Only $18,000

That's right...for only $18,000, you can have your very own, fully loaded, convertible, two-seater...

SMART CAR!

At about 2 1/2 feet in length, you, too, can squeeze into ANY parrallel parking spot in the NATION. Of course, it's pretty hard to fit a bicycle in/on a car that's smaller than your bicycle, but hey...it's a Smart Car! Come to think of it...my bicycle probably has more horsepower than the smart car! :) hee, hee!

Honestly, I think these things are really cool! I'm honestly not sure about the practicality of everyday life with one, but how awesome if you live in a city or don't do a ton of long distance driving. Of course, if I were to get one, it would have to be massively pimped out and badass, otherwise, it would just be silly! :)

Sad News

Chuck and I found out yesterday that his Uncle Matt passed away early in the morning. In some ways, we still don't know the details about this. He has been sick for a while - liver failure - but was holding his own and doing ok. Even still, his death was pretty sudden and everyone is reeling a bit. So, we have a funeral to attend this weekend. He was a nice man and we will miss him.

Horoscope Wrap Up

Oh, the irony! For the past several days, since my initial horoscopic post, I have been keeping an eye on my future via the back page of the news! Funny that EVERY horoscope since then has mentioned some sort of financial windfall coming my way! HA! I think Chuck and I will be playing the lotto tonight...just in case the winds of change are right! :)

Wool Weenie!

Ok...now, I should start by saying that I have never ridden outside in the winter as much as I have since becoming Sturdy. However, I am certainly what you would refer to as a full-fledged Wool Weenie. I HATE being cold. I would rather be so drenched with sweat that people think I went swimming with my bike than so cold that I lose feeling in my fingers, toes and nose!

This weekend, with temps hovering just around freezing, is a huge step up from last weekend, where the wind chill was in the single digits. The good thing about living here on the east coast is that it doesn't stay cold for very long. The bad part about it (as a cyclist especially) is that we tend to get most of our snow in February - and since races are in March, it stinks to spend the last month before race season cooped up on a trainer.

But, I digress....we have our second training session tomorrow, and I'm already getting my wooly socks, under armor, toe warmers, shoe covers, balaclava, lobster gloves, and winter jacket ready. It's going to be a chilly one! :)

Horoscopes

Now, I've never put a whole lot of stock in Horoscopes, although I have always enjoyed reading them...just to see what they say. Today, however, I have to admit that my horoscope seems oddly fitting.

It said something like, "Keep things in perspective. Do not let your emotions get the best of you, as it will certainly be your downfall."

Now, allow me to explain the relevance to my life this morning (and please keep in mind that it is only 7:47 am as I write this!).

I woke up this morning in a bit of anxiety. See my last post! The anxiety is caused by the combination of excitement about purchasing my new bike and the terror of knowing that I'm spending more money in two weeks than I have spent on myself in the last two years or so! Anxiety abound!! But, hey...keep it in perspective. I don't spend money like this on a regular basis, so I should be able to restore my savings in no time. And, after all, it's only money! I have a job, so more comes in every couple of weeks, right? Right! Phew...there's one thing off my shoulders.

Next, I realized that I had left my jump drive in the classroom computer...AGAIN! I seem to have a need to have this thing glued to my butt, so I don't forget it everywhere. No big deal right? WRONG! That drive has my entire graduate career on it! My bibliography for studying for prelims, my working dissertation bib, everything. So, I had the anxiety blues again as I worried about whether or not it would be in the computer when I arrive at school. But, hey...keep it in perspective. If it's there, then I am worrying about nothing. If it's not, I was the last one in the room last night, which has been locked ever since, except for cleaning crews, so they probably picked it up and put it in lost and found. No big deal, right? By the way, it was still in the computer, so all is well!

THEN...I was rushing out of the house this morning and I left my phone on the mantle. Normally, no big deal. Today, though...I am going to be at school from roughly 8am to 7:30pm. And, intending on taking the train home and the hubster picking me up, I usually call him from the bridge. But, now I can't. But, hey...keep it in perspective. I lived for years without a cell phone. I can use a pay phone, or call him from Philly before I leave, or something. No problemo. Issue solved.

