A NIP IN THE AIR

So it is finally fall. I have been looking forward to this all summer. This is my favorite time of the year. It is cool in the mornings and warm in the afternoon but not hot. It is also a sign that we are getting closer to vacation. We have been counting down the days.

We have been a little busy over the last few weekends but nothing major. We went to Bridge to Bridge on the 20th. That was an experience. It was cold, rainy, foggy and just out right NASTY. We got up to the road to go to Grandfather Mountain and my check engine light came on in my car. Bad sign. I started to panic and really didn't know what I was gonna do because Bruce thought I would be at the top with dry clothes and I had no cell service to call up to the top to let some of the others that we had met up with know that I couldn't make it. We eventually did get on a shuttle and go up. It was super Nasty at the top. Wind factored into all the other stuff. It was a rough day but Bruce made it to the top first and we made it home.

AT A LOSS FOR WORDS.

http://www2.wspa.com/spa/news/local/article/community_pays_tribute_to_fallen_marine/26924/

THE NEMESIS WAS CONQUERED!

Today was the SC State Road Race Championships and Bruce has not been racing but he did want to do this one so we decided to. He could do the Master 30+ or the Pro 1/2. He left it up to us to decide so Kolbie decided he would rather go early in the morning instead of spend the whole day there so we went for the Masters 30+. Well it worked. This year was Bruce's year. He and Charlie Brown got off in a break that stuck from lap 1 and they came across the line 1st and 2nd. Bruce took the State Title. This course has been a total pain for him. He has come every year and left disappointed. It worked for him this year though. He has been rested and there was no pressure. He gets to go the US PRO Championships tomorrow and have his jersey and medal presented to him on the stage. COOL.

BACK TO SCHOOL!

This was the first week back to school. It went great. Kolbie really likes his teacher and she is not one to give a lot of homework so that is great. Of course the week started with Algebra but what would the week be without a little something to blow your mind. I am wondering did we skip third grade and go straight to high school. I really don't remember ALGEBRA in the 3rd grade. Weren't we still potty training then. I really had to take myself back to the earlier years. Spelling words are a little longer and harder this year too. Kolbie also got accepted into the Project Goal program this year so that will be a little different. Not sure what every state calls it but it is also called the Gifted and Talented program. He will be doing accelerated math and science during this time each day. It kind of scared me at first because I didn't realize it counts for a grade on his report card but when the teacher explained it a little more it seems like something he will do well with and really enjoy. He is very excited and the fact that he is only 1 of 5 in the third grade to get into the program and more so the only one in his class is an acheivement.

I was really dreading the back to school thing but I think this will be a good year. It makes the work week go by faster when you are having to do the school routine but it also makes me realize that it just seems like yesterday that we were taking him to kindergarten and now it is 3rd grade. Also I have noticed that he doesn't want mom to give him a kiss in front of the school anymore cause that aint COOL. OH TO BE YOUNG AGAIN.

FELT A LITTLE MELLOW!!!

Bruce took the day off yesterday and of course he pulled his neck so I had to take him to the chiropractor and while we were over there we decided to stop by and eat at one of out favorite restaurants. MELLOW MUSHROOM. We sat out on the patio and it was so nice. The temps were probably in the low 80's and there was a slight breeze. We had hummus and pita chips and then Kolbie and I shared a pizza while Bruce had a salad. He would need to just eat a salad after the beer he put down. It was huge. Very dark. Kolbie found this a little amusing. Bruce has never drank anything other than water around Kolbie. Kolbie is getting older now so I would imagine it wouldn't be quite such a big deal anymore. We have never drank around him. It was funny though. The food and the atmosphere was great. There was a point where we had a group of flies that tried to join us. They could have stayed at home.

AND SO IT MUST COME TO AN END

This is our last week of summer. School will start back on Monday. We took Kolbie to see Aliens in the Attic this past weekend. I have to say I was not really wanting to see it but it was a very cute movie. Kolbie really enjoyed it so that is really all that mattered anyway.

