Not a bad way to spend Christmas break.

It's very cold in Pullman, so we put some of Ted's bike socks on Hitcher's paws. It didn't go over very well, but it was entertaining!

We have lots of snow here now and it is currently 6 degrees outside. It's sunny, so it looks pretty through the window, but it's just way too cold. It's not even fun to play in the snow at these temps, but I take Hitch out for little play sessions; when he starts "dancing" I know his feet are getting too cold and we head back in.

I finished my first semester of grad school yesterday, and I am relieved to be done. One of my finals was in the last possible slot of the finals schedule, which could have been good if I used the entire week for prep. I didn't.

It still doesn't seem to me like Christmas is just a few days away. We don't even have a tree! I do hope to get one in the next couple days, though. Just a little bit behind the curve this year.

Seeing as it's vacation time, I'm off to take a nap with my warm pup. After that, a trainer session is in the plans. Fun, fun, but it has to be done.

Little Me

Jimmy

One of the greatest people I will ever know.

I have had the fortune of knowing many good people in my life. I will never again have the privilege of knowing someone like my cousin, Jimmy. Jimmy was the rarest of people, an amazing combination of humor, caring, and fun.

I have one true brother, Rusty, but Rusty and I really grew up with two other big brothers, our cousins David and Jimmy. Our family is very small, with the four of us as the only grandchildren for our maternal grandparents. Summers were often spent at Grandma and Granddaddy's in Baltimore, often with a stop-off at Aunt Suzanney's in Milford, Delaware. As the baby in the family, and the only girl, I was often annoying to Rusty and David (understandably so). Jimmy, however, never ceased to include me and play with me. I have memories of him chasing me around Grandma's house.

When we were at Aunt Suzanney's, Jimmy, Rusty, and I would "stake out" in Jimmy's room and wait for David to come home from his dates. We'd heckle him through the window, infuriating and embarassing him to no end. I thought Jimmy was the coolest thing.

I remember being very little and riding in the car with Jimmy and Aunt Suzanney. Jimmy said to Aunt Suzanney, "Allison will be pretty when she's older, won't she?" He always had a way of making me feel special. For as long as I can remember, Jimmy gave hugs unlike any other. He didn't give the half-assed hugs most of us give. No, he gave you the kind of hugs that lifted you off the ground, spun you around, and made you know you were loved. He gave the best hugs ever, and he gave them unabashedly. Few of us let our loved ones know what they truly mean to us as often as we should, but Jimmy never failed to let us all know.

As we got older, we all saw each other less and less, but things never changed when we all got together. David and Jimmy were still like big brothers to Rusty and me. Jimmy and I both had a tough time at Granddaddy's funeral. We went into the viewing room arm-in-arm, and we were chosen to take the offering to the altar. Though Jimmy was having a hard time himself, he was constantly watching out for me, more concerned for how I was doing than for himself. When we all went our separate ways, Jimmy picked me up and hugged me, telling me to take care of myself. I wrote Jimmy a letter and told him about how lucky I was to have him in my family, and I stuck it in his duffel bag. I don't know if he ever got it, but I like to assume he did.

Four years ago, Jimmy called to tell us all that he would be a father. It was obvious that he was nervous, surprised, and scared. I first saw him with his baby, Taylor, at Grandma's funeral. Taylor was just an infant, but it was easy to see that Jimmy adored her.

At Jimmy and Jessica's wedding a couple years later, which was a huge party in the Florida Keys, I got teary watching Jimmy with his daughter. You could not have asked for a better father. You could tell by the way he looked at Taylor that he could not love that baby more. I told him that night how amazing it was to watch him with his baby, and I am so glad I got the chance to do that. The wedding was such a fun time.

Rusty and Deborah's wedding in August was the last time I saw Jimmy. Our entire family: Dad, Mom, Rusty, Ted, Barbara, Cote, Aunt Suzanney, Jim, Jimmy, Jessica, Taylor, and me all rented a cabin in the Smokey Mountains. Rusty's friends Adam and Tom also stayed with us.

