Congratulations, Ross!

He did it!!! All of Ross' hard work and training came to fruition today in a 100 mile bike ride.

I never thought for one second that he couldn't do it. There's a lot of things that I admire about Ross, but his dedication to something he sets his mind to is one of the things I admire most. I'm so proud of him. I literally felt myself swelling with pride today, and I couldn't contain the cheesy smile on my face as I could see him coming up that last hill at the finish. He even saved a spurt of energy for the end, Tour-style. Congratulations, babes. You're awesome.

Say it ain't so, Floyd

Less than a week after winning the Tour de France in a come-from-impossibly-behind victory, there is a report that Floyd Landis has failed his drug test. What a shame. Ross and I cheered for him all along, partly because he's American, partly because this tour for him was an amazing story. We were so happy to see him win it. What a big bummer.

I don't understand why drugs and doping have become so prevalent in sports. From the huge scandal involving Tour cyclists days before it started, to the problems in Major League Baseball. I don't get it. Why not just put your God-given talent to work? Why is it necessary to spoil that?

Up North

Here I sit at my favorite place in the world. Ross and I came up for a quick weekend, partly to get away for the weekend, mostly for the fresh air and to see my grandparents. There's something about this place; I just can't describe it. I am completely relaxed when I'm here, which rarely happens at home. Today was a really nice day. We had breakfast in town and made a pit stop at Mel's for Ross. I bought him a Discovery Channel bike jersey for his b-day (which isn't for a few weeks, but I wanted him to have it for his ride next weekend). He looks pretty stinkin' cute in it :D We got back and did some laying out and sailing. It started to rain, so I went in for a nap; it was great. Did I mention that Winnie is here with us? She's such a trooper. Luigi seems to be handling her well for the most part. She's been playing in the water quite a bit, getting more brave each time. It's pretty cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute :) Although we have to go home tomorrow, I have a feeling that I'll be really refreshed come Monday morning when it's time to go back to work.

BTW, I've been writing in my Up North journal that Shan and Jerm gave me for my b-day. Thanks for the great prize, guys!

I'm impressed

As many of you know, Ross is training for the upcoming Tour de Villes century bike ride. He's been so dedicated to his training, and I couldn't be more proud. With two weeks to go until the ride, his training today called for a 65-mile ride. He plotted out his route and asked me to meet him along the way at one of his rest stops. I met him out near Wind Lake in the town of Norway at a park. I brought him a PB & J and filled up his water. It took me about 45 minutes to get there by car, and he's on a bike! Dang. And this wasn't even his halfway point; you see, I met him on his way back. He's taken this route on his long rides quite a few times, and I can see why he likes it...long, beautiful, country roads, with a million wildflowers along the side. At several points, it is quite hilly, which makes me all that more impressed. Good job, Ross. I'm so proud of you.

'Twas a fine night for stargazing...

Ever since I can remember, I've had a love for astronomy. Looking into the sky on a clear night gives me goose bumps and a feeling wells up inside of me that I can't quite put into words. As a little girl, it was my dream to become an astronomer. Well, that obviously didn't happen, but my love for astronomy has never gone away. Tonight the Modine Benstead Observatory held an open house and I went to check it out. I've been wanting to attend one of these public viewings for quite some time. It sure didn't disappoint. When I first arrived, they were looking at Jupiter. It was quite a sight. You could actually see the colored bands across the surface of the planet. You could also make out several of its moons, most notably Io. I chatted with an old-timer named Ron for quite some time. He was actually one of the original members who helped put together the telescope used at the observatory. He was a wealth of knowledge and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. He helped me spot constellations such as Hercules, Scorpio, Draco and the Summer Triangle, which contains one of the brightest stars in the night sky, Vega. After viewing Jupiter for awhile, they adjusted the telescope to focus on M13, which is located in the constellation Hercules. Wow. There are over 100,000 stars in this spot in the sky, almost 25,000 light years away. It was incredible. The observatory was very cool, in fact, I'm seriously considering becoming a member. It's only $45 a year. You even get a chance to learn how to use the telescope! I figure it would be a good way to satisfy my thirst for all things astronomy, and at the same time contribute dues to a worthy cause.

I switched it up a bit; what do you think?

Had a great weekend. Yesterday were the dragon boat races. ShapeXpress took second place in our division. That's pretty cool, hey? I guess there were only 6 teams in our division, but still. Not too shabby. It was a good time. I'll post a link to the total results when the website is updated. After the races we headed to Bonnie's house for a picnic/picture-viewing party. Everyone's pictures were really nice. Ross and I didn't have much to contribute since we forgot our camera when we went to the wedding. D'oh! Everyone gave us CDs of theirs, which we greatly appreciate. Today, Ross is working, so I've been a cleaning machine. Our house needed it bad. I'm a little tired now though! Winnie and I are about to head to my mom's house for a bit. They are wanting to spend some time with the "granddoggie." Cuuuuuuuuute :)

Parading and paddling

Just got back from the parade that kicks off the Midwest Dragon Boat Festival. The teams just walk along Pershing Park by the lake. Some teams were way into it, with costumes and the whole works. There were actually quite a few people down there to watch. It was cool...our first race is at 9:08 a.m. tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!

B-O-R-E-D

Say it with me folks, BORED. It's July 3rd, a Monday before a holiday, and there is no one here. I mean no one. I had to turn on the lights when I came up to my floor. I think I'm one of about 5 people on my floor today. There's normally about 75 or so. I even got to park in the first lot today, which never happens to me.

I shouldn't complain too much. I have gotten quite a bit done, albeit I sent many emails in which I'm awaiting a response since no one's in! I've been jamming the tunes a little louder though, and just hanging out. I've been able to work on some things that are always in the "Whenever I get time, I'll work on that" pile, like reorganizing files, creating upcoming promotion schedules, finally wading through my "For Review" file folder. So, all in all, it's been a good day. I've managed to cross a few things off my list, do some of those mundane things I never have time for, and work on something without an email to interrupt me. And now, it's 4:01. T-minus 44 minutes.

Happy B-day Kara!

Today is Kara's 30th b-day! Craig threw her a Mexican fiesta last night, complete with fajitas, margaritas and even a pinata. We met some cool people, had good eats and a great time.

Happy Birthday Kara! Hope you have a great day!

Le Tour

The Tour de France starts today! I have to admit that it isn't quite the same without Lance Armstrong. Although it isn't quite the same without Jan Ullrich or Ivan Basso either :P The tour was rocked yesterday when an ongoing doping investigation shed light into the involvement of the top 2 favorites in the whole race. They're done before they even started. Wow. Jan has been runner up to Lance like the past 6 years in a row; this was his race to win. Not so much anymore. That paves the way for some of the other Americans like Levi Leipheimer or George Hincapie.

Got any big plans for the weekend? Ross and I are thinking about heading up to Summerfest today for awhile. We try to go every year. It's a great place to people watch and get some great food. Tonight we are supposed to go sing karoke with my family. Tomorrow we have another practice for the dragon boat race at the upcoming Midwest Dragon Boat Festival. Let me tell you, the dragon boat racing is tough! Ross and I went into it thinking that we would have a slight advantage because we know how to canoe. The first thing our instructor said was to forget everything you know about canoeing! It's different. But very cool. Should be a good time.

Can you believe the 4th is right around the corner? To me that is always the unofficial half-way point of summer. Still not sure what's in store for us, but I'm sure we'll end up making the rounds. We always try to get in a little time with family and friends. Sometimes that makes our days long, but it's nice to see everyone.