Kristy Kreme

Rosco the Wookie, Episode 2

2012-01-15T18:52:00.001-06:00

I love my puppy! Jay knows how much I love the noises Rosco makes and got this video for me as a lil Christmas present. I love you boys!

Loving my life,

Kristy Kreme

Back in Action for 2012

2012-01-14T16:36:00.003-06:00

After being sick for longer than I wanted to be, I decided Monday that enough was enough and kicked off my 2012 resolutions. I figure that if the Mayans are right, I'm going out with a bang... and a 6-pack!

Monday, with reduced lung-capacity and a sore throat, I started it off with an intense 30-min. Jillian Michaels Ab DVD. Somehow, she threw in a ton of planks and some sneaky inner-thigh work, making it hard to walk come Tuesday morning. Silly me, I figured a run for Tuesday's workout would be the perfect way to counteract the thigh soreness.... not exactly the case.

Wednesday morning, my abs hurt, inner thighs refused to cooperate after sitting for more than 30 minutes, and now my glutes and hams burned too. Sure, walking around the office was a challenge, but the worst was showing up at my Vertical Fitness class Wednesday night and having my instructor tell us that we were kicking off the lesson with pole sits (think of crossing your legs as hard as you can, trying to hold your body weight in one position). It was agony!

The rest of the class was fine, but the soreness followed me into Thursday. To keep my body guessing and the variety going, I chose Yoga for the daily workout, and it was just what I needed. By the end of hte night, I was back to normal and ready for the next rounds of daily workouts.

Friday was another round of Jillian Michaels, and today I did the video again, followed by some Vertical strength and skill training. Awesome way to start the day!!! Followed up with a perfectly ripe red grapefruit (no sugar needed) and my favorite coffee, and I was ready to take on the day.

So far, the daily workouts are going well. I've only had to fight minimal resistance within myself, but know the end product will be well worth it. I figure I only have to make it to February and by then it will be a habit, not just trying something new. Couple more weeks and I'll add in the bike, but right now I'm trying to feed my often neglected muscles and allow the overworked ones to recover.

Hopefully everyone else out there trying to make their life better in 2012 will enjoy it as much as I am :o) I told myself once in 2006 that it was up to me to make my life into the life I dream of... I did exactly that, going from an anti-social, pack-a-day smoker, online video gamer to an healthy adult athlete, good job, great friends, and awesome passion for cycling, writing, and enjoying life. So why not keep improving it year after year?

Cheers to making 2012 my b1tc#!

Kristy Kreme

2012 has a Sick sense of humor....

2012-01-06T09:48:00.005-06:00

Ringing in the New Year was great, but it wasn't long before it decided to tell me who was boss. Mid-day Monday it started to settle in... post-nasal drip, the cold/hot temp juggling, and that suspicious feeling that something wasn't right. As the night rolled in, the mercury rose and my temps climbed to a healthy 103 by midnight.

I quarantined myself to the couch so not to get my hubby ill, and called in sick the next morning. Rosco stayed home with me and kept my freezing cold body warm as I covered my 102 degree head with chilled rags, trying to bring down the fever. The body aches were just the icing on the cake spending two days on the couch, falling in and out of sleep, getting up only for more ginger ale and bathroom breaks, and trying to eat even a bowl of soup.

Lucky for me, Nurse Rosco P. Caretaker was a super trooper! He slept all day with me, never tried to steal my cold wash rags, sat politely as I tried to eat soup, and sat protectively by the bathroom door every time I tried to shower off this wicked flu.

Rosco keeping the fever in check

By Thursday, I forced myself to step outside for fresh air, and bring my germy quilt to the laundrymat. It was exhausting at first, but I started to feel a bit better. My fever finally subsided, but my throat, lungs, and ears haven't taken the hint to cut the crap and kick the bugs out!

It kinda bums me out, since I actually made a New Years resolution this year, which I HATE to make! The mission was to work out for 30 or more minutes every day for the entire month of January to help ward off the winter blues and kick off the disciplined mind-set for getting into training this year. I made it two days before the fever kicked in and took away my home-gym membership... boo! But, the lack of appetite has balanced out the activity levels and I've avoided any weight gain.

I am excited, though, to get back on the program once this all passes. I've decided to mix up the work-outs to help recuperate after a long bike season and maximize strength and flexibility in areas that often go without love during the racing season. Yoga, core & uppper body strength, flexibility and balance, group fitness 'gymnastics' type classes, and of course some much needed time on the newly altered Franken-bike... 1/2 mtn bike, 1/2 fat bike....

But, then again, it's not just waiting on me to get better... we could probably use some SNOW or ICE first, eh?

Either way, once I'm better, it's ON! I'm just not patient enough to be sick and I'm ready to be done with it all.

On the mend,

Kristy Kreme

Rockin' in the New Year

2012-01-01T19:40:00.014-06:00

Jay and I decided to show 2011 the door in proper form by rockin' out three days straight! Oh, and did I mention we were on the List for all of them? Life is Good!

We kicked it off with a killer show at the Spring Street Tavern in Nordeast on Thursday - 4130, Detroit Roll, The Jones Dickens, and none other than my favorite... DNF!!! Jay and the boys were 3rd of 4 on the bill and didn't hesitate to rock the crowd's asses right out of their chairs. The group moshed and sang along with fists in the air, and beer spilling on to the floor. It was their best show yet, and hopefully just a prelude of what's to come.

Friday night made way for an intimate, at-capacity show at the Cause in Uptown for our favorite lady of rock, Ashley, and her hubby, Ed, rocking out in BNLX! Jay got some sweet shots and the rock was awesome as always.

For our final goodbye to 2011, we headed out to the Myth, through huge snowflakes and sketchy travel conditions to watch Freaky's debut with HAIRBALL!! The smell of sulfur filled the air as the fire works ignited and the crowd's excitement charged the air. Freaky was on fire, sporting some hot leather pants and a KISS t-shirt, trying hard not to blow his load before the show was over.

Freaky, thanks for yet another great New Year's bash! It's hard to believe, but this was the first time Jay and I have ever celebrated New Year's in MN together, but it was fun like all the rest. We broke our routine, but sometimes you have to do that to step into something great. 2012, you better live up to our expectations... I'm looking for greatness this year, and I'll accept nothing less.

Ready to start anew,

Kristy Kreme

It's Almost Christmas!

2011-12-15T20:18:00.004-06:00

It's been WAY too long since I've written.. oi! I kept thinkin' "I have to write about State Championships and Jingle Cross" but then thought of how much time it would take to recap it all and just kept putting it off. All in all, both were AWESOME! Maybe someday I'll go back to it. But, for now, we're just touchin' base.

Christmas is almost here and I've got the fever bad. I even finished shopping YESTERDAY! (new record for me.. I'm notorious for shopping on the 24th each year)... combine gifts with our lil Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and it looks like Christmas puked all over the bar!

Rosco hung his stocking outside his cave. Wonder if it says "Naughty" cuz he feels bad for pooping in Timmer's closet?? Or maybe it's the bottles of Darkness and Jack Daniels that are inspiring his devilish ways... silly puppy...

Either way, there's no denying that this girl is proudly buying Christmas music and beaming with excitement over all the gift-giving to come! Heck, I finished getting Jay's gifts in early November, and they've been sitting there wrapped ever since. It's taking everything in me not to BEG him to open them right now! I could care less about what I get... I just like watching my family light up, especially my hubby!

Other than that, not much new, just keeping busy trying to stay in shape in the off-season, and catch up with dirty laundry! If I don't see ya before the holidays, I wish you a wonderful holiday season full of loved ones, smiles, and full bellies!

Loving the season,

Kristy Kreme

'Cross for Tots is here!!!

2011-12-07T22:07:00.002-06:00

It’s that time again! Time to help kids in need this holiday season by donating to Toys for Tots. And what better way than to combine bikes and toys in one day?Come out to Vanderbie Park at 1001 W 92nd St, Bloomington, MN on Saturday, December 17th to donate, ride, and have a great time.

Here’s the flyer:

C Race - 12:15 (30 min)

B Race - 1:00 (45 min)

A Race - 2:00 (1 hr)

Helmets are required. This is a non-USAC event, so you are liable for your own safety.. This event is about having fun raising money and toys for children in our community.

Entry is a new, unwrapped toy or $10. All donations will go to the Twin Cities Toys for Tots.

If you have any questions or want to help in any way, please let me know!

Ho, ho, ho!

Kristy Kreme

Bottle CX - Double Wood Victory, Double the Fun!

2011-11-13T19:46:00.008-06:00

We by-passed the standard MCF racing today to stay close to home and 'cross it up with the 612 Mafia. Bottle CX started by meeting at a pre-determined spot and following Hurl to the "not a race" course. Complete with a wicked stair climb, sketchy descent, and log barriers, it was sure to be a good time. Add to it that the entry price was just a bottled beverage, and you're sure to bring out the best!

Yum, Harriet Brewery plus the lovely Kelly Mac!

Five killer laps on the urban course were perfect, challenging me to keep my feet moving up the stair climb lap after lap... heck, it was probably one of the best stair climbs we could have done to prepare for State Championships!

Hollywood was riding out of his mind from the get-go, and I was doing everything I could to chase down Chelsea early in the event. Half way through the race, I caught up to her and settled into her pace up the stairs, passing her at the top and trying to speed the pace up as best I could. It worked great and I held it to the finish, taking the women's win! There waiting for me at the finish, my sweet hubby who took the men's win.... bitch, please! Double Wood Victory!

Yeah, I scored a sweet Hula Pig trophy - best one ever!!!!

Not only did we score sweet trophies, Jay won some awesome Zig Zag arm warmers! He STILL won't take 'em off - ha!

What's the first thing you want to see as you cross the finish line at a 'cross race? A bag full of random bottles of liquor, of course! (plus one bottle of hot sauce) People brought everything from a bottle of beer, Harriet Brewery growler, some sweet and smooth Kentucky whisky, and even a bottle of home brew. Jay opted for the Delirium Tremens, whereas I popped the top off the growler and shared in the glory with CrossMax and his well-planned pint glasses!

Hey, Gen-o Mario, where's Louigi??

We chilled for hours with our friends, sharing beers and stories, until the hunger set in. Hollywood and I packed up our cool trophies and headed to grab some Punch Pizza and get home to the puppy! What an amazing way to finish out the weekend!

Thank you Hurl for putting on an awesome event!

Tired, lazy, and enjoying the couch,

Kristy Kreme

Oh the silly things we see....

2011-11-13T19:06:00.004-06:00

Saturday was a beautiful day to be outdoors and we made sure to take advantage of every moment of it!

We kicked the day off by, what else, cyclocross racing! On the way to the race, we got a great laugh when we looked up into the bright sky and saw a wicked crooked jet stream.... I would think it would be wise NOT to drink and fly, but this pilot was obviously having a good time....

We sent our pic to Timmer who could see it from his cabin in Wisco!

After some fun racing in the warm afternoon, celebrating the last few days of sun and warmth, we came home and took the puppy for a nice long walk. While strolling quietly through the neighborhood, we found not one, but TWO MG's...

This was 2 MG's welded to make one hellofa sweet ride, rumble seat and all! :o) It was a pleasant lil treat for the eyes before cozying up on the couch as a family and welcome the sunset.

Enjoying the fall,

Kristy Kreme

Where did October go?

2011-11-11T18:20:00.001-06:00

I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden it's November! It's 11/11/11 at that! Crazy to think it's been almost a month since I last wrote and there's been tons to write about. Hell, so much so that there's been no time to just sit and relive it all online.

First of all, racing has been AWESOME! Jay and I have been having a blast at the Cyclocross races, carrying our Mtn. bike strength and endurance into the intense, condensed format. I've somehow managed to pull off a top 4 finish in each race, including a personal-best 2nd place in the Midwest Single Speed Championships!!! Bitch, please!

Hollywood has happily surprised himself with great form without week-day training, taking a top 5 spot each race as well, and also taking 3rd in the men's Midwest SS Championships! Rock on! We've kept the racing to a mellow once a week, trying not to overdo it too much before the season hit full swing, and it seems to be paying off.

Hole-Shot Henderson!

Add to it a bitchin' good time celebrating Halloween! From the decorations, costume creation, all the way to the partyin' all night, it was the best year yet! The crowd was bigger than ever before, the music louder, costumes more insane and out of this world, and the fun was endless! Thank you to all of my friends who make this happen each year - Kaity, Teri, Randy, Leah, Kim, Surly Jones and all the rest for letting me help out! I love it!

Next up, holiday season... and how do we get through past Christmas without too much food? If we're gonna hold our fitness levels through winter to maximize our skills through the CX and Ice racing season, it's gonna take some discipline. Yikes!

Ready to race, but not shovel,

Kristy Kreme

Rosco makes Wookie sounds...

2011-10-17T20:47:00.004-05:00

When Rosco yawns or REALLY wants your attention, he lets out an awesome sound just like a baby Wookie! Too bad he gets camera shy though.... I had to set the camera on the floor and it luckily caught this lil glimpse before the disk filled up..

In love with my lil puppy,

Kristy Kreme

Three wonderful years and a great start to a new season

2011-10-15T20:49:00.005-05:00

Jay and I just had the wonderful pleasure of celebrating three awesome years as husband and wife. As we've done for the last three years, we attended the Theodore Wirth Cyclocross race on an unseasonably warm day. Temps in the 80's and a cloudless sky pulled the sweat to the skin's surface as we anxiously awaited our first cross races of the year.

All of my rhythm, I failed to warm up for my race and lined up at the back of the pack come start time. The race went straight up a hill to begin with and I rode a mellow pace to avoid blowing all to hell in the first 30 seconds of the race. For the first two laps, my legs and lungs screamed at me as I suffered in last place out of some 15-20 riders.

Three laps in and the ole legs finally woke up and it was Game On. I started eating up riders as I sailed through the trails and over the barriers. Lap after lap, I moved up and Jay cheered wildly from the edge of the course. Being my first 'cross race of the year, I made him swear never to mention what place I was in or to say I needed to move up.

I kept on the gas and attacked every rider I could find all the way to the finish. As I collapsed from heat and exhaustion just 10 feet after the finish, I was astonished when Jay said I'd moved myself up to 6th overall! Bitch, please!!!!! I wound up taking 3rd in the 3's and had NO IDEA! It was the most insane finish to a hot and dusty race.

Jay didn't fail to live up to our marital glory and killed it in his race too! The mountain-biker-friendly course was perfect for him to flex his cyclocross muscles early in the season. He was bombing the technical downhills and railing across the flats and trails. After all these years, he's a natural and no lack of training in the last couple of weeks was noticed. Flawless..

It was pretty awesome to watch my hubby pull off a third place finish... 3 happy years together, both of us taking 3rd place! Ah, that's love! There was lots of celebrating, rest, and recovery after such hard efforts, but the utter joy made it all worthwhile.

Starting to catch the Cyclocross fever,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 22: LaCrosse Cool Down

2011-10-09T09:17:00.009-05:00

Last weekend Jay and I decided to keep the racin' numbers tucked away and head south to Scamp in Devin's driveway and lay low for the weekend. Still tired from Chequamegon and still black n' blue from St. Cloud, we left the mtn. bikes at home and packed up our beloved BMC road bikes for some leisurely road rides in the hills and ridges north of LaCrosse, WI.

The weather was cool and accented the beautiful fall colors as we headed out for a sweet road ride. After a very long mountain bike season, it was great to spend a couple hours on the bike just enjoying the scenery and gorgeous weather.

Jay, Me and Pip

Devin and Jay

Me and Jay

After our ride, we basked in the sun as we threw back a couple beers in the driveway and played with the puppy. Come Sunday morning, me, Jay and Devin got in another ride as the poor Pip had to work. It was a little shorter, but the perfect wind-down to another great weekend with our friends.

Thanks to D&A for letting us Scamp in your driveway and hang with you all weekend. And thanks to my hubby for always being down for a good time.

Love!

Kristy Kreme

Black n' White goes out with a bang

2011-09-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the grand finale of the mountain bike season in MN, closing it out with the Great Escape Mtn Bike Race at the St. Cloud jail trail. I love this trail and I was super stoked to wrap up the season there with all my pals. To top it off, Hollywood Cycles's mountain bike team sealed the Team Omnium to take home the State Championship in the MN Mtb Series! Go Black 'n' White! Hwood even made shirts to celebrate it!

Anyways, the race was fast approaching and Pip and I made our way to the line. Considering the amazing weather, I was surprised when only 3 other gals joined us... bummer. But the conditions were great and the trail was FAST! I got the hole shot and held it til the first main climb. I was still tired from Chequamegon, so I slowed up and let Pip into the single track in front of me. Sure, I wasn't railing as fast as Pip, but it was the fastest I've ever ridden the course before. Me and the White Fox were killin' it, riding a blazingly fast 4th place!

All was going great into my final lap until I hit the rock garden on the 1st half of the lap. As I tried to make my way through the rock garden without losing too much time, my lack of sugar in the brain and focus on what's next caused me to miss a large boulder on the right side of the trail. My front wheel nailed it, bouncing straight upwards, and collided with my nose with such force, a large "crack" filled the air and the next few seconds disappeared in the blur of adrenaline and shock. I stood there looking at my bike laying in the rocks, trying to get my wits about me and finish the race. Then I looked down.....

