Hotter-n-Hell Hundred

Well, the Hotter-n-Hell Hundred has come and gone. Nic and I averaged a better speed and time than our first organized ride. It really wasn't all that hot. The route was a lot more hilly and difficult than the first and at about mile 15 we hit wind. So, we really had to push the last 10 miles as we were riding into the wind. The total I heard for the race was just over 12,000 riders!! Even with all those people everything went smoothly and as far as I know safely. Nic and I probably won't ever do more than 25 miles but it is our goal to train and improve our time and speed for the races.

Well, our 1st organized bike ride was a great success!!! At the last minute we decided to join the 25 milers. So, we biked 25 miles with an average speed of 12.5. We completed the race in just under two hours. We were quite proud with how we did considering we had never biked anywhere close to 25 miles before. There was also a lot more hills and rough road than we expected. We both enjoyed ourselves very much and are looking forward to our ride in Wichita Falls.

Nic and I have our first bicycle ride tomorrow (Sat). We will be cycling 15 miles. While we were in Hooker we did just under 10 miles in about an hour so neither of us are too worried about having a difficult time tomorrow. At the end of Aug we are riding in a race and are doing 25 miles so it should we a little more challenging to us. At least tomorrow we will be done before it gets so hot we can't breath. We hooked up our speedometer and odometers last night and took the dogs for a walk. I was pulling Xena with my bike and she kept us at a steady pace of about 10mph. I think she would have liked to go faster but I'm afraid she would have killed over from a heat stroke. Nic had his rollar blades on while walking Scooter and Nala. Poor Scooter got to ride in daddy's arms for a lot of the walk because his short, stuby legs couldn't keep up with Xena's pace. I'm sure we looked quite crazy running our three dogs around the neighborhood...hehe.

Well, we made it back from Hooker all in one piece. It was so HOT up there. When we left yesterday it was 104 degrees!!! That's just crazy!!

Nic and I celebrated our 4th anniversary together yesterday, Aug 2. After we both got off work, we went to dinner and a moive. We ate at RedRock Canyon Grill on Lake Hefner. We dined on delicious rotisserie chicken, carrots, mashed potatoes and corn bread. We went and saw "No Reservations." It was a good, holsome movie. I'm a big fan of Katherine Zeta Jones. We are headed to Hooker this weekend to see Nic's parents. We will be gone through Tuesday. His dad owns a couple of four wheelers and we will probably head to the sand dunes sometime while we are there. Please pray for our safe travel and return.

Bicycle Riding

Nic and I have decided (thanks to some friends) to take up cycling. I don't know how serious we will get into it, but we have already registered for our first race. We are riding in the Hotter-n-Hell event in Wichita Falls, Tx. We signed up to ride 25 miles. We both already had nice bicycles, but we had to go buy some helmets. We are trying to ride every evening in preparation for the race. Luckily WF is nothing but flat land so it shouldn't be too difficult. We both are in pretty good shape. So, wish up luck in our upcoming race and the ones to come!

Trip to Portland

Nic and I just got back from Portland, OR. He had a week long business conference to attend so I tagged along. So, while the guys were in meeting all day me and another co-workers wife toured the city. We had a fabulous time. I've never walked so much in such a short time. We did lots of hiking and walked pretty much every where we went. I think one day we walked close to 10 miles or so. This trip was an eye opener for me and I would have to say it changed my thinking on life. I was introduced to so many new and different things. Life is simple up in the Pacific Northwest. People don't need big cars, big houses, or lots of "stuff" to make them happy. All you have to do is look out your front door at God's amazing creation and fill completly full and happy. I have to be honest, I felt a little embarassed coming back home to my nice big house and car and the southern way of thinking that nothing is ever big or good enough. My home will always be Texas/Oklahoma and the south, but man I would love to live my life in the Pacific Northwest. You just can't help but feel close to God while standing on top of one of His mountains.

Here is a random picture of Nic and I that I found. We were in Hooker, OK where he was born and raised. His folks still live there and always will.

For some crazy, unexplainable reason I've taken on a new, interesting, but difficult challenge in my life. I volunteered (yes, I said volunteered) to take over teaching the Jr. High and High School girls bible class on Wednesday nights at church. These girls have the potential to do great things but need a lot of direction and encouragement to get them to that point. They all struggle with the typical teenage problems but for some reason this group really struggles with modesty. I had a major issue with it just last week with one of the girls. I'm at a loss as to what to do at this point. Nic and I had dinner with some friends last night and some how ended up on this topic. We were all at a loss on how to fix the problem. Every solution we thought of had a negative consequence following it. One of the problems we keep running into is the parents and their lack of care or concern for their daughters choice of clothing. I don't know, I just think back to when I was their age (which wasn't too long ago) and remember how first off my parents wouldn't let me buy risky clothing but they certainly wouldn't of let me walk out of the house with it on. But not only that, I had no desire to wear clothes that would make me look easy or as though I had little or no respect for who I was as a young woman. I just wonder what happened to women's self esteem and self respect. It's really sad to think that these teen girls are the future teachers, mothers, and wives of preachers, deacons, and elders of the church. I guess I felt the need to volunteer so that maybe I could have some kind of positive influence on these girls. I know I am sure going to try. Pray for me!!!

In an earlier post I mentioned that I graduated in December of 2006. What I didn't mention was what I am doing now. I graduated with a degree in Physical Education. Up until my last semester actually I had planned on getting my teaching degree and being an elementary PE teacher. Well, after being in the public school system and experiencing first hand what my life would be like on a daily basis I decided that teaching was not for me. I had the chance to experience several different schools and grades in several different towns and communities. After a bomb threat by a 5th grader, a knife brought to school, sassy teenagers, and an unruly 6th grade class I realized that my passion for teaching kids physical education would be laughed at, thrown in my face, and trampled on a thousand times over. In most cases teachers have no support or backing from the parents or the administration. They are in a fight all their own. It is quite sad actually. So, after many prayers, tears, and talks with my husband I decided to go ahead and graduate with my physical education degree since I was so close but without the teaching emphasis. As of right now (May) I am not working. I am enjoying being home and being a housewife. I am keeping my eyes open for a physical therapy tech job if one comes available, but I am taking my time doing so. I'm so thankful God has blessed Nic and I the way He has so that I am able to take my time finding a career.

WOW! Where do I even begin. It has been almost an entire year since I've written anything and if I tried to fill you in on everything that has happened in a year you'd be completely bored to death with pages of information that would probably put you to sleep. So, I am going to spare you the WHOLE story and try to just hit the high points. Hmmm...let me see.....July of last year Nic and I added a new addition to the family. We brought home a 6-week old yellow (actually she's white) Labrador retriever. After several days of trying different names we decided to call her Xena. She is now a 75 pound beast at just a little over a year old. But, she is the most well tempered, kind-hearted beast you could ever imagine. In August Nic and I celebrated our third anniversary. The fall semester was spent in school and working for both of us. On December 8, 2006 I FINALLY (after almost 7 years) graduated college!!! In January Nic took me on our first cruise to celebrate my graduating and my 25th birthday! We had a fabulous time and are definitely hooked on cruises. We departed out of Galveston, TX and sailed to Cozumel and Costa Maya.

Well, I think I'll save the rest for a later post. I know I've said this before but I am going to try and make this a daily thing or close to it. I have more time on my hands now and can be more devoted to this.

So long for now!!