Evel Knievel-- October 17, 1938 - November 30, 2007

Best ever

And Then Earl Campbell Took Reanie's Tennis Racquet

Noah and I did a night ride on our cross bikes at the Northshore mtn bike trail. Odd enough, but it went ok until his cleat came off at the turn around. Good thing Jeff LaBauve was there to lend him a tool. It made Noah's day that Jeff recognized him.

Thanks Jeff!


At one point when we stopped to mess with our lights, Noah said that he enjoyed riding cross bikes, and that racing cross was "ok", but what he liked best was when raced each other on our trail out in the pasture.

Can't take that one away from me.

The only exaggeration is the "eleventy gazillion"

My feet weighed 15 pounds each with mud, and a guy was dragging me through the desert, by my trailer still hooked to my car, backwards, until he started to get stuck. That's when I gunned it (in reverse and with a trailer, mind you) to bump him with the trailer to give him some momentum to keep pulling me out. and...

Wait, there was something before that. Thanksgiving.

It really was a great Thanksgiving. We went out to La Leona in Terlingua to hang out with my Father-in-Law, his bride to be, Sunny, my b-i-l and s-i-l and their two kids.

It is ~12hr for us to get there when factoring in that Buddy and Reanie don't coordinate their bathroom stops. It would be 14 hr still, but they don't mind taking a leak on the side of the road. Good kids.

Noah hopped a plane from Orlando on the Tuesday after spending a long weekend with Scott and Lisa at DisneyWorld. We then got our first (of eleventy gazillion) monkeywrench when Chloe's new job scheduled a thing for her Wednesday morning, which necessitated us waiting until after that call (didn't) happen.

So, now 12 hr behind, we began our 12 hr drive. Made it just fine, thank you, even with a one hour walmart stop (on the evening before Thanksgiving, no less) in somewhereinthemiddleofnowhere, TX.

Thanksgiving day was as Norman Rockwell as can be given where we were. Good memories. Friday was a day trip to Marfa and then a great hike with everyone in IForgotTheName Canyon on the way back through Presidio. I even got a ride in on the rollers that evening.

Then the rain came. A lot much.

We woke up the next day seeing snow on the mountains. Ahhhh. But all that pretty came with a price. Lots of cloud cover means solar power not so good. And then there's the fact that it is several miles of "road", through the desert. Desert and rain not so good company.

That the storms were coming wasn't really a surprise, but we didn't count on that the batteries would dry up at the house, giving us no power, and ultimately no water. And with no way out due to the muddy roads, we, um...

So Lonnie IV head out in his car with his family. The plan here was that they would call if the road wasn't passable. His car is 4wd. Ours isn't, and we were pulling a trailer (you BETTER tell me how much you like the table we brought back). He called. But with no power, the phone to the house wasn't ringing. So he called cell phones, which don't really get reception out there. So he left a message, which we got when Lonnie III came out to meet us after we got stuck in the mud trying to 4wd our 2wd while pulling that trailer.

I cussed so much that I'm no longer allowed to cuss. Of course, my tolerance was low what with having a stomach bug that meant I needed a toilet every 15 minutes, so being stuck in the middle of the desert with nothing but mud for miles around and no place to nicely make more...well, you know. I guess it could have been worse and we ran out of paper...oh, wait, that did happen. So I guess it could have been worse and it could have been cold...oh, wait, that did happen. It could have been worse, I'm sure, but I'm still afraid to think what it could be lest it actually happen.

We did eventually get back to the house. With nothing really to do except fret about the clouds moving in but relish the fact that we couldn't get stucker, we took naps and waited for the one guy who could pull us out got back from hunting. Of course, it was taking him awhile since he was stuck in the mud out in the desert somewhere too.

With it getting close to dark, and me tired of doing nothing but napping and sitting on the toilet and praying that there was enough pressure in the toilet tank to make a flush, Lonnie took me back out to the car, and I got us unstuck (!) for about 100yards until I got stuck again. This time I just stayed with the car and hoped a Russian sattelite landed on me.

Eventually, one of Lonnie's tenants, who happens to be the Terlingua Fire Chief, who happened to commandeer one of the 4wds for the town just so HE could get home, pulled me out. Backwards. By the trailer.

Now, I won't claim to be all manly, but I did attend most of the man classes along the way. I can back up a trailer. I have to think about it, but I don't have to hold my hands up with my thumb and index finger extended to remember which way is "L" for left, but I'm a fucking moron and have to really, really think it through when someone is sliding around trying not to get themselves stuck while pulling me backwards by the trailer so I don't mess it all up and crash into a mountain and get Earth stuck into Jupiter.

Eventually we get on to something to drive our vehicle that is more like stew than soup, and the kids and Mama are delivered, and we started the 12 hr drive home.