So, oddly enough, it looks as though my horoscope is actually somewhat apropos today. Interesting...strange...fun! Maybe tomorrow's will tell me that we're going to win the lottery and all our troubles will be over FOREVER! :)

Well...I did it!

Well...my pocketbook is a bit lighter this evening...since I just put a downpayment on my new SPECIALIZED TARMAC SL!!!!!!!!! :)


Ooooooh, baby! The best part is that it may be here in a week or two...I wasn't expecting it for a while. Did I say a good thing? Unless, of course, you consider that I have to pay the remainder before I can take him home! :)

One of the guys at the shop suggested selling my car to pay for it. The funny part is...my 95 Escort WAGON is worth less than half of what I'm paying for my bike! :) Guess that won't work, eh? Hee, hee!

All I know is this...I'm getting a new, speedy, snappy, purty bike...SOON!

When Looks are VERY Deceiving

I want to go outside and ride my bike. It's a beautiful morning...the sun is out, the sky is clear, there's not much of a noticeable breeze. What's the problem? It's hovering somewhere around 15-20 degrees out there. BRRRRRRR! Something tells me that I'll stay inside today! Maybe I'll head over to the shop to get fit for my new bike?! :) Might be a nice, bike-related indoor activity! :)

Slipstream Rocks!

A really great article about the Slipstream Cycling team...on ESPN no less.

OK, I take back SOME of the things I said about you, ESPN. Keep paying attention to my boys, now!!!

Looooong Weekend

This weekend is MLK day weekend. I have bad memories of this holiday...as my 16th Birthday fell on a Monday (way back when), and I couldn't get my driver's license until the next day because all Federal service offices were closed. But, I digress...Now, however, I welcome the looooong weekend that we're going to have. I wish that it was going to be fun-filled and full of riding my bike, but I don't think that's going to happen with wind chills in the teens for Sunday and Monday and temps just above freezing on Saturday. Looks like a weekend of sitting my butt on the trainer and watching episodes of Rome! :)

Of course, there are benefits to frigid outdoor temps...fires in the fireplace! :) We've already moved a bunch of wood onto the back porch for easy access, and I would imagine that most of Sunday will consist of stoking the fire and reading in the living room. Oh, the cats will be in heaven! :)

So, to all of you out there...stay warm, stay happy, and enjoy your weekend.

Birthday Wrap-Up!

That's it! Another year under my belt....considering that I feel better than I did at 21, I'd say I'm doing pretty well for myself. I thought about it today...Where did I think I'd be when I hit (dare I say it) 30?

- I have a job - full time, with benefits, and I enjoy going to work everyday
- I have a husband - a great man who takes care of me, especially when I don't really think I need taking care of (but I do!)
- I have a house - a cute, little house that I love working on and love living in
- I have my health - and more - I ride my bike every day and LOVE every pedal stroke, I race my bike every spring and summer, and LOVE crossing the finish line (or not, as sometimes happens!)
- I have my family and friends - an INCREDIBLE circle of people who accept and love me for...well, me (and I know that can't always be easy!)

So, my birthday has come (and is about to go) on a great note. I got to have dinner at my favorite restaurant complete with a nice bottle o' vino, I had birthday cake with the hubs and the in-laws, and I got some gift cards to put towards my new Tarmac! What more could a gal want?

Thanks to all of my birthday well-wishers....it was great to receive so many emails, phone calls, and renditions of "Happy Birthday" (Matthew...I think yours was the winner!!!)!

hmmmmm....

very quiet now....like a fish...

happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to meeee, happy birthday to me.

that's it....

Bikes, bikes, bike-y bikes!

I have gone from patient, to anxious, to impatient, to patient, and back to anxious...and it's all paying off. The Sturdy Girl Race team has struck a deal...with a bike company! Very exciting! It looks like I will be purchasing, in the very near future, I hope, a brand, spankin' new Specialized Tarmac that will look something like this! :)

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Doesn't he just look F-A-S-T?!?!?! Or is it a she? Not sure yet...I'll find out soon enough. All I know is that the wait on this is almost over and I am ever so THANKFUL to my teammates and our sponsor for taking the time, energy and patience to see this amazing deal to fruition! So, I have to send out a big

THANK YOU

to

Specialized Bikes,

Dana and Sally

and

KESWICK CYCLE!

Nostalgia...

In the strangest places.

