The life of a dog, my dog

What he loves the most.....swimming
Miller on his bed with 'moosey'
His second favorite form of water
You coming out to play????
He loves the doggy door....
Miller sleeping 'on' the bed.....

Miller is one happy dog, always has been, he loves his tennis ball, loves eating and loves social events. I, on the other hand, am at the other end of his leash. He has drug me down hills at soccer games, face first, while everyone else is laughing as he thinks the soccer ball is his toy, he drools all over the floor when dinner time comes around and man can his gas be TOXIC:)

Miller is from a litter out of Jackson, MS and I still remember him as just a pup, sitting in my lap when I would drive back and forth to school(State) and home. I still remember the LONG nights of him whimpering, peeing, wanting to play and being the sweeeeetest dog ever when he was sleeping!!! I also remember going home with him and mom trying to buy him off of me, NO WAY! He is my baby but I'm sure mom could've spoiled him rotten.

Miller has been dove hunting with me, even though he wasn't a true hunting dog-he knew the command STAY but never listened. Every hunt he would steal the first bird killed of the day and while he was bringing it back to me, he would eat the WHOLE thing...eeewwww but I still love ya!

He loves going to Lake Bruin to my mom and dad's, endless water and he stays in it ALL day! He loved going to the deer camp, eating (hold your groceries) deer guts, rolling around in all the blood and coming home SO STINKY!!!!

He lived with me in Starkville, Austin, Jackson and now in Colorado-he is a well traveled dog.

Now that we are in Colorado(which he loves riding in the truck-has only fallin out once, when he was a pup and it wasn't his fault and jumped out once, thinking he was gonna catch a deer, he learned his lesson w/ a chin full of gravel) he LOVES the snow, it is just another form of water to him. He will stay outside as long as you let him, roll around in the snow, bury his ball on purpose so he can dig it back up, just loves it.....

He is getting older now, his joints are all swollen from arthritis, he is 9 years old and has been running all those years and now he is slowing down a bit. He has fatty tumors(on medication), can't do as much, has a hard time getting in and out of the truck and he is turning all white from age. But he still loves his tennis ball, matter of fact, I have 4 on the table outside that are all nasty from his slobber. He is a bit more tolerable on the leash and I can almost hold him back now-88 solid pounds is hard to pull back when he wants to smell something in the grass. He still loves to eat and can finish his bowl in record time, I'm sure of it.....

Mom has bought him a big, super duper, cushy bed that he LOVES and I have to carry it from the bedroom to the living room so he can stay close to me and comfy at the same time:) He has a moose that my friend Laura has given him and it is the FIRST toy that he hasn't pulled the stuffing out and shredded into BITS! Maybe after all these years, he has learned:) We've had 'moosey' for about 5 months now:)

As I write this he is snoring on his bed beside me, with his moose of course:) I'm headed to Durango today and when I get home, he will be staring out the door wondering why I've been gone so long and when can we play ball?!

Just thought you guys would get a kick out of getting to know Miller pup.....

Those rides

Some days getting on the bike is the cure to all of the worlds problems, if only for a little bit..

Take today for example, it was overcast, been raining all morning, the roads were wet, it was a bit chilly outside. I'm stressing over next year's contract-who will want me and how soon will I know. I'm thinking about a friend who just lost her husband, I'm worrying about my errands I need to run for the day and bills and such. I had the option to take the day off or do an easy 30min spin, I figured I needed the spin.

So off I went, trying to get in a quick ride before the rain, looking up at the sky every couple of minutes and about 5 minutes into the ride, just like that, all of my worries go out the window. Who cares if it rains?(which it did) Why does it matter if my shoes get dirty and my bike gets dirty and I have to clean it? The errands will get done, the bills will be paid. Be thankful that the only thing I REALLY have to worry about is next year's contract. Then I think about all the things I don't have to worry about or all the things I can be so thankful for....

