Check out this video on abc3340, one of our local TV Stations. Click on the picture to see the video.
This footage is from last year when I did the ride. There was only three of us then. This year there were about 30 cyclists.
Maybe they’ll have the interview with me from today posted later?

(Click the picture to watch Josiah bounce!)

I am home from work early today after bouncing around town on National Bike-to-Work Day. At 6AM this morning, I left to bike into downtown Birmingham to gather with other cyclists and bike commuters for a rally at Five Points South. When I got there, I saw ABC 33/40 broadcasting live and moseyed on up to the front of about 30 people where my racing buddy, Travis, and Faris, one of our Tria-Market / Two Men and a Truck bike team sponsors, were hanging out. After the news reporter stopped broadcasting, she asked for a volunteer to be interviewed. She interviewed Travis first, and Travis didn’t hold back any words about how the city (especially motorists) could do better to facilitate bike commuting — wider roads, shoulders on roads, share the road attitudes, etc… Then Travis said she should talk to me since I commute to work every day on my bike. She asked me if I found it difficult to find safe roads to ride. I told her that where I live is like an island in that I am surrounded by Old Rocky Ridge and Rocky Ridge roads, which are not very safe for cyclists. Once I make it off those roads into the neighborhoods, I can find pretty safe roads to ride on — but there is no easy way to avoid the busier roads.

After the interviews the group of about 30 went on a 7 mile tour that ended up at the Regional Planning Commission, home of CommuteSmart, which sponsored the event. They had all kinds of schwag and I got a cool reflective cover for my backpack straps. Faris and I took off back over the mountain to Homewood and then I biked on into Samford for a nice 20 mile commute into work this morning!

I finished preparing my final exam for my intro to computer science class, gave the exam, and then biked home and it’s just barely 3pm. I took this video of Josiah while Kristine was putting Analise down for a nap.

Josiah has progressed from walking to climbing quite rapidly.

Just another day in the life.  I really want to crawl in bed, but this is my pre-bedtime therapy:)  Thanks to all who commented on my sweet Mother’s Day video of Josiah walking.  I’m still beaming over my handsome little guy tettering around, and he’s still trying to walk all over.  Analise is feeling a little snubbed, and as we were ooh’ing and ahh’ing over Josiah walking, she said, “Look at me walking!”  We gave her a good clap.  Now she’s started showing off by running… circles around him as he’s trying to walk.  Poor boy.  It’s hard enough to get those little feet off the ground, let alone keep your balance while your sister is singing circles around you like a whirling dervish.

We just wrapped up another night of home church.  The evening came together pretty well, all things considered.  Josiah spiked a fever over 103 around noon, and I couldn’t get in to see the doctor until 4:30.  Tylenol only kept it down to 101.5 during his nap, and I frantically got the house in order, made a Darn Good Chocolate Cake and some Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip.  I had to pick up our babysitter, who took care of Analise while Josiah and I headed to the doctor.

His fever was 102.5 when we got there, and they gave him some tylenol and started the tests.  No definitive answer yet, but his throat is raging red (but the strep test was negative) and his blood count indicated a bacterial infection.  Hopefully, hopefully it’s not a urinary tract infection, because with his urinary reflux, it can cause damage to his kidneys.  The urine test was inconclusive, and we’ll wait for more results tomorrow.  In the meantime, he got a shot of antibiotics, and I hope I can keep his fever down tonight.  He was such a good boy during the long, painful doctor’s visit.  We got home just in time to welcome all our guests for dinner.  And Josiah took a few steps for everyone before he headed to bed.

The exciting news of the week is that my computer is back from Dell.  Amazing!  The DHL guy picked it up on Friday at 6pm, and it was back here before 11am on Tuesday!  That’s awesome service.  The screen is better than new, we installed Windows Vista, which is very fun to be using, and the computer is running like new.  I think we just gained another couple years with this computer.

‘Night, all!

Woke up grumpy, after a bad night’s sleep. Analise was pukey last night before bed, so I was up a couple times checking on her, and the obligatory time or two with Josiah. Then he was ready for the world at 6am. I stuck him in the exersaucer with Baby E while I got a shower. Brian was still sleeping, and when I got out of the shower, he greets me by rolling over and sleepily saying, "Josiah’s fussing". Seriously. I was like, "Do you know what today is?" "Oh yeah, I guess I’ll go get him." Please…just so I can have 20 minutes to myself to get ready before I start taking care of everyone.

