). I should point out that I don't dislike climbing but it certainly isn't my strength. I guess I could be good at it but I'd have to actually do some interval work which I do dislike! But I digress - the point of my not-so-fantastic climbing rant is that I was never left to climb alone.

The best part of the ride today was the group. They are not just committed to their training but also to their teammates. This is something people don't typically attribute to triathletes. (Note: I am not knocking people who cannot decide on one sport - I'm simply pointing out that they typically don't have teammates to think about as part of their multi-sport habit). While I'm not a teammate in the sense that I wear their jersey at races, I feel like I'm their teammate every time I join them for their rides. Over the course of today's ride, I was checked on, pushed along, pulled to the group, encouraged, given a wheel and waited on more times than I like to admit. I was even offered a ride home. I have tons of respect for anyone who will abandon their training efforts to ensure that their teammate is safe/happy/supported. And for them, it's all about commitment. They are committed to something bigger than showing others how strong they are or how fast they can ride. They train, they teach, they repeat.

After the ride and a few minutes of sucking up the awesome AC at the Trek Store, bike hubby and I headed back. We laughed, cut up and poked fun at each other. We hung out and had an adult beverage (or three) while we watched USA play in the World Cup at my favorite local pizza place.

I can't imagine a better way to spend my day. I am so blessed to be obsessed with the best sport in the world.

Stage 6, Palmdale to Big Bear Lake

I enjoyed a beautiful day in Sunny California today - I'm back in the LA area to see stages 6-8 of the 2010 tour of California. Once again, I watched from the KOM point at Millcreek Summit in the Angeles National Forest. I was surprised at the lack of participation this year! Last year I braved the cold with several inches of snow still on the ground along the side
of the road - this year I joined a small crowd of about 20-30 people who lined the sides of the road along the route. The Angeles National Forest has lost its beauty since last year due to the recent wildfires that charred the natural vegetation but it still has it's vantage points when watching the race!



Here's a view of the action:

An eight man break developed early in the race as the group climbed Millcreek Summit. At the front you can see Andy Schleck and Thomas Rabou.

A two man chase by Darren Lill and Ben Day of VAustralia followed shortly behind the breakaway.

HTC-Columbia led the peloton as they approached the top of Millcreek Summit. As they rolled through, I noticed that Chris Horner was enjoying a conversation with one of his teammates. I couldn't help but remember the photo I took last year as Lance climbed the same peak. If only I could climb while carrying on a conversation...

Being here makes me miss my bike. I'm looking forward to the time trial later today - I can't wait to see Levi pull off a win and take control of this race!

New Year, New Challenges

I have the bicycle blues. I wouldn't say that I don't want to ride - but I can't quite drag my butt outside, either. I think about riding several times each day but I can't get motivated to swing my leg over the top tube and clip my feet into those pedals.

I've blamed it on the weather but it's beginning to warm up, technically - the days are already getting longer. I say I'm not riding b/c it's supposed to rain, because it's too cold, because I need to take the tree down, because I can't hang on to the tail of that ride, because my bike needs some work, because my shoes are too small and my feet hurt, because I need to focus more on my family (my husband, my job, my knitting, my cleaning, getting some sleep...you name it).... but it's all just another excuse.

What happened? Where did my urgency go? I miss my bike but I seem to have the most amazing lack of energy...

I need some motivation.

Happy New Year!!!

Most bloggers post an entry on January 1st to "warm up" for the coming year. For me, I'm a little more literal. I thought when they told me to write a "New Year's" post, they meant that I should write a post in the "New Year". And since it's still the "New Year", I'm not exactly "late" with this post....

I've had writers block - the kind that comes in the form of two jobs, a demanding hobby, a husband, and most notably: children. That being said - I want to reflect on a moment of brilliance. They come rarely and I do like to savor them...

