Photos from Searchmont

Here's the gang getting ready to hit the slopes. It was so cold in the morning that this was the only photo I took before lunch!


Like last time, we brought all our own food so we didn't have to pay ridiculous resort prices for lunch. Here's Jon and his enormous sandwich.


I think I might have the weirdest husband in the world...


Me and Kristy are not messing around as we venture back out into the cold. We will stay warm!


The girls are ready to go!


Jon is cool, even though he's on a snowboard. Since he can keep up, we'll forgive him this transgression.


Matt had some spectacular crashes in the morning, but fared much better in the afternoon. The man loves to ski and never gives up!


And who is this sexy snowbunny? That would be Ray...make the pic big and look at the bottoms of his skis, and tell me what you see!


Back in the woods, we visited out favorite little cliff. Jon landed in a puff of powder.




The most essential part of the night: drinks in the hot tub!

Yummy, Yummy Treat

I've recently gotten into the habit of eating frozen dark chocolate. I buy a Hershey's bar, break it up and put it in a plastic sandwich bag, then toss it in the freezer. When I need a little something sweet, I grab one and bite into its frozen semi-sweet goodness. It makes a delightful, dull little crunch and doesn't even have time to melt. Mmm mmm mmm. Frozen Andes mints are extra good, too!

What I'm Reading

I'm not quite sure why I decided to list the book I'm currently reading on my blog, but I supposed if they're going to be up there, I should make a practice on commenting on them once I've finished. So, let's play catch-up:

The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein was a pretty good read. It's a memoir told supposedly from the view of a 4-8 year old boy, but it definitely didn't have the voice of a young child. While reading a narrative that mimics the thought process of a kid can take some getting used to, I think using that tool and then showing development as the character ages makes a book more authentic. Aside from that, I found the relationships between the Jews and the Christians in this World War I-era book fascinating. Most of the time, you think about prejudice going only one way; but in this book, the Jewish families (especially the adults) held just as many negative stereotypes about Christians as the Christians held about Jews. Almost everyone was equally unyielding in their beliefs that the two groups should not mix, up until the end of the book.

I also finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb last week, and loved the first half of the book. It dealt with the challenges faced by a fictional survivor of the Columbine shootings, but did so from her husband's point of view. Unfortunately, the character development stalled about halfway through and the author introduced all these crazy, distracting plot lines. I've heard that his other books were amazing, so I'd be willing to give them a shot sometime.

Now I'm rereading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, because I received his newest book for my birthday and I understand that, while it's not a sequel, the two are related. I do reread books multiple times; I can't even tell you how many times I've poured over Gone with the Wind or some of my other favorites, but even when I don't like a book, I usually give it another chance. Maybe it will mean something different to me at a later time, or maybe I just wasn't ready to understand what the author intended.

Someday, when I have a house, I will have a room designated as the library. There will be no TV and no computer - just expansive bookcases, comfortable chairs and soft lighting. And it will be my home sanctuary.

Mad Dash

That's what last week felt like: a mad dash to the weekend. On Sunday, I smacked myself upside the head and finally realized that I had a ton of homework to do and not nearly enough time in which to do it. After lounging away my Saturday and a good deal of Sunday, I had until 7 pm on Friday to learn two chapters for stats and turn in a set of corresponding homework problems; find, read and summarize about fifteen journal articles on job training; and outline the group paper on job training. This doesn't sound like all that much, but with work all day and two celebratory dinners inducting me into my late twenties, I was pretty strapped for time. So I took the day off work on Wednesday and spent it camped out at the kitchen table. I slogged through confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and analysis of variance (we'll see how well I've mastered the material when I take my exam tonight) and learned all about behavior modeling training, the impact of age on the effectiveness of training and that there is something known as Pygmalion management. By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, I was able to shove all that out of my mind and focus instead on my long-anticipated weekend plans: skiing in Searchmont!

As always, we had a grand time. Six of us stayed in a cottage about half an hour from the resort and skied all day on Saturday. It was cold, but the snow was great. I'll post some photos when I have them uploaded! We learned a very important lesson, though:

The best place to buy alcohol in Canada is Michigan.

Suffice to say, we ran out of booze at 8:30 pm on Saturday night. So we went to bed at 11:00 pm. So much for an all-night party!

And unfortunately, all of the above is another way of saying that I did not get on the trainer all week. I did strength training (excessive lunges before a day of skiing is not advised) but it's hard to do power intervals when your nose is stuck in a book! This week will be better...

Learning from the Girls

Amanda is a perky, put-together gal who loves to cook and wants to look great on the beaches of Mexico this spring. Melissa is a slim, pretty bride-to-be who wants to look her best on her summer wedding day. Dena is a no-nonsense, efficient mom trying to get fit and healthy.

These girls are my team. The four of us work out together three days a week in the Rec Center's multi-purpose room. We grab weights, steps, fit balls and mats, blast some music and take turns concocting exercises for the various muscle groups. It's not focused. It's not systematic. But we work our butts off for almost an hour, offering encouraging words and commiserating when someone brings a particularly torturous exercise to our workouts.

I never would have chosen this team, and I've never worked out like this. As a high school and college athlete, my workouts were not about feeling good or looking good: they were about performance, and everyone doing the rills or running the ladders was intense. We were focused, determined and not in need of encouragingpats on the back. The reward was the place, the medal, the personal best, the trip to States. I did any outside-of-practice training with either guys or other intensely competitive girls.

So I was a loner in the weight room last year, when I started getting ready for my first season of mountain bike racing. I'd ask coworkers if they wanted to come down to the Rec with me, but if anyone had taken me up on it, I'd do my thing and they'd do theirs. My training didn't carry the gravity it did in high school but I was still focused. Needing both internal and external motivation, however, my best intentions didn't always pan out. Then I started going to a strength training class in the Rec with Amanda and Melissa. I'll admit, I did it more to build friendships than get a good workout, but it turned out to be a really good class that often made just the process of getting out of bed a bit tricky.

The class ended right before Christmas, but the three of us felt we could keep going on our own. Dena joined after the New Year and, even with the varying levels of athleticism, coordination, fitness and strength, we're all seeing some tangible benefits. We're even signing up for a team-based weight-loss competition; only two girls have real weight-loss goals, but part of the battle is motivation and, as a team, we can provide a healthy dose of that!

Because of these girls, I've learned that I don't have to be so intense to get results; that you can train effectively even when everyone's out there for different reasons; and that challenge and competition isn't the only way to interact in training. Maybe it's more realistic, at this stage in my life and athletic career, to find this kind of camaraderie rather than the "push it" mentality of my former teammates and friends.

These girls are my team. I might not of picked them but I sure wouldn't trade them. They'll never ride with me - except maybe on the rail trail - but their friendship and support motivates me. We usually attribute parts of our success to effective coaches or strong teammates who are striving for the same goals as we pursue. As for me, I'll give a good deal of credit for any success I have on the trail to an aspiring chef, a former cheerleader and a Wii Fit devotee.

Three Fun Things I Did This Weekend

1. Spent quite a few lazy hours reading in my parents' living room, with a roaring fire and my favorite man.

2. Went on a short, snowy hike at Island Lake with Mitch, Mom, Dad, Bobby and Roxi the Amazing Trail Dog.

3. Stuffed myself with potato pancakes - a childhood favorite - for my almost-birthday dinner.

Lazy Cat

Get on the trainer. Start spinning. See cat on the couch. Think how nice it is to have company, even the passive type.

Keep spinning. Increase intensity and cadence. Realize all those lunges and squats did tire the legs, after all. Recover. It's only the warm-up.

Grind through power intervals. Glance jealously at cat sleeping on the couch. Say his name to wake him up. Take that, lazy cat. Oh, now you're sleeping again.

Keep doing power intervals. Finish water bottle before cool down. Throw empty bottle into kitchen. Cat doesn't move. Wish he could get more water. Will him to grow opposable thumbs and some motivation. Fail. Swear to exact vengeance on cat species later.

