CHRISTMAS IS COMING

We stayed in Chambersburg for Christmas morning and then headed to Butler to see Michael's side of the family. We were there just in time for an early dinner at Scott and Kris' house. It was a good gathering as some extended family was there, which is always reason to break into a rowdy game of Apples to Apples...a Taggart classic in the making. We stayed at the grandparent's wile visiting in our favorite room upstairs with the double beds. So cozy! Grandma Pat was her usual hospitable self and therefore we were well taken care of.
Here is Gilbert being a helper in Grandma Pat's kitchen.

LAST POST EVER

This might be my last post ever. I have had a stomach bug for a week now. This consists of being only able to consume oatmeal, tea, water, and anything bland. At times I think I'm getting better and will eat something real. But that never proves to be a good idea. My favorite things: coffee, sweets, and wine are totally off limits. So for those who know me well know that is a big deal.

But here is where the last post comes in. We have been invited over to a couples house for dinner tonight. Michael came home last night to inform me that they asked if chili or lasagna was okay. Either way I think I am in trouble, but if it is chili I am a gonner. The plan, eat oatmeal before going over and then eat a VERY SMALL portion of.....chili. Nooooooooo!

Pray for me!

Oh, but I am almost at race weight for the first time since having Gilbert. Which really means that for the first time in my life I am officially "skinny fat". What is skinny fat?????? People who are skinny not because they workout, but because they eat poorly. This results in a higher percentage of body fat as opposed to muscle. Not something to be proud of.

CYCLOCROSS SEASON WRAP-UP

Our last race for the season was December 7th just outside of DC. I think I was a bit exhausted at this point in the season and after only one lap I chose to DNF. Conditions were icy, I didn't warm-up, I had a bad attitude, and just wasn't into it. So I pulled out of the race. No harm done, just a little jab at the ego. But that was all smoothed over when I got news the following week that my request to upgrade from a Category 4 to a Category 2 was approved by USA Cycling. Three cheers, next year I get to race with the big girls. I will be back to chasing and no so much being chased, it is still fun either way.

I think Michael was a bit exhausted at this point at the last race of the season. I could tell that he just didn't have his usual spunk at about half-way through the race. But he still finished in about 6th place which is pretty good.

The season overall was a learning experience for both of us. Being somewhere new we had to figure out with races, series, and major events to do...and we didn't always pick the best ones. But we had full weekends of racing and many races to choose from. Then throw in the factor of toting along a baby and me racing my first season ever...I think that Michael had a very different racing season than any prior year. But we actually got a pretty good routine down and have our sights set on next year. But highest honors go to Gilbert, he was a trooper through the season and is a well traveled baby. Can you believe that by the age of one he has been to all the Western States and all the Eastern States except for Maine, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Florida. Next year?

TINY WALKER

Gilbert has been thinking about walking for some time now. He takes a little step here and a little step there. But he is the sort that likes to wait until he has it down and then he goes for it. So today, with all three of us in the living room, he took his first real walking steps. And then he did it over and over, with smiles and claps for himself. Needless to say, he and we were very proud.

READY FOR CHRISTMAS

I have been debating what to do as far as Christmas goes this year. Last year I had just arrived in Chambersburg, we were in the rental, and Michael was working. So to be honest we did nothing. Oh we did have Gilbert's stocking up, but that was about it. I think all three of us were just too tired.

So this year we have a little more flow going on. But Gilbert is in to everything and the thought of a tree is a bit horrifying. If the thought of cutting down a tree isn't bad enough. The thought of Gilbert pulling one down, lights, ornaments, and all just tops it off. About fifteen years ago I witnessed my first alternative Christmas tree at my mom's friends' house, Fran and Dick. I must admit that at the time I thought they were a little crazy for having this arty abstract rendering of a tree on the wall above the fireplace, but it really stuck with me.

So we have a eucalyptus tree, which smells good, sits out of Gilbert's reach, and is environmentally friendly. Oh and it cost $2.99!