On New Year's Eve I had a spark. I remembered how fortunate I've been for the last decade and how much I have to look forward to over the course of the next. I posted a status update to my facebook page that is a pretty good summary of how fortunate I am; I wish I had hashed it out a little more for some deeper reflection but....baby steps. Unfortunately, FB doesn't allow enough characters for me to credit to all of the individuals who were important to me over the past 10 years. This being said...I figure if you're really that important...you probably like me and therefore will forgive me for having only enough spark to post on FB and not enough to elaborate in a long sappy post on my blog. Anyway...that spark went as quickly as it came but before it completely extinguished, I posted the following status message on my Facebook page:

"The Last Decade: Got married, bought a house, earned a degree, had a brilliant baby girl, divorced a drunk, got a great job, found a great man, earned another degree, married a great man, bought a house with a great man, had a beautiful baby boy, got another great job, earned a third degree, took up the best sport in the world, and learned that life isn't always what you thought it'd be...sometimes it's even better!"

What better way can I say Happy New Year!! Here's to making another decade of memories and remembering to find the silver lining no matter what challenges come my way. Thank you to each of you who have been a part of my life until now (even if you weren't mentioned in my fb post!) and I hold even more gratitude to those who will be from here forward.

With Love,
-C

The day Murphy's Law applied

I have seen some crazy crap on my rides: a dead boar on the side of the road (yep, no joke...), a scooter that we were passing as we rode along Peachtree St. (!!), a gruesome car accident (still dream about that one), bike crashes (I know...BORING!!!), children throwing rocks at us as we pass, and more wildlife than I can remember (turkeys, deer, birds, turtles, frogs, lizards, cats (they're wild too...sometimes), horses, pigs, snakes, etc. etc).

Today I can add two things to my list: three deer attempting to run over a paceline of 8 cyclists (I swear they were aiming for us!) and the collision of three bikes - all of which managed to stay upright. Oh, and I should mention that one of those three cyclists in the collision somehow put his foot through the front wheel of the guy behind him, taking out two of the spokes on his Zipp 404s. After we changed wheels and rode the remaining 20 miles home - we realized that the guy who put his foot through the Zipps - he had two broken spokes on his rear wheel and rode all the way back!!!

What a crazy day man...the fun never stops!!

For all of these things, I am Thankful.

On any given day, it's easy to forget that my beautiful daughter is the result of a marriage to a man I try frequently to forget. I often forget that my husband is the most supportive man I've ever known; I could never be who I am without his support. I have an almost three year old son who smiles more than any child I've ever known and loves his sister so fiercely that he I hear him tell her so at least 5 or 6 times each day. He brings each of us more joy than we've ever known. I am married to a man who is giddy when I'm near and makes me giggle more than anyone I've ever known; I love to giggle and feel happy. My husband is an amazing artist and I am lucky to be exposed to such talent; I could watch for hours on end as he creates beautiful drawings and paintings (each greater than the last). I am fortunate that I have a beautiful home in a friendly neighborhood where my daughter can ride her scooter safely without me having to worry. My parents are still a very big part of my life, along with my sister, my mother and father-in-law and my sister-in-law who is also my friend. I have a family and they love me for who I am - how awesome is that!?

On any given day, it's easy to forget that I have career that brings me a significant amount of joy; despite the stressful moments that I face each day. My boss is approachable and supportive and her boss is understanding and knowledgeable. I am blessed with co-workers who keep me sane, even though many of them may actually be less sane than myself! I am fortunate to work in schools where the teachers I work with love children and come to work because they want to. It's nice to have a job where I know I make a difference each day, even if I don't see that difference in my bank account each month.

On any given day, it's easy to forget that I have two best friends who support me, overlook my idiosyncrasies and insist that they love me - even when I'm not being lovable. One supports my obsession with life while the other supports my obsession with cycling which takes up a whole lot of my life! I am fortunate enough to have forged friendships with people who I suspect I will still talk to on the day that I draw my very last breath. Without them, I'd certainly occupy a lonely and uneventful existence!

On any given day, it's easy to forget that riding my bike is a privilege that isn't afforded to everyone. I am good at riding my bike - more importantly - it makes me feel free and at peace with every pedal stroke.

For all of these things, I am thankful. I pray that each day forward, I will remember to be thankful.