Check that.

With all the mud on our car, it wasn't driving well. In fact, we couldn't go much over 40mph, which was fine since the road to Alpine was snow and ice. Yeehaw.

With the car shaking in such a way that 4year old boys can't help but go uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh no matter how many times you fucking tell them to stop, that 88 miles of absolute nothingness from Terlingua to Alpine (go ahead, look at a map) at 40mph took awhile.

Once in Alpine I found a car wash so I could powerspray some of the mud off of the wheels so that they would spin and allow us to go, maybe, 50mph instead of 40mph. Of course the dollar changer thing wouldn't take my dollar bill, and the car wash takes $1.50, and we only had 5 quarters...

Eventually God sent down a $5 bill and I was torn between using it for quarters or toilet paper. But the car won out and I power washed $3 worth of mud from the wheels.

Which means we could drive 45mph all the way to Ft Stockton (look at the map again, please. be sure you check the scale). Once there I pulled into a the gas station and took Reanie's "lips" pencil, got down on the ground (there wasn't much snow right there) and started chiseling the mud off of the wheel.

At least then we could roll at 65-70mph.

Well, that is if the highways and bridges weren't covered with ice.

Totally beat, and with even Buddy talking sense about getting a motel for the night, we pulled into Colorado City and made camp. I slept well between my 8 trips to the bathroom in 6hr. I wrote Troy's name and phone number on the wall in that motel room. American Inn, room #127.

Reanie and Noah played in the snow in the morning. Then we loaded up and rolled out. But from then on, the trip was rather uneventful.

When we got close enough to home that things started to look familiar to Reanie, she started crying. I asked her, "What's wrong." She said, "I don't know. It's just so much."

With only a couple hours left in the school day by the time we got home, we just didn't bother. Noah and I got in a quick 10 mile ride. Lisa came over and picked up Noah since she hadn't seen him since Tuesday, and then we ate pizza and made a fire.

We all slept so well last night that we overslept this morning and Reanie was a little late for school.

But by then was pretty much cured of cussing.

getting in a ride before school

I've turned coaching duties over to Sir Budicus.

On Being Buddy

Buddy, Noah and I went out for pizza Saturday night. We picked a place on the square in Denton mostly because it is near Beth Marie's Ice Cream Shop.

Buddy was fired up for pizza. That is until I parked in front of the ice cream place thinking we'd just walk across the square to the pizza place. Now, Buddy isn't a fit thrower, and he didn't on this occasion, but he was adamant that since we were going to get ice cream that it makes perfectly good sense to go into the ice cream shop if that's where we parked.

So when we did get to the pizza place, Buddy wasn't quite as fired up seeing as he was so ice creamless. Some root beer helped.

Our pizza had black olives on it. Buddy will not eat the tires no matter if you call them olives and eat a bunch to show him that they are, in fact, food.

He eventually did eat a piece of pizza, which is a light meal for him. Out the door he was suddenly recharged. Holding hands to cross the street. Running and jumping in the grass of the courthouse. He even sat down and trusted that Noah, waiting in line, would actually bring him a chock-o-let ice cream.

While there, a blind woman came in with her seeing eye dog. A couple kids went to pet it, but somewhere along the way Buddy must have learned that most folks with seeing eye dogs would rather you didn't be all kid-like with their dog. Not sure where he learned it, but he was telling us that you don't play with blind dogs.

Later, at home, we found out that Buddy LOVES The Three Stooges.

All told, it was a good day.

Eat Drums

Soccer Ballerina

Reanie's first soccer season wraps up on Saturday. The talk of keeping the team together for the spring season is already going, and I'm completely supportive if she wants to play soccer and stay with Coach Robert, Coach Scott and these girls.

But I also wanted to give her the opportunity to do something else in the spring. She's expressed interest in basketball, gymnastics, and taking ballet again. For sanity's sake, I asked her to pick one for now, and we could maybe had another if everything was going ok (read: didn't inconvenience me too much).

She said she wanted to be a soccer ballerina. I explained that while there are certainly times that soccer can be graceful, there really isn't any such thing as a soccer ballerina. She said SHE is a soccer ballerina, and I say, "of course you are, Honey, but when it is time to go to practice, there isn't any place where they have soccer ballerina practice, so..." She said, "yes they do".

And I didn't feel like poking my eye out with a stick, so I let it go. That is until she asked me if we could go get a soccer ballerina outfit.

"Now, Reanie, there's really no such thing," I said, knowingly. And to prove my point, I put "soccer ballerina" into the google, dammit. I really, really, really hope I'm not coaching a soccer ballerina team in the spring.

