Mother's Day

It's been a really nice Mother's day at our house. My wonderful, creative daughter wrote a song for me! Sure, it's only about eight measures long, but it is fabulous. She also made me breakfast in bed, but I got up to watch the Giro d'Italia. She still made me breakfast, I just had it in the office instead. Then we ventured to Madison to watch the US Collegiate Cycling Championship criterium race. We got there just in time for the finish of Div 2 - complete with a crash about 30 yards from the finish line! We watched the Div 1 men's race start to finish. It was a really good race, and we got some cool pictures:

Being on the inside of the corner is fun!

I have a kick-ass cowbell! I believe it was worn by an actual cow.

After the race, we went for a late lunch/early dinner at Pizzeria Uno, where I enjoyed my favorite dish: Chicken Spinoccoli. One more stop at Culver's for sundaes, and we were home.

I relaxed for a bit, then jumped on my bike for a nice 15 mile ride. It was a little windy, and the only wildlife I saw today were cows and a weiner dog.

All in all, I'd say it was the best Mother's Day so far!

Oooh, Pretty!!!

It's no surprise that I am a stereotypical woman - I loves shoes. It's genetic (you should see my mom's closet!). But I don't have as many shoes as I used to thanks never having a desk job and pregnancy. Wow, I never know feet could change that much! Being on a tight-ish budget, shoes are on an "as-needed" basis. So, when Karl says "You need better cycling shoes" I am certainly not going to argue. New shoes are new shoes, no matter what the purpose. I was just as excited when I got my new Wellies as when I found the perfect pair of 40's style heels to wear for the Hangar Dance.

Shoe shopping with a man is not fun. There's a lot of sighing and grumpy looks. But not this time! On Saturday, we made our annual trip to Bike-O-Rama: the spring clearance sale put on by a couple of local bike shops. There are always great deals, and if you don't buy anything else, you buy inner tubes and a new pair of socks. Karl made a bee-line to the women's shoes, and we made our way past the aisle-blocking strollers, and pulled out a couple of pairs to try.

They had a ton of these. So cute, and they

match my bike - I even have flowers on my

seat! Sidi shoes are really nice, and really

expensive! These were on sale for $189. A

great deal, but a little steep for us right now.

So, in the end, I got some pretty white shoes with blue and silver which, incidentally, matches my bike. The obligatory socks are self-explanatory. Now, if it would just warm up enough to wear them outside.

On Sunday, Karl actually passed on a ride with the local group so he could ride with me - outside. It was a gorgeous day, maybe 40 degrees, but nice and sunny with no wind. And I actually have the proper gear to wear in that weather (thank goodness for my mountain bike shoes, even if they are too narrow). We headed out towards the lake, and Karl was nice enough to turn towards home just before it got too hilly. We did about 13 miles in just over an hour. It was the first time Karl and I have ridden together in a LONG time., and definitely not the last. Hopefully, I'll be fit enough for him not to drop me when we ride the Stars and Stripes ride in May.