Tech Toys and Tight Turns

Let's begin with the latter: last weekend's race at Maybury State Park was a smashing success! Well, there wasn't really that much smashing - just one crash when I was a bit heavy on my front brake and toppled sideways over my right handle. The damage was limited to a pretty, late-forming bruise on my lower leg and a chunk out of my new grips.

I got third place, but the big achievement of the day goes to Mitch who got first place by three seconds. Here he is with Rick...both got medals and cash prizes for having the two fastest times in the whole beginning class:



Rick started thirty seconds ahead of Mitch, per the time trial format. They each had only on respective thought for the entire eight and a half-mile course:

Summary of Rick's race: He's catching me!

Summary of Mitch's race: He's pulling away!

Now onto the "tech toys" part of the post: in preparation for all the online work I'll be doing for grad school, we bought a MacBook on Friday night! It's a very cool computer, and we've already managed to transfer all our iTunes songs over...PLUS sync up our TWO NEW iPods. That's right, we now own a ridiculous number of mp3 players (though our sleeping bag count is still higher). We got a free iPod Touch with the computer purchase - what an awesome back to school incentive - and I bought a Shuffle for working out, so I don't kill the good one. Plus we got a free photo printer.

Man, can that Touch do some sweet things! I know I haven't even scratched the surface of its capabilities, but I'm still amazed.

OK, work time. Then a quick lunch. Then a trip to the rec to try out my pretty blue Shuffle. Wheeee!

Concert and Orientation

The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind! Actually, the past week has been super busy, but the highlights really began last night around 9:00 pm when Third Day took the stage, and we were there to rock along with them!

We'd never seen Third Day in concert before, so we couldn't pass up the chance. Along with some friends from work, Mitch and I took half of Thursday off and drive out to DTE Energy Music Theatre for the show. Jars of Clay opened, and I'm sad to say it was a disappointing performance. I guess I'll give them a pass, though, since their other shows have always been awesome. Then this guy named Robert Randolph gets up and is completely awesome on the slide guitar. It was bluesy-gospel and I really liked it. After their set, Switchfoot performed, and while I never really thought I liked them all that much, they put on an amazing show. I was impressed.

Third Day was 100% the best part of the night, though. Wow. Period. If you don't have their new album, Revelation, I highly recommend it. On their website, there's a nice video with some of the songs and a discussion of the project.

I fell asleep in the car on the way home, but didn't get to snuggle into my bed until 12:30 am, which is way too late to stay up when one has grad school orientation in the morning. After my hour-long drive to lovely Flint, I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. But I got my ID, parking pass, books and all sorts of gifts - flash drive, calculator, fancy bag - so I guess I'm officially ready to get moving on my MBA. Wahoo!

Now I'm just waiting for Mitch to arrive at my parents' house so we can eat some dinner, ride the trails for a little bit and rest up in preparation for tomorrow's mountain bike race. The rest of the weekend will consist of a trip to the Mac store (it's new laptop time!) and lots of floating on the potoon boat. Ah, I will miss parts of the summer...

Ray and Kristy's Wedding!

The event we've been anticipating all summer was just as fun and exciting as we had built it up to be! Kristy was a beautiful bride, Ray was a handsome groom, and my own date wasn't too bad, either.

The photos really tell the story, but I'm too swamped right now to post the highlights directly on here. So, you can see them all at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/skibunny112882/RayAndKristySWedding

(Sorry, no ceremony photos. Both Mitch and I were standing up and, due to the downpour that resulted in the bridal party's late arrival, I didn't have time to pass off my camera to another attendee.)

Kristy's Bachelorette Party

This week's been so busy that I haven't had time to post about Kristy's bachelorette party 'til now! Well, it was a great time. She loved the decorations in her apartment, the champagne glasses with homemade stem charms, the gifts from all the girls (including the photo album I made her) and all our evening escapades:



Here's the blushing bride opening her gifts at the restaurant. She was initially reluctant to hold them up in front of everyone, but eventually complied.



All the girls at the bachelorette party, full and wine-happy from dinner.



Obligatory bridesmaid show - we can't wait for her wedding!



After our go-kart race; Kristy was bitter that some little girl bumped her and made her get stuck in a corner...



Member of the A.C. softball team get ready to show us how it's done at the batting cages.



Mim and Kristy sang "Friends in Low Places" at the bar...we laughed pretty hard!



