I've lost my motor cross virginity

So much for having something saved for marriage.
I tried everything possible to find Southern Culture on the Skids song Dirt Track Date to play. But it just couldn't be done.

Ok guys, this was a blast. I'll admit it. Don't judge me. Maybe it was the overload of exhaust fumes in the air.

Pit crew for#808. Lee Smith. Adrenaline junky. These guys are all fu*#ing nuts..

115 bonus points.

All front teeth are capped silver (60), mullet (30), trophies are bigger then he is (25).
I was impressed that the pit crew actually knew how to work on a bike.....and here I thought we were just there to drink beer. And did you know that you can't have an open container on fair grounds, but if your sitting in the bed of the truck it is totally legal? That truck didn't fly away for a good 6 hours.

Interview question was going to be...... 'So Lee, nice ride.....wanted to ask you....when you got up this morning....what kind of toothpaste did you use?'

Fat Tire Festival

***Fat Tire is a beer, not a giant fat tire that a festival is built around****


Heather and I went to the bike/beer festival in Fruita last night. As we sat in the beer garden surrounded by mountain bikers, the announcer starts in about the 'bottle walk'. The Fat tire cruiser bike is up for grabs.
Pimp.
Now let me explain the concept of this game. Originating 3 years ago at this festival, it now has full on sponsorship from the local pizza shop.
Girls Only.
You get two full beer bottles.....Walk them out on your hands without letting your knees or elbows touch the ground.....Put one bottle out as far as possible.....And then hop back on one bottle, again without any body part touching the ground.
Can you say core muscles screaming?
Heather made it to the finals and then was taken out by the freakishly tall amazon women. 5'3 just doesn't have the arm reach as 5'9.
****Pictures are Trek team girl power.*****

On a side note I have a date today. I know what your thinking.....'Your not dating, you have a school program to date'.....And your right, but this one won me over, and you'll see why.

Im going to the motor cross dirt bike race......

(wait for it)

......where I'm going to be in the pit crew.
I'm all tapped in for the audio blog on this one. Maybe I'll do interviews from the pit.

an apple a day....

I got about two hours total of sleep last night. And again...not in the wink wink kinda way. I'll admit, I did just a bit of drinking last night after work, but then something didn't sit right in my system ....(could it have possibly been the holy tequila?) on top of it all, I hadn't eaten much. When I finally accepted that there was no way to sleep, I looked over at an empty glass of water, a half eaten apple and a 3am alarm clock all resting on the pillow beside me....when did I get up and eat an apple??
Huh.
This All Star has got to learn how to sleep.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab some fruit and go to bed.

Practice 5k was today. My girls kick ass. The race is next weekend, and I think I just might miss my little thugs.

It's been a beautiful last two days. Granted, I'm having a bit of a problem moving the muscles around, but hey, I choose my battles every morning....And my medications every night.

It could have been the boots.....or maybe it was thinking that I could hang on a bike ride with a pro.....either way, icepacks have taken over my freezer.

The mesa is beautiful. I hadn't been up there before, and for the last two days have spent the early mornings under these blue skies. I love it up there....
Marcel is in town and has cashed in all of his patience tickets, as it's a full on flail fest for me on snow. Im sure he thinks 'you were having fun?, I couldn't tell from all of the cursing'.

Yea, sorry about that.

cow bell

View of the Colorado River from todays hike.

I thought that this cow wanted to be on the other side of the fence with the other cows, maybe even that little baby cow was hers?......so I pull over on this dirt road to open the fence and sush her through.

Erin says...

'ok you do it, I'm going to take pictures of this.'

Turns out that cow really didn't want to be with the other cows after all. Erin couldn't keep the camera still to take a picture. So much for trying to help a heifer out

Do I have pants on because people are giving me funny looks..

Had I known that today was going to take the path that it did, I think I would have enjoyed the cold air in my bedroom at 6am and stayed snuggled in. Cold air outside, warm comforter inside. Beautiful combination. Instead I woke up 20 minutes behind my normal internal alarm clock, and the day seemed to carry on with that 'out of my element anxiety' throughout the day. The week actually, was less then enjoyable. 3 exams near the end of the semester only means that you know exactly what you need to get by. And in one of my classes, I'm holding on by a string, and I can NEVER tell how I did on the tests. So on my way to class this morning with Erin, flipping through flascards, feeling panicked, she stops quick at the light and my coffee goes right between my legs.....and Im wearing light tan corduroys.... (black woman in my head says......giiirrllll, you betta get back home!) ok. shake it off. literally
Sitting behind me in class is the guy who cheated on the lab exam on Tuesday...right in front of me no less....(something is wrong with me I know, and I don't know why I did it).....but when I overheard him say "I better have done well...(snicker)..." I spin around in my little stool, point at him and call him a cheater" Instantly I'm wishing I had my mace, because that guy is 6 foot 3 and a big mesa state basketball player. (oh shit where is the black woman when I need her?). I look over at Erin and I don't think I've ever seen someones eyes so big.