So the stockings are hung, the tree is up, the lights are around the window, and the wreath is hanging on the door. Christmas is in the air at the Gallagher house, now we just need a little Christmas music...must check out Itunes.

My mom's friend Fran, an Alaskan artist, died this summer from cancer. She was one of the coolest ladies ever and always will be. In honor of her my goal is to come up with a different, creative and environmentally friendly tree every year. That is how a spirit lives on. Fran you rock!

THANK YOU C3-SOLLAY!

Thanks you C3-Sollay for letting me be a part of your racing team. Now I have an excuse to paint my toenails blue. Too cool!

FALL IN OUR BACKYARD

It took about twenty takes to get this shot, but it was worth every annoying delayed click of the camera.

FLATS, COLLISIONS & PODIUMS

Last weekend Michael and I were able to get in a double header weekend with a little help from our friends Kat & Andy in Lancaster. Lancaster is about 1.5 hours closer to the venues so the let us stay at their place and we headed to the races together.

This photo above really captures the moment: Gilbert is working on Michael's wheel set, Kat is chill after our race, Lucy is scratching, Michael is looking into nowhere, and Andy is getting dressed. Too funny, I love it!

Saturday was a MAC race at an equestrian park...which meant a big long slog through the horse show area...five times! For a newbie that is a lot. Plus there were three other places per lap where you had to dismount the bike. Not many hills in this race so I knew I would have to dig deep. I started off about mid pack which is really good for me. There was a crash right in front of me within the first 400 years of the race, but I was luck to be just to the side of it. Some guy was yelling at his lady to "get up, get up" glad that wasn't me, I might have cried. Too sensitive! It took about two laps and I had put myself into second place behind my teammate Kristina. She was about 25 seconds ahead of me and held her position for the rest of the race. I was still pushing but mainly to make sure the girls behind me did catch back up. On the last lap I took my first fall while approaching the barriers on a turn. It was a fast body slam, followed by a quick jump back up on my feet. Michael witnessed it but was kind enough not to yell, "get up, get up". But in no time I crossed the finish line in second.

As for Michael he had a special race start as a result of using a new tubeless system on his wheels. On the first lap, right where I fell, the tube "burped" causing a flat. He lost his third place position and fell all the way to the back to the pack. But he got his second bike out of the pit, with a quick hand off from Kat, and started the chase. By then end of the race he had managed to get himself back with an eighth place finish. It is also my understanding that he got another flat, but Kat had it under control in the pit and already had his first bike up and ready to go. But Andy, stomach flu and all, started off in about fifth place and worked his ass of to take third place. Podium! He is not a believer in blog, so I will make him blog famous by posting his photo on the podium. That is him on the right.

Day two the four of us headed southwest of Baltimore for a MABRA series race in Rockburn Park. Kat and I took off to check out the course. I was pleased to find a series of hill on the backside and knew that this would be my place to attack. The Cat V ladies started 2.5 minutes after the Elite Women. My start was pretty sucky, but I was able to catch the lead ladies pretty quickly and as soon as we headed through the backside there were just three of us. I told them that the girls behind us were riding strong and that we needed to keep up the pace, but I think they ware at their max. So as soon as we hit the hills I put it into gear and took off out of fear of being caught. This put me into first place with four laps left to go. Which is something I am a little afraid of because I like to chase and now I was the one being chased. But I just kept going and by the last lap I know I was going to make it, so I rode smart making sure not to do anything stupid. I ended up coming across the finish line almost two minutes ahead of the second place girl! So it was top of the podium for me...and Gilbert. The other ladies insisted that he join in the fun.

