This blog is so neglected. Poor blog.
In two days I'll start my bicycle ride to Portland for the STP bicycle classic! All this training (since the beginning of April) is going to sure pay off. Weather in the low-mid 80's. Day one: 134 miles, Day two: 70 miles. Then a deserved night at the Westin. Hopefully I'll get to see a few friends Sunday night/Monday before I take the bolt bus home.
After that, other things to look forward to include: my first Capitol Hill Block Party, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals concert at the zoo, mom's birthday camping, lots of camping and backpacking (hopefully), a trip to San Jose to see Miss Kim Shelly for ther birthday, and a vacation sometime around labor day weekend (still hasn't been planned...oops...)
Things I have neglected telling you about: Jamie and Jody's wedding! It was SO AWESOME! and then camping out on the peninsula with the Sheriff Clan was just the icing on the cake; Independence Day fun times; Jody's bachelorette party; moving to ballard; the Scissor Sisters concert; Solstice; a truly crazy work month in June...yeah, lots has been going on. Add cycling to that list, and I've barely had a chance to catch my breath. Things are luckily slowing down now, though, so maybe I'll blog more. Maybe :)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Ah-maze-ing concerts, Summer 2012
May 24 - Metric at WWU (on a weeknight, prolly not going to make that...but Metric is awesome)
May 26-28 - Northwest Folklife Festival (never been, gotta check it out!)
June 9 - Rocky Votolato at Neumos (might not make it; bike ride and baby shower earlier in the day)
June 19 - Scissor Sisters at Paramount (HOLY FUCK!)
June 23 - The Mountain Goats at Columba City Theater
July 18 - Grace Potter and The Nocturnals at Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheatre (sooo excited; already bought tix)
July 20-22 Capitol Hill Block Party (yes, bought tix for this, too; another first time event for me)
August 29 - Gavin Degraw at Evergreen State Fair (haven't seen him, love his music...)
September 22 - Jason Mraz at the Gorge (haven't seen him, never been to the Gorge, bought tix, SO EXCITE!)
May 26-28 - Northwest Folklife Festival (never been, gotta check it out!)
June 9 - Rocky Votolato at Neumos (might not make it; bike ride and baby shower earlier in the day)
June 19 - Scissor Sisters at Paramount (HOLY FUCK!)
June 23 - The Mountain Goats at Columba City Theater
July 18 - Grace Potter and The Nocturnals at Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheatre (sooo excited; already bought tix)
July 20-22 Capitol Hill Block Party (yes, bought tix for this, too; another first time event for me)
August 29 - Gavin Degraw at Evergreen State Fair (haven't seen him, love his music...)
September 22 - Jason Mraz at the Gorge (haven't seen him, never been to the Gorge, bought tix, SO EXCITE!)
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tulips...err Daffodils 2012
The day after my birthday, Darby and I headed to the Tulip Festival. Fortunately, there were not many people at the fields. That's probably because there were no tulip fields in bloom...
But there were lots of daffodils!
The daffodils were beautiful and it was nice not to fight the crowds. It was even warm enough to roll down the windows as we drove to Roozengarde! At least their demonstration gardens had some tulips :)
We are so lucky to live just a quick drive away from so much beauty!
Birthday 2012: Friends, Bikes, Glitter, Sunshine, Bowling, Roller Skating
My birthday this year was pretty spectacular! All thanks to some stellar friends :)
Jackie made me this yummy orange chocolate cake:
I started the Cascade Training Series with a 26 mile loop from Magnuson Park to Seward Park and back. This was the first time I'd done that ride, or ever been to that latter. It was sunny and gorgeous out. Perfect cycling weather! And it was so fun to get out with a big group of cyclists. Now that I've been at it for about a month, my confidence and abilities have really grown.
My morning surprise before my ride:
The CTS riders:
When I came home, I was treated to a lovely brunch made by Maria. Salmon eggs benedict and mimosas. SO GOOD!!
After cleaning up, Kacey came over and we started getting glitterfied! The theme of the party was glitter. Miranda, Dustin, and Darby stopped by with presents and cupcakes, too.
Miranda's cupcakes. They had marshmallow filling!
Pretty Pike Place flowers from Miranda. They make the prettiest bouquets!
Maria started getting glitterfied, and Jason came over, too. Maria, Jason, Kacey and I drove to Lynnwood Bowl and Skate. Lots of friends, food, and delicious cupcakes made by Dianne!
Cupcakes: cappuccino, peanut butter chocolate, and oreo. The oreo were the most popular.
After dinner, we all headed to the bowling lanes :)
And then we went rollerskating, but there are no pics of that because we were all too excited about it. And it's kind of hard to move around on skates AND take photos.
