mindaTHINK

Biker or scrapbooker? Some may wonder

So, all of you who read my blog because of my intense interest in scrapbooking must be kinda concerned by now.  I mean come on, what is all this biking stuff?

I dunno. I'm sure it will settle down.

Anywoo, guess what Andrew wanted to do last night for fun after Scott went to his meeting?  Yep, bike.  YIKES! So I added another 3 miles to my total last night.  Of course those were the SLOWEST 3 miles all week, as we not only went at 6 year old speed, we went at 6 year old with training wheels one of which is stuck speed. Off with those bleepity things when we got home last night.  And off with the pedals as well.

Mike had read an article a few years back that recommended the interim between training wheels and full on biking be filled with a few days of no pedal scooting.  I guess it helps with learning to balance the bike and not focussing so much on pedaling.  So, tonight we'll be starting that fun.  I'm not looking forward to the learning curve, but I am looking forward to having Andrew up and running for real on a bike.  He loves to ride and will love it even more when he can ride without fighting training wheel drag.  It would be nice to be able to bike to the creek and the library on a regular basis.  So let's hope he learns quickly and we can get on it!

I am remembering that I have alot of bike related connections in my life, now that I'm on and riding.  One of my favorite people in the world, Michael, was/is an avid biker, and continues to ride extensively even after five or so knee surgeries. Michael took up bike riding after a serious knee injury in highschool. He chose it because of its lower impact.  He also has a handy little scar on his face thanks to his bike.  He was test driving a racing bike and not paying attention to where he was headed.  Going about 40 mph he literally rammed nose first into the back of a parked semi.  His nose was nearly removed from his face, and other than my undying admiration, its the only thing he has in common with Scott.  Scott's nose removal occured when he was golfing with a buddy as a kid.  FORE!

My brother for awhile was something of a bike enthusiast a few years back.  He switched from running to biking because of the lower impact. I think he also switched because when he was running after dark one night near the Caponi Art Park in Eagan he was nearly hit head on by a deer.  Lucky in that case he wasn't on a bike, which would  have been harder to stop.  I wonder if there are any stories of bikers being hit by deer?  Hopefully my new friend Mr. Stormcrowe will educate me if there are.  As with all things my brother does, his equipment for biking was the finest. I love that about him, he attacks whatever his latest passion is with gusto. I don't think he'd be caught dead on the $89 beater I'm trundling around on. 

And then there is my parents.  My dad's company volunteers trucks and drivers for the MS150 every year.  Sitting at a grand total of 29.6 miles for four days I can't even FATHOM doing 150 miles in two days. UGH! Their rest stops are 12 to 15 miles apart. That is twice as far as I have yet gone.  So anyway, I have alot of admiration for those riders. My mom and dad followed the route this year because they were short a driver, so my dad volunteered to drive one of the food trucks along the route, and they camped in the cab each night.  I guess it was only in the 30's the first night and they froze! 

I can't imagine ever doing the 150, but the MS TRAM which is nearly 300 miles in 5 days sounds lovely for some reason. Maybe some day I'll do that. That would be something Jason and I could do together, he is also an avid biker. I seem to have alot of those in my life.

Now to all you scrapbookers who are ready for something more your style, here's the latest:

...and 8.2 miles smooth as silk

This biking thing, I don't know, I think I'm hooked.  You know the guy I linked to the first day who has lost all the weight and is a biker?  Well yesterday he read my comment about the bad ride due to the BIG hills and he gave me a tip.  gmap pedometer is an online program by Google.  You find your starting location on the map, and then double click your way through the course you want to travel.  Not only does it keep exact track of the mileage of your course, it also has the option of showing you the elevation of your trek! No more ALL UPHILL bike rides.  Woohoo!

Here is a picture of the map of my ride today.  8.2 miles and no major uphill battles! 

This blue part at the bottom is the elevation information.  I have mapped out five courses now, of varying lengths.  Very fun stuff.