It was very hot this past weekend. Upper 90's if not low 100's everyday. There was one point on Monday when I went to get in my car from work and the thermometer said 105. SIZZLING.

This was after we left the movie Saturday evening.

Today I am at home with him because he has a stomach bug. What a way to end the summer. I am hoping that this is only a 24 hour thing. Bruce has planned to take the day off on Friday and spend with him and I would hate for him to be sick.

This year I plan to be more prepared for each day but still "huh" I sigh because I know:

THE RAT RACE BEGINS ON MONDAY!!!

The Weekend

This past weekend was a typical weekend for us except that we had to go and do a little school shopping. It is so hard to believe that Kolbie will be in the 3rd grade. I am so not prepared for this. I feel like I am going back as well. I have heard that 3rd grade is hard and I am really not looking forward to it.

This past week Bruce did something really different. He was one of the models for a photo shoot for EVOLE MALE. This is a store in downtown Greenville. A friend of his was the photographer. Check him out at www.gabriellancephotography.com. Hopefully he will be posting some of the pics soon. Anyway they had an event at Sasafrass so we decided Saturday evening we would go there before we did the school shopping. Kolbie and I shared scallops wrapped with bacon over a bed of grits and Bruce had salmon over grits. Now I have to say that the grits were a little different than what I expected but it wasn't bad. The scallops were to die for. I highly recommend it.

All in all it was a pretty uneventful weekend. Very relaxing.

Kolbies 8th birthday

Kolbie wanted to go to Kanpai Tokyo for his 8th birthday back in April. No party just family time. Gotta love that. He is mastering the chop sticks.

A LITTLE SAFER

If you follow the news in the US you will have noticed that our little town here in South Carolina had better week. The guy who has been committing the murders around here was found. Unfortunately he was killed. We would have liked to know why he picked out little town. Either way it is over but it does make everyone a little more aware of the craziness in the world. We just thought we were somehow immune to it around here. WE WERE WRONG.

ASKING FOR PRAYERS

We live in a small town. Nothing much really ever happens but this week there have been 4 murders and we are a little on edge. The have deteremined that it is a serial killer on the loose. The most recent murder was a local business owner. His 15 year old daughter was with him and was also shot but is in critical condition at a local hospital. The suspect is still on the loose. Please be praying for our community. We need this person found. Paranoia has set in. It is leading to sleepless nights and caution in a little town were we have felt safe.

So we finally did it!!!!

As some of you may know we took a little time off from racing to get our few remaining debts gone so all we would have would be the house. Well we are coming right along with that but we also had to get another vehicle. This was a part of the plan also. We finally did this week. We found a really good deal on a used Lexus IS300. Bruce has considered this his car and he will be driving it. I have finally gotten my Camry back after 5 years and really glad for that. The little car I was driving got me to where I needed to go but wasn't the best in the world. He had no radio and the air worked but would suck the life out the car when you used it. Needless to say after Bruce driving the Camry on the highway everyday for 5 years and us doing some traveling to races in it, it needs a little work done but it is finally back in my hands.

As for our debt payoff we are doing good with that and Bruce has been actually doing a couple of races/rides around here. We did however get hit with having to buy a bicycle because the team he was on decided they wanted theirs back now instead of at the end of the season. That is okay though. He will have his own now and not have to worry about it so much. It only set us back a month on what we had scheduled for the payoff plan so it wasn't too bad. We are now looking forward to the next thing to be paid off and our trip to Florida for Thanksgiving. No worrying about who is bringing what to Thanksgiving dinner. Sandy Beaches here we come.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

We went last night to see this movie. AWESOME. I liked the first movie but I have to say I think the second is my favorite. The special effects in this one were great. The Transformers were definetely bigger also. I would have to say that Chevrolet got plenty of plugs from this movie also. The new camaro was sweet, but the Corvette in there was out of this world. NO PUN INTENDED. My favotire care however was the little green one. It resembled a smart car but it was a Chevrolet. Definetely gonna have to get me one of those. I can see me scooting arounhd town in it.

I highly recommend this movie. It is however long so I don't recommend going for the big drink. You wouln't want to miss any of the show.