The lady running the karaoke got us all to sing "I Touch Myself" for Kristy - again, hilarious!



And here's the whole group, one more time, right before we left the bar. More photos are up at http://picasaweb.google.com/skibunny112882/KristySBacheloretteParty.

Overdue, but still cool

I took this video of Mitch during his second lap at the Boyne Marathon race. He's already done over 20 miles at this point, so I didn't even get a smile as a cheered him on. The guy who was 30 seconds ahead of him is his main rival for first place in the overall standings. Shortly after this road crossing, he caught the guy and, after stopping to help him out of his pedals (Rick's calves were so cramped up that he was lying there, stuck in his clipless pedals), Mitch crossed the finish line several minutes ahead of him. (At Stony Creek, he beat Mitch by 50 seconds. They're good-natured competitors, chatting before and after the races and pushing each other hard on the trail.)

Completely Random

A family friend sent me this video as a suggestion for our next hiking trip. Can we say, insane?



Yes, Robin, this does look beautiful...but I am pretty terrified of heights and some of that would leave me quaking in my boots!

Can't find the words

Earlier this summer, I was a bridesmaid for my best friend from high school. I had mixed feelings about being in the wedding: she and I had definitely drifted apart during college and I even felt, often, that she and I didn't really know each other any more. Everything between us felt so automatic, from the semi-regular phone calls to the obligatory visits in our hometown. She's never the first person I think of spending time with when vacation or a free weekend rolls around; in fact, some of the time we'd spent together prior to the wedding left me feeling melancholy and misunderstood.

A few days before her bachelorette party, I sat down to wrap the gift I would cart to Chicago. Maybe this shouldn't come as a surprise, because writing has always played a role in our friendship - we published a newspaper together in elementary school, wrote poetry together and have presented each other with various writings at important times in our lives - but I had no trouble writing something really meaningful for her. I tied it into her gift, alluded to some marital advice and tried to make her think about the kind of marriage she wanted to have. I was rewarded with a hug and a few tears, and the uncanny feeling that maybe she and I still knew each other better than I thought.

Now I'm getting ready for a college friend's wedding and once again, I have the honor of being a bridesmaid. I've played a much more active role in this one, planning the bachelorette party and helping out the maid of honor with wedding day plans, as she is currently out of the country for school. Truthfully, I've been looking forward to this wedding more than the last one: after all, she's one of my favorite people to spend time with. We had some great memories in college and have become even closer since graduation. Her husband-to-be has become a good friend and we all do some of the most fun, crazy things together.

I've put a lot of time and energy into creative decorations for her party and thoughtful preparations for her wedding day. Ray's apartment will be covered with photos of him and the other gorgeous men whose hearts broke when Kristy announced her engagement. (Who knew Brad Pitt only hooked up with Angie because he couldn't have Kristy?) On her wedding night, she and Ray will return to their apartment to find it a romantic paradise, and when they open the big group wedding present I organized, they'll be blown away. (Seven of us went in on a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and cookware - it's the best gift ever!)

For her bachelorette party gift, I collected photos from the other ladies attending the bachelorette party to make a scrapbook of all Kristy's best times with "the girls." So tonight, as I neared the end of the album, I decided to take a break from the sticky gluestick and messy black stamp pad to write the accompaniment to this gift. I expected the perfect words to flow off my pen, just as they had for Adrienne...but nothing came. I started and stopped, stared off into space and puked out something that sounded like a trite explanation of her gift.

So what's the deal? Why is it that I had an easier time writing something heartfelt for the friend I, honestly, like less? Why is it so much harder for me to even come up with a concrete message for the woman I now consider to be my best friend? I've posed the question on here before, but what really makes a best friend? Is it the person I'd rather spend time with or the person who's weathered the most with me? Is it the person I most readily laugh with or the person I've often cried with (and sometimes about)?

Maybe it's just that I've been so wrapped up in the logistics of this wedding that I haven't sat down to really think about what I want to tell Kristy before she gets married. Maybe this one will be harder because I'm not practiced at writing for her, as I've written for Adrienne for over sixteen years. Maybe it has nothing to do with the depth of our friendship and more to do with its length. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow feeling inspired...

Another weekend, another race.

This weekend, we headed to Stony Creek Metropark in Rochester for a time trial. In a TT, everyone starts at separate times (or in this case, in pairs) and you're truly racing the clock, versus starting in a pack in a cross country race and battling the other racers for position. Anyway, we did a preride on Saturday and were not impressed by the fact that 2/3 of the course consisted of gravelly two-track. Both of us do our best on more technical single-track...plus, riding down a gravel road is BORING!