Here is the official write-up for Michael's race from Bikereg.com: C3-Sollay.com teammates Mike Gallagher and Andy Wulfkuhle, wearing the team’s special Halloween edition “Karate Kids Fist of Death” skinsuits, tag-teamed Hunt Valley’s Galegher. C3’s Mike Gallagher was finally able to put in an attack that stuck, leaving Hunt Valley’s Galegher in a conundrum as he wanted to get back to the lead, but he didn’t want his adversary’s teammate, Wulfkuhle, to get a free ride. The Hunt Valley rider attacked Wulfkuhle out of the sand pit, starting a long chase by Wulfkuhle to come back. Meanwhile, Sundt was now up to fourth place and appeared to be closing. On the final, the top three all came back together before the C3-Sollay.com duo gapped Hunt Valley’s Sean Galegher. Heading into one of the final turns, C3’s Mike Gallagher ran into a lapped rider and crashed. Realizing his teammate Wulfkuhle was still in position to take the win, he yelled “Go! Go!” Wulfkuhle went, Gallagher recovered in time to preserve a 1-2 finish for the karate kids, and a totally spent Sean Galegher held on for third with a thirty second gap over Sundt.

WE DID IT!

I will admit that I shed a few tears when Obama was announced the Elected President of the United States of America. But I think I shed even more while listening to McCain's concession speech. It was awesome! If only he had been able to show this softer side of himself during the election I think he would have done better. Regardless I think that the people spoke and the best man won. Obama is a democrat, but he listens and makes decisions that are in the best interest to ALL, not just the democratic party. I have faith that he will make many positive changes for our country and as a result the world as a whole. Oh and spell check, you are going to have to add Obama to your dictionary, it's going to come up here and there...at least for eight more years! :)

ROY PITZ, YOU COMPLETE US!

We are happy to announce that Chambersburg officially has a brewer, Roy Pitz Brewery, with awesome beer. Best of all is that it is within a fifteen minute walk. We purchased a growler and fill it up about once a week, by simply taking a little stroll from our house. This warms my soul. Just knowing that it exists helps me get through our stint here in Chambersburg. They had an Octoberfest celebration a few weeks ago, and even had a good band playing. WOW, I never would have imagined this!

LOOK WHO'S ONE TODAY

Gilbert turned one today! In the morning we headed to the YMCA to keep with our regular routine. The wonderful ladies there had a little birthday party for him with presents, birthday hats, and cupcakes. It was pretty cute, but I don't think Gilbert knew what was going on. I have him a pumpkin cupcake with a dollop of frosting. As soon as he got the frosting on his hands he became upset. Oh well, later in the evening he made up for it by downing bites of his three variety cupcakes: spice, pumpkin and bran. Yum! Happy Birthday Little Boy Blue!

ADVENTURE RACE #1

This past weekend I had my first ever adventure race. The local YMCA puts one on up in Caladonia State Park. It is a sprint distance, so is expected to last anywhere from three to six hours. I was on a team of four women, my friends Trish and Cathy, plus a new friend Jane. Three of us went out the weekend before to check out the venue and to test out gear. It was a bit cold, but the team dynamics seemed to be in order.

It rained all day on Saturday, but luckily it was all blue skies come Sunday morning. So Sunday morning we, Four "Dirty" Girls, met up at the park along with 33 other teams to take on the challenge. The best part of an adventure race is that you don't know the course or what they are going to throw your way. In the end we ended up doing about twenty miles of mountain/road biking, seven miles of running/bush wacking, an hour of boating on a lake, crossing a river on a cargo net, two team challenges (puzzles), and about a quarter mile on thigh deep river walk which half was done while carrying your bikes. In the end it took us exactly 4:30 and we were about ninth overall and first in the women's division. We were pretty happy with that, as the race was pretty smooth thanks to good communication and the great team dynamics. We all had a really good time and I think that Trish is already planning for next year.

GLORY MOMENT: Our boat of four ladies passing a boat of four men. :)

EPIC ROAD TRIP....GREAT RACING

Michael and I decided to head to Gloucester, MA to do my first and Michael's second UCI (National Level) Cyclocross race of the season. There was also one in Ohio, but since New England is a possible forever place for us we decided to head NE. Sorry Ohio, but we really aren't mid-west people. So we left early on a Friday for the 8.5 hour trip...which with heading through New York and Boston turned into an 11 hour trip. Ouch! Luckily Gilbert travels well.