Large red drops fell from my face and I instantly knew my race was over. "Someone grab my bike"..."How am I going to get through these rocks and off the trail?".... Lucky for me, the rock garden happened to be a great spectator section, so I wasn't alone. I collapsed onto the grass as the kindest people in bike racing grabbed by bike and hooked me up with tissues to try to stop the bleeding. As small as this world is, Jay just happened to be riding by just seconds after it happened and saw me hunched over in a pool of blood and skidded to a stop instantly. He came back to check on me, but I figured it was just a broken nose and urged him to get back out there and finish the race.

As for me, I had help off the trail and into the arms of two EMT's and a Dr. to make sure I knew who I was, where I was, what day it was, and to check my eyes and nose for damage. Lucky for me, nothing was broken. But my Garmin mount on my stem slit my nose open, and the impact busted open the inside, so I sat quietly with a fist full of gauze and an ice pack, trying to stop the pain and blood.

Day one...

Add in a massive crash for Jay later in his final lap, catching his leg between the bars and frame, wrenching his thigh hard so hard he temporarily thought he broke his femur. Luckily, he hadn't broken anything either and just wound up with a gnarly hematoma. Add that to Pip's f'd up wrist and Scotter almost breaking his collar bone, and the Black n' White was having a very Black n' Blue day. :o) All in all, we still won the State Team Championship!!! Bitch, please!

Follow that up with some great food and fun at Leslie's wedding reception, it was a very diverse day! Yep, that was me sportin' a lil black dress and face bandaide... $0.25 cent!

Come Sunday morning, that nice gouge invited some friends to play and Captn Black Eye moved in....

Day 3....

Day 4....

Yeah, I'm not embarrassed by a black eye. I was impressed by my coworkers who greeted me at work with "What did you do on your bike now?".... but was kinda disappointed in the "you look like you got beat" comments. Seriously? Have you met me or Jay? Whatevs. I'm just happy nothing was broken and I left the trail on my own two feet. Sure, I can't wear glasses for a couple more days and sneezing feels like the end of the world, but I'll live to ride another day.

Shinin' on,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 21: Cheq 40 & Camping Fun

2011-09-22T17:53:00.006-05:00

For the 5th weekend in a row, and for the 20th time in just over a year, Jay and I loaded up the Scamp and headed out of town for a lil getaway. Back to Hayward we went, for my maiden voyage on the grand Chequamegon 40. This was Jay's 20th appearance so little anxiety plagued him, while the fear of the unknown quietly perched outside our kampsite, wait to catch me off guard.

I always feel like.... somebody's watching me....

We headed back to our new fave place, the KOA, and got a site in our favorite row of trees, deep in the middle of all the excitement with all our favorite 612 Crue. Lucky for us, we headed up Thursday night, so the extra relaxing was super welcome!

Friday morning, I drove Jay out to double O to meet up with none other than Jason McCartney of Team Radioshack and Christian Vande Velde of Garmin-Cervelo! I knew I wouldn't be able to hang at that tempo all the way to the finish, so I only dropped off Jay and met them at the finish, planning to warm up my legs later in the day. Jay had an awesome time riding with the pros!

Rosco at OO

Christian, Dirk, Jason, Hwood, and the buds

Our ride later was nice - a easy 1 hr. out n' back just to spin out the legs, and not overdo it for Saturday's race. After our ride, it was nothing but easy living at the campsite, chilling fireside, enjoying some wine and pasta with my honey...

Come Saturday morning, it was game-on and we didn't hesitate to get out of bed and on the road. The excitement was thick in the cool morning air and I was itching to get started. The 4-wheelers began revving their engines and the riders saddled up, ready to take on the rollout. I kept to the sides and tried to take it all in without getting too overwhelmed.

The course was intense! I rode with everything I had in a sea of 1,800 riders. About 5 miles in, I found my hubby on the side of the trail.. waiting for lil ole me. The front of the pack went out at 38+mph hour and Jay held tight, only to blow a gasket after Rosie's Field. Sweet hubby he is, he pulled over and waited for me to make sure my first Cheq 40 was great. We rode together and held strong to a couple different groups all the way to OO... 1:07 on the clock as we rode through... awesome pace!

We hit the log-jam at Fire Tower Hill and combined riding and cyclocross skills to get through each climb. With 10 miles yet to go, I was feeling great! I wish I would have had a lil more sugar in the brain, though, considering I went off Roadie mentality and chose not to eat.. big mistake.

At 5 miles to the finish, my left leg began to cramp ferociously. I fought it as best I could but blew completely with 3 miles to go. I let 5 women get past me in that short distance, which didn't help the emotional state. Even though the 1 mile sign slurred in front of me, my legs rejected my request for them to pedal hard just one last time. Exhausted, bonked, and emotionally wasted, we rode across the finish line together. Our time was 2:55:59 - 4 minutes faster than my goal (even with a full-on bonking!), and I ended up 30th in the Women's overall (goal was top 50 - Bitch, please!). It was awesome!

Unfortunately, it took more than an hour to find PD and the van, full of warm clothes, beer, and $$ for food. It's kinda hard to roam the grounds searching for our pal when it hurt to pedal and we were too worn out to walk. Once we did find him, though, we bolted fast, wanted to get back to lil Rosco and a warm fire. Although I bested my goals, I still haven't figured out the plan for next year. I think I still need some time to sort it all out and recover from the worst Bonk I've ever had. I get that it happens, but it's still a big deal to accept for some reason..

Anyways, sick as a dog from the full effort of it all, I laid in the camper as Jay made us some grub to recover. Slowly, I came around, and was able to join the Crue at the fire some 4 hours after the race. Rosco was loving the outdoors, digging in the sand and chewing on sticks. Although a nap was much needed, we entertained friends instead, staying up for good laughs and antics until the wee hours of the morning.

The Swan-Fish Newlyweds

Kart wheel or handstand on the fire ring?

Me & Hwood

Hwood & Tyson soakin up the laughs

It rained all night and we found this cool image in the dry sand when we awoke!

Sunday morning, we loaded up early, headed for Sunday Fun Day. The weather was gloomy with rain in the forecast and I was too sore to ride. As we approached the registration table, the sky opened up and washed the hillside with cold, wet misery. We took one look at each other and jumped back into the car, headed home for sweatpants and football. Sure enough, we were home by noon, time enough for a 3-hour nap on the couch as we listened passively to football games on the TV.

It was the perfect relaxation to follow our weekend away. Why oh why can't we get away for a week? I love my family and camping and I truly wish I could spend more time sharing them togther. That, and Hwood wanting a putt-putt rematch, why not get away again?

Happy Camper,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 20 - Kings of the Kampground

2011-09-16T18:46:00.006-05:00

Last weekend Jay brought me up to Hayward, WI to introduce me to the Chequamegon 40 course for the first time. I’ve raced the Short & Fat 16-mile race 4 times ... taking a fast THIRD PLACE FINISH in the Women’s overall last year! Bitch, please!..... but I’ve never taken on the 40-mile beast.

In our true form, we brought the puppy and the Scamp, set up camp under a peaceful canopy of tall pines, and kicked it into relax mode for a couple days. The weather was perfect for camping, and we slept until 10:30 on Saturday morning. We rose lazily to make coffee and sit quietly outside with Rosco as we welcomed the day.

Sunrise

By early afternoon, we were awake enough to gather ourselves and our bikes to get our ride on. We chose to break the ride into two sections to avoid any headaches: Saturday we rode the start to Cty OO, and Cty OO to the finish on Sunday. It was awesome to actually see Rosie’s Field for the first time - all the horror stories make it sound like a war zone - but having an real image in my head for the first time made this lil rider much less anxious. As for the Birkie trail, it was pretty standard. I love riding the Birkie and fire roads and could do it all day!

I’m confident in my ability to climb, but Jay pushed me to challenge my comfort level descending. I wrapped my fingers around my bars on the descents, avoiding my brakes with everything in me, and let the little white fox rattle and bounce frantically beneath me. It was exhilarating! This summer has improved my mtn. bike skills by leaps and bounds, and I am so excited to take on this challenge.

When we returned to our campsite, Rosco was ecstatic to see us and sniff around the great outdoors. The warm afternoon air kept us comfortable as Jay worked on his bike and we made ourselves a tasty spaghetti and meatball dinner. Afterwards, we decided to have a date night and went to play some mini golf together. I don’t know what it is about mini golf, but it felt like we were dating all over again. Jay was talking a little more smack than the club could back up, but we had an awesome time! We each shot a hole-in-one... Jay’s was the best - the hole had a loop-de-loop in it and Jay nailed it on the first try. Too bad he hadn’t given me the camera to film it as I’d asked.. oh well, we know it happened. By the end, I had him by 7 strokes!! Bitch, please! (I guess I forgot to tell him that I used to golf with my dad in high school)...hehehe

Gilly...

Rosco & Hollywood, Kings of the Kampground

We returned to our campsite to snuggle with our puppy as the sun tucked itself away, and drifted off to sleep as a cool breeze passed through our windows. We set the alarm early for Sunday to gather up our things and get to OO in time to catch our bud Tyson as he rode. He was riding it start to finish, so I met him at OO as Jay drove the car to the finish then rode the course backwards to us, then we would drive him back to his car on our way out of town. It was the perfect set up.

Tyson picked me up and let his heart rate come down a bit as I used the first couple miles together to warm up my legs after a quiet hour long wait at the parking lot. Jay surprised us early, having found a short-cut back to double OO just after we’d departed and chased on from behind. By then, my body was ready to go and we amped up the pace a bit. The day was much warmer than it typically is on race day and we quickly worked up a sweat. We ran into a few people, but spent most of the time enjoying the course and spending time with each other.

On one of the fire roads, we got behind a couple pick-up trucks and paced them down the road as we bounced over the rocks and railed through the turns. I think the hunters even got into it, upping the speed and having to shut it down in the turns to maintain to control. We turned when the trail turned and said goodbye to our pace cars. We got to the dreaded Fire Tower climb, but I was so happy once we completed all four tiers of the slow, will-testing gravel trail, discovering that the legend was much more frightening than the real thing. I won’t lie - I walked one section, but remounted and took on the next - it’s gonna hurt, but not as much as I thought.

With 10+ miles to go to the finish and the worst behind us, it was time to enjoy the trail and the stunning woods that spread out around us. I don’t remember what mile we were on, but I remember the quiet peacefulness of the trail as we rode in silence. I took some time from my exhaustion and wondered at the trees that towered over us. The midday sunlight cut through the trees in long sheets of light so bold I was sure I’d feel it brush gently across my skin as I passed through it. It was stunning!

Muddy and tired, we were full of joy as we loaded up the bikes and headed home for the weekend. The early start was awesome, getting us home in no time, ready to take on the work week yet again. It’s weekends like these, though, that make me salivate for a long vacation away... relaxing night after night beneath the stars, enjoying my family, the great outdoors, and the peace in life we work so hard to have.

Madly in love with my life,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 19 - Another Day in Maplelag Heaven

2011-09-16T17:20:00.018-05:00

Labor Day weekend brought another round of good times at Maplelag Resort in Callaway, MN. This time, we took off work early to get up in time for a short ride before the Friday night dinner. As always, the food was wonderful and the late summer temps made for a perfect end of summer getaway.

We hung out around the campsite during the evening, chilling out at Hollywood North with a large chunk of our Silver crew camping in the same loop, and many more to come. The overnight temps were great and we happily slept with the windows open and enjoyed the fresh air. Come morning, we hurried down to the lodge for some tasty crepes, sausage, and hot coffee before the first race of the day.

First up was the TT, 3 miles of single track and ski trails as fast as you legs and lungs will let you go. I through down with everything I had to take third place, just 1.5 seconds in front of the Pip. I never thought I could beat her in my life, but I took enough time out of her on the ski trails to start the stage race off in third.

We had some 4 or 5 hours before the short track, so we went out to check out the Sunday course a bit after lunch. My legs were TOAST and wanted nothing to do with going up any sort of climb, so I called it a day early and Jay joined me for a little relaxation time before the next race.

They combined the Expert Women and Comp Men for the Short Track race - 15 min. on ski trail, Crit style. It was blazing fast and my quads were screaming from the first time we hit the climb. Half way through the race I go taken out from behind by one of the comp men as we crested the hill. I never saw it coming - one minute I was dancing up the hill, the next I was being slammed full-force into the ground. I hit so hard my helmet came off and the wind got knocked out of me. With adrenaline pulsing through my veins, I didn’t hesitate and remounted my bike, adjusting my helmet as I tried to get back in the race.

Pain instantly set into my left wrist and leg and made continuing difficult. I got lapped by Sarah KJ with two laps to go and pulled without any disagreement from me. I was given a 4th place finish, and was perfectly happy with it. I found an ice pack and wrapped my swelling wrist immediately. The racer came up and apologized after some coaxing by Jay, but I think some part of him thought I was in his way and was partly to blame. Whatev.

After a tasty beer to take the edge off a bit, we were ecstatic for the spaghetti feed dinner ahead, polishing off bowls of salads, noodles and sauce as if we couldn’t remember the last time we’d eaten. The whole resort was booked, with people sleeping in the massage rooms after the lodge rooms all filled up. They even had to turn away a chuck of the campers from the dinner service because they’d reached capacity. It was impressive how many people had come out to enjoy the fun.
Pip, Hwood, Me, and crabby pants.. I mean, Jake. :o)

After our bellies settled, we grabbed our buds for some quality time resting our tired muscles in the hot tub extraordinaire... a 25-person hot tub, the largest in MN. The stars overhead as we returned to our camper were stunning, and we lounged lazily beneath the tiki torches with the Black n’ White Crue and the Bauer boys who’d come to join us for the night and Sunday’s big event.

Nice sweatshirt! Where'dya gettem?

Sunday came fast and I was excited to find out they’d altered our course to just one full lap of the new course. It was perfect - I was exhausted from the 3 rides on Saturday and just wanted to get in the zone and ride as fast as I could muster up. To top it off, they started us BEHIND the Comp and Expert Men - Bitch, Please! No having to worry about some crazed men trying to pass you during some crazy-technical section, no pushing, swearing or yelling... I wish they’d do that every time.

I knew it wasn’t going to be my best race, so I happily entered the single track in 5th behind the other gals and just focused on riding technically sound. The course was awesome and I was having a blast flexing my newest skills on the descents and Degobah System roots. Yoda’s out there, I’m sure of it. Sittin’ on his haunches, taunting the riders with his “Ride it you must. The force is strong in you.”

I rounded out in 4th for the Stage race, and laughed with the rest of the podium as Sarah soaked the fans in champagne from the top rung, and passed it along for the rest of us to enjoy. Being the good teammate I am, I took the Pip’s pulls since she’s still not legal. Then Aly and I polished off the bottle to kick off yet another night of goofin’ off with our friends, good food, and hot tubbin'.

Come Monday morning, we filled our bellies with Smorgasbord goodness and readied ourselves for the long trip home. Before we left, though, we made sure to get some last excitement riding the new section of trail and get some lake jumpin' in! Let's just say Jay should've done a few things different...

Six hours later, the blood was still shootin' out two feet when we took the compress off. Being a "man", he wouldn't let me take him to hospital or stitches.. but it seems to be healing up nicely. Although I was a lil worried about him for a while, it still turned out to be a rockin', great weekend! Huge thanks to Jay, Jonelle, and the whole fam that Maplelag a lil piece of heaven! Can't wait to see you again!

Rosco checkin' out the bear skin rug

Ridin' high,
Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 18: A Mountain Bike Love Affair

2011-08-30T18:53:00.005-05:00

Jay and I loaded up the car and Scamp and headed to see Mother Henderson and introduce her to Rosco P. Coltrane for the first time. The weather was beautiful and it was great to see Dot!

To add to the fun, we got out and rode Mtn bikes with Thomas on Saturday as Serena played with Rosco. We hit the Sugar Bottoms, prepping for the next morning’s race, the Sugar Bottom Scramble & Iowa State Mtn Bike Championships. The trail is AWESOME! Super fast and flowing and perfectly laid out! The best part was the Lil White Fox doing everything I wanted at the same time coaxing me into things I’d hadn’t been able to do before.. railing down drops I’d typically hesitate on, hittin’ the bridges without question (I have a slight fear of heights still to overcome), and learning to weave among the trees with less turning and more leaning. Sweet!

Come race time the next morning, I was ready! I didn’t push for the hole shot, but I quickly moved into first on the climb, diving into the single track in the lead with my heart and lungs ramping up nicely. I wove through the single track faster than I’d ever done before, getting the rear end loose around the turns and exhilarated by the trees whipping past my fast. It was awesome!

I was setting the pace and was surprised to find me and 3 locals off the front with the rest of the field nowhere to be seen. Within a few miles, we started catching the men’s field that started just a few minutes in front of us - we were catching the dudes!!! As we popped out of the single track of the first loop 5 mi later and onto the road to the last section of the course, I pulled aside and invited the three IA gals to pull through - it was their championship on the line, and I wanted nothing to do with interfering with it. I was having so much fun just riding my brains out, I was happy to finish 4th!

Jay rode an amazing race, taking the Single Speed without breaking a sweat! Nice work, love!!! All in all, it was a bad-ass day of racing. Plus, we got done early enough to spend some time with Dot before heading home.

So in love with riding dirt,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 17: Run for the Border

2011-08-23T18:25:00.005-05:00

Jay and I grabbed the pup and loaded up the Scamp last Friday to cross the border into WI for a chill weekend of camping and mountain biking. This weekend was the 2011 Border Battle between MN and WI at the White Tail Ridge Mtn Bike trail and we wanted to be there for every minute of the action.

We left town Friday afternoon to get there early for some rough camping in the field where all the excitement would take place Sunday afternoon. We had intended on riding the trails before sundown, but the quiet summer air around us kept us in our lawn chairs as the week's worries melted away.