The race went well, despite all the two-track. We both got second place in our classes and while Mitch still had some gas in him at the end, I was completely dead. Laying in bed that night, my legs just ached! I guess that means I need to do a bit more conditioning before the next one. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure that one is mostly "real" mountain biking.

Not much else is going on. I didn't post last week because I was not having a good time in the office, and I suppose it's not fun for y'all to read constant complaints about my slacker co-workers. This week promises to be better, as I have adjusted my attitude. AND I have no appointments on my calendar, so I can be super-productive!

Chicago Accomplishments

While I'm in the Windy City for the Annapolis Institute (a conference for higher education professionals trying to develop/improve alumni, parent and student recruitment efforts), I'm stepping outside my comfort zone and doing some "big girl" things!

*I rode a taxi from the train station to the hotel all by myself. (I did, however, get scammed into paying someone $5 to hail one for me...dumb, but a lesson learned.)

*I rode the train back from one of the northern neighborhoods and found my way from the stop to the hotel all by myself.

*I found a good place for breakfast and joined the throngs of Chicago locals walking purposefully down the sidewalks in the morning.

It's neat to be in Chicago and I can understand how the amount of excitement and energy can draw people here. But for me, even the urban beauty of the city lights doesn't pull me in as much as do the fireflies that dot the yard outside our apartment complex. I head home tomorrow and couldn't be happier about it!

Boyne XC Marathon

Bike races are interesting events. You have a whole spectrum of riders there: there are recreational cyclists, on good-but-not-great bikes, with most of the basic gear but with a look of uncertainty on their faces, and friends of those recreational cyclists, encouraged by their buddies to participate but unsure of what they're getting themselves into and looking a bit awkward with athletic shoes, platform pedals sometimes even cotton t-shirts. There are more serious riders who have been around the circuit but are still a little rough around the edges and independent, having not yet established themselves as part of any specific corps of riders; the cycling teams, sporting matching jerseys and pedaling around in disciplined, deliberate lines as they warm up for the race; and the elite racers whose sponsors adorn their busy jerseys and shorts, intense and quick off the starting line with unparalleled confidence in their riding abilities.

Almost everyone wears spandex and bright colors. Men unashamedly reach down the front of their shorts to adjust equipment or apply ointment to ease the chafing. Women forget to obsess about the size of their rears and are comfortable in thighs built up by hill climbs. No one seems self-conscious about their physical flaws, making no apologies for the small pooch of a belly or the hint of a love-handle. Riders of all shapes and sizes squeeze into busy, loud jerseys proclaiming their team affiliations, their love for a brand of beer or their preferance for a gear manufacturer. Their shoes can be just as attention-getting, often clashing with the rest of the ensemble while the clickity-clack of metal cleats on the parking lot provides a soft, crunching rhythm.

The racers shoot from the starting line, jostling for position and streaking into the woods. The more experienced riders are aggressive enough to end up in front while those new to the sport hang back to see what happens. There will be passing and repassing throughout the course, though sometimes riders will be spread out enough to feel alone on the trail. There will be crashes and cursing, "pleases" and "thank yous" from passing riders, frustration because they can't get around an unfortunate topple and concern when a real injury necessitates stopping with a fellow rider. While everyone is striving to cross the finish line first, no one places the well-being of a competitor below the cheap plaques awarded after the race.

And when all is said and done, they sit in their dirty clothes, whose bright colors are streaked with dirt and sweat. They trade their bike shoes and soaking socks for sandals, letting the wind and the sun dry their sticky bodies while recapping the moments on the trail. They wait for results and compare pre-ride, ride and recovery strategies, some downing more electrolyte-laden formulas while other crack open cans of beer. Sometimes they bother to wash their mud-spotted faces, legs and arms or tend to bloody, oozing scapes; most times, they wear these badges of honor proudly, spinning tales of downhill spills and uphill battles. If they place, they pick up their awards to a smattering of applause, shake some hands with their competitors and head home to think about training for the next one.

(Mitch rode over 20 miles at Boyne Mountain and placed second in his third race of the season. We both look forward to the Stoney Creek XC race in two weeks.)

