Hearing Christmas

Saturday I spent the day in Benton visiting with my folks and working around their house. It's part of my life now and I do this every weekend. I don't mind because I think of what all they gave up for me so it's the least I can do.

But this past weekend turned into something very special for me. My mom got into the Christmas decorating spirit and I got to haul fall stuff out to the shop and bring in some of the Christmas stuff. It also involved hanging the outside lights. We got the tree upright and ready to bend out the limbs and I started singing White Christmas. I sang about 5 words then stopped and while sitting on the floor turned to look at my Dad in his chair and said, "You're supposed to be singing this while we are fixing the tree." He said, "No, you go ahead you're doing good." To that I replied, "No Dad, it's a Cobb tradition that you sing White Christmas and Jingle Bells while we put up the tree. You always have." Then my froggy voiced Dad began to sing the most beautiful crystal clear version of White Christmas I've ever heard. I couldn't even look at him but pretended to keep working on the tree limbs... with a tear or two finding it's way down my cheek. It came out straight from his heart and there is not a price tag for that. My mom clapped from another room. Something tells me she may have shed a tear or two as well.

Life is good... when Daddy sings White Christmas.

The comfort of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

In all the sadness of the past couple of days since loosing Sadie, a sweet little pup I call "LBD" for little black dog whose real name is Brooklyn. We are babysitting for Zack until they get their yard fenced in. LBD is a sweet black lab pup who fell out of the back of a pickup in Fayetteville. Long story short, my daughter was keeping him so the boys wouldn't get in trouble for having her in the dorm and what was supposed to be a 1 week keep has become a month. Sadie loved having LBD around and when she and Em would leave to go home Sadie would fall in the floor and sleep off the "I had to play with the puppy" exhaustion.

LBD has been at my side since the passing of Sadie. It seems she knows I need a dog friend right now to hold and remember good times and to get passed this sad time. Right now she is alseep at my feet...snoring! HA!

Thank you Brook... you're a true little sweetheart.

Losing Sadie

Sadie

My day after Thanksgiving started out fun and adventurous. Went out to shoot some frosty photos and had nabbed a couple of good shots that I was happy with.

Got home about 8:30am from the shoot and made coffee with caramel. Then the task of bringing down the Christmas decorations. Was finishing that up around 12 and the girls were heading out for some shopping. I decided to take a break and heat up some leftovers and watch a few minutes of TV. Zack's lab pup was sitting on the sofa beside me and Sadie was wandering around then sat by my feet. A few moments later I noticed I was feeling a draft and got up to see if a window was cracked open or something. As I walked around to the kitchen the door was wide open. The breeze had pushed it open and I had not pulled it closed all the way when I came in. My first thought was oh no the dog is out in the front yard. I walked out and looked around and didn't see her then came back in. I thought she'll be back in just a moment but I ditched the thought and went back out and called her fully expecting her to run around from the side yard. Nothing. I walked to the end of the drive then at that moment my world went into a haze. She was in the middle of the road and had been hit. No car or truck around. I could tell from her wound it was a quick death, which as sad as I am was thankful. I kneeled down beside her in the middle of the road and began to cry. I knew I had to remove her and placed her gently in a pile of leaves in our yard and texted the girls to come home, then went into the house and completely lost it.

I lost it again when the girls came in. It was a very sad moment for all of us. I called my mom and asked if I could bury the dog at the back of their land, in the woods. It was a numbing but well needed time alone. After the burial I sat in the woods crying yet again. I never realized how painful it could be to become this attached to a dog and loose her so suddenly.

I remember the day we got her, the little ball of fur. She always greeted us when we got home and loved to get on our bed when we were gone and nudge all the pillows off the bed. I remember how she slept on the end of our daughters bed every night and even after she left for college she still slept in there. I remember how she would get so excited when Tyler would come over that she would wet. She would go crazy when Terri came in from the store because she always knew one of those white plastic bags had a treat in it for her. She was a happy dog, a loved dog... and will be missed oh so much.

Life will be good again... she would want that.

Pre-Thanksgiving

The weather seems to have turned it's frosty late fall self. I was wondering a few times because it would be cold then warm then cold the warm for a while. Looking at the forecast, the cold is rolling in for real this week. By cold I'm talking 30 for the lows and 50 for the highs.

I've got my heart set on shooting some good photos over the next 5 days. Some will be unique portraiture, some will be urban and some holiday. The holiday is going to be some long exposure Christmas lights I'm sure.

Got to head over to the office tomorrow but hoping for a light day since so many folks have taken the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. Traffic will be a breeze going in and after work will be terrible because there is always a wreck on the afternoon before a holiday. Just seems to work out that way.

Hey ordered something very cool today! I got a Razorback cover for my cochlear implant magnet cover. Check this out:
http://www.skinit.com/details.php?resourceId=5483&partentcat=collegiate/colleges/university_of_arkansas_fayetteville/.
Oh yeah baby!! PIG EAR!! I'm loving it. Can't wait for it to arrive. Check out skin it... cool stuff.

Had a light bulb come on tonight about music and my implant. Going to run over and bug the Audi for a piece of AB equipment that's not a standard piece and mess around with it over the weekend. I'll tell you more if it works. No not as cool as Howard's Ipod headphones but still.

Listening to the new Switchfoot for the millionth time. Just a great CD! Go to Itunes and download that puppy! It's called Hello Hurricane.

Oh and there's a bike in the mix for the weekend! Yep, going to wrap-up in warm cycling clothes and take it out for a roll. Wish me luck on that. Got my second invite for a bike event for next spring already. Competitive on the bike fundraising front these days.

Life is good!

Still having CI moments 2 years later

Beautiful sunrise here in central Arkansas on the late fall morning. Most of the leaves have fallen allowing extra sun to fill the house with it's warming welcome. There's a comic strip called Hi and Lois that has been around a long time and in the strip there is a little baby named Trixie and she always has a sunbeam that she sits in and talks to it. I'm almost the same way. Sunshine in the morning or anytime is good for the soul.

It's been a good weekend so far. Spent the day in Benton at my folks home watching the Arkansas Razorbacks whip Mississippi State. Always good to have some time with Dad. He walks less and less these days. It makes me sad to see him like that. Always been an on-the-go sort of fellow. I'm not much of a fan of old age and what it does to people. But anyway, like I was saying, it was fun to spend time with him. Mom usually takes advantage of my being their to get out of the house for a few hours and shop. I laughed when she pulled up into the carport yesterday because she hit up Walmart big. The whole inside of the truck was full as well as some heavier things in the back. Actually I sort of expected it since I knew she would be loading up to feed the whole herd as we gather for Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. I raked and burned a massive amount of leaves yesterday and even after driving the 30 minute drive home I still could smell the burn. Going to the "country", watching football, and burning leaves, i can only smile!

It's cool after 2 years (11.27.07) of having a Cochlear Implant (www.advancedbionics.com) I still have what recipients call CI Moments. Friday night I as sitting in the home office also called the Man Den (my family is laughing) and I kept hearing a squeaking noise. It was making me crazy. I walked around and it was as if I was playing "You're getting warmer, you're getting colder". I finally found the squeak, a ceiling fan at the other end of the house. Amazing!

CI Moment #2 happening yesterday. While at my parents I could have swore I was hearing ducks. I looked up at the skies but none were flying over and if you're not from Arkansas, we have a massive amount of ducks that come through this time of the year. Duck season started yesterday. Famous people come to AR to hunt. It's that good. I looked and looked but never saw them. I went back to raking and maybe a half hour later there was the sound again. It was really making me crazy because I knew I was hearing ducks! I just stopped and stood still and starting slowly doing a 360. I spotted it! It was a neighbor of my parents, actually several guys standing my their trucks playing with their duck calls. Ok let me set this up better for you. I am on top of a hill probably 2 football fields away and I'm hearing duck calls. There are cars and trucks going down the highway, their is a leaf blower going the next house over which is about a football field away, not to mention I was raking and I still can pick out a duck call!! Thank you Advanced! I know that was like an infomercial wasn't it? HA! But I have to give a shout out to those guys who make a product that makes my hearing beyond real again ... 2 years later!

Life is good!

Advanced Bionics -- Part 2

So like I was saying I got down stairs and loaded a plate full of great food and found an open spot at a table. The first folks I met were Brain, Susan and their very cute daughter Lilly and Granddad Eric. Super nice folks from Nebraska. Lilly has bilateral implants and I didn't even notice them. I kept wondering who in the family had the CI. As the weekend rolled on it was clear that Lilly would steal the show at every meal. What a beautiful and happy little girl she.