The eve of Rusty's wedding was spent in the hot tub with Rusty, Jessica, Jimmy, Ted, and me. Many childhood stories were told, along with things our parents would prefer not to know. Somewhere in the middle of our hours-long sweat-out, and after a few drinks, I told Jimmy how much I love him (I won't say "loved" as a past-tense because I will always love him). We shared an embrace that I did not think much of that night. He proceeded to tell Ted that he liked him, but should Ted ever hurt me he would kick Ted's ass. He told Ted, "I love this girl."

Taylor was Rusty and Deborah's flower girl, but she didn't want to go down the aisle without Daddy, so Jimmy walked along the side the whole way, urging Taylor to drop her flower petals. At the end of the aisle, little Taylor turned over her basket and shook it violently. Poor Jimmy was at his wit's end, trying to get little Taylor to wear her crown of flowers. He gave her every bribe under the sun, handing her juice cups and grapes, and shaking his head, smiling the entire time with Granddaddy's blue eyes.

It was sad for us all to part at the end of our wedding celebration in Tennessee, but it was such a fun time that it was hard to be too sad over it. The last time I saw Jimmy was on the front porch of our cabin. He and Jessica got Taylor into her carseat and said goodbye to everyone. As always, Jimmy's hug was the best, just like when we were seven and thirteen.

Grandma told me once that God gives everyone something and "he gave Jimmy personality." Jimmy had more personality in his ear lobe than most people have in a lifetime. His eyes sparkled and he brought joy to everyone he encountered. He had the rare gift of being able to converse with anyone on any topic. The other person always knew that Jimmy was interested in what they were saying, regardless of whether the topic was truly of interest to him. He just cared about people, and Aunt Suzanney can be credited with raising two very amazing men. I know with certainty that they would both agree with me that they would be nothing without my lovely Aunt Suzanney.

Two weeks and four days ago, I received a call I never wanted to get. One of the greatest people in my life had died on his 34th birthday. My big brother died on his 34th birthday. Once again, the whole family congregated, this time in Orlando. The most painful days of my life, to this point. The one person who always made such unbearable circumstances tolerable was the one person who was not there, and I seemed unable to handle it without him.

Few of you will ever have the fortune of knowing one person as wonderful as my brother, Jimmy. While my time with him was cut far too short, I can say that I was one of the lucky ones for getting to spend any time with him at all. Jimmy, I was so lucky to have known you. I know you loved me. I love you. You will never be replaced.

Pazza and me.


Over the barriers


Ted going up the run-up.


I caught this shot of Louie Fountain from Moscow





Racin'


After the start of the women's race last weekend near Coeur d'Alene.


A view from a recent mountain bike ride at Moscow Mountain.

Blueberry, the Bealls' old cat, died this morning. If you recall, a few months ago we all thought her time had come, so Mom and Dad drove her to the vet, only to have her suddenly revive. Home she went for a few more months. Over the past week, she had a massive down-turn, so an appointment was made for this afternoon. Crafty Blue decided to take care of things herself, dying this morning before she could be taken to the vet's. She had a long life - in cat years she was 102.

School has been brutal this semester, so I am already counting down the days to the end of the semester. I am becoming a trained wine panelist, so twice a week I attend training sessions. It's really pretty fun, though it takes more of the free time I do not have!

We have been attempting to stay fit in this off-season, so running has become a bigger part of our repertoire. It takes so much less time than riding, so it's better for me during the week. We are not taking cyclocross as seriously this season, only having done three races so far, though we are heading to Walla Walla this weekend for back-to-back races. I may be unable to race, as my back is once again gracing me with major pain. The culprit this time? I think it was my first weightlifting session a couple days ago, though running this morning probably didn't help it either. I'm crooked and bent, and trying to move as little as possible. Hopefully the massage tomorrow will help - usually they do.