Yea, that was all before 9 am.
I'll have to tell you about my 20yr old wanna be stalker another time.
I'm off to go have a few beers.

I stole this from another blog

mullets are all the rage on the cycling scene. Local Georgia hair dresser and tour fan looks on in horror!!

Call off Search and Rescue

Nothing has been really blog worthy....unless you want to look at this all day and listen to me try and talk nerdy.

Easter came and went with the usual sugar high and the image of me at 6 years old running around the Easter egg tree until my pigtails went straight. (Ryan & Tiffany told me I could speed up time if I ran fast enough) Yea, been special for a long time.

I took Sativa to Petsmart to pick out an Easter treat that day. She choose a ferret, we compromised with a dog bone that tastes like a ferret.....

EASTER!!

Tiffany just pointed out to me that it was Friday night and I have my nose shoved in an anatomy book. "Studying Anatomy" and not in the wink wink kinda way.

I have an Easter story.

Gather round children:

While visiting Liz I ran out to get something out of the car. I hear a screen door slam, and in looking over my left shoulder see this crazy man .....long grey/black hair frizzed out in a cone shaped white mans afro.....no shirt on, dirty cut off jeans...scratching his big belly with both arms giving out a yawn. Fine specimen. I laugh. He looks over....I quickly look into the jeep trying to remember what I'm looking for as I say quietly (oh my god!).

(he yells in the crazy man rasp voice) Hey! Easter!

Oh my god. What is he yelling...easter? Like the holiday?

Easter! ........(shit I have to look.....oh god he's facing my direction)

EASTER!

Holy crap this guy is crazy

EASTER! GET THE HELL OVER HERE!

Whoa. Wait. Get the hell over what? Where is my dog? Yes, good girl is now standing pinned to my leg like the trusty protector that she is. I look down, she looks up at me with a very distinct 'that guy is crazy , get your shit and lets get out of here! look' her eyes dart back towards him and so do mine..... crazy guy is headed over...he's got an awkward walk, still scratching his skin.

Crap. Abort Jeep mission I repeat abort Jeep mission.

Easter! God Damn dog!

Oh shit.

I gotta do something, where's my mace? He's walking with a mission now crossing the street.

Fumbling in the car, full on panic fight or flight mode I somehow get out...

"Um, this is my dog"

((in my head))....I'm about to mace this guy...I wish I had a stun gun)

He stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the street.

EASTER!

"THIS IS MY DOG."

(that's me. I have new found courage....and the mace)

"WHERED YOU GET THAT DOG?!

(mad as hell like I stole the meth heads dog)

IN SOUTH CAROLINA 10 years ago!

EASTER!

MY DOG!

He turned around, twitched his way back down the street. I run back into Liz and Dannys house. "I almost just maced the crazy crackhead that lives down the street! He thought I stole his dog!" Liz looked at me with an overly confused look.

This crazy shit only happens to me.

Could it be that her name is now

Sativa Maria Cookieface Columbus Pastel La La La EASTER King?

I'd celebrate if I had an ounce of energy

Well, the work comp case officially settled today. It's official once your lawyer has you check right? Maybe I should wait until the check clears.. Pinnacol Insurance wins the award for the most unethical company in the world.....just barely one step above Enron. Shameful.
Case #2 is in full swing now, as Ryan has handed over document after document to my Boulder lawyer. This guy gives ME a panic attack when I talk to him, and I'm paying him. I can't imagine how it must feel to be on the other side of the table from him.

In non-lawyer news, the pup and I are both fighting our colds with what little strength we have left. I have to go to work this afternoon, the whole staff is sick. Poor patrons.....they have no idea what's going on behind the curtain. Ummmm, enjoy your meal. (cough cough)

An Indian and a Redneck walk into a bar.....

Keva started her 5 day raft trip on Saturday just down the road from Junction & phoned a friend to do a quick catch up before they sailed away.....well technically they would have paddled away.....

In other news, I'm one step closer to being a grown up. That's right ladies and gentleman meet the new love of my life.

Aaaahhhh. I never thought I could miss something so much. Im going to name them Bert and Ernie. And to think, just yesterday morning I was in the Laundromat practicing my Spanish with a 4 year old, while being creeped out by the guy in the corner staring at me while I fold my underwear.

new school

New School. Flo Jo and I went to bike maintenance class this week. Mainly because I don't know what the hell I'm doing, and I'd rather not be SOL the day I do blow a tire, or loose a chain on the side of the road. (Im not even sure if you can loose your chain, but for a second there it sounded hard core didn't it?) Next week I'll have them focus on how to speak 'bike'. I'm sure that too will turn out like my Spanish. Broken, leaving everyone involved confused.

Old School. White dog and I got some sun in today. 75 degrees is sweet.

.

shhhhhhh....