During desert I moved over to another table with Edie, our AB rep, Matt, James, and Patty, another AB guru and Ellyn who has a child with a CI. I could tell it was going to be a fun weekend. A little later some guy in a suit walks in. I just assumed he was another CI guy and lived nearby. Come to find out it was Jerry who is over Marketing. I think he does a lot of other duties as well but marketing seems to be the big one. He ended up on our table and is a generally nice guy.

As the first dinner begins to wind down we began leaving and I walk out to the front of the hotel and the AB building across the street is really lit up in nice lighting. I find Matt and let him know I was going to shoot, he joins me. We get some nice shots.

Day 2:
Up way way too early. I'm still on central time zone but living in pacific. I wake around 6 every morning but this was 4am! I can't go back to sleep so I'm up watching TV and dozing off and on. Lucky for me breakfast opens at 6:30. Huge omelets and fruit! The rest of the day was spent touring the AB plant which was real nice and working with different discussion groups. I made sure I told several employees thanks for what they do.

We head over to Sicily for dinner and I sat with Tine, Jill (AB), Kim and Pam and someone else who's name I can not remember. The food was good. We had a choice after dinner to shop for a couple of hours or head back to the hotel. After the full day and the 4am wake up I was ready to call it and crash on the sofa and zone out.

Day 3:
Aww crud, up again too early. A full packed Saturday with discussion groups and more new friendships. The day ended great and the last dinner was really good. Everyone began saying good bys due to the fact that some were leaving that night and some were leaving super early the next morning. I opted to fly out at 11:35 Sunday morning. For a hearing impaired gut that was nice because if I would have had to be up at 5:30 I'm sure I would have done it but I would not have slept well at all having the thought of over sleeping going on.

Departure day:
Once again another great breakfast then over to the business center to print out my boarding passes to head home. The folks flying US Airways were unable to print theirs. Bummer. 9:25 rolls around and I met Kim and Matt in the lobby for the ride to the airport. Ah yes, the black Mercedes again! I love it. I picked up Dan Brown's "Lost Code" book for the flight home. Great book if you like the others he has written. The trip home was uneventful except that there was some westler on the plane a few rolls in front. The guy was huge and had a bleached mohawk.

So there you have it... that was sort of like looking at Uncle Bobs slides from his middle east trip huh? HA!

In all seriousness, I want to thank Advanced Bionics for all they did and especially Linda out there for setting it all up for us. I made some friendships that will last a lifetime and I hope that someday I can return for a reunion.

Life is good!

Advanced Bionics

Advanced Bionics new building at night

Thursday, 11:25a (LIT) Little Rock National Airport.
Sitting happy in my single row seat on American ready to fly up into the crystal clear blue sky on my way to Burbank with a DFW stop and plane change. Little bit of a tension due to short time frame to change at DFW. Take off was beautiful and we fly and bank right over the top of my house 8 miles away. Love it! For the next hour I think of life as a cochlear implant user and enjoy the beauty of the Arkansas into Texas landscape. As we descend toward DFW I'm surprised to see so many neighborhoods that were started and never finished. They look like an Arkansas neighborhood after a tornado clean. Nothing but slaps of concrete.

12:35 -- Good afternoon ladies and gentleman and welcome to Dallas-Fort Worth. Matt and I easily find the Skylink and roar over to the terminal to grab the next flight to Burbank. Made it so easy over there and with minutes to spare we grab mini pizzas and wolf them down just as they began calling groups to board. My row this time was 14D. Yes, another aisle seat. There were three seats on this row and the middle was empty. The girl sitting closest to the window and myself were happy to have an open between us. Makes for a nice flight. She was on her way home to celebrate her mom's birthday in Pasadena. She grew up around he Tournament of Roses Parade. I told her my wife and I have that on our bucket list.

A couple hours into the flight I notice outside everything is miles of brown... it's a desert. Soon we fly upon a mountains and I'm in awe of the way they look. Different from tree covered Arkansas mountains. I can't stopped looking out the window. Beautiful yet very different.

As we descend to Burbank I get a buzz in y pocket, yep, I thought I had turned off the phone but didn't. I sneak a look and it says, "Hello! This is Tim. I'm your driver. I am in a black Mercedes at the curb. There is an Advanced Bionics sign in the front window." I burst out laughing! HELLLLOOOO Burbank! I think I'm gonna love you!

We grab our bags and head out front to find a beautiful brand new Mercedes awaiting our arrival. I am seriously impressed with the generosity of Advanced Bionics already. Tim loads our bags and we meet Kim for the first time. She also has a CI (cochlear implant). Sure nice lady. As we leave the parking lot I start quizzing Tim about Burbank and all the touristy stuff you would expect. Super nice guy.

We arrive at the Embassy Suites was is right across the street from the brand new Advanced Bionics building. Beautiful room! We have a short time to relax before dinner that evening. I drop to the sofa and close my burning eyes. Next thing I know I wake up 30 minutes later! It's time for dinner.

Head down and meet up with the folks who will over the next few days will become great friends with a common bond and calling. Advanced Bionics cochlear implants.

Check back for more story... good stuff ahead!

Life is good!

Starting it back uo!

Several folks have asked me to start the blog back up so here is a little jump start... I'm getting real glasses. I guess it comes with the territory of turning 50 several months ago. In fact this is going to be a short start because I had my eye dilated a few hours ago and they are still a little tripping out. Plus I was asked if my eyes had been itching. I said no and doc said, you have allergies in your eyes. So gee whiz!

So anyway as soon as this settles down I'll post some good funny stuff.

Always remember... life is good!

Just our daily lives

It's sort of funny that I just checked a bunch of CI blogs and not much updating. Maybe because it's summer, maybe the writer went to other places to blog, maybe they just got on with their daily lives and the CI is just like brushing your teeth. Something you do and just don't realize it's importance anymore. In others words, you've gotten used to it now. I'm that way too. By habit I always plug up the charger and charge my batteries for the next day, I know if I have it on or not because even though folks who are hard of hearing enjoy some moments of quite, we need our noise. Like I said, it's just a part of our daily lives... a very very important part.

I know i's a pictureless short blog but I'm determined to write.

Life is good... even during daily lives...

So then Fall begins

Ah Labor Day weekend is upon us.

For me it's a love / hate deal. First the hate... let's just get it out of the way right now... I hate that the days get shorter. The cold is fine but not the short days. That's it really... that's all I hate about fall/winter but it's sort of a big hate.

Now the love... come on, who doesn't love Fall? The beauty of the leaves changing and the smells that go with it. Having to put on a pair of socks and a long sleeved t-shirt every now and then. Adding a layer for early morning bike rides. The smell of cinnamon and burning wood. A leaf or two laying on the patio chairs. The mums, pumpkins and hay bails . My wife and her endless assortment of sweaters. So then Fall begins!

We hit up the last home game of the Travs (baseball) last night. Huge crowd! It was one of those great times to me where I had my wife at my side and could see and hear my kids (one is adult and the other is college) and friends laughing and talking. I was completely happy in fact 10 hours later and I'm still glowing from it. It was a secure feeling, a peaceful feeling... a happy feeling. So then Fall begins!

This morning as I write the house is quite. Family still in comatose slumber. Trust me on this one, I could slam a door and they would just sigh and roll over. Ha! Sadie is at my feet snoozing away. The sky is cloudy and mellow. So then Fall begins!

There's that feeling that I need to hurry and pack and jump in the car and get going but the drive is only an hour or so away, no rush really needed. Today is the first of many weekend getaways that we'll make. Since we will be going toward Benton we'll stop for a little while and help Mom get Dad up and situated for the day. This will be the first weekend that I will not be spending the whole Saturday there. We are even lucky enough to have the scenic route to Hot Springs straight out of my parents driveway. We'll be taking the slow down "enjoying life route" today! We'll be staying at a new hotel that overlooks the lake, kicking our shoes off and enjoying life as empty nesters. So then Fall begins!

Life is good.... as Fall begins!

Hurry up already!

Nothing is crazier than the days leading up to a 3 day holiday! I bet Friday afternoon is going to drag at a snails pace and then traffic will be bad.

Planning to hit up the Travelers game Friday night then head over to Hot Springs on Saturday. Don't even think about breaking into the house because there will be a house sitter, a dog who does not unwelcomed visitors and an alarm system. We always have these three when we leave town.