Detroit

My dad grew up in downtown Detroit. When he was a kid, he and his friends rode their bikes through their neighborhood with an abandon not present in even today's most safe communities. Fast forward a generation: my dad's childhood home is a crack house, smoldering on the evening news after a fire destroys it.

I definitely grew up in the suburbs but I've got some great memories of Detroit. We'd attend church with my grandparents; hit up a Wings game; go to Cobo Hall for the boat show; stuff ourselves with goat cheese in Greek Town; get dressed up for a performance at the Fox Theatre; pack a picnic and spend hours in Hart Plaza, waiting for the fireworks to blaze over the Detroit River. Every time we went, my dad navigated the streets like he belonged there, just as he once had.

So I think you should read The Courage of Detroit by Mitch Albom. The column romanticizes a lot of things and parts of it grate on me politically because the very citizens of Detroit who love the city so much have a hand in its downfall. But it also conjured up some memories and, dare I say, feelings of pride?

Returning to Reality

Having such a nice break for the holidays sure was nice, but it's strangely nice to get back to work and have some more routine. I learned that, if I were to ever work from home, I would have to be very disciplined and stick to schedules. I thought I'd be much more productive between Christmas and New Year's, but I really just finished some good books. OK, that's not strictly true: I did a bit of homework, housework, reorganizing and training. Two workouts on the trainer, to be exact. It's nothing like Andrea's level of commitment (You rock!) but it's better than last year at this time.

Now that I'm back to work, life looks like this: no lunch break, just training (MWF) or studying (TTh); after work, more studying and at least two trainer rides a week (three, ideally); some time for Bible study (the goal is to not have to cram the day before small group anymore!); and regular efforts to keep the apartment neat and tidy. Oh, and Mitch is starting a class at LCC this term! He wants to earn an engineering degree (this is a long-term goal) but has to start with some math and science basics, since he did business at Alma. I'm helping him navigate requirements and processes, since it's kinda what I do all day, anyway. As I told a friend, this means we will be even more boring than before!

And with that, it's time to go home. Stats test tonight...wish me luck!

Grad School Status

I definitely neglected to update about this because I was so caught up in the loveliness of Christmas, but I am now in the second term of my MBA program. Final grades were good last term, so I'd like to keep the streak alive. However, this term I have Applied Quantitative Analysis (stats) and Organizational Behavior. O.B. is similar to my communication class last term: read chapters, participate in discussion board and write papers. The biggest differences are that the emphasis is more on the papers (including some interesting self-assessments) than on the discussion board; and my instructor is not a complete twit, as was the case in communication. Suffice to say, this class is not all that hard.

Stats is another story. Like last term's finance class, I have to teach myself "numbers stuff," which is challenging. But I only have to take exams every few weeks instead of every week, which means remembering more material for each exam. In fact, if you've seen my Facebook status over the past few days, you've probably noticed that most of my life is currently revolving around my stats book. An exam is imminent!

Oh, the dryer is done! Must get duvet cover out quickly and iron it before it wrinkles terribly! Darn you and your persnickity fabric, Calvin Klein!

2009 Race Schedule

Once again, Mitch and I plan to focus on CPS races for 2009. As a natural sprinter, endurance racing holds no appeal for me; and Mitch says he doesn't really have the time to train for them, either. So here's the schedule for the DeYoungs:

April 19: Yankee Springs TT
May 3: Fort Custer XC
June 7: Hanson Hills XC
July 11: Boyne Marathon XC (Mitch only; I'll be there as a supportive spectator)
July 26: Stoney Creek TT
August 22: Maybury XC
September 13: Addison Oaks XC
September 27: Pando XC (probably Mitch only...I hated that race last season!)

Looks like good times, eh?

Happy New Year!

We had a great night in Lansing with our awesome Alma friends, ringing in the New Year (thankfully sans Mim's version of Auld Lang Syne from last year) at Jon's. One of the best parts of the night, though, was figuring out that we'll actually be able to get a good group together for a weekend of skiing in Searchmont this month. Last time, only Jon could go and I had bronchitis. It was still awesome, but a bigger group will be even more fun.

No 2009 resolutions for me; I think the professional, educational, spiritual and physical goals toward which I've been striving should keep me busy enough. I'm happy to report that training has been going rather well. I did trainer workout on Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon, and both went well. I have a few questions, though, if anyone would care to weigh in. They have to do with insensity and cadence.

I've found that there's a really fine line (like, one gear) between low, medium and high intensity for me. When my intervals are shorter (for example, 30 seconds in the first half of the Train Right mountain bike workout), I can usually hit the proper cadence in my high intensity gear. When the intervals get longer (2 minutes in the mountain bike workout), however, I can't maintain the proper cadence in my high intensity gear and have to drop down to my medium intensity gear to keep my cadence up. So, here's my question: should my high intensity gear be my high intensity gear no matter how it affects my cadence? Or should I drop down to an easier gear when necessary to keep my candence up?

I also struggle with keeping my cadence up during recovery periods, even though I get to drop down to a low intensity gear. It's getting better, but I can totally tell I am a sprinter. Fast twitch muscles, baby! In high school and college, I never ran a race over 200 m! Training for greater endurance is a new experience for me.

Chip Goes to the Vet

HISSSSSSSSSS!

RAYYYWWWRRRR!

GRRRRRRR!

Chip expresses his displeasure before the vet and his assistant even get the top off his cozy cat carrier. He has, in fact, been growling since we entered the veterinarian's office. His eyes are glassy but his reflexes are undiminished as heavily gloved hands try to lift him from the carrier onto the scale. He hisses, spits, snaps, and the assistant retreats to fetch a towel: the key ingredient for a kitty burrito.

An hour earlier, I had my good, sweet kitty perched on the forbidden kitchen table. He wrestled against me as I tried once, twice, three times to slip the tiny pink sedative pill into his mouth. In the end, I sat on him and used a stream of water to force it down. The chunky string of pink drool on the kitchen floor mocked me, and I could only hope he'd ingested enough of it to mellow him out a little bit. He sat in the kitchen and watched me finish making my cake, then ambled into the living room, stumbling slightly. Feeling at once triumphant and guilty, I cleaned the kitchen then scooped him onto my lap so we could cuddle until the dreaded car ride to the terrible place where they'd do awful things to my poor little cat.

The assistant drapes the raspberry-hued towel over the snarling mass that is my supposedly-sedated Chipper. Alas, he's too agitated to succumb to swaddling - so out comes the cat claw. This giant set of netted tongs completely encompasses Chip and effectively neutralizes him. The assistant lifts him from his carrier, gently shakes him further into the claw and good-naturedly teases him as he gnaws on the thick green net that is stretched taut over the metal frame. He's squashed helplessly on his side, then flipped over like a fried egg and subjected to his two overdue vaccine injections. He growls more as the vet listens to his hammering heart and is too angry to express any gratefulness when the hated claw dumps him into his carrier.

I'm sure he'll hate me when we get home. I drugged him; took him to his version of hell; and let strangers trap then stick him. To my great surprise, he staggers out of his carrier, looks up to me and seems to say, in his stupor, "Pet me, Mom." He follows me to the bathroom as I get ready to go out to dinner and, when I get home, climbs into bed with me and, still a little woozy, stays close all night long.

A Merry Christmas Indeed

Another wonderful Christmas; a white Christmas, even! It may have been a little nasty on Christmas Eve, but yesterday was nice and today, though icy and gray, isn't too bad. As much as I'm not looking forward to the forecasted 50 degree weather tomorrow, I might take the opportunity to wash my bike, which is still a little dirty.

So Christmas: we spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family. The food was great and everyone loved their gifts. Best memories from this year include: getting my cousin's son (my second cousin?) Steven to fall asleep in my arms; singing Silent Night by candlelight at the Christmas Eve service; watching my parents enjoy the DVD I made of their trip out West; and cheering on my husband, father, brother, uncle, aunt, cousin and grandpa while they did round after round of Irish car bombs!

Today, despite its lazy start, has been pretty productive. I did a little bit of homework while Mitch rode to Island Lake and did some of the trails, then I rode the trainer while he and Bobby played our new Wii. My parents got it for us as a Christmas gift, but let's not kid ourselves here: it's Mitch's toy! I never really thought we'd own one, but it seems pretty fun and it will give Mitch something else to do while I study.