Once again time has gone by

Well again I have let myself get behind on posting. Since I last posted school has gotten out for the summer. NICE!!!! No more rushing around in the morning making sure we are not tardy for the 100th time. Yes we seem to do well at being there a minute late. Anyway Kolbie did get promoted from 2nd to 3rd grade. He finished this school year with all A's. I think I finished with that also be Lord knows second grade homework is a challenge. I am getting reschooled all over again. Math and reading is my strong soot and it just so happens that the same can be said for Kolbie. He recently received the EXCELLENCE IN MATH award from his school. Can you tell I am a proud MOM.

He started the YMCA Summer camp again this year and had only gone 3 days so far but is loving it. He left for Hilton Head Island this past Friday (5th) and will be back today. The first few days of him being gone were nice. I didn't have to rush around or worry about hurrying home from the gym or anything but then that got boring. I can't remember what it was like when he wasn't here. I miss him terribly and really miss his conversation. Few more hours and he will be home. Will I be wishing for another vacation. He will have so much to say!!!!

GABE AND AMANDA'S WEDDING

This past Saturday (may 9) was Gabe and Amanda's wedding. It was in a castle in Tuckaseegee NC. The rehearsal dinner was Friday night so Bruce and I took a half day off and headed up. We got there and were amazed at how steep the hill was to get to the Castle Ladyhawke. There was no way you could get up it in bad weather. It was beautiful. We saw Todd. He is a friend we have not seen in 3 years. He moved to some place in Georgia and bought a chiropractic practice. He still looks the same.

The wedding on Saturday was really sweet. These guys have been together for 8 years so it is about time they finally made it official. We danced and ate and had a really good time. We enjoyed ourselves and for the first time in the almost 14 years since we have been together we actually danced together. Can you belive that. WHERE HAVE WE BEEN??? RACING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bruce and I decided that we would not stay at the castle like the rest of the wedding party and we got a room at an Inn a few miles down the road. It was really nice and quaint. We just made a weekend of it. Bruce got out and did some riding in the mornings while I got to stay in bed and I tried to catch up on my reading and "ALIAS". It was really relaxing. There was no running to this race or getting up really early to make start time.

I did not get to run or walk while we were there. I have this thing about running or walking when I am in a strange place but when Bruce got back from his ride I did get him to walk to some of the shops nearby so I guess that would count for something.

It was great weekend.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE.......LIFE?

Bruce and I laid in bed last night and talked about life and racing and debt payoff and we figured out something. THEY DON'T ALL GO TOGETHER! He loves racing but his heart just hasn't been in it this year. We are so close to getting completely out of debt and he knows that. This has been a burden to him since he knows that everything we spend to race could have gotten us one step closer, faster. So today he decided he would just take the year off. I am okay with that. I feel heartbroken for him because I know he loves it but I also know that he loves us more and only wants what is best for us. He is such a good father and wonderful husband. It takes a lot to give up your passion to make sure the ones you love the most are taken care of. THANKS HONEY. We both desperately need to get a new house and this will get us there faster. We also haven't had a true vacation since Kolbie was 18 months old and we have finally decided to do that this year. We are going to Florida and we can't wait (hope the swine flu is gone by then).

It has been great doing the racing scene but I think this time off will be good not just for Bruce but for Kolbie and I as well. I am looking forward to just spending some time with my husband on the weekend and not running to get a number or preparing bottles.

Watch out though we may be back next year and there should be nothing holding him back.

A MEMBER OF THE CULT!!!

So I have officially become a member of the "cult" to here Gary Kroll say it. He is absolutely right. I have read all the Twilight Saga books and have loved them. The other women in my office have also read or started reading them and are also in love with them. I love sci/fi type books but usually not love stories but these have intrigued me. The first book was TWILIGHT. You could watch the movie and know what was happening in this one. Second is NEW MOON. Wonderful. The movie is coming out in November and my office has decided to have a girls night out. In our case we will probably be the only women there. The rest will be girls who shop in the junior section. SUCKS!!!. I am getting old.

