home.

This photo probably doesn't have much of an affect on you unless you are actually one of my family and know the house in this photo. Inside this home is full of love and laughter. It's the home where I grew up and the home where my parents still live.

Oh the memories I have of this home and the family who has and is still living there.

I took this photo on Thanksgiving night just before we surprised my parents we special Christmas ornaments from each of us. I hung the lights outside the house before we did the surprise so we could get the full feel of a special Christmas tree lighting. My niece Lindsey came up with the idea and it made the afternoon that much more special.

(Geo releasing a long happy sigh)

Life is good...when you can always go home.

Saturday night quick hit

Christmas decorations... good grief! Up to the attic, down from the attic...repeat this many times.
I have to admit though, Terri has the house looking all cherry and festive!

Headed out on a training ride this afternoon and got bored on the river so I was going to ride on out to Scott or England since there was no wind! As I was heading out that way I spotted a group of cyclists and just as I was catching them they pulled over. I figured it was a flat or something but it turned out to be the mayor of North Little Rock (yes, he rides) as well as Rob, Charlie, Kenny, Tom and one other guy whose name is slipping my memory at the moment. I'll think of it about 2am. They were looking at new bike routes and boy did they come upon a GREAT one! There was a rode I've never seen before and have gone past it a million times. It was a great social ride for the reminder of the afternoon. By when that sun started setting the temp really dropped.

I stopped over at church and did a quick run through with Greg for tomorrow. WOW!!! You should see the auditorium!!! It's beautiful. We start a new series tomorrow called Joy to the World and each week is a different Joy. Nice to have a whole month of happy stuff. We have some great video coming through...starting tomorrow.

Hope to get out and ride tomorrow afternoon then it's back to the real diet come Monday. These holidays may be a bit tough on the diet plan.

Life is good... when you ride new places with new friends!

Put 'em under the lights!

I have an idea... I was noticing this morning that folks coming through the checkout lines on TV were frowning until the camera wa on them. Well by golly, I say someone paid a bunch of temps to pose as news folks and point cameras on random people shopping this holiday. Everyone of them smiled when the camera was pointed at them. Just think how great the holiday season would be if people smiled?! Just a random thought... back over to Itunes for new music... yes, I'm smiling!

I'll write a real blog later...

A Season of Thanks

Heading to the folks house in a bit. Just wanted to throw out a thanks to all of you guys out there! Everyone have things to be thankful for... simple things.

I am mentally in great shape. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. I did just typing that. But really, I am so in tune these past few days. Spent time with Terri in Branson, short work week, took yesterday off just to spend with my dad only. Just the boys. We headed down to Hot Springs and ate at Fisherman's Wharf and laughed and cut up the whole day. I left him falling fast to sleep in his chair at the end of the day. There is not enough money to tag that day. It's one I am making sure is burnt in my memory.

The morning training ride was good. Started off cool but warmed quickly as I took to the climbs. On the way down once I stopped several times to shoot the last of the fall leaves so I would have them to use in media as next fall rolls around. The river was dead... no one out. At the end of the ride John E pulled up beside me in his family van. I'm used to seeing him in his truck. He had started just before I got there but we never saw each other out on the trail. bummer. He's a good guy. and fun to ride with.

The other mental goodness is Terri and I are celebrating our 27th anniversary today. It's so cool that everyone got to take the day off and eating massive amounts of food in honor of our anniversary. Bless y'alls hearts! Buh ha ha ha! (Note to Terri: I LOVE YOU!!)

The final mental goodness is.... I'm not getting up and having to go fight the crowds at 4am shopping.... whooo-ray!

Life is good.... Life is thanksgiving!

AWESOME weeknd!

Just got home from an awesome weekend with my wife in Branson. Get this... no computer at all... we both took off our watches. Would have turned off the cell if we knew family wouldn't need us. We stayed at the Hilton on Branson Landing .. ate at Catina Laredo (oh my gosh that was good!). We shopped and shopped and shopped so more. Knocked out a lot of Christmas and who wouldn't when EVERYTHING in Branson was 50-70 percent off. Serious. Guess what else they are doing?! All stores in Branons open at midnight on Thanksgiving. Even the Starbucks was opening at midnight! Unreal!

Going to be a great short week at work... just think when we go to work tomorrow it will always sort of be Wednesday! Well since we are off Thursday and Friday!

Life is good... and yes I'm still completely crazy about my wife after all these years!

Quick hit

Oh yeah... life is good!! Gas in my hood is $1.55 a gallon. If you use your Kroger card after buying grocery's it's $1.45

Fall Training

I got two good rides in this weekend and still had lots of family time and yard time. I don't know, it all just clicked.

I started a real diet last week and stuck with it all the way until Friday lunch! I got to take the weekend off from it but only once did I train wreck. Tomorrow is not going to be so hard to get back on it because I know I can do it now. Besides, junk food now makes my tummy flip! Oh trust me I know.

