At the beginning of the offy it’s a joy to not be on the bike or even have to think about the bike. At the moment I am catching up on everything I wanted to do around the house but didn’t because I wouldn’t be recovering from race to race or training ride to training ride. Yesterday while cleaning out the shed I found a couple families of mice and a bat. All were still alive and startled me quite a bit. During the offy I look forward to spending more time with the family, hiking, eating and drinking to my hearts contest, and working on the house.

In years past I have participated in the Iceman Cometh mountain bike race and a few cyclocross races, but this year I will be taking a different approach. Next season is going to be a long season starting with races in January and concluding in October. It will require a few trips to Europe and a more demanding race calendar. I want to be prepared and in doing so I’m taking a big rest. If you want to grab a drink, go for a hike, or eat fatty food then give me a call. I’d love to join. But for now I’ve got to get some stuff done.

It’s been great being back in MI for the summer. The sound of insects, the lakeshore, and of course the fresh fruit. All though it’s been relaxing we’ve also felt flat out.
Most of the weekends and weeks the past two months have been packed with races all over the country. When I’m not racing it’s recovery time before the next race. Recovery has been fun with the family this year. It’s been great being so close to Lake Michigan. Macen seems to really like the sand and water now that it’s warmed up. It’s also been great being close to family and friends. We do miss our friends out west but know we’ll be back out there on a trip at some point.
Jenny has been busy getting Moms in Tow going. She has some great business partners already and the site should be up soon.
It’s another beautiful day here so I’m out!

lots of snow here in boulder! the boys have been smellin’ up the basement quite a bit over the last few days. at least they can watch the olympics while they ride.

check out the article here: www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-15-cities_N.htm

ok…so maybe the article had nothing to do with our decision to move back to Holland, but it definitely encourages us in our decision! Brad and i have been talking about moving back to Michigan for some time now. We are excited about living closer to family, water, friends, etc…. although we have truly loved our time in Colorado and will miss many many many friends, we are excited about the move.

we aren’t moving to Holland until May but we have already found a place to live. yes, we will be buying my childhood home from my parents! My parents bought this house when i was 5! (right, mom and dad? do you think i was 5?? or maybe 6?) i am thrilled that my kids will have the same type of memories and experiences that i had while growing up. that house is filled with amazingly good memories and i can’t wait to make more!