I was proud of myself for doing the whole mountain bike workout on the trainer from memory. It's not super entertaining to ride without someone telling you what to do, but I managed just fine. I'm trying to be really motivated because I don't want to completely fail in sport next season. I'm way excited though: at our last MMBA chapter meeting, they were talking about the possibility of a team sponsored by a local brewery. Mitch and I did not join the chapter team last season, and I'm kind of glad we went though our first race season like we went through college: GDI. But now that we have a season under our belts and are comfortable (not to mention committed), I think it would be pretty cool to be part of a team. And of course, it would be nice if a sponsor could help defray a few costs since we have to travel quite a way for every race.

Well, Mom is home from the grocery store so I'm going to help her put stuff away and maybe make a trip to REI. Mitch needs something (can't remember what) and I need to exchange some underwear!

Christmas Countdown: True Meaning

Everything else about which I've written is great and all, but it's superficial. They're surface things, traditions that bring me joy. But they are nothing compared to the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amidst all the cookie baking, gift wrapping and family moments, He is there.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

...

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:5, 10-14

Christmas Countdown: A Few More

The snow is falling and my last work day before the holidays is winding down. I have a few gifts left to get, some wrapping to do and our bags to pack, but then I'll get to celebrate Christmas with some of the people I love best.

I've tried to share some of the things that make the Christmas season so special for me. I'll write about the most important one tomorrow, but there are a few more little things that put a smile on my face:

Christmas carols. Not the ones I listen to, but the ones I sang in Christmas concerts as a kid. My favorites: Away in a Manger, O Holy Night and Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. I think I could go to a Christmas Eve service and simply sing these and others the entire time, then walk away happy.

Christmas gifts. Like everyone else, I get excited to open gifties. But you all know how awesome it is to pick out the perfect gift and be able to watch someone open it. This year, I'm particularly anticipating giving my parents a DVD I made of their trip to the Grand Canyon. And of course, I can't wait for Mitch to open his gifts!

Wrapping gifts. I'm no Martha Stewart, but I love the look of all those brightly colored, beribboned packages underneath the tree. I choose my wrapping paper almost as carefully as I choose my Christmas cards (Hallmark, always) and curl enough ribbon to bury myself. When I was a kid, I used to make all the bows for my mom's gifts because, while my dad is good at the actual wrapping, he's not so keen on bow-making. We'd sit in the basement at a card table together, warning my mom repeatedly not to come down!

Family celebrations. Thanks to the gift of marriage, I have three different Christmases to celebrate each year: DeYoung, Eccles and McGrath. DeYoung Christmas is usually on a date other than Christmas, based on the schedules of Mitch and his siblings. It's a pretty laid-back affair, with tons of food and great reminiscing. Eccles Christmas is either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on the year. This is a formal affair: ties on the boys, heels on the girls, Christmas music playing softly inthe background, drinks always full, china on the table, coffee with dessert. My dad just has one sibling, so it's a quiet crowd compared to the McGraths, who number well over 30. Like good Catholics, my grandparents had six children; all but one have families; and there are even a few great-grandkids running around. We still dress up and eat off china, but the whole day is a bit rambunctious, especially when it comes time to open presents!

Santa. My mom told me there was no Santa when I was eight or so, because my dad told her I already knew. I burst into tears, because I still believed with all my little heart. Even after my brother figured it out, we still played the game. Mom and Dad would wait for us to go to bed, then put the presents under the tree and sometimes, in the middle of the night, I'd sneak out to see what Santa left. One year, my dad heard me and came out himself, claiming surprise at the pile of presents and snooping along with me. Even though I'm married, we've still managed to wake up at my parents' every Christmas - and we still do the same things: put on Christmas music, make coffee, get out a plate of Christmas cookies, open stockings and pass out all our presents. AND we still make my parents wait 'til we've gone to bed to stack gifts under the tree!

Christmas movies. Rupolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and The Grinch that Stole Christmas...need I say more?

Well, that about does it. Safe travels to all who are visiting family and friends this Christmas!

Christmas Countdown: Santa Bears

Does anyone else remember the Santa Bears made by Hudson's (now Macy's)? I wouldn't say I collected them, but I did have quite a few and loved getting them as gifts. I even had a boyfriend in middle school who made his mom drive him all over Southeastern Michigan so he could buy me one! I think I have five all together, but here are my favorite three:



I also have two Santa Bear Christmas ornaments, purchased as "our" ornaments in 2005 and 2006. I had hoped they would be yearly additions to our tree, but Macy's stopped making Santa Bears last year. All the more reason to hold on to these little guys!

Christmas Countdown: The Nutcracker

Many of you know this, but I used to dance. From age three, I devoted a good number of hours each week to class: first, ballet and jazz, with modern and pointe eventually added. Our studio, the Dance Centre, did yearly recitals and mini productions of The Nutcracker at the Christmas party. But for three years, I auditioned for a received parts in the Brighton City Ballet's Nutcracker, a full-blown production. First I was a mouse, battling the Nutcracker Prince's soldiers and dejectedly carrying my own slain Mouse King off the stage. Then I was part of the snow scene as frost, which is not generally done. But I guess the BCB wanted to give some younger dancers then chance to perform in one of the most beautiful scenes. Finally, I was a snowflake and can still remember the feeling of my torso tightly encased in the white, shimmery costume, restricting my breath to tiny gasps while fake snow stuck to my sweaty skin in the most uncomfortable places.

(I found an amazing video of the snow scene if you'd like to watch. It's obviously performed by professional dancers, but we used similar choreography - not en pointe - even though I was only in middle school. And, interestingly, I've now discovered that the Brighton City Ballet has become the Fountain Dance Ministry, a Christian-focused dance school and company.)

I even have a couple Nutcrackers of my own:

Christmas Countdown: Snow!

No great childhood stories about this one...I just had to add it because of the massive amounts of snow we've gotten over the past few days! I was supposed to go to class in Flint on Friday, but they closed U of M so - because I already had taken a vacation day from work - I spent the day at home working on a Christmas gift for my parents and shoveling various cars out of our parking lot. Then today, we got even more snow and some wicked wind to go with it. We will surely have a white Christmas this year!

An Ode to My Flannel Quilts

You lie draped across the back of the couch,
one a brightly colored patchwork,
the other a subdued tribute to winter.
Both handmade, soft and oh-so-warm,
you beckon me the moment I sink into the cushions.
Together, we combat the chill,
(heaven forbid we turn the heat up!)
maybe with the cat contributing his furry warmth to our efforts.
And sometimes,
sometimes,
we snooze together
(but I try to drool on the pillows, not you).

(OK, so I may be in a weird mood tonight. I just finished a self-assessment for class, so cut me a little slack. We now return to your regularly scheduled program.)

(But first let me tell you: my Christmas tree drinks water like it's going out of style! And Caedmon's Call is awesome...I've been listening to them exclusively all night. Yes, I have enough Caedmon's music to last that long.)

(I hope we have hot water tonight. If not, we have to either fix the hot water heater ourselves or deal with it until January, because we can't call maintenance: we're not allowed to have a real tree in our apartment, but we do, and I'm not taking this glorious evergreen down!)

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Cookies

As a kid, I always helped my mom bake Christmas cookies. We didn't do the decorative kind (though I think I always wanted to be able to frost and sprinkle to my little heart's content); no, I was put to work painting egg yolk around the edge of the jam pocket dough. See, we had two kinds of cookies that always - and only - made their appearance at Christmastime: jam pockets and black forest cookies. Jam pockets are little pastries with raspberry preserves inside, and black forest cookies are cake-like with dark chocolate and black cherries. The black forest cookies are pretty easy but the jam pockets are time-intensive, so I pretty much remember standing on a chair at the counter assembling the little treats.