We were lucky to have a host family in Gloucester. Michael and Marsha had dinner ready for us when we arrived and even set up a pack & play in our guest room. They were awesome: active, healthy, grandchild Gilbert's age, hospitable, and inspiring. We could not have asked for a better host family. They even came to support us and take pictures at the race. The attached racing photos are from them.

Day one of racing was pretty good. Since I am new to the circuit and did day of race registration I had to start at the very back of a pack of 75 women. I was so far back that my race number didn't even correspond with all the others. I suck at sprinting so that didn't help my start either. Then off to the narrow course. Michael told me the places to use as rest and heart rate recovery. But when you start in 75th place there is no time for rest, it pretty much consists of one big effort. I ust had to hope that the other ladies were doing a little recovery at that time. But I picked them off one by one and managed to "out sprint myself" for a 14th place finish.

Michael did well himself. He also was a little slow off the start line and therefore missed the lead pack. But he worked through and was able to get back up and finish....I think in 13th place.

Day two was the exact same story for me, with the exception of crawling my way up to a 9th place finish. I look forward to the day I get to start more in the front because I think I could really open up a can of whoop ass.

For Michael he had a different story for day two. he had a great start in the top ten, but on lap two he wasn't coming around again. Turned out he got a flat at the beginning of the course, forcing him to have to run two thirds of the course with his bike on his back to the pit to switch bikes. Well that put him in about 40th place. Ouch! But I was proud of him because he got back in it and rode his heart out to end up finishing in 28th. I really have a lot of respect for people that do that, since it would be easy to give up. It says a lot about someone who is able to push through when the outlook doesn't look to be in your favor. I think you know what I mean in more ways than one. :) Plus doesn't he look so hot in the above photo? How did I get so lucky!?!?

On Sunday night we headed up to Dover, NH to visit my friend Gretchen whom I met in Portland. She moved back to the East Coast just over a year ago. Just a few weeks ago she moved in with her man Alex into a farm house. We were their first guests. The place is awesome, so historic. A little rustic with fresh modern touches. Plus with all the fall leaves blowing off the trees it was a real warm fuzzy.

Monday morning we took the scenic drive back and caught the glory of the fall colors. Very beautiful....but with a little traffic and a few road closures it ended up being an 11 hour trip. Thanks you Gilbert for being the great baby that you are.

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

This weekend was my first double header for cyclocross racing. Well, okay it was my first time ever racing cyclocross. Michael and I took the bike he built up for me out to the park on Thursday so that I could practice getting off and on the bike while in motion. Fun! The getting off actually came pretty easy but the getting back on is going to need some serious work.

So with my newly learned skill, we headed to the Hagerstown cyclocross race just thirty minutes from our house. The course was fairly dry and fast. A 1.3 mile loop through a local park, with steep hills, sand pits, two barriers, off camber sections, and a whole lot of bumpy terrain. Luckily I got in three warm up laps before my race. Upon approaching the sand pit for the first time I freaked, got off, and ran across. The guys watching said it was rideable, but I let them know it was my first time. This proceeded to an impromptu coaching session and me making it through with some ease. But it was time for the ladies to line up and the race was on. Literally out of the 20 ladies I was at the very back of the pack...not a very good start. But I started to get my groove and was picking off ladies one by one. I knew I was getting closer to the front, and by the fourth lap it was down to me and the leader. Luckily I am a strong climber and once we approached the steep climb I know I could take her. So I dug deep, passed her on the steep hill with just under two laps to go. I never saw her again and by the time I hit the finish I was almost a minute ahead of her. I was a little amazed and pretty happy about that. During my cool down I thought to myself, Michael and I really are meant to be together....not that I ever doubted it.

Michael was up next to race and was in the top three the entire time, with the national mountain bike champion Jeremiah Bishop at the lead. When Michael knew he wasn't going to place in the top two he decided to drift back to help out his teammate in a pack of three a bit behind him. This didn't turn out to be the best idea because one the guys was a national level sprinter and took Michael's third place spot with a sprint at the finish. But he did finish in fourth which was good enough for a podium spot.