We raced near Coeur d'Alene last Sunday, and the weather could not have been better. The A women's field was very small, with only 4 of us at the line. My road teammate, Jenni, took off from the rest of us on the first lap and rode to the win. I thought I might be able to hang for a little while, but then my lack of fitness became evident, and I couldn't do it. I had fun, though, and it felt good to ride really hard for the first time in a while. I'm still optimistic that I'll race this weekend too, but we'll see! If nothing else, we should have a good dinner!

Ted's race last weekend went really well, with him riding near the front for the whole race. He ended up feeling good and finished in the top 10. He has been running a lot more than I have... and I guess it's working!

We have yet to solve the Hitcher/garbage problem, though a solution may be on its way. Ironically, I was recently invited to test some pet products, and my survey answers qualified me to test a product designed to keep your pet out of areas where you do not want them to go. It sprays some sort of liquid at the pets when they approach the area. I should be getting it any day now, and I get to keep it at the end of the test period, so hopefully it works!

School and Cyclocoss

Mud!





Ted heading up the run-up.


Hanging out at the races.


Up the run-up.







School is keeping me far busier than I anticipated. It will be a big relief when this first semester is out of the way. I will be starting my research in October, rather than a year from now, so that will just add more to the plate. I'm not sure how much cyclocross I'll end up doing this year, but we did two big races in Seattle a couple weekends ago.

Starcrossed was first, which is always really fun. The combination of tons of spectators, a beer garden, and racing under the lights makes it a unique race experience. We have done Starcrossed four times now, and this was the first time we had rain... and boy did it rain. It did not stop all day, leaving what was a grassy course a mess of slippery mud. I had never raced in those conditions before, so it was a new experience for me! I crashed several times, but the mud just let me slide. I quickly found myself at the back of the field, which was not a huge surprise, and I wound up finishing last.

About halfway through the race, I felt like I had a fat lip and like my cheeks were swollen, but I tried to ignore it. After finishing (in last place!), I asked Ted if my face was "fat," and he said it was! No idea what happened, but I had an allergic reaction to something. My face was completely symmetrically swollen. It gradually went down throughout the evening (maybe the beer helped?), but I couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

Ted also had the pleasure of slipping and sliding in the mud, arriving at the car with a mud-speckled face. His sister and nephew made it out to watch, which I think just reinforced their opinions that we are somewhat crazy.

Sunday's race at Steilacoom was much drier and warmer, which was a pleasant surprise. Ted's lungs were bothering him, so he backed off of his race pace, and just rode it in. I rode as hard as I could, finishing near the back of the field. That 80 meter run-up is brutal!

Last Week

Me with my beautiful TT bike.


The swim-to-bike transition.


All of the bikes on the rack, including mine, #189.


The running leg of the sprint triathlon.


First off, I just want to say that my thoughts are with Jen.


Ted was in Chicago last week, visiting his parents and his grandmother. While he was away, I continued settling into my new routine as student, and also tried my first sprint triathlon. Mom and Dad came up to watch and take photos, and the weather could not have been better.

I did not train for the running or swimming portions at all, and I wasn't optimistic about my time since I was sick for 10 days beforehand. But, I figured it would be fun, so why not? A guy I have worked with is an avid swimmer, so I asked him what sort of time I would do for a 500 yard swim (they seed you by your swim time). He estimated that I would swim in the range of 7 to 9 minutes, so I put down 8:15 when I registered, which put me in the final swim wave, of 6. I shared a lane with 3 other women, swimming within our lane counter-clockwise. It did not take long for me to realize that I had WAY underestimated my swim time, as I was lapped 3 times! Oops! I guess someone needs to work on her upper body strength, eh?

Anyway, it ended up taking me over 12 minutes for my swim, and I was the absolute last person out of the pool. I was so relieved to hop on the bike and be back in my element. I did not realize that my transition times would end up counting toward the splits of my individual legs, which is something I wish I had known since I was not fast in the transitions! I ended up catching a ton of people on the bike, putting me back ahead of all the women I swam with, and giving me the course record for women.

I decided to run at a decent, but not overly hard pace, with hopes of avoiding too much soreness. It turned out that it didn't matter, as I woke up the next morning to screaming Achilles tendons. I wound up finishing 2nd in my age group and 5th overall for women, with a time of 1:05:00. It was definitely fun for something new, and triathlons are a hard effort!