Everything was perfect, but then Noah talked

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;

it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;

it pounded through on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat;

for Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

I've been riding regularly. Almost all of it is with Kid #1, but it is happening often enough that my doughy center is more like several 100calorie snack packs instead of the "I Just Ate How Much" bought at Sam's. Lately I've felt more like someone who could maybe have been almost better than average instead of "Is that really your 'champ' jersey on the wall", in an incredulous tone.

We're rolling along side by side as normal, and feeling like I wanted to open the throttle just a tad, just enough to hear and feel the motor run, I told the Kid that he could sit on my wheel. I figured it would be nice to offer since his first instinct would be to try to match my pace while riding side by side.

Big ring. Having my left hand doing the shifting feels foreign, but I increase the tempo so that I'm riding at general cruising speed for someone who deserves the category number that is on my racing license. The Kid behind me shifts through his gears as well. My mental math calculates the distance we need to ride, our current pace, the watts I'm throwing (tossing, laying, perhaps dropping) down, that he's got it 10-20% easier in my draft...and then get some Pet Shop Boys song gets stuck in my head and I go all public school on my calculations.

We make a few turns, pop over a few hills, and generally carry some solid momentum. We roll on for several miles without talking, which is just fine. Really. We have to get on a busy FM road for a hundred yards or so to get to Hilltop Rd, but we make it through. No big deal.

As we approach the bottom of the hill on Hilltop Rd, Kid #1 comes flying by and tells me to start the clock. Haven't heard a word out of him in 15 minutes, and he startles me by not only sprinting to the bottom of the steepest hill around these parts, but also by telling me, basically, "Game On!"

I hit "start" on my computer a few times, jacking it all up, pretty sure I'm going to have to send it back to the company to reset it, finally getting it right just as he passes the tree we use as the normal start for time trials on this hill. Then I chase him so I can stop the clock when he reaches the top.

It wasn't a PR, but close enough that he obviously gave it is all. Since I was all cruising just fine before this impromptu world record attempt, I didn't let up too terribly much. Maybe I was feeling a little put out that my tempo wasn't enough for him and that he needed to go "hard" to get it done. I don't need no 12 yr old reminding me I'm slow. But whatever.

So maybe I didn't let up at all. Maybe I just kept the tempo going. "I'll wait for you at the end of the road" I didn't say out loud but implied when I kept going.

With him still right on my wheel, I do think I heard him breathing hard, though.

We went up and over another couple hills, over some tracks, and just maybe I increased the tempo a little bit more. It may have been because it was getting dark. It may have been because we were meeting Mama and the POSS2 for dinner after Kid #2's soccer race practice. It may have been to show that I'm going easy all the time because I'm riding with you, not because I am this slow.

From there we make a turn up a longish false flat. The kind of road you can really put out the power and still feel a sense of speed. Figuring this is where he'd finally come off, I even said, "I'll wait for you up there" giving a head nod towards the top.

I passed some attractive women who were walking on the path in the opposite direction, who I'm sure wanted me real bad, but I was busy at the time, so I just smiled and said "Howdy" in a voice that I aimed to make sound like going at that pace was normal for me and actually easy, even though they are feeling this rush of wind go by without me even breathing hard.

Felt some sweat glisten on my arms and roll down my nose. "Hell, YEAH!" The watts looked good, and I'd been holding it for awhile. "Maybe I should adjust my goals higher for next season. I better sit up for the Kid. No need to show him up. Nah, he's good. He can't get lost even on his own. I'll keep going."

He startles me just then by rolling up next to me and saying, in normal breath, "Is glue lighter once it dries?"

Buon Compleanno

Buddy is 4 years old today! well, he'll be 4 years old tomorrow too, but he started being 4 years old today.











"Am I always going to have Halloween cakes for my birthday?" Probably so. Could be worse. Could be born near Christmas. Your Daddy is cheap like that.




This is really a pciture of Roxanne, but Buddy got in the way.

in the last 240 hours

Friday. Chloe quit her job at BEA.
Saturday. Reanie had a soccer game.
Sunday. Chloe left for NYC to train at her new job.
Monday. Regular day starting out with getting kids ready for school, lunches made, breakfast, and dropping them off, but then I had to pick Noah up from school to make sure we had enough time to ride, and then for me to go get the kids (normally Chloe picks up the kids, but she was in NYC) from day care and get back in time for the group strength workout here.
Tuesday did the same pick up for Noah, because the bus doesn't drop him off at Lisa's until too late for us to ride and get back in time to pick up kids.
Wednesday. Same as Tuesday. Had to help Mama with a homework assigment over the phone and internets at 11pm.
Thursday. Same as Tuesday.
Friday. No Noah, but did get the house sorta ready for Buddy's birthday and halloween party. Picked up Mama at midnight from the airport. So I guess that is really...
Saturday. Soccer game for Reanie in the morning. Tackle the yard, which entails mowing with a push mower, since our tractor has been in the shop for a month, which also means that the yard hasn't been mowed in a month. My arms are still sore as of this writing. Trimming too. Basically reclaimed our yard. Set up for party. Then had the party. Grammy, Lonnie with Ella and Lonnie V stay the night.
Sunday. Cross race for Noah. Go out to eat with our crew, Grammy, Lonnie and his kids. Visit with Jordan's parents that afternoon and evening.
Monday. Move offices to get Chloe sorted out in her new home office. Group workout in evening. Noah, Jordan, Chloe and Mark all take turns cleaning our fireplace.

