It was cold as ballz the evening of the Night Bubba, but Micah and I were packing embrocation, and Thomas was packing no fewer than 3 beers on his person, and a loaded flask to boot! We were also warmed by the many spectators; I am proud to say 15 of which were members of my personal fan club. I had a bunch of buddies from school come out and freeze their tails off to watch quite possibly the craziest thing they have ever witnessed on two wheels.
A handful of the crew came back to the house to celebrate w/ chili and buffalo chicken-dip galore. After dethawing a bit, the real party started. By 1 am, the Logan crowd had retreated, K and the dogs had passed out, and then there were three. Thomas hung strong until 3:30 or better, but quickly retired after pounding several liters of water. Micah and I were in awe of THIS little device I picked up earlier that day. Three bottles of wine and a sunrise later, we finally passed out at 6:45. Unfortunately, Micah had borrowed a bike, so we had to get it back to the fellow (Thanks Claw, you are the Man!) before his race. This was 11am. I am not the greatest w/ math, but that isn't much time for the liver to do it's magic and metabolize the sinful substance we had drown ourselves in just hours before. So, Thomas drove, Micah and I acted giddy, and the good times continued.
There are some pics of the race on stlbiking.com, but none of them are of me, so why would you even bother? This pic was taken early on Saturday. Thomas had an entire crab stuck in his throat from the airport; this is my valiant attempt to retrieve it.
My visit w/ the dudes was awesome! I wish it could happen more often. One day when we are wiping our butts w/ dolla' dolla' bills, we can fly all over to hang out for random weekend fun.
K and I cashed in on a little retreat as well. We kind of traveled back in time to a place that doesn't matter if you turn your assignments in on time or attend the weekly meeting. Our cabin and breakfast were amazing; traveling through wine country w/ 25 degree weather is interesting however. I didn't seem to mind too much, but it wasn't K's idea of a great time.
This was our retreat...pretty rustic huh?
This isn't so rustic;)
We had the fire roaring all weekend which made K happy...I just liked the crackle of a real fire. Our gas fireplace is nice, but to smell the seasoned wood, and hear the fire interact w/ it's surroundings is meditative.
If you didn't notice from the sweet pic of T and I (and K and I... see how smart I am? I refer to everyone by the first letter in their name!), I was sporting a pretty phat beard. This was a product of the 2008 edition of No Shave November. This season brought a new spin to the buzz phrase: charity. The founding fathers (Steveo, Cam-boy, and I) took NSN school wide and took donations. Seeing that we are the Logan Llamas (hey, our mascot will spit on your mascot!), we only found it appropriate to donate a llama to a needy family in South America. I think we actually raised enough money for two llamas. If you think I am joking, or just plain rediculous, go HERE ... you see, the llama is like a membership to the jelly of the month club; it is the gift that keeps on giving!
Founding Fathers...and their sweet T's.
The camera loves me
We started a transportation service called Stache Charters...who wants a ride?
And then there was State Cross: I will let the pictures speak for themselves
Just a note, this was the first lap...what the hell was I thinking?
At least my facial expressions are consistent.
All in all, the race was a top-notch event. Jeff Yeilding did an amazing job as usual. The course was fun as it was brutal, and the fans on the stairs were very much appreciated (and needed!).
We recently discovered Paola is a closet case drunk. This is good news for me, because I was trying to rationalize all of the empty bottles around the house. Turns out I am okay, but the kitty begins AA meetings later this week. Do you think she subscribes to "a bit of the hair of the dog who bit her"... I can attest, she certainly does!
We are starting finals at school...Yay! I love exams. Actually, I love what comes after exams which in this case is a trip to Florida.
Other quick items to address:
- K received the Master Teaching Award and is slated to speak in Vegas for the acceptance of said award...I am going to try and go too! Thomas, where was that magical elevator again? I am super excited she was nominated (silently) and proud she won this award. It is kind of a big deal...
- Happy birthday Brian Dziewa
- Turkey Day was good, we hiked, we ate, we slept.
That is all... see how much easier it is to update weekly? Yes I do.
