Summer Cycling

Eric and I are cyclists.

It sounds a little strange to say that, but given that we have over 100 miles so far this month, I think it is safe to say we cycle.  I'm not just pretending or half-heartedly joining in because of Eric.  I'm pretty into it myself.

We are training for the Lighthouse Ride in Morro Bay in September.  It's a 65 mile ride, so we need to continually and gradually add mileage so that I'm not hurting and bonking out at mile 40!

Not my photo, but hopefully this is a site I'll see when we ride at the coast in September.

Eric is in charge of getting the bikes ready.  I get myself ready and fill our water bottles.

My pretty blue bike with purple tape on the handle bars.

Yes, yes they do rock.  You can see behind me where the houses are being built in the once empty field across the street.  We typically leave early in the neighborhood of 5:30-6 a.m.  I like leaving that early because we beat the heat and we beat the traffic.

Ready to roll.

Almost!  My gear ready and waiting for me.

And now I'm ready!

Riding gloves, Fitbit, and Road ID in case of emergency. 

Last weekend we had a series of weird events.  Eric's shoe broke, we had to stop two miles in so he could deal with a problem at work, and I got a flat tire at about three miles in.  The ride felt doomed, but we pushed on and completed 32ish miles.  A few miles from home, Eric got a flat tire and I zipped home as fast as I could to get the car to come back for him!  I was riding like the wind! Heh!

On this weekend's ride, we didn't get a flat, but Eric had some problems with the beading on his tire.  It's where the tire slides into the frame of the metal part of the wheel.

While he fixed his tires, I took pictures.

It's not always easy being out on the road.

Tire scuff marks from stopping.  I really don't like being dirty.

I was better prepared with nutrition on this ride.  I ate three of these chews every 45 minutes.  I could usually feel a burst of energy pretty shortly after eating them.

We had to stop a second time because of the beading.  This time I parked it on a bench to take pictures.

We were on our way again.  We rode all the way down Willow to where it ends at Friant.  Then we climbed all the way up Friant to Woodward Park and did a few laps around the park.

Bathroom stop.

Collecting more dirt on my legs.  You can also see the edge of my bike shorts.  Bike shorts are really not flattering in any way because of the giant padding in them, but oh my stars does it ever make riding more comfortable!  I can't believe I used to ride without the puffy padded shorts!

Jamba Juice stop.

I was pretty wiped out after that ride.  But 34 miles under our belt is no small feat.  Then we decided to get up and ride another 16 on Sunday!

Sunnyside Breakfast Ride to the Blossom Trail Cafe.

I had a large orange juice as well, and oh it was sooooo good!  It was pretty warm on the ride.

Denver omelette, country potatoes, coffee, OJ, and toast.  So yummy!

Just us being us.

Back at the bike shop, loaded up and ready to head home.  Sixteen miles is a lot shorter than 34, but I was still pretty tired from the day before.  It was a really fun morning though.

Next weekend we are schedule to fit in a 37 mile ride.  We are aiming to increase each week by about three miles.  I'm waiting for my fitness to kick in so that I don't feel like a limp noodle after each ride!

Mid July Update

Summer School started Session 2 the day after the Fourth of July.  For our first field trip that week, we went to the Fresno Art Museum.  To be honest, I didn't know there was a Fresno Art Museum!  I'm embarrassed to admit that, but it's true.  It was a very nice field trip.

We broke the kids into bigs and littles and walked around with a guide explaining some of the pieces and getting us to think artistically.  There is a really neat exhibit going on right now featuring dozens of portraits of a patron of the arts named Joan Quinn.  Over the years, she befriended many artists, and they began creating portraits, sculptures, and even light versions of her.  Pretty interesting.

After the tour, the kids got to make a craft.  Even though I literally had aged preschool through 8th grade, the kids all seemed to enjoy the trip and get something out of the experience.  I was glad to view it through teacher eyes to see if I wanted to go back with my class at some point.

 Hudson making his craft.

Me looking over his shoulder while he works.

The dogs got groomed.  Apparently, it wore Harry out!

On Saturday morning, Eric and I went to a place he saw in an ad that sells old hotel furniture.  I am still looking for pieces for my classroom remodel.  I found several items that I liked that will be coming to live in my room this coming year!

I got that blue chair, the oval table at the bottom of the picture, the ottoman under the brown table with matching chair, and a few other pieces you can't see in this photo.

This blue chair was really comfortable, and it is exactly the type of mismatched, eclectic, and funky look that I am striving for in the room.

Buddy's favorite resting spot...burrowed into Eric's pillows.  His life looks hard.

One and half more weeks of summer school to go.  Two weeks of dead time, and then back to school we go!

Summer Update

We have made it through June and the first few days of July.  Here's what we've been up to.

The boys wanted to go to 2Extreme to jump on the trampolines.  I took them.  Evan didn't wear his brace.  He hurt his ankle.  We now wear the brace all the time.

I have been working on growing out my nails and keeping them looking nice.  It was quite the process to take off the gel nails.  I'll never put gel straight on my nails ever again.  That was a two hour endeavor to get both hands clean.

Another trip to Wild Water...this time with friends.  I hung out under a thatch shade overlooking the baby area.

Nails are a work in progress.

We've been getting a box of produce that I pick up each week.  Pretty good stuff.  Now I actually need to eat it.

It's time to get back on track.

Hudson wasn't overly thrilled with my lipstick kisses!

We went to our nephew's wedding in Chico in the middle of June.  Evan was playing with my phone at the reception.  Handsome.

Once we got back from the reception, it was time for six weeks of summer school to begin.  In my downtown (snicker...what downtime?!) I am working on creating interactive notebooks for my algebra class.

And I'm continuing to paint my nails.  I paint them once every two or three days!  I'm not sure how to keep the tips from wearing off so fast.

Buying polish is fun!

Eric and I are going to be doing a 65 mile bike ride at the coast in September, so we are training.  We rode about 30 miles this past Saturday.  I was pretty wiped out at the end.  We had to stop to get a Jamba Juice for a little sustenance.

I definitely added a protein boost to this smoothie.  I needed it to be able to make it the last ten miles home!

My bike is so pretty!

I'm not sure anyone would call this a proper recovery meal, but you can't deny that I had carbs (chips), protein (cheese), and veggies (salsa)!

We got the cars washed.

We also enjoyed the Fourth of July with our traditional movie and afternoon/evening with friends.  We saw Central Intelligence and Hudson and I were howling and laughing the whole time!

Til next month...probably...if my rate of posting is any indication!