We headed to The Hurricane and ate crappy breakfast food. Picked up Joey on the way there. I asked him to wear my sparkle bow tie and suspenders. So cute!
This is outfit:
And when we got home, my friend Rachel had left amazingly delicious triple chocolate cupcakes!
All in all, it was a great weekend! Gorgeous weather, sweet friends, yummy treats, cycling, bowling, roller skating, crappy late night food (it's sort of a tradition now). Fun, fun!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Chilly Hilly 2012
My first big group ride, outside of my triathlon last year! 33 miles circumnavigating Bainbridge Island. 2,675 feet of climbing. Over 5,300 riders signed up, but only about 3,000 rode (I assume they were intimidated by the weather report calling for snow and rain...)This was its 40th Anniversary.
I feel so accomplished! I have a newfound confidence in my ability to 1) get up that f*#%ing hill, and 2) to finish the STP strong in July.
My bike, a Kona Hoo-Ha, on the ferry.
It started with catching the 8am bus to downtown. I couldn't find the free bus passes I stuffed in my little bike bag the night before, and I was late. Luckily, even for early Sunday routes, you can almost always count on King County Metro to be running behind a bit. I was flustered, I forgot how to operate the bike rack on the bus, so that was embarrassing, and also I couldn't pay, but I think the lady just wanted to get moving and didn't care too much.
Seattle was pretty as we left for Bainbridge.
I hopped the 8:45am ferry to Bainbridge, along with hundreds of other riders. I was SO excited, and was very inspired to see so many bikes taking over the ferry. It was really cool! And so funny to see all the neon bike gear in the passenger area. So so much fun. If you're a photographer, I'd encourage you to just ride the ferry this day and get cool shots. I wanted to take more, but had to think about the ride ahead.
Bikes on the ferry.
33 miles is the longest I've ridden yet. I took a 20 minute food break at mile 16, at the chili feed halfway-point. Let me tell you, I needed FUEL. The stop was right after the 2nd of 4 very long hills. Scarfed a hotdog, chips and cupcake at the park. This is when it started to snow. While riding, I was plenty warm. I had on 4 layers on top, just spandex bike pants on the bottom. My body temp plummeted due to the cold weather and wet sweatiness. I was looking forward to getting back on my bike.
Halfway point. The water tower says "Dream", which I thought was super cute.
Bainbridge is absolutely gorgeous. I get why people live there. Luckily there were only a few driver assholes; most people were very aware and respectful of the ride that day. And there were lots of cute kids with lemonade stands. I stopped at one about 5 miles away from the finish line.
Not going to lie, the big hills were hard. I had to get off in the middle of 3 of the 4 and walk my bike. But I biked more of the big hills than I walked. When you're low on energy, even the little hills are intimidating. At one point, probably 10 miles from the finish, I came to a really steep medium hill and just pulled off to the shoulder. I was so tired and uncoordinated, I failed to pull my right foot out of the pedal basket and fell right over. Two big bruises now to show for it, but it didn't really hurt or anything. No blood. I was laughing. The guy who stopped next to me was worried but then started laughing when he could see I was alright. Really, I just fell over. It was ridiculous.
It was also sunny at some parts. Gorgeous lovely sunny weather. Although it did snow for over an hour, we never got rained on. Hallelujah!
Finish line chili!
At the finish line, I downed a bowl of chili made by the chefs at Farestart. The money raised went to several charities. I didn't have to wait too long to hop the ferry back, and then ride the bus (I found my passes finally!) back home. A scalding hot shower never felt so good.
Waiting to get on the ferry home.
I would totally do this again. I had such a fun time. Maybe with a few other riders next time? :)
I feel so accomplished! I have a newfound confidence in my ability to 1) get up that f*#%ing hill, and 2) to finish the STP strong in July.
It started with catching the 8am bus to downtown. I couldn't find the free bus passes I stuffed in my little bike bag the night before, and I was late. Luckily, even for early Sunday routes, you can almost always count on King County Metro to be running behind a bit. I was flustered, I forgot how to operate the bike rack on the bus, so that was embarrassing, and also I couldn't pay, but I think the lady just wanted to get moving and didn't care too much.
I hopped the 8:45am ferry to Bainbridge, along with hundreds of other riders. I was SO excited, and was very inspired to see so many bikes taking over the ferry. It was really cool! And so funny to see all the neon bike gear in the passenger area. So so much fun. If you're a photographer, I'd encourage you to just ride the ferry this day and get cool shots. I wanted to take more, but had to think about the ride ahead.