I'm really looking forward to just chilling out with Terri and hitting up a good place to eat. I suspect I will be drug through a few stores with old stuff cleverly described as "Antiques". It's old dusty stuff that you can't lean on or it breaks.

Em came by tonight! School is going great and she has test. It's really funny how she has to keep her own place picked up. I told her life is much better in a clean home and now she gets it.

My sister was in a car wreck yesterday. Someone rear ended her and she got out of the car and said her neck hurt a bit. Next thing we know the hospital is saying a broke neck!!?? Found out later that it was an old injury and she was released to go home. Any of y'all ever walk around for years with a broke neck and not know it? No damage just painful.

The weather has been like October! Seriously cool in the mornings.

Oh yeah, I did go ride last Sunday. It was wonderful! Plan to do it again real soon!

All for now... life is good!

I'll sleep but they won't

I'll sleep but they won't. It's Ironman KY eve. Chris put that he was going to bed this evening at 7:30 because the day starts at 2am. I can only imagine the excited going through their veins as they try and slumber.

Today was Hotter-n-Hell 100 in Wichita Falls Texas. Haven't heard much out of the folks but haven't search it on Twitter yet either. It's a huge bike ride and by the end the wind is head wind and the temps are usually 100 or over. People fall over, throw their bikes down and walk or just plain croak in the middle of the road. It lots of fun.

Well the bike is coming back to life tomorrow. I know, I can't believe it either. I'm looking forward to hitting the river trail to see how the legs are. Hoping to pick up an after work ride maybe a night or two. Being off the saddle has certainly changed my mid-section. I need intervention! HA!

Tomorrow is my last service as graphics guy. When I loaded the service the other night it was one of those events like the last of a TV series. I looked at the computers smiled then turned off the lights. It has been a fun ministry and I'll miss it but I'm looking forward to whats ahead such as traveling with Terri as well as caring for my Dad more. Starting next weekend (Labor Day) the travel begins... let's just say I'm giddy!

Have you seen the weather forecast? Yay! Beautiful cool week ahead.

Life is good!

I just belong here...

We all have our moments. Moments of happiness, sadness and everything in between. I thought I wanted a new blog and start all over with everything when I turned 50 but it's not really so. Same house, same car, same bike... oh yeah, I forgot, I haven't rode the bike since huh... Tour de Rock. Serious, it has cobwebs on it out in the garage. I very sad thought but it has done me good to put it up for a little while and take care of other things in life. I have been spending every Saturday at my parents. It's an all day event of cleaning the yard or painting. It's fun hard work and I get to spend time with my folks.

One of the things that had really fired me up was when my mom told me she paid $150 dollars for a guy to clean her yard. That was one wrong dude for that! I went and bought a basic push mower at Wal-Mart several weeks ago because they needed to move it out of the way for Christmas goods. I mean goodness, it's after the 4th of July, get them plastic snowman on the shelves! Anyway I was bound and determined to keep the rip off from coming to my folks again. I even mowed the ditch last week and one of my sisters said the house was starting to look like it used to when Dad could keep it up. I usually have dad in his wheelchair out in the carport with a fan going so he can enjoy the outside. Sure beats sitting in front of the TV all day.

Ok, I know you want to know what's up with me and the bike. I'm planning to jump back on here in a few weeks but nothing like I used to do. I have way to many other projects right now. I have made some of the best friends ever and have lost touch with most after I stopped riding. I see them now and then on Facebook or spot an email. The group I once rode faithfully with evolved into a racing group. Some got into the Tri (Ironman) sort of craziness. All I can say is... bless there hearts! HA! Several are about to do their Ironman in KY and I'm so proud of them. Swim 2 miles, bike a 100 miles then run 26.2 miles all one the same day without stopping. Man oh man oh man!

Emmy has moved to Conway and goes to UCA so Terri and I are now empty nesters. Sometimes happy, sometimes a bit too quite, sometimes weird when there's not several Sonic cups sitting on the counter. Em is doing great and loving school and working for a little daycare in the afternoons. We're proud of her.

Speaking of empty nesting, Terri and I are going to travel a lot now! We're both very excited. We had been wanting to do this for a long time but I was handling all the graphics for every Sunday morning service and some Sunday evenings and even some Wednesday evenings as well. It was a volunteer job and I've been on deck for 2 years. I decided to pull back and let someone else take the ropes so I could spend time doing other things. Seriously it can take hours to put together a service. You want to have the right photos and backgrounds to enhance the worship service. That old clip art stuff just doesn't cut it these days. I have loved it! Really I have! This Sunday is my last. Sort of a sad/happy kind of deal. I still will do the preachers title and template stuff but I can work on those way ahead of time. I never sleep well on Saturday nights worrying about some of the dumbest little things that could go wrong but never do. I can't wait to sleep well on Saturday nights.

Some friends from the office were talking about the HBO show called True Blood. It's a vampire series and I thought it was be fun to watch so we stopped by Blockbuster and picked it up. Terri was gone to the mall and I put the DVD in and made it maybe through 15 minutes. It was way to much for me. I'm either getting old or something because I was embarrassed watching what I was watching. For me personally, it just was not something I felt I needed to be watching.

Well it's nice to be back here it the "home" blog. Come on back because I promise I'll be updating it a lot more and sure I'll have photos too. Probably a lot more since there is travel involved.

As I always say... Life is good!

I have a new blog... follow me there!

Hey friend! I have a new blog...

http://northdirection.blogspot.com/

You'll love the ride... top down and going very fast towards the north,

Life is good!
Geo.

Friday 05 15 09

Nice day! We had sun. Most of us forgot what it was and called 911 to report the mothership was coming over the hill.

My IPhone had freaked out on me and froze up. I finally got it back to life by blowing on it and pushing the little button then blowing some more. The application is call I-CPR. That's just a load of bull crap I'm making it up! But there are so many apps for IPhone that someone would have believed me.

I rode this afternoon after work and it was one bad ride. Not bad like good=bad but bad as in bad=bad. I figured it may be because I haven't been drinking a lot of water like I was before the 24 hour ride. Also I noticed that my toes were trying to go numb again. That was the reason I took time off since the big ride is to let them come back to life.

I did ride over to the Little Rock side and saw where Paws on the Pavement run was going to be. I will be riding Cycle for Sight for UAMS medical center tomorrow if not raining but I plan to take extra cash and roll over to the doggy bakery tent and get the pup some uppity treats. There are a lot of tents set up so it should be fun.

The Greek food fest is also going on. Twits are saying the lines are long. I need some Baklava.

Riverfest is in a week or so. Huge music line up coming this year. Hope Terri and I can go wonder around and hear Heart or 3 Doors Down or the B52's. The signs are up already announcing the closure of the river trail section by the downtown for Riverfest.

I got a treat today! I scored signed gift photo from Altus Pocket. Google them. Great band! Thanks guys! I plan to have you cranking in the Ipod during my ride tomorrow.

Don't know who all knows but HUGE congrats to one of my friends who told me she was expecting! I'm giddy! She and her husband will be great parents.

Had Arkansas Hands and Voices board meeting last night. WOW! Got a lot rolling and lots of great stuff coming up. I really loved how we were able to say yes really quick to giving out some scholarships. I love the board. Very good group of folks... and yes, my communications sub-groups rules! HA!

Well I'm going to go read some more of a book I started. Really good! It's called Halfway to Heaven. It's a book about a middle aged guy climbing the 14er's. That's the mountains over 14K feet in CO. It's really funny and down to earth.

Back to life

I sort of took a break from everything for a moment. It's been nice.

Since the ride I've been waiting on my middle toes to regain feeling. My right hand was that way right after the ride but it regained feeling within a couple of days. I still have a numb toe. I suspect it will bounce back soon enough.

Everyone wants to know how much was raised. Honestly, I don't know yet. There are still some checks coming in. Did I hit the $10K mark. I doubt it but still happy with whatever did come in. It's just a little more to help the kids along.

The Joe Martin Stage races were last weekend in Fayetteville, AR and I had a great time. there were storms Friday morning so I decided I wasn't going because the Weather Channel said it was a slow moving storm. It wasn't. It blew right through. I had actually gone to run errands and came home and saw the storm was already passed so I threw clothes in a bag and took off. I got up there just as the afternoon road race was abut to start. My timing and parking could not have been better. I got out of the car and straight ahead was Floyd Landis sitting in a chair. I could not believe I was standing there with my camera in front of the Tour de France champ! I didn't except this so I brought nothing for him to sign. I took a couple of shots then walked up and introduced myself and told him thanks for coming to Arkansas and how did he like it so far. He said we was really enjoying it. Very down to earth normal acting guy. Thanks Floyd, you're the man!

