Randon Pics

This is a picture of the cute little car I rented. I would so drive one of these except for the fact that I couldn't put anyone else in it besides a single passenger and with 4 kids that's just not going to work itself out!

This was a picture that Denise and I took following the last day of meetings in Springfield. The building was right by our training center and Denise kept looking out at it and asked me what it looked like - it took me a moment but then it dawned on me...and the giggling began!

Some Pics

Above is a picture of my best friend Kay, myself and then Emily - we all went to Grade School and Junior High together. I was able to stop by my hometown this afternoon while heading home from Springfield.

Right below is a picture of my elementary school the garage in the front of the building has been added sometime since the school shut down - I believe that the place was bought and converted into apartments at one point and perhaps the garage housed some things such as lawn mowers and such. Below is a picture of the house I grew up in...When I lived there there was a HUGE Pine cone tree in the front yard (plus the one you see in the picture) and the house was always kept painted...now it almost looks abandoned - but Richard still lives there apparently...the place has really gone downhill which is a shame because it used to be a really gorgeous property!

The last picture is of the farm from the side road leading up....

Meeting a Fellow Cyclist

The last two days have turned out to be rather good. In part to the fact that while I have enjoyed the entire conference Wednesday night Denise from Fair Oaks came down and amazingly she's Bob's age (2 years older than me is two years older than me...end of story!). So, we've been having a good time. She's very funny and I think we've formed a good bond. Last night we went swimming and hung out...which was much better than sitting around drinking wine with Joyce. No offense at all Joyce...you know I love you!

Last night I had just walked into my room when the phone started ringing - it was the front desk to tell me that someone named Mike Schwaab was in the lobby waiting for me...kinda cool. He's the cyclist from Springfield who sent me the route map. So, I got to meet him which was nice and we took a short little ride.

All in all this has been a super week. I've learned a lot. I've met new people and forged new friendships.

To top off the week this afternoon after we get out of meetings I get to head home. However, I will be making a little stop in Paxton to meet up with my best friend Kay as well as our old classmate from grade school and junior high Emily. Of course we will be meeting at Monical's Pizza (the best pizza place in the universe)! So, I am excited!

Tomorrow I have to take back my cute little rented Toyota Yaris- I highly recommend these cars or even the Prius. Wonderful cars to drive! Gas efficiency ROCKS!
Okay, I'm off to do my thing for the day! Have a super day! Ride safe and be good (or be good enough to get away with whatever bad you've done) :)

Finally a Ride

Well, last night I finally got a ride in. It was 94 degrees and extremely humid, but it felt so wonderful to get out on the bike! I didn't go for a long ride because I had talked to my boss a few minutes before heading out and she said she was going to be arriving soon and then we were all going to dinner. I took part of the route that Mike from Springfield had sent me. I only did 10 miles but it still felt wonderful, plus I knew I was only going to do 10 miles so I hit it hard...got back jumped in the shower and 15 minutes later we headed to the Olive Garden.

I'm amazed that I've lost any weight while down here but I have. Even my jeans which fit pretty comfortably are looser on me. Good stuff! I'm sure it helps that I'm on the bike almost daily, even if not while here, it has to have affected my metabolism.

I'm happy to report that there is finally someone my age down here. Denise got here last night and is about my age. Makes me a little happier.

Anyway, I'm really angling for a ride tonight with the bike club down here. They meet at 5:45 p.m. I'm just going to say no to the girls from work if they request dinner - so unless I'm given orders from Teri I'm riding damnit!

Oh, did I mention that Springfield has BIKE LANES? WOW! I can see the danger in having them as well as the benefit. I guess if we aren't cautious and if the motorists aren't cautious it doesn't matter how many amenities you put in place or how few. So, there it is again - ride and drive safe!

Okay, better get my slow butt moving this morning.
Ride safe!

Well Laid Plans

I woke up to the sound of pouring rain. Wind would whisper and I think of you....