Saturday morning I got up and ate these packaged chocolate chip mini muffins and a juice glass of milk. My tummy slapped the snot out of me and told me not to abuse him ever again. When did he tell me this... a few minutes into my ride. Tummy settled down but he was not a happy camper there for a few. Speaking of upset tummy's... what was Saturday in the runners world? I saw 2 different folks tossing their cookies on the side of the trail. One guy I had seen earlier doing an all out run... I mean the sort of run if bees are chasing you. We had our friend the wind on Saturday morning too. By the time I finished my arms hurt but it was from being so tense from staying upright during those cross wind blast.

Saturday night Terri made an awesome dinner then I worked a little more on Sunday media. I was really done but had those, "Let's tidy this art up a little". Well guess what? I changed the WHOLE format of the announcements into multiple mini commercials. Tyler had helped me download a piece of software for video's and I got hooked and I turned a PowerPoint announcement set into a video with all sorts of motions and graphics. It was something that I had been wanting to to for a long time... raise the bar! We had Christmas lights blinking, fall leaves blowing across the screen. I really wanted a dancing turkey but couldn't find what I had in mind.

Sunday I just loaded the "commercial" in and let it play (after I checked it on screen first). Woot Woot! It worked!

After church we had lunch and I headed over to Sport Clips for a head buzzing. I really thought it was be empty but oh no... Sunday after lunch is prime time to get a haircut. I had to wait 30 minutes and there were 2 families who came in after me. One had 3 boys and the other had 4 boys. Guys were coming in and seeing all the kids who were about to get cuts and left. They knew it would be an hour. Man, I love short hair!

I got home and headed out for the afternoon ride. Lots of families on the river trail today so I jumped off every chance I could get. It was a great ride and I did lots of climbing. Going up Ft Roots was just dandy! My legs seemed to have said, "Hello there climbing legs". As I was heading back to the car I was behind (not drafting) a mountain biker. I realized it was Peter Beland, a local really fast rider and he was cranking it out on the mnt bike too. I just locked in and stayed with him to the car. It was one of those beautiful fall afternoons that when you get back to the car and you look at the sun shining through the last of the leaves , breath in big and sigh in total happiness!

It's just been a great weekend all the way around!

Life is good... when you just let it happen!

Update coming on Saturday

I know I know.. unlike me not to update... check back on Saturday.

CONGRATS WES!

In the blog world you become "friends" with people from all over the world. Wes is one of those. I've busted my brain trying to remember how we ended up reading each others blogs. Other than the elite folks I admire around here locally, Wes is one of the most admired long distance. I remember when he first started riding his bike, when he first started running, when he and Deedee, his wife, started swimming. When they did their first Tri. When he humbly remarked that Ironman was in his distance dreams. Well friends, Wes became an IRONMAN in Florida last week. Even Terri got excited when I told her Saturday night that someone had finally blogged that he made it. Way to go Wes... Congrats on becoming "one of them"!

Wes' blog is listed a Code Geeks Tail over on the right side of this listed under the blogs I read. But here is the link: http://www.codegeekstail.com/
Trust me if you like reading long detailed Ironman reports then you are in luck here and they are awesome reads too!

Life is good... when you have another friend who has made it to the big time!

Game on! The clock has started!

Well kids today was start day! Six months from today we'll be finished with the Gears for Ears 24 hour bike ride for Arkansas Children's Hospital. 6 fast months!

Today's schedule had ride 50-70 miles. I got 53 miles in. Got up this morning and let the pup out and the deck was wet.... rain wet. Oh no, not the first day. But come t find out it was just a pop up shower. I waited for the roads to become semi dry in front of the house then headed out. The closer I got to the river the driver is was. In fact, it didn't even rain on North Hills. I could have been out an hour ago. Oh well, too nice of a day to pout. I headed out to the farmlands since the plan is to "work on your base miles for now". Just as I was about to turn toward the farmlands a large group of Carve riders were coming in. They were riding strong, as usual! I hope that in a few months I can get out there and hang with them again.

On the way back I stopped at Scott and finally turned on the tunes. I was enjoying the morning so much I wasn't bored and needing tunes. I love the smell of the farmlands. Oh funny story, I was riding along and just watching the road in front of me and I could hear a tractor. I looked up and lo and behold it was a giant combine coming at me. I had plenty of road on my side so no worries. Me and the farmer gave a howdy wave.

While I was at Scott I looked behind the building because there was a drive that I thought went back there. For the first time in the years I've been riding out there I noticed the river was right behind the building! I couldn't believe I had missed this beautiful place all this time.

I switched on the tunes and headed on in to North Little Rock. Made it home and got my prize.... a juice glass of chocolate milk. That was one of the things I had to fess up to was my love of chocolate so every time I put in a good effort for 30 or over miles I get a juice glass of chocolate milk as a recovery drink! I was icey cold and tail wagging good!

Well rest time is over and I have a lot of things to get done this weekend!

Life is good... when you chase it with a glass of chocolate milk!