The day did improve, though.  Analise and Brian stayed home while I went to church.  I even got to work in the nursery… how ironic!  I made lunch (frozen lasagna, not too hard) for his mom and brother, and Josiah did his stuff. Seriously made my day. And we all got naps this afternoon.

Analise has been a little more of a grump than usual, but I suppose it’s to be expected since she’s been feverish… all my trying to explain to her that it’s Mother’s Day, and she should be sweet for me hasn’t really gotten through. Brian’s taken care of them for a few little blocks of time today, but they’ve driven him a little nuts.  I feel bad, but then I feel like at least it’s not just me that they can drive crazy at times!

I was looking forward to a really nice dinner out at a great fish place, Up the Creek, but when we got to the restaurant, there was a 30 minute wait, and we just couldn’t do that with hungry little ones. So we ended up at a sandwich shop.  But at least I didn’t have to cook!

Anyway, sorry to ramble. As much as I sort of wanted a day free of taking care of people, that’s not really realistic when you’re a mom with 2 little ones.  And God tossed in some really sweet moments to make it memorable.  All in all, it was a pretty typical day of being a mom… I’m awfully lucky.

Josiah’s Mother’s Day surprise! (Click picture to watch video!)

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love Brian, Kristine, Analise, and Josiah

🙂

We packed up my laptop yesterday and sent it off to Dell.  For over a year now, thin vertical lines have been slowly appearing on the screen. Highly annoying.  We just assumed we had been too rough on it and that the screen was going out. Since screens are so expensive to replace, we were disappointed to think we’d probably be better off replacing the entire laptop in the next year or so when the screen finally went out. 

Last month, though, I got a letter from Dell letting us know that our laptop screen had a defect and that Dell was replacing screens for FREE. SWEET!  They sent DHL to pick it up, and we should probably have it back next week.  I’m so excited!  Brian’s happy, too, as this gave us a good excuse to get everything on the computer backed up so he can install Windows Vista when we get it back.  It’ll be like a new computer!  WOOHOO! 

Right now, though, I’m using my (originally Brian’s) old laptop that I used in Nicaragua.  I have such fond memories of this computer… lots of sweet IM conversations with my boyfriend and then fiances, tons of long rambling love letters sent and received, lots of Nicaragua memories chronicled on the old Mercy Ships Nicaragua website.  Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes!  This is a good old computer. 

But.  The power cord is very loose, and it has no battery power left.  So if it even slightly moves, it may power off with no warning.  And the keyboard has some issues.  The spacebar doesn’t seemto beworking wekll.  And I keep getting randome letters insertedinmy typing…  Outlook is not installed, so I’m having to surf the net to get my mail. This is actually a good thing, as I’m a little too mail dependent.  🙂

Quiet Saturday night.  Brian’s at school for some student presentations. Josiah just went to bed, and Analise is snuggled on the floor.  She’s feeling a little sick tonight, so I hope that she’s better before church tomorrow.  She had a busy day at a birthday party and lots of time outside.  I’m alternating between holding her on the couch and looking for a Mother’s Day craft for Sunday School tomorrow. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all my mothers, grandmothers and mother friends!  You are priceless, and God knows you are His hands here on earth. 

Now this is applicable research for a mother: from the New York Times…

Josiah is 11 months old today! Just typing that brought tears to my eyes. I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. For the last month or so, I’ve been remembering last year at this time, being so very pregnant, aching, miserable, anxious to meet our new little boy. Wondering what life would be like with 2, how would I share myself with another child, how would we juggle the needs of two little ones. It’s just crazy how much our lives seem to have changed in a year. It’s a long time, yet it seems like yesterday. A friend of mine said something that resonated with me a while back…

"These toddler days are fleeting. So many people tell us "They grow up too fast." It’s so true. They really do. Some days I feel guilty for "wishing the day away". You know those kind of days…days where you ask "What else can go wrong???" But each day with them is such a gift. I can’t imagine not being a mom. Some days though I do wish I had an identity beyond just being "mom". I feel like I’ve lost a bit of myself but I’ve gained so much too."