I kept looking for Bahati in the crowd but never spotted him. Finally saw him in the team car in jeans. Not a good sign. I kept my distance even though I really wanted to meet him in person. I've been following his career since they were here 2 years ago. He is a national champ. He drove from LA (26 hours) and had tired legs for the time trail and missed the cut by 3 seconds. He is really ticked about it. He could have done that so easy but was saving his legs for the road race. It was a costly mistake. I just gave him his space.

Sunday was spent at my sisters house for Mothers Day... watching it rain.

Oh did you know it has been raining? Yep, so far everyday in May except 2. My ride day and my daughters birthday. If I would have planned the 24 hour ride for 1 week later it would have been cancelled because the trail was flooded. It's finally gone down and there is a UAMS Cycle for Sight ride there this weekend. Yes, I'm riding it.

Well is life good!

Flood of thoughts

Today I took the day off to take my dad to the doctor. Little did I know the air inside the room would be sucked out. The heart doc is the best in town and very good bedside manners. Dad's legs have been a bit numb and his feet are red/blueish some times. The doc put his hands on his legs and slowly rubbed down to his toes. He said dad has about 5-10% blood flow in his feet and that his feet are room temperature. Not good at all. Used words like amputation and gang-green(sp?). He also said he wants to try some other things first so we are sent to the Little Rock office for a die test from chest to feet. When the doc was talking to him I tried to focus on the doc but my eyes wondered to look over at dad. He had fear in his eyes like I've never seen before. It was a crazy look. A very sad look. It's going to be a long summer I think.

As I drove home I wanted to see how bad the river trail was flooded. I can't believe this is one week after my ride!! I'll let the photos do the talking.

I just thought this was funny. A drinking fountain in the middle of the water.

If your dog is between knee deep and chest high then they play here.

This is my new friend Mack. He almost got stepped on. I almost poopied in my pants.

Not sure if you can see this but this guy was bow fishing. There were huge fish swimming in fron the main river. When the water goes down they will be trapped and die. It was stick to high heavens when that happens.

North Little Rock side of Big Dam Bridge

Happiness is a choice

Happiness is a choice. That was the first thought I had as I woke this rainy Saturday morning. That was a little odd for me. Happiness is a choice? Where did that come from? As I sit here tapping away I realized it has come from 50 years of life. Very simple.

I turned 50 yesterday and told myself I would roll into the 2 half of my life with a smile and that I did. Yes, I rode a little bicycle ride but I did something that I never really did before and I think it carrying me through. I smiled. I smiled a lot. It wasn't a big smile but just a grin more or less because I was happy and I chose this happiness. I was surrounded by family and friends and I was trying to make a little difference in the world.

I then celebrated with a room full of family and friends last night. What a day… what a day!!!

I know I know, you want the bike ride write up. So here you go...

I slept good the night before, well until about 4am. I woke and was ready to jump up and hit it. I stayed in bed until almost 5.

As we enter into a epic event in our lives we seem to forget things. I forgot the most import things until the very last second you know the normal day-to-day things that you must do. No, I did brush my teeth. I got to the car and was actually backing out and something was missing. My cochlear implant!!! Terri was laughing at me. I had the hearing aid on but wanted to wait until the last moment to put the CI on so I would get the longest run from the battery. It was a good plan and it worked.

We got to the hospital and I got to meet Jennifer Thorpe. I call her a CI queen. She is a great CI spokesperson. I always thought she would be a fun person to know in "real" life not just cyber. I was not wrong. She is a great person to know. Very sweet and her and Terri seemed to have become friends as well. I also met her brother David. He came to ride and man did he. Super strong rider who seemed to never tire. Jennifer's son was also out there and it was great because you could tell they are a tight family. I loved this.

I also met a new ride named Rob. This guy had lost 50 lbs and was in great shape. He did some super pulls during the morning. Once I looked down and we were cranking a 20mph line. We got to the bridge and I said to myself, "This is crazy! I have to slow way down or I'll blow this afternoon." I let them go ahead.

Just as the ride was about to start a car pulled up and Van got ready. Van s one of those very smart and practical riders that is always good to have in the mix.
As we got to the bridge the first time I also met up with Matt Covington. Matt is one of those folks I out high on the list. He has to use a walker sometimes but that doesn’t stop him for what he likes to do which is ride. He is also considering an implant and that’s how our paths crossed. He has this cool like trike-bike and the guy can roll.

There was wind but wind is wind…

This is the moment of the ride that I hooked up with another Rob. I really respect this guy. He came out to ride the River to River ride a couple of years ago and is a Cycle Zydeco rider. Very smart rider. We talked for a few and it was sort of weird. It was almost as if I was talking to an older brother. We rode and rode and rode. He pulled and pulled and pulled. We locked in on 15mph which is the speed I had hoped to roll. He finally had to go home and he said the words that stuck with me the rest of the ride. "Don't let them pull you too fast." I was like those words were branded into my mind for the rest of the ride.

When I had a rider pulling to fast I was simply slow down. I was crazy at first because I love the 18mph pace but I had to go the time distance and not the length distance. It's a different kind of animal. Boy is it a different animal.
Terri, Emmy and a few others were stationed at one of the pavilions that would be used for the family picnic later and they kept us in food and drinks. Terri was awesome because she knew the perfect things to say to me every time I rolled in. She had seen me go down on the R2R ride and she knew how I had it in my heart that no matter what happened this time I was not going to have a “DNF” (Did not finish) mark beside my name.

I had taken my watch off and that was another excellent idea for riding a 24 hour. I had no idea what time it was for a lot of the ride. We were rolling along and here comes Mike Moore. He had said something about getting out there around 1. Was it 1pm already? It felt like about 10:30. I was giddy. Serious it’s like 5pm on Friday afternoon sort of giddy. Again I chose happiness…
Mike was an event super puller who pulled a lot until he rolled past a century mark (105 miles was the last length I heard him say and he was still going). He has a heart of gold.

Dan Herrington and Mike’s son Collin also jumped on the train that afternoon. I got to know Collin a bit more when we took a break during the family Picnic time. He’s a good guy. And Dan, Dan is one of those guys who is always smiling and looks for the good in everything. He has chosen happiness.

We got another surprise while we were riding that early afternoon. Yale! Yale is one of my favorite folks in the world. I don’t say that lightly. He was a great rider and super nice guy. He has had a rough year and we haven’t seen him much so when I spotted him I almost wanted to unclip and bear hug the boy right there in the middle of the ride.

There was a big picnic and we took families up the trail and over the bridge. I really enjoyed that. The picnic was a big success and thanks to everyone who came out and for all the volunteers who took time out of there busy lives to put it all together.

The sun was beginning to set so I knew it must be getting close to 8pm. That’s when Lance jumped on the ride. Lance was another in the super pull category. He lives next door to Matt and Mandy. He rode until around midnight I think. He is really nice guy with a mini cooper that he actually got his bike in.

Jump back a couple of hours and Chris Irons, David Wonn (an Ironman and the ultimate go-to guy for all things Tri!) and Chris Lyle appear on the bridge. It was great to see them! I knew those three would keep us going and they did. David had this super beam light that was a life saver. It was like having a Coleman lantern at a campsite. He does a lot of training in early morning hours (I think) so he had the right equipment for nights. Thanks David. Chris’ light was the same way. Mine was OK but I kept turning it off in case I needed it later. I did a couple of times.
So we are riding along and I see a rider coming toward us on the road smoking fast. I’m thinking man, that guy is rolling. His helmet light is coming to us abut at the speed of light. Oh man it’s Mooney!!! Yes! Robert Mooney is the State Champion rider. This guy would probably ride right up to Armstrong say “Hey bud!” then drop him. Mooney is a complete riot. He has chosen happiness. Always smiling and cutting up. He and Bethany are the sweetest couple. There is a photo that was made of them last fall I think and it’s one of my favorite. The photographer (oh crap I can’t remember if it was Bob or Jonny who took it) really captured the moment.
Any way so now I have, Dwonn, Chris, Chris, and Mooney. Talk about laughing. Sometimes I could hear them talking but I’ll be honest, most of the ride was a bit of a roar that grounded out the voices. Anyway, some of the things that were talking about were a riot!

