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SPEED

2nd Shift

To get some training in on the bike I have been riding at night during the week. I really want to raise the fitness level and the only time for me to get out is after Luke and Meghan go to bed. Night riding is fun when you don't have to do it all the time. Riding in Valley Green I feel like I have the park all to myself. I rode in the park for about an hour and a half and did not see another person. Probably because no one else is crazy enough to be out that late. Today is supposed to be sunny and 68 degrees. I will not get to enjoy it because of coaching and teaching. Enjoy the warm weather if you can. I'll be riding the 2nd shift.

Ups and Downs

Visitor

This was a weekend of visits. Sometimes you want visitors and sometimes it can be really bad. I hope all the people we visited this weekend were glad to see us. I think most were!
Visit #1: Friday