The next day was another cyclocross race about 45 minutes from our house. We arrived and immediately saw our friends Joel and Nate. Nate called me over and I instantly discovered that he had broken his collar bone on the course. I soon found out from the chatter that this course was one of the most difficult many of the racers had ever done. Yikes, I was terrified. During a break I headed out to check out the course and ran right into an unrideable uphill, then halfway through the course there was another unrideable downhill into a ravine and up a small muddy section. When I say unrideable I mean for me. I have no mountain bike skills and this course was geared towards mountain bikers. But luckily there were two long uphill sections where I knew I could gain time. So the race was off and there I was in the back of the pack again. But as with last time I crawled my way to the front and on the second to last lap was in second. But the girl in first held strong from the start and I was not gaining on her. So I ended up in second, which I was very pleased with considering the course.

With a 10 minute hand off of Gilbert, Michael was out on the course and getting ready to line up for his race. We wanted to do this to see and feel how it would be with no assistance from anyone. Without a warm up the race was on. Starting a little back in the pack but within a few laps Michael was in third place where he held steady and looked strong. He held third for the entire race. So once again ending with a podium finish.

So two races and four podiums for the Gallagher's! It looks as though the C3-Sollay team is going to gain another lady to their squad.

There was even an article on the first race that mentioned both of us. Too cool, and funny!

Next weekend we are off to Gloucester, MA to another double header. This weekend is labeled by many as the East Coast Championships and the rumor is Lance Armstrong. will be attending. hum....Keep you posted. Followed with a quick visit to Dover, NH to visit my friend Gretchen and her man.

DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSE

Yep that is a shot of my butt.


One of my strollercise moms gave me these photos. Her husband took them last weekend at the local sprint triathlon. I ended up getting third overall. Not too far behind the first place woman, um, but still not in front of the first place woman. Catch my drift? We'll it looks like we will have to stay in Chambersburg for one more year so I can redeem myself.

Oh, I did pass that girl. Can you tell I am a little competitive? :) I love to race!

ELEVEN MONTHS

Hi, I am Gilbert. I am eleven months old today. I just ate a piece of dry cat food. By the time my mom discovered it in my mouth, it had already disintegrated. I figure the cat has lived off of this stuff for almost thirteen years, it's gotta' be good for you!


Note from the Mama: As long as he doesn't poop in the litter box, I can let this one slide.

I ONLY MARRY WINNERS

Okay, the title might be a little silly, but that is what I kept saying to Michael after last weekend.

CYCLOCROSS SEASON HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

We headed out last weekend for our first double header cyclocross weekend. On Saturday we headed just NE of Harrisburg to one of the Penn State campuses for Michael's first race. It was hot and dry and a pretty competitive field. Michael did great by holding a top ten position throughout the entire race, and even picking off a few racers on the last few laps. But I have to admit he looked like he was in a little pain. Back to our favorite motto....no pain no gain. Well he must have gained a lot that day with en eighth place finish, earning UCI points.

When I say he must have gained a lot, that is in reference to his superhero performance the following day. We scooted down to Baltimore, after the race on Saturday, to get ready for the Charm City race the next day. This race was put on by Michael's team, C3 Sollay. We ended up staying at the house of one of the organizers. This worked out well, but poor Michael had to get up at 4:45 to help set up for the race.........

Slight side note, Michael has been working mandatory ten hour days for the past month and had reserves last weekend, so needless to say his sleep tank is on empty!


He ended up staying at the venue and Gilbert, Lucy and I met him there around 9:00 am. Michael's race was at 2:30. He did manage to get in about a 20 minute power nap before the race. So at 1:30 he started getting ready, by prepping his bike with Gilbert and then heading out to test out the course before the ladies started their race. He got off to an okay stat in about 8th place with three of his teammates around him. But by about the third lap he and another C3 racer were off the front. They held the lead riding neck and neck until the last half of the final lap where Michael pulled ahead and proceeded to win the race about 200 yards ahead of his teammate.