Anyhow, NEW MOON brings to light some new hidden secrets about the characters from TWILIGHT and since I hate to spoil it for others you will just have to read the book to find out. Also will BELLA decide to have Edward turn her to a vampire? Who knows. Guess you will have to join the craze of women over 30 hunting down the books. Believe me they are hard to find.

ECLIPSE is book 3 of this series and is my favorite of all 4. Can't give any hints on this one either. The final book is BREAKING DAWN. This book had so many new characters added that I started to get a little confused but it all came to light at the end.

If you have not join the "CULT", try it. These books are easy reading. I read all of them in a little over week. INSANE since they are over 500 pages each. I have to give it to my husband though. He just allowed me to read and never bothered me or was bothered by me. THANKS HONEY.

Anyway run to the library or Barnes and Noble and give Stephanie Meyers a try. I think you will like them.

CHARLESTON

This past weekend was the Pivotal Fitness race weekend in Charleston. It was absolutely beautiful down there. Sunny and high 70's. Bruce felt good this weekend so his mood was great. I however was not my happy go lucky self but it had been a hectic week for me so "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT". Anyhow, I did get to finish my book that I have been reading. I have read the 3 books on the Twilight Series that came after Twilight this week. They are great. Highly recommend them.

Catch my next post to see what I thought about each one.

Another Author!!!!

Hey, this is Kolbie. well to start it off the easter bunny came and brought me some practice golf balls, a bionicle, and a chocolate bunny and some gum. After church I will be going to my nanny's house for lunch. I am excited because I will get to see my three cousins. So now I have to go fix breakfast so I guess i'll talk to you later.

Kolbie out.

HAPPY EASTER

Well today is Easter. It is one of my absolute favorite holidays. It symbolizes so much. From the rising of Christ to the smell of spring. AND JELLY BEANS. Yes I have an addiction to jelly beans. Any kind. Doesn't matter the flavor they are all my favorite. WEIRD HUH.

It has been really nice here in South Carolina over the last few evenings so Friday night we went out in the field and built a fire and just sat around it. Weeble loved it. It was the first time he didn't shiver. Kolbie just like playing with bamboo. We have lots in the woods and Bruce was just feeling like a man with his fire he built. I was just enjoying the time together. It is not to often that we don't sit around without some form of technology blarring. It was NICE.

Anyway as I said it has been nice. We have been able to sleep with the windows up at night and when you wake in the morning the air is so crisp and refreshing. I love this time of year. Everything seems so clean and the flowers start to bloom. Everything is so green. Gorgeous. Bring on the ZYRTEC. Kolbie will need it.

Kolbie got picked

Back in October Kolbie had to take some testing for the Gifted and Talented program at his school. He got a letter a couple of weeks ago that said he had passed the first round of testing and he was to be tested for 2 more days. Those two days were this week. We started the week off really bad because he has had some congestion in his head lately and it finally set into his left ear. We went to the dr on Monday morning and got some antibiotics and congestion meds. I was a little worried that he would have problems with the testing that was to be given on Wednesday and Thursday because he was having problems hearing out of that ear but he seemed to do okay. Wednesday was the reading comprehension part of the test. He was so excited when I picked him up from school. He said it was easy. Thursday was the math portion. He said it was a little bit harder but he didn't really worry so much about it. I hope he gets in. This is a great program and I think he will do well in it. He likes things that challenge his mind. They had to send the test to Columbia to be scored so now we wait.

Thing is regardless I was really proud of him because he was 1 of only 6 kids in his school that got approved to go on to the second round of testing. Better yet he was the only one in his class to be asked.

Pre training program

So this week I could do what I really wanted before I started my 16 week training program. I decided that I would go out a couple of days and walk and then do a couple of days of rotating 1 minute runs and 3 minute walks. This is what has shown me what kind of shape I am in. I did this really well for about 5 rotations. The six and seventh rotation kicked my butt. I felt like I could barely get my legs off the ground to run. And for some odd reason I had to pee really bad. After the seventh time I decided this was enough and I would call it a day. Besides I was only PRACTICING what I would begin to do next week. Afterwards I walked home and Bruce and I did some strength training that was hard considering I had just had my butt kicked by the asphalt. The next day I got up and I was sore but it was great. It was a good kinda sore. I knew that I would be but I also knew that it meant I was on my way to getting back in shape. It has been 8 years coming. Gotta start some time.