Isn't it interesting how certain smells or tastes make us think of things from our past? I've always been fascinated with the memories that get stored away. In all honesty, I am TERRIBLE with remembering things. I don't mean studying or remembering what's going on next week or last week. But, I am really BAD at remembering things that happened years ago. My mom and dad tell great stories of things when they were younger - growing up in a home heated by actual coal and the cold mornings when the coal had died out. They remember jumping out from under the covers and getting dressed on top of the heating grate so that they didn't have to stand out in the cold too long. I can barely remember things that happened in college! I'm not sure why my memory is like this, but I think it's unfortunate for me. Then there are things that are so unbelievably clear to me that I can not get them out of my head, even if I try.

Anywho...back to the issue of nostalgia...and smells.

One smell that I will NEVER forget is the smell of chlorine. Having been a swimmer since the age of 6, that smell is one that I love and loathe simultaneously...but mostly love. The other day, I arrived at the Manayunk Diner for a morning ride. I was early, so I went over to the diner to use the restroom (and buy a bagel, since I always feel weird using the bathroom and the parking lot without buying something!). Anyway...I open the door to the bathroom (which, by the way, is the CLEANEST facility I have EVER used in public) and I am struck by memory. Mainly because the bathroom smells like a swimming pool. Not the smell that you get when your on deck or sitting in the bleachers of the pool, but the smell that wafts down the hallways of the school letting you know that somewhere behind those concrete walls is a watery, 25 yard haven. Somewhere around the corner or down a stairwell, the cool water of a competition pool awaits that first dive that disrupts the silence of the surface. I was always amazed that I could smell a pool even outside...just knowing that it was inside those doors. Amazed that the perfume of chemicals could penetrate even cinderblock...no wonder it hangs on your skin and hair and clothing.

Imagine...all that by walking into a bathroom....in a diner...in Manayunk.

Recap Additions

I can't believe that I forgot to mention Gertie in my last post. How terrible of me! Gertie was one of the gifts that Chuck and I received from his mom and family...a GARMIN! :) They got us a GPS Navigator for the car! It's sooo cool! You plug her in and tell her where you want to go and BINGO...she gives you turn by turn directions - and talks to you, no less! We used it to get down to Washington, and it was GREAT! On the way home, there was a traffic backup on one of the main highways. The message appeared on one of the big light up signs over the highway and it must have been sent my satelite because Gertie changed our course to get around it. Way rockin'!

I can't wait to use Gertie to get to my races next summer - I won't get lost anymore...WOO HOO!

Recap!

Holiday Recap!

Mom and Dad came in on the 19th to spend the holidays with us. It was a blast from the start! We shopped, we cooked, we baked, we ate, we played cards, and we had a WONDERFUL time together.

The 20th and 21st, Chuck still had to finish school...so it was me and the 'rents! We did a bunch of last minute Christmas shopping to get the last of Chuck's gifts purchased and wrapped. We had a nice time just walking the shops in Collingswood and Haddonfield. We went to the Candlelight Shopping and picked up some neat things on sale.

Then, the holidays got rolling. Breakfast with Charlie on Christmas Eve morning, dinner with Mickie. Breakfast with Mickie on Christmas Day with a huge turkey dinner here on Christmas Day night. So much food in 48 hours, I could barely walk. I have a LOT of bike riding to do to make up for it!

Santa Claus was VERY good to us this year. Among other goodies that came my way were a new sewing machine (totally cool - I already made curtains for all of my basement windows and a new tablecloth for the dining room!), and Chuck bought me diamonds!!! A TOTAL surprise, he got me two new stacking rings for my wedding band. I now have the original three bands and two more - when I can get a decent photo of it, I'll post! It looks cool and it was very exciting and cute to get something so nice!

We all got a little sick during the vacation. I was holed up on the couch for a day on the 26th with a nasty bronchitis type of thing. Thanks to some kickin' antibiotics, I was well enough on the 27th for our big day trip to Washington D.C.. My mom and dad had never been, so we drove down in the morning and spent the day checking out the memorials and the Natural History Museum. It was a beautiful, sunny day in DC and we had a great time!