Yep, that is my husband on the top of the podium...


So the first weekend went well. At times the new logistic of having a baby with us made for a new challenge. But overall it went smoothly and we have a short list of things to do differently for the next cyclocross road trip. It looks like that it only three weeks away, up in Glouster, MA for another double header with UCI points available. Oh and hopefully we will have it worked out so that I can also race. Um, but first I actually have to practice riding the bike. Oh minor details!

And most importantly, we got to stop at the Trader Joe's on the way home. Thank you Baltimore!

THEN THERE WAS LIFE

So we planted a few things this year in our first ever "mini garden". We planted tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, basil, lavender, and rosemary...and a few other spices that didn't last more than two weeks. Well the first list of items went pretty well except for a complete no show on the peppers. The tomatoes took over the garden and overshadowed the lettuce. I guess three feet apart really means three feet apart. But I think we have a better idea of what we can grow for next year. I must say that we were the most pleased with the tomatoes. They are still ripening and some are still on the vine. We even ended up with a few yellow ones, which makes for a very pretty salad.

Here are the tomatoes posing with my Ausherman 5 Miler prize. No I didn't win but came in second in my age group. I would have taken first but for some reason the woman who went to Olympic Trials for the marathon this year beat me. As far as placing overall, the Kenyans took the top five places, yes people Kenyans in Chambersburg.....foiled again!

Looking forward to an even more fruitful season next summer!

COVERED BRIDGE RIDE

On Saturday Michael and I dropped Gilbert off with the babysitter and headed to Lancaster, PA, (Amish Dutch Country) to get a little time to ourselves. Literally this was the first night we spent alone without a baby in almost a year.

Our plan was to do the covered bridge bike ride, which is a metric century ride (62 miles) and then stay the night at a B&B. But with a week of blue skies the week following, the heavens opened up on Saturday and poured sheets of rain ALL DAY. But not all was lost. We saw a sign on the side of the road for a brewery and steered in it's direction. Our usual at breweries is I order a hoppy beer and Michael gets the sampler, and then we share the sampler. So coupled with a side a wings we were pretty happy. Plus the brewery was pretty fancy. I felt like I was in a different world, one that I had perhaps been in before but had not encountered since living in Chambersburg. I'm serious when I say we have nothing like this in Chambersburg.....freaky!

On our way to the B&B we decided to drive through downtown Lancaster, pretty historic place. Along the way we spied a bakery and coffee shop. Making an extra trip around the block to make sure our eyes didn't lie, we stopped and indulged. YUM!

On to the B&B a sweet place in Strasburg, PA. Very colonial and along a road that had Amish horse and buggies passing about every ten minutes. Clop, clop, clop!

Diner that night was at a local restaurant within walking distance from the B&B. This was the first good meal I had had since arriving in the mid-Atlantic. I ended up with a glass of wine and a steak cooked perfectly medium-rare. Sooooooooo good! Michael wasn't sure I could eat the whole thing, but I sure as sh*t wasn't going to let a morsel of the meat go to waste. Yummy!

We'll the next morning we woke to blue, crisp and clear skies! So after breakfast we headed on our way to do the covered bridge ride. After one wrong turn we were back on track and road our way through Amish Country. Being that it was Sunday the Amish folk were everywhere. We passed a few packs of Amish boys or girls riding their bikes around. And I can't even count the number of buggies we saw. Throughout the ride we passed through seven covered bridges.

Pictures? Um, sorry the batteries were dead, but we did get one grainy shot.

This would be a prefect trip to do with another couple...anyone interested?

STANDING ROOM ONLY

Only our child would have the first time he pulls himself up be in the bathtub! I almost freaked. But when I realized he had control and felt comfortable plopping himself back down, I grabbed the camera.

CLIMB ON!

I will climb again, but when I do Gilbert is going with me. Here we are scouting out a climbing crag only about 30 minutes from town. Just happy for now knowing that it exists.

HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY!!!!

Yes, Michael turned 35 today. So now we are officially only one year apart! This time a blueberry pie, still trying to get the crust perfected.

TAGGART FAMILY REUNION

Woo Hoo....finally the reunion is here!!!! We had been looking forward to the reunion for months and months and months, which add up to about one year. Where did we go? This time around the Taggart Family Reunion was held in Waves, North Carolina. Let me clarify....."Taggart" Michael's mom's side of the family from Butler, PA....."Waves" a thin strip of islands far off the coast of NC that is so skinny I think it could literally be taken out by a wave, hence Waves. Okay that is my joke!

This reunion can be described as hanging out with family at the pool, hanging out with family at the beach, hanging out with family around the table....oh and watching the Tour de France with the family. Really could it get much better than that? Michael and I didn't drive the car once. We did take the bikes out a few times while "the family" watched Gilbert, and I got in a few runs. But that was really all we did. A very cool experience with my very cool new in-laws.


Gilbert got to meet his cousins, Avery and Zoey, Michael's sister's daughters. Gilbert is only nine months old and he had already meet his four cousins. Pretty good considering one set lives in Hawaii and the other set lives in South Carolina.

I had my 36th birthday while there and celebrated by heading out with some of the guys to do some "semi-deep sea" fishing. Funny thing, about a third of the Taggarts have their birthday in July, so there was a big celebration during the reunion.

So without a doubt the reunion was a success. Everyone got along, the weather was good, people relaxed, and only two people puked from drinking...I won't mention Michael here.

Can't we do this every year?

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND

For the 4th of July weekend we took a big leap and headed to a camp out mountain bike festival. Michael and I were both still recovering from a small stomach flu. But the biggest challenge was the "what if" factor of camping with a baby. I'm sure this comes as no surprise to all of you that know Gilbert, but he was a gem. Being that he thrives off of social situations, he did well. He even went to sleep at the right time, slept through the night and didn't get up too early.

The racing was pretty good. The first night was a night time trial. This means riding your mountain bike through the woods with a headlamp through more roots, logs, and narrow drop offs into a river. Luckily Michael did well and came back with only a few falls. The next morning there was the seven mile trail run on the same course. Yes, I that was my event. It was good, but I was a little dehydrated from the night before. :) Then there was the long course mountain bike day. Not such a good second day of racing for Michael. Two flat tires caused him to drop in the rankings. With only the hill climb and the short course race left the following day Michael decided to just have fun with it and even raced in costume for the short course. In Portland the costume idea would have been the norm, but here in PA he stuck out a bit and even stuck it to the field by leading out a few fast laps.

So all around the weekend was successful. Everyone had fun, and we even got to "chill out" in the river after each race. Ah, what a nice routine.

SNOOP DOGG GOT A JOB

Okay, so in this scenario I am Snoop Dogg...pretty cool.

Yes, I did get a job. But really it is just a slow start to something bigger. I am in my second week of working in the Kids Fitness Center at the YMCA. I only work four hours a week, but that is perfect for now. I'm planning on getting my personal training certificate so I can train people one on one in the Fall and also pick up teaching spinning class at the same time. Ideally I would like to be around ten hours a week at the time Gilbert is a year. But for now four hours is enough. Plus the kids use to just goof off in the fitness center, now I get them to fill out personal workout cards and have them leaving in a sweat.

I think Snoop would be proud!

GRANDMA JUDY PART II

My mom came through again on her way back to Alaska. One of the highlights of this visit was a trip to a local creamery, run by the Amish, and located in a farm like setting. They have some of the best ice cream, but part of the greatness might be that the servings are enormous. Really how could you go wrong. What are the odds that places like this leads to the fact that Franklin County has the high rate of obesity in Pennsylvania? But being that all three of us have a sweet tooth, we headed there on my mom's last day here in Chamberburg. I think that the photo taken at the creamery has to be one of our favorite family photos to date. Thanks for the great pic mom!