A NEW VENTURE

Well a couple of weeks ago someone said to me that when I get their age I will want to just stay home and watch t.v. That hit me and I thought, no freakin way. So at that point I decided I wanted to do something. I like to bike but I feel so guilty when I am away from Kolbie because Bruce trains so hard I feel one of us needs to be with him. I don't want someone else raising my child. Anyway Kolbie and I decided that we would start running. I have found a local 10k here in July and we have set our sites on that. Well this week I have been starting to train. Kolbie has not felt so well. I didn't realize just by walking how much better I would feel. Before Kolbie came along I stayed in the gym. I loved it and it brought that feeling back these past few weeks. Bruce and I have been doing some strength training at home and that has been nice too. Although he kicks my butt. I think we may venture back into the gym come April though. I will be easier and we will have more there. I will be able to cross train on the spin bikes too.

Anyway the Peach Festival here in July has a 10k, 5k, and 1 mile. I think Kolbie will shoot for the 1 mile and I will shoot for the 10k. I started out walking for the last couple of weeks and am gonna finish that this week. Next week I will start a training program that I found in RUNNER'S WORLD for 8 weeks and then I am gonna do another 8 week program from TRAINING PEAKS that will lead me straight to the 10k. I am bound to stick with this and finish this 10k. I want to accomplish this. It will give me a since of "HECK NO I WON'T BE LIKE YOU" and it will be healthy for me and for Kolbie to.

This will be my first goal. I will finish even if I have to walk across the line and then I will set my sites on to Atlanta (maybe).

Stay tuned.

THE ECONOMY!!!!

So we have really been hitting it with our debt payoff these last few months. It has really been paying off too. This week has been a little scary for us though. We are so close to having our stuff paid off but this week I wasn't so sure we would be able to continue with that. Bruce's employer has tried to cut corners to avoid having to layoff any workers but it just came to a head this week. Fortunately for now Bruce has not been laid off but he will however be going back to drafting/coordinating. I think this was a blessing for us. He hated estimating. Sunday's were a real pain in the butt around our house. He will get to go back to what he liked to do and keep his job for now. His company has been really good to him so we are blessed there. As for me, the state of South Carolina is in a financial slump right now. The State has decided to cut our local government funding by 1.3 million dollars so that really is going to hurt our county. I was made aware this week that because of this we may have to cut some jobs in our county. We are small and only employ approximately 300 to 400 workers so cutting 40 jobs will hurt and will affect every department. I am unsure if I will get the boot but am hoping not just for insurance reasons. I have state insurance and it is great so it will hurt to lose that. The Treasurer will be fine because she is an elected offical but me being the Deputy Treasurer leaves me at risk because she can do my job also. There is nothing I can do though but wait.

We will see where we go in the next few months but it doesn't look good for everyone. I just might get the summer off!!!! Things will eventually pick up though. We just have to be patient.

ITS BEEN A WHILE

I really didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. Time is flying. Well lets see since I last posted we have started racing season again. Bruce went to Belize on February 12th to do the Valentines Day race there. There was 5 of them that went and Rich Harper ended up winning so that was good for the team. Of course I missed Valentine's Day with him but I wasn't alone. Kolbie and I fixed a really nice meal and watched a movie at home.

We started the Spring Series last weekend in Greenville. It was a little chilly on Saturday and Sunday was brutal so we didn't go that day. We were supposed to go again yesterday but it was decided that it wants to rain on the weekend for some odd reason so we decided to forego Greenville again yesterday. Today we are sitting here waiting for the major snow storm we are supposed to get so yet again we will not be racing today. Oh will SPRING ever get here.

