Remember way back when The Bike To The Bay was only and idea?!?

     I'm sure you remember back four years ago when I was merely a "cheerleader" for all of those strong people who rode for me in the bike to the bay.  I would have never believed I could actually ride myself if I hadn't been pushed by someone who believed I was as strong and competent as the next guy. 

                                 

And they were right. I now have three rides under my belt.  I'll admit I didn't have the look of a serious rider in the beginning.

                                            

  But knowing my friends were riding with me gave me the courage to make it happen.  If nothing else, it was a true sign that I have some pretty great friends.  Why else would they join my team and sweat right along with me.  What would I do with out my glue...

      This was certainly the look of someone who was very happy to be riding, and happy that her favorite people were with her; but again you'll notice by the first year's attire of gym shorts and a pink t-shirt that I still had to be convinced I was a strong rider.

     Below is a photo of some of my first Leapfrog  teammates.  They actually proved their support by joining me in wearing a goofy pink t-shirt with frogs as well.

        It didn't matter what we looked like; we all made it to that finish line.

   
  Though my brother went above and beyond to make a statement!

     As time went on I gained more confidence and started feeling like a true cyclist; no more pink t-shirt for me:)

     It was time for me to wear my confidence on the outside.

          I had no problem sharing my story of why this ride was so important with the local news media.

          And before long our team started to look like we were serious as well.

    So here we are again, building Team Leapfrog for BTTB 2017, and I already have the start to an amazing team of friends who believe we can do this!

   I guess at the end of the day, your confidence is all in your head; sometimes we just need a little help finding it:)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Please join my team!

www.bikems.org

Christmas presents don't need to be wrapped.

     It sure seems like we go through a lot of hard work to prepare for a day that comes and goes in the blink of an eye. And now Christmas is already here.  Santa, his elves and all of the gifts, wrapped neatly in shinny paper are definitely a magical time for the little ones.

     On the other hand, as an adult, I tend to believe the hustle and bustle to buy the perfect gift to wow others can actually become quite stressful. I would rather embrace all of the natural gifts; our friends, family and the strong will to combat any challenges life gives us.  Those gifts don't need to be wrapped.  They're already wrapped in our hearts. 

     I hope all of you have a very magical and healthy Christmas, but remember to embrace the important gifts year round.  They won't cost you a dime, but every day they seem to be worth more than the day before.  I, for one, believe I am already sitting on a gold mine:)

     

Merry Christmas!!

Christine:)

It sure feels like Christmas now:)

     You have to admit, we've been pretty darn lucky the last couple of years as far as snow goes.  Don't get me wrong; I love to look at it out the window, but going out into it... no thanks.  However, last Sunday good old Mom Nature decided we've been too comfortable with very little snow, and decided to dump the last two years worth on us all in one day. Ten inches plus, to be exact.

     Sure, my bike is nice and warm inside right now, but I really miss my old stomping grounds.  I feel so at home out on my bike trails along with nature.

     And of all of my trails, I miss the warm hug of my tiny little Olander park the most.  I had to go and see what it looked like swaddled up inside the warmth of Mother nature's blanket.

     I was happy just to stay warm inside the entire day of the snow storm, but on Monday it was time to assess the situation.

          This park is beautiful to look at, even surrounded by a ton of snow.

     While I was toasty warm, sitting inside my balmy car, the geese had no problem taking a refreshing lap around the lake.

      Grills were filled with white fluffy snow, instead of charcoal and burgers.

    And the bike trail was by no means was safe for a bike.  Ice skates maybe...

          The picnic tables were stacked on end, awaiting the spring thaw.  Sadly, it won't be anytime soon.

     I have to admit, snow isn't my favorite thing; and we know the baby Jesus was born in the desert; but there is just something about snow that says Christmas.  I don't need any gifts to make me happy.  That's not what the season is about. It's a time to be with loved ones, and that's all that really matters.