Yes, I'm quoting Skid Row. This morning I jumped out of bed to get ready to hit the road and instead there is rain and more than a "whisper" of wind. I guess I'll try again later today - maybe I can get a ride in before Joyce and Gail get here.

So, I'm sitting here listening to Joyce Meyers, who I do enjoy listening to - even if she isn't Catholic.
Today she's talking about how we are told to honor others, especially our bosses - and how we fail to do this. It's actually a very interestin g talk.

Oh - hotel fun...
Yesterday I get up and head downstairs to grab a bite from the buffet, which I thoguht was one of those continental breakfasts that are included with the hotel stay---HA! I was wrong - as I get done eating this lady comes over to the table I happened to sit at which was occupied by a bunch of our Corporate people and asks how we are paying (seperate bills or together)- yeah I was a little shocked - I thought it was included - Teri said one bill and paid for everyone - THANKYOU TERI!

Okay, I better run!

Be safe - Ride when you can!

First Day of Conferences

Today was the first day of conferences. It was actually an extremely informative day! I learned so much! I mean, I have not been trained on alot of these things before - so a lot of it is new . It was also very nice to meet some of the people I talk to on the phone all the time - it's always good to put a name and face together.

Tomorrow is more of the same - new manuals and information to hear.

On a sad note - this is my second evening in this town and I have yet to get on my bike and go for a ride. This is upsetting to me. Tomorrow my boss and our head receptionist (who does payroll) will be coming down in the evening and I am supposed to meet them for dinner - so I'm not sure if I will manage to get myself out on the bike...that actually seems like a good plan - so in these few moments as I was typing and thinking this out the plan is now that I will go out and ride in the morning.

I am considering just getting up really early and heading out on the route that someone from town emailed me. I should have no problem getting back to the hotel in time to get cleaned up and get myself to the conference center...that is as long as I don't get lost! LOL!

The corporate people took us out to dinner tonight - to the Texas Roadhouse (or maybe it was the Texas Steakhouse) - I had steak and shrimp - YUM!

Okay, I think I'm going to get going - I should probably try hitting the bed pretty soon!

Okay, ride safe and wish me luck tomorrow!

Safe Arrival

Good evening! It's 4:30 p.m. on Monday evening. I have safely arrived in Springfield. It was a heck of a drive - especially for someone who rarely drives! Oh my gosh! It took about 3.5 hours if you take out the time it took to stop for a bathroom break and grab a quick bite to eat.

I had to cross the Illinois River - first, let me mention that I have always disliked the act of driving over a bridge. In all honesty I'd feel safer walking over a bridge - this may be a throw back to years in the back seat of the family Monte Carlo while my stepfather drove us on vacation while looking out the passenger side window - even while we were crossing bridges. I from the backseat would be worried sick that we were going to run into the people in front of us and cause them to go over the side of the bridge or that we would be the ones going over...so now I had to cross the river - not only do I rarely drive and dislike crossing rivers in the first place (it has more to do with high bridges) but the bridge is under construction ----thus, one lane that felt like the size of oh I don't know - an ice cream sandwich! Okay, exaggeration? yes. Of course but I was a little wigged out on the bridge! I made it over safely and gave a thanks to the angel set to watch over me! Other than that I made great time. The rental car rocks - I think I might have to look into buying one of them - it's a Toyota Yaris. Nice! I think Cassy would like it too!

So, here I am safe and sound - all by myself - but I think I'm going to go pick up some dinner soon and stop someplace to pick up a soda and a bag of sunflower seeds for later in the night while I'm sitting on my bed reading.

Oh, I also picked up the new Bret Michaels CD today so that I'd have something fun to listen to. I'm still listening to it - trying to decided how I feel about it - seems all right - some of the songs are so so but there are also a few that I really like. So, good buy I guess.

Okay, that's it - stay safe folks and if you're from Springfield and want to meet up and ride with me shoot me an email at gabriela168@yahoo.com.