Reminds me of training camp

I love it.

Reanieisms

Bathing kids and otherwise getting ready for bed.

Reanie: Daddy, who am I the boss of?
Daddy: (thinking carefully) Nobody.
Reanie: Noah?
Daddy: No. You are the boss of me.
Reanie: Oh. You need to tell me to get ready for bed.

A few minutes later, as I'm getting out of the shower, Reanie is standing on the scale...

Reanie: Daddy, will you measure my feet?
Daddy: What?!?
Daddy: ...
Daddy: ...
Daddy: OH! Your feet are 40 pounds.
Reanie: Now measure Buddy's feet.

Another few minutes later, while looking at the marks on the wall where we measure the kids...

Reanie: Will Noah still tell me he loves me when I'm taller than him?
Daddy: He will if you tell him to.

Yes!

And a diet coke, please. I'll be first in line.

Never Quit

Memory Ln.

Don't blink

fall is here, hear the yell
back to school, ring the bell
brand new shoes, walking blues
climb the fence, book and pens
i can tell that we are gonna be friends

walk with me, suzy lee
through the park, by the tree
we will rest upon the ground
and look at all the bugs we've found
then safely walk to school
without a sound

well here we are, no one else
we walked to school all by ourselves
there's dirt on our uniforms
from chasing all the ants and worms
we clean up and now it's time to learn

numbers, letters, learn to spell
nouns, and books, and show and tell
at playtime we will throw the ball
back to class, through the hall
teacher marks our height against the wall

and we don't notice any time pass
we don't notice anything
we sit side by side in every class
teacher thinks that i sound funny
but she likes the way you sing

tonight i'll dream while i'm in bed
when sill thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphabet
and when i wake tomorrow i'll bet
that you and i will walk together again
cause i can tell that weare going to be friends

--White Stripes, we're going to be friends

No guarantees

One of the big risks of letting people know you are pregnant early on in the pregnancy is that the risks of losing the baby are the greatest in the early part of the pregnancy, and then if that does happen, everyone gets let in on that too. We know better, really, but in all the surprise, we were excited and wanted to share that excitement with everyone too. We're not sure if we're going to keep trying at this point. Of course, we weren't really trying in the first place.
Right now it feels a bit like a great party and nasty hangover.

First, I'm gonna take a nap

Reanie scored a couple goals. I got all teary eyed when she gave her victory salute.
Noah crashed within a few miles of the finish and DNF'd.
He raced the next day and won.
He was too sore to ride all week.
Buddy told me I grabbed the wrong keys when I grabbed the keys to the Toyota instead of the Jeep. He was right.
I got real busy with the weekend's (just past) race promoting.
Found out the baby is due in May.
Promoted some races this weekend.
Reanie scored a goal in her game I missed because I was in a parking lot with bike racers instead.
Noah won his race.
Reanie came with me to the bike race in Downtown Denton (to help).
Noah crashed much harder in this one. Finished anyway. 3rd. Went to ER. Nothing broken, but he ain't moving to good, is in a sling, and has bandages on most of his body.

It's been an eventful 7 days. But I really, really need a rest. Kept waking up in a sweat last night thinking "Oh, Crap! I have to...", but I couldn't think of what the thing was I had to do.

Bumps and bruises

Re-posting the thing about being bumped by the car started a side conversation about the most recent bump I felt.

Here's today :

No, ROF May, those aren't stretch marks.














This was about June 14 (the bruise is on the right. Cami is on the left):

What Reanie Learned at School Yesterday

Setting: Breakfast table Friday morning at Stella Sola. Noah, Buddy, Reanie and Jordan at the table eating toast. Daddy is in the kitchen putting lunches together.

Reanie: Daddy, do you know what I learned at school yesterday?

Daddy: No, Honey. What did you learn?

Reanie: That 4th graders are TALL!

Daddy: They are?

Reanie: Yes! Not up to the sky tall, though.

Daddy: Ah.

Buddy, Do you want some more toast?

Buddy: Yeth.

Daddy: What kind of toast do you want?

Buddy: Chok-o-let. (pause for several seconds) And budder.