      So ten inches of snow might not be ideal, but I can honestly say, it sure feels like Christmas now!!

                                        


Have a great day!!

Christine:)

You can't put a price on traditions.

        My brother, Doug, surprised me with a ticket to the TSO a few years ago for my 50th birthday, and I had no idea it would be the first of a new family tradition.  My mom, brother and I have continued to go year after year, and in spite of the freezing cold walk through downtown Toledo, it's a tradition I just can't pass up.

     My winter coat wouldn't be coming off for the entire performance, as we were sharing an arena that would be converted to an ice rink for a hockey game the next day.  But somehow I didn't really notice how cold it was; the show was breath taking, and I was there with my family.

     Before the concert, my mom and  just I had to get a selfy with good old Mr. Pink panther himself.

     By the looks on our faces, you can see we were happy to be carrying out this tradition yet another year.

        It was no surprise to me that this place was packed. Though, this was certainly no place for someone with sensitive ears.

     Every year they have a great story with a very moving message.  As hard  as I tried to follow the story, I found the music so therapeutic that my mind tended to drift off to a serene place and make up my own story.

  I can't begin to imagine how many countless hours they must have spent on the lighting alone.

     The name of this particular show was "the Ghost Of Christmas Eve".   As I mentioned, I wasn't totally focused on the story line, but I finally came to a conclusion that the message was "It's never too late to find your way home".  A great message; especially around the holidays. 

     When it comes down to it, I'm sure you could get thousands of different opinions of what the take away was from this show.  But all I know is, with three hours of time to reflect on my own life I realize in my own life, Regardless of all of the challenges I've had over the years, all it takes is one person to make me realize, I have certainly found my way home.

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

The only wheels you'll see me on outside now is my car:) But that won't stop me from riding!

     I love riding my bike, and my favorite part of the ride is being outdoors and enjoying the scenery.  But I know my limits, and my days of riding out side are over for the season.  However, I'm not done riding!

     Riding indoors and staring at a wall listening to music isn't ideal, but it'll work in a pinch.  Though, the challenge I had was putting my bike on that dreaded stationary trainer.  The last two years I had a riding buddy set it up for me.  In the blink of an eye I was up and running.

     Of course I shouldn't have blinked, because I had no idea how he did it.  Remember me and that "teach a man to fish" theory; I should have learned to "fish".  

     This year it was impossible to find a time when my buddy could set me up.  Looks like I would have to teach myself to fish.

     But you know me, I'm resourceful.  Where there's a will there's a way! That, and You-tube doesn't hurt either.  I watched the guy put his bike on his trainer and I knew I had this.

     My bike was now inside, so this was going to happen; no turning back now.

     I had my front wheel stabilizer out and ready, and the trainer was next to my bike.  If I was Sabrina from Bewitched I could just wiggle my nose and it would be on... but since I'm not, I won't.

     The guy on the video conveniently had another guy balancing the front of the bike to keep it from tipping.  I didn't have an extra set of hands; remember, that's why I was doing it on my own.

     Of course, my bike had to go near the wall because I needed to make room for my mat for yoga and strength training,and of course my treadmill had to fit too.

     If you know me, you know I always have a plan, and my plan was working out perfectly.  Everything fit nicely, and now all I had to do was start taking parts off of my bike and then screwing the trainer back on to the tire.

     I knew from the video that this little guy had to come off of my bike...

Easy-Peasy!

        Presto!  Simple enough.  

     Then put the one from the trainer back on.  Oddly enough, it looked just like the one I just took off.  What was the point...

     It sure looked like it was mission accomplished.

     And I did it all by myself!!

Don't you just love when a plan comes together?!?

And a bonus... I have one more part than I started with... Oops:)  I sure hope that wasn't important.

        I guess I'll find out eventually... Until that time, I think I'll hold off on riding.  I taught myself to fish, I can't help it if one fish got away.

          Okay, so I might not be perfect, but one thing I am is determined.  And no one can say I didn't try!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)