Chris Lyle finally has to leave. Thanks for the pulls man! I appreciate you!
It’s now about 3am and we are doing a loop then stopping for about 10 minutes. I realized at that time I had made it to the final quarter. Each quarter would hold something special.

Sidebar:
Only a few folks had known that I had put this into quarters. The first was my warm up quarter. I knew I was good for that one. The second 6 hour quarter was going to be my make it or break it quarter. I knew this quarter would be my hardest. 9 hours of riding is about when I start to break down. Did it happen? Yes. Did anyone know? Terri may have. I stopped to eat a PB&J sandwich and the first bit almost made me barf. I was actually looking for a hiding place in case I did because we are at the family picnic and the last thing you want to see is someone puke just before the hot dogs are served. HA! It was the sweetness that didn’t take too well. I remember a Sunday or two ago we had lunch we friends and Doug Kilgore has rode a 24 hour ride on the CAC track to raise money for the school. He was talking about the sweet stuff and how I wouldn’t like it through the whole ride. No kidding! I finally settled back down and was good once I was riding again.
Rebecca Irons shows up and swaps or with her husband Chris. So now I have Dwonn, Mooney, Rebecca. I’ve never heard so much laughing … and uh, singing going on. They were singing on the way up the bridge (which is a mini mountain sometimes) and since the wind wasn’t blowing I could hear them and got so tickled.
DWonn has to ride back to his house a “do a little work”. Then we got back to the hotel and Mooney had to leave. He was so funny. He looked at his watch and said, “I have to get up in thirty minutes and go to work.” It was so matter of fact like something he does all the time. He said before he left, “Geo do you realize you only have two more laps?” My mind was blowing.

I have my first caffeine. About half a can of Dr Pepper. Now this is the first caffeine other than a little bit of chocolate in 3 weeks. That was the coach’s orders. Holy smoke Batman!!!! That rocked my system. I was wide awake and charged. It also made me wonder about me drinking as much caffeine as I used to. Maybe it’s not such a great thing after all. I learned that I could get steamers with favor shots at coffee places that satisfied me just fine. They are a lot cheaper too!

Just about that time Jo shows up! Now if you put Jo and Rebecca on the same ride you are going to be laughing and having a good time. Jo is one of my all time favorite people to be around. She’s just one of those down to earth folks who is easy to be around. Actually most of the people I enjoy the most fall into that category.

I start talking sunrise. It’s what I am longing for. Just let me see the sky starting to lighten. Sunrise is my favorite time of the day. I love to be in our kitchen and watch it getting daylight. There is just a Noah’s Ark sort of hope to each new day. It’s a new day, clean slate; it’s yours to make it what you want.
We make it back to the hotel for the next to the last time. Keith Moore and Kim Cossey jumped in we rolled along. I told Rebecca this lap was sort of like the end of the Tour de France. The work is over and the last part is sort of just a let it soak in and enjoy the moment. We did! We stopped on top of the bridge and looked around.

We were riding back towards the bridge again after getting to the turnaround and up roll Mariann! I’m so excited. Mariann is an Ironman several times over. She is gold. Wife, mom, friend to everyone, always smiles, writes very inspirational things on her blog and she has time to train for Ironman. Yep, she has it all together. I was so excited to get to ride with her.

Well it’s time… time to roll to the hospital and close the 24 hours. The crowd was out there and we rolled it on in. The waved and clapped for us then sang happy birthday. It was a moment that will be with me to my last days.

There are so many people who made this event happen and inspired me and cheered me on. The biggest of these is Terri. She pushed me out the door on training days. Pulled me up when I was down. Knew what to say and what not to say. I still can’t believe that more than have of my life has been spent with her. She my fiends is far better than gold.

And Emmy, thank you so much for cutting up and making me laugh. You are the most beautiful daughter in the world.

Tyler, oh man, talk about cutting up. I know you fell out of the basket the stork was carrying but I’m so glad you landed in our house!! You are and amazing son who I am so proud of.

Last but not least by any means… my friends. There are too many to name them all. As cheesy as this sounds, I love you guys! Ok, honestly not cheesy… completely sincere. I really do love you all.

Speaking of cheese… I smell something really good cooking… more later today and photos.

Life is good… choose happiness!

Ride day!!

Breakfast #2 done. Checking over all the equipment one more time. Sleeping bag packed... oh wait, I don't get to use one of those! HA! Got Rascal Flats "All night long" from the movie Cars stuck in my head!

Last post on here for the day... follow the adventure on our other blog:
www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

Facebook and Twitter: cobbgeo

Twas the night before...

Twas the night before the ride...

The day was crazy! Nice start with "I still have too much to do" finish.

Just chilling and about to watch American Idol.

More later!

24 hour bike eve

Slept like a rock and ready for the busy busy day ahead. It's bike ride eve. Got to wrap up things at the office today so I can feel good about being out the next couple of days. Things are really falling in place.

Folks keep asking if I am nervous about this ride? Not in the least bit. As crazy as this sounds part of it is because I get to sleep at home before I ride. Anyone who has done an event such as century ride, Ironman, Xterra can tell you the night before is always a wreck because yo normally are sleeping in a hotel. That had a lot to do with my last big ride. p way to late, couldn't sleep on the hotel bed, etc etc. A good nights rest the day before is going to make a massive difference.

Lots more updates coming up!

Life is good!

Geo.

Ready to rock!

I'm just really looking forward to this ride unlike an other I've done. I know the route by heart. I know the tough spots which is the "mountain" called the Big Dam Bridge (www.bigdambridge.com). I know, it's like I get to cuss when I say that. HA!

Sunday I went out for a easy spin and was loving it. At one point I was solo on the trail and it's a long flat straight stretch and I actually closed my eyes and rolled feeling the warm spring air and sunshine. I was priceless. Total calm feeling.

I've had nothing but positives about the new route. Lots of thumbs up. I'm glad about that because I was nervous changing a little bit of the course this close to the event. But it's a safety issue and well... I value my friends.

Lots of rain right now but all reports have the rain heading out and looking like Thursday will be a nice day to ride. It's 30 chance of rain every day of the summer.

I have a early meeting today with Audiology then get to sit in a panel discussion for grad students of Audiology this afternoon over at U of A. I'm excited!

Still need some more funds to get that goal... please consider donating!
www.archildrens.org

Life is good!

Gears for ears route change

Changing the Gears for Ears route. Alltel office to Alltel Arena. No Cantrell. No downtown Little Rock. No Broadway bridge. It's a MESS down by the Cathedral School construction. Much much safer route!

last dance...

Tonight was the last real training ride. I can ride until Tuesday but supposed to take it easy. Just ride around a look at the flowers sort of riding. That actually will be he [ace for the whole 24 hours. Just easy riding but for a long long long time.

We started putting the food list together. Going to be sort of hard when we have no idea how many folks are going to ride but it's only he ones who give a little bit of a donation to the hospital are the ones we'll feed and provide drinks to. That's only fair, ya know. There will be a million folks out there because we certainly would never request a closed trail. I want folks out the re riding and be healthy.

I did a radio show this morning and it was a blast. Thank you Jennifer, Eric and Gang for the warm welcome and friendship. Always make me feel at home there.

Tomorrow I will be on 91.7 with Kevin Clay. I can't wait. He's a pal anyway so I will be relaxed for that show.

The donations are coming in finally so I can calm down a tad but there is still a long ways to go. Please make your donation to www.archildrens.org Just think, you are changing a child's life for the better in just a few seconds and clicks of a mouse.

Life is good... when you're clicking for kids!

One Week!

In one week and 2 hours we'll be rolling out for the 24 hours on the bike for Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Donate now! www.archildrens.org

Running around

How weird this has been! I took a day off the bike and ran errands after work.

First stop was Arkansas Cycle and Fitness. Super sponsor and all around good folks. I had bought a light and could not for the life of me get it set up right. Stopped in and Dan had it going perfect in seconds. Almost embarrassed. I picked up few more Pro Bars ( www.theprobar.com). Dan hooked me up with one called Superfood Slam. I tried it Friday night during the night ride and plan to have several of these during the big ride. It was like I had just had a good nights sleep and ready to ride again after about 15 minutes of eating it. Mind blowing great feeling. I told Dan how much I enjoyed it and thanked him for telling me about them.