Tomorrow night Scott is going to help me get a new bike:  he's going to help me get his much nicer bike up and running so my beater can take a rest.  Nice big gel seat.  AHHH!!!

Mike is doing better and better.  Not all the longer term effects are known at this point, but they are talking about possibly allowing him to go home sometime in the next few days.  Very, Very good news!

Better Days

Update:  Mike was "graduated" from SIC(surgical intensive care) today!  Times are still tough, but this is progress in the right direction.

Bike helmet firmly affixed to my head, I took a different route for my ride today.

Note to self: don't pick a "new route" without driving it first to see if it is bikable!  Instead of backtracking, I figured I could add a half mile on to my ride by looping around on Normandale and finishing back at my house on 98th.  It did make a perfect circle and the ride, and I use the term loosely, did take me about the same amount of time as yesterday. All good. Unfortunately, I failed to realize, since I have never traversed the piece of Normandale Boulevard between 113th and 98th, that it is ENTIRELY UP HILL!  And by uphill, I mean UP FLIPPIN' HILL!

To whomever honked at me in recognition as I dragged my bike up said hill, thanks for letting me know you saw me and eliminating any shred of dignity this fat white arse had left!  I recognized the car and thought "scrapbooker" and even narrowed it down to Sandy or Debbie, but my utter humiliation didn't allow me time to ponder it further.  I was too busy walking up that blankety hill.

Total miles for the week: 12.5

Route for tomorrow: Any where but THAT!

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Tonight we asked Andrew to brush his teeth, put on his pajamas and wash his hands (we'd been picking up trash in the yard just previous.)

He was gone a bit and then came out with a big smile on his face.  Momma, come see what I did for you in the bathroom!(!?@?!)

Oh man, I love that boy!

Overheard in the Shultz' household...

10:15pm-the livingroom

Scrapwife: "Its really too late to watch that movie I got tonight, want to play Scrabble?"

Wes-reformed husband: "Well I was really hoping we could do some more scrapping tonight.  I want to finish that page I was working on this morning."

WHA?!?!?!

8:35am-the diningroom, 15 minutes before Scott has to leave for work:

Wes-reformed husband: "Argh!  That doesn't fit right!"

Scrapwife: "What's wrong?  Are you trying to finish up that flyer before work?"

Wes-reformed husband: "No, I'm trying to finish that second scrapbook page I started last night.  Oh well, I'll get right on it after work."

Will someone please tell me when the world tipped on its axis?!?!?!

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

Bicycle Race by Queen

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

You say black I say white
You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene
And I don't like Star Wars
You say Rolls I say Royce
You say God give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah
Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race
All I want to do is
Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle
Bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle
Bicycle race

You say coke I say caine
You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog you say cool it man
I don't wanna be the President of America
You say smile I say cheese
Cartier I say please
Income tax I say Jesus
I don't wanna be a candidate for
Vietnam or Watergate
Cause all I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

Cool song, but I'd be lying to you if I said I wanted to ride my bicycle right now.  I rode for an hour this morning, and I found a pretty hilly course, so I'm a little beat.  Its a feel good beat though.

Mike's situation has taken another turn this morning.  I wish it was good news.  It isn't.  I believe God will heal Mike.  I believe this will all come out right.  I believe that these setbacks are temporary.  But today is hard. 

Maybe you are thinking about joining me in my quest to bike every day until Mike can get back on his bike.  Here are some inspirational links I've discovered where biking is changing people's lives.  Gotta love that.

http://theamazingshrinkingman.blogspot.com/  This guy has lost 350 pounds.  In one year.  He bikes.  He's my age.

http://www.smallwords.org/harris/  These guys biked across the US last year on a tandem bike.  All the way across.

Here was my course this morning. 