We still have not solved the garbage problem with Hitcher, so we have stuck to our temporary plan of putting the garbage in the "cat room" every time we leave the house. We no longer even have baby locks on anymore, as he completely snapped them off last weekend. Suz suggested putting the garbage in the tub since dogs don't like to get in the bathtub. Of course, my dog absolutely loves to get in the tub, climbing in several times a week. He once even peed in there! Yes, he's weird. He's also the only dog on the planet who won't touch peanut butter.

I am going to be doing a wine project for my masters degree, starting next year sometime. I am doing the wine processing lab on Fridays, which is going to be really fun. Now if I just didn't have to take organic chem...

Dog-proof Garbage?

Hitcher has been posing a new problem recently and we're not sure what to do about it. We keep our kitchen garbage in a normal can in the cupboard under the sink, and he has discovered that it holds wonderful food scraps. We have tried baby locks - 2 different kinds - but he can still break in. Ours are at the top of the cabinet door, requiring that you press down on a piece of plastic to release the door. The other kind we have tried is also plastic and requires that you push two pieces of plastic together to pop the door open. Apparently, my 2 year old Treeing Walker Coonhound is smarter than the average 3 year old human because he can open both kinds.

We have resorted to moving the garbage to the back room (behind the baby gates that safeguard the litter boxes) each time we leave the house... which is a royal pain. Last week, Ted put a kitchen chair in front of the cupboard, but we still came home to trash, in addition to finding that he had eaten a chocolate cake retrieved from the ABOVE-counter cupboards; oh, and a loaf of bread. Yep, not sure how he got those cupboards open either. Next, Ted put a new 35 pound container of kitty litter in front of the cabinet, but he somehow managed to move that too, leaving garbage scraps strewn on the floor.

While it's super annoying to come home to garbage, the real concern is that he'll eventually eat something that makes him sick, so we have to figure something out. Until then, we'll be trying to remember to put it in the back room. Any suggestions?

Back in school

My first week of grad school is officially over. It's strange to be a student again, and I can tell it will take a while to get used to it. This semester has me taking organic chemistry, microbiology, and a wine microbiology lab where I learn to make wine. I am also a TA for a "Vines and Wines" class, which is a class I would have enjoyed sitting in on anyway, so it's a pretty good deal.

My task now is to officially determine which direction I want to take within the Food Science department. I have to choose between doing a wine project that involves making my own wine (hence the wine lab) and product development/dairy science. Both directions interest me at this point, so I'm not sure which way to go. The wine lab would be super fun. I have already met with the potential advisor with whom I would work on the wine project, and I will meet with the dairy/product development advisor this week. Then it will be decision time.

I have been encouraged to look more at the skills I hope to have when I complete graduate school than at the actual commodities. Afterall, I will be able to spin my job title any way I would like, but my skills are what truly will be evaluated.

I was hoping to spend much of my first long weekend on my bike, but it's not happening. I have amazingly already gotten sick! I came down with a sore throat during our Wednesday ride, which has progressed to a nasty cough from my chest. I haven't been on the bike since that Wednesday ride. It's not worth pushing it and getting worse, so I'm waiting (and sleeping!) it out. Yep... 12 hours of sleep last night, followed by a huge breakfast (?) around noon at Old European.

Next weekend I plan to do my first sprint triathlon, followed by a mountain bike race the next day; not sure how either will go, considering that I haven't been on my mountain bike since February, and I don't even know the last time I swam. I have, at least, done two 10-minute runs in the past couple weeks, but considering that the run will be over twice as long, that may not get me all that far!

Mmmm...

Homemade s'mores cupcakes with toasted marshmallow frosting.

Rusty and Deborah's Wedding

This is long overdue, but here is a photo update of Rusty and Deborah's wedding in Tennessee. Mom and Dad also threw a pre-wedding party at their house in July. Ted and I were scheduled to take separate red-eye flights to TN, in order to make it for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and both our flights were simultaneously canceled. So, I spent one more night in Orange County and Ted was in downtown Spokane. We made it for the dinner, but not for the rehearsal. It was a great wedding, with lots of family and friends. I'm sure more pictures will come.