Life in St. Johns

I've been writing a lot about our weekend activities and kind of neglecting the day-to-day. So this morning, I'll write about living in St. Johns. First, it's a pretty small town, possibly the smallest in which we've yet lived. But it's safe and clean; we like our apartment complex and the neighborhood. There's an elementary school right behind our building and sometimes we go out on the playground and fly our kite. There's a tree line between us and the school, so we can sit on our balcony in relative privacy, while still hearing the excitement of Little League baseball games.

We live on the north edge of town, so it's easy to get to the back roads for bike and motorcycle rides. I'm learning to appreciate Mid-Michigan's own special beauty: the growing fields of corn, green and "knee-high by the Fourth of July," the fields of wheat waving in the wind, the old red barns leaning on the edge of the pastures. Granted, we sometimes long for the hills and forests of Cadillac, but this feels more like home than that ever did.

St. Johns is a bedroom community for us: we grocery shop, rent movies, get haircuts and go to church in DeWitt, the next town south. But we've made some friends and have been enjoying an actual social life. Amanda, the web content writer at Alma, and her husband, David, have been hanging out with us since early spring. They're tons of fun and Amanda is a talented cook, making dinner at their place a delight. And John Kruse, an old friend from college, just started working in my office and lives not five minutes from our place. Amanda, John and I carpool to Alma each morning and we all make a point to get together regularly outside of work. Mitch and John hang out quite a bit, too: watching sports, playing Guitar Hero and sampling scotch. In addition to eating and drinking, we've played mini-golf and gone line dancing! Oh, how wonderful to have local friends! Tonight is dinner at Johns: grilled salmon, rice pilaf and wine.

So that's life in St. Johns for a transplant. And now, because I can't resist, here are some photos from our Fourth of July weekend with Ray and Kristy:



We watched fireworks on the lake on Friday night - they were amazing! And it was just a person doing them, not a town or anything.





Who knew tubing behind a pontoon boat could be so brutal!





Launching waterballoons off the porch is a great time! SPLASH!

Adrienne's Wedding

I know those of you who read this blog don't know Adrienne, my friend from high school. Still, I'll post some photos from her wedding because it really was a beautiful affair. All the ones are took are posted on Picasa.



Here are all us girls with our hair styled for the wedding. The bridal party included two friends from high school (me and Amanda), a cousin (Erin) and a friend from college (Amber).



Adrienne got dressed at the Frog Pond, an outdoor wedding chapel. We had this nice little bridal suite for our preparations.



Isn't she such a beautiful bride?



When Adrienne was mostly ready, we sneaked out to decorate the car the would take from the ceremony to the reception.



Here's the ceremony. It was a perfect day, even though we got a couple of sprinkles at the end of the ceremony. No one was really worried about it, though!



The new Mr. and Mrs./Dr. Kyle and Adrienne Jones!



After the ceremony, we did some photos at a local garden then came to Crystal Mountain for the reception.



Before the reception began, we all had snacks and a champagne toast at the top of the mountain. We got to ride the chairlift up and everything!



Of course, Mitch and I were goofing around a bit. Would you expect anything less?

My camera ran out of battery before the reception actually started, but it was a great time. We danced quite a bit, mostly with Lindsay and Rich (a friend from high school and her husband). He and Mitch were the kings of the dance floor, at least in our eyes. It's a good thing we're not easily embarrassed!

Chicago!

Saturday, June 21: Let's Party!

6 am: The alarm sounds, dragging me out of bed. I'd spent the night before packing and deciding on party clothes with my friend, Lindsay, in preparation for Adrienne's bachelorette party. Dragging a suitcase jam-packed with a sleeping bag, a Thermarest, a fifth of Bacardi Razz, raspberry Jello and a few pieces of clothing, we loaded up the car and sped off to the train station.

8:15 am: Half an hour late, the train pulls out of the station. We settle in for a nice, long train ride to Union Station.

1:30 pm: Hampered by a few delays, we arrive in Chicago and manage to find the bus that runs past Amanda's apartment. Half an hour later, we're getting settled in and helping her set up for the party. We decorated glasses for mojitos, hung some lights and hit the streets to pick up flowers, cash and more rum.



8:00 pm: The bride-to-be arrives with the rest of the girls. We eat dinner on the roof and surprise Adrienne with a few gifts. Some nice guys take cool photos of us with Chicago in the background.







10:00 pm: We all hop into two taxis and head to the Hancock Building, where we have reservations at the Signature Room, a restaurant on the top floor. Unfortunately, we never got to eat because they require an entree per person and we had only planning to have dessert and drinks. So we relocated to the bar and watched fireworks from the women's bathroom.