• 7:30am bike out of the garage, where it was tethered to Scott's bike.  I had the key on my keyring, I considered that divine encouragement!
• Two VERY flat tires.  Bike limped out of the garage to the trunk of my car.  Man, this thing weighs a TON!
• Doesn't fit all the way in the trunk (okay in truth, I was just too weak to get it all in there.  Tie trunk down on it and take off.
• Speed bumps immediately break the tie rope...I'm not giving up.
• Oh wait, I have no gas,  hope I make it to the gas station, its not very close.
• Pull into the station, after much bashing of my bike.  I drive all the way around it and don't see an air hose.  Oh well, I'll get gas anyway.
• While pumping the gas, I see the air hose.  Sure am glad I didn't drive off.
• As I'm leaning over my tires adding air I remember that last time Scott did this the tire exploded.  Try to fill tires from a more defensive stance.  No explosions.
• Consider leaving my car at the station and just riding my bike home, but 98th is not the safest road at rush hour.  Pile the big lunk back into the trunk.
• 8:15am.  Arrive home with bike still intact, hop on and begin my ride.  Gears are NOT happy to be asked to work instead of being a resting place for spiders.  I'm riding, and my bike sounds more like a riding lawn mower than a cycle.  Can't get the phrase "fat bottomed girls they make the rockin' world go round" out of my head as I see all the heads turn in my direction.  I believe I'm a full fledged spectacle.  I ride down France, on the sidewalk because I don't have a helmet, to see how far it goes. 
• 8:35am and I've found the end of France and am now on Overlook Drive. This is really a beautiful area, more things to appreciate about Bloomington.  The weather could not be more perfect.  Must remember to bring a water bottle though. 
• 8:45am I've found Masonic Homes which is on Normandale.  I stop just shy of it, turn around and head back.  My body is pretty sure I've gone 50 miles.
• 8:59am Safe at Caribou I stop to get some WATER.  Oddly enough, they put ice and coffee in my water and charge me $1.95 for it.  Hmm, I think I've become a regular.  Too embarrassed to argue with them (and too addicted to caffiene) I take them up on their generous offer. The small iced coffee cup fits perfectly in my water bottle holder.  Sweet!
• 9:15am Right on schedule at just a few seconds under an hour, I arrive victorious at the garage again.  I think briefly about a picture.  I decide to save that for tomorrow as an incentive to actually bike tomorrow.

A sad excuse for a map of my route:

A game that can't be won - only played.

I'm talkin' about a game that can't be won - only played. 

"You don't understand."

I don't need to understand.  Ain't a soul on this entire earth ain't got a burden to carry he don't understand.  You ain't alone in that.  But you been carryin' this one long enough.  Time to go on.  Lay it down. 

"I don't know how."

You got a choice.  You can stop.  Or you can start.

"Start?"

Walkin.  Walkin right back to where you been.  And then stand there.  Still.  Real still.  And remember. 

"It was too long ago."

No it's not.  It was just a moment ago. Time for you to come on outta the shadows.  Time for you to choose. 

"I can't."

Yes, you can.  But you're not alone.  I'm right here with you.  I've been here all along. Now play the game.  The one you were meant to play.  The one that was given to you when you came into this world.  Now is the time.  You ready.  Don't hold nothin' back.

excerpt from film The Legend of Bagger Vance

This is my friend Mike McMullen.

Yesterday, while out cycling, he was injured in an accident, the details of which we don't know, because he can't remember them.  He was brought to the hospital around 7pm last night and around 11pm his condition worsened and he was admitted to intensive care.  As of last check this evening, he remains in IC, in and out of consciousness. 

Mike is one of THOSE guys.  Good looking, popular, smart, funny, kind, his wife described him last week as "my knight in shining armor, protecting me from the worst of it and always coming to my rescue just in time."  Scott and I renewed our vows this spring at Mike and Julie's home.  He and I have occasionally crossed verbal swords out of sheer enjoyment, and have recently discovered a mutual passion for card playing.

Tonight, while rewatching Bagger Vance to copy down some quotes I liked when we watched it last week, I got an idea.  Tomorrow I'm going to drag my bike out of the storage locker, hose off the spider webs and grime, pump up the tires and go for a ride.  You see all day I've been feeling impotent.  Yes, I have prayed.  Yes I have believed.  Yes I have offered to help the family I love so much.  But really, what does that amount to?  For some reason, getting on my bike and riding seems like the right thing to do.  Seems like moving toward playing, even if it isn't moving toward winning.  Because it was just a moment ago.  Mike was on his cycle.  Riding into the wind.  And now he can't for a time. 