That about says it all (thanks, Mandy!).

My little baby boy is turning into quite the handsome little man. It’s amazing how much he’s growing and changing and learning. He’s got a soft head of strawberry blond curls… and a little red-head temper to go with it. He’s very mellow and good-natured most of the time, but when he gets mad, watch out!

He’s cruising all over the place, very nearly walking. In fact, we’ve thought he was going to take a step several times in the kitchen, as I was sitting on the step stool with some food, and he was across the room. When he sees food, he’s highly motivated. He’s so very close to walking, and that’s only come in the last week or so. He’s also started to be quite a little entertainer, shaking his head and belly laughing. When he knows he’s making you laugh, he just loves to keep doing whatever he’s doing.

He’s full of babbling, only a definite "mamamamama" when he’s mad or wants my attention. Analise was like that, too. And "da-da-da-da" is a common word, but at the bike races he’d blurt it out when he saw a bike or Brian, so I think it’s starting to mean something. He’s also starting to say "na-na", and I wonder if that’s for Analise. He gets excited and starts talking when we pick Analise up from school, and of course, she’s very excited to see him. It so sweet.

When he’s on his own, he’s very content to play and explore, relatively safely and out of trouble. But when Analise is around, nothing is as fun as trying to be involved in whatever she’s doing. I’m constantly playing referee these days. He definitely thinks that whatever Analise is doing must just be the most fun.

Analise loves to go in and talk to him when he wakes up from a nap (can you tell that he’s still a little bleary-eyed when the whirlwind of Analise bursts in to see him?). She’s also taken to climbing into his crib to play with him. He likes to stand in his crib without holding on, so sometimes he’ll topple over as she’s bouncing around. Of course, he’ll crack his head and start to get upset, but mostly he’ll realize she’s there and forget to cry. Or he’ll topple over, and Analise will lay on top of him, laughing, and he’ll start laughing. It’s so funny.

Today he snuggled up on my chest before his nap. It was so sweet. I know there are very few of these "baby" moments left with him, and it was just so tender to hold him close to me, like I’ve been doing for 11 months. He rested for a minute before deciding there must be something going on that he needed to see and started squirming. But later tonight, he needed some snuggling to go to sleep, and as he fell asleep in my arms, and I was in no hurry to lay him down. A few more quiet baby moments to enjoy before they’re gone.

Here I am warming up at the Decatur Downtown Criterium while Kristine and Josiah stand nearby.
See more excellent photos in the slideshow here: http://decaturdaily.com/Palmer/bikes_to_web/index.html

Here I am mixing it up with the pros (front right a little blurry with orange glasses).
See more excellent photos in the slideshow here: http://decaturdaily.com/Palmer/bikes_to_web/index.html

This was my second weekend in a row of racing with the pro’s and elite amateurs in fields of 100+ riders. My results weren’t as good as I was hoping for, but it was still exciting racing, and I convinced myself that I could definitely race at this level with the pros. Some more hard racing and training this year and I should be ready for even better results next year! I’ve included my race reports below. We’ve got a few more pictures from our camera that I believe that Kristine is going to post with her take on the weekend in another post.

Sunny King Criterium, Anniston, AL – Saturday, May 5, 2007
Well, it wasn’t the night for me to finish well, but I almost won a $250 prime on the first lap. I attacked on the back side of the course and got a great gap but then came out of my right pedal in Turn 3. I had to coast through the turn with one foot out. I got my foot back in and still had a great gap on the field, but a jittery joe’s rider had bridged up to me. I laid it all out, but he was right on my wheel and came around me at the line for the prime. I got right on his wheel and drafted him around the course.  There was a $100 prime on the third lap and we were still away, but one other guy had bridged up and I ended up getting 2nd on that prime, too. Then I was getting tired but in great position at the front and I started to slide back gradually. Each time I slid back, I was thinking well I’ll just rest for a little bit longer — but pretty soon I was 2/3 of the way to the back of the field. On the backside of the course with the downhill, I was struggling to keep up the pace was between 35 and 37 mph on each lap down the hill and I would have to pedal fast to keep up. Then the pace would be fast up the hill through the start/finish and I just couldn’t find a place to rest on the course so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the end and got dropped after about 30 minutes. Some good exposure for our sponsors, though, off the front and the announcer said my name once or twice.