We never gave the cookies as gifts. If we were going to give edible gifts, we made something else, because those cookies were our cookies. Dad even used to make a big deal about putting our too many jam pockets for Santa, because he wanted them instead. And on Christmas morning, a new plate of cookies (not Santa's...those were gone...) would appear on the coffee table before we even started opening presents. Nothing like cookies for pre-breakfast!

In an uncharacteristic break with tradition, I made a completely different set of Christmas cookies the first year Mitch and I were married. I guess I wanted to try to put my own twist on the ritual, but my coconut macaroons flopped, my mocha cookies were less than spectacular, and everyone thought my orange creamsicle cookies were just a little too weird. So I went back to the tried-and-true, adding M&M cookies to satisfy Mitch's request for chocolate chip.

For the past two years, I've taken an entire day off work to bake with friends. It's such fun! Let's just say it's a good thing I'm making a special trip to the Rec Center at lunchtime!

Interruption: Trainer Ride

Just got off the trainer. Did the full mountain bike workout (about an hour). Averaged 10.8 mph. Legs ache. Body feels great. Rocked out hardcore to "Want You Bad" by Offspring and the like as motivation. Gonna keep it up and kick some serious butt during race season.

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Cards

When I let slip how much I spend on Christmas cards each year, Mitch was not particularly pleased. I give you now, as I gave him, an account of my love affair with Christmas cards.

Like most traditions to which I cling, this one started when I was a kid. My parents always made a big deal about the arrival of Christmas cards, dropping them on the counter with a flourish and asking who wanted to open them. We'd split them up equally, slit the envelopes and announce the senders. The best cards came with creative letters updating us on the lives of our far-flung family and friends.

My mom always seemed to pick out the prettiest cards to send: a habit that, to the distress of my husband, I've acquired. Unlike my mom, though, I'm rarely able to decide on one design, so I get multiple styles. When it's time to send them, I get out the special pen set my uncle gave me at my college graduation, settle in at the kitchen table or the couch, and entertain myself for the next few nights by wishing my family and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And we even did one of those Christmas update letters this year! But, with a small concession to frugality, I do try to limit my mailing to those who also participate in the Christmas card ritual.

I still love receiving cards, too. Yesterday, four lovely envelopes spilled out of the mailbox, putting a big smile on my face! I especially love the cards with letters and photos - after all, I just cleared some of my old photos off the fridge and need some new ones to spice it up. As this was the year of new babies, there are all sorts of fat-cheeked balls of Christmastime adorable-ness grinning at me when I'm working in the kitchen. I keep the non-photo cards in a basket and will go through them at least two or three times before bringing them back to the College for a service project.

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Trees

The saga of the Eccles family Christmas tree began every year on Thanksgiving weekend. Armed with a map and a list of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, we'd meet up with another family, the Elkingtons, and begin the hunt. We were always looking for the perfect tree: a douglas or concolor fir, around 10 feet tall, with beautiful branches and no bare spots. See, my parents have a big living room with a vaulted ceiling and an expansive bay window that looks out over the front yard. We weren't just concerned with how it looked from the inside; it had to be spectactular from the road, too. Given all this criteria (and the fact that the Elkingtons had equally high standards), some Christmas tree hunts were astonishingly quick but most lasted through the afternoon and into the evening.

When we returned from our successful hunt, the bundled tree would be relegated to the garage, trunk submerged in a five-gallon bucket of water. Then, about ten days before Christmas, Dad would haul the tree through the front door, spend a good ten minutes making sure it was perfectly straight in the tree stand, and then meticulously string strands and strands of colored Christmas lights. He'd always invite Bobby or I - who were perched on the couch, anxiously awaiting our turn at decorating - to climb the ladder and place the star on the top of the tree, but for all our efforts, our little arms weren't long enough until we were teenagers. Finally, he'd carefully clip our two ancient strands of bubble lights front and center.

When the "boring" part was done, we would throw the lids off the boxes of ornaments and search for our "special" ornaments. Each year, we'd all get new ornaments for Christmas: Precious Moments for me, trucks for Bobby and Hallmark's special lighthouses for Dad. Mom got the short end of the stick until we were old enough to realize that she didn't have as many to hang, so we started buying them for her. We'd good-naturedly vy for the coveted spots at the front of the tree and hide the embarrassing, homemade ornaments Mom insisted on keeping around the back. We'd climb ladders to reach the highest branches, then shriek when Dad wriggled them. And all the while, Christmas music spilled from the speakers.

The result: a beautiful, eclectic tree that reflected our family personality. Each ornament reflected a gift, a time, a memory. There were no matching colored, generic balls on an Eccles tree: there were ornaments sold as fundraisers, or made in craft classes, or received from a thoughtful friend. Elegant, classic, wacky, tacky, old and new - we loved them all.

It should come as no surprise that Mitch and I carry on this tradition. We go Christmas tree hunting with my family each year and now that we have vaulted ceilings in our apartment, we get the tall trees, too. Mitch likes white lights better than colored ones, so we compromised: we have white lights, a multicolored star and one strand of colored LED lights that meander down the front of our tree. Eclectic is still the name of the game, as I brought all my "special" ornaments and my mom and I are working to catch Mitch up. We also received some wonderful ornaments as wedding gifts, including a set of five wooden ornaments depicting the birth of Christ. And of course, we set aside a whole afternoon for the decorating process!



Another gorgeous DeYoung tree...and in typical Mitch fashion, he's gone above and beyond to make me happy. Knowing how much I love to see our tree twinkling brightly, he has set a timer so the tree is on when I go out for breakfast and when I walk in the door after a long day at work. And Chip loves the tree, too. He snoozes underneath it and drinks from the tree stand. Now if we could just get the sap off his head...

Christmas Countdown: Giving

Christmas is truly the season of giving. I'm not talking about gift-giving for family and friends (though I will certainly over that in a later post). I'm talking about dropping your change in the Salvation Army kettle, picking out a special to for Toys for Tots, adopting families and choosing gifts for Head Start kids.

I take such joy in Christmas that I want to do what I can to help kids have a happy, magical holiday. For the past couple of years, my dad's side of the family has quit drawing names to exchange gifts; instead, we all contribute what we would have spent to a unique program at my grandpa's church. A group of women knit sweaters for Head Start kids in Detroit, and then they distribute them to people who want to buy outfits to go with each one. We usually take three sweaters and buy pants, shirts, socks, underwear, undershirts, hats, gloves, mittens and a toy for each one. It's so much fun! My mom typically does all the shopping, but this year I got stuffed animals and Curious George books for the kids.

This year, our office also decided to sponsor some local families in lieu of getting staff and boss gifts. We have two nice, large families and I had a blast choosing outfits for the little twin boys. We also adopted an additional family through the Administrative Personnel Committee, so I got to select a little girl's outfit, too. Again, I love the thought that something I've done will put a smile on a child's face on Christmas morning, just like I had each year.

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Music

All my favorite Christmas traditions have one thing in common: Christmas music playing in the background. When I put out the first holiday decorations, strains of The Nutcracker Suite fill my ears. I tap my toes to Mannheim Steamroller while we string lights on the gigantic tree and hang our eclectic assortment of ornaments. Nat King Cole croons his way through O Tannenbaum as my family gathers in the living room to open gifts on Christmas morning, and The Carpenters provide the soundtrack for family celebrations.

Selecting Christmas music was an important part of all these festivities when I was growing up. We'd never start decorating the tree without something in the CD player, and everyone noticed when the music ended. On Christmas morning, we'd load up an album before tearing into our stockings. And when guests arrived later in the day, they'd be greeted with their holiday favorites. Thanks to modern technology, though, I don't even have to remember to put in a new CD when Mitch and I decorate, celebrate and host: all 118 of my favorite Christmas songs are on an iPod playlist for our constant listening enjoyment.

Christmas Countdown: Nativity Scenes

There are so many things I love about Christmas, so I thought I'd start using them to count down the next fifteen days 'til Christmas! Please please please share your stories, memories and comments!

Now, nativity scenes:

I collect Precious Moments. I probably could have put that in the "Six Things You Don't Know About Me" post, because it's kind of a girly or old lady-ish hobby, but I love them. I used to receive one each year as either a birthday or Christmas present, and my dad even built me a special shelving unit on which to display them.