So I will ride. 

Every day. 

Until he can ride again. 

even with me.  Nah, I'd just slow him down. 

Anyway, until he can get back on that bike he loves so dearly.

Why? 

I don't know.  Maybe because I think he'd get a kick over my fat butt on a bike.

Maybe because I want him to remember it's time to come out of the shadows. Time for him to remember he's not alone.

Scrapped The Movie

He's a biker.  I mean the kind of biker that's in a motorcycle club.  The kind of biker that's been arrested for offenses while riding said bike. He has tattoos.  And he's doing a documentary about scrapbooking.  *insert squeal of brakes here*  Wha?

Back in early February when I heard about this movie, heard about this guy off some random hit on a website, I was intrigued but doubtful.  What could this rough cuss have to say about my passion, my joy?  Was he here to mock?  Was he here to make a buck?

I bought an earlier documentary he wrote/directed. I'm nothing if not thorough in my research.  It is titled Brethren.  Not surprisingly its about bikers.  And yet really not about bikers.  About life.  About passion.  About not fitting in.  About being part of a brotherhood.  A part of something bigger than your actions or your looks.

Now he firmly had my attention.  I mean if this guy understands brotherhoods, can understanding the sisterhood of scrapbooking be that much of a reach?

We emailed.  I fell in love with his wife, although I'd never met either one of them, just from the way he described her in various little snippets of our conversation.  I started thinking that maybe, just maybe he might be able to capture the essence of this obsession on film.

A few days ago, he asked seven people over for a rough cut viewing of the film.  Just a casual email, hey, you don't really know me, but would you come see this thing as it stands and tell me what you think? 

So, Scott and I being kinda wacky ourselves said, sure, why not, send us directions.

And this is where all stereotypes went out the window. 

The first clue was the address.  In Minnetonka.  All those from the TC area know that bikers live in Nordeast.  Or Anoka.  NOT Minnetonka.  I mean sure, there are some motorbikes in Minnetonka, big expensive and comfortably decked out, Mr. King-of-the-Bank-Man takes his BMW out on the second Saturday of June, July and August and polishes it off and rides it just enough to give his trophy wife something to complain about, but that doesn't really count.  There are no tattoos.  There is no engine rebuiliding.  No blow torches.  That all happens in Nordeast.  Right?  Or maye South St. Paul.  I mean come on.

This was the second clue:

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Well, none of these exactly captures it, and to be fair, it was the house down the street not their house, but there was a holstein ornament, complete with baseball cap, proudly displayed next to the Winnebago with it's own driveway a mere three houses down.  I didn't bring my camera, so I have to use these stunt doubles, but are you catching my drift?  A cow.  In the yard.  Hip-ness factor fading fast.....

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We sped up and drove past the house.  But we figured, they probably saw us, so as card carrying MN-NICE members we realized it was too late to back out at that point.

Seriously though.

Minnetonka.

Holsteins.

The rest of the evening passed in complete enjoyment, I'm happy to report, once we overcame our ceramic-cow-in-Minnetonka-biases.  (which was easy, as we didn't know we had them until we arrived!)

Connie, Wes' wife is everything that makes me smile.  She is beautiful, smart, kind and relaxed.   If her heart got any bigger I'm pretty sure she'd break that measuring heart thingy just like in that Grinch movie.  Loved her.  She and Wes both made us feel very welcomed, as we laughed about the fact that we'd never actually met and yet here we were in their livingroom.  I told them the story about Ashley having Amber in her wedding.  Amber who she met scrapping online.  Who she's never met in person until this past week.  Who she loves dearly, all thanks to this crazy scrapbooking thing.  Who I only "know" through her blog.

We talked about how crazy that sounds, and yet how sensible it is in the scrapbooking world because we are all pretty transparent people.  Unafraid to be who we are and document what life we've lived, good and bad. 