Mom and Dad threw a pre-wedding party in Clarkston for those who would be unable to make it to the wedding in Tennessee. A surprise bagpiper played some tunes, so, of course, Rusty had to have a try...imagine a dog stepping on a cat and you can hear Rusty's beautiful music.


In town for the pre-wedding party: Cote and Barbara (my cousin and Dad's niece), Ted, me, Rusty, and Deborah.


Rusty Beall is officially riding his bike again. He and I rode together when they were home for the pre-wedding party in July. I dropped him, of course. First sibling ride in a few years.


Mom and Dad after their party in Clarkston.


Ted Chauvin a.k.a. Secret Service.


Ted and me.


Dad and me.


Mother of the groom/groom dance.


Mom, Dad, Rusty, and me, not long before the ceremony.


The new bride and groom.


The day after the wedding was spent relaxing on the river. Here I am with Adam Umber, Dave Lawson, Tom Nelson, and Ted.


Floating down the river in Townsend, TN with friends Dave and Dinorah Lawson, Ted, my cousin Jimmy, and Jimmy's wife Jessica.




I was the 6th kid to have a go at the pinata.


Next, it was my turn to spin my new sister-in-law and let her have at it.

First Up: National TT update

I flew to Orange County, California two weeks ago to compete in the elite national time trial championship. There were about 50 women registered, including some very fast time trialists, so I knew I would have to have a fantastic ride to really compete. Pre-riding the course last Tuesday, I found a hilly, very challenging course, with numerous rolling hills. I was very happy with the course selection, given that it had a little bit of everything: rolling climbs, fast descents, and a few flat sections.

I awoke Wednesday to a very hot day, so I knew I would need to stay hydrated up until my race start. I opted not to take a bottle with me for the actual time trial, as I figured I would lose time every time I took a sip. I started out well, keeping a hard, steady pace. I knew I had some very fast ladies immediately behind me, so I was hoping to hold them off as long as possible. Three miles into the race, I was caught by the woman (Alison Powers) who started one minute behind me. I felt a twinge of demoralization, but it quickly passed when I told myself she would surely finish in the top 3; she ended up being the national champion.

My effort felt hard to me, with each progressive roller hurting my legs more than the last. I kept Alison Powers in sight until I reached the turn-around, but then she started to pull away more and more, and I started to lose more and more time. I had very little left for the last few miles, and I found myself greatly fading. I finished feeling as if I had done all I could do for that particular day. It turned out not to be a good result at all, but I am still glad I did it. For whatever reason, it just was not my best day.

Time Trials and Tribulations

Today was the WA state 40 km TT. Neither Ted or I had a great ride, but we're okay with it. I have no excuses, other than the fact that I did not put in a great effort. I simply did not push myself hard enough today. It was my first 40 km TT in three years and it was definitely good to get one in before the nationals TT Wednesday. I cannot allow myself to put forth such a shoddy effort there.

Back to School

I will officially be back in school in just about a month. I applied to graduate school at WSU in the department of Food Science, expecting to start in January, but they accepted me and invited me to start in August. My personal chef business just wasn't taking flight in our little town, so it was time to think of something new to do. I guess I'll be the "old lady" in my classes!

Another long-overdue update

Me with Sarah Barber who is sporting the climber's jersey at Cascade after her bold attack.


This family of deer hangs out right by Mom and Dad's house.


Ted attacking in Sunday's Idaho State crit.


Blueberry, the 21 year old cat.