As a little girl, I loved all my Precious Moments. But the most special ones, my mom's Precious Moments nativity scene, only came out at Christmas. On the day we decorated our big family Christmas tree, my brother and I would set the manger my dad made on the living room bar and carefully place the three wise men, the shepherds, the sheep, the harp player, Mary, Joseph and finally Jesus in and around the manger. We loved Baby Jesus best and even took turns putting him out each year. Since we knew the three wise men didn't arrive until after Christmas, we put them outside the manger and inched them closer each day. There was ever a tiny pine cone that Bobby called "the dove cooing in the rafters" that we stuck up in the top of the manger.

As a wedding gift, I asked for and received my own Precious Moments nativity scene. My dad made me a manger identical to my mom's, but Bobby has yet to get me my dove. One of my favorite Christmas moments is still laying Baby Jesus tenderly in the center of the manger.







I also have a second nativity scene that I set up in my office. It's made of lovely glazed pottery and its rich tones go well with the deep cherry color of the credenza upon which it sits. I love looking over at it during the day and giving myself a few moments to think about the meaning of Christmas, even in the midst of my lengthy to-do lists and many meetings.

Training Review

Training has been going relatively well in recent weeks. I've done a pretty good job of getting to strength training class 2-3 times each week, but I haven't been so disciplined with the trainer. I want to give some grand statement of commitment here, but it would just be hollow. I'll get on it soon...

Today, I went to the weight room at lunch because we don't have class this week. I found a couple things:

During my upper body series (10 reps/3 sets of lateral raises, bicep curls, shoulder presses and chest flies), I could definitely tell what muscles I haven't been working. Though I previously did this series with 5 lb. weights and 12-15 reps of each exercise, I bumped up to 10 lbs. today because I thought I'd be significantly stronger. Not exactly...in class, I can do 30 standing military presses in a row with 10 lbs. in each hand. But when I went to do full shoulder presses today with the same weight, I got tired much more quickly. Lateral raises with the 10 pounders were also challenging. I think my classes have been more focused on toning than building strength.

I decided to alternate core and legs, and found that both of those muscles groups were much stronger, regardless of the specific exercises. I did 3 set of squats, (20 full squats, 20 pulses), rolling a fit ball up and down the wall as I went. Then I did 25 sit-ups on the fit ball, followed by 30 seconds of regular plank and 30 seconds of each side plank. Back on my feet, I did 3 sets of sumo squats with a 10 lb. weight (20 full squats, 20 pulses), alternated with 3 sets of a back exercises I like to call "Superman." I finished off with 3 sets of lunges with a 7 lb. ball alternated with 3 sets of 25 sit-ups on the fit ball. My legs were a little shaky by the end of the lunges, but my core was in great shape.

Lastly, I tossed a few calf raises in the mix. At class, we just do them on the flat ground but I like to do them up on a step so I can get a more full extension. What used to really make my calves ache was pretty much cake today. I finished up with a more thorough stretching session than I've done in quite awhile, which felt great.

I think I need to mix it up a bit. I need to keep doing the classes, for sure. They help me look good and feel good, but there are areas where I need some good, hard-core strength work. So I think I'll try to do 2 sessions of class plus one session in the weight room each week. And I'll get on the trainer at home...really, I will...

Caedmon's Call, "A Thousand Miles to Go"

1. Put your iTunes (or iPod or iPhone or iAnything) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.
5. Add a pic that you think represents you at this moment in time.

OK, I'm going to do this, but here's the catch: My iPod Shuffle here at work has only songs I deemed appropriate for lunchtime training. So this might be even weirder than otherwise...

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Sublime, What I Got
Hmmm...

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Shaking Tree, Revisiting
Again, not a clue...

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Caedmon's Call, Share the Well
Generosity, maybe?

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Third Day, Other Side
Not really...I'm very content right now.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dani California
Oh boy...

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Big and Rich, Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy
Well...

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Garth Brooks, Papa Loved Mama
Not really...I'm pretty secure in my marriage!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Dierks Bentley, What Was I Thinking?
Depends on which "best friend." I question some of their actions!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Chris Daughtrey, but I don't know the title. Thanks, Shuffle, for not displaying anything. But listening to the song, it seems pretty sad. Not accurate.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Jars of Clay, Carry Me (Dead Man)
Oh gosh, I hope not!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Jim Croche, Don't Mess Around With Jim
A pool hustler?!?!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Some punk band, Girl All the Bad Guys Want
Since Mitch is neither bad nor a girl, this one doesn't work, either.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Counting Crows, Hangin' Around
That would have been interesting...

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Guns n' Roses, Welcome to the Jungle
I heard that song at every home football game in high school, and I was a cheerleader for awhile, but I'm not so dedicated to SLHS that I'd necessarily want it at my funeral...

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Third Day, 'Til the Day I Die
Couldn't this be a biking song or something?

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Offspring, Self-Esteem
I don't hate myself, if that's what you think!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Some other punk band, Girl at the Rock Show
I do a little drinking with my best friends...

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Third Day, Slow Down
I don't think slowing down is always that bad - I don't want to rush through life.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Gin Blossoms, Allison Road
Nada...

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Caedmon's Call, Coming Home
I have some memories tied to Caedmon's that make me laugh.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Garth Brooks, Standing Outside the Fire
This video features Special Olympics athletes...I get a little sentimentally teary there.

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Aerosmith, Falling in Love is Hard on the Knees
If you could all the bumps, bruises and scrapes I've gotten since marrying Mitch and getting into crazy stuff like climbing and biking, this could work!

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Jimmy Eat World, The Middle
Mitch rewrote this song to describe grilling and eating an elephant!

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Gin Blossoms, Follow You Down
What's that supposed to mean?!?!

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Foo Fighters, Everlong
???

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Shaking Tree, Memory of Me
I'm not remembering anyone or thing that hurts!

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Caedmon's Call, A Thousand Miles to Go
What do you know!?!? It's the title of my entire blog!

I'm not tagging anyone...this was just my reward for wading through all my emails this morning. If you want to do it, have fun!

For Andrea and Jake...

...who both tagged me to share six things others may not know about me.

1. I get super nostalgic over old toys. Just typing that gives me the overwhelming urge to dig my old toys out my parents' basement and attic. I'd go right for the My Little Ponies, followed closely by Rainbow Brite. I had a lot of Barbies, but they don't hit me the same.

2. Mitch and I have a very full bed. In addition to the two of us, we share space with my favorite stuffed animal, Teeny the money; a stuffed bear; and our cat, Chip. Why the two stuffed animals? Well, I can't shake the childish idea that animals have feelings. Teeny, as worn as he is, would be devastated to be relegated to a bookshelf (think The Velveteen Rabbit). Mitch made the mistake of joking about Bear's feelings one day, and now we have another bed companion. And Chip just does whatever he wants, but I like the feeling of him curled up next to me.

3. I took dance lessons from age three through my freshman year of college. I have all my dance recital costumes, including my first pair of pointe shoes. I was in Brighton City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker three times, but loved the recitals at my studio best. Recently, my two favorite dance instructors found me on Facebook and I was thrilled.

4. In high school, I thought my best friend and I should move to British Columbia and work at Whistler for a few years. Ski all day, party all night...now she works as a physical therapist at Beaver Creek and Vail during the winter, but she's married so I don't think she does the kind of partying we imagined! I can't wait to visit her.

5. I am often beautifully naive by choice. And I like it that way.

6. I didn't like country music growing up. We listened to classic rock a lot at home, then did the typical "whatever's cool" thing in high school. When Mitch and I moved to Cadillac, we got hooked on The Bear, an awesome classic rock station, and completely shunned "Top Forty" stuff. When we moved to Mt. Pleasant, the lack of classic rock and our distaste for pop led us to the country radio stations. Now I'm hooked!

