Riding and Golfing

Not too much to report from Austin. Life has been pretty jam-packed with life as usual. VPing Texas Cycling is actually kinda time consuming, but I think it's been worth it so far. We have a pretty big group that all likes to hang out and ride together- I think that's indicative of a job well done (I hope!). We had SBOBT last weekend and unfortunately the ride pretty much got rained out. We had to drive everyone back from the 10 mile rest stop back to their cars and to BBQ. People were happy with our driving service though- I think we made the best of our situation. We've had some fun events too- yoga class with Cecilia (think 8 giggling cyclists doing Warrior 3 in a living room) and Peter Pan mini golf on Friday. Both were a lot of fun and included too much laughing.

I've been doing a few Clif events- ACL a few weeks ago and I have a handmade bike festival coming up this weekend. The events sure make me busy to the brim, but it's good money and easiest to work 15-30 hours a week if it's all smooshed into 2-3 days.

Training is going well. I'm slowly building up the hours and the level of difficulty. It's good to get to ride 3 days a week now and I like the effects of strength training. I've been doing lots of yoga too which has had great benefits for me and my back. I've got all the team stuff secured for next season, yippee.

The job search is going alright. It is very time consuming looking for jobs, applying, going to info sessions, interviewing and all the other fun stuff that goes with that. I just need a full day to devote to that this week to feel better.

Classes are good. It seems like the busier you are the easier it is to get good grades. I guess it just makes one more disciplined in every aspect of life. It's hard to believe it is already time to pick my classes for my last semester as an undergraduate! Can you say YIKES?!

Full Speed Ahead

Life has been going about 1000 miles an hour and there is no relief in sight. Last weekend I worked 36 hours between Friday and Sunday at the Renewable Round-Up in Fredricksberg for Clif Bar. It was a fantastic event with all the renewable energy companies and eco-conscious companies from all over the state and some national companies. It was a good event for Clif Bar as well as many people weren't familiar with the company or the Mojo bar and they all wanted to hear what we had to say. Here are some fun picks to show you the weekend.

Organic T-shirts

This kid had about 5 samples in his mouth and he kept trying to smile.

Job interviews started for me this week and it seems like they and job research will never end. It's sure tough in this economy and there isn't a ton out there. Exams also started this week which isn't so fun, but I think I did well if that counts!

I also started training this week and, wow!, I'm so sore! The hours this week are next to none, but the gym workouts made me so sore and all the running too! It feels good to move again. I'm addicted :-)

Last night I got to hang out with friends! Pretty sad that that is very noteworthy, but I feel like I have so much on my plate right now that doesn't get to happen much. I went out with friend Sara and Kelsey to the Alamo Drafthouse Quote-Along of Office Space. It was fantastic. Everyone got flair and staplers, a guy and his wife dressed up as characters, some people had to go on stage and give their o-face, and then everyone got to smash a fax machine. It was way fun, except escaping the beating of the fax machine down a dark alley :-)

"Milton" and the victim printer

The Job Hunt

Looking for full-time positions is exhausting! I'm pretty sure I spend about as much time looking, applying, going to company nights, interviews, etc. as I do doing the rest of my homework! Phew. And this is for next year after I graduate. I'm happy things seem to be progressing with that though and it will be a relief when it is finished.

Friday night Peter and I saw Inglorious Basterds which we both thought was fabulous. Saturday was the first Collegiate Cycling Women's Nights of the year. I thought it was a good showing for being during the biggest football game of the year (oops). There were around 10 of us and I made the super-secret family calzone ;-) It was enjoyable and I think we'll have a fun year this year.

My training is still non-existant, but I've been so busy I've hardly noticed. I've run a few times on my own and with Peter which is fun except when he thinks it's funny to try to speed walk next to me :-( I'm trying to do more yoga because I always feel a lot better when I do it regularly. I'm starting up the season with a new coach, Simon Kessler of Simon Says Cycling. Some good goals have been set and I'm excited to start working with him next week.

I have a good amount of Clif events lined up for the fall which I am pretty excited about, including a few surfing tournaments :-) The first event is this weekend at the Renewable Round Up in Fredricksberg.

Still no pictures. I know, I know, I'm bad. I'll definitely have some this weekend though!

End of Season + My Mum Visits Austin

It's been a busy past few weeks on the homefront. Plans for 10K were cancelled at the last minute, so I opted to stay in Austin and race the Tour of Austin instead. Peter convinced me to do every single race I qualified for, so that's exactly what I did. I was in the mood to ride/race anyways (kinda) ;-)

Saturday and Sunday were pretty unnoteworthy. No one would let me get away for very long, no one wanted to do work, and no one wanted to bridge to breaks, so it was not a fun couple of days for me- just frustrating days, so I worked for my teammate. Sunday I did take a flier that Kate and Jen McCrae bridged to but no one would do work and then I was attacked with a lap to go and I was pretty beat by then- it was hot!

