My Son Rocks!

I had one very stressful night! I replied to a text with a question waited 2 hours for a reply from a friend that is very consistent in our communication.  When I attempted to resend the text my phone failed to to send, then locked up. No calls or texts in and no calls or texts out. Since the phone is 3 years old and because I broke my Kindle earlier this week, I expected I would be replacing the phone and went online to evaluate my phone upgrade options.

Nicolas pulled the SIM card out of the back of my phone to verify that the phone was malfunctioning rather than the network, which gave me temporary access to my messages, etc.  He then used his laptop to update my phone (apparently it was not current), then he synced my phone to my laptop and restored my phone to last March (yep, my last sync date).

I (Nicolas) was able to retore my password vault, contact list, and photos but the information is 5 months old, which mean that all my newer friends and appointments for the next 60+ days are missing. What a small price to pay for a situation that could have ended up alot worse. With a very big sign of relief I will say, 'NICOLAS, YOU ROCK!'

The best gift of all!

Back when Nicolas was at AIT he asked me if I was interested in going to Las Vegas when he got home; unbeknownst to me, he and Lacie were in cahoots with a plan to surprise me with a trip to Sin City for my birthday.

As we are heading out the door for Vegas, Nicolas launches into this story about how he 'forgot' my birthday present at Lacie's house so we would need to take a side trip to Eagle Mountain to pick it up.  Seeing Lacie at 6 am dressed to the nines with hair and makeup should have been my clue that the kids had something up their sleeve.  I kept looking at Nicolas grinning and Lacie standing beside a stack of luggage and soon realized that I would be able to spend the weekend with both of my children.

If you were to ask Lacie and Nicolas what they got their Mother for her birthday it would go something like this, "we planned an out of town trip for her complete with a stay in the Hilton, designer dinner and a Las Vegas show (Mystere).  If you were to ask me what I recieved for my birthday it would be, 'I was able to see my children agree on a plan, work together towards a common goal, and enjoy each others company in the process.'  It really was the best gift of all.

My View

This afternoon's road trip took me south on Redwood Road, past the four corners, and Saratoga Springs, and past the gravel pit, to the wide spot in the road which turns into a shooting range.  We shot 2 handguns I can only describe as 'black' and I proved that I COULD hit the broad side of a barn at 20 feet!

A Celebration of Me

Buried admits the New Year's resolutions I made for myself this year was a 'Century Bike Ride' so I was pleasantly surprised when my friend Donielle asked me to join her for the ULCER 2001 (a 107 mile 'race' around Utah Lake).  I was especially excited when I realized the event would be held the week of my birthday, unfortunately, I was was scheduled to work Thursday, Friday, and Sunday so I knew that I would need as much mental toughness for this ride as I would need physical strength.


Team bikers were the first called for the 6:30 am start but Donnielle and I felt we needed every spare minute we could find in order to complete the course by the 5:00 pm deadline so we snuck into the pack as the second wave of riders took off at 6:45 am. 

We averaged just under 18 miles per hour as we pulled into the first rest stop 28 miles into the course, thus far the course was remarkably easy, the day was cool and pleasant, and everything was going as expected and we were having a great time. We were comfortable with our pace and decided to skip the second rest stop at 37 miles (9 miles) and push forward to the third stop at 48 miles (20 miles).

The third rest stop was at Lincoln Beach on Utah Lake.  The boat dock, pavilions, and lush green lawns made for a very picturesque lunch of pasta, fresh fruit, cookies. Perhaps the most thrilling part of lunch was the soda fountain serving all the ice cold Diet Coke you could drink! (I stopped myself at about 4 ounces). Donielle and I made this our primary resting point and after lunch patted ourselves on the back for successfully completing the first 48 miles.


ULCER 2011 pavement markers to keep you on course

 Our next full rest stop was at mile 72 (24 miles) with talk among the riders of a water stop near 65 miles.  I visualized Lincoln Beach on the south west corner of Utah Lake and was anxious to start heading north towards home.  Unfortunately Lincoln Beach in on the east side of the lake so the next 24 miles was biked in a southwest direction over rolling hills and among farmland and orchards.  The winds coming out of the south were hitting us head on and to be quite honest, this was the most difficult part of the ride for me.  I had never been to Genola and I could not see the Wasatch Front Mountains, so my surroundings were unfamilar.  I was fighting nausea as my heart rate hovered around 160 beats per minute and began to doubt that I would finish the race.

We missed the water stop and rode directly into the rest stop at 72 miles-an abondoned gas station in the middle of....I am not real sure where.  By now the temperature was soaring around the 90's, the wind had completely dissapeared, with no trees to provide even a brief amout of shade.  And I could smell a landfill! But I was now heading north with rest stops at 80 miles, 90 miles, 100 miles, and the finish.  Somehow I felt energized. 

I officially finished the race at 6:38 pm (20 minutes before the course closed) with a time of 9:25:51, an overall pace of 11.8 miles per hour.  I finished slightly behind Donniele placing 225 in a field of 234 women bikers. I am not sure when I will have the motivation to do another Century Bike Ride but a 30 or 60 mile race would be a lot of fun.



Hard to believe I had the energy to take a photo after 107 miles

 

August: My Birth Month

As I plan to spend time with the many special persons in my life today, this week and later this month in what appears to be a celeration of my birthday, I am increasingly aware of the unique imprint each individual places on my life.

T Sibling: White wedding cake with fondant icing makes birthdays so much fun, can't wait for next year!?

Girl Child: A sewing lesson, what a great idea!

Parentrals: Unlimited chauffeur services so I could get my personal life caught up-got to love them.

That One Person: A Large Band, and sushi and surprises at a height that I least expect them!

Boy Child: A wide open freeway, room service and the King.
V Sibling: A picnic dinner and theatre under the stars....did you pick your favorite production or mine?
Boy Child: To Be Announced
Coworkers: Who can turn a free lunch? Thanks guys.