24 Hours of Rocky Hill - October 18-19

October 18th through 19th will be the 24 Hours of Rocky Hill mountain biking race at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, Texas. The race is a 24 hour mountain bike relay race on a 10 mile course. Teams try to log as many laps as possible, with only 1 member riding at a time. The team with the most laps in the 24 hour time period wins. Cyrus and three other friends from church are competing as a team.

Why am I so excited? Long before Cyrus and I were engaged he competed in this race. I remember hearing about it and longing to be there as moral support and help out. Years later I get to be part of the support team! We have a campsite as a team, and I expect it to be a little more than the average camping. First aid, several solid meals, special sleeping places, and of course something for me to do during down times in the middle of the night. :) More good news: Bethel, a good friend of mine, is going to support her brother who will be on the team. That means we are going to have a lot of fun! There are also good hiking trails, so if we have a few hours we can hike around.

The team is training hard each week in preparation. I'm starting to make lists of items we may need (first aid always on my mind) and the kinds of meals we are going to prepare for them. This is going to be so much fun. Pray for all team members to complete the race safely (I believe last time they competed in this race a broken collarbone was involved).

I will post more as my excitement develops. :)

New Look

So what do y'all think of the new look? I found some free blog templates at eblogtemplates.com, and was pretty impressed. Not sure if we're going to stick with this one... I'll have to see how it feels in a couple of days.

Stalking Kitty

This is too cute I had to share:

Craving Fall

Starting tomorrow we are getting some cooler weather - yep, only a high of 87. I've been craving fall sooooo badly, I decided to pull out some photos from our trip to Rockport, Massachusetts last fall. We were in Boston for my cousin's wedding and he took us on a day trip to Rockport.

For all of you missing fall, here is a little treat:

Back in the Blogosphere

Tonight after being thankful for surviving a 5 week long bout of blog burnout (turns out I'm not the only one!), I was catching up on the latest posts from Hannah. Hannah is a writer and so I immediately become hooked and can't stop reading. (I love your blog Hannah! :) )

So I start to wonder if I could blog like her (burnout clearly on the mend). I am happy to concede that it will probably never happen - no use crying over spilled milk (that joke is proof that I will never blog like her). But I just made myself laugh out loud so I give myself 2 points!

Then it occurred to me that I did have one moment of literary genius in my life, so I have decided to share it with you. (Be warned that my standards for 'genius' are not particularly high...)

July 31, 2006

"Conversion of the Strongest Will" By Margo Cousins

One blistering afternoon in the kitchen of a central Texas home, my hungry husband paced about thinking of what to make for lunch. Opening the refriderator, "Gasp!" He was desperate and the blank shelves stared at him like a dry well in the desert.

In the next room, I was easily reclined on the couch immersed in a Sackett world of bravery in the wilderness. The vibes from the kitchen broke into my thoughts, disturbing the scenery of the sword fight between Jubal and Gomez among fifty plus Ute Indians. At once I recognized the severity of the situation. Dog-earing my spot, I set my book down and began to rise from the couch just as my love began to voice his concern over our certain starvation.

Hearing the quiver in his voice, I knew I must act quickly. Yes, I had failed as a domestic partner. Cleaning I could do, like no other domestican. But keeping the fridge stocked was a constant, nails-on-chalkboard struggle and I had given up the fight this week. Thus, I knew it was my duty to defray the potential damage that was about to hit hard. Thinking fast, I pulled a Burger King coupon from underneath a Leavenworth magnet on the fridge.

With a sweet smile, I presented a plan: "Honey, why don't you go get us some cheap food while I take care of (insert mind-numbing chore)." Eyes ablaze, he grasped the coupon from my hand.

"...Ok..." he whispered shakily. With food on the near horizon, he suddenly started to feel better and hugged me close to him as though I had saved us from a pack of rabid wolves. He reached for the keys and dashed out the door after his kill. Whew! I thought. I may not be a total failure after all. Jubal was beckoning me to return to the wilderness, but I must resist for now. (Insert mind-numbing chore) must be done before he returns.

He walked in the back door just as I was finishing up. We sat down to a delectable late lunch of greasy cheeseburgers, cold salty fries and Diet Coke. His voice was returning to normal, and I knew that my efforts had been a success. Just then, I noticed something different about our burgers. Firstly, his was much larger than mine. But what disturbed me most was a light-colored condiment oozing out of the side of his triple-whopper.

(My turn to gasp.) Mayo! Could it be? How could he have allowed this? He did not even want me to purchase mayo for myself, let alone allow it to touch his precious food. Maybe he had no choice. Maybe BK always lathers on the mayo. I looked down at mine - no Mayo!! I didn't have any! It is as I suspected...

I spoke my thoughts cautiously: "Honey, did you notice that your burger has mayo and mine doesn't?"

There was an awkward silence as he uneasily shifted in his chair. I had caught him in a weak moment. I could see his mind working: How will I explain this? She thinks I can't stand the stuff! Well, I have to admit that it's grown on me... but I should not let on that she has changed me! No! Be sly, Cy. Don't let her know.

"Um, actually, I don't mind it that much." The words hung in the air like midnight January snowflakes passing through the shining of a yellow streetlamp, in all their glory, and they could not be hidden.

I stared wide-eyed. Yes! As a devout mayo-an, I easily recognized a conversion when I saw one. Mental note: Buy a jar of mayo next time you go to the store, Margo. I could not hide my bliss, but I must. For he should never know that it was the plan all along. It only took four years, but the task has been completed. My husband loves mayo. Not to worry, Dear, I thought, your secret is safe with me. I won't even tell you.

"I see." I shrugged and let on as nothing had happened. He smiled a knowing smile, but neither of us would ever speak aloud what had transpired this day, the day the strongest will became a mayo-lover.


Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank Burger King for putting too much mayo on my husband's burger, revealing its presence on the day of the Conversion.

Hurricane Ike

OK, I'm coming off of my major blogger burn out. My apologies for the severe lack of posting the last month.

Hurricane Ike is currently headed straight for the Texas coast. We in Austin shouldn't see more than some severe winds and rain, although nearby southern counties are expecting tropical storm winds (39-73mph).



Austin should be okay, but pray for those on the coast. We'll keep you updated. :)