New Addition

OK...so, shortly after I posted about the surprise that I couldn't share until my mom and dad arrived, my friend Karyn calls. Turns out, my post was not as innocuous as I had anticipated and poor Karyn was under the suspicion that our surprise had to do with the pitter patter of little feet. She was not completely wrong about that. What she was wrong about was the type of feet that would be pitter-pattering around our house. Yep...the crazy cat lovers have added another furry feline to the roost! Please welcome Cuchulainn (pronounced Coo-Hool-Lin) to our family!
Her name (Chuck's choice) is that of an Irish hero well known for having fits of rage during which he becomes invincible. The name fits every time she jumps on the head of her 14 pound brother in a galant attempt to wrestle! He flips her over and she just jumps up and attacks again! Of course, her name has been shortened to numerous nicknames like: Coo, Cuey, Cootie, Cutie, Chewy, and Cujo. She's a Torby, which means she's part tortoise-shell and part tabby cat. She's striped, but then she also has patches of colors. She's quite pretty and has a funny little brown mark on her pink nose that makes it look like her nose is dirty!

Her first adventure included climbing into the middle of our Christmas tree!!!


Cute! She's a sweet cat...loves to sleep on your head, loves to play, has already started fetching toys and bringing them back, and the others all love her. She's a great addition to the family. And my mom and dad loved her, too! Even if my mom (rightly) thinks we're insane for now having FOUR cats! Thank god I'm married, or I might end up a lonely old cat lady! :)

And a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all...although I'm a bit blue at the moment. My mom and dad are headed back to Michigan at the moment (I hope that they make it home ok since D-town got hit with more snow today!). It always makes me sad to have to say goodbye to them after they have come to visit. Even though we had such a WONDERFUL time during their visit...Chuck and I are sitting around tonight lamenting the fact that with only the two of us, we can't very well play a good game of Shanghai Rummy. It was an incredible visit and I'll post a recap and pictures as soon as I can.

And, yes, I will disclose my little secret with a set of photos in my next post. For now...I have to spend some quality alone time with the hubster!

Cheers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to all of my loved ones around the globe today! My sister in Guatemala, my brother in Michigan, Chip in Afghanistan, and all of you in the states. Many wonderful wishes, lots of love and hugs, and I hope all of your holiday wishes come true!

The Waiting Game Begins...

It's currently about 20 minutes to 4 o'clock. My parents should be boarding a plane in Detroit in about 1 1/2 hours and landing in Philly in roughly 3 hours. Now, the waiting game begins.

See, my house is clean, the bedroom is ready for guests, and all the other preparations are done. Now, I find myself pacing around looking for something else to do to pass the time (hence, the blogging).

I'm very excited for them to arrive. It's always such a great time when they're here. We'll have a few days of just Sarah and the 'Rents time while Chuck finishes up his week at school. We might try to get over to the Museum to see the Renoir show, or maybe just sit around and bake cookies and get some last minute shopping done. Whatever we decide to do, it will be lots of fun to have them here.

I'll be posting some top secret photos soon. They're top secret because I can't give away Chuck and my big surprise until my parents get here. You'll just have to wait! :)

Thanks to Luly and George for an excellent ride yesterday. It was really nice to get outside on the bike for a change. Riding that trainer is NO fun! :)

My Thoughts Exactly!

Isn't it hilarious when a cartoon reflects exactly how you feel or the life that you live?! This one did it for me. In the new milennium of Stuff (with a capital S), I often find myself feeling very old and old fashioned. Longing for the days when people wrote letters instead of blogs (yes, I know...the IRONY), when they had private conversations with their friends in their bedrooms rather than the bedroom linen section at Bed, Bath and Beyond, when you could ask someone directions on the street without waving your hand in front of their face first to make them turn off their iPod! Granted, I am as equally guilty of these things as the next guy - well, maybe not the private convo at BB&B, but that's hardly the point!

BUT...one thing I am NOT guilty of, is the TV, Video Gaming console, got to have the best High Definition, BlueRay disc capable, mambo jambo stuff! We have a 31 inch, analog console TV that takes up 6 cubic feet of space in the corner of our living room. And, GASP, it's not even a flat screen! Oh, the HUMANITY! This, I think, is why I found this Betty cartoon so hilariously funny! I hope that you all out there enjoy it, too!!!


Happy Shopping to all of you still out there ransacking the shelves for your loved ones! Best of luck and may you find all that you're looking for!