33 miles is the longest I've ridden yet. I took a 20 minute food break at mile 16, at the chili feed halfway-point. Let me tell you, I needed FUEL. The stop was right after the 2nd of 4 very long hills. Scarfed a hotdog, chips and cupcake at the park. This is when it started to snow. While riding, I was plenty warm. I had on 4 layers on top, just spandex bike pants on the bottom. My body temp plummeted due to the cold weather and wet sweatiness. I was looking forward to getting back on my bike.
Bainbridge is absolutely gorgeous. I get why people live there. Luckily there were only a few driver assholes; most people were very aware and respectful of the ride that day. And there were lots of cute kids with lemonade stands. I stopped at one about 5 miles away from the finish line.
Not going to lie, the big hills were hard. I had to get off in the middle of 3 of the 4 and walk my bike. But I biked more of the big hills than I walked. When you're low on energy, even the little hills are intimidating. At one point, probably 10 miles from the finish, I came to a really steep medium hill and just pulled off to the shoulder. I was so tired and uncoordinated, I failed to pull my right foot out of the pedal basket and fell right over. Two big bruises now to show for it, but it didn't really hurt or anything. No blood. I was laughing. The guy who stopped next to me was worried but then started laughing when he could see I was alright. Really, I just fell over. It was ridiculous.
It was also sunny at some parts. Gorgeous lovely sunny weather. Although it did snow for over an hour, we never got rained on. Hallelujah!
At the finish line, I downed a bowl of chili made by the chefs at Farestart. The money raised went to several charities. I didn't have to wait too long to hop the ferry back, and then ride the bus (I found my passes finally!) back home. A scalding hot shower never felt so good.
I would totally do this again. I had such a fun time. Maybe with a few other riders next time? :)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
MTME: Winter Mix 2011
My playlist from Winter 2011:
1. Loud Pipes by Ratatat
2. Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
3. Satisfaction by Allen Stone
4. Valerie (Glee Cast Version; originally by Amy Winehouse) from Glee: The Music, Vol. 4
5. Cherry Red by Ida Maria
6. We Are YOung (feat. Janelle Monae) by Fun.
7. When I'm Small by Phantogram
8. Tained Love by My Brightest Diamond
9. Kill! Kill! Kill! by The Pierces
10. Dress and Tie (feat. Darren Criss) by Charlene Kaye
11. West Coast by Nighttiming
12. I Wish I Was The Mood by Neko Case
13. Miss Magnolia by Matt Costa
14. Certainly Tonight by Widower
15. Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars
16. This LIfe (Theme from "Sons of Anarchy") by Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers
17. Indoor Voices, Outdoor Dance Moves by Jubilee
18. Break the Chain by Oh Land
19. Strings by Young the Giant
20. Fell It All Around (Theme from "Portlandia") by Washed Out
21. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men
New songs I've really been grooving to include everything by Grouplove, and the new single from Jack White, "Love Interrupted"...or is that, Interuption? I don't know.
1. Loud Pipes by Ratatat
2. Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
3. Satisfaction by Allen Stone
4. Valerie (Glee Cast Version; originally by Amy Winehouse) from Glee: The Music, Vol. 4
5. Cherry Red by Ida Maria
6. We Are YOung (feat. Janelle Monae) by Fun.
7. When I'm Small by Phantogram
8. Tained Love by My Brightest Diamond
9. Kill! Kill! Kill! by The Pierces
10. Dress and Tie (feat. Darren Criss) by Charlene Kaye
11. West Coast by Nighttiming
12. I Wish I Was The Mood by Neko Case
13. Miss Magnolia by Matt Costa
14. Certainly Tonight by Widower
15. Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars
16. This LIfe (Theme from "Sons of Anarchy") by Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers
17. Indoor Voices, Outdoor Dance Moves by Jubilee
18. Break the Chain by Oh Land
19. Strings by Young the Giant
20. Fell It All Around (Theme from "Portlandia") by Washed Out
21. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men
New songs I've really been grooving to include everything by Grouplove, and the new single from Jack White, "Love Interrupted"...or is that, Interuption? I don't know.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentimes!
I am almost done with the 39 homemade valentine cards I set out to make on Friday. Whew! Just 14 more to go.
I love V-day. It's not just about romantic love, and like my friend Kim says, I don't want to buy into single-girl cliche #1: Hating Valentine's Day. I have lots of people in my life whom I love, and who love me back.
Plus, homemade cards are like the only artsy thing I seem to be good at, and keeps my attention, and are the biggest bang for your buck for making someone feel special!
I love V-day. It's not just about romantic love, and like my friend Kim says, I don't want to buy into single-girl cliche #1: Hating Valentine's Day. I have lots of people in my life whom I love, and who love me back.
Plus, homemade cards are like the only artsy thing I seem to be good at, and keeps my attention, and are the biggest bang for your buck for making someone feel special!
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