The racing season is drawing to a close and I'm ready to soon have less time traveling. Ted and I went to Bend, Oregon two weeks ago for the Cascade Cycling Classic, which ended up being a good race. The highlight of the race was a daring move made by my teammate, Sarah Barber, which resulted in the winning break of the first stage, and gave Sarah a 6th place finish. She also earned the honor of wearing the polka dot climber's jersey for stage two, which was huge for our little team. My personal best result of the week was 13th in the time trial, which I was reasonably happy with; I had really hoped for a top 10, but I suppose it was not a great course for me, so I'm content with 13th. I am mad at myself for my performance in the crit (I was a huge wuss!), which caused my G.C. placing to plummet. I would have been close to the top 20 overall if I hadn't been such a chicken. Ted had an okay race, but still wasn't thrilled with it.

Rusty and Deborah flew into town last Thursday for an engagement/pre-wedding party thrown by Mom and Dad. Dad's niece, Barbara, and her significant other, Cote, also made the trip from Memphis for the occasion, so we had a few days of family time. I took Thursday and Friday off from working and spent the time at Mom and Dad's. The party was great, with lots of food, alcohol, and interesting conversations (bestiality...enough said). After a night of partying until 2 am, it was not easy for Ted and me to leave Clarkston first thing in the morning to head to Boise, but we did it somehow.

Saturday saw us doing the Boise Twilight criterium. Our race was a bit of a mess, as we had been told in advance that lapped riders would be pulled. When Kristin Armstrong lapped our group, we thought we were pulled out, but it turned out that we could have stayed in. Oops. Ted attacked a couple times in his race, which he described as both "squirrely" and "easy."

We had some fun Saturday after the crit, going out for dinner and drinks with Sarah and Brian Barber, our teammate Ally Stacher, and our good friend, Daimeon. The evening ended with a few beers at the Barbers... and another late night!

The Idaho State Criterium was Sunday and there was a decent turnout. For the Bob's women's team, it was just Sarah Brown, Jenni Gaertner, and me. They started the ladies with the Masters 45+ men, and the pace was fast from the gun. I was hurting for the first part of the race, spending the first several laps near the back. Jenni was great, riding near the front and chasing down attacks. I eventually took a flyer off the front, getting in a break with Bob Hoene. I did too much work and couldn't stay with him after a few laps, getting sucked back into the pack, but at least Jenni got a little break. I had completely burned all of my matches with my little move, so I had nothing left at all for the finish. Ted again did some attacks off the front, but his race also came down to the final lap.

So, that's it for racing news right now. We'll be resting at home this weekend, which is such a nice thought! The following weekend we're planning on going to the western side of Washington to do the state time trial championship. The day after that, I fly to Orange County, California to do the national time trial. I'll take a red-eye flight from Ca to Tennessee for Rusty and Deborah's wedding (Ted will meet me there), and then I think I'll actually be home for a little while!

During our family time last week, we all came to the consensus that it was time for Blueberry, our 21 year old kitty, to be put down. She has been unable to groom herself for quite some time, and she was spending the majority of her time cowering in her litter box. So, Mom and Dad made an appointment for her this afternoon. In the hours leading up to her time, she suddenly became full of life, enjoying the sunshine outside, chasing the Schnauzer around the kitchen, and eating food. Nonetheless, they loaded her up for the ride to the vet, but she meowed the entire drive there, causing them to question their decision. Sure enough, they turned the car around, giving Blue more time. You've gotta figure she's well over 100 in human years, so she's gotta be getting close, but she just won't stop ticking! I picked her out to be my kitten when I was 5. Guess I picked a good one.

On that note, I'm going to watch the rest of today's Tour de France stage.

The happenings

Shamus turned 15 yesterday.


Hitcher's friend, Lily, has been coming over almost daily to play. She surprised him in the middle of his nap yesterday, and came up to the front door meowing this morning.


Hitch and Lily.


Ted and I were riding to our local TT last night when my seat clamp suddenly cracked all the way through. I had to call and get a ride home, so no TT for me. Thankfully, two sources, Bob's Bicycles and my friend Daimo, are hooking me up with seat clamps, so I'll be ready to race at Cascade next week.

Sights from our ride on the Palouse today.

Two things you can say about the Palouse are that it is beautiful and the riding is fantastic. Here are a few shots I thought I'd share from a regular old ride we can do any day of the week. What did you get to see on your ride today?