Having fun burning both ends of the candle....

After a raucous night at the Hank III show, I was exhausted. But there was no time to rest and way too much fun to be had to think of taking a nap.

Friday night was Tiff & Tainter's wedding. It was a gorgeous night and the ceremony was breath-taking, set in the back of the Mill City Museum. I'm a sap for weddings, so I won't deny that I got choked up time and time again during the ceremony. Once the champagne was poured and we toasted the bride and groom, it was all business. Party business that is.

The food was great and the band dialed it up as the night went on. As Timmer, Lynnette, and I waited patiently by for our cue to raid the chocolate cupcake display, Hwood proudly popped out of the darkness with cupcakes for all. Knowing it wasn't yet time, we talking him into hiding them.

After a while, we couldn't wait any longer so Jay hailed the elevator and the four of us made a mad dash for our private cupcake-devouring getaway. We inhaled delicious frosting flare as we laughed hysterically and tried not to choke. I have never had such a great ab workout while eating!

All high on chocolate and frosting, I hit the dance floor with Mario to goof off and keep the fun going. Yeah, I know I can't dance - hence the phrase 'goof off'. We partied until the batteries ran low and returned home for a lil cat nap before the next adventure.

The beautiful Sarah and I

Hwood keeping it clean

Once the sun rose, we hit the road running, grabbing the puppy and the Scamp for another weekend of racing. We started off at the Jackson Meadows CX where I blew my own expectations away, finishing 4th and beating a handful of amazing women riders. Hwood doubled up in the SingleSpeed and Men's 1/2 race and had just enough juice once it was over to get us to a lil bar & grill for a late lunch with Stick and Elise.

We headed home with full bellies, but we were no where near done. We hit up a Home Depot for some last-minute materials to make 'bloody sheets' for an upcoming Halloween Super-Bash and some quality time at a pumpkin patch to pick out some great carvin' pumpkins.

From there, we buzzed by the Tainter casa to say hi & congrats again before retreating home for some much needed rest. As the sun woke us the next morning, we loaded up again for yet another day of racing. The course was tough and my legs wanted nothing to do with climbing snowtubing hills after the previous day's race. But, like any other day of racing, we toughed it out and rode it through.

With the remaining energy we had, we headed out to the Surly Jones practice studio for some quality pumpkin carving fun with the crue. It was a blast! Halloween is my favorite holiday by far! If only we could take a whole week off and play.

Jay went with a Mountain Dew inspire design that cut straight to the point...

And I couldn't help but sport my Surly alter-ego....Dazey Jones....

Reeking of pumpkin slime, we finally headed home to close out the weekend and get ready for another week of Go, Go, Go! I was uber excited to toss off my jeans and snuggle up on the couch with my two favorite boys in my sweatpants. Another great run-around weekend on the books.

Counting down to Halloween,

Kristy Kreme

Square Dance in Hell

Hwood & Timmer took me out last night to First Ave so I could get my first dose of Hank III, the hellbilly son of Hank Williams, Jr. The stage was lit up in red, the air was warm, and the place was packed. It felt like it had been ages since my last show and I was instantly entranced... the sounds, the lights, the hands in the air... it was mesmerizing, as it always is. (why I never went into the music biz is beyond me)

The crowd was awesome - a psychodelic blend of urban cowboys, punk kids in skinny jeans, gals in hoodies with guys in camo trucker hats, chicks in plaid mini skirts, and a guy that looked like Jay (from the duo Jay & Silent Bob) in a backwards cap, long hair, and denim overalls.... awesome! They all sang along at the top of their lungs, thrusting fists in the air, and slamming into each other when the pace increased.

Then, roaming the room with my eyes, I settled on the reddened stage to find a crue of musicians, hard-driving out every song with a fury. I couldn't help myself from closing my eyes and riding the bass line as Hank strummed the guitar strings in a blur.

Hank lit up the stage with his firey lyrics, gritty country voice, and electric stage presence. To add to the energy, Assjack was amplified beyond imagination, getting the crowd jumping & fist pumping in unison.

The square dance turned a page and entered the gates of hell with screams and testosterone blasting our ears as sweat flew from Assjack's face and Hank let down his hair and rode shotgun. Around midnite, though, us old folks wrapped up the party and headed out, generously satiated on rock n roll.

It was ridiculously awesome! And I can't wait to see Hank III again! Thanks for a bitchin' good time.

Ears still ringing...

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture #5: Sugar Bottoms & Family Time

Jay and I took lil' Smokey & the Scamp to Iowa this weekend to visit Jay's mom. It was another great weekend away, enjoying this beautiful fall with the most amazing husband & puppy in the world.

We didn't get in til midnite on Friday, so come Saturday morning, we were ready to hit the ground running. We kicked it off with breakfast at the v.i., lucky to get sat right next to Jim & Lisa, two of our favorite Iowa peeps... so what did we do? Crashed their booth, that's what! It was awesome! I didn't know if I'd get to see Lisa this weekend since the trip was so short, so it was a great surprise - not to mention tasty food and nitro coffee.

Afterwards, we took Dot.Mom out to get some shopping done. Most dangerous thing for me... helping someone else shop... I can't help but buy things... but at least I was being practical and buying dog food and mouthwash when I found it cheaper than I find it here. Well, that and very sensible and seasonal pooch apparel...

After the bags were loaded into the car and we returned home, Hwood and I snuck out with our buddy Tom to hit the Sugar Bottom mountain bike trails. It was so friggin' RAD!!! I truly wish we had a trail like this near home - I'd be there every day. Jay was enjoying himself so much, he couldn't help but film the fun. Stay tuned to the end and you'll see why friends don't let friends film and ride....

Afterwards, we returned home, played with the puppy a bit, and enjoyed some quality family time in the Scamp.

Once we got all of our extra energy expended, we headed inside to join Dorothy and her apartment buds for some tailgating and big screen action to catch the Iowa Hawkeye - Penn State game. All decked out in our black in yellow, we snuggled up in the movie room and cheered in unison as the team charged their way to victory. Go Hawkeyes!

Tired as can be, Hwood and I returned to the Scamp after the game to snuggle with the puppy, watch a movie, and fall peacefully asleep. Come sunrise, we were up and raring to go yet again, taking Dot.Mom out to brunch before we loaded up and headed home.

All in all, it was another wonderful weekend. Five weeks with the Scamp, and five fun adventures. We're running out of places to go before it gets too cold - we may just have to leave it hooked up and drag it along wherever we go, just for fun. :O)

Sleepy in my sweats,

Kristy Kreme