I'm going to catch a little crap from KP because this post is not solely bike related! This is an attempt to catch up on the last three months with a few short paragraphs!
It is 1:20 AM on Sunday night and I can't sleep! Lately this has been a common occurrence happening about 4 nights a week! KP says I should start making productive use of my time by writing! At first I was skeptical but I am beginning to think that this insomnia could be a good way to stay on top of this blog! Hell, maybe I will write a novel! I'm not sure of the exact cause for this recent sleeping disorder however as I recap the last few months, I might be able to identify a few events that have caused this new-found oodles of free time!
When I started this blog I was dead set on making sure that I put a lot of effort into what was published. Over the last few months I have been putting together a piece that was ready to post until I read it one day last week while in a GOOD mood and decided it was a little too dark and maybe even a little too cynical for this blog! Go figure! Now I am back to square one and this it the post you are going to see!
The pictures above do not do the last few months justice however I am beginning to realize that I am not good at keeping a photo journal of events! The pictures chosen represent a few of the main events of the last 3 months. The post I had finished compared this span of time and life in general to a bike race: Particularly a cyclocross race. The essence is this: In life and in racing , there is a lot of anticipation before an event and a lot of suffering during the event! Sometimes there are moments during the event that are somewhat fun, amusing, exciting, but most of the time is spent suffering! After doing a fair number of races and epic events, the satisfaction or reward comes once the pain subsides. The last quarter of '07 was much like a race with the culminating event being the birth of my daughter, Gwen! To say the least, it's been a long hard race and I am tired!
The Dog
When I started this blog I was dead set on making sure that I put a lot of effort into what was published. Over the last few months I have been putting together a piece that was ready to post until I read it one day last week while in a GOOD mood and decided it was a little too dark and maybe even a little too cynical for this blog! Go figure! Now I am back to square one and this it the post you are going to see!
The pictures above do not do the last few months justice however I am beginning to realize that I am not good at keeping a photo journal of events! The pictures chosen represent a few of the main events of the last 3 months. The post I had finished compared this span of time and life in general to a bike race: Particularly a cyclocross race. The essence is this: In life and in racing , there is a lot of anticipation before an event and a lot of suffering during the event! Sometimes there are moments during the event that are somewhat fun, amusing, exciting, but most of the time is spent suffering! After doing a fair number of races and epic events, the satisfaction or reward comes once the pain subsides. The last quarter of '07 was much like a race with the culminating event being the birth of my daughter, Gwen! To say the least, it's been a long hard race and I am tired!
The Dog
The dog came into our lives sometime back in late September or early October! I can't remember! His name is Bean and we adopted him from a rescue! They gave him the name and we have figured out that it must be due to the immense amount of gas he can produce! Gas aside, he is an awesome dog who has given us a lot of laughs over the last few months! I am hoping that with enough time a training, he will be a good bike dog! He has more energy that I know what to do with!!
The Rides
There was definitely some good riding that took place before the end of the year! Pictures above represent a pre-thanksgiving St George trip that turned out to be amazing!! My wife was kind enough to let me live as a bachelor for the 4 days previous to Thanksgiving! I got some riding in with a whole mess of folks, including "Mr. and Mrs. Sabrosa," Kelsey, Kory, Kerry, spawn of Kerry, and Pat! we put is some good miles and the weather was dandy! It was a nice change from the Northern Utah weather and the Cyclocross scene, (which I love, but needed a break from!!) Note to the above pictures: The ledge that Jon and Kelsey are riding up is the infamous Clavicle Hill!! They rode UP it on single speeds without stopping!! Quite a feat. Anyone who has ridden Green Valley Loop will attest to that!!
Work
Work has been more than challenging! This has been the cause for most of my stress! The hole in my stomach has not gotten any smaller! Anyone in the Real Estate or Mortgage industry can attest to the severity of the problems plaguing the market! To say that it is in stable is a gross understatement! I can compare my work experience over the last few months to the worst or most difficult part of the hardest race or ride I have ever done: every moment has been exhausting and grueling and I have felt like there is no end in sight! This could be the reason the tone of all the posts I have started but never have posted, have been so negative! I am hoping it gets better! The only way to keep going is to tell yourself the worst is over! Much like what I do during hard races or rides!! Oh, and if you are hiring, let me know!!
Family
Well, the last picture represents the crowning event of an otherwise difficult time! The birth of baby Gwen has to be one of the most conflicting things to ever happen to me! On one hand, it has been the most stressful and untimely event that I have been through! On the other hand, it has been one of the most beautiful and satisfying blessings that I have ever received! The second part being the most emphasized! Gwen was born on December 9th, amidst a lot of personal turmoil! She has been a huge blessing to me and proof that life goes on, no matter the circumstances that surround us! I am truly grateful for her and the family that I have. After Gwen was born, I sat down and took some time to recollect on my life to this point: Even though I am going through some of the most difficult times in my life, my family and I have been blessed with many opportunities to learn and grow. I can't say that I have been thankful for all of the opportunities, but I do recognize them as such!
Food For Thought
At the beginning of last year, I made a goal that every year I would strive to be in a little better shape than I was the previous year. As a cyclist, I have the opportunity to do just that because base miles and riding time play so much into just how fit you can be. This year I am making the same goal in other aspects of my life. I will strive to be a little bit better husband, father and provider than the previous year! I guess a good place to start would be with an attitude adjustment. . . OK! my attitude has officially been adjusted. In writing this entry, I have been able to recollect on thoughts and feelings. There is a silver lining to every dark grey cloud that looms menacingly over our heads! Finding it can be difficult and time consuming, but necessary to gather the strength to press forward!
