Get a Little Mud on the Tires

My husband never ceases to amaze, or surprise me.  Last Friday, when I got home, he and the kids met me in the garage as I drove slowly in.  I'm not sure what I was so preoccupied with when I got out of the car.  We were headed out to the boat that night and maybe I wanted to make sure we got everything packed.  I didn't realize that the kids and Brian were all pointing to something in front of my car.

It was a shiny new Diamondback Mountain Bike!! With a note saying "In case you got bored with your BMW, here's a new set of wheels for you!" A Mountain bike?? I never even mentioned to Brian that I wanted a bike.  I was content in just riding around my daughter's beach cruiser if I needed to tag along on Brian and Trenton's rides.  This one was really nice, and even had head and tail lights for those late night trips to the Yogurt Bar.

Brian said he wanted to go biking on Sunday up in Flagstaff.  This was all so new to me. Not mountain biking.  I used to have my own bike, but it was old, broken and we got rid of it.  We would bike the trails in Briones and Mount Diablo when we lived in the East Bay.  I never though about biking here because it's always too hot and I really got into running.  What was new to me was that we were going out (yet again) on Sunday.

I thought Sunday was finally going to be my day of rest.  After 5 days in Mexico, partying at the lake for the 4th of July followed by 2 days of work, we would be boating on Saturday and then finally, blissfully on Sunday I would be able to finally catch up with all the house cleaning and laundry.  Hmm...I don't think the words "blissfully", "house cleaning" and "laundry" were ever used together in a sentence before today.  Which reminds me, last week also included a girls night out on Thursday at a BYOB art studio painting masterpieces and drinking Chardonnay.

But it looks like we would be mountain biking with my new bike on Sunday.

Sunday morning, we finally got on the road at 10:00.  Flagstaff is a little over 2 hours away, but it could be worlds away.  The landscape is completely different.  The Sonoran saguaros give way to the beginning of the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the continent.  You gain over 5700 feet in elevation and by the time arrived, the temperature had cooled from a toasty 105 to a bearable and beautiful 82.  Then the ominous clouds rolled in and it began pouring, sending the temperature plunging to the low 50s by the time we got to town.

Brian researched the bike trails and found the Cambell Mesa Loops would be perfect for a family ride.  The incline/decline were manageable for my 8 year old son and the single track wasn't too technical for my daughter and I who needed a refresher on changing gears.  But by the time we got to the trailhead, it was pouring! I was disappointed and even suggested we drive down to Sedona and into 90+ degrees for a dry trail, but my husband said to wait 15 minutes.

Amazingly enough, as is usually the case with my husband's predictions, the rain stopped and we were treated to a great ride through the forest.  The trail was empty, thanks to the rain for deterring any other bikers and hikers.  The ground was not very muddy at all and the temperature was perfect!

I love my new mountain bike!

We finished off the day with some refreshments and appetizers at the Lumberyard's beer garden watching the trains go by with the Snowbowl mountain peak in the distance.

Slacker

Crap! I've done the most travelling this year and I haven't written one word! Well, I have one word for you now...LAME!

I've been travelling so much that by the end of this month, I'll be completely out of vacation days here at work. Boo!

Actually, after Hawaii last November, I had to sit back while my vacation days accumulated. So by May, I was able to do more travelling. Here's what my schedule was like the past several weeks.

May

• 1 night in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• 1 night in South Beach, FL
• 5 nights in the Grand Caymans

June

• 4 nights in Rocky Point, Mexico

July

• Day trip to Flagstaff, AZ
• 2 nights in San Diego, CA
• 3 nights in Massachusetts

This is the rental we picked up in Florida. It was a pretty nice ride! We got such a great deal from a new Rental Car Company, SixT. They're huge in Europe, but they are just starting out in the US. So, they've got some pretty good deals on their cars.

This Friday, I'll be cruising in a red convertible Audi A4 from Phoenix to San Diego. ROAD TRIP! I'm spending 3 days in San Diego doing some work exchange for Yoga Journal's Yoga Conference I've signed up to take a class with one of my favorite yoginis, Sean Corn. I'll also be taking a Stand-Up Paddle Board yoga class which should prove to be wet and fun.

This past weekend, on our boat (OMG! I forgot to write that we got a boat!! I guess I'll blog about that later.), Trenton and I tried out some yoga poses on the inflatable tube we tow around. So, if Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga is anything like that, I am going to get VERY wet.

OK. I'm off to a specialty swim suit store to look for a suit for my daughter that's sold out pretty much everywhere. Sigh. It's what mom's do...

Lunch at the Stadium

Ahhh...I love this time of year. Spring Training is in the air!

I took an early and extended lunch today to take in some batting practice at Scottsdale Stadium. Brown bagged it and sat in the bleachers right behind the first base dug out. The players practice from 10-noon each day. How do I get a job like that?

Anyway, Bochy was out watching the catchers throw a few, then they set up for batting practice. Buster Posey was out most of last season so it was great to see him out there, even if he had a huge brace on his ankle. He was hittin' 'em pretty well, too! It was fun to watch the kids in the far left field stands scrambling after any of his foul balls. Whiteside and Stewart were out there, too.