Next stop was the cleaners... not a sponsor but always a cheery group. Moose Cleaners on JFK. Great folks even when you leave a sock in the leg of the pants you took in.

3rd stop... ok, I'm hungry and where do you think I went? Aww come on, if you know me then you know where I go. Terri is out of town, Em is working and Geo goes to... BLUE COAST BURRITO for a couple of fish tacos. I'm family there. they don't even had to ask me what I want other then... "the combo?" You know you're loved when a eat joint treats you like that. Thanks BCB for being a great sponsor!

I watched American Idol tonight. I don't watch that show like some of my crazy friends do but Kris Allen was really good. A friend from church gave me a hard time about not voting for the Arkansas guy so I texted in a vote. I laughed after I did it.

Tomorrow we are doing job fair at Ft Roots! I'm excited to see the men and women who served our country. Yes, I will try hard to help them get jobs... it's the least I could do for my freedom.

Well, Life is good!

Questions and answers

I can hardly concentrate this afternoon! Taking a break for a moment and answering the flood of emails coming in. I’ve got my office windows cracked a bit and the air is that of late spring. You, know the kind that makes to crazy to get off from work and go play. I’ll be hitting the trail around 5:30 until dark. With the house semi quite this week, not much else to do but ride.

Here’s a few questions that have popped up…

• Is it just you riding or are others riding? There are others. A lot of others for the evening.
• Is it for anyone that wants to enter? Yes, we will be riding slow due to the length of the ride.
• If it is open to anyone, could I ride a little one day then go sleep ride some more then go to work then ride some more? You bet. Several folks are.
• I see the $20 donation for the adult, is that for the 24 hours? The donation is for any amount of riding.
• What are the dates / times for the event? Thursday, April 30^th at 9am until Friday, May 1^stat 9am. Starts at the main entrance of ACH.

There is more info on www.archildrens,org. Just click the Gears for Ears logo.

Thanks everyone! This is getting bigger and bigger and it’s ALL for the kids over here at ACH!

Life is good!

Geo.

Friday night riding.

Sun was high but hazed behind the clouds

Stopped to update Facebook and ohhh & ahh over the Big Dam Bridge.

What a night of riding! Started at 5 and cranked until just minutes before midnight! 7 hours and it was great. I could have kept going with ease but about 11:30 the winds really picked up and I could feel spit rain. I saw what I thought was a flash but after I was driving him I began to wonder if maybe it was a fisherman at the dam. There was no lightening around.

Back up 7 hours -- As I started Doug Pope was rolling in finishing up a ride. He is a good guy and awesome awesome rider. Super strong. Enjoys to laugh and have a good time.

There was a little wind at the start but nothing to complain about. It was nice riding. A couple of times I felt spit rain and knew that the ride was going to be short. Then about 7 the wind stopped. The river was smoothing out and it was rock-n-roll sort of riding. With no wind 20mph was easy. I rode and rode and rode. Had my tunes and was just really enjoying my training time. I mean compared to last weeks night ride joke. Crazy security and wind and 44 degree with wet air. Friday night was 65 at the start and 63 at the finish. Can't beat that!

With the clouds reflected the city lights I hardly had to use my headlights. I was rolling along through a field where I knew I would see deer and sure enough they ran across the road. About half a dozen. No babies. The next time I came through they were laying in the field about 20 feet off the trail and could care less that I came by. They remained there the rest of the night. I was so funny because I would sing out loud before I got there in case the were going to run then they wouldn't do it and plow me down. Guess my singing is not so bad after all, they didn't leave.

My biggest fear of the upcoming ride? The skunk. He/She is out there somewhere and I could smell it once last night but barely. I remember last year momma and 3 babies came up from the river banks and they were really cute. Cute is deadly! HA!

We with temps doing a really nice climb this week to the 80's then I suspect there will be some snakes showing there colors down by the river. I think I've only seen a couple of bad ones. Most are just King sakes.

I took the day off the bike. It was supposed to be raining and we did get some around 2a.m. but that was it until almost 2pm this afternoon then boy did it come down. So I could have rode this morning. That's Ok I'm happy with the 7 hours of night riding. I'll crank it out tomorrow afternoon.

It's not to late to donate to the ride! Just go to www.archildrens.org and look for the Gears for Ears icon on the right hand side of the page.

Life is good... in the dark.

2 weeks from today! Gear 4 Ears will rock

Me and super biker Jenn. She has on the last jersey we did and I have on the new Gears for Ears jersey. Jenn has been a pal since the early days of biking. Her and her husband Chris are those sort of folks you want in your circle of friends. Good as gold.

I rode solo tonight and just punch the clock for a little over an hour. I know.. whimpy! Just one climb and it wasn't too hot of a climb either. Just a climb.

I'm thinking of changing my riding schedule a bit. Saturday is 70% chance of rain. that's a pretty hefty chance so tomorrow is supposed to be pretty and nice with rain starting late. Thinking of taking the training to the river tomorrow after work and just ride into the night. Forget that track riding stuff. I just have to remember to eat something about 4 tomorrow afternoon.

Oh by the way... Arkansas Children's Hospital ruled the river trail tonight! By that I mean our logo was well represented! I saw an ACH blue and white jersey for the 2005 ride. i saw a river to river jersey (like the one in the photo above) from the 2007 ride. I saw last years slick looking CARTI jersey with the ACH logo on it and I had the Gears for Ears jersey on myself. 4 jerseys out there showing ACH. Now that's pretty cool if you ask me!

Did I tell y'all I have been off of caffine for 5 days now. No, I didn't get the headache. Did I cheat, no but I have a placebo. I learned that I can drink a skinny steamer with a shot of flavoring and I think I'm drinking my latte. Hey, whatever works. Brad has me off so that on ride night in 2 weeks that I can take caffeine pills and it will send me into orbit rocking! Said they do that at Ironman. Hey, if it gets folks through Ironman, maybe it'll get me through this. If you think about it, 24 hours isn't a long time at all in the big picture. Friends have asked me if I'm going to start drinking coffee and cokes again after the rid. Serious, I think I'll just stick with the steamers. Oh sure, I'll have coffee or coke every now and then but I don't know, we'll see.

Jump over to www.archildrens.org and make a donation to the ride! OK, what if you could not hear the music... that's right NO AMERICAN IDOL?! Huh? What if you couldn't hear your family... no not that selective hearing that people joke about but no hearing all the time. No laughter, no "Hey, I'm home!" ... and no I love you... what if you couldn't hear that? That's why I ride for 24 hours. If I need to take the pain to help you hear... I will!

Life is good!

Awesome nights of training

The past couple of nights have been kicking for the training!

I rode up tempo and did hill repeats. It was really funny because I rode up behind a group of folks and then down and then as I was climbing again that group was coming down and on the switchback I heard someone say, "Whoa thatguy's climbing it again!" It was my 4th repeat climb and it was just what I needed to hear. I gave me a little extra push. Well that and U2 and Green Day singing "Saints" piped straight in to my hearing aid. Love that song!

I rode on out to the park and climbed the backside. I was feeling really good out there! I rolled into the back of the Nitro group. These guys are screaming fast racers. You know those guys who can change clothes and ride with no hands. These guys are so good they could probably make a loaf of bread while riding. Anyway I snuck on to the back and rode along a little while.

Headed over to the bridge and met up with Moondawg , JMar, Jenn, Mike Moore, Charlie and a dozen others. Great group. It's the band of heathens I used to ride with all the time. Fun crowd.

Sun started to go down so I rode back to my car and got to see a beautiful orange and pink sunset. Man, I love it when I time it just right to catch those.

Funny: I put too much tape on the cochlear implant again and the thing was glued to my head! When will I learn? Yeah, you're right... probably never!

Tonight's ride was up tempo and a bit of climbing. Lots of folks out. I got smoked like tuna by a guy on a tri-bike. Man that guy was moving!

Well thanks for stopping by and hanging out a few. More fun stuff coming up.

Life is good!

Friday and thinking about Mena, Arkansas

Got the OK to ride loops through the night at the local high school track. Should be out there about 8 or so and will ride until daylight and then if there is anything left then I'll load up and stop to grab some Shipley donuts which is between the track and the house. Probably stop at the house then maybe go to the river for the sunrise of the morning.

The nice thing about getting to ride at the track is that I will not need headlights. I will take them but should be OK without. I'm going to borrow a coworkers Ipod and will have 3 with me so I will have enough tunes for the night. This is going to be a huge challenge to ride this bored and tired but when I come out of it I will have a 6 pack of confidence for the upcoming 24 hour event.