The movie?  You want to hear about the movie?  Well, you don't have to get TESTY!

Well folks, we laughed.  We cried.  We learned new things.  We argued viewpoints. 

I'm here to testify:  A biker dude, living in Minnetonka with a nearby plastic holstein CAN write/direct/produce a documentary about scrapbooking to my exacting standards.

More impressive, the movie target audience isn't my demographic.  What's Wes' mission?  The unscrapper.  The antiscrapper.  The poor lost soul who thinks because he isn't an artist and isn't a former president he doesn't have a story to tell.  Whose childhood memories are rotting in a shoe box in his estranged parents basement or dying with said parents, undocumented and unspoken. 

Can a movie do that?  Can it ignite the passion in those who don't get a jones for embellishments or who can't imagine sorting paper by manufacturer? Can it excite an interest in someone with no kids who therefore can't be guilted into it for the sake of the little ones?  How about the 5 million husbands of scrapbookers?  Could a movie catch their attention?  I mean they already have a scrapbooker in the house, their covered, right?

A few minutes ago Scott checked our family schedule for the week and then asked me a question: "Would you scrapbook with me on Tuesday after Andrew goes to VBS?"

And I therefore say, "Yes, a movie can do that." 

So, the stereotypes were shattered tonight, much as Wes' stereotypes about scrapbookers have been shattered of late.  A few weeks ago he wrote,

I blew the big wad of my travel budget on going out to LA to meet with and interview Rhonda Anderson this weekend. What a hoot. In my brain she typified the proper, tidy, clean cut, conservative scrapbooking woman that I was slightly prejudice against. She turned out to be a very relateable, warm and funny person. She and her husband Mac had this magical way of retaining their sincerity and being completely transparent - what you see is what you get, but also making me feel like me being what you see: a chubby, sometimes abrasive, sarcastic, skeptical dirtbag in a T shirt, ear rings and messy hair, was somehow OK and completely fine.

What Wes learned a few weeks ago is what we learned tonight: Whether you are the founder of modern scrapbooking or a biker living in Minnetonka we are all basically the same at the core.  We all have a story to tell that no one else can tell as well. The benefits of being your own reporter are infinite. 

But don't take my word for it.

See the movie with the doubter in your household. 

**THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO MIKE, A BIKER OF A DIFFERENT SORT WHO IS IN INTENSIVE CARE AT HCMC TONIGHT.  KEEP HIM IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AS THE DOCTORS WORK TO HEAL HIS WOUNDS**

The Longest Day

Awoke this morning at sunrise. 

That was VERY early for a nonmorning girl like me.  But since this is the "longest day" I took a picture.  Silly comment really, that longest day stuff.  I mean this day is 24 hours long, just like every other one.  It should be longest light or most light or some such thing like that.

Moving on.

Since my tenative plans for the day didn't happen, I called mom and asked her to check out two Eagan landmarks with me.  Scherer's Gardens and Caponi Sculpture Park are places I have wanted to visit since I moved to Minnesota. (okay, I looked it up and technically Caponi's opened to the public in 1987.  Scherer's have been open for 31 years)  So anyway for at least 19 years I've wanted to check these two places out.  They are just a couple of miles apart, and are in Eagan, where I used to live!  Never been.  Finally went today.  Such a sweet free treat.

Scherer Gardens is amazing.  All this, maintained for over thirty years, for the enjoyment of the public.  Its early in the season, but there were many beautiful flowers ready for my camera.  My mom is an excellent photographer, and we enjoyed a splendid hour roaming the gardens, playing with our cameras and talking about great photos we'd seen and taken. 