So, tags: Charlotte, Ryan, Marc and Robin should do this. Tim should just give us a blog entry, period. How long's it been...June?!?! :)

Thanksgiving Weekend in Review

Some of my favorite things about this glorious four-day weekend:

Flowers on our anniversary! Last Wednesday marked four wonderful years of marriage, and Mitch treated me to a pretty bouquet featuring gerbera daisies from a "real flower show." They're still perched in a vase on our kitchen table, vibrant in all their red, yellow and purple glory

Spending an entire day with Mitch's family. My sister-in-law, Mariah, had it right in her most recent email to me when she said it was nice to have a whole day without having to rush around. We ate a leisurely meal (two turkeys - one from the deep fryer - plus tons of side dishes and desserts), cleaned up together, shared gift ideas for our husbands, played with our youngest nephew and engaged in a marathon game of Apples-to-Apples.

(Let's talk about Apples-to-Apples for a second: if the word was "odd" and someone played a card that said "The Pentagon," wouldn't you get it? No one got it! A building with five sides...an odd number...come on!)

Another favorite thing: spending two lovely days in Traverse City with Mitch. A couple months ago, we wanted to go on a getaway for the two of us, but we were really burned out after all the weddings, races and other events this summer. We decided to take an anniversary trip to a place where we could book a hotel, show up and have a great time: no researching, very little planning. For us, Traverse was the perfect choice. Mitch made reservations for Friday night at a nice B&B in Sutton's Bay, and we spent Friday and Saturday touring local wineries and shopping for Christmas gifts. Some of the best things: Enerdyne, a nature/science/toy store in Sutton's Bay; tasty cheese purchased at Blackstar; passion fruit margaritas at the Red Mesa; and Forty-Five North, a new winery on the Leelanau Peninsula.

You might think this one is weird: cleaning the apartment. I am a neat freak, but ever since I started graduate school in September, big housework things like dusting just don't seem to get done as regularly as I'd like. After church on Sunday, I spent most of the day cleaning, reorganizing and completing my Christmas decorating. Our apartment looks, smells and feels just perfect!

I just hinted at this one: the beginning of the Christmas season. For me, Christmastime begins right after Thanksgiving. I love my nativity scenes (yes, I have two: a Precious Moments one for home and another one for my office), my snowmen, my Santa Bears. Most of all, I love our gorgeous tree, but I have to wait for that beauty. We're cutting it this weekend and putting it up the following weekend. You can bet I will post photos!

Speaking of Christmas, I am pleased to report I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. I still need to buy for a few family members and the twin boys from one of the families our office adopted, but that's it. My favorite gifts so far: probably the cool Built lunch bags I bought a couple friends. Mitch's gifts should be pretty sweet, too...but no, baby, I'm not going to post those on here! :)

And finally, the snow. We got quite a bit by mid-Michigan standards last night. It's pretty thick and heavy, so all the trees are coated and campus looks like a winter wonderland. Maybe we can build a snowman this evening, if Mitch doesn't get to go downstate to pick up his new mountain bike. Or maybe I'll just curl up under my favorite flannel quilt with hot cocoa, Christmas music and a good book (I'm currently rereading Little Women, which I've surprisingly read less often than Gone With the Wind), and admire the snow outside.

'Tis the season!

Ready to go!

For the past week or so, I've been kind of in a productivity funk. I just felt like I wasn't accomplishing much, on any front. Maybe I just needed the weekend to rest or maybe my brain just needed to rest itself, but yesterday was a great day and today promises to be the same.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I have so much for which to be thankful. I have a wonderful marriage and a strong relationship with God; I have an amazing family and awesome friends; my work is fulfilling, my body is healthy and my mind is helping me overcome the challenges of grad school. At this moment, I'm so content. Joyful, even.

And now my calendar has reminded me to make my way to Student Life to interview a couple potential Orientation Committee candidates. Time to change out of my heels and into the practical shoes that will get me there safely!

Alma Jersey Photos

Yeah, Go Scots! Look at us training in our brand new Alma College jerseys! Yes, we are monster nerds. No, we're not on an Alma College "team"or anything...such a group does not exist. But we, and about fourteen other people, will now proudly promote our alma mater as we're flying down the road or through the woods.







By the way, it appears I will have an extra jersey to sell. It's a medium, classic fit (40-42" chest, 34-36" waist) and costs $55 (including shipping). Let me know if you or anyone you know might be interested!

I'm picky.

I'm not what you would call high maintenance. I'd rather eat at home than go out to a nice dinner; I'd rather tromp around in the woods than spend a weekend shopping in the big city. My jewelry is limited to my lovely, traditional wedding ring and some simple, sentimental pieces.

But gosh, I'm picky.

When I get it into my head that I want something, it's usually a very specific something. I might have a hard time describing it but I can picture it perfectly in my head. Once it was a brown sweater, but it had to be a particular kind of brown sweater. Not bulky. Not too thick, not too thin. Not light brown, but a nice, dark brown. Not dressy, not a cardigan. Maybe with a hood or pockets. I looked all over and eventually found it - a year after I started searching.

I waited months for the perfect glass shelves. I scoured scores of stores for the perfect black fleece mittens (found in Macy's, by the way - I should have bought a few pairs). And, just today, I found the perfect Christmas decoration to accent my Precious Moments nativity scene and the manger my dad made to house the Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the lambs. I'm still looking for the right wall hanging for our dining room.

This is why, I think, I'm a terrible bargain hunter. I don't go shopping; I go buying. Because I'm so gosh-darn picky, I buy things when I see the right ones and generally give the price tag no more than a cursory glance. Yes, I try to make use of coupons and I do have my limits...we do not carry credit card debt so I always know I have the cash to pay for what I purchase. But I will drop some big bucks on that perfect sweater, even if it means that's the only one I buy all winter.

Opening Day Success

It looks like the hunting beard Mitch grew worked after all: at 8 am on opening day, he got an eight-point buck! He and his brother are processing it this week, so we'll have lots of venison soon.

For my part, I was not as productive as I would have liked to be over the weekend. I was still getting over my cold, and since strength training class didn't go so well on Friday afternoon, I didn't even attempt to get on the trainer. I did, however, bake a pie (homemade; apple raspoberry) and four dozen cookies (frozen dough; mint chocolate chip). I also completed what I think will be my last finance exam and got started on my final paper for communication. My first term of graduate school is almost done: only five more to go!

Goals for this week: strength training Monday and Friday; trainer Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday is a play-it-by-ear day, as I took the day off work. I plan to complete most of my paper, do some housework and take a quick shopping trip to start getting ready for the holidays.

UPDATE: My day got even better around 9:30 am when our Alma College cycling jerseys arrived. They look awesome - I'll probably post a photo later!

It's Just a Cold!

What I wish I could say to every coworker who has suggested I go home/take a day off:

It's just a cold. I'm not going to die. I'm drinking fluids (the Nalgene next to me is almost empty) and getting sleep. Yup, I'm tired and I don't feel all that great, but I don't stay home for colds. Taking sick days only when absolutely necessary is part of my work ethic, so you're just going to have to deal with me. I'll shut my door so you stop feeling obligated to say "Bless you" every time I sneeze.

Thanks. Now I need to blow my nose.

Ahead of Schedule

Those awesome Alma College jerseys were shipped out of Washington State yesterday and should be here next week! AW YEAH!

AND I got the dates for the 2009 CPS races. The appropriate weekends have been booked (excluding Pando, I think)...now if we can just get Mitch an Iceman entry, we'll be all set. And I have to conquer my newly-acquired cold so I actually feel like working out again!

Pretty Good Column

Some Positive Reactions from the Right

My favorite paragraph:

"The treatment of President George W. Bush by liberals has been despicable, undeserved and unprecedented. We who oppose Barack Obama's policies will, hopefully, act in accordance with conservative values of decency. Hence my simple announcement on the day after the election: I did not vote for him. I did not want him to be president. But as of January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be my president. "

I find it terribly disrespectful for people to refer to President Bush as Mr. Bush. Whether you agree with him or not, he earned the office of President of the United States and deserves to be addressed respectfully. Therefore, when Barack Obama is President of the United States, I will not disrespect him by referring to him as "Mr." For the next four years, he will be my president and I will refer to him appropriately, whether I support or disagree with his decisions.