Read the press release about the race here: http://www.noblestreetfestival.com/press_releases/pr_05062007.htm

Decatur Downtown Criterium, Decatur, AL – Sunday, May 6, 2007
I had a great starting position in the second row. I was in good position for almost the entire race, and I did have to battle somewhat to stay there. Michael Olheiser and a Successful Living.com rider attacked to sprint for the first prime ($250) and they never looked back. I could see them a couple times at the top of the start/finish stretch when we were turning onto the bottom. I was not going to go for any primes as I was focusing on saving up my energy for the finish.

Once they got away, several of the stronger teams tried to launch riders off the front to bridge up. None of these worked because there were just too many people watching each other. One classic example was Colavita Sutter Home. I was sitting in the top 15, and working to stay there when two Colavita riders came flying by on a corner. There was already one Colavita rider at the front so now there were three Colavita riders total at the front. They drove the pace hard across the top stretch and then sat up in Turn 2 as their front man attacked. The bunch didn’t react immediately but then several other teams tried to send riders, too. Abercrombie and Fitch, Jittery Joe’s, and somebody from the Kelly team attacked hard up the right. I thought this looked dangerous so I attacked, too, up the left. About 10 other guys had the same idea so my “attack” turned into a move required just to stay in great position at the front of the pack as we barreled into the downhill Turn 3 going somewhere between 35 and 40 mph.

This process repeated itself over and over in the race. I felt great because I was always able to get a rest on the back stretch of the course and I was also able to pass people consistently on the outside without a ton of effort. If anybody passed me on the hill or in the corners, I would swing wide on Turn 2 and pass them back on the downhill sheltered from the side-wind. I also attacked to stay at the front whenever the pace would start to slow through the start/finish. I made one small mistake, though, that cost me my great position going into the sprint. I was on the tail-end of the Abercombie & Fitch train sitting on Mark Hekman’s wheel with 10 laps to go when somebody at the front sat up. I thought, wow, this is an awesome position right here behind the current series leader so maybe I’ll get a rest and not attack to stay up front. Big mistake. The entire pack surged on either side of where I was sitting and I lost at least 30 positions maybe closer to 40 or 50 positions. It was crazy. On the wide course, there was room for three or four riders on either side and they just streamed on by going maybe 5mph faster than where I was boxed in. Somehow Mark made his way back to the front and still finished in the top 5 for the race, but I had difficulty finding room to pass very many people. I hung on and was able to move up a few positions to finish 45^th.

Crazy move of the day
The crazy move of the day went to a couple riders and a photographer with five laps to go. The whole pack was attacking trying to jockey for position going into Turn 3 at the bottom of the hill. Clearly, we were going way too fast and there just wasn’t enough room so two riders who knew they weren’t going to make it bunny-hopped the curb going 30+mph into the oncoming traffic lanes. There was a photographer standing on the curb that had to scramble out of the way. I think those riders were able to make it back into the race, but they would have been in terrible position by the time they made it around the barriers.

Fight of the day
The fight of the day came between two riders in front of me, also coming into Turn 3, who started out by bumping into each other to get position for the corner. This didn’t make either of them happy so one guy stuck his arm out and shoved the other one – who didn’t budge since he was already leaning into the other guy. He sticks his arm out and shoves back before people (including me) started yelling at them to quit. I thought for sure one or both of them were going to fall right in front of me.

Read the press release about the race here: http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/sports/070507/race.shtml

Pictures from the Historic Roswell Criterium (4/29/07). This was a great race for me as I finished 29th in the Pro/1 National Racing Calendar race. I finished in front of lots of pros and elite amateurs. Still hoping for a top 20 finish tomorrow and/or Sunday! These photos were all taken by Trish Albert and uploaded to SmugMug. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Here is the best one from the bunch … me leaning hard into Turn #1.

Before the start … look carefully and you can just make out my head amongst the 100+ starters.

Earlier in the race in Turn #1

Different angle leaning into Turn #1

Towards the end of the race, on the start/finish straightaway