Like the fact, that I have this window of opportunity to ride my bike for a living. I'm healthy, happy and so is my family. I'm planning trips with them in the near future. My friends are all doing well. I just won a race and I'm racing more this coming month and I have short term goals to meet. I can't change the outcome of next year's contract or decisions so let it be. I don't have to worry about the start of school like my old co-workers have to deal with. I love being in Colorado and the rain feels so good actually. And just like that my ride is over, I'm back in town, soaking wet, dirty from all the road grime and I have a smile on my face and my head is focused and cleared.

Maybe it was the rain, maybe it is the good juju from riding the bike-getting the blood flowing, the legs spinning and the heart rate up. Whatever it is, I'm glad it is a part of me, makes me know I'm alive and well........

So now...off to those errands:)

PS, I rinsed off my bike, wiped it down and she looks good as new, ready to go again tomorrow, whatever the weather is;)

Hey!

This was art at our host house...pretty cool!
We didn't win the race but we won the post race fun!
Teammates, Carrie Cash and Toni Bradshaw...chillin
While at home, Michael and I thought it would be a good idea to climb Coal Bank Pass...twice...~10,500ft.....
So it's been a while, my bad:) Since my last post, I've been home mostly and then raced a criterium in Glencoe, IL. The race was pretty stellar....I was in some breaks and with the help of AP, I created the last break that stuck which included, Theresa Cliff-Ryan, Meredith Miller, LVG, my teammate Carrie Cash and myself. It was fun:)!!! And we made some good $$$ and had some post race fun that included shots of tequila and margaritas at a yummy mexican restaurant. Also, I had the chance to meet Rahsaan Bahati and his teammate Matt Rice, they were really nice guys, you never know what to expect from the men to be honest but you hope they are nice and they were....just sayin...

I can thank Robin for the $40 worth of shots, it was kind of funny. We were also celebrating Carrie Cash's b-day but she doesn't want to talk about how old she is getting:) hahah! I love my teammates:)

I think I was sweating the entire time I was there, it was WARM but all in all....good times!

Now I'm back home, trying to figure out what other races I'm going to finish the season off with. Right now, I'm racing the Gateway Cup in St. Louis in 2 weeks, it is 4 days of criteriums and some good fun. Then maybe up to Boston at the end of September and I'm hoping to get a track bike within all this time and give it a go in CA. We will see......I'm also looking at nordic ski stuff for winter, man I thought cycling was expensive and confusing:) But why not huh?!

Other than that, I've just been riding my bike, enjoying the afternoon showers, taking Miller for short walks, shooting my bow for fun and wondering if next year is going to be as much fun.....

I'm also thinking about all those folks getting ready for school to start, I still have vivid memories of long hours in child nutrition office, entering free/reduced applications and taking phone calls from teachers, parents and trying to hold it all together!! Good luck y'all!!! Hang in there!

All the good times

Brian and Molly-my keepers, my friends
Kisses all around!
She is one strong chic
Crazy Carla Swart....
Carla, Toni and I enjoying one of the views
I'm sitting here this morning, drinking coffee, reading the NYT's and thinking about the season that was and what the future will hold. I have one more race for sure with the team, next weekend in Chicago-Glenco Criterium.

Brian(our mechanic) and Molly(Soigneur) are officially done for the season. Their last race with us was Cascade and then a couple of us got to hang out in Portland and Eugene for the three days afterwards for sponsor visits and it was fun to see where they lived and learn a bit of history about Portland. Portland is a COOL city, if you ever get the chance to visit-DO IT! The weather was amazing, the city had so many neat areas, tons of cyclists, tons of good food and so many adventures just minutes away.

So what will happen in 2011? What will happen at Glenco? What will happen tomorrow? What's for breakfast? I DUNNO yet but I'm totally looking forward to it all.

I'm reading a book, As Good As Gold by Kathryn Bertine about her quest to become an Olympian and how people thinks she's crazy. It is a funny, easy read, check it out! I can totally relate to some of the things she is trying to overcome. Anyway, I thought I would fill y'all in on my reading schedule;)

Oh, check out Tutela. She has some cute things! I'm a fan of the wallets......:)

Alright, time to get movin....