Transitions

While the sun was shining and the balmy temperatures coaxed me outside, autumn was sneaking out. I didn't notice her departure, didn't see the breeze stripping the trees of their browning leaves. In the shortening days, I was mesmerized by the warmth and the sunshine, unaware of the inevitable but unfortunate transition from glorious autumn to a limbo of waiting.

When the transition was all but complete, rain stole in on the back of cold wind. The clouds blocked the sun and cast into sharp relief the skeleton trees. Now the damp chill permeates and rather than reveling in the beauty of autumn, I'm waiting. He teased me yesterday with a few fleeting flakes, but I'm waiting for him to arrive in full. Winter. Waiting.

Positive Pants

At work, we tease one of my coworkers about his somewhat negative attitude, encouraging him to put on his "positive pants." I want to write a post about grad school with my positive pants on, so I'll choke back my complaints. For what it's worth, I'm posting during class. That should tell you something about how valuable I perceive this session to be.

This morning was good, though. (Aside from getting a flat tire on my way into Flint and being an hour late.) In financial management, we did group presentations on assigned chapters and I think I learned quite a bit. I especially like it when my classmates illustrate their points with specific examples from their workplaces. Everyone has such a variety of experiences; it makes for a rich atmosphere.

And out comes the super-nerd: in communication, my group is doing a paper on communication breakdowns in crisis situations. We've chosen, at my encouragement, the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Time to revisit Spring Term 2002 - thanks, Dr. Payerhin!

Back to Biking

The lovely weather has made it easy to reach my workout goals for the week. Yesterday, I brought my bike to work and rode at lunch time. It was awesome! The robust crosswind didn't even bother me much, so happy was I to be cruising along. I returned to the office after an hour, sporting red cheeks and a helmet line on my forehead.

I think I did around 10 miles, but I'm not sure because I forgot my computer at home. I plan to ride the same route tomorrow so I can figure it out. I love the fall's cold weather but I will admit, this week's temperatures were a pleasant surprise!

Finally proud?

I understand if you're proud to be an American today. If you support Barack Obama, you should be proud.

I understand if you're especially proud to be an American today. If you don't like the direction in which America has been heading and believe Barack Obama will take this country in a better direction, should should be especially proud.

I understand if you're once again proud to be an American. The American people and her leaders have undoubtedly made decisions of which we were not proud at one point or another. If you see this as a positive, defining moment for a currently struggling nation, you should be once again proud.

But if you're finally proud to be an American, I pity you.

If you're finally proud, it means you have been blind to the good things about America. We are not an ignorant, arrogant, selfish nation. We are a generous nation, a nation where people from all walks of life come together in support of each other. Think of the outpouring of American support during disasters like the tsunami a couple years ago. Think of the masses of volunteers who helped (and continue to help) in the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Think of the organizations we support in our communities. Think of the many, many American nonprofit groups dedicated to service in third world countries. Think of the soldiers who put their lives on the line for others. Think of your ancestors who scrimped and saved and sacrificed to get you to this land of opportunity.

Today, you can be proud. Be especially proud. Be once again proud. But don't insult the people of this country by being finally proud.

Get out and vote!

I prayed at the polls this morning. Not for a victory by any one candidate, but a prayer of thanks for the privilege of living in a democracy like the United States of America. My friend Bruce, who did two tours in Iraq with the Marines, once told me how people there ventured bravely to the polls even though their lives were threatened by doing so. We are so blessed to live here, friends. Let us not take the blessing for granted.

Sunday at the Toledo Zoo

My mom loves going to the zoo, so we took her down to the Toledo Zoo on Sunday to celebrate her birthday. It was a grand surprise: we packed a cooler with sandwiches and snacks, then six of us piled into Bobby's truck without telling her where we were going. She only guessed about 20 minutes before we actually arrived!

The Toledo Zoo is probably a bit smaller than the Detroit Zoo. Things are less spread out and I think the exhibits aren't quite as large, but I don't remember ever seeing more activity. The big cats were lazy (did you know lions sleep up to 20 hours per day?) but there was a young elephant playing with boxes, tires and five-gallon pails. The monkeys were chasing each other, and a baby monkey seemed to be learning how to be a bit independent. The seals swam all over in their aquarium and the orangutans (especially a father and baby) were really active with each other. I won't say I love the zoo like my mom or Mitch, but I enjoyed myself.

***

I can feel it: this is the week to hit all my goals. Riding the trainer will be torture, though, since the weather is so nice. I wonder if it may be worth it to ride at lunch on Tuesday and Thursday rather than doing homework...I can make up that study time at home in the evening, right? OK, let's add changing my tires and packing up my gear to the to-do list tonight!

Time to Brag

It's Friday at midnight. I'm not barhopping in a bumblebee costume with my friends. Foregoing the festivities, I just finished my most recent communication paper. I've also already taken my finance test for the week, so I'm ready for a weekend of quality time with my family rather than spending long afternoons glued to my computer. Yes! (And goodnight.)

Why I'm Voting for John McCain

Being a pretty staunch conservative, there is generally little doubt that I will vote Republican. I still do my homework, because I think it's irresponsible to just vote blindly down party lines, but 99 times out of 100 a Republican candidate is going to fall more in line with my political preferences. I've been trying to keep my blog nonpolitical lately because we all get enough debate everywhere else these days, but I really want to articulate why I'll be casting my vote for Senator McCain.

Let's get one thing out in the open, though: he was not my choice for the Republican nominee. I'd be much more enthusiastic if Mitt Romney were on the ticket (preferably as the presidential candidate, but he would have been an asset in the VP spot). Therefore, because it's hard for me to get truly passionate about the McCain campaign, one of the main reasons I'm voting for him is that I don't like the alternatives presented by Senator Obama.

One more thing I think is important: my personal faith does not dictate my vote. I want a president with a strong moral code and I happen to believe that Christianity holds people to a very high moral standard, but as long as I and others have the freedom to practice our faiths without prejudice or persecution, a candidate's religious preference is of little concern to me.

While our next president will have many issues facing him, I think the biggest one is the economy. I'm solidly ensconced in the "middle class" and I'm told that, regardless of who gets elected, I won't see my taxes increase. But if corporations and small businesses see the kinds of tax increases proposed by Senator Obama, it won't matter that my pay stub looks the same. Business don't pay taxes: they will do everything they can to keep their profits consistent, so they'll cut jobs or raise prices to cover increased tax burdens. Then I'll pay more for that home I want to build someday, or the clothes I need for my job, or the car I'll be picking up when I eventually leave my position at Alma. Other implications of raising taxes are better stated here.

That's the practical; here's the principle: I believe that if you want something, you have to earn it. And if you earn it, you should get to keep it. Yes, we all need to pay taxes to support infastructure like roads and other services Americans use every day. But for economy to flourish in stable, successful and creative ways, the government has to try to keep as much cash as possible in the hands of the individuals who have not only a personal stake in the success of the free enterprise system, but also the drive and desire to step out on a limb and make success happen. It's not selfish to want to reap the rewards of your hard work and then decide for yourself where your money goes.

While you or I might not agree with lavish lifestyles of the super-rich, most of them have made sacrifices to earn that wealth. When they choose to use their money to help those less fortunate (which is important, but the key word here is "they choose," instead of "they are mandated"), I would prefer they donate to organizations with a track record of success. Who did a better job after Hurricane Katrina: FEMA or the Red Cross and other organizations whose tangible relief efforts continue to this day? I don't think the government is nearly as successful with programs like welfare as local nonprofit organizations are with their various assistance programs, because local organizations are better able to gauge the specific needs of their community members and give them a hand up in effective, appropriate manners. If individual taxes rise, there's a good chance fundraising for these local nonprofits will be increasingly difficult. "The government is already spreading my wealth around to take care of those behind me; why do I need to give locally?" For some families, it may not even be a choice: they may simply be unable to give as freely if more of their money is going to the government.