Tornadoes hit west Arkansas last night. The town of Mena was so nice to me when I rode through a few years ago. I stayed just down the hill form where it hit. The community college it hit had a super nice staff. Thoughts go out to Mena this morning.

Thursday 4.9.09

First off, Terri van was acting weird and we took it to the Honda place. Transmission. Yep, I can see you looking at this screen and shaking your head because you know it's going to hurt. Nothing like cashing in vacation time for the car. On the other hand, I'm very thankful I have a job and can cash in vacation time for something like this. We should get the van back Tuesday and we can ride together to work so it's not that big of a deal.

I didn't ride yesterday which was probably one of the best days of the year so far to ride. We were dealing with the van and rode together plus I had to start getting Sunday media stuff together. There's video and special songs and special prayers and we'll be packed for Easter. Should be a nice service then it's down to Benton for Easter Sunday lunch with the whole family.

Ok so here's what's up in the days ahead. My daughter said I was weird. It's training so what can I say? It's a night training session this Friday night. Yep, I'll be riding through the night. At first when Brad to me to do this I thought he was crazy but the more I've taken his advice the more confident I have become for the 24 hour ride.

Start time will be after dinner and food has settled. Probably go down to the river and ride as long as it seems safe then I'll take a break and come to the house and put the trainer out in the garage with the garage door open and the studio bike in the den and ride through the night until about 5 then take a break and go back to the river. Hope for 12 hours. I even thought about taking the bike over to Sylvan Hills track and just riding laps since that would be safe. It's open all the time. Low temp is supposed to be 56 degrees so it will be comfortable.

If I stay up all night on Friday riding then Saturday morning will be a nap. I do not sleep during the day no matter how tired I am. It's a rare thing for me anyway.

I'll update Thursday night or Friday with more details.

Life is good...cause I'm gonna get a new transmission!

Monday 4.7.09

Had two great hours of up tempo and climbing tonight. I kept thinking I would see groups out since it was a Tuesday night but only saw 2 groupo's (small groups).

When I dressed at the office before the ride I was thinking, "Man, this is over dressing and it's hot!" But I'm so glad I did because when the sun went down behind the hills the temperature dropped like a rock. My last Ft Root repeat was cold!

Speaking of Ft Roots. There is something dead at the first switchback and that dead smell has been going on for 2 weeks now. Whew.

I may be riding after work this afternoon. Not sure yet. Weather is going to be perfect. 74 degrees and sunny and no F5 winds.

Coming up this weekend is my night ride. I'm working out the details right now but some will be outside on the actual bike and some will more than likely be on a spin bike at home. Friday night may not be the best time to ride a solo on the river. In all honesty, I'm not worried about getting mugged but more that kids like to hang out down there and they would just be having fun but could spell trouble for me so... we'll see. Stayed tuned.

Life is good and I'm really feeling good about the upcoming 24 hour ride for ACH!

Check this out...

Jump over to my other blog and check out all the shirts and stuff...
www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

I'm off the bike today. Back at it tomorrow.

Taking Chicago's name

We're taking Chicago's name from them! Little Rock/North Little Rock is now the windy city.

The river was so wild you couldn't which way out was flowing sometimes. There were white caps this afternoon. Crazy stuff!

OK, here we go... got up and hit the road at 7 on Saturday. It was cold but not too bad. Made a couple of loops and then tried to hit the Carti ride but they had already left. I rode to Scott and back. Just as I was getting back into NLR the A group from that ride appeared behind me. Nice to hang with JBar for a moment. There are always super nice folks doing their training rides.

After we go back to the parking lot I slipped in to talk to Dave over at River Trail Bike Rentals. We used to work together years and years ago. Great guy and really funny. Nothing's changed. That was my first break (about 10am). Stayed just a few minutes then rolled out again. Mike Spain, another guy I used to work with at a different company years and years ago rode along with me a tad. He had been in the Carti ride.

Made another loop and stopped by my office and mixed some Hammer HEED. Great stuff!! I had FRS on the bike but like Heed a lot better. Just stayed long enough to mix and go. Gee seems like the wind is picking up a little. Oh well...

Did another loop and yes, the wind is picking up and it's not funny at all. I have hours still left to crank out. Coach Cooper has me down for 12 hours of riding today and 6 tomorrow and this wind is gonna make me crazy.

At 2 I finally stopped and open the back hatch and sat there eating a cinnamon bagel. JohnEEE came by on his way to his van. "Donut?" I just laughed and said, no worse, sugary cinnamon bagel. He was shaking his head at the wind too. It was really picking up.

Another lap. This is getting completely insane but I have to keep going.

I run into Charlie Hight by the BDB. Super guy and great supporter. He'll do anything for anyone, almost. We part ways and I decide to stay on the NLR side and go up and down.
I hang it up at 5. Should have gone to 7 as planned but with that wind it was killing me. I got over a century of riding. 127 miles to be exact.

Sunday -- Today. Got out of class and it was raining. Oh no! But by the time church was over it was sunny and it had that great water steaming off the street smell. Terri and Em and I headed over to Jason's Deli and I had a turkey wrap. Good stuff.

On the bike a little after 1 and let me tell you. The wind yesterday was kid's play compared to this afternoon. I kept waiting for the wicked witch of the west to go floating by on her bicycle. I watched a 55 gallon barrel full of trash blow over and then the wind rolled it fast. All the trash was coming out and blowing down the road. Saw one of those stretch canvas type billboard blow off. I cranked it out. Going from the arena to the BDB was some of the hardest riding I have done. Serious, the gust were so hard that I looked down once to see 4mph. Even the cities strong riders were fighting it. I really felt bad for folks like families who started at the BDB and was pushed along having a grand time only to have to fight their way back. I saw a LOT of people simply pushing their bikes. The last time back to the arena was tailwind. The other times I played it safe and rode easy back because I knew I would need the energy to fight my way back up the trail. But like I said... the last time I wanted to play... hard. I was riding easy on the trail since there were families around. Some cat came smoking by and I mean s.m.o.k.i.n.g!! I wanted to chase but nah, not on the trail. We got to the police clubhouse where it becomes road again and safe to cut loose and I gunned it (finally). I see the guy up ahead and I want this so bad. Call it what you want but I was feeling all golden rule here... you know... others had done unto me so now I must treat them the same way. I know, but it's something like that. Here we go... closer, closer... he is really moving... closer (ya hear the Jaws theme song don't you?!) Closer and over taken!! Then I start thinking ,"Ok hot shot Geo, what cha gonna do about it now? He's going to come get you for that!" It was like I was someone else and had super powers. I never dropped below 30 (yes, 30mph) until I past the crack house. I shut it down just past the crack house and had to brake it hard when I dropped back onto the regular trail part. I was laughing so hard! Monster tail wind ... I love you! Oh that was so much fun! I wished I could ride smoking crazy like that more often.

I called it a day with 40 miles. Sad but with 20-30 mph wind it was like climbing a mountain into the head wind. In fact I was telling Terri that if I figured this right then I was in the head wind about 20 miles which is twice as long as Mt Gaynor in NW Arkansas. I think it's the longest climb to do and it's about 9 miles. It was my first day of the loop the state bike tour I did back in 2005. It was NOT as hard as the ride today.

All in all I didn't get the total hours of training in but with the wind I feel safe to say that the level of training hit what would have been the hours without wind. I am happy with it. We'll see what Coach Cooper has to say. Probably something like, "Man, we ride in this kind of wind in Boulder all the time."

I'm sort of tired and my legs know they've worked the past couple of days. 167 total miles training in days. I really wanted more miles and more hours but like I said, I'm happy.

We have a crazy cold front coming through and even possible freeze tomorrow night. If it's really cold and really windy, which they say it's going to be, then I'll take the day off the bike tomorrow.

Don't forget to make a donation to the ride if you get a chance:
www.archildrens.org/GearsforEarsDonation

Life is good!

Thank you Robin and Wyndham Riverfront!

Robin and the fine folks over at Wyndham Riverfront have come through for us! They have provided a room stocked full for the riders who need to take a break. It's right on the river trail. I am happy as a loon about this!!

Go over there at eat or even grab a room ad stay there for the night during a ball game or concert!