Talk soon!

Driving to Springfield

This morning I will be leaving for Springfield. I think I might ride my bike out to Salem while I'm there. I haven't been to Salem in YEARS! Since the 8th grade field trip as a matter of fact! Salem is where they have the Abe Lincoln tour - the log cabins, the monuments and all that good stuff. I'll take some pictures and just generally enjoy myself.

I think I may be hooking up with someone from Bikejournal - we'll see. Would be fun to meet some of the people that I communicate with online in the biking world.

I'm a little tired today as my husband had to be at work at 4 a.m. and when he got up something happened with the truck and he couldn't get it started - he'll work on that tonight when he gets home.

Okay, well I'm all ready and just waiting until the car rental place opens - I'll grab a bite to eat before I leave, stop off at work long enough to pick up my junk for the conference and then head out the door at around lunch time. I'll stop back home to grab my bike and then off I'll go. I have the CD case packed so that I can have some good tunes for the ride down.

OOOOHHHHH big news, did I mention that I managed to get tickets to the Poison Concert on July 19th??? Well if not - let me say I SCORED TICKETS TO GO SEE POISON IN JULY ALONG WITH SEEING BRETT MICHAELS (DROOL) AND CC DEVILLE, ----SEBASTIAN BACH WILL ALSO BE THERE!!!!! Okay, yes I am excited about this. I haven't been to a concert in a long time - plus I'm taking my daughter to this concert because she is ubber cool and loves pretty much all the same music that I do (the old stuff from the 80's - scary to think the 80's was a long time ago)!
So, that's something we are looking forward to.

I'm also in on the raffle at work which is for 2 rooftop tickets to the Cubs game on July 26th. If I win them I'm sending Bob and Gaven so that they can have some daddy - son time.

Okay that's about it!

Take care and be safe!

Saturday Ride and other random things

This morning I left at about 7:40 a.m. to head down to the bike shop for the Saturday morning breakfast ride that Karen and I lead into Kirkland. On the way (about a half mile after leaving the house) I spot another cyclist up in front of me so I speed up thinking to catch him and see if he's someone new from town coming to catch the ride. As I catch him we crest the big hill on campus and I see about 1000 cyclists pouring out onto the road....it was quickly apparent that this weekend was the MS150 ride - which Karen and I rode last year, however neither of us wanted to do this year because we both dislike fundraising and dislike it more when we have a minimum that we can raise.

So, I end up in the pack with them while I'm heading to the bike shop - oh what fun! They were a loud crew this year - I was almost a little sad that I hadn't participated - that's my kind of group! Anyway as I turned off their route onto the road leading to the bike shop they all began to yell at me that I was going the wrong way! haha - I was glad that no one got off the route to come track me down but it was a humorous moment.

Karen apparently got the same kind of thing when she veered off the route to head over to our starting place!

The skies looked a little ominous as we headed out on the ride - and we indeed got wet - which was not too bad because it was more of a light sprinkling than a downpour - about 3 miles outside of Kirkland the skies cleared and we were presented with beautiful blue skies and a very warm sun to help dry us off.

The cafe was very chilly as they had their air conditioner on AND the overhead fans going as well! Unbelievable! I was shaking by the time I finished my Strawberry pancake!

We headed back to DeKalb and were nice and dry by the time we got home. There was a very light breeze out of the NW so we got pushed a little bit, which is always a nice feeling!
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Now for other random things -I have this new laptop which I am enjoying a great deal! It comes with the wireless thing already in the computer so I didn't have to go buy that little card thing - nice! I hope you know what I'm talking about - when it comes to computers I can troubleshoot em but I never have any ability to pick up the technical jargan - and I have to say I don't really ever go through the trouble of trying to figure out what all the things are - as long as I can work them and navigate on the thing I don't necessarily need to know! :)

I'm very excited about this trip to Springfield and courtesy of Bikejournal.com I think I may be managing to hook up with some of the riders (or at least 1) from that area while I'm down there - I'll wait and see and keep my fingers crossed!