Saturday came around slowly and Jay took advantage of no schedule, sleeping til 11:00 as I quietly read my book and sipped my coffee in the sun. One of my teammates who lives nearby came by to chill for a bit and toss back a couple beers. CB, you rock! So, after a lite lunch and some tinkering on the camper, we saddled up in the afternoon sun and rocked out a couple practice laps. The trail was AWESOME! So flowing and fast! I couldn't believe I've never ridden there before - I'll definitely be back!

The ride was fabulous, and a great prelude to another wonderful weekend with my boys. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset to tuck us away for the evening, followed by a delicious candle-lit dinner.

Once dinner was over, we all crawled into bed for a movie and some beauty sleep to prep for the next day's race.

Once Sunday arrived, there was no question what the weekend was all about. Our once quiet field filled with families and bikes galore. The races preceding ours were full to the brim with eager racers and the energy was high. Although I love to sleep in, sometimes the anticipation leading up to the afternoon race can be agonizing. None the less, I was excited as hell when I got my call-up to the line, shoulder to shoulder with some AMAZING women, including two other Hellians, Sophia and Ridge. Jay's been riding phenomenally this year, earning himself a call-up at the start, too, and had an amazing race.

Me, I spent some time off the bike in the first lap thanks to some not-so-polite Comp riders and got put into a tree twice thanks to a couple non-MN d-bags... losing some 5 min. on my competitors. I didn't give up, though, fighting my way back and taking minutes off my lap-times each lap. I was railing trails I'd only seen the day before and I was loving it. The sound of my rear wheel sliding through the corners was exhilarating, and I wished I was being filmed just so I could show Jay. :o)

At the end of the day, I was happy as hell to have done the race and for spending that sunny afternoon enjoying the great outdoors at speed. When I got back to the Scamp, I found my hubby a little banged up, having crashed in his final lap taking a turn a little too hot. Other than mud, blood, and scrapes, he had a WICKED contusion on his leg, making it look like his calf muscles had spun around to the side of his leg! The swelling's coming down already, but that nice purple bruise is working it's way to the top. Nice!

We took our sweet time packing up our campsite as we hung out with the rest of our team and their families, and enjoyed some barley sodas in the warm sunshine. As the last of the volunteers packed up their stuff, we finally pulled out of the field and headed home. But NOT before we raided a Pizza Hut on the border for some killa TACO PIZZA! I don't know why MN doesn't offer it, but it's the best take out pizza out there! YUM!

After 17 Scamp-ventures in less than a year, I still can't get enough! So, until next time... eat, drink, and be merry!

Kristy Kreme

Road Season Finale

2011-08-15T22:38:00.005-05:00

Saturday Jay and I met up with the Chucker for a leisurely ride out to Excelsior and back...yeah, you heard it, I said leisure ride! No races on the calendar allowed us to sleep in til 9 (thank Heavens!) and go for a mellow ride w/ friends. It was a glorious Saturday! The weather was great, the time on the road perfect, and we had the pleasure of having my mom and step-dad over afterwards on the sunny afternoon.

After some belated birthday celebrating, we got Mom and Randy out for some tasty vittles at Burger Jones for an early dinner and lots of laughs. It had been a while since our schedules matched up but it was totally worth the wait and we had a fabulous time! Thanks Mom & Randy - we had a ton of fun and Rosco was super happy to meet his Grandma! :o)

We laid low Saturday night to prep for our early rise on Sunday for the State Road Race Championships. In our true night-owl form, though, we struggled to get to bed before midnite, even with a 6:00AM wake-up looming over us. None the less, we ate, drank, and were merry before retiring to bed that night. The morning came early though, and it was a struggle to get the puppies out of bed. Jay and Rosco finally rose after I spent some time banging around in the kitchen making coffee and toast.

Jay raced in the morning wave in the 35+ race and Rosco and I chilled on top of the hill to offer feeds and support. Jay is so self-sufficient, he never needed a thing, so Rosco and I relaxed and napped lightly between laps. Jay rode a great race but, as he puts it, it was about 4 1/2 minutes too long... he was off the front with another rider coming into the finishing miles but blew his final gasket with less than 2k to go, only to finish quietly within the pack. I was so proud of him and the risks he took, there was no reason at all to feel otherwise. Next up.. me.

So, after being there for 4 1/2 hours already, it was finally time for me to race. I warmed up a bit on the trainer and jumped into the pack when called to the line. It was awesome to have my teammate, Cheryl B., at the line with me - a recent recipient of a fresh new upgrade (CONGRATS!!!). The race was steady to begin, but it wasn't long until Tessy was at the front driving the tempo up to 27mph. I was on her wheel and kept it going as she pulled off, only to find myself solo on the road the next time I looked back.

I kept the pace steady but the gap was soon bridged by Heather T. I wanted to stay gone as long as we could, so I kept away from the mind-games when she wouldn't pull around. She started to pull through after a bit and we were able to keep the pace high. Linda S. and Tessy W. pulled off two bitchin' attacks and got up to us one-by-one... we were a destructive force and charged away from the field. Unfortunately, one of Heather's own teammates chased her down and brought three other competitors with her. It wasn't long until the field caught back on, but the attacks didn't stop there.

I did my best to stay on any wheel I could to remain with the top contenders and stretched myself beyond my limits. At mile 18 or so we hit the major climb and I was struggling bad, having done everything I could for the 3 miles prior to hang on. Luckily the pack wasn't attacking the downhill, and I was able to recover down the hill at 35 mph and catch back on with a lil help from my friends.

There were 7 of us off the front with 2 laps to go and we never looked back and never relented. The pace remained intense to the line. With two miles to go, the leg cramp that surfaced in the week prior's mtn bike race resurfaced and started to weigh on the strength I was feeling. I attacked the first 0.6 miles of the hill as though it weren't there, moving into 5th of 7 in the lead group. Unfortunately, as the pitch increased, so did the pain in my knee and the searing pain in my IT band. With 40m to go, Amy and Heather passed me as I pedaled as fast as I could up the hill. Seventh overall and 4th in the Cat 3's... I couldn't have asked for a better 4th place finish!!! Those are some of the toughest women out there, and I'm just happy to say I hung with them to the finish.

It's kinda hard to come back to this course as defending champ and finish 4th. But the competition this year was intense and I can flat out admit that this was one of the hardest races I've ever done. Especially having not done a road race in 2 months, I'm crazy happy with my performance and finish! Shit, I could have finished last place and been happy for myself just because of that first major break with Tessy, Linda, and Heather. I rode out of my comfort zone for 50 miles and have no reason to feel sorry for not getting on the podium.

I'm sure that, out of the gals in the rest of the breakaway I'm the only one who doesn't train, so to be part of their pack at the finish was a genuine honor. Next year: intervals and training rides... or maybe we'll stick to late night concerts and partyin' with friends, who knows?

Saying goodbye to the road season,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 16: The Iron Range

2011-08-09T18:29:00.007-05:00

Friday night, Hwood and I were lucky to find a puppy-sitter (thank you tons, Cross!) so we could get away for Vegas & Kate's wedding. The weather was perfect for their outdoor ceremony, and I was so excited to be on the arm of my snazzy-dressed hubby for the night... it was the third time I've ever seen him in a tie, so it was fun!

The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was fabulous! Thank you so much for having us, kids! You two are an amazing couple and we're so happy you found each other.

After a long night of celebrating, we slept in on Saturday before heading north to Duluth for the next round of Scamp-ventures. We wanted to get up early and pre-ride Sunday's Great Hawk Chase mtn bike course, but some AM rain storms made the trails to muddy to ride. Instead, we hopped into the camper for a short nap and a quick road ride to the top of Hawk's Ridge and back. We then met up with Jeanne and Greg for some tasty treats and cold beers before bedtime. It was a great way to just chill with our friends who we mostly get to only exchange a quick word with at 'cross races. Later, we closed out the night by parking the Scamp in their driveway and tucking in for bed.

Come Sunday, we had an awesome time riding the trails and seeing friends. Hollywood had a killer finish, taking 11th in the Expert, Devon locked down 7th with ease, and Pip rocked a sweet 3rd place in the Expert women! And I was happy to take 5th behind some awesome women! Although the weather was beautiful and I didn't want to hit the road, we knew we had some weekend traffic to deal with and got on the road by 4:30. We stopped off to grab some grub for the road and get some fun pics in..

Puppy is still so tiny, that pink quick stick looks HUGE next to him!

Pony & the Scamp

Unfortunately, our 2 - 2.5 hour drive was extended by a lot of construction & weekend traffic, causing us to get home 4 1/2 hours after we left! It was ridiculous! Probably won't be going up that way again any time soon. Sheesh!

So ready to camp and ride again!

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 15.5: Mommy & Me Weekend

2011-08-09T17:56:00.006-05:00

Hwood and the Chucker took the Scamp up to the Cayuna trails for Vegas's 'dirty' bachelor party of mountain bikes, boats, and camping. The Scamp was all perdy in her finished splendor but since Rosco and I weren't there to help tell the story, it only counts as 0.5 of a Scamp-venture. Jay had a great time, though, annoying poison ivy and all.

Me and Rosco had a wonderfully fun and clean weekend at home together just hanging out. We kicked it off with a ridiculously lazy Friday night, cuddling on the couch and watching documentaries about dogs... perfect way to relax after the work-weeks I've been having..

Saturday I got to spend some time solo, getting up early for the All Women's TT to get my ride on. The course was AWESOME! Even though the heat was climbing as the start creeped up and the air was thick with moisture, I was excited to get El Gato on the road and push the legs to the limit. Once the race began, I was surging with energy and fire, cornering faster than I ever have and bombing the downhills.

It was fabulous! With the hills, heat, and wind, I wasn't surprised that I was slower than my goal average speed. I was, however, ridiculously surprised to find that I'd had a killer time, taking third overall and winning my age group, against some really fast women! Wow! Thanks to Endurance Promotions for an awesome event! I hope to see it on the calendar again next year.

So, exhausted but happy as can be, I returned home to clean up with Rosco and hit the town. I had fun introducing them to our friends having a garage sale, hanging in the sun, and running errands. We returned home for more relaxing and vegging out. Sure, I thought about cleaning the house or doing laundry while my hubby was away, but skipped it this time. How fun is it for me to clean all weekend while he's out having fun? He can help me when he gets home. So that's exactly what I did - Rosco and I laid low all Saturday night!

Puppy was so sleepy, he forgot to tuck in his tongue!

Come Sunday, we were relaxed and ready to roll up to the Hillside Mtn Bike race. I'd only ridden there once before, but had a fabulous time riding the trails and pushing my bike to the limits. Hwood met us at the course, covered in poison ivy and more exhausted than I'd ever seen him. He still rode hard and knocked out a top 15 finish.

Although the relaxing, quiet time with the puppy was cozy and sweet, we missed Hwood terribly and were happy to all return home together Sunday night for dinner and time spent veggin' out as a family. :o)

Wishin' every day was the weekend,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-ventures in Remodeling

2011-07-25T17:53:00.006-05:00

Almost a year after we bought our beloved Scamp, we have finally completed the remodel! Luckily, we had a coupon for a Shutterfly scrapbook that was expiring on Aug. 1st to help motivate us to hurry it up so I could make a memoir of the process. That, and the insanely hot weather and forgiving race schedule helped buy us some time to work on the last changes.

Our lil 1981 Scamp was fully up and running when we got it, but the decor was a little worn and outdated in the original yellow / brown motif...

Over time, we replaced the yellow trim tape, curtains, and carpet with black. The 30-yr old cushions were replaced with brand new ones in steel blue. The woodgrain doors were redone in white.

Then, to take it to the next level, Hwood made shelves for me in the closet and some AWESOME doggy steps for Rosco to get up into the bed! Not only does he build up some sweet bikes, but my hubby can sure pimp out a camper!

I LOVE OUR SCAMP!!!! It has been so much fun updating it and making into our own lil home-away-from-home. I can't wait to get away again and go Scamping. And, even though our projects are complete, I can already picture more changes to come... like that woodgrain table... sure would look good if it were white to match the doors....ADDICT!

In love with Scamping,

Kristy Kreme

Tour vs. Blog

2011-07-17T20:54:00.004-05:00

During the three weeks of the Tour de France, it's hard to find time to blog... or wash dishes... or laundry... or clean up the house. Heck, we take a break from chores all together when the Tour's on.

It is especially prevalent this year since we got the online "all access" package so we can watch the entire stage from Start to Finish without commercials and on-demand! No having to watch only 2 hours of the 5, no crappy adds, and no having to get up crazy early or stay up super late to watch it. Love it! But, it's online so the laptop has been spoken for each day. Lucky for me, Hwood has company and we've already watched the day's stage twice today, so I can get a quick wrap up in!

Where did I leave off? Early July marked my 5th appearance at the Spam Jam in Austin, MN - a 25-mi. citizen road race that kicks a$$! Not only do I get to ride w/ Hwood, but my whole team of awesome men and women. And this year was another fabulous year. Hot, sunny, and fast! Desta and I were the only gals to make the break early in the race and hung on for dear life at 25 mph average speeds. There were a number of attacks off the front early in the race and Hwood got away with TP and a mixed batch of competitors.

Desta and I rode hard in the chase group all the way to the finish. As we neared the end, silence overtook the group and the speed increased. I was feeling awesome and my heart race was chillin' and legs were ready to go. Rather than sprint against my own teammate for the finish, I was happy to ride her wheel across the line, proudly pointing to her like a Tour teammate as she won her first ever race - AWESOME!!! Hwood had been hauling arse, but was out-teammed and finished at an extremely fast third place. Way to go baby!!

Me - 2nd, Desta - 1st time SPAM Champ!

What else have I missed?

When I haven't been working my knuckles to the bone, or racin' bikes, I've been playing with this lil man - Rosco P Coltrane! We've had him for a whole month now, and we're definitely starting to feel like a family. He's been so chill at the races and loves being held by all the people at the shop or our friends at every event we drag him to, it's rad! And he's crazy confident and fearless - sweet! Can't wait for Jay to take him out for a bike ride, a la Smokey's harness.

I really wish the photo hadn't cut off the top of his head cuz I love this photo of him by the puppy pool in the back yard!

This weekend, with heat indexes over 100 degrees, I haven't wanted to do anything but sleep. Jay on the otherhand, never stops. So much so that he raced a killa State Crit championships yesterday, taking 4th in the race and 3rd in the State competition (one guy was from CA). Way to go, Love!

And if that wasn't enough, we were both crazy enough to race a 40k Time Trial today. Even at our 10:30 start time, the temps and humidity were unbearable. I tried freezing a camel-back full of water and stuffing it into my skinsuit to keep me cool, but the water was HOT by the time I hit the half way point. I was flying for the first 8 miles, but then the heat took over and my gaskets blew. On the headwind section, I was so overheated and out of it that I had to ride out on my bullhorns to maintain control with the 10-15 mph winds. At mile 12 I started dry-heaving. By mile 15, all of my water was Hot, but I tried to choke it down anyway.

I lost count of how many times I thought about quitting.

I finally came to terms with myself that I wasn't going to be setting any new land speed records. Maybe instead of a time-based PR, I would get a PR for 'most weight lost in a race under 100 miles long'. ?? Worked for me. So I just kept pedaling away, keeping myself in control rather than pushing the envelope harder than I was. Although I knew I was slower than last year's ragin' time, I still finished in 4th place, only 2 min. behind last year! Hot-damn! I really don't know how that works... but of course now I keep thinking 'if only I hadn't ridden 5 miles in my bullhorns...'. Oh well, I finished and lost a lil extra water weight in the meantime. Whoohoo!

Rosco had the best seat in the house, happily snoozing in the car that was parked in the shade. To ensure his health and well-being, we through caution to the wind and left the car on to keep him cool as we did our hour long race... thank heavens we were right! ;o)

Anyways, back to chillin' and off to prep for another LONG week of work. Yowza. Hopefully the rain will stay away this week so I can at least get some good commutin' time in. Until next time, I'll be workin', racin' or watchin' the Tour..

Go BMC!

Kristy Kreme

Tour de France, Hollywood has arrived!

2011-07-05T21:45:00.005-05:00

This ain't just a shameless plug for my favorite, one and only true love.... this is one bitchin' shout out to my favorite bike shop and some killa gorilla marketing!

So, not only did we see THIS to kick off Day One of the Tour de France (Tuffy rules!)...

But none other than Frankie Andreu was sporting the best tshirt in his interview..

Jay gave him the shirt during the 2008 Nature Valley Grand Prix before the DT crit - three years later, he chose to pack it in his suit case before headin' to the TdF!

Oh yeah, and did I mention THIS interview, too!

We may not be there, but Hollywood's spirit sure is. Bitch, please!

Wish we were there, but having so much fun playing Where's Waldo from home :o)

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 15: Rockin' Birthday in our lil Home away from Home

2011-06-28T18:38:00.012-05:00

Hwood and I played hooky from work on Friday for a nice long weekend away to celebrate my birthday. We loaded up the Scamp with all our camping and mountain bike gear, grabbed the puppy, and headed south to the Bay City Campground for a great weekend of R&R with Devin, Anna, Pip & Rocket.

We arrived first to find our campsite to be right on the harbor (picture on their website was from the site we had!). We parked the car, opened the camper doors, unloaded the chairs and proceeded to lounge away as we waited for the fam to arrive on a beautiful Friday afternoon. Rosco was AWESOME - lounging lazily on his blanket and chewing on toys as we relaxed and let the weeks worries melt away.

Room with a view..

Once the full crew arrived, our camp was on! Devin & Anna set up a great bonfire and we chilled as we ate dinner and basked in the light of the tiki torches as the sun set on this midsummer night. Jay couldn't resist a lil "Roxanne" mock when a hot dog plunged onto the sandy beach before making it to the plate...

Come Saturday, we all lounged around with little to do (AWESOME!), slowly building up to an afternoon pre-ride of Sunday's mountain bike course in Red Wing just across the river. The course was awesome and we had a great time checking it out although the falling rain kept us from taking a 2nd lap.

We returned to our campsite for more relaxing, and even squeaked in some time with pending Scamp remodeling on our list - Jay finished the new flooring, black carpet as well as an awesomely zebra-striped step! I took some time to finish the white trim on the last window.

We had an awesome time chillin' out with our friends, playing frisbee, roasting 'mallows, and just enjoying the great outdoors. Thanks again for getting us out!!!!

Our lil home away from home

Grown boys racin cars on the beach

Cute lil Rosco P Coltrane relaxing in Scamp during his first Scamp-venture

Come Sunday morning, we were almost a lil too chill to race, but we saddled up anyways. The Pip rode awesome, finishing 3rd overall of the Expert/Pro women and winning her age group. I tried to hold up my end of the deal, taking 4th overall, 1st in my age group. Devin rode hard for 7th overall, 2nd Pro. Hollywood had a rough crash early in his race, so he hung out for a bit and waited for me to come around, and casually rode a Happy Birthday lap with me before finishing his race. It was super awesome when Jake, Alye, and Dana sang happy birthday to me as I ran up one of the hills on the course - thanks guys, you made my day!

Most of all, thanks to my super duper awesome hubby-extraordinare for another amazing birthday! I love you babe! And I love sharing in all of our camping and biking adventures with you and Rosco!

Happily Basking in my Birthday Memories,

Kristy Kreme

Welcome to the Jungle, Rosco!

2011-06-22T19:19:00.009-05:00

Smokey made such an imprint on our hearts, I know we'll never forget him or get over missing him. Jay was so haunted by the silence in the shop, that it wasn't long before we started talking about finding another puppy to love. Luckily, my birthday is right around the corner, so it gave him the perfect 'in' to start looking.

On Saturday, we got up early, loaded up the bikes, and headed south to Cochrane, WI in search of a new lil man to care for. Randy Dienger of Dienger's Dachshunds was a wealth of knowledge of his puppies, telling us about their bloodlines and personalities as we bathed in the sunshine in the midday sun. After an hour +, and 1/2 dozen puppies playing in our laps, we fell in love with a sweet lil red brindle male (AKA tiger stripes!) and couldn't leave without him. At 9 1/2 weeks of age, this lil monster was definitely the lil Rosco we were looking for. We know Smokey can never be replaced, but we still have so much love to give and wanted to give another dog a happy life.

So, we did it! We loaded up the car with lil ole Rosco P. Coltrane and headed home, stopping at the Nelson cheese factory for lunch, then off to the Red Wing Memorial Park for some laps on the trail. Me, I was happy hanging with the new puppy, building his trust and snuggling his furry lil neck.

Extreme Close Up!!!

He's a natural with a mountain bike

So, in true Hwood form, we took him out to his first race some 24 hours after we adopted him, showing him the world of mountain biking at Sunday's Afton Alps. Since we had a dinner deadline to meet and an extremely cuddly new puppy, I held off on racing and just played with the pooch and gave Jay hand-ups instead. Hwood rode awesome and it was great to see him shine as me and the puppy got some sun and enjoyed the day outside. Lucky for me, all the sun and excitement left me with a sleepy puppy..

Check out those tiger stripes!

Hwood, of course, couldn't resist joining the trends and Tweeted his wiener..

Although my heart still aches for Lil Smokey, I'm happy to think that everything he taught us will help make this puppy's world that much better. I can't wait to find you on the Rainbow Bridge, Lil Smokey! Until then, your pappa and I will do our best to raise Rosco in your honor.

Happy to love again,

Kristy Kreme

We did it all for the Smokey

2011-06-21T18:39:00.001-05:00

Just days after Smokey passed, Jay and I went out to Chaska to ride the Dirty Benjamin, a 107 mile gravel road race. If you'd have asked us a week prior, Jay would have said he was out for the win, and I was hoping to finish strong in the women's race (repeat champ if I could). But with the preceding day's events, 3 days without sleep, and no appetite and we changed our tune to 'riding with a number on' and doing it all for Smokey. He loved being outside and going to the races, so we knew he'd want us to enjoy the beautiful day.

We worked our way to the front of the 170+ riders for the start of the race, wanting to stay with some smooth riders as we began. The beginning f the race was chilly, and my mind was a blur, playing the songs I'd put on Nite, Nite Smokey on repeat. Before I knew what was going on, we were 20 miles into the race and Jay was ecstatic as he came over to me, raving about us being in the break. I looked around to find 20 of us together, and the rest of the riders nowhere in sight. Me, the only gal in the pack, riding with the TOP dudes! I can tell you honestly, I really don't know how it happened.

We stayed strong in the pack until the handful of Revolution Cycles guys went to the front and started amping up the pace. After 8 miles of holding a steady 24 mph in the gravel, I started to pop off the back. At mile 50, there were 10 of us shelled from the group so we formed a solid chase group and kept our speed high. At the checkpoint at mile 62, I took a quick nature break as Jay refilled our water and we choked down a 1/2 a PB&J each. With little delay, we were back on the trail in hot pursuit.

The group stayed tight, but I blew to bits around mile 90 with legs cramping and my emotions boiling over. Jay left the pack and came back to me, soothing me with sweet words about Smokey and encouraging me to stay on it in his honor. I gathered myself together and we turned up the speed again, knowing there were only a handful of miles remaining.

Once we hit the pavement for the final 5+ miles, relief began to wash over us and the pain in our bodies ebbed away. Although Hurl and the rest of the pack we popped off of at mile 90 were just up the road, Jay stayed by my side and was there to solute with me as we crossed the line.

We ended up finishing 12th & 13th in 6:01:33 hours, 13 minutes faster than last year! Repeat victory - whoohoo!!!! The 2nd place woman was 45+ min behind - it was crazy! Thanks for the inspiration, Lil Smokey! Momma did it for you!

Jay, I couldn't have ever done it without your support and love. Thank you so very much!

Still riding high,

Kristy Kreme

Life with Lil Smokey

2011-06-18T06:57:00.008-05:00

In the past couple weeks, I've really seen how many lives Smokey impacted by the huge outpouring of love we've received from family, friends, and even perfect strangers who'd been forwarded a video of Smokey, or shared memories of watching him in the shop window. It's been so heart-warming to feel everyone's love and to soak in the knowing of what amazing friends we have. Without each of you, these last couple weeks would have been so much darker. Thank you for sharing our memories and love of Lil Smokey.

I know I didn't do a good job of explaining what happened - it was just too hard to type it out. Smokey was playing in the front yard with Jay and wandered down to the side walk next to the road. He didn't listen when Jay called him back and, when the lady across the street came out with her dog, Smokey darted across the street to say hi. The driver never saw him jump out from between the parked cars. He was struck by the bumper, but missed each tire. Jay was by his side immediately, and laid over him as his last breath escaped his little body. He never felt any pain.

I heard the indecipherable screams from inside the house and immediately knew what happened. I ran outside to find them, and the sound of the earth shattering filled the air. The next few minutes were a blur of pain. A couple neighbors we'd never met had come out to help - one calming the young, distraught driver, and the other redirecting traffic as we laid in the street with our lil puppy. Without their caring and assistance, I really don't know how we would have gotten through the situation. Thank you so very, very much!

Even though that was one of the worst days of our lives, we both look back on those last few days with hearts overfilling with love and joy. We had an amazing camping trip with Lil Smokey down in Mankato just days before. It was so much fun watching him explore the fields, climb a huge dirt pile and rail down it like a downhiller, and the single track riding was awesome!!!

In the morning on the day Smokey passed, Jay said it was impossible to leave him. They snuggled and played all morning as Jay resisted going to work. He gave him kisses and told him he loved him and fought the clock for extra time until the last possible minute before reluctantly leaving to open the shop.

When I got home from work that day, Smokey was chillin' on the couch watching music videos. I was beat, so I laid down on the couch and he immediately went to my feet and slept with me. I only needed a catnap to reset my day and was joyfully surprised when Smokey licked my face after a 1/2 hour or so of napping, trying to wake me up. If you've seen me when I'm tired, I'm not the most pleasant person upon waking against my will, but this day was different. It was so sweet to be woken with kisses, and I turned it into a game... hiding my face playfully, and popping up out of the pillow for Smokey to steal a kiss and jump back. His tail waged as he bounced back and forth to give me kisses. It was wonderful.

After our game, we got up and went for a quiet walk around the neighborhood on the most beautiful evening in weeks.. just they day prior, it was 103 degrees and we weren't able to take Smokey outside until sunset because of the heat. But he still had a great time in the pool with the other puppies as we sat outside with all the neighbors and their dogs when the heat & AC overload blew the transformers in the area for a few hours that night.

After our walk, Smokey played on the bed as I folded laundry. He laid on my sweatpants that had just come out of the dryer and wrestled with the balled up socks. When they came unballed, I'll roll 'em up again and toss them into the air for him to play with.... it's those simple delights that mean the most to me, and I'm so glad I got to share each and every moment of those with him.

Life will never be the same thanks to Smokey. Luckily, I have had a wonderful family that has taught me the pleasure of truly unconditional love. When I met my husband, Jay, my heart learned an entirely new type of love, and he's never hesitated to share that love with me every day. And when Smokey entered our lives, we found out what Dr. Seuss meant when he wrote about the Grinch's heart growing '3 sizes that day'... both of us learned how to love a lil monster with every ounce of our being, and enjoy the way he highlighted our life.

Not only did he teach us how to love, but he showed us how much we loved taking care of him. I don't know many people who planned out vacations for their pet's pleasure, but it was so enjoyable planning out camping trips with entertainment we hoped he'd enjoy. In his last few months, we took him to 4 different states, camping and hiking and running around wherever our paws would take us. And all of those adventures, the whole reason we ever got the Scamp, it was all thanks to Smokey, and our love for spending time with him.

I love you lil buddy... I will hold you in my heart forever, and never forget the time we spent snuggling... the lil moans that escaped those lil black lips as you slept... your guy-liner... your cute lil butt... but most of all the way you looked at me. I love you, Lil Smokey! I hope you and Bob are having fun up in heaven. Save a place for me.

Proud to have been loved by Lil Smokey,

Kristy Kreme

Nite Nite Smokey

2011-06-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

For those of you who knew him, count yourself blessed. He was one of the most amazing things in my life... Lil Smokey died suddenly last night, and left Jay and I with huge gaping holes in our hearts. He was our traveling partner, a snuggler, a kisser, a jester, an athlete, our baby. He died suddenly on June 8, 2011 well before his time. This is the puppy we remember and morn with every ounce of our beings. You will be missed more than you know! Until I can get my thoughts together, I will leave you with this and just say 'until next time'....

Nite Nite Smokey from Kristy Henderson on Vimeo.

Broken,

Kristy 'Mamma' Kreme

Scamp-venture 14: Appetite for Bikes

2011-06-07T14:11:00.007-05:00

Before hitting the road for another Scamp-venture, Jay took me out to Hell's Kitchen to catch Adler's Appetite, Steven Adler of GNR's new band playing the full Appetite for Destruction song list as well as some new tunes. After watching Steven's benders on my sinful "Celebrity Rehab" slumming I did one season, it was funny to watch him live. I don't know what the program was, but he was on some Happy pills for sure, smiling away like a church camp counselor behind the drums as the rest of the band tried to look 'cool'. None the less, it was a sweet venue and a fun show - thanks Randy & Kendra for gettin' us out!!!

Saturday morning came early, though, and we loaded up the car & Scamp in a sleepy fog, just hoping we hadn't forgotten something important for the latest weekend Scamp-venture. We headed out to St Peter for the State Time Trial Championships and, for the first time in years, it was HOT and sunny, with temps in the 80's and humidity on the rise.

A Houdini-ish wind played tricks on us by staying away from the parking lot we congregated in, yet appearing on the course as a headwind that you weren't sure was there. The wind was so deceivingly strong that my return was 5 min. faster than the way out! Top that off with getting stung in the ear by a bee (plus finding a way to get it out of my aero helmet w/o skipping a beat) plus a leg cramp 6 miles from the finish, and you can imagine how happy I was with my time. It was my 2nd fastest time there ever, but it still wasn't a PR... nuff said.

My lovely & talented husband, on the other hand, had one of his fastest times EVER, winning the 40+ State Champion title! He's riding so amazingly well this year, it's wonderful to watch. He did the full 25 mi (40K) TT in only 54:41!! I am so proud of you baby!!!

With Jay elated & me still licking my wounds, we loaded up the bikes and kept the train moving on to Mankato for some quality time with the Scamp and a Sunday mountain bike race. The heat was intense and we were exhausted so, when we arrived at Mt. Kato, Jay pulled the lil Scamp under a shady grove of trees and we lazily worked on some remodeling projects as the puppy wandered around and chased butterflies.

Three mountain bikes, two TT bikes, and a pair of trainers and spare race wheels....Nice pack job, Hollywood!!!

I had ripped out the 1960's yellow carpet a few nites prior, so Jay used it as a stencil as he installed our awesome new, black carpet. A little later in the day, we saddled up and took a loop of the course to prep for Sunday and try to spin out the legs a bit. Even Smokey joined in the action!!

Single Track Smokey Episode 2 - Mt. Kato from Kristy Henderson on Vimeo.

The sun dipped low and the lightning bugs came out to greet us later that evening. We sat around a 'table' Jay built out of a bike box (for Sophie's bitchin' new TOMAC FLINT 29'er!!! -waaaahh!) and enjoyed dinner and beers with Caveman and his boys, and made new friends with Dana & Eric & their dog, McKinley. It was a perfect evening for camping with temps in the 60's, we left the windows open, and fell asleep to the sounds of crickets chirping away. We slept until the sun work us the next morning and lounged comfortably under our canopy of trees as the racers gathered and the heat climbed back into the 80's.

I pride myself on my 2nd-day racing legs, but this weekend just wasn't my weekend. Saturday's hard effort and leg cramps coupled with Sunday's heat and humidity turned out to be my kryptonite. From the get-go, my legs refused to cooperate and, as the sun beat down on the hillside, it became impossible to keep myself hydrated. During my 3rd lap, the goosebumps came out, the sweating stopped, and I started losing the ability to control my bike... so I reluctantly pulled myself out of the race. It was one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make, but i knew my health and safety was more important than riding 4 more miles of trail.

Even though the weekend's high temps had their way with me on the bike, it was still one of the best ever. It was so absolutely wonderful camping with my family this weekend, that I cannot wait to do it again. How did we go this long without a Scamp before?!

Jay, I love how you love to go on adventures with me!

Road-worn and cheery,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 13: Another Memorable Memorial Wknd

2011-06-07T13:57:00.003-05:00

Jay, Smokey and I loaded up the car & Scamp and headed to Iowa for the long Memorial Day weekend to spend some quality time with family, friends, and our bikes. Although Saturday was a bit gloomy, we filled our day with errands and shopping with Jay’s mom - it was a ton of fun and we finally found new carpet for the Scamp (technically, it was an area rug, but who’s counting?). Top that off with an early birthday present from Dorothy & Jay, and you have one happy Scamper.

After 9 hours on the go, we retreated to Dot’s place with tired legs and empty bellies, ready to relax and begin dinner. Jay’s homemade fajita burritos were just what this gal needed, and the temps were perfect for a comfortable night’s stay in the Scamp.

Sunday morning came early as we prepped to race the Melon City Criterium in Muscatine. As I warmed up for my race, the tornado sirens began to sound. The MC announced that our race would be delayed until the storm passed... luckily we brought the Scamp to the race, so we had a cozy home to ride out the storm in.

An hour later the MC called us to the line (cold legs, lightning, thunder, and all) with a 10 min. heads up on the race. As the lightning continued to light up the sky and the rain soaked us as we stood, the race began with a sprint off the line. It was only my second crit in the rain ever, and I was instantly nervous... 30 ft. off the back of the pack by the time we reached the speed bump at the bottom of the hill. Climbing back up the hill was a breeze, and I picked up riders each lap, getting faster and faster as I got more comfortable with the course. After six laps, however, they called the race due to the crashing thunder and lighting.

I retreated to the Scamp with Jay and the puppy, cold and soaked through and through, huddled on the floor in a towel so not to get the new cushions wet, and ready for a nap. I'd moved up in the race significantly, but highly doubted my desire to continue the race. After a 1/2 hour, we heard the MC call us back to the line to finish our race and I resisted the urge to skip it. I went out, finished the race in 15th of 32, and was happy as a clam to get out of my wet clothes some three hours after putting them on. That was by far the longest crit I've ever done.

Jay followed it up with a fast 6th place finish. Exhausted from the delays, racing, and rain, we headed back to town to prep for another installment of the local wine ride - my favorite! We brought the Scamp over to Ken & Lou's and gave tours to all our friends. Come Wine Ride time, Jay had me jump on the back of one of Ken & Lou's tandems and made our way out to the park for some tasty vittles and good times. It was another awesome night w/ the crue!

Then, on Memorial Day, Jay and I took his mom out to the cemetery to visit Bob and lay some roses at his headstone. The time we had with him was definitely not enough... but the weather was beautiful and Bob would have been happy to see us.

The drive home was crazy with a 20+ mph tail wind push all the way into the cities, saving us a 1/2 a tank of gas, even with the Scamp in tow! Yowza! Just another bit of icing on the cake after a wonderful weekend on the road!

Warm & Fuzzy,

Kristy Kreme

Frolic Mud Fest

2011-05-21T21:55:00.003-05:00

Today was the MN Mtn Bike series opener, the Freewheel Frolic. As was the case last year, rain had it's way with the course, turning the flat and flowing raceway into a tough and muddy mess. With all nastiness aside, I was super excited since today marked the day that Sophia and I raced as Experts for the first time! Bitch, please!

The course was so saturated - it was the slowest and sloppiest prologue I've ever done there. Trudging across spongy grass, spraying muddy water onto ourselves and entering the single track on the 1st of 4 laps covered in our 1st layer of mud. I got into the single track in third, but started having difficulties controlling my sweet Tomac early. My rear brake pads completely withered away instantly, but I didn't realize it until I lost control of my bike in a chicane and wound up in the trees. Still unaware of my lack of brakes, I crashed again around a turn at full speed. When I got up, I checked my brakes and found nothing. The mechanics of it still worked, but there was no resistance at all.

Only half way through my first lap and no rear brakes and just a hint of front brakes....I didn't even know that could happen! I tried hard to keep up my speed and stay back on my bike and rely on the front brakes, but they didn't last long. I kept losing control around the slick turns and made my own lines through the trees, slowing my bike like Fred Flintstone with my feet dragging through the mud and brush.

It wasn't long before my front derailleur bogged down with enough mud to retire for the day. Into my second lap, my cassette started bitching too, refusing to move all the way into a gear or allowing the chain to get sucked up and locked long enough to force me off the bike and correct it. By the last lap, I had 2 gears left, had been passed by almost everyone, and was just aching to finish (pun intended). I was cut up, bruised, bashed, and wearing about 10-20 lbs of mud on me and my bike. I was elated to cross the line and know the suffering was over.

I grabbed a beer and reflected on the fight with the rest of the hard-ass mountain bikers who dared to race the crappy conditions. I love this sport!

And to top it all off, our lil family of Tomacs did awesome today!! Sophia, proud owner of a Tomac Flint 29'er, finished in 1st of her age group and 5th in the Pro/Expert Women overall!!! Way to go, chica! You are awesome!

Hollywood finished a bitchin' 4th overall in the Men's Pro/Expert class and won his age group after blastin' out his signature hole shot. Love you babe! You're riding awesome!

I found myself on top of the podium, winning my age group, and taking fourth in the Women's Pro/Expert overall! DAMN!!!! My poor lil white fox needs a mechanic's love BAD, but I still had fun.

Once I finally got all the mud out of my ears and a$$-crack, I found that all the mud stuck to me had given me a whole new set of tan lines... I look like a speckled goon who got in a fight with a cat holding a baseball bat. Oi!

Can't wait to hose down my bike and prep for the next adventure!

Kristy Kreme

How to get out of a $200 tab at Red Lobster

2011-05-21T20:56:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday night, Jay and I joined my brother, sister, mom, and step-dad at Red Lobster for a wonderful family send-off dinner before my bro left for his new Air Force base in England. He'll be over in England for at least 3 years! Now I just have to start saving those pennies and update my passport so I can see him before then.

Dinner was a ton of fun, even though I don't like seafood. If it doesn't have at least two legs and live on land, I'm not interested. Although I did once eat moose that had fallen in a lake after being shot. Yum! So, I happily filled up on caesar salad and those ever so heavenly, altogether naughty, garlic and cheese biscuits. Pretty sure it didn't help me get any closer to race-weight, but who cares.

My sister stayed with chicken while the rest filled the table with lobster, shrimp, and crab legs. Jay, himself, devoured a pound and a half of crab legs before enjoying a sinful fudge-filled chocolate chip delite. I've learned to eat left-handed so I can shield my plate from crab leg spray as Jay eats - blowing the crab out of the shell rather than using the shell-cracker. It's quite the spectacle!

The food was good, but sharing some laughs and stories with my family was so much better. Sure, it wasn't the raucous antics that Jay's birthday bring about, but it was still one of those nights when the table was so full of life, the rest of the room disappeared. I couldn't even tell you if they were busy that night or not. All I know is that I got to sit by my lil brother and celebrate the huge move he was about to make. I am so proud of you honey! And I hope England is the gateway to a world of adventure and happiness in your life. I hope we can get there soon.

So, when the night finally began to close and the crew began to close down for the night, we passed around the tab trying to figure who racked up the biggest bill... leave it to my hubby to polish off 1.5 lbs of crab legs, lobster pizza, molten cookie dessert, and 2 strawberry passion colada's, each with an extra sidecar of rum... somehow he didn't know a sidecar was almost as much as the cocktail.... sweet innocent hubby. Trying to find a way to save money, we sent the airman over to the lobster tank to start bobbing for lobsters.

If they kick us out, we don't have to pay the tab, right? Well, his face never hit the water, but it was still a ton of fun! Thanks for humoring me, kid. :o)

Missing my baby brother,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 12: Scampin' in Sconny... again

2011-05-15T20:05:00.005-05:00

Hwood, Smokey and I spent another weekend in Sconny to open up the 2011 mountain bike season at the Cable Off-Road Classic. Luckily, we have a number of friends with cabins in the neighborhood, and our buddy Rick let us pull the lil Scamp into the driveway and sleep until race time.

As we prepped the Scamp for sleepin' as the evening hours waned, Jay hung out in the garage with Rick and Wade, working on bikes, as Smokey roamed the woods with a bike blinkie-light hooked to his collar. Once I got him back to base camp and hooked up to his chain, Rick clued us in on the large black bear that hung out on his deck the evening before... 20 yards from where we set down our anchors. Uh.... guess there'll be no mid-night potty runs! I warned Jay that I'd be peein' in the puppy's litter box if I had to. Don't need a half awake run-in with a black bear in the dark!

Come bed time, I locked the Scamp door (who knows if bears can open caravan doors!), and crawled into bed with Smokey and my hubby, ready to snuggle in before the big race. We were so comfy on the new cushions, we never woke when the bear strolled up to the deck again to snack on the donuts that Rick left out for it. Yowza! Probably better off that way... I may not have been able to get back to sleep if I'd seen it... but you better believe I had my camera sittin' out just in case.

Come race time it was wet, windy, and the temps hung in the mid-30's. The start was blazing fast and my legs wanted NOTHING to do with it. I watched a number of riders pass me on the beginning mile or two, but luckily none of them were women (other than the three that started in front of me). We got into the single track and somehow I was ON! I navigated the rocks and roots better than I've ever ridden before - it was awesome! Sure, it was cold, wet, and crazy muddy, but I was riding phenomenally.

At the half way point, I came upon Jay waiting for me at a feed zone. His race wasn't going as well as he desired, so he hung out and waited to see how I was doing. He was impressed to find me sitting in fourth place, and happily followed me along the trail to see what I've learned since last year. With Jay on my wheel, we tore through the course. At the final feed zone, with 10 miles to go, we were elated to know the end was in sight.... but somehow lost contact with the course. 30-40 of us missed a turn somewhere and wound up doing 3 miles off course, trying to figure out where we went wrong and how to correct it.

As we headed back to the feed zone after multiple stops and discussions with the group, I started to bonk big time and wound up losing control of my bike in the mud and flipped over the bars. When I finally got up, I realized that my bars were no longer perpendicular to my wheel.. they were parallel! DOH! As tears filled my eyes and my emotions flooded passed my race tenacity and straight to the surface, I cried as Jay wrenched them back into place. There we were, lost, tired, and muddy... but Jay still took a moment to hold me as I let it all out and tried to get my head back on straight.

He gives great hugs! And even though my body ached not only from fighting the agonizingly slow and muddy trails, the crash, the top-tube-impacted bruises on my legs that hadn't yet surfaced, I found a way to keep going. We stumbled on the trail and turned into the single track, hoping we were going the right way. Unfortunately, it looked just like the beginning of the race, so we turned around again. Once we ran into some other racers who had NOT missed the turn, we found out we were on the right trail, but going the wrong way... so, we turned around yet again. 10 miles to go, and a half hour of time just wasted away....

We settled in and finished it out as fast and as hard as we could. I finished 8th... but that was by far the LONGEST and TOUGHEST mountain bike race I've ever done. It was truly bitter sweet. And to have my husband behind me, encouraging me all the way to the finish, was amazing. Love you, babe!

Exhausted and freezing cold, we hurried back to Rick's cabin to snuggle up with the puppy in the Scamp for a midday siesta. It was GLORIOUS! Even though it was a lil dreary, we decided to stay another night and ride in the morning before coming home. We cozied up in the camper for some dinner and a movie with our favorite lil traveling buddy.

Rick tipped us off to the Makwa Trail out of Seeley, WI so we packed up the caravan after breakfast and headed out of town.

The trail was AWESOME! Super sweet flowing single track! When you race as much as we do (10-12 months out of the year), it's a rare and wonderful pleasure to ride together just for fun. The sun was out and the 60+ degree temps were just what we needed to clear out the legs before coming home.

When our ride ended, Smokey was anxious and waiting for us. I think he's finally figured out that the snow is gone and it's safe to go outside again (knock on wood). So, what do you do with a mini dachshund when you've got the best trails around at your fingertips? Take him single track riding, duh!

It was a blast! We had so much fun this weekend, the return home just flew by. I just couldn't wait to get home and look at our pictures and videos and relive it all. If I haven't said it before, I love our Scamp! It's the perfect 4th member to our lil family. :)

Road worn, weary, and on top of the world,

Kristy Kreme

Smokey vs. the Beetle

2011-05-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

I've taken advantage of the spring weather over the last couple weeks and have been commuting to work via my bike. Today, I thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine on my way home, only to come home to my sweet puppy making me smile...

Scamp-venture 11: Weekend of Racin' & Rockin'

2011-05-01T19:17:00.006-05:00

Friday night, we began the weekend with a smooth ride together on our way home from work, before headin' to the Myth for a killer Surly Jones & Hairball show. It was awesome! Surly Jones was on hungry and on fire - playing their brains out to a packed house - and I was in charge of getting a bitchin' group of Surly Gurly's ready to get rowdy and bombard the stage during their last song of their set.

Luckily, the Gurly's were awesome and we pulled it off as Surly Jones had the crowd eating out of their hands. Awesome show, guys!! I love helping out and watching your dreams come true!

We got home at midnight and realized there was no way we'd have time to make breakfast before our 7AM departure come Saturday morning for the race, so Jay made us some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast before bed as we packed up our gear for a cold and rainy race to come. Yum! I love midnight breakfast!

The race, not so warm, but at least I got to ride with 3 of my favorite gals - Hellians Cheryl & Jacki, and Ply-wood pal Kristi O. Cold, wet, and rainy, it was a group ride of 5 gals until the 500m mark. The pace was up to mid-30's+ and the road wet, so I sat up quickly when Jacki, Cheryl, and Angie started bumping shoulders. Jacki held on for 2nd, Cheryl 3rd, and I happily rolled in for 4th. H-Wood, on the other hand, rocked out an AMAZING 60+ miles for a raging 2nd place finish! Great work babe!

With nothing on the docket for Saturday night, Hwood and I retreated to the Scamp for the next phase of the remodel. Other than replacing the door hardware to get our door to hang straighter, we tore out the old cushions and replaced them with brand new cushions and covers!

And, what do you do with new cushions? Sleep on 'em! We loaded up the car and headed to Lacrosse, WI to join our teammates and friends for Sunday's Lacrosse Criterium. Thanks to Devin and fam for hosting us and the lil Scamp!!!! Can't wait for the next time we can get out there and hang. :o)

After a great night's sleep, we headed out for Jay's first 40+ race! It was PHENOMENAL! Jay solo'd off the front before the very first turn and never looked back and never let them get closer than 14 seconds back! For an hour, Hwood dug deep into his pain cave against 20+mph winds and never wavered, sealing an uncontested victory with spunk! I was so freakin' proud of him!

When it was time for my race, I was honestly not excited. There was a lot of great talent there and I was not looking forward to getting my a$$ handed to me in a killer wind. I decided that I would just ride my tail off to hang in the pack and use it as training more than anything. You can only imagine how surprised I was to still be with the pack 1/2 way through the race and feeling great.

Coming into the final turn, I was tailgunner, but hungry for a top-8 finish (payout was 8 deep). As we barreled into the last turn for head/cross wind finish, I cut the turn tight and kept inside the wind-protected side of the road, taking up 4 places to finish 6th behind one of my She-roes, Linda S. It was probably one of the greatest crits I've ever been in! The women I raced with were strong and fit, and I found a way to hang and pull it out of my back pocket for the finish. Just the finish I needed to get the season rolling.

This was yet another amazing weekend! Lots of friends, fun, riding, and enjoying each other's company. I'm just so lucky to have the most amazing partner in crime, Jay. I love you babe! Thank you for always having fun with me and screaming your brains out as I chase my dreams!

Smiling and relaxing,

Kristy Kreme

Spring is here! Right?

2011-04-27T22:51:00.002-05:00

Last weekend marked the kickoff of the spring/summer racing season. It was very evident in my lungs and legs that I have been EXTREMELY LAZY for the last couple months but, ya know what, that's okay. I raced all but 2 months in 2010 so I friggin' deserved it if you ask me.

I pulled a back-to-back, none the less, racing Kenwoods on Saturday and the final U of MN Campus Criterium on Sunday. I spent significant time in each race in a solo time trial mode, but it was okay with me. I know I'm in no position to win races in April and I'm not going to try to say otherwise. My season has to go til January, so this is my training.

Sure, we just got back from Boulder but don't get me wrong... that wasn't spring training. That was a vacation that we just happened to bring bikes along. Sure, we rode harder than we would have if it were just a 'leisure' ride, but that doesn't make it training. Too many beers were consumed to call it that.

Other than that, my skin's just crawling to see the sun again. I've got the first inkling of pink on my arms and legs, but I'm sure tonights snow flurries will cause 'em to run for the hills.

BUT, the best part of today was receiving our brand new cushions (and new foam) for the ole Scamp! We're pulling off the final remodel items in the next couple weeks so she'll be up and running for the 2011 race season and I can't wait. Pictures to come. I had to try 'em out though, and laid them on the floor of the shop tonight and curled up with the puppy just to see how they felt. WOW! What a difference brand new 4" foam is from the 30-yr old ones we've been sleeping on. Nothing like waking up to your own body imprint in the bed every morning. You can imagine how sore you feel. I can't wait for the first camping adventure with the new ones!

Heck, pair that up with some sweet new camping gear we scored from Santa & our families and we're ready to go for weeks! Thanks to all who humor our obsession for being in the wind and on our bikes.

Lots of love and excitement for summer 2011,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 10: ColoRADo, the perfect 10

2011-04-20T20:43:00.004-05:00

Hwood, Smokey and I headed west last week for some much needed R&R (riding and rockin!). Five days of riding the canyon roads and rockin' out was the perfect way to unwind after a very trying winter.

To kick it off, we headed south to Des Moines to catch 1/2 of our favorite band, the Supersuckers, playing some small Hopkins-ish bar on a Wednesday nite. Eddie Spaghetti and Metal Marty rocked our asses in an intimate accoustic show, allowing us to call out song after song until the wee hours of the night. Once the show ended, we jumped back into the car for the all-night drive to Boulder, Colorado. My super husband, Jay, got us almost all the way through Nebraska while I slept, allowing me to rest and prep for the final drive into town. You can only imagine how disappointed we were to drive into a snow storm on our spring vaca.... oi! Luckily, Colorado knows how to melt it all off before lunchtime.

Our buddy Pike was ready and waiting for us when we pulled into his drive with the Scamp in tow, and we started our stay in Boulder with some tasty grub with Pike and his girl. We spent our day hiking with Smokey, updating our 1960-ish Scamp, and made sure to get some quality riding in. With only a couple hours of sleep under our belts in the last 36 hours, we kept the first ride low-key, staying in the foothills at a medium pace.

Come the next morning, though, we took on the mountains. Hwood and I took to the bikes early and headed into the mountains, off to check out Left Hand Canyon and see how far we could go. Little did I know that we missed the turn Jay had planned on, and we found ourselves climbing for 20 miles into a small mining town. The temps were near freezing by the time we found a handful of locals filling water jugs at a spring, and stopped to ask for the fastest route back... "go back the way you came".... not what we wanted to hear. Lucky for us, they had some old newspapers that we could stuff our jerseys with before our 10 mile decent back to the missed turn. It was SO COLD! There's nothing like descending like a madman when you can't feel your hands around your bars.

Once we were able to make it back to town and thaw out, we continued to relax and update the Scamp. Out with the old yellow trim tape and curtains. Hello to white trim, black curtains, and zebra print couch! Bitch please! Now we just have to replace the old yellow carpet and we'll be set.

Come the next morning my legs were toast. We had planned on another epic ride, but after the hour spent climbing our first pass, I new I wasn't ready for a mountain-century. So, we kept it chill and rode into Jackson. The sun was warm on our backs and it was a beautiful pass to ride.

Other than riding in the beautiful 60's & Sunny afternoons, we made sure to get out on the town and experience the local excitement. Pike took us up into the mountains for some crazy ass 4-wheeling. We climbed and passed through a number of mining towns along the way, slowly moving along and checking out the scenery as the temperatures dropped. Little did this fear-of-heights-chica know that the descent back to earth was via a dirt road only as wide as the Blazer with stunning views of the cliff edge outside the window. I can't wait to check out the videos Jay took - especially since I spent most of the descent with my head on the back seat of the Blazer as the two boys marveled at the view.

Come Sunday evening, what better way could we begin to close out our trip but with dinner and a show in Denver. The four of us loaded up the cruck, bound for Casa Bonita, a restaurant Jay hadn't been too since he was just a little tike in the 70's. It was like a Vegas theme restaurant... people everywhere, mariachis, a mini show every fifteen minutes.... oh yeah, and friggin cliff divers in the middle of the restaurant! It was awesome!

Once we filled our bellies, we headed out on the town to catch Eddie Spaghetti and Metal Marty again in Denver! The show was even better than it was in Des Moines. Not to mention, Eddie put us on the list and got us in for free! When we were in Des Moines, we had told him about our road trip and plan to catch him on our return, and he was super awesome to get us in - thanks, Eddie!!!

After the show, we curled up for a final night in the Scamp to prep for the long drive home. We battled a headwind for 15 hours, driving through all hours of the day and night to limp home and fall into bed utterly exhausted. Although it's great to be home, I already miss the sunshine. Why did we have to come home to snow?? WTF?

Anyways - awesome trip, fabulous riding, and amazing friends! Thanks to Pike, Melina, Eddie, Marty, Smokey, and the Scamp who made this trip awesome!!!!

Ready for summer,

Kristy Kreme

Just trying to thaw out...

2011-03-29T18:56:00.003-05:00

I'm sure it's not just me, but this has felt like one of the longest winters ever. Too cold to ski, too much snow to ride the roads or ride most trails on a standard mtn bike... oi, I am quite ready for it to be over.

Got out two weeks ago, though, when the temps finally passed the 40's by. It was awesome! About 16-17 of us took of on one of Timmer's best routes for a great 53 mile cruise out to Farmington and back. It was perfect! Sure, my legs felt a little slow but the hills didn't intimidate me like they did last spring.

This past weekend, we did it again, even though the temps were about 20 degrees less than last weekend. The air was chilly, but it got our legs pumping that much harder, rocking out the full route without losing a minute.

I just wish the snow would melt and the ice would disappear already! I've commuted a couple times, but decided to hang up my fender bike for a couple more days til the ride is a little safer in the morning... sure, I know people commute all year 'round, but it's just not in my bag of tricks just yet.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for great weather to come - I gotta ride!

Other than sleeping and watching the tube all winter, we've tried to walk a little on the wild side to keep the blood pumpin'. The best was rockin' out at Motley Tuesday's for Jay's 40th birthday!

The whole crue came out to ring in 40 years at the Star Bar. The drinks were cheap, the music awesome, and the laughs endless.

Jay's brother John even flew in from NY to celebrate!

Riff raff... 'nuff said.

If you've never seen it - get yourself out there! Every Tuesday night!

Hollywood & his band, DNF, rocked out and kept us all entertained.

John even brought the bagpipes with to jam out my favorite AC/DC ballad.

Partyin' on until the snow melts,

Kristy Kreme

Ice Ice Baby!

2011-01-25T22:10:00.002-06:00

Mmmm, ice racin.....

Check out the excitement at: http://www.hwoodcycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011_winter_carnival2.jpg

Double Ice Victory

2011-01-16T13:56:00.006-06:00

Out on Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior last weekend, Hollywood helped design a killa new ice race course. It was the second year for this event, and it was HANDS-DOWN the best one yet!

With a couple inches of snow fall the night before the race, Hollywood, the Chucker, and I went to the lake a couple hours early with shovels to make sure it was perfect come race time. Chris McCormick and his team of helpers puttin' on the race were there with shovels in hand and we attacked the course right away, shoveling right down to glare ice for almost the entire course. Three sections were left with 10" deep worth of snow to navigate through, making it a sweet, tail-floating addition.

The Hardcore race went first, and twenty-some tough MN-mutha's toed the line, under layers and layers of thermal gear. As Jay pointed out when we first met, I must be part 'Dude', because I was the only chica to take on the Hardcore race. Forget the easy win... it dialed it up to 11, making it that much harder since now I was out to beat the men!

Hollywood, the Chucker, and I went balls out for the holeshot once the race began, and we went through the first turn together in 1st, 2nd, and 4th (DeathRider snuck in front of me for third). I pushed my lungs to the limit, trying to maintain contact with Hwood & Chucker, holding on to a top five position for longer than I thought I could.

The studs in my tires grabbed the ice and never let up, allowing me to fly through the course without touching my brakes. Hollywood and Chucker were takin' it to DeathRider and the rest of the ice-hungry racers, tearing away off the front of the race. I held my position well, maintaining a top-ten placing throughout the race (eighth place maybe?). Coming up to the finish on our last lap, Hollywood had the hammer down in first, Chucker was giving it to DeathRider by holding the 2nd place finish just outside of his reach and Caveman was riding out an impressive 5th place!

At the final turn, Hollywood came up on me and we rolled the finish line together with arms held high! After 200+ races, this was our first win ever on the same day - and we got to finish together! It was awesome! ... by the way, if anyone has a photo of it, please let me know - I would love to see it....

What a perfect day - great weather, awesome course, tough competition, spectacular win! We got into warm clothes as fast as we could and watched the beginners take on the course. After the finish of their race, we all retreated to the basement of Jake O'connor's for some tasty brews and awards.

Yeah, Black n' White! Another great ice race on the books, with more to come. Keep your eyes open for the St Paul Winter Carnival's Ice Race (put on by none other than Hollywood!) and the Loppet Ice Race in February.

Stay Warm!

Kristy Kreme

Tattoo Surprises

2011-01-08T18:08:00.006-06:00

Friday, I took the day off of work to hang out with Jay at the shop for a bit and then get a mid-day tattoo from Charlie Forbes of Twilight Tattoo. As I gathered up drawings and prepped to leave that morning, I froze in utter shock and horror, gasping loud enough to draw Jay into the bathroom with me..... He was speechless as I held out my wedding ring in silence, an empty hole where the stone once was.... Tears filled my eyes as the weight of it came down on me and I cried as I knew we had no time to search.

With my lower lip quivering, I tried to breathe and set aside my nagging desire to rip the entire house apart in search of the diamond Jay once presented on bended knee... still in my jammies, I grabbed my makeup, put on my boots, and reluctantly left the house as Jay held my hand and comforted me as we walked to the car.

After the cold air filled my lungs, I tried to put it all into perspective. I still had the ring. Crying wouldn't find the stone. Worrying wouldn't help Jay make it to his appointment on time. It truly wasn't the end of the world. Sure, I was in a fog for the next hour, slowing dismantling my makeup bag, pockets, purse... but I was calm.

We grabbed some lunch and headed over to Twilight for my noon appointment, slightly nervous, but very excited. I knew it would be a hole chunk of my day that I wasn't going to think of my ring. I was getting a collection of stars and anticipated being on the table for maybe an hour or so.

It's interesting how the pain of a tattoo ebbs and flows, finding myself zoned out and unattached for a moment to cursing like a sailor as pain shot to all ends of my body. Lucky for me, though, Charlie's the best and has the lightest touch. I hadn't really thought that my tattoo would spread on to my ribs, but was blown away by the amount of pain those skinny bones felt! Damn intercostal muscles and their nerve bundles....

So, to keep my wits about me, I like to talk, talk, talk... and that's just what we did. About half way through we'd covered everything from family, dogs, sports, good and bad tattoos, and somehow wound up on college. Charlie and I found we'd both attended college in Duluth for our first couple years.... we stayed in the same dorm.... go figure, we were there at the same time!! WTF?!

Then, after enough widdling, we realized that we hung out together 12 years ago and didn't even know it for the last couple years! It was awesome reminiscing about all the freshman dorm antics we could remember. And I do mean ANTICS - we're talking holes in walls, rooms flooded by discharged fire extinguishers, beer, parties, more beer... What a small friggin' world - Hwood and I are STILL stopping every now and then, floored at the surprise of finding out that someone I knew way back when had been a new friend for years.

When I finally got off the table, I looked up at the clock and noticed that it had been over 3 hours under the gun! I've got two others that took less than an hour each - this was a wicked cool accomplishment. And the best part was that my tattoo was lightyears better than I could have ever imagined! Charlie, you are best! Can't wait for my next one.

So, how did we keep the fun going? With an opening in Charlie's schedule, Jay jumped in the chair to get a tattoo of his own. I'd given him a lil gift certificate for a tat for Christmas with pictures of tattoos Charlie's done on us before, so he decided it was the perfect time to cash it in. Jay got a rockin' Supersuckers crest on his arm - much less squirmy than I was and was more subdued.

It was fun to watch the two of them collaborate and improvise as they went. With the both of their artistic eyes making changes on the fly, it turned out so much more amazing than they originally had drawn.

Seven hours after we arrived at Twilight, we were two happy, tattooed kids. Thanks again for gettin' us in, Charlie!

Restin' up,

Kristy Kreme

St Paul Winter Carnival Ice Race

2011-01-04T18:05:00.003-06:00

The Winter Carnival finally got the cajones to really throw down and host a killer ice race! Sat. January 29th at Lake Phalen - get your studded tires on and take the ride of your life. Who'll win... store-bought or homemade studs? Guys or gals?

Put on by none other than my favorite bike shop in the world, Hollywood Cycles!!! Also sponsored by Olivier at the Bikery (you ROCK!) and SISU. Preregister and save some $$.

Rockin' in the Free-zing World,

Kristy Kreme

A Very Gas Station Christmas and Superior New Year

2011-01-02T11:52:00.000-06:00

We kicked off the Christmas celebrations with a Very Gas Station Christmas with Teri, Randy, and the crue. Not only did we all doll ourselves up as mechanics and gas station employees, we entertained ourselves with a sweet gas station Christmas exchange.

Ya never know what you're gonna get when 25 adults are instructed to buy $10 worth of stuff from a gas station to give in the gift exchange....

Al, our resident fitness expert, scored HUGE with some cigarettes, lighter, energy drink, and condoms. Jay got a Heggie's pizza that he later traded for a lighter, some energy drinks, and other random stuff. Randy and Teri randomly got a snake statue and stuffed bunny.

Lhea's first find was a hit - a bobble head Devil that Hwood picked up for the party. Sadly, it was stolen by Izzy later in the exchange. St. Coach surprised us all by giving a stolen window washing brush from the gas station and a $10.... later that night, though, the dark side faded and he asked to have the brush back to return to the store. :O)

Lottery tickets were a huge hit, along with a lot of 3.2 beer, energy drinks, snacks.... but surprisingly no nudie mags. WTF? ha! It was an awesome time! I can't wait til next year! Heck, even the dogs had fun... Smokey & Huma played and posed for a great set of pictures by Coach.

Huma & Smokey by the fire

Smokey smiling all pie-eyed

We kept the holiday season warm and fuzzy by spending time with our families, too. Battling a blizzard to see Jay's mom was hair-raising, but we had a great couple days of relaxing.

I made ornaments with pics of Bob for Dorothy & Jay

Jay got a kick out of his new insulated bib's accessibility features

Jay surprised me with a framed memorial to my Short Fat awesomeness in 2010

One of the best gifts we got this year, though, was Megan's all-clear PET scan! After 4 months of intensive chemo treatments, all of the preceding months' pressures and fears dissipated as we learned the tumors and cancer was 100% gone.

On the other end, it was a bitter sweet Christmas, celebrating some wonderful successes, and yet morning our losses. There was an empty seat at every table this year - Yang Yang wasn't at Dad's house..... Bob's presence was extremely missed in Dorothy's home...... and my lil brother, Zach, was super missed at dinner last night at Mom's house as he's off at Air Force Basic Training. Luckily, though, he was able to call us and wish us a Merry Christmas, and his graduation is right around the corner, so this little ache won't be there forever.

So, how to you send off a temperamental year like 2010? Head up to the Iron Range for some Surly Jones New Years fun! Hwood and I drove up early to beat yet ANOTHER friggin' winter storm (c'mon already Mother Nature!), and tried to get some skiing in before we rocked out all night. Skiing, though, was a no-go since every trail we could find was covered in an annoying layer of ice. Bah humbug!

Instead, we headed to the hotel early for some hot-tubbin' and a nap. We strolled into the bar at 10:00 and readied ourselves for fun. Teri, Al, Lhea, Barb, Kim, Dave & his girl, Izzy and Dan were all there, too, so we had a blast! 2010 wasn't done with me yet, though, and managed to kill off BOTH of Hwood and my cameras so we didn't get a single damn picture! Urgh.... yeah, they were each 4 years old and have taken 10's of thousands of pictures... but C'MON!

Surly Jones played til after 3:00am, but Jay and I planned ahead and started drinking water once 2011 began. The rest of the crue woke with killer hangovers, but we were checked-out of the hotel and checked-in to a diner before the got too far along. We headed south to my mom's place for a warm family dinner of homemade Hungarian goulash and laughs over wine and warm cookies. It was a blast - Mom, I love giggling with you over simple things like trip-planning... you're a hoot!

Today, we've decided to begin the year right with sleeping in and vegging out on the couch. Smokey's sleeping in my lap, Hwood is dozing as he waits for football to begin, and I'm catching up on some much-needed blogging, and designing my upcoming tattoo! Bitch, please! What a day.

Ready for the next chapter,

Kristy Kreme

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-06T20:20:00.004-06:00

The first weekend of sleeping in was AWESOME after a crazy long racing season! I spent Saturday morning shoveling the side walks and rewarded myself with a tasty pot of coffee and jammie time on the couch with my boys.

Once the laziness waned, we hung out with some friends and quickly retreated to the sofa for more rest. It was splendid. Come Sunday morning, I actually decided to shower and put on makeup and headed out for my sister, Megan's place for our 2nd annual cookie bake.

Megan, one of the strongest people I know, just finished 4 months of Chemo treatments in her fight against Hodgkin's Lymphoma. With exhaustion and struggle tapping at the door all day, Megan marched forward as the hostess with the most-est as usual and never looked back. Sure, it took every ounce of my father's strength not to tear up when she talked about her struggles, but it was my role and I breathed deep and carried on.

And it was worth it! We turned her kitchen and dining room into Willy Wonka's friggin' Chocolate factory!

It was another great and extremely exhausting 6 hours of baking and I loved every moment. Sure, the mimosas always make the fingers less tired and the stories twice as funny, but it's the time with the girls that makes it more memorable... though I honestly don't need all these darn sweets during the off-season, but they sure do taste good!

Feeling the holiday spirit,

Kristy Kreme

All Growns'd Up

2010-12-03T22:25:00.004-06:00

Yep, my lil brother had proven he's all grown up. On Sunday Jay and I joined my mom, Randy, Lulu, Zach, and 2 buds in a farewell dinner for the three boys. Monday morning they were sworn in and flew off to Air Force boot camp, ready to take on the biggest journey of their lives.

Courtney, Zach & Jason

It was so very bitter sweet, but a ton of fun none the less. It's hard to think of my baby brother taking on such an endevour. And yet, at the same time, I'm overflowing with how proud I am of him to take on so much responsibility.... Zach, I love you and I am so proud to call you my brother!

Mom, Zach, and Lulu

In true disfunctional-family form, though, we couldn't help but dial it up to 11 with our antics and loud, inappropriate conversations in the middle of a 'nice family restaurant'. Seriously - who's family jokes by calling their mom a sex offender? Or about sending nudie mags as Christmas presents? Yep, you guessed it, mine. And I love 'em for it! We laughed so hard there was no room to cry or be sad that he was leaving.

Dude, I wish the server would have warned me about Jay....

Sure, I bawled my brains out later that night. Wouldn't you? I have three houses to celebrate every holiday at.... and with Zach in boot camp over Christmas, that meant all three houses would have an empty seat staring back at us. All three homes with a small void. A space left empty in our hearts. But at least Zach will be out there to protect us - one of the most caring people I know, giving himself for others. Kid, I am so proud to be your sister.

Yeah, I'd just driven 5 hours for this hug. I love you, McGuyver!

I'm thankful for people like these three young men who are willing to step up and defend the rest of us. Godspeed and my angels stand at your guard.

Missing my baby bro,

Kristy Kreme

Jingle Cross Rock'd Our Asses

2010-12-03T21:40:00.009-06:00

Where to begin? Was it the 2 1/2 extra hours of driving to get to Iowa City in a ice storm that made it unforgettable? The uber tasty Thanksgiving dinner? A talking dog? Purple unicorn?

Nah, it was another great weekend in my home away from home that made this holiday weekend so memorable. I won't deny that it was a tough weekend - the first Thanksgiving without Father Bob... wanting to be home with my sister who's fighting her own battle.... wanting to spend time with my brother before he leaves for the Air Force.... but it was a weekend set in stone months before this all unravelled and we weren't going to allow that to sway us.

Jay and I drove through the ice, rain, and snow to make sure Dorothy had family with her this Thanksgiving. Lucky for us, Ken & Lou took in Smokey while we spent the first night on Dot's floor. It was great to see her again, and at the same time I couldn't get over a feeling like Bob was only in another room....

To pass the time, we helped Dorothy with her to-do lists and decorated her home with oodles of Christmas cheer. And, when that was done we took a moment or two to do what else? Race our bikes, of course! People from all around the US joined us for some killa racing at the Jingle Cross Rock. It was awesome! I didn't step onto the podium, but I had a rockin' 4th and 7th place finish amongst some amazing women and that was enough to finish my season off proudly with.