There have been a few times where I have seen something, and instantly in my head I can hear David Lock.........shhhhhhh....shhhhhhhh.
It's in this moment that I realize how precious this life is.

sweet spring

Some sure signs it's springtime. Not only is everything in bloom, and the grass in the yard needs mowing, but here are my top 5 amandaland reasons the change has begun:

1. I have a blister on my foot from the my chacos. Even though I've had them for 3 years, it's inevitable that during the winter, this side of my foot goes soft and by spring it's time to form a new callous.

2. Turning on the AC. Now this one is new to me as I haven't had an air conditioning unit for the last 5 years. You just don't need it at 9000 feet. SC, yes. WP, no. Who knew, GJ in April, yes. When I turned it on it shot dirt and dust straight across the livingroom. Uuummmm. That stale dirty air feels nice.

3. Planted the seeds for the garden. This being my first year with a garden, I've set my goals low. I just want to successfully grow and eat ONE edible vegetable from my garden.

4. This morning at 7:30 am I walked the dog in shorts and flip flops.

and finally #5, the sure sign that its spring.......

The Mexican Merriachi band playing in the quad on campus.
ai yai yai

Talk about a small world...

After running some errands yesterday I skipped over to Liz and Dannys house to help prep food for their First Spring BBQ. That girl can cook up some ridiculously delicious gourmet food. I was mostly just along for the ride, although I did make a key lime and apple pie. (*Note- even following moms apple pie recipe to the T, it doesn't taste anything like hers. Must be the air at the farm that makes it so good) Yes. I know. Dangerously good looking in the apron.

2 hours later we had successfully blown up the kitchen, and Meg (the backyard neighbor) came in to invite me on a hike with some friends. Flash forward to halfway up the trail (I'm leading with 4 behind me) chatting away. The conversation went something like this......

Me: that's cool, you guys live right by the park by my house. I run right there sometimes.

Guy behind me: Really? Wait. Do you ride a bike?

Me: Yea I do.....(something clicks in my head) Oh my god. (I stop and turn around) I race you don't I?!?

Guy behind me: Auuggghhh......IT IS YOU!

(kicking his ass since Feb 7th, 2006. See archives for the first ride)

Out of my element

Yesterday started out as a regular routine day.

I'm still glowing from the rad tech acceptance and have been hi-fiving random people. In fact I forgot to mention in the last post that at the fundraiser I not only had to keep myself from drinking from the chocolate fountain like you do a water, but also resist the urge to grab the microphone from the DJ and pull a Check Check......What's Up I'm Famous!' Give it up for me! Whoa!' (frequently pouring through my head on a hourly basis)

So back to yesterday. As I'm in line at the bank drive thru thankful that we have Saturday morning hours, I notice in the rearview that REI has a big tent outside and lots of people walking around. This could only mean one thing. Warehouse sidewalk sale. Sweet.
Next thing I know I have about 8 pair of sunglasses laid out on the counter and am stopping people as they walk by to tell me which pair looks best on me. (Shameful. I know).
A bag full of goodies later I'm sitting at a cafe looking over at the sucker that listened to this for an hour in REI..
'ok, now the blue ones...no wait, what about the black.....Ignore the fact that they look crooked, that's my ears, I'll fix the glasses after I buy them.....look at these their called cream of wheat'

Oh snap.

I'm on a date.

The suckers me! I got picked up at the REI sidewalk sale. I fell for it. I didn't realize what was going on until 5 minutes into lunch

I must have suddenly had a look of shock on my face and panic ensues in 5...4...3...2...

flippidy floppidy fluuu

Ok so there is just the slightest bit of catch up to do. The Flip Flop Fling Fundraiser (oh, sorry, did I just spit on you?) was Thursday night. That made an already chaotic day even more so. I did go solo even with the girls valient attempts to set me up with Tahverlys uncle and Johannas neighbor. I pointed out to them that Snow White went to the ball by herself and met Prince Charming. They reminded me that it was Cinderella, not Snow White, and she had little mice to help....like them. (the best I could come up with was rolling my eyes as a comeback) Class, class, class, coach, (squeeze in a beer here with Teesha to celebrate my rad tech and her RN acceptance) run home, put on a dress, flip flops, eat a power bar and drive out to the winery. Dessert and wine. Luckily there was not a single thing that I wanted to buy in the silent auction. I was flooded with memories of winning a hot air balloon ride the last time I was at one of these. By the end I was dying for some non-sugar based food. Trust me, I had my fair share of the chocolate fountain. I did restrain myself enough from the urge to just hang my head under it and lapp up chocolate fondue. Ummmm chocolate fondue......
I found myself at 10pm at the Slide eating pasta in attempt to lower my blood sugar. My dress was very Sarah Jessica Parkerish. Sorry I didn't get many pictures. If you've never seen me in a dress with makeup on, well today isn't going to change that for you. I was cute, let's leave it at that. This is the best I could do at the end of the night.