I am blessed to have incredibly intelligent friends who are probably dying to point out holes in my arguments. That's fine: we'll agree to disagree on some of them. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I know raising taxes isn't the way to solve our nation's problems. Increasing taxes has far-reaching implications, none of which are likely to improve the communities in which we live.

(I hate posting things like this. But I'll draw strength from a wise friend who quoted Martin Luther on his blog: "To disobey one's conscious is neither wise nor just." In a post that I know was challenging for him to write, Marc made some good points but didn't change my mind. I don't expect my post will change anyone's mind, either; but, like Marc's post did for me, I hope it gives those who read it some things to think about as they cast their vote.)

Back in the Saddle

What a bittersweet night: I got back on my bike but instead of cruising along the cornfields or twisting through the woods, I was perched atop the trainer. Watching Chris Carmichael push a room full of sweating bikers through an interval workout was not nearly as fun as riding trails or even the road, but trying to keep up was effective. I did half of his Mountain Biking DVD, which included five-four-three-two minute intervals of 30 seconds of high intensity and 30 seconds of medium intensity, with a minute and a half recovery between each interval. I was supposed to keep a cadence of 90 throughout the whole thing, but I only managed to achieve close to that during the high intensity sessions. During medium intensity, I had to drop down to 75 to keep my legs from falling off.

A lot of things are going to be competing for my attention this winter: mainly, grad school work. I need to make a conscious effort to schedule training into my days, though it won't be as much as I probably need. So the goal is three strength training workouts and two sessions on the trainer each week. I can take strength training class at lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and then I can hit the trainer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Weekends are always hit or miss, so I'll just work stuff in there when possible.

I also want to put more time and energy into my faith. We're starting a small group this Sunday with some other young couples from our church (I say "our church," but we haven't been to service since May) and I hope, with fewer out-of-town weekends planned over the next few months, that we can attend service more regularly.

Intellectual development, physical development and spiritual development...sounds like enough to keep my busy for awhile!

Halloween Party

On Saturday, Ray and Kristy hosted an awesome Halloween party! I think they were trying to knock me flat with their potent jungle juice, but I got some photos before it got too crazy. Enjoy!



I knew you'd want to see Mitch in his spandex American Gladiator costume! That Nerf gun was a mistake, though: he shot people with it all night long.



Andi and I are a bit easier on the eyes, don't you think?



Ray dressed up as a fighter pilot (a big improvement over last year!) and Kristy was a gypsy.



We've missed seeing Gabe and Andrea and were happy they made it to the party!



Poor bear...Little Red Riding Hood has stumbled upon something most disturbing!



I don't think this photo of the guys could have been any better!



And here's the whole group...the counter upon which the camera is sitting messed with the flash, but it's still decent. Happy Halloween!

Glad for a New Week

I don't know what it was (OK, I know what it was...) but I could not shake my foul mood last week! I stopped short of calling for blood but heatedly complained about Charter Communications to everyone I could find. I got snotty with a coworker, gave a few more a very noticeable "evil eye," and was almost unable to let the negative political rhetoric just roll off my back when they got rolling. Poor Mitch had to deal with my negativity the whole time, and I'm thankful he can be a saint of a husband. (I'm not just saying that because I know you're reading, baby!)

But a weekend with friends and family, particularly one that involves roller coasters, helped get me over the hump. We had an amazing time at Cedar Point, though I'm feeling the effects of our poor dietary choices even after my lunchtime workout. Pretzels, pizza, McDonald's, pop...it was a train wreck!

Main goal for this week: complete Mitch's Halloween costume. He's going to be an old-school American Gladiator, so we got a wrestling singlet and have to paint it up for the party this Saturday. I know you're all excited to see him in spandex (again), so I'll be sure to post some photos! I'm reprising my role as a mermaid. :)

And of course, there's always homework and housework. I'll get to strength training three times...will I make it out on the bike? Who knows...but I'm placing an order for custom Alma College jerseys tomorrow! Mitch and I will be representin' at next year's races - GO SCOTS!

Autumn Riding

I love cruising down singletrack so obscured by leaves that I have to pick my line by a combination of instinct and memory. I love the sound those leaves make under my tires, or when they get caught in my wheels and hum along with me. I love when the arc of a curve is just right and a leaf flies up, pressing itself to my shin and hitching a ride until another turn throws it off. I love the scent of autumn, the sweet sharpness, and the cool air drying my face.

(I do not love realizing Mitch's efforts to give me better components resulted in a bit of ghost-shifting on climbs...but I love that he wants to give me the best bike possible.)

A Pretty Perfect Day

An apple-raspberry pie and an apple upside-down cake are cooling on the stove.

The weather is warm enough for me let some fresh air in the apartment.

Next week's menu is made, the groceries are bought and laundry is going.

I'll tackle some finance homework then head out to the woods for the evening and enjoy a campfire.

Life is wonderful.

Random Thoughts from the Road

I'm just hanging out in my hotel room after a day of driving around, trying to find ways to avoid my finance book. This is probably my last out before tacking the chapter on risk and return...so here's what's on my mind, in no particular order:

The batteries on both my laptop and the office GPS unit are crap and can't hold a charge.

"Three Cups of Tea" is an awesome book to listen to while driving.

People are so amazingly friendly sometimes. Today, a lady at a local bookstore offered to email me some information I asked about; an elderly woman at an apple orchard gave me four apples for free when I asked if I could buy just a few rather than a whole bag; and another woman at a winery gave me a free tasting rather than making me pay, because she was so enthusiastic about a new wine that wasn't even out in local restaurants yet.

Central New York is gorgeous, and the colors are about a week ahead of those in Michigan. I wish Mitch were here to enjoy them with me.

It's hard for me to get in the swing of the "sales" part of my job; today, I essentially made cold calls to high schools and the first one was tough. But once I find my groove, I'm OK. Today, I feel it was much more worth Alma's money to send me out here than it was yesterday.

John McCain didn't completely disappoint me in the debate last night. And while we're on the subject of politics, I love this open letter to college students.

Tonight, I'm trying sushi for the first time with an Alma Trustee. Please, for the love of all that's holy, let me not hate it. Or at least let me be able to feign not hating it. And please let there be a McDonald's nearby in case I need it when this is all over.

Can you pray for safe travels as my college friend, Nate, comes home from Iraq on leave? Every time I want to complain about missing Mitch on my recruiting trips, I think about all the servicemen and women on deployment with wives and husbands at home, like Nate. God, I'm so blessed.

I'm hungry now...yes, another diversion! Finance, you'll have to wait until I quell the rumbling in my tummy!

New Yorkin' It

Yup, I'm on one of my few recruiting trips, now that I've been relieved of a major territory. It's been fine so far: met with a few students, got treated to dinner at Delmonico's by a very nice family and fly back home in a few days. I miss Mitch and I miss my bike but I was motivated enough to do an abbreviated strength training workout in my hotel room. I am also working up the motivation to finish outlining my current Communication reading assignment...Finance will wait until another day.

Tomorrow night, I'll be plopped down on a hotel bed, watching the debate. I have to do a paper on the candidates' communication styles, but I'd be watching even if I didn't have a grade resting on it. But I'll tell ya' I want to see some passion. Cut the B.S., boys: why are you right and why is he wrong? Call each other out, and you get extra points from me if you use the word "lunacy," especially if one of you brings up having bankruptcy courts reduce mortgage principals for homeowners in foreclosure. Admit that the federal government probably can't do crap for the economy right now and then cut our taxes so we can all get this country running again. (OK, I know it's not that simple, but guess what? I'd buy a house and do my part to help the housing market if I could put more cash in my savings account!)

Hey-yo McCain: break out some data on medical malpractice suits and give us an estimate of how much health care costs would decrease if you capped them! Palin, I like you, but quit telling me you can relate to me and just say things that show that. And for heaven's sake, WHY did you give up on Michigan? We've been run by a Democrat and we've been in trouble longer than the rest of the country: can't you do something with that? Many folks here support you (though we'd rather have had Romney) and we're going to vote for you, but you haven't given this conservative much to believe in.

Race Photos

Our race photos for the entire season are now up on Picasa Web - check them out!

One of my favorites: