Someone Else's Atrocious Stories

"What we seek we shall find; what we flee from flees from us."

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

A Kings Mountain View

Man...If I didn't hate pretty much "everything" about Cervelo and their douchebaggy culture, I really could see myself supporting the new Cervelo Test Team. They've got a great mix of riders, and are already a serious threat in any Grand Tour for stage wins and GC podiums...And most importantly, my nominee for "Kit Of The Year".

Comeback cyclist of the year so far, Thor Hushovd, in the first of the Spring Classics, wins a very "crashy" Omloop Het Nieuwsblad...Formerly, the much easier to pronounce, Omloop Het Volk.

Just The Tip...Just For A Second

Bangers And Mash

Mongo may have found his new future wife. Continuing with my fetish/fascination for good looking, British, professional female cyclists, I ran across young Emma Pooley while I was perusing the Cervelo website.

Cute...Smart(Cambridge educated)...Talented(Olympic Silver medalist)...Where do I sign up?

Gift Wrapping

I love gift wrapping. And one of my staples is having white craft paper on hand. The flourish, then, becomes the ribbon and baubles I add. I think it always makes for a super pretty package.

Here are Jen's journals wrapped and ready to go. I used ribbon from Michael's, a felt/velvet/jewel flower that once decorated a little hand soap, and a postcard that was part of some Yahoo promo package that came to my office.

Keyser Soze

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that white bar tape could be kept clean.

Giveaway Journals

Jen won my one-year-blogging giveaway and chose Italy as the map she wanted me to craft her journal with. I wound up making three of them. I used bolder paint colors than I usually do for the spines; when I think of Italy I think of colorful window shutters and narrow cobblestone streets, and so I chose colors that departed from the pastels of past journals.

At a thrift store this past weekend I bought a HUGE box of junk that I knew I could use for my crafting. The entire bottom of the box was littered with old postage stamps from different countries, and so I glued a couple of Italy ones on the journal covers.[Click on the pix to see the details]

An Award

Tiffany over at Songbirdtiff gave me the Lemonade Award. This award is given to bloggers who exhibit great gratitude or attitude as determined by their blogging peers. Thank you Tiff for the sweet words. (And please know how much I appreciate you acknowledging my gratitude and attitude. I certainly try on a daily basis to be grateful and to have a good attitude, but often times I fail miserably at both, and so this award is encouragement to not let my steps backward hinder the journey toward being a better person.)

Concrete Jungle

"Troubled with the affirmation

Longing for the validation

Finding space in tight formation

Holding maps with no location"

This is why I need a craft room

My little cottage study has become an overgrown "garden" of baubles, ribbons, beads and such. It IS the time to carve out a space for my crafting that will not make our main living area look like a bomb went off in a Michaels.

I have plastic bins on the floor, my charming built-in bookcases are housing tubs of shells instead of reading material, my in-progress ribbon organizing has the study dresser drawer overflowing, and my beautiful maple drop-leaf table might as well be a piece of plywood resting on sawhorses what with all the crap strewn on it.

The migrating of the crafts to the rumpus room begins in earnest this weekend. I want my peaceful study back. My reading chair, once a place to read and relax, is now a perch for when I'm rifling through millinery flowers or thumbing through my craft binders in a mad frenzy to find a particular inspirational picture. Or worse yet, it's a chair where I attempt to read and relax, only to look around me and see all the crafting projects that I need to be working on.

Sunset Beach Wedding Oahu: Donica and Josh

Josh and Donica had a beautiful sunset ceremony at Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore last weekend. They said their vows in front of Rev. Greg Christopherson and about 50 close friends and family. The reception was held at the Turtle Bay Resort. Donica and Josh were so laid back and calm on their wedding day - they acted like it was just another day at the beach - amazing! Donica and Josh are clients of Oahu Wedding Photo, my wife's company, so she was the lead photographer and got to boss me around :)

What I've got on my plate

Dawn E. Girl is knee-deep in projects and loving every minute of it!

1) I joined another tag swap. I know . . . what was I thinking???? But this one is a vintage Easter swap. This swap had me at "vintage." This swap is being hosted by Andrea over at Vintage Bella Studio. I will be making and sending 20 tags. With Karla's tag swap — where we made only 6 tags — each one of my tags was different. For this one (20 tags!), I will be making 20 identical ones. I already have an idea . . . one that makes me remember Easters as a little girl when we'd get a pretty new dress and lightweight coat, shiny mary janes, lacy anklet socks, hat, pocketbook and GLOVES.
2) Working on a bridal shower (with my creative co-worker Courtney) for Molly. Can't divulge much here 'cause she reads my blog. But it will be beautiful. I promise.

3) Have a breakfast baby shower next Thursday at work for Andrea. Am working on some hand-crafted decorations that will then be a keepsake for Andrea and the baby girl!

4) And lastly, the biggest project of all, one that I'd like to complete this weekend, is the conversion of the rumpus room into my very own craft room. Harleigh encouraged me this weekend to do this. Love that girl. She said that with her leaving the ol' homestead soon, that I should think of re-jiggering the house a bit to make it more about me. So we devised a plan — what to do with the TV, the furniture, storage solutions. And I think it's gonna work. I already have the Candy Spelling Gift Closet as part of the room, so it should definitely corral my crafting, sewing and gifting stuff into one area (that can be closed off).

All that said, posts to come with lots of pix!

The Natural

''When God decided to create skateboarding, he said let there be Jay Adams.''

(Stacy Peralta)

At Least I'm Not Wearing Shorts

"Beware the old man in young guy's clothes. If he's over 35 and comes to pick you up looking as though he's headed for a skateboarding competition while you are dressed to go to a nice restaurant, this is not a good sign."

(Merrill Markoe)

Only One Thing Missing...Pony Hightops

Mongo has just returned from a preseason Hammerfest ride, or as I like to call it, "what the f**k is up with all these climbs", with two of the strongest riders in the group...and it wasn't pretty.

Though honestly, it could have been worse. I still have a long way to go before the official opening day of the season. I figure two days a week training on hills only, and losing another fifteen around the gut, and I'll be back where I belong...in the rear-middle of the peleton.

And The Winner Is...

1. Mongo Pusher(1489)
2. Team Cancer Sucks(1388)
3. Team Benoit(1355)
4. Smyrna Bicycles Shop(1080)
5. Betterthanyourpunkass(1002)

Though Mongo is satisfied with his regional win, I finished in 1468th place in the national rankings. I've got a great deal of fantasy training to do before Le Tour.

Backcountry Two Point Six : The Paving

Mongo was feeling his inner Heike Sorsa today, so I decided to go snowboarding. Unfortunately, there's no snow on the ground...and the last time I snowboarded it was called "Snurfing". Who's with me on this, rope holding old timers?

Not ruining the moment with boring details, I rocked my new Spyder jacket and matching beanie, slapped on my i-Pod and Oakleys, grabbed the Alva, (Or as I like to call it, the "Burton of Summer".) and did a nollie-manual-hardflip-stankyleg down my driveway...and off into the backcountry.

The highlight of the session was either the twinkletoes-yardsale-runout, when I was cut off from a high speed turn by a truck going wide, or rolling in on the steepest hill I do not knowing that it's been freshly paved...and going from 35mph to 40+mph.

I love it!

Portuguese Chicks Are Porn Hot

While Mongo's attention has been focused this week on the Tour of California... and the inevitable victories for both LBM and myself...his in the Tour and mine in my Fantasy League...there was another race going on.

El Pistolero wins the Volta ao Algarve in a top heavy but average field. The good news is that Mongo's boy, and forgotten man, AK47, finished fifth on GC and looked strong in both the TT and mountain stages. If they let him ride in the Giro, and Bruyneel doesn't put the fix on for his boy, I think Kloden should go for the win. They definitely won't ride for him in either the Tour or the Vuelta.

On a personal note...Mongo would like to thank Super-sub, Hayden Roulston, for coming through like a mofo in yesterday's stage and picking me up valuable second place points.

Until I can plant real ones . . .

. . . these silk flowers will have to do. The empty bike basket was just adding to the overall gray and gloom of the barren landscape. It might be borderline tacky to have silk flowers as part of my outdoor "garden," but it makes me think of around-the-corner Springtime and the celebration of Easter every time I pull into my driveway and see the blue bike leaning against the tree.

Well Over Ten Large

Mongo had the rare opportunity to chase down this incredible beast yesterday. With about a two minute head start, it took me a little over twelve miles to catch and pass this beauty.

If there is one thing you treat yourself to this week . . .

. . . make it be the 3D version of Coraline. Magical, dark and visually spectacular beyond any animated movie I've seen. Not for children by any means. The theater was packed full of them and they were more interested in their Skittles.