Jay had a stellar season-send-off with an awesome 3rd place finish Friday night and top 10 finish on Saturday - way to go baby! You've raced like a champ this year! Jen Fisher also came out for her debut Jingle Cross, trading places with me over the weekend with a 7th place on Friday and bitchin' 4th place on a freezing cold Saturday morning. Awesome, Jen!!! Welcome to CX, Iowa-style! Dana and James Buddenbaum also killed it on Saturday and Sunday, flying the colors along with Todd Bauer and his son Jake, taking on his first CX race ever! I love our team! We have the best riders, the best people, possible! I love you guys and I'm so proud to race with you.

Photo courtesy of Jimmer C

Not to mention the rest of the MN crew - Linda Sone, Jeannie Fleck, Dan Casper, Jordan Cullen, my if-I-was-20-again crush Jack Hinkins... it was so much fun losing my voice while cheering you on! You make me push myself to be better - thank you!

Heck, maybe the best part WAS cheering on the racers. Shit, there's a whole collection of youtube videos to prove it! Here's my favorite summary of the weekend - can you find me and Hwood?

Jingle Cross Sunday-2010 from Keith Walberg on Vimeo.

Some of my fave youtubes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFAIXXKs80k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6j0dT9eJO8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgUHNdy7nkA

Don't understand the whole prime biz? (pronounced PREEM) According to SportsDefinitions.com a "Prime" is: A prize or bonus given to the rider who is the first to pass a certain point during a race. In cyclocross that also applies to dollar bills and Peeps in the mud, sticking out of beer cans, not to mention ass cracks and sports bras! Yeah, we were having a ball! Thanks to all my favorite girls who think goofin' off is just as fun as I do!

After all the fun and excitement, we picked up Dorothy for a fabulous dinner and good company. Once we dropped her off, the night was still far from over. We hit the local bar for the official JCR after party, put on our dancing shoes, and cut loose.

Lisa, Kenny, Wandoola, and me

I love these peeps!

The ladies love H.W. Cool Jay

Great food, great fun, great laughs ... it's what makes life worth living. It's too short and way too fast to take life so seriously, so I am extremely happy to have so many wonderful people in my life to goof off with. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all my family and friends. For those no longer with us, I am thankful for the way they touched my heart and my my world a better place. For those I hold dear, thank you for loving me and for sharing this rollercoaster ride with me. I am thankful for my health, my home, my job, and for a wonderful husband who fills my days with love. And I'm thankful for my bike that resurrected the spark of light in me I almost let die out.

Satiated on life,

Kristy Kreme

Surly Jones and the Roller Girls take Mpls

2010-11-21T20:14:00.003-06:00

As if dinners and movies weren't enough for one week, we followed it up with some frigid afternoon racing on Saturday, a mini nap and a warm shower, then dolled up again for the MN Roller Girls and Surly Jones' half-time show!

STELLAR! Absolutely stellar! It was my first time seeing the roller derby ever and it was impossibly hard not to hunt down the person in charge and sign up. Ultimately it was the girl on crutches that finally made me realize it wasn't worth doing if it meant time away from my bike. But man was it awesome to watch!

Then, to make it better, Surly Jones rocked out the most bitchin' half-time show ever! The floor was packed and the band was on fire. I don't know what happened or when, but four of my most favorite musicians found a way to turn it up to 11!

It was like watching videos of KISS before they had branded everything from Tshirts to pinball machines.... Surly Jones was out there playing to the crowd as if their life depended on it. And every ounce of desire and passion that dripped sweat on the stage permeated the crowd and pulled the words right out of their throats as they sang along to every song.

And, as if roller skates and rock n roll weren't enough to allow this girl die happy, Surly Jones finished their set with my favorite song on their set-list.... Fat Bottom Girls by Queen. Starting it off all acapella, the band toed the front of the stage and got the crowd singing along instantly as they harmonized and rocked out the first verse.

I have followed them along as much as my travel schedule has allowed and THIS show was by far one of the top three they've ever put on. As if I've never said it before, go see SURLY JONES! You'll not regret it! Next up is a pre-Turkey show, followed by a super rockin' gig at the Star Bar Friday night - can I say it's my favorite of their show posters ever??

Droolin' for the next installment of Surly Jones,

Kristy Kreme

Warm Bellies and Ringing Ears

2010-11-21T19:32:00.009-06:00

Aside from all the great racing to be had lately, Jay and I have had a bunch of wonderful quality time with friends. Last week we joined Teri & Randy for dinner at Burger Jones for the first time. The staff was totally fun, the drinks spectacular, and the food was delicious and guilt-ridden all at the same time. Beef, salt, cheese stuffed in beef, root beer in Guinness, cheese curds, 4 types of fries with 4 different dipping sauces.... WOW!

And, if that weren't enough grubbin to keep a hibernating bear satisfied, the boys still found room for over-priced treats at the movie theater after dinner. Full bellies and all, we donned 3D glasses to test our intestinal fortitude at Jackass 3D. Not 20 minutes into the movie, I'd laughed so hard I burned off all of the cheese curds I devoured and began working on my tasty burger.

I had watched Jackass, the tv show, when it was on but never one of the movies before. It was HILARIOUS! All I can say is I wish I could have been watching the "High-Five" skit in real life. Sure, there was more vomit than I needed to see, but it was so much fun. With all that life gives us to stress or worry over, this was the perfect way to escape and laugh until I cried.

Thanks Randy & Teri for getting us out - it was AWESOME! Can't wait til our next date! Oh wait... we can never too long without seeing you again!

Two nights later we joined Teri, Kaity, Ralan, and Lon to celebrate Kim's birthday with pizzazz! Her son and some family helped us surprise Kim with dinner for 11 at Wondrous Azian Kitchen in DT Minneapolis. The speed of the meal was slow but it fit the the mood perfectly - allowing us more time than ever to laugh and enjoy ourselves on a Friday night.

The food was delicious and well-presented. Jay's caterpillar roll was one of my favorites ever, with eyes and all.

Then, to complete the meal, we had a fabulous banana egg roll..... hey, who rearranged the plate to look like a......

After the meal ended, the crue headed out for some fun at Spring Street, but Hwood and I were too tired to party on. We headed home to snuggle with the puppy on the couch and relax on a Friday night. It was the perfect ending to a crazy workweek for sure.

Kristy Kreme

Goodbye Homie, HELL-O Foamy!

2010-11-07T19:19:00.009-06:00

Video killed the radio star in the 1984...

A mountain bike magazine killed Homie Fall Fun Fest in 2010.....

Homie, the place I first got the guts to kiss my now-husband on the cheek, leading to our first kiss later that night...

Homie, my first time on a mountain bike.... first single speed (tricycle not included).... first Bacon & Peanut Butter Donut.... first time hanging with the 612 Mafia...... first time I opened my eyes into a new world I never thought I'd be a part of....

Love you Homie! So sorry the magazine article tainted your underground persona and forced you to hibernate for an unannounced amount of time. BUT, I have to thank you tons for sending your cousin Foamy to keep us in-the-know folks entertained during your sabbatical.

For those of you outside the know peeps, Foamy was a fabulous single speed mountain bike gathering on a cool, beautiful fall afternoon in the city. Tucked just a few feet off the bike/walk path, we gathered for beer, comraderie, and some awesome feats of strength for yet another year, Homie's death n' all. Costumes, homemade spiced wine, and some crazy treats (my fave is the Wild Turkey balls) make the rounds in the group as we ride, drink, laugh and have fun. And this day didn't disappoint.

Jay trying to take out Wheels by ghost-ridin' the Tomac

Me & B-Rad

For me, a year's worth of mountain bike racing was the best prep work I could've had - giving me the skills (on top of the liquid courage) to make it to the top half of the Miss & Out Derby ... one I rarely make it past the first lap of. SO FREAKIN' RAD!!!

Considering we had rocked out for 8 hours straight the night before, we couldn't stay til sundown, but we were fully satisfied to return home early and order a pizza with Wheels & MSH.

Full bellied and with tired legs, we ambled off to sleep in preparation for another day of racing.

Lovin' Fall,

Kristy Kreme

Another Awesomely Surly Halloween

2010-11-05T13:32:00.009-05:00

This year was an even more-rockin' Halloween than last year, just as promised. Even though the last two years spent at the Surly Halloween party were AWESOME, this year grabbed the proverbial dial with gritty hands and turned it up to 11! The grub, the decorations, the music, and of course the costumes were exponentially better than ever before..... it was a fabulous 8-hour rager!

Without Kaity & Teri organizing the rest of us riff raff, the hosting aspect would have never come together so splendidly. We carved pumpkins, made sweet "bloody" sheets to cover the furniture, hung Kaity's ass-kicking umbrella chandeliers, and loaded up the tables with homemade yummy's. Couple that with booze and adults with years of costume inspiration and incomes to fund their imagination and you've got yourself a warehouse full of Halloween goodness.

The deco's were amazing - down to the bloody sheets - and no one could've pulled this look alike off even if they tried!

My favorite part of Halloween, you ask? Costumes, baby, costumes! If there was a reason to dress up in costume every month, I'd be all over it... er, wait..... is that what I do 40 hours a week at work? Dress like a corporate employee rather than a goof? :O) Yeah, Hwood had fun (I hope) helping me get all tat'd up to pull off my most favorite costume ever! Kat Von D, baby!!!

It took 2 hours to do two full sleeves, my back, and her signature stomach "Hollywood" tattoo with temporary tattoos! But it was worth it. To top that off, I got to pair them with my two new loves in the world... bitchin' red platform shoes with a 5" heel! Yum! I'd wear them to work if I was sure I'd still be employed by the end of the day.

Hwood as David Lee Roth with me as Kat Von D

Aside from all the costume follies, the music was the main attraction, kicking off the night with D.N.F., Hollywood's band of hard-rocking buds. With crazy antics and kicks galore, D.N.F. lit up the faces of the buzzing crowd with their eclectic songlist full of speed-punk, grunge, and 80's rock. Even though it was only their second show ever, they only had to pull through a couple derailments brought on by a blown fuse or too many pre-gig shots, but they did so with a smile on their face and kept the crowd's attention as they brought it back to rockin'.

CrashMatic followed it up with some quality skills, but much less high kicks and Oh Yeah's. Sad to say I had to miss most of their show, though, so that I could ensure my hard-rockin' hubby got some food in his belly to soak up some of the cocktails. But it was the most amazing thing seeing how much joy and light illuminated his face.... to see someone you love live out a dream is one of the most awarding things I've ever been blessed enough to be a part of. It was splendid.

As the darkness outside our little House of Zombie stumbled on, Surly Jones took the stage to keep the party moving and the energy high. Another AMAZING performance from my favorite local band. Headed up by Garth Vader, the crue rocked out the best Halloween show yet with some awesome new song additions and more energy than ever before. Way to go, I love you guys!!!!

Can't believe we have to wait a whole 'nother year before we get to do it again. By quarter after 2:00 in the morning, the music was still bouncing of the exposed brick and the bar was still tended. We were supposed to be up by 6:00 the next morning for a birthday bike ride (Jay made it.. I slept), so we relunctantly headed for the door.

My ears were ringing and my legs were exhausted from dancing, but I was too wound up to sleep. Jay and I hung out with lil Smokey for a bit just to wind down before we finally stumbled off to bed, fully rocked and totally entertained after another UNBELIEVABLE Surly night with friends.

Thank you all for the best Halloween memories EVER!

Kristy Kreme Von D

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

2010-10-27T18:20:00.007-05:00

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

2010-10-21T13:55:00.006-05:00

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

2010-10-03T09:50:00.009-05:00

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

Scamp-venture Quatro: Bikes & Bites

2010-09-29T13:01:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, Hwood, Smokey and I Scamped in St. Cloud for a dual Mtn Bike / Cyclocross weekend of racing. The weather was wonderful as usual, and the riding was awesome!

Saturday was the Single Track Escape mtn bike race and I got out the ole single speed MUSS to compete in the State Championships. I hadn't ridden the ole Bologne Pony for a year, but we were quick to get reacquainted and rip up the trails. I was flying through single track faster than I ever have before - I don't know what came over me. But you better believe I was the happiest 6th place finisher ever! I rode out of my mind and had no problems finishing where I did. :O)

When I finished, Jay was there to congratulate me - it was so sweet. The mood changed, though, when Jay started asking all the people around us for super glue. When I asked what it was about, he said "Smokey got bit, but I think I can super glue it shut." WTF? "No, you are not super gluing the dog shut! What happened?" Jay let me know that Smokey got in Disco's face (who he'd spent the summer playing with at every mountain bike race), and Disco wasn't in the mood and nipped his face.

We couldn't tell how deep it was, so I quickly changed and loaded up the puppy with directions to the nearest pet hospital and kissed Jay for luck before his race. At first examination, they were talking sutures or staples, but we were lucky after they cleaned and trimmed the area that he just needed some TLC. We left in a much more relaxed state with antibiotics and pain killers in hand and returned to the race.

We got back in time to see Jay's final lap and I left Smokey curled up in the camper to relax after an eventful day. After a long, hard effort, Hwood crossed the line completely drained like I'd never seen him before. We loaded up our gear, headed off to drop the camper at Kyia's, then went to grab a bite to eat and bring Jay back to life. Once satiated, we returned to Kyia's so Jay could nap until her Retirement Party.... at which we proceeded to party it up all night long!

Hey Sandbaggers..... Sheila wants to talk to you.....

The next morning we headed down the road for the Porkchop challenge cyclocross race. This is my first year as a Cat 3 (which here means you race against the Cat 1 & 2 women), and I was a little nervous. The field was small but full of very talented women. The first lap was fast and I was sitting in fourth as the pace settled in. I don't know how or why, but for some reason I was feeling great and moved into third. I never let up, and has crazy excited to retain my position on the podium. Just another wonderful & fun weekend of racing!

After some tasty brew and grub, we loaded the Scamp up one final time for the weekend and headed home. Lazy and tired, we threw on our jammies and retired to the couch until bedtime.

Perfect.

Now the question is, where to next?

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture #3: Short, Fat, and Happy

2010-09-19T17:48:00.008-05:00

Still loving our lil home away from home, Jay and I loaded up the mountain bikes into the Scamp, grabbed the puppy, and headed north for the 2010 Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. Jay and I raced in the Short & Fat together, a 16 mile sprint of a mountain bike race. For Jay, a 17-time Cheq 40 racer, it was his first appearance in the Short & Fat, and my third.... the last one was 2 years ago on my single-speed that got a rear flat a mile into the race. Let's just say I had some redemption coming my way after spending 2 hours and 14.5 miles riding my flat tire.

We set up camp at Dale's beautiful piece of land in Cable, WI - one mile into the race, right on the course - it was perfect! Eight acres of untouched land with a utility pole and fresh water - we just pulled right in, opened the door to the Scamp, and made ourselves at home as the rest set up tents and Dale got his trailer up and running.

Scampin' in Style

Jay munchin' on our Tequila Chex Mix (chex the macrame owl!)

We had a great time, inviting Crossmax, Tim, Dale, Caveman, and Mark into our camper for our first batch of spaghetti on the Scamp stove, beers, wine, and good times! With hard races ahead of us all, we called it a night sometime after eleven and tucked ourselves in for some bikey sleep.

Come sunrise on Saturday, I battled my stomach and tried desperately to keep my coffee down. Jay was ready and able, filling my head with ideas of speed and agility, and all I wanted to do was puke. Crossmax set us up awesomely before the sun peeked out, getting our bikes on the front line as we got ourselves ready to ride. Although our ideas of the outcome varied, we geared up and rode to the start, watching our breath escape us in the cold fall morning.

When the gun went off, Jay and I were right there, sucking exhaust from the back of the ATV, getting ready for all hell to break loose. Once they split off the road, the speeds soared and I was quickly out of gears, tearing down Randysek Road at 33 mph! The intensity remained high for the first 5 miles, never relenting, fighting my screaming lungs and struggling to remain at the front of the race. Anna & Zoe caught up to us and moved in front as I worked to keep my wits about me and I switched into pursuit mode.

Jay and I bridged up to Zoe before we hit the Berkie trails and we were riding strong. A slip of my rear wheel on Big Bertha cost me time and forced me off my bike near the top. Within those few seconds, Zoe and her dad were out of sight. We tore through the trails faster than I ever had before and it was amazing! I was riding so far outside of my boundaries, I didn't even care where I finished, since I knew I was riding as well and as fast as I could.

With 4 miles to go, Jay and I were riding a great pace with 4 other guys, just hammering our way to the finish. Jay and one of the guys got to talking - he was racing with his son and they were having a blast. Jay mentioned that next year I was going to move up and do the full 40 mile race and the guy asked "Is she going to be 17 already?" .... Ha! .... Jay replied with a smile, "No, that's my 30-yr old wife".... I guess the braids take a few years off. :O)

Jay rode off on his own with one mile to go, and I was stunned as I crested the final climb to hear one of the volunteers tell me I was the third place woman. As the thought set in, the pain in my legs and back faded as I charged through the last few turns and crossed the finish line. I was shocked beyond belief when they stopped us at the line and herded us into the winner's circle - WTF?? I couldn't stop smiling. Now, instead of fighting my stomach, I was fighting back tears.

As I got interviewed after the race, I was completely floored yet again when I saw my dad walk up smiling! He was there to see me get on the podium and to see my name in lights! So freakin' awesome!!!!!

