Movie Marathon & Pizza Galore...

Brent is HOME!  All is well... peace abounds... smiles galore!

(I kind of have a funny story from picking him up at the airport... I may put it in another post)

Okay, so in times past, a fun day date with my hubs would be something like having a Lord of the Rings marathon (using the extended edition DVD's, of course) and ordering some large Pizza Hut pepperoni & supreme pizza’s.  Shoving it down with loads of diet soda or chocolate milk, and making a double batch of brownies or cookies and pigging out while we watch.  Seriously, that used to be our ultimate date!

BUT NOT ANYMORE!

Today, instead of sitting around watching Frodo traverse the beautiful forests of Rivendale... we RODE OUR BIKES through our own gorgeous Oregon Rivendale.  (Mind you, I love LoftheR).  But nothing compares to the date I had with Brent today.

Just starting out

We conquered the Oregon Vernonia-Banks trail!  Our first plan was to try and go 6 miles in and then come back for a total of 12 miles.  That’s a lot of miles for people who haven’t been riding bikes for any distance consistently.  The paved trail is lined with the most beautiful trees, barns, trestles, railroad tracks, green fields, pathways to explore, ponds, little streams, little animals, cool bridges and Blue Skies (at least or today).  Brent said it was the "best day ever" and I have to agree!

What we ended up doing was 14 miles in... with more than 1/2 of those miles at an uphill incline.  Then we came 14 miles back out for a total of 26 miles!!  It took us about 4 hours.  Four hours of the best date ever!  Yes, my legs burned, I panted, I got hot, I got cold.... but it felt AMAZING!  Just a year ago, I wouldn’t even dream of being able to do this.

At the end - 26 miles!

We were both remembering almost a year ago when we first got our bikes out after I had lost 70 pounds and rode about 5 miles and we felt we were superstars!  That had felt amazing.  I am amazed at what I find that I can do - that I didn’t ever think I could do.  

What do you think you can’t do?  
Maybe you should re-think that and just go for it!

The Lord has also blessed me with my knee feeling better!!  I am now running up to 7 minutes at a time.  Can’t wait to go jogging with Brent, who apparently feels that I am going to kick his butt.  He’s put 10 pounds back on while he’s been in Utah (mostly due to stress) and is feeling that he’s not in as good of shape.  (This is quite the role reversal, I’ll tell ya, as Brent has always been more the athlete than me since High School).  But he worked it today - He IS the MAN!!!  I like the idea of kickin’ his butt, though... is that bad? 

You know, life is hard.  We move in a month, Brent did not get a position at work he applied for that he really wanted (which would have been more money and less stress), money is scarce, the homes we’ve been trying to buy in Utah have not come through for us yet - so we’re moving with no place to live, there are issues with our kids that need addressing... and on and on.  

But you know what?  Life is still so good!  

For me, it used to NOT be good.  Everything brought me down.  I still get down at times.  But my outlook has changed.  

You know what is different from a positive person vs. a negative person?  

It is their PERSPECTIVE.  


It is about looking beyond the moment or the situation.  It is about seeing the whole picture.  It is about seeing things as they really are and what is really most important.  

I am so thankful to start a new perspective in my life.  After so many years of negative... I am so thankful to shed that.  My chains are gone - I have been set free.   

So bring it on... Life is SO GOOD!!  

Ride like the Wind...

I woke up sick today. Swollen glands, sneezing, and aches greeted me and I went right back to bed. So basically, I got very little done, except I enjoyed some sweet cuddling with my 10 year old. :)

But when my Man got home, he tuned up our yard-sale bikes and make-shifted a helmet and coaxed me to go try out our bikes together. Mind you, I hadn't even ridden it except down our driveway and that killed my behind!

But we rode it around our neighborhood for a bit and then he suggested we go over to our Coach, LaTrease's house and say hello. So we did! She wasn't home but with all our riding we rode at least a five miles! I can't believe I did that! It felt SO great to feel the wind on such a cool summer night. Made me remember the summer days of my childhood.

I was wearing these size 1x SKIN TIGHT work out pants... really... it was like my own skin just black, I can't believe I wore them out in public! I did wear an oversized shirt to compensate. I could really feel the burn in my abdomen and legs and arms. Seems like an even better work out than at the gym and it was twice as fun. I do think I need a bigger bike seat though, as my tushie is feeling it now!

Not bad for a gal who was sick and got nothin' else done today ~ AND who hasn't even riddin' in years! I think I will be adding this to my list of goals now!! I want to be a mommy cyclist too!