Analise spends some time in jail. We’ve got our own builtin timeout place now — unfortunately, Analise was having so much fun in jail (despite the sad look in this picture) she cried when I took her out! I don’t think “jail” is going to work as a disciplinary thing!

Just wanted to pop in to say this weekend has been busy getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week at our church. I’m teaching 2nd & 3rd grade, and Brian’s teaching 4th & 5th. Obviously, it’s a roadtrip theme, and we’re having our classes in tents in the worship center. Thankfully, I’m co-teaching with a 2nd grade teacher who’s just moved to the area. She and I have hit it off really well, and I’m relieved to have someone who knows kids this age. I only really feel comfortable with 1 year olds:) We’ll check in later, but if you don’t hear from us, we’ll be in either D.C, Chicago, Lebanon (KS), Yellowstone, and Knott’s Berry Farm each day this week. Haven’t we traveled enough this summer?!?:)

This exciting title was the name of the road bike race that Brian competed in this weekend. The “summit” of Mount Biloxi was somewhere around 130 feet in elevation. It appeared to be more of a hill than a mountain to me, but then again, I wasn’t riding:)

Above, Analise is holding the cow bell my Dad sent her to ring during the race. She was pretty good at it! The first event was the road race – 75 miles, on a 4 lap course. Analise and I stationed ourselves in the feed zone, stocked with several waterbottles to hand Brian each time he came through. It was 88 degrees, with a dewpoint of 79, and a heat index of 102 degrees – in layman’s terms, that’s HOT AND STICKY. Brian went with the lead group, and they battled it out until the sprint at the end. He finished in 3rd place! We were very impressed, and Brian was pretty pleased with the outcome.

  

After eating and resting for several hours, there was a time trial. This is a 3 mile race, essentially as fast as you can go, with the racers starting one at a time, every thirty seconds. You’re racing for time. Brian had used up most of his energy in the morning race, so the afternoon result wasn’t quite as exciting as the morning.

The final event of the weekend was the criterium on Sunday afternoon. This is a 3/4 mile course around city blocks (i.e. meaning lots of technical corners), where you race for an hour. They’ll ring a bell occassionally, which means that lap is a “prime”, and the winner for that lap gets a prize. Then they’ll ring a bell for the final 5 laps, and the final top 10 finishers are awareded the overall prizes. Brian had a great show of power and won one of the “prime” laps, and finished the race in 11th place. This put himm 8th overall for the weekend. I was surprised at how well he did with very little training, and Analise and I really enjoyed seeing him race.

Hi there… we did return safely from Mississippi. Brian did really well, and I have the blog mostly written telling all about our adventures. Just needs some editing and the stuff to make it look good, and I’m too tired to do it now. Cute pictures of us on the beach to share, though!

Analise and I had a friend and her daughter over today. It was fun, and I hope we can find more time for playdates. Both A and Laurel were tired, though, and things kind of unraveled near the end. When A is tired, she’s not so fun to play with – everything makes her cry:)

Today is 4 years to the day since Brian and my first date. Brian asked me out to Outback Steakhouse to make up for a painful biking experience in the first week we’d met. The best moment of the evening was over salad, as I had a huge mouthful of lettuce, tomato and crouton, when Brian swallowed hard and said, “I’ve, uh, really enjoyed spending time with you this week.” He had to sit there waiting for me to chew and chew and chew, which must have seemed like hours, until I finally said, “I, uh, really like spending time with you, too.” That was it… the rest is history:) A whirlwind month together before I left for Nicaragua, a long distance romance of 1 year and 8 months, before finally starting our lives together just over 2 years ago. God brought Brian out of a hard time I was having in Texas, and I’m still amazed at how He works things beyond our wildest expectations. What a great God – I love my husband!

Happy Birthday to Tom (Brian’s dad) and Corrie (one of our far off California family who we’ll see in just 2 weeks!)!

I’m sitting here trying to get caught up on emails, other computer work, and Vacation Bible School materials for next week. Brian’s asleep on the couch, and I think I’d better haul both of us off to bed.

Another busy day here, and tomorrow we’re on the road again. Brian’s doing a bike race in Biloxi, Mississippi, and we’re going to enjoy a hotel on the beach. I’ve only seen him race once, so Analise and I are really looking forward to it. They’ll be 3 races – a criterium (essentially racing around several city blocks for a set amount of time, and then you see who crosses the line first after the time ends), a road race (75 miles on a 3 lap course) and a time trial (starting one at a time, probably 30 seconds apart, racing the clock for maybe 10k). I’m sure we’ll have plenty to tell when we get back!