12:00 am: Time to go dancing! We headed to Rush Street and found this club called The Level. After a round of lemon drops, we hit the dance floor and quickly found a small group of guys who attached themselves to our party. They bought Adrienne a shot, danced with her and congratulated her over and over again.



2:30 am: Adrienne's getting woozy...too many shots are taking their toll, so we head outside for some fresh air. Amanda makes some plans to meet up with the bachelor party at a bar nearer to the apartment, so we pile into cabs and make our way across the city. When our cab - the second to leave - arrives, we find that one of the guys had gotten sick, so the groom walked him back to the apartment. They lacked keys, however, so Amanda and her husband were heading back that way as well. They intended to let the other guys in and return to the bar, but I called shenanigans on a long night and said we would head back to the apartment, too. The walk was a mile long and most of the girls had their impossible heels off, trudging through the streets of Chicago barefoot. Another girl and I carried the bride over some rough roads to save her little toes!

4:00 am: We're back at the apartment and ready for bed. The birds' eye view of us must have been hilarious; thirteen people wrapped in blankets, scattered all over the apartment. A good time was had by all!

How did I miss this?

How has this been out for three weeks and this is the first I've seen it?!?!

"Joe, American"

I still miss her.

I find it fascinating how little things can bring back little, poignant memories.

Last night, I was cutting up a pair of Mitch's old underwear to use as a rag and as I was trimming the waistband off, I remembered how my Grandma Eccles used to sew old underwear bands to the bottom of the seat covers for the red wooden picnic table at the lake. That used to be my job as a girl: spreading out the old tablecloth, opening the umbrella and slipping on the seat covers while burgers sizzled on the charcoal grill.

Suing Chaperones?

I think this is completely ridiculous.

Wicked Weather

On Friday, my carpool buddies and I (look at us saving gas - three people riding in one car!) left work half an hour early to try to beat the approaching band of thunderstorms home. We ended up skirting the edge of the storm all the way down US 127, only to drive smack into a tornado warning. Here's the article (yes, we are in Bingham Township) and here are some pictures of the damage, only a few miles south of our apartment. Scary - I heard the tornado siren as I was running through the rain from my car to the apartment. I turned the news right on and was ready to toss my cat in his carrier and go down to the lower level of our building, but the siren stopped and nothing outside seemed to get any worse. We never lost power, but the wind snapped some power poles like toothpicks though a tornado touchdown was never reported. If I can, I'll get some photos tonight...though we're supposed to get more storms.

Adventures in Mammoth Cave

Preface

In the midst of a snowy Michigan winter, Mitch and I sat curled up with our favorite coffee table book, featuring America's national parks. We had just canceled plans to go skiing in Colorado and were looking for an exciting vacation spot. That one's too far...we don't have enough vacation time to do this one...that would probably cost a fortune. Then we found Mammoth Cave National Park - perfect!

Only one thing could make our potential vacation better: spending quality time with the Long-Slade family and meeting their newest addition. So, with a few phone calls and emails, we made the plans; and here's the story.

Chapter 1: Mammoth Cave Campground

Our home for the week, Mammoth Cave Campground (also known as Headquarters Campground) was pretty much perfect. While the camping was considered rustic, we did have flush toilets nearby and token-operated showers a short walk away. Hot water was at a premium for the first few days but once the weekend traffic subsided, we were blessed with ten minutes of hot-water glory...for $2 per shower, of course.

The campground connected to a network of short hiking trails, and we took a brisk stroll on Saturday afternoon. By trekking off the beaten path, we made our way down to the Green River, giving CJ the chance to dangle his little feet in the water.



And speaking of the little man, he was an absolute joy to have along. Good-natured, friendly and cuddly, we couldn't have asked for a better baby to have along. I don't think Anna slept much, but this kid was chillin' in serious style: he got his own mini-tent, complete with blow-up mattress and mosquito netting.



Chapter 2: The Backcountry

On Sunday, we decided to delay the park's main attraction and explore the backcountry before heading down to the cave. Rightly, we assumed the tours would be congested while the trails remained relatively empty.



Our route, a point-to-point six-mile hike along the First Creek Trail, was supposed to take us most of the day, as we planned to play along the river and enjoy a long, relaxing lunch. The prolific tick population, however, spoiled our plans; we coated ourselves in bug repellent, put our heads down and booked it out of there as quickly as possible! Despite our best efforts, poor Anna brought some back to camp with her and had to suffer through three rounds of tick extraction two days later.