If it weren't for all the support, time, and patience Jay has had for me as I've learned to be a better mountain biker, I would never have found myself on top of that podium, looking back at my sweet hubby, my dad, and my friends as I felt light as air.... thank you babe, I love you more than you'll ever know. And my dad, who taught me never to give up.. thank you! And to my super sponsor Hollywood, making sure I'm always ready to ride, Party On!!! And to all my friends and family wishing me luck and believing I could have a great race - Thank you!!! I love you all!!!!

It was an awesome evening of hanging out with friends and celebrating an amazing finish. Once the sun set and the temps dropped, Hwood and I retreated to the Scamp with lil Smokey to cozy up and watch a movie til we all drifted off to sleep... this is the life!

Come Sunday Funday, we were both exhausted but amped for another day of having fun biking. Jay and I both did the Crit Cross, each making it to the finals to battle 4 laps of mtn/cross bike fun. Hwood road his brains out for a 7th place finish, and I surprised myself by finishing third. To get the most out of it all, though, we made sure to join the other events.

Skinny ole Jay DESTROYED the bike toss, winning with a 55' toss of the old clunker! And I impressed myself with a win in the bike limbo, getting my crossbike diagonal to sneak under the pole at 39"! It was fun for all and I am so glad we were there to experience it all. Gary and his team put on one of the best races around! Thanks to all the workers and volunteers who made this weekend perfect.

Jay was sweet enough to let me take a mini catnap for the first half hour of the drive, then I happily took the helm to get my boys home safe. With the Scamp safely behind the cruck and me at the wheel, Jay and Smokey sawed logs in unison as we made our way home. Now, happily in our jammies, we snuggle on the couch, contented with yet another awesome weekend of Scamping and riding... in love.

(He's never without a Dew, is he?)

The happiest girl in the world,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture #2: Smokey's Maiden Voyage

2010-09-12T17:23:00.005-05:00

After the Hamel Time Trial on Saturday, Jay and I took Smokey and the Scamp up to Cable, WI to pre-ride the Cheq Short & Fat course and get some quality family-camping time in.

The morning started out rough - I fell of the trainer on my bike, the dog peed on Jay's pillow, and with 4 miles left in our crazy windy time trail (the 4 TAIL WIND miles none the less), my shifter broke, leaving me in my 2nd easiest gear after a hill climb. I spun my brains out in the tail wind, averaging only 22-some mph, desperately trying to repair my shifter with any latent Jedi powers I had yet to tap into. It didn't work. Yoda didn't appear as some ghostly image in front of me to calm my racing heart and show me how to shift my bike with my mental powers.... Nope. I spun like crazy and bounced in my saddle as I crossed the line.

Lucky for me, I was still able to pull a second place finish and since it was the last TT of the year, my super mechanic hubby can worry about it another day.

After a few tours of the Scamp given (Bonnie, I like your idea of cover charges! Ha!), Jay and I grabbed the lil puppy and headed to the great north woods. I was surprised, after this week's frost advisories, that there weren't more fall leaves to look at. Small splashes of red hid within the trees, peaking out only as you just happened to stop hunting for them. But, when it comes down to it, I don't know if I'm ready to say goodbye to summer yet.

We had an awesome hook-up on some very untouched land, blocks from the forrest trails, and one mile into the course. Jay pulled the lil Scamp onto the property and we set up our lil home away from home. It was total heaven. We took Smokey for a walk before we took our TT-tired legs out on the mountain bikes to check out the course. Smokey had a blast tearing through the Scamp - onto the bed, under it, onto the couch - it was rad!

The trail was great too, and any time Jay and I can get away and ride together just for the sake of riding, it's awesome. And sadly, it's pretty rare between April and December, so we took advantage BIG TIME this weekend.

Spent as heck, we bailed on the course early and returned to the Scamp to start planning out dinner. We hit up Lakewoods for some tasty grub and returned to the camper for some quality time snuggling in the warmth of our camper and watched Pineapple Express with the puppy. The old married couple we are, we had the lights out before midnite, but rose happily as the sun filled our windows to wake us for our next ride.

Thanks to all the help Pete gave us last week, I was able to start the morning off with my very first cup of Scamper Java! Oh, the simple pleasures in life.

With coffee in hand, we took Smokey to the canoe landing to explore (and for Jay and I to use the public outhouses). :O) It was beautiful!

And Smokey had a blast - toeing the edge of the river, smelling mushrooms and rolling on the shoreline, it was the most splendid way to start off my day.

So, once Smokey was tired and ready for a nap, we returned to our lil Scamp, dressing in our cycling clothes, and mounted up the ole bikes and hit the trail again. Today was a perfect late-summer, early-fall day. Cool temps, beautiful sunny skies, and great wooded trails to enjoy it on. If there weren't so many darn races, this is what every weekend could be like, eh? Too bad we like racing so much! ;O)

Well exercised, we returned to pack up camp and head home. Within a few hours, we were happily home and vegging out on the couch. Quietly enjoying the outdoors is so rejuvenating, and yet exhausting at the same time. Although I can't wait for the next adventure, I am happy to be home with my sweet hubby and puppy, lazily watching football as the sun approaches the horizon.

Loving & Living Life,

Kristy Kreme

Another weekend in Heaven... er..... I mean Maplelag

2010-09-06T18:22:00.004-05:00

Jay and I spent the last three days in one of my favorite places in the world... Maplelag Resort in Detroit Lakes, MN. Three days straight of mountain bikes, friends, amazing homemade meals served all mess-hall style, campfires, and Scamping! It was perfect and I actually fought back tears as we settled our tab and hugged our goodbyes. The Richards' combine all the greatest trails and accommodations with awesome food and wonderful people, creating a lil piece of heaven in 'the middle of nowhere' MN.

The last two years, Jay and I were spoiled rotten, staying in one of the cabins or lodge rooms, but this year we decided to rough it a bit. Yeah baby, this was our first adventure in our new 1981 Scamp trailer.

Jay found this sweet beauty on Craigslist and there was no turning back. We've been hunting all summer for a sweet lil fiberglass camper to travel around in, and were ecstatic when the kind woman reached her hand out to seal the deal. So, we hit the open road and headed north to break it in with style. The interior is all original, so I'll be sure to keep updating my blog as the remodel begins. :O)

Aside from the killer camping fun, the mountain biking was awesome! With temps in the 60's and the trails were in stellar condition. The time trail kicked off the fun and it was super fast and flowing course. Next up, though, was the fastest race I've ever done. The short-track races went out so freakin' fast, the Elite men set a new lap record! It was like no criterium or cyclocross race I'd ever done.... pulling off sprint-finish speeds for 14 min. straight was a mind-blowing event.

When we weren't racing, we were either hittin' the hot tub with mini lake dips in between or chillin' fireside with a beer and a ton of laughs. Having a camper was like stepping into a whole new lifestyle... rather than being the pair that biked down to the campground each night to hang with friends and bonfire... we were there in the mix of it all, free to sneak off for a nap or to grab some snacks only to come straight back to our outdoor home away from home.

Already countin down til next year,

Lady & the Scamp

Somebody Pinch Me

2010-09-01T23:23:00.001-05:00

To follow up on a killer race, Jay and I headed north on Saturday for the State Road Race Championships in Richmond, MN. The temps were high and the winds were out of control at 15-20mph... and I was very unexcited to race.

We got completely lost on the way to the race, driving around on fumes on a 30 mile detour, only to show up as they began staging for Jay's and Joe's races. Lucky for them, we had a whole five minutes to change clothes and get bikes ready before they rolled out of the parking lot.

Smokey and I hung out of the hill as Jay raced, cheering and trying to keep his spirits high in the race. Although he was off the front w/ Jim Bell for most of the race, when the chips were down, he didn't have a team to pull him out of it and he didn't finish the race. I'm proud of you for going out there, babe, and tacklin' that bitchin hill! Love!

As for our race, I was nervous as hell, trying desparately to keep my breakfast down as I spun out my legs on the trainer. At start time, I was utterly surprised that there were only 5 of us to make up the Women's 1/2/3 category. With 2 gals I hadn't raced with before and 2 others I've put a lot of miles on with, I was excited to see what the day had in store.

We headed into the wind and began our 54 mile trek to the title. Since there were two teams of 2 and me, I made sure I took care of myself where I had no one else to help. Lucky for me, my she-ro Tessy was in the race and made sure I was riding smart. Mile after mile, we battled the wind and rolling hills, working as a group to get closer to the finish.

Each time up the the hill, I felt great. So, with 10 miles left in the race and my legs only just beginning to cramp, I looked around and realized I had a chance to be the State Champion. Tessy is a Cat 2, so she wasn't racing against us. The 2 Heather's were my competition, and they were on the same team. I'd already figured out who the mark was just a mile or two before, so I knew who I had to beat.

At the beginning of the climb, four of us were still together and I knew it was going to come down to patience. This was a hill that you couldn't go too early on. You could throw in an attack with 1K to go, then hit the wall when you look up to see how little the official's tent at the finish looked. So, I waited.

One of the Heather's took point to climb up the hill, with me and Tessy all mighty-duck style on her hips. Heather G rested in our pocket and I knew it was her I had to beat to the finish. We hit the feed zone sign with 500m to go and Tessy jumped left. Heather 1 drifted her way and I took the open line on the edge of the road to make my break. Although I never passed Tessy, I came in as Cat 3 State Champ and put 6 seconds on 2nd place in only a short distance. It was so friggin awesome!!!! State Friggin Champ, bitch please! I still don't know what to do with myself.

And, not only was my hubby there the whole time, wishin me luck, but Tessy was there at the finish to hug me and celebrate an insanely joyous moment with me. I never would have guessed that could have ever happened, but it did and I will be forever proud of that day.

Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point - Jay, for teaching me how to climb and loving me unconditionally.... Tessy for believing in me..... and to Dads, for making us see that we can do anything! I love you all!

State Friggin' Champ!

Kristy Kreme

Avon Kermesse

2010-09-01T23:21:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks back Hwood and I headed out to Avon for the Kermesse / Road Race. As is with most women's races at this point in the year have a low turn out. There were 5 of us gals at start time, but it quickly dwindled down to four just over a mile into the race when Abby ripped the rerailuer and hangers completely from her bike.

Tessy, Alix, Terra, and I continued on once we realized her bike was f'ed and worked as a group through much of the race. As we approached the hill to begin our final lap, I attacked the group approx. 500 m into the 1.5km climb. I was able to get away from the group until Tessy caught up to me on the downhill. She had attacked 500m later than I did and was able to get away, so the two of us pulled of an awesome team time trial for the final 8 miles of the race.

As we rolled onto the hill for the final time, the other two riders were still out of site, so we drag-raced it to the finish. As we crested the hill and crossed the line, Tessy and I were neck and neck, with her winning the overall by 0.033 seconds! Bitch Please! (if you ask me, she went easy on me). :O)

It was awesome! Not only did I have the ride of my life, but I got to ride my ass off with one of my favorite female racers. Then, to squirt a lil whip cream on top, I got my first Cat 3 Road Win! For riding a bike all of 6 times in August, I am flabbergasted! What can I say, it was friggin awesome!

Blown Away,

Kristy Kreme

Spam-a-licious

2010-09-01T19:11:00.003-05:00

So, as live has normalized a bit... yeah, only a bit... I finally get to look back at what fun we did have this summer as we held on to life with both hands. My laundry has finally been done for the first time in three weeks, I am caught up on dishes (nothing like 3 weeks without washing dishes to make you up-chuck!), and now I just have to finish picking up the living room and I feel like I'll be back on pace.

Jump in my time machine - we're heading back to July 3rd!

July 3rd marked my fourth appearance at the Spam Jam in Austin, MN - a 25-mile citizen road race, totally flat, blazingly fast, and a whole lot of awesome! The best part is a huge contingency of Silver Cycling loads up in the caravan and heads down to race together. All ages, skill levels, men, women, and children race side by side for the coveted Spam Champ trophy. With all that was going on emotionally, my hopes weren't too high. But I had two of my Hellians along with me, so I knew we could have some fun.

We lined up in the third row for the start and we were all over it when he counted it down and all hell broke loose. The first 2 miles averaged over 30 mph as a pack of some 50 guys and us three gals sprinted away from the rest of the field. We filtered through the various layers of the pack for the first 10 miles, then my girls got caught in the wind and dropped off the back. With winds over 15 mph and the temps in the mid-90's, I knew I had to hang on for any attempt of finishing strong. I was in the lead for the women's race - no time to quit now.

I held on til mile 15 when some of our riders attacked as they made a turn and ripped me off the back of the pack. I was hellbound to get back on and locked myself into time trial mode at 26 mph. The heat got the best of me and my speed dropped to the low twenties, but I started picking up riders as I went. I rode with 3 other guys in a full-on pace line til the finish. As the final sprints began to unfold, I sat up and let them duke it out so I could coast across the line solo with my arms up in the air!

This was my second Spam victory, but the first time I crossed the line to see Jay smiling back at me - it was fantastic! (the first year he flatted and finished behind me). The best part of racing together is getting to share that moment of elation with the one person you love more than anything else in the world (yep, I love him even more than I love my bike... just don't tell the bike).

It's so nice to find that sometimes, when life doesn't allow for training or riding in you free-time, you can still dig deep and find something you thought was gone.

Kristy Kreme

Dirt Roads, Dead Ends, and Dust

2010-09-01T18:27:00.008-05:00

Yeah, it's been awhile.... it's been a long hard road....

Over the last 2 months I've spent much of my time out of state with my in-laws. Father Bob's 10+ year battle with cancer took a turn for the worst in July and it became brutally obvious our time with him was short. Jay spent 3 or more days a week, every week for more than a month, spending time with his dad and helping take care of his mom. Every other week I was able to get away from work and join him, taking in every last joke and smile I could.

As August came upon us, his condition grew worse and he was admitted into the Iowa City Hospice... for being such an emotionally difficult place to find yourself, the hospice was extremely welcoming. Anything you needed was at your disposal so you never had to leave. Well, they were lacking a wine cellar or kegerator, so I took a break from the quiet room to walk a block to Dirty John's - a surprising oasis of paper plates, cereal, and candy bars along side a great wine selection and delicious aged Belgian cheese. I figured we were in the Hospice... who's going to take away the styrofoam cup of wine in my hand as I did another crossword and tried to be strong.

Bob was himself until the very end... smiling when you took his hand, joking with the nurses... he even sang me a couple lines of "Boy Named Sue" on the last night I held his hand as he slept. It's an amazing thing to see how wonderful a person your loved one is even when doped out of their minds. We watched him relive his life slowly as he fell in and out of consciousness all hours of the day. And he hugged me, and loved me, and said goodbye peacefully.... and yet deep down inside, I would have loved just one more day.

I had to return home that Sunday night to get back to work, but I didn't want to leave Jay, and Bob, Dorothy, and John behind. I didn't want it to be the last time I saw him alive. But I had to leave, even though the next time I would be back, he'd be gone. On Tuesday morning, a quiet Jay choked out a hello as he woke me from a restless sleep. He didn't even need to say - I just knew. I wish I could have held him then more than anything in the world. I felt so helpless.

I hurried off to work, made some arrangements and went straight back home to fill my suitcase blindly and jump in the car for a lonely five-hour drive. But I knew Bob was looking out for me. As I sat and thought about the last night I held his hand, "Boy Named Sue" came on the iPod and calmed me from head to toe. As I navigated the highways, Jay somehow intuitively called me 2-5 miles before every exit I had to take. I was being watched and cared for, and was safely carried all the way into town and into Jay's arms.

We worked feverishly to prepare for Bob's wake and funeral. It was week 2 of four hours of sleep per night and we did everything we could to keep it together at times. But, when the moment was there, it was perfect. The wake had a receiving line to give condolences around the room and out the door for four hours straight. And I had never been to one so joyous. People came from all walks of life to say goodbye - people Bob met at the hospital he volunteered at, the LabCorp he worked at part-time after retirement, the Corvair club he was a member of, high school classmates, church members, the Knights of Columbus, neighbors, family, and Relay for Life participants. Everyone had a great story to tell, even with a lone tear in their eye.

Come Friday morning, we prepared for Bob's funeral. The church was opulent and I wish I would have taken a photo. The three+ story room was filled with stained glass windows and life-sized carvings of angels, saints, and Biblical characters. John led us to our seats with Amazing Grace on the bag pipes, and I held Jay's arm as he delivered the urn to the priest. The mass continued to celebrate Bob's life by highlighting his greatness and the light he brought to people's lives. Once done, we drove to the graveyard for a sunny and toasty final chapter. The Color Guard presented Dorothy with the flag (yet another way he gave back to the world) and they laid him to rest.

Once all but the last 10 of us were gone, John picked up his bagpipes again and said goodbye in his way. I was the lucky one that day... my dad was still there. He stood by my side as my composure waned in the thickness of the wailing pipes and held me as I cried. Maybe it was the thought of losing my dad, maybe I just couldn't keep it together any longer... but whatever it was, Dad and I both blamed the bagpipes as we wiped tears from our eyes with a little smile.

Thank you, Dad, for being there to hold me. I will never be too old to be a little girl in your arms. I love you with all my heart.

And Bob, thank you for loving me. Thank you for welcoming me into your family and your heart and making life a sweeter place. You have inspired me to live life to the fullest - forget the bucket list, I want to enjoy it now. I miss you and love you always.

Heart broken but not destroyed,

Kristy Kreme

Mt Kato

2010-07-03T18:51:00.002-05:00

Man, why do we have to wear sleeves in road cycling? Because I would look damn hot finishing off the season in this....

Yeah, Mt Kato was muddy but a ton of fun! Nothing like spending your cool down time in line for an hour just to wash off your bike. Yowza.

Kristy Kreme