3-29-18

I flew from Iowa to Phoenix Tuesday evening. I took Frontier since my American Airlines flight was oversold. Had a lovely view out my window on the way; a perfectly solid blanket of clouds with a perfect blue sky above.

I woke on Wednesday morning to 2 beautiful blooms in our front yard. I'll take these as perfect signs that my mom is in good hands...God's hands. Thankful for our few days together. Since being home I've been talking with my brother, Monte. Yesterday was not a good day for my mom with much labored breathing. Today has been better. My brother, Brent from Minnesota is there with mom now. If mom makes more improvement they will try to move her back to her care center tomorrow. Prayers for her comfort & peace with love all around her.

3-28-18

That's our girl...hanging out at the local Dog Show in Ahwatukee last Sunday.

I was in Iowa but Bob took Harley down to see the other dogs and enter her in the "Best High Five" contest. Harley WON! Way to go Harley! Bob threw in a couple of Harley's other tricks like walking through his legs, high 10 etc. She was a crowd favorite. :-)

Our Champion!

We proudly have Harley's trophy and ribbon up over her dog dish at home.

It makes her smile. Us too. :-)

3-27-18

While I've been spending time with my mom...

Bob's been spending time with his dad.

Bob had a 1 day layover in RENO so Bob Sr. drove up from The Bay to hang out.

They hung out alright... on snow skis going up & down a mountain at Lake Tahoe!

It was a picture perfect day with nice temps & sunshine. Looks like they had the mountain to themselves too.

Thanks for sending photos to me, Bob. Friend, Phil commented on this pic on Facebook "And he's on straight sticks...nothing but class."

Nice! :-)

3-26-18

I am posting this video from the hospital because it was a special moment with my brother, Monte whistling "Amazing Grace" for mom. Mom, Emily, Jacey & I enjoyed it very much. Monte whistled a few other hymns too. Today Mom was having a little more difficulty breathing due to water retention. :-( They added lasix to her IV. Mom was able to have some soft foods which is progress. 

One funny story... In the middle of the night when a nurse came in to take mom's blood pressure the nurse asked mom: "Izy, how many children do you have?"

Mom: "Eight"

I asked from the corner of the room "Mom, what number am I?"

Mom didn't hear me so the nurse repeated...

"Izy, your daughter asked what number is she?"

Mom replied; "Janie doesn't know what number she is?!?!?!!!"

Hahahaha.

Thought that was funny. :-) Love my mom!

3-25-18

I flew back to Iowa on Saturday night after our mountain bike race. Mom is back in the hospital after 2 days of GI bleeding and vomiting. :-( Thankfully the vomiting stopped today. It will be baby steps to get her strength & eating back. At 90 years old...this stuff is rough.

Thumbs up selfie...Monte, Emily, Mom & Me.

We were able to get mom sitting up in a chair for 2 hours. She also got a haircut. She has been approved for a liquid diet too! Mom sleeps most of the time but when she is awake she recognizes everyone and answers questions well. Thankful she isn't having pain and sleeps comfortably. Currently mom needs supplemental oxygen but she should be able to wean off that again. I'm staying in her hospital room tonight and tomorrow night too.

3-24-18

White Tank Mountains / MBAA race...

1st place woman overall - all categories! :-)

I had a great day racing my mountain bike!

____________________

Congratulations to 2nd place; Ruth from Colorado. More on this outstanding gal in another post.

3rd place: Beth from Tucson. Always strong on endurance and tech skills. She's awesome.

4th place: Natalie from Showlow, AZ. Nice work out there, Natalie.

5th place: CC from Arizona. We've raced together on the other MBAA races. She's tough!

Bob had a great day on the bike too! Finishing 16th in his fast Cat 2 men category (ages 45-49).

Mike crashed during their race & though he still finished well, he didn't have his usual result making the podium.

There's Bob waving on lap #1! :-)

Here's me on lap #2 giving thumbs up to Thomas who was cheering on the course with Bob. Thanks guys...it helps. :-)

Right after my race...