Chapter 3: The Cave

We scheduled two cave tours: the Snowball Tour, a two-hour walking tour suitable for the young'un; and the Wild Cave Tour, an intense six-hour crawling, climbing and squeezing adventure. We were all impressed by the Snowball Tour - it was amazing just to walk through the cave. Even CJ did great! He slept a bit, but didn't even make a peep when our guide, Ranger Joe, killed all the lights and immersed us in the blackest black I've ever experienced.



Tim, Anna and CJ packed up after Tuesday's Snowball Tour and headed home. Their departure came at a fortunate time for them, because later that afternoon, the rain that had plagued us on Monday returned with a vengeance. It eventually flooded us out of our tent, forcing us to relocate to the big tent we brought for the Long-Slades. I can't believe that tent was large enough for us to share the space with the bikes, who had already staked their claim to the dry shelter!



Wednesday dawned grey and drizzly, so we rescheduled our Wild Cave Tour for that day and donned our oldest clothing, packed our pockets with PowerBars and a disposable camera, and pulled up the kneepads. As luck would have it, we were part of an amazingly small tour: five people plus our two guides, Ranger John and Ranger Taylor.



For the next five miles, we duck-walked, crawled, squeezed and climbed our way through some of the most challenging parts of the cave. I was one of very few who could make it down into the Mole Hole and out again.



Mitch crawled around in Sharon's Lost Sea, but I had no such inclination as I preferred to stay as dry as possible.



By the end, I was beaten up, sore and ready for that hot shower. The Wild Cave Tour was definitely the highlight of the week in terms of activities, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!



Epilogue: The Aftermath

Thursday was our final full day, and we took advantage of the only mountain bike trail in the area. The first five miles were fun, but then it got muddy and rough. I took a nice tumble into a creek, bashed my butt with the seat, and came home sporting a killer bruise.



Back in Michigan on Saturday, we hit another mountain bike trail with my dad and I took another spill, this time cracking my knee and giving myself a pool ball-sized goose-egg. Multiple other bruises currently adorn my thigh and calves - aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing?!?! Well, I don't think I'd enjoy it any other way!

(All our photos are available here. Tim and Anna, I've set it up so you can download any photos you'd like. Thanks for the amazing trip!)

Personality Tests

My computer was being sticky and telling me some pages were potentially unsafe, but it seems to have changed its mind, so I was able to check out the Enneagram personality test Grant recommended. I did the sampler test ('cause, you know, that one's free) and ended up as a cross between a one (The Reformer) and a two (The Helper). After reading the descriptions, I think I'd classify myself more as a Reformer, but I definitely see some of those Helper tendencies come out in my relationships with other people.

What are you?

Zoo-de-Mackinac

I did it - I completed the whole Zoo-de-Mack! Here's me and Andi (Bobby's girlfriend) at the finish:



Distance: 50.72
Time: 3 hours, 43 minutes
Average speed: 13.65 mph
Maximum speed: 32.5 mph

It was a great ride. The first 10 miles were pure hell: hill after hill after hill. Then I coasted into the Tunnel of Trees, right along Lake Michigan, and had a lovely 15 miles of beautiful views. It was still tough and I was glad to hit the halfway point and stretch out. I even had enough energy to smile for the camera:



It was also nice to meet up with the guys again, as Mitch, Bobby and Dad all left me in the dust. Here we all are, getting ready for the second leg:



The final 25 miles were great, especially because Mitch and Bobby rode with Andi and me. They served as a wall for us, blocking the wind and pushing us to keep about a 15-17 mph pace most of the way. We had a lot of laughs, too...I think this girl could be The One for my brother, and I couldn't be happier.

***

On a separate note, I would like to officially acknowledge our status as D.I.N.K.s. Please welcome the newest addition to our collection of two-wheeled toys:




Yes, we bought a motorcycle. It's a Suzuki Katana 600, for anyone who knows bikes. The high gas prices finally broke my resistance, and Mitch is using it for his daily commute. Of course, he placed a high value on the "fun-itude" of having a motorcycle! Once I get my helmet (it's kind of hard to find one small enough), we'll be cruising the back roads of mid-Michigan!

***

And on another completely unrelated note, we leave for Mammoth Cave on Friday! That's only four more days - I can't wait!