What a Weird Weather Month

Today was one of the stranger weather days that I remember around here. It started off wet, then dried out, then got really wet, and finally dried again. It wasn't all that strange if it were, say, May or October, but it's the end of July.

This has been one very strange summer, if you want to call it that. The rest of the country is in the middle of a monstrous heat wave with temperatures reaching into the hundreds all over the south and easy. They might be taking summer a bit too far, but at least they are having one.

Venturing back to our neck of the woods and our terrible weather, we have to be grateful that we don't have the deadly heat, torrential rain fall, or other oddities that the south and east do now. So, for today I will be happy and content with what we are dealt and enjoy the rest of our summer with the wife and baby.

A Night At The Races

Jake and Denera shot out an invite to the 100 lap Super 8 race on Saturday night. We felt like it was a great chance to take Evie to her first race. So we headed on over and made the 5 minute drive to the Speedway to see Livi's dad in action.

The evening was great with Christian and Livi hanging out with us for a while, Evie watching the cars, and a decent dinner from the consession stands...

After watching a few smaller races, the evening drew to a close with Jake's big race, the 100 lap Super 8's.

The race was pretty uneventful, with just a few caution flags and one ugly black flag incident. Jake stayed in the top 5 the entire night, finishing in 3rd.

The evening was a blast. We didn't even spend much money. The best part was being able to hang out with both my favorite girls, watched some really fun racing and got to see some friends do really well. Gotta give the 2 thumbs up to that one.

The STP Weekend...

So the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic is done. I can't believe that it was as hard as it seemed. 100 miles a day at just under 7 1/2 hours a day for two straight days... It was unbelievable. The fact that it's done, and I made it says a lot though. I wasn't entirely sure I was going to make it, but somehow, someway, I was able to. Perhaps it was luck... Perhaps it was fate... It really doesn't matter, because it is done now.

I didn't give up on it. I didn't have some injury or excuse to bail on it. I just decided to go for it and had a blast doing it. Sure, sitting on a seat like that for hours on end was a pain, but when do you get to see things like the Lewis and Clark Bridge from the other side of the river - from outside of a vehicle? 

When do you get to look down and see 209 miles at the end of your ride? It's not something I'm just proud of. It's a great achievement for me to have taken this 'pipedream' from December and turned it into a reality. 

I know I couldn't have done it without the support from the wife and a bit of time sacrificed being away from baby, but today, it all seems worth it. I'm a few days removed from finishing, the butt is feeling better, the arms are regaining a bit of flexibility and the legs are starting to have some spring again. 

The adventure was not just a two day ride from Seattle to Portland on a bike... 

The adventure was getting to spend almost 15 hours doing something that most people thought I couldn't do - and that's what made me get there.

More from work...

So, I find myself at work waiting for the UPS man, and I'm walking around the place I've been for a long time. My job has changed so much since starting out here 10 years ago. From production to marketing, I've done it all.

It's the times like these that make me wonder if I'll just be here forever, or if there is a brighter place for me elsewhere. The shop is dark, everyone's gone and it's time to think about the future. Where do I want to be? What do I want to do? They are all great questions, but I don't have any answers to them right now.

The jobs I think I'd like don't pay enough to support a family and the ones I'm qualified for require too many hours. It's a no win...

Maybe a great 3 day weekend with Ara and Evie will put everything back in perspective and give me some answers soon.