Smiles from #1 #3 #2 #4

More smiles with Thomas who was about to go off on his race (10-12 yr olds). Unfortunately Thomas got a flat tire early in his race and wasn't able to finish the course. Bummer...but it happens sometimes.

My race start... "Go Jane Go!"... hahaha.

Thanks to teammate & friend, Anna for driving out with her kids to cheer us on. So nice to have you on the course & at the finish.

Thanks to James who has been our support crew for every race this year! He kinda likes this mountain biking atmosphere. So do we. :-)

3-23-18

Finding a re-newed love of mountain biking with the love of my life!

#mountainbiking #husband #arizona #desert #trails #milesandmiles #cacti #thegreatoutdoors #sunshine #soakitup #adventure #couple #newbikes #smile

3-22-18

Here is my 5 year old hard tail mountain bike with a little makeover. The Specialized Fate got a new front fork put on it last week. It's a fun bright orange. The best part is this front suspension works!! My old front fork was broken...basically giving me a very rough ride for a long time. I didn't realize just how rigid my old fork was until I rode this new FOX one. I love it!

I think The Specialized FATE compliments my brand new Scott SPARK mountain bike! I've never had a full suspension bike so it may take a little getting used to but after the 1 test ride...I can tell it's going to be a dream bike. Over the past month I've done some demo rides on the brands; Pivot, Specialized, Ferrazzi and Trek. None felt as GREAT to me as the Scott. Here's to more miles of riding the dirt with Bob & friends.

My new lime green & red ride is my belated Valentine's Day gift from Bob. I LOVE it, honey. Thank you! Xoxoxo.

PS: My old FATE isn't going anywhere. With it's new fork it will have a place for racing & riding still (depending on the terrain). :-)

3-21-18

Game on!

Our ping pong table is set up & this morning was our 1st match. We had some fun & close games! Bob won best of 5 for the day. I see many games of table tennis in the days to come! :-)

3-20-18

Won't Bob be surprised when he gets home!! :-)

I CAN bake...at least once every couple years. LOL! 

Never mind that it was store bought cookie dough and all I had to do was scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. Well, I had to heat the oven too. Oh yes...and put the cookie sheet into the oven! I made cookies (haven't tasted them yet). ;-)

PS: I really like hanging out in our kitchen, I love doing dishes, cleaning and socializing around the island. BUT I avoid cooking... just ask Bob. It's crazy that my mom was an awesome cook with homemade meals everyday and my mother-in-law is phenomenal at cooking and baking. Not sure why none of that has rubbed off on me? I've come to grips that cooking is not a passion of mine. I think Bob has come to grips with that too.

3-19-18

I'm redecorating! Lately I've been into lime green & black with a splash of red accents for the piano room.

How do you think it's all coming together!?!? ;-)

3-18-18

Got PEZ?!

PEZ dispenser collection on display. These are from Bob's childhood & they were fun for Michael to play with.

This is the 2nd time we've had this sweet 10 year old come to stay with us. He and Harley are buddies. We enjoyed puzzles, swimming, reading, basketball, games, the water park & a movie (Cars 3).

Here is our finished puzzle (a garage sale find). Occasional short term foster care has been a good experience for Bob & I. 

3-17-18

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you wore green (we did)!

I hope you ate something green (we did)!

I hope you had a fun St. Patrick's Day (we did)!

Michael & I eating a green malt & green mint oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Mmmmm. :-)

3-16-18

PROOF that James raced 1 day in last weekend's Cactus Cup. YEP...this was James 1st mountain bike race and he did great!! He wasn't planning to race as he & I drove to the event on Sunday (Bob was back at work). James was just coming along to support me on the Enduro competition. While driving to McDowell Mountain I had the idea that I should register him to race the event too. He agreed... mostly because the event was 3 timed DOWNHILL segments. Technical downhill is something James loves to do. We had a blast cruising around to the 3 courses, racing our best & then celebrating afterwards. Congratulations, James!

Weekday ride at The White Tank Mountains.