Don't wait for this one to come out on video. Needs to be seen on the big screen, preferably the 3D version.

Because It's Fon To Due

500 posts... It's your one way ticket to midnight.

Boomvang At Solvang

1. Letle Viride

2. D'z Nutz

6. Big George

7. Tommy Z

8. Lennon and...

12. Vandownbytheriver

14. Him

USA! USA! USA!

2/20/92 — Happy Birthday, dear Harleigh

As a mom, it's hard to NOT think of your birthday as a selfish celebration of the day that you gave me the greatest gift (and the easiest delivery of any baby ever). Happy Birthday, dear Harleigh. Celebrate this day for all that you are. Beautiful on the inside and out, giving, funny (oh, you soooooo get it), faithful, . . . . the list goes on and on.

I love you and I like you. One speaks from a mom's heart, the other speaks from the heart of one human being to another.

Rogaine Haiku

The scandal...Puerto

Alejandro Valverde

Hasta la vista

Sprinters In The Mist

It doesn't get much cooler than this...Four of the top seven sprinters in the world, and Tyler Farrar, battle it out for the Stage 4 win at the TOC.

1. Cavendish 2. Boonen 3. Haedo 4. Hushovd

Remember when I said my fantasy team was front loaded and I wouldn't need my reserves? Well, I've lost Cancellara and now Kirchen. And two of my other guys, Landis and VDV, both crashed today. So much for that idea!

Mongo is now forced to ride Davide Frattini of Colavita/Sutter Home and Hayden Roulston of Cervelo all the way to the end.

Couple Portrait: Oahu, Hawaii

Here's another By-the-Sea lifestyle portrait of a young couple. This cute couple from California visited Oahu and had their pictures taken on beautiful Kailua Beach.

Janet Hill . . . when you can't get your hands on an original, notecards will do!

Anyone who frequents Janet Hill Studio — whether it be her blog or her etsy store — knows that when Janet lists one of her paintings, it's snapped up within minutes. Her paintings of interiors are simply dreamy. And her pricing is affordable. I hope one day to own a Janet Hill original. In the meantime I've purchased three of her note cards. Here is the card waiting for me to scribble a thank you note.

Cervelo Is Canadian For Scattante

Mongo is a sucker for nostalgia. Idealized Americana, in all it forms, can always tug at my emotions. I will always buy into a good comeback story, and root mightily for the underdog.

You all, by now, know my opinion of Live Astanastrong...I 'aint buyin'. But I have decided to quietly get on board with the Floyd Landis Titanium Hip Tour '09.

I know in my gut that Floyd is guilty of something. The thing is...what happened to him is so outside the traditional parameters of doping, that we haven't seen a case like his before or since the 2006 Tour. His case dragged on for years. Doping cases involving CERA and EPO are resolved in months.

The French cycling snobocracy hate Lance Armstrong...for the right and wrong reasons. When the opportunity came to do to Landis what they were unable to do to Armstrong, they jumped all over it. Corruption, shady labs, payoffs...were all exposed during the Landis case, yet there was still enough scientific evidence to prove in several courts that Landis was guilty of...something?

Anyway, he did the crime and paid the time and is on the comeback trail with a Continental team. I picked him for my fantasy team, more out of hope than expectation, and he's done...ok. Which is more than I can say for VDV and Kim Kirchen. WTF! At least Thor came through for me today against all the big sprinters.

Maturing in the Journey

Started this journey with entertaining colleges as far away as Washington state, and a firm stance in what she firmly believed she didn't want.

The road trip over the last few days took us roughly 500 miles away from home. I was praying we'd find THE school. But more than willing to do whatever it takes to help her make one of the most difficult decisions of her life — which in my case meant lots of listening.

But God had a different plan. Instead of it being all about finding the school, it was instead about narrowing it down, about Harleigh looking at the pros and cons of schools faraway, about mother-daughter time that shifted her from daughter to woman. We're heading home this morning with a re-jiggered map of what she wants. (Thank you, God, for leading me to just keep my mouth shut and let her reach her own decisions.) There's a contentment in her that I haven't seen in awhile, a focus (she's a child who thrives on a path) and a renewed faith in her ability to listen to her heart and to God and to believe.

What I got out of this trip was the satisfaction of watching my child go through the decision-making process successfully. She apologized a few too many times for this trip being a "bust." But it was far from that, as she found out. It was necessary for her to move forward. I am so grateful for these three days. Because even though it appeared to result in nothing, it resulted in everything she needed it too.