I've got the best Best Friend

Oh, I love the Christmas holidays....especially when you get gifts AFTER it's supposably all over...Look what my Best Friend gave me...again remember I LOVE anything w/ bikes on it....










It's a piggy bank...it's so cute!! It has the saying Mike is always drilling into my head...how did she know I needed help saving money, now it will be a sinch!! Thanks so much Nat it's awesome!





Here's me and Nat at my wedding. We've been best friends since sophomore year of high school. She now is married with three beautiful children. He husband and she met their Junior year of high school...it's a cool story, high school sweethearts and all...only in the midwest!


Anyway, she's been a great friend over the many, many years....thanks so much for the special piggy bank...I'll start saving for my next bike with it!

Dinner with friends

Merry Christmas and Hanukkah or just Dec 25th to All!!






Here we are (well, I'm taking the picture) at Sharon Ceaser's house for Christmas dinner. It was great to meet new people, connect with a family....seeing as Mike and I don't have family in the area.

Rollin' with it....

Ok, so I've been doing some track related workouts...and today was my first attempt at the rollers, on my TT bike, in my bars....and I was supposed to do 3x 10 min high spin...yet there was never a 10min segment that I didn't fall off the rollers.



Mike thought he would document this monumental day.

Small beginings.....

To get our gift exchange started, Mike told me he wanted to start small...and he had me intrigued....until I realized it was a paper clip..

Happy Holidays to all!!

God Jul!

On Christmas Eve in Sweden you do all the celebrating...the big dinner, open all the gifts, etc..so lucky for me...we opened our gifts one day early.

The big dinner was pretty simple. Turkey roast, cranberry sauce, Quinoa, Veggies, Pumpkin Pie (under loads of Whipped Cream, Egg Nog Flavored whipped cream, and for Mike Ice Cream too)...coffee, more egg nog, chocolates.....all in all a great Christmas dinner!
As seen below (you may recognize this pose from our Thanksgiving photo...very similar)

Fancy Feast

When I came home from work on Wed....Mike had dinner ready...from the left it was steak, steamed veggie, and Quinoa...WOW...too bad I'd already eaten...

So this was the picture he emailed me w/ his phone saying.."All this work, and you're not gonna eat"....ooops...at least it was a well balanced/healthy meal!! That he got to enjoy, and enjoy.

(so this is what I blog about when not much is happening in my life)

More early Christmas presents!!

After my very touching morning last week, I was bound and determined to show Mike my appreciation for him...in the only way I know how...BIG PRESENTS...so what if I have to buy his love...it's love none the less!!

So, I braved the mall and got him a Treo 650 PDA/phone , that has more bells and whistles, I couldn't even turn it on. This is on Sunday afternoon....and I just couldn't keep my awesome secret...so whilst writing Christmas cards (that have NO chance of making it to our loved ones BEFORE the holiday) at Starbucks...I ran out to my car, grabbed the phone from the trunk...and gave it to Mike (under protest, by him)...I was so excited, because I knew how much he wanted it, and would have NEVER bought it for himself...that's what Christmas is all about right?? Or was it something about some baby, and some wise guys....oh well, back to us...So here is the first photo from his new phone...




Although we look Jaudice here, it's just the lack of a flash that makes us look yellow, not pickeled livers (yet):o)

Then, on Monday we get a LARGE box from my Mom (and I had recieved a voicemail from her earlier that day w/ instructions to open the box when I recieved it)...and inside was this SWEET wreath made from a bike wheel...and SHE MADE IT!! I absolutely love it...wanna see??






Mom's always know right? She knows I'm koo-koo for anything w/ a bike on it, or silver....and this one is both..and I love that she made it. She got the wheel from a donation to the local shop in Wichita, Kansas where I was a bike mechanic for a summer back in the day...Thanks MOM, we'll use it every year!! What a perfect gift, and EARLY just the way I like it!

Early Christmas present!!

This morning, Mike gave me a gift that is timeless and priceless!

We were eating breakfast, watching the news...and Mike reached out for my hand and said, "Do you ever feel like you're so happy, you're gonna burst?!!"....I am such a lucky girl. What a great Christmas present!! Man oh man, whew...never thought I could have such a great guy!!!

So let's lighten this up...with some Funny pictures of my bugger...




Mike's (age 25) "Blue Steel"....and if you can see the temporary tatoo his roomate at the time drew, says 'Kele'

Let the Holiday parties begin.....

Tonight was our annual Christmas party for Lake Vue Gardens. We have over 200 employees and the ones that actually COME to the Christmas party are the ones who've been there a long time (or just like free food, and a slim chance to win stuff you would never buy).

Here Tara, Kari, Dada, and I are getting 'caught' up on any new juice...














Next we try to look more civilized.....











Kari, soakin up the spotlight as she does a solo dance....














Mike and I all cleaned up.....














It was fun to see everyone 'out of uniform', and gettin loose! But I bought these shoes for this dress...and man oh man, I don't know how women do it....they hurt so bad...I made Mike take this picture as soon as we got home....so everyone can empithze w/ me about HIGH they were. I made Mike walk around the garage in them...and almost split my dress laughing so hard...but he needs to understand what we go through (and luckily, we have similar sized feet).

Stitch and Bitch

Oh yea, I've gone and 'done it' now!! I'm throwin' in the towel on my 20s....I had a knitting party (well, does 5 people qualify as a 'Party')!! I know, it's strange for me...but I'm cross training right???









I just don't know what's gotten into me lately. But, knitting w/ friends sounded fun. A great excuse to have 'the girls' over and shoot the breeze. And possibly learn that family skill that all the elder females in my family have mastered...KNITTING!









Well, let me tell you....it's harder than it looks when Grandmother does it!! Jeez Liouse....there were more holes in my 'scarf' than Mike's socks!! And after 3 hrs of training, whining, unraveling.....and the first person had to leave....my yarn was still on the needel....because I kept pulling it off cause it was so ugly!! But, never fear...I'm gonna master this stupid skill!! If it KILLS me!!!

Oh, Mike did it too! and before I let his look better than my 15 attempts I stole my needles back.....I just wanted him to be cute and try, not SHOW ME UP!!

Back to my roots

Mike and I went to PCC (a local co-op, 'natural market' today.....we're turning into hippies....we bought Quinoa, steel cut oats, wild rice, ORGANIC hummus, PLAIN ORGANIC yogurt, seasime sticks, cage free eggs, couscous, sprouted grain bread....you get my drift....a new experience for me.
I've been avoiding this my entire adult life...I always thought new-age hippies were 'snobby' w/ thier 'organic' this and that, smelling of BO and pa-chew-ly...and here I am rubbin elbows w/ them at the grocery store.

My parents were 'stinky hippies' as seen below


Yea, that me...the bald one!







Most our food was from the farm, Mom had a huge garden, we had fresh meat, and milk. Mom wouldn't let us eat processed foods, I remember having to put wheat germ on my no sugar cereal...w/ Ovalteen on the holidays. Mom used to make her own bread, yougurt, and cloth...yea that's right...she had one of those HUGE looms that took up an entire room...

Enough walkin down memory lane...but I am joining my sister's good habits of low/no sugars, minimal processing, but LOTS of flavor type foods!!! We'll see how it works!