I want say thank you to James. For 15 years he's been a great friend to Bob & I. He's done countless big and small projects on our homes & rentals. He's come to the rescue of friends in their home needs too. He is always positive & tackles the most difficult projects with a smile. On top of that...we trust him to take care of our baby, Harley each time we leave town (which is pretty often). Harley loves James. :-) Add on that he enjoys mountain biking & hanging out for simple evenings of visiting in our backyard. You're a good guy, James. Bob & I appreciate you!

3-15-18

Race photos from The Cactus Cup...

Day #1: Short Track race. 1st place 40+ category.

Day #2. Fat Tire 40 miler race. 1st place 50+ category. 2nd place in 40+ age group.

Day #3: Enduro race. 3 timed downhill segments.

2nd place 40+ age category.

The Cactus Cup 2018.

2nd place 40 + category.

Thanks Frozen Motion for taking awesome event photos. I'll be ordering some of my race shots.

3-14-18

Credit to Kata for taking this beautiful photo at the race on Sunday; McDowell Mountain Park. It had rained early morning but afterwards the desert was filled with dramatic clouds & sunlit cacti.

During a fun ride with Kata on Tuesday the cacti of South Mountain were not so kind. I accidentally brushed my hand up against some prickly vegetation while cruising downhill. The result was a painful & swollen pinky full of tiny, invisible thorns. I have been soaking my finger and searching for those stubborn & annoying tiny needles. :-(

3-13-18

The Gazebo is up & we love it! We will still anchor it securely as you can't trust these AZ wind storms! In time we'll put down some pavers & hang up some sun drapes. But today we started another project...assembling our outdoor ping pong table. James & Bob started the process...

We're all excited to get the ping pong table together. I see many table tennis games in our future! :-)

3-12-18

This doggie is soooooo tired!

Sweet Harley taking over the couch for a much needed nap. :-)

Sweet Pendleton blanket (our Christmas gift from Pat & Bob) with artwork design by our nephew, Andrew. It looks great on the back of our couch! I've used it several times since Pat & Bob brought it to us last week. Thanks!

3-12-18

Happy Birthday to my BFF, Heidi!

March 8th was Heidi's 50th & she is as fabulous as ever! Welcome to the 50 Club, Heidi. ;-)

Saturday night Bob & I attended a wonderful party to celebrate. Hosted by Nick (Heidi's boyfriend) and friends, Jenn & Brian in their beautiful home. So much good food, good friends, good times. Happy Birthday...wishing you many more, my friend!

3-11-18

Today was day 3 of The Cactus Cup.

I was 2nd place in this morning's event that required 3 timed downhill segments. It was actually a unique & fun part of this 3 day race. Congrats to Crystal (1st) & Julie (3rd).

For the overall 3 day Cactus Cup I was 2nd in my age group (40 +). 

I am really happy I did the 3 day stage race. My body may have protested about racing 3 days in a row but I had fun pushing myself & competing with some tough, fast & friendly gals. Thanks again to the best husband for his support on Friday & Saturday. And thanks to our friend, James for course support on Saturday & Sunday. Thank you, Pat & Bob for coming out with us on Friday! Your cheers were appreciated! The race directors did a fantastic job (well organized, great prizes, fun atmosphere). Thank you Cactus Cup!

3-10-18

Today: 1st place in my age category.

Cactus Cup Fat Tire 40 miler race.

Even though I'm very happy with 1st in the 50+ category... I didn't have my best day on the bike for this grueling 40 mile course.

The first 15 miles were great. I felt good and went out strong. I was leading the group on some fun twisty single track & feeling optimistic. Then my legs got tight & my body said "no more!"  I suffered through the remaining 20 miles of rocky trails trying all I could to get to that finish line before too many girls passed me. It was a struggle.

I was so happy to be done! Here are some of the awesome girls I get to race with...

Julie, Heidi, Jenn, Janet.

Got cleaned up & hung out with friends like Dean...

and Nick & Heidi.

And Janet.

Thanks for your awesome support, Bob & James. Both of them got to 7 points on the course to cheer & hand off a bar or drink to keep me going. It was needed & appreciated.

A tough but great day!