Thursday 04 02 09

Took a couple of days off the bike to rest the poor climbing legs. No now don't start in on me until you hear the rest of it. I will be on the bike for 12 hours this Saturday. Yes, 7am to 7pm will be training riding. I will have to tell myself over and over not to try and ride fast but ride long.

Here's the plan for the next weeks:
Saturday - 4-4-09 -
Ride at river where the 24 hour rid will actually take place from 7a to 7p. Will ride with Carti ride at 9a for some company but must ride slow. Should see my first century (100 miler) of the year.

Sunday - 4-5-09 -
Church then the afternoon will be on the bike. Should have 18 hours combined riding by Sunday afternoon.

Monday 4-6-09 -
After work recovery easy ride for an hour or two.

Tuesday 4-7-09
After work ride. Meet up with Fast Girls Slow Guys club. We'll see how the legs are doing.

Wednesday 4-8-09
Off the bike

Thursday 4-9-09
After work easy ride due to long ride coming up.

Friday 4-10-09
Night ride. This is going to see what it will be like to be exhausted and ride at night. Pray I don't hit deer or skunks!

Saturday 4-11-09
Recover from wild night before.

Sunday - church and ride
Monday - after work ride
Tuesday - Club ride
Wednesday - off
Thursday - Club ride
Friday - chill out
Saturday 4-18-09 --- Up to Jonesboro for the Race for the Cure bike ride. 50 miler tapper ride.

Sunday - church and ride (MICHEAL W SMITH AND STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN CONCERT!)
Monday - after work ride
Tuesday - Club ride
Wednesday - off
Thursday - Club ride (In Studio visit at POINT 94.1 FM at 8am central -- listen online!)
Friday - chill out
Saturday - 4-25-09 -- Cheer on the folks riding the Tour de Cure. Just ride a while for fun. Then tell the river goodbye for a few days.

Monday - Wednesday -- just basic getting ready stuff.

Thursday -- APRIL 30th -- 9am --- start riding and having fun with friends.
6pm - be at Murray Park for the Hands and Voices picnic.
Make it through the night with Moondawg, Chris and Robb. Can't think of a better group to hang with all night. Going to be a trip! These guys crack me up!

Watch a beautiful sunrise I hope!

May 1st, 9am --- roll in and celebrate another success for kids with hearing problems!

So there you have it! You want to donate now don't you? Well here is the web address. It's all tax deductible and it ALL goes to the kids... all of it!

www.archildrens.org/GearsforEarsDonation

Tell all your friends! Push for a big number this year! Help me get there!

Life is good!!

Monday 03 30 09

Out riding around 5:40 until a little about 7:30. Good riding. Did some hill work. Legs feeling strong!

Newest sponsor coming in! Wyndham Riverfront Hotel. They will be providing a room and showers for the riders who need to take a break. Thank you Robin and Wyndham Hotels!

This is getting really exciting now! A huge batch of letters will be dropping in the next few days.

Thanks everyone!

Life is soooo good!

Sorry!

Sorry folks! Didn't do well at all on the blog this week huh? I'll do much better this week even if they are short.

I went to church today then headed to the house while Terri went over to Memphis to pick up Em at the airport. Air tickets are soooo much cheaper out of Memphis than Little Rock!

I went out and rod a tempo ride this afternoon but had to be back at church for a video run during the evening service. I bust ed out the door and came home, changed clothes and hit it again on the bike. This time it was 2 blocks away on Oakridge hill. It's a great hill for repeats. That last repeat about blew me.... but it was the only way to get home. So up the hill I went. I even had a couple of neighbors cheer me on! What a little love can do! HA!

I got a buzz haircut Friday evening and I forgot how good that double sided tape sticks the cochlear implant to my head. I'm going to look like I have mange (sp?) from pulling what little hair I have left out.

It's coming down to the wire. One month from Wednesday will be the 24 hour ride. Am I ready? Almost. The funnies thing is that I'm worried that no one will really want to ride with me because I have to keep it slow to last 24 hours. But as hard as the ride itself? I'm more relaxed going into this ride than any ride I've done. I have a good feeling and something about it being local just makes it icing on the cake.

This Saturday is make it -- break it Saturday. Pray for good weather. I will be on the bike from sun up to sun down in training. 12 hours. I then have to turn around Sunday and get more hours in. The goal is set at 18 hours on the bike in 2 days. I'm really cool with it. As long as everything on the homefront it good then I'm at ease and can ride all day.

Life is good!

Now that was a fun weekend!

Woke up Saturday to cloudy skies. I'm supposed to ride! Flipped on the weather to see rain heading this way but they are saying it's not making it to the ground. So where's it making it too? I went ahead and got ready and just as I start to go what happens? Yep, you guessed it, it starts to rain. It was just light but enough to get everything wet. I'm bummed then I look out of the front door and it's light that way. Yes! I go ahead and drive to the ride instead of riding to the ride just in case. No one wants to ride home in the rain.

Got to the rid and no rain! It was the Carti training ride. Always a fun group. I went with the B Group this time after the 16-18 mph crowd went nuts last time. The whole ride seems to have busted apart so I rode with different folks.

Got lucky and the Trek demo truck was at Burn's Park so I stopped to say howdy to the guys. Richard who owns Arkansas Cycle and Fitness was there and the guys talked me into riding a very nice Trek road bike (Madone (sp?)). Oh wow! That was a nice bike. New shifting set up!

So I rode back towards the car and there was a peace rally going on. Well you know me, gotta stop and check it out. The rain was just starting but not bad. Listened to a couple quick speeches and then a musician got up and I bid farewell to Mike who i had been riding with and the rain came down! I got to the car and yep, it was great timing.

Today was church, then a cook out for a homeless shelter then 3 hours of riding. Fun stuff! Seriously nice ride.

Ok, the IPhone! I love it! i haven't even gone to the app store yet and I'm just amazed what this phone does. I can hear fine with the CI but I can plug it in direct to the hearing aid and whoa! Super crisp and clear.

Life is good!

IPhone ... IRide ... IHear

Yes, I broke down and bought an IPhone tonight! Oh this is deadly! I've only had it a few hours and I'm afraid if you took it away I would fall on the floor, curl into the fetal position and sweat and shake! 15,000 applications to add on!

Plugged the bad boy straight into my hearing aid. As crisp and clear as the IPod music.

I'm in love!

I know I said I was moving everything to the other blog but nah...

Crazy Train

Training is going well! Out there every day now.

Finished up Sunday afternoon with a great ride!

Monday afternoon I cranked it out with an old pal. Both of us had batteries go out on our computers so we had no idea how fast (or slow) we were going but the legs were tired by the end of the ride so we had to be doing something.

Tuesday afternoon I barreled out of the office and headed down to the sub (as in submarine) and hit the trail. Met up with all my pals at Cook’s Landing for the 6pm Fast Girls Slow Guys ride. I was a complete blast! I missed riding with them. I had sort of lost my legs for awhile for their speed. Still lost the A Group when we hit the open road. They are about 20 years younger than me and skinny as a rail. It is a beautiful thing to watch about 20-30 bike rolling out for a fun ride.

I spotted a group of guys coming over a hill and they were smoking fast. No kidding! FAST! I asked one of the guys in our group who that was and it’s a local racing club called Nitro. I think it’s the Competitive Cyclist club. This is one of those “Ride with the big dogs or sit on the porch”. Loved watching them ride.

Plotting out which way the loop will be for the Gears 4 Ears (G4E) ride Both directions have it’s pros and cons.

I’ll be on KKPT Point 94.1 at 8am on Thursday April 23rd. That’s a week before the ride! Their morning show is a riot! Can’t wait!

The registration forms will be on the ACH (www.archildrens.org) very soon. This is the first time I’ve ever had a registration form for a ride that I coordinated so making sure everything is correct.

Here are some more details of what’s going on with the ride:

There will be a phone number posted in several places that you can call/text on the day of the ride to find out where on the trail we are so you can jump in. We will be at the Murray Park Pavilion 1 & 2 around 6pm for 15-30 minutes. There is a great picnic and maybe a band playing that is part of the ride. Yes, you can come down and eat and/or ride.

Remember you can ride as much or as little as you want. You do not have to ride 24 hours.

To donate visit: www.archildrens.org/GearsforEarsDonation

Hey friends and family... I need to ask a favor. I'm going to be blogging on the Gears 4 Ears blog from here until after the ride. So go to this address...

www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

There are about to be a lot of updates plus you can subscribe to it and when I update it will send an email to you.