"UNDERWORLD"

Bruce and I decided that we would have a date night on Saturday. We went to City Range and had a really nice meal and then headed to see Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. I am a huge fan of the Underworld movies and was so looking forward to seeing it. I was however a little skeptical about spending the money to see it at the movie. Usually when a third movie comes out it isn't quite as good. I have to say this has to be my favorite of the 3. It felt more realistic than Underworld or Underworld Evolution. The werewolves were more realistic looking and it takes place before cell phones and guns come into play in the first Underworld. Lucian is seen in a different light than he was in the first 2.

I will definetely be adding this one to my collection when it comes out on DVD. I do have to warn you though. If you don't like scary "BASED ON TRUE STORY" movies try to skip the previews before Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. There was a preview for the movie "The Haunting in Connecticut". It scared the crap out of me. I will not be seeing that one.

24 DAYS AND COUNTING

The last few months have been so relaxing. No running here and there every weekend. We have been paying off some debt and it has been nice. We have gotten to the big ones and only have a few left. AWESOME.

The time is coming though that relaxation will be a thing of the past and we will begin RACING SEASON 2009. I am hoping this will be a good year. Bruce had good results last year but there are a few key races he really wants to win. Belize being one of them. Rick Kattouff from Kattouff Training has done wonders for him and I think it will really payoff this year.

PROUD OF MYSELF

So LOST premiered last night and I didn't peek. I am however a big fan of "LIE TO ME" now. I will watch LOST tonight.

COUNTING DOWN

3 MORE DAYS UNTIL "LOST" PREMIERES FOR THE 5TH SEASON.
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!!! A RELAXING WEEKEND

So this weekend has been such a long time coming. It sure seemed like this week would never end. It started with the trip the hospital on Sunday (previous post) and then this week has been a week from you know where. Taxes for our county are due without penalty by the 15th of January and it seems that those who were going to pay waited until then. I have worked late all week. There was one night I worked till 7 and then brought some work home with me and worked till 8:30. Bruce hates it when I have to work over. I think he just gets lonely. He usually is on the trainer but I think he still likes having me there even though we don't talk when he is training. Anyway, Saturday was very relaxing. I didn't even get out of my pj the whole day. Sad HUH. It was very cold outside so you really couldn't anyway. I have the day off on Monday for MLK day so I am excited about that. I am going to take these last few weekends of relaxation in because I know that come the middle of February they will come to an end. RACING SEASON!!!!! Gotta love having a cyclist for a husband!

A RELAXING WEEKEND. YEAH RIGHT!!!

So this past weekend I thought I would relax. I decided that Kolbie and I would go and do a little shopping so we did on Saturday. Very fun. I didn't get to do everything I wanted to on Saturday so we thought we would go back out on Sunday. Just as I was going to walk out the door I got a call on my cell. Didn't recognize the number so I started not to answer it but did anyway. It was Boyd Johnson. As soon as I heard his voice I knew. He said Bruce had went down on their ride over in Greenville. He had hit a cat and took a gainer over the handle bars. The ambulance was on their way and he would be going to Greenville Memorial. I was not panicing yet because I had Kolbie with me and really didn't want to scare Bruce. My first reaction was "How am I gonna get there without calling Bruce's mom." I didn't want to alarm her but I knew that my little red car may not make it. (If you know us you know we don't like car payments and I drive a little old car that gets me to work and home). I called his mom and she gladly took me over there. Lucky for him he had several contusions and abrasions and a cervical strain. Thanks to Bell Helmets for being a sponsor of the team because without it he probably wouldn't be here today. The bad bad bad part was that we had to sit at the hospital for HOURS. Kolbie started getting restless and I was starving. I kept thinking "I sure hope we don't come home with a virus or the flu". Bruce's nutrition coach came over to check on him. That was super. He was very nice.

The Lord was watching over him and us once again. Hope this weekend is a little more relaxing.

NEW TEAMMATE????

So yesterday when I got home from work Weeble was on the couch and apparently couldn't find his blanket to cover himself with so he pulled on a jersey. He had his head through the armhole but all the more it was still pretty cute. Maybe the team needs a mascot!!! I think he could make a pretty good podium picture.