Then we headed over to Caponi.  Mr. Caponi is an artist who works in stone primarily.  He has owned many acres of land in the heart of Eagan for his entire life, and opened his art park in 1987.  In 1994, after some amazing additions, the park opened to the general public all summer long without an appointment.  A tunnel goes under busy Diffley Rd to connect the two pieces of the property.  A person could walk on fresh trails, some made out of cobblestone, some of wooden bricks, some of the softest moss for hours at a time.  The artwork peeks out at you from time to time and is modern in design, and primarily his focus seems to be Eros.  The third picture is of a piece you can see from Diffley.  I've driven by it a hundred times or more and wondered about it.  Now I've seen it from the "inside"

I then went over to the coffee shop by my house and read the paper cover to cover while awaiting the time to pick up Andrew.  A nice relaxing, grown up kind of day.

And my, my what greeted me when I got to the camp...a boy who had taken a blue marker to his head and hair!  A boy wearing a _____ shirt, yep you guessed it, the shirt was white.  And when I say was, I mean had been that morning.

Now it was a mottled blue and white.  With a few smudges of green popsicle thrown in for fun.  Seems the kids were told they could color their hair for crazy hair day with markers.  Hmm...Okay, I am game after all, eventually all his existing skin cells will die and slough off and he'll get new, non-blue ones right?

We swung through the Olson's house to pick up my Mary Kay order (don't start) and they talked us easily into changing our minds about the party Lauren was throwing.  Soon we were in east Richfield eating to our hearts content (Lauren's husband Dan is a chef!!!) and the boys were embroiled in a water gun fight around the large yard and koi pond.  I had to run back home for a bit to finalize the sale of some scrapbook supplies, and when I returned Andrew's shirt looked like this:

What is blue and brown and green and tan all over?

Punchline, Andrew's nicest shirt!

Can she fix it?  Tune in tomorrow to see the shirt, post production!

We had a wonderful time, Lauren and her family are wonderful people, Mel was a knock out!  and the boys had a blast.  Fun people, so happy they bumped into my life!

And then, home to bed.  A very giggly, near hysterical boy.  Asleep less than five minutes after his somewhat less blue head hit the pillow.

And thus ends "the longest day"

A little Weirder

This week is not exactly going according to expectations, but what else is new?  That is why expectations are such a spotty idea!

Andrew is LOVING Invention Camp.  He is bubbly and giggly and downright overwhelming when we pick him up every day.  I'm so glad we had this opportunity to do this for him.

The house...always clean.  Now I know how people who work fulltime keep house.  No one is ever here to mess it up.  The mess Andrew makes between 4:30 and bedtime he can easily clean up.  The rest of the day no one is here to eat, cook or mess things up.  House always clean.  BORING!

Today I'm off to a museum or a garden.  Or both.  I haven't decided the full plan yet -- but I will in the next 15 minutes.  Then I'm OUTTA HERE!

Posted a boat load of pages on Two Peas this morning.  I've been a busy girl.  Some of them are new, feel free to check them out here.

I've been invited to do something SUPER exciting on Sunday evening.  More on that next week.  Are you dying to know? (Yes, you are!!!)

And if you haven't done it already, check out Sue's blog.  She's updating it often and asking alot of interesting questions.  I'm excited to have her on board the blogging circuit!  (not cricut ladies, circuit!)

Its Ethan Uphoff's 8th birthday today and David Crowe's 9th.  Just a couple of guys I know.  Ethan is Marcy's eldest.  He stops by here for a bit each morning before Invention Camp, which he is also taking.  Cool kid.  Think Andrew a little older with a brown version of Andrew's hair.  I'll try to get a picture tomorrow morning.

This morning, Andrew asked if he could read to us!  Yep, outta the blue.  He read the story of Humpty Dumpty out of a library book we got last week. 

I think

We are just

about

to cross

over from

reading as a chore

to reading

as a

joy!

YEHA!!!

All for now!

Home Alone

Andrew is with Ellis and Kelly and 19 kids his age, exploring the world of invention!  We dropped him off at 9am at Oak Grove Middle School.  I pick him up at 4pm.  He is so excited.  I am so excited.  I hope this is a true adventure week for us both!

I'm drawing a blank on what to say....I'll probaby hit my stride tomorrow.  For now, here are two images from Father's Day yesterday...