Sunday morning I had the "collegiate" race in which I was the only women so I had to race the guys. It was fun though and I actually tried and got 4th ;-)

Monday was my lucky day. There was a lull about halfway through the race so I took the opportunity to test the waters and see how poeple were reacting that day, but instead I ended up breaking away and gaining 24 seconds the first lap. Well, I just went into TT mode and kept a good pace for the final 8 laps. It got close a couple of times but then the gap would open up again when someone got tired of chasing. I ended up winning by like 7.999 seconds which was a fantastic way for me to end the season. It was an enjoyable weekend racing with teammate Lauren and seeing all my friends from Austin and racing with them one last time this season.

Last week was career week at school and we had hundreds of recruiters come to campus which meant lots of company research, networking with potential employers, and lots of business-suit-and-high-heel-wearing. It's crazy but I'm pretty much applying for jobs that don't start until the fall of 2010 right now. That whole job thing is occupying quite a bit of my time for the next month.

I've also been interviewing for part-time work now. I found work with a real estate agent in town for 2 hours a week and I'm still looking for some more work so I can save up for next season. I've had a few interviews, but it's a tough economy, even for part time work now.

My mom visited this last weekend which was fabulous. I don't get to see much of my parents these days now that they spend all their time "working" which means playing in Colorado ;-) Just kidding, except about the playing in Colorado part. My mom and I spent some good quality time together. Some highlights include an Indian cooking class at Whole Foods and Master Pancake theater's The Breakfast Club at the Alamo Drafthouse. We also managed to get rained on every day I believe! Unfortunately, I managed to not take any pictures at all which is sad :-( It always seems like when you see someone you care about after not seeing them for awhile, you realize even more how much you miss them.

This week is pretty busy like usual. I have a few company nights to go to so I can apply for the companies' jobs, Texas Cycling information sessions to help run, school projects to start, homework to do, my first week working with the real estate agent, church, a date night with Peter, and a Texas Cycling Ladies' Calzone night to host. You know, the usual :-) Training won't start until October. I probably won't be riding for the rest of the month, but I'll start dabbling into other fun activities like running and yoga and whatever I feel like to keep me mentally happy. Sorry for no pictures, it's harder when you aren't in a foreign country!! ;-)

First Week of Senior Year

Sadly enough, I've just finished my first week of my senior year of college. It's hard to believe how time flies. This year will be full of plenty adventures.

My classes this semester will be generally good. I don't have any unbearable classes and my teachers seem pretty passionate about the subjects they are teaching. I'm taking Brand Management, Information and Analysis (Marketing), Personal and Family Finance, and Current Issues (Government). Personal and Family Finance is pretty interesting- it's all about how to be a real adult and buy a car, a house, how to set up your 401k, how to invest, blah blah blah. It's all very useful information.

As far as the bike is concerned, I've already decided I'll be doing Collegiate Nationals and U23 Nationals this year. As far as what team, that is TBA. I can't jinx anything!

Life has been pretty dull with getting settled in still with the house, and cycling stuff, and training, and school. I did manage to get out for a nice long ride with the Austin Flyers and Shontelle. I'm just trying to get caught up and maybe even get ahead with life, so I can start enjoying it next week.

Next weekend is 10K in Atlanta, Georgia, the last NRC race of the year. After that it is break time for me :-) Pictures will follow next week!

Welcome Home

Wow I always forget how exhausting it is to move and unpack a whole house. I haven't made a ton of progress, but I have unpacked all the boxes that I could lift. I'm saving the rest for the boys to move into the house first.

My welcome home gathering was fantastic. It was so great to see everyone that I hadn't seen since maybe April or May. It was good to get caught up on everything that has gone on since I left :-) Jed missed me so much that he wrote my name on his plate in pepperoni pizza grease. Hahaha.

The proud artist, Jed, with his art utensil

It says "WHIT"

After a few hours, we headed to the Teresa Appreciation Party where it seemed like the rest of the Austin cycling community was. It's always entertaining to see everyone in their "normal" clothes since you always see them in cycling kits.

Despite being exhausted from unpacking all day and jet-lag, sleep was not on my side and I woke up at 5am unable to sleep. What to do? Unpack! The rest of the day very very uneventful- just unpacking and applying to jobs. I walked to the grocery store because my commuter has a flat and I haven't unpacked what I need to change it yet and managed to get dumped on by a passing thunderstorm. What were the chances? The city has a drought the whole summer and I probably got hit by the only rain cloud.

Today Peter gets back to Austin from Dallas where he has been visiting his family. We have a busy agenda in front of us with finishing up the house stuff and getting ready for school and, oh yeah!, riding. I think it can all get done though. Perhaps there will be something to report later.

The End of a Swiss Trip

Well I finished up my Swiss trip and I'm back in good ol' Austin. The trip finished up nicely but I'll start from where I left off.

We raced the last weekend in Bern.Saturday, a women's UCI Italian team came out, Selle Italia, and a few Bigla and Cervelo girls came out. It was a 4-lap circuit race with two climbs per lap- one longer, gentler one (still steep by Texas standards) and one short and very steep one. The steep one didn't go so well for me. My abilities right now aren't quite there, but maybe next year. I did catch back on after the first time through but then couldn't make it up again with the group. I finished two minutes down from the group, so it wasn't the end of the world and I guess I'm getting pretty good at time trialing by myself ;-)

Sunday was an 8-lap circuit race with a 300-meter pretty steep climb. I ended up basically doing the whole thing alone again but the team did well and won the race. It's a bit discouraging with how the last few races went but I have to look at the progress I've made this year and how long I've been racing and training. I'm happy with the improvements for the year and now I know where I am lacking and what I need to do for next year. It was sad saying good bye to the team Sunday but I think we'll keep in touch and hopefully I'll get an opportunity to see them again. Everyone was so awesome and their awesomeness really made the trip extraordinary.

Shannon, Peter, and I opted for a touristy finish to the trip and packed up the bikes for the remaining three days. Monday was Peter and my long-awaited Zurich tourist date day. We headed to downtown Zurich and walked around Bahnhofstrasse (used to the world's most expensive shopping street), old town Zurich, and the lake. We went in a few famous cathedrals like the Grossmuenster. It was a super fun day with super awesome company ;-) We were so exhausted when we got home at 9pm from all the walking.

Tuesday was another busy day, starting with a trip with Shannon, Peter, Rebekka (Benji's sister), and I to visit Benji in the hospital. He had gotten surgery on his nose so he can breathe again. He had this really nice single hospital room and I swear it was nicer than the average hotel. We just had a two hour dance party and said our farewells. In the afternoon, Shannon and Rebekka went shopping and Peter and I took a boat ride on Lake Zurich. It was really relaxing. It was pretty warm the last few days in Zurich. While it was only 32 degrees Celcuis, that ends up being pretty warm when there is no A/C anywhere and buildings are even warmer with no fans either. Phew.

Boat Ride

In the evening, we met with Shannon and Daniel downtown for our night out. First we went to a traditional Swiss restaurant. Peter got this crazy beer that they light on fire. It was pretty cool. After we went to a bar that was on the roof of a building that overlooked the whole city at night. It was really cool. We later went to this other bar across the city called Pure Pure where the waiter was hilarious. We had lots of laughs and fun that evening. I'm glad we got to go out like that once during the trip and once was probably enough for me and for my wallet (everything is so expensive in Switzerland!).

Shannon and Daniel...they don't get along haha

Peter and I

Wednesday Shannon and I left Weiach in the early afternoon after a delicious curry lunch made by Benji's mom. We got back to Embrach and packed up our stuff and our bikes. In the evening, Daniel came back to Embrach and picked us up for a movie in downtown Zurich again. We saw "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp. After the move we came back to Embrach and said our farewells :-(

After a missed alarm, we got to the airport a little late and got to struggle getting checked in and going through security and all that fun stuff. The plane ride itself was pretty uneventful besides a proliferation of small, screaming, and seat-kicking children on the flight (which means no sleep). We arrived in Atlanta where we spent an hour and a half going through customs. They were a bit suspicious about me bringing Haribo gummy bears back. Haha. I got to my flight just a minute or two before we started boarding and enjoyed a very turbulent flight back to Austin (no sleep there either).

Tammy picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the Driveway where I saw friends :-) It was so hot with capris on, but I guess that's Austin for ya. It was lovely seeing everyone and I'm looking forward to more hanging out tonight. I got back to the explosion that is my new house. It's going to be a lot of work to get unpacked before school starts but I think it can happen. I was so tired and couldn't get my mattress, so just fell asleep on the floor on a blanket at 9:45pm.

Today is just a day of getting internet stuff done (like getting internet for the house!), starting unpacking and moving furniture, and a welcome home party in the evening. It's nice to be home though!