Unfortunately, my ham n' swiss and lunch hour were up before I knew it and I had to head back to the office. But what a nice day to get out...mid 70's with sunny, beautiful skies. Also, of all days for me to forget my phone! So, with no pictures and no foursquare check in, did I even go? Ha! I don't need the digital proof. Spring training isn't in the bits and bytes of the internet and location based apps...it's in the air!!

Commuter Flight

We flew Go Mokulele to travel back and forth to Maui from Oahu.  It's a small commuter airlines using small planes and charging small prices.  But watch out! They get you on baggage fees!

We can't stand baggage fees and make sure we travel with carry ons only no matter where we go.  But this airlines can be strict.  They even make you try to fit your luggage into the little empty box that is their size max...22x9x14.  I'm guessing the one inch thick wood making up the box makes that size requirement even smaller because our "carry ons" didn't pass.  We ended up paying $60 in fees to get to Maui.

Now, on our way back to Oahu, I made sure my husband was present when we checked in our bags.  He made those bags fit the box!

Makena Landing

We had no reservations, but we had a plan.  He down to Makena Landing and find someone to rent us a couple kayaks.  We checked the web and found only places that would provide you kayak tours.  But that's not the way we roll, or row, in this case.  We'll skip the guided tour and blaze our own trail.  Nothing against the knowledgeable guide and the interesting facts one can learn from them.  We like to have a little more freedom and go on our own pace.

So, 7 am and we're at Makena landing.  There were already a couple small tour groups either heading out or doing their pre-ride talk.  BT was able to secure us two two person kayaks for $50 cash.  Normally, a guided kayak tour is $70 for adults and $40 kids, saving us over $200.  We were in our wet suits, life jackets and water shoes with our snorkel gear bag strapped to the kayaks even before another tour guide had finished talking to his group about how to kayak.

We kayaked north for a mile then dropped near a point to snorkel.  The water was clear with a beautiful variety of coral.  My son Trenton spotted a white spotted eel within 5 minutes of being in the water.  It had to be over 3 feet long.  On the kayak back we swam with
turtles.

I just asked my eight year old "How far was that turtle from your face? Close enough for you to touch?"

He replied, "No! That's illegal!"

But it's true, the turtle was that close!

As we rowed to shore we thought we hang out and catch a wave into shore.  We were right on top of a wave riding it in when our kayak somehow turned to the side and turned over!! We fell right into the sandy surf with my daughter freaking out and me laughing the whole time.  Of course the husband and son rode the wave all the way into shore perfectly.

Heading to Turtle Town...

We're up early on our last day in Maui.  We are yet to see any turtles, so hopefully this trip to Turtle Town will check that off the list. We did see one in Oah'u, but I attribute that to beginner's luck.

Don't mind my hair. This humidity and salt water is making me look more like a native than evah, brah!

We're going to try to rent a kayak on our own to avoid the premium tour fees they're charging.  Wish us luck.

Trying Something New

When trying new things it can either be something you always wanted to do or something you’ve heard of and although it sounds interesting, it’s not necessarily on your bucket list, but you’ll do it anyway. Like the Friday before Halloween, I finally went to a Murder Mystery Dinner. I've always thought about doing this, but it's something I would not have regretted missing. I’m not going to be sitting on my death bed one day saying “Dang! I wish I had done that Murder Mystery Dinner Theater”. I would most likely be regretting that one time I was in London when I was 28 and had the chance to head out to Amsterdam for a few days, but didn’t go. Doh!

Anyway, the murder mystery was fun. Our neighborhood community association organized it using Murder Ink Productions. I got to play the part of the Homecoming Queen during Prickly Pear High School’s 1968 Class Reunion. I won’t tell you if I murdered my old classmate-turned famous actress, but she did ruin my infomercial career. Here's a grainy old pic of the Homecoming Queen Sasha Saccharin herself!

So, for this week’s “new thing” I will be signing up for a Yin Gong Meditation class. From what little I know about it, this class consists of Yin Yoga while you are bathed in the sounds of the gong. Both of which I’ve never done before, so hey, two for the price of one! Yin yoga poses are held for up to a minute and a half and are supposed to target more than just your muscles. It works the deeper connective tissue like bones, ligaments and joints. Ha! When was the last time you put bones and ligaments on your workout schedule?

“Hmmm…Monday is Leg day…then Abs day…oh look, bones, ligaments and joints day! I think I have the perfect playlist on my ipod! There’s the Animaniac’s Bone Song (see video below), Smoke Two Joints, Sublime’s version and hmmm..don’t know any ligament songs.”



Actually, the playlist for this specific work out is a gong. There will be someone in class along with the yoga teacher that will play the gong. A gong bath is sound therapy to promote relaxation. The bath is supposed to clear your nerve endings. I guess our nerve endings, like battery terminals in a car can get corroded and need a good dip in baking soda and water every now and then. I wonder if that’s why I get muscle twitches and Charlie horses every now and then?

I’m really looking forward to this class. It is offered by Floo-id Yoga in North Scottsdale and more information and sign ups can be found on their website . They only offer this Yin-Gong Meditation class once a month, on the first Saturday. It is very important to reserve a spot, too, because if they don’t have enough reservations they cancel the class.