I pick up the rental car on Monday because I'm not driving my gas guzzling suburban down there! I'd really be losing out from a money standpoint! I'm going to them hit work, check emails and shoot off replies then head home, load my bike and bag in the car along with a big jug of sweet tea that I'll make before heading out the door and then off I go for a 6 hour drive! Better pack the CD case as well so I can keep myself entertained!

Poor Bob has been working a lot of extra hours - yes he's getting paid for it, but he's exhausted! He's been going in at 5 a.m. working until 4 p.m. and then going back in at 8 p.m. till 10 p.m. to help the second shift guys with the shut down of one of the lines because apparently the second shift guy who's in there doesn't know how to shut down the line that Bob runs - there is also a half hour of drive time each way - so he's just beat! I'm a little worried that without me there to prod him and push him out of bed in the mornings he may be late for the first couple days I'm gone!

We are still waiting on our Stimulus check - okay, I know it's not money to count on - because we technically wouldn't have been expecting it BUT I am expecting it and it really ticks me off that it's not here yet - I got a letter telling me I should expect it in on a certain day - that day has come and gone and I'm still waiting - I could really use that right now especially with this trip coming up! Oh well! It will probably come in while I'm gone so that Bob can't do anything with it till I get back - that's about how things usually go!

I've come to find that I really love the McDonald's sweet tea! ALOT! That stuff rocks!

Joy of Joy my 16 year old daughter who is getting her license in the fall has asked me to get her pedals and shoes so she can clip in and start doing the longer rides with me! Who would have thought that the kid who loves to drive would get cycling fever! I am thrilled - she's been wanting to ride every night with me and has been riding with her brothers during the day to the Library, the pool and to the park! I'm so happy I could do my little happy dance!

Okay, I think that's about it....
I noticed when I logged on that there were now 4 visitors from Portugal - drop a note people! Drop it in Portuguese even - as I need the practice!

Okay everyone - take care! Be safe and I'll catch you again soon! I am hoping to log in at least a couple of times while in Springfield!

Summertime Fun

Well, here we are again - summer time! The kids and I have been spending a great deal of time at the pool. I actually have a decent tan going on (this is also from being on the bike alot).
I've been totally lax in signing online because - well, I've been busy!

Wednesday night rides are in full swing - we are riding about 30 miles and those guys are fast. They make me work hard but that's okay with me! I like riding hard and really feeling like I've accomplished something! My average speed has been increasing - even riding to work I can tell a difference when riding uphill and just in general. I've also managed to lose over 15 pounds now! HURRAY! Riding with those guys makes a big difference!

Next week I'll be in Springfield for a conference all week so I won't be riding too much unless the guys from the club down there give me some information - I am going to take my bike with me in the car and hope that I can get a couple of rides in while down there - if not with the club then by myself!

Well, that's really about it! Busy days and not enough time or energy to write when I get home at the end of the day!
Take care and happy riding.

Souix and Midnite - thanks for the well wishes! I'm recovered and riding better than I thought I'd be! :)

DL

Well, after a wonderful anniversary last week , which included a bit of riding with hubby - I woke up the next morning to a really sore .... well, let's just say that sitting on the seat was rather painful....After some investigation it seems that I badly chafed and bruised myself - apparently wearing jeans instead of biking shorts is not such a good idea!!!

So, I have been on the disabled list for a few days here - and that sucks...I missed the Udder Century - I tried , I got up early and took my bike out into the street- but couldn't find a comfy position to sit on the seat in - and I certainly wouldn't be able to manage to stand up the whole 100 miles- so, I stayed home and missed my favorite century ride! :(

Still not riding, just been too sore - it feels better today and I'm hoping that by tomorrow or Wednesday I'll be okay enough to find a comfy spot on the seat and ride again!

Anyway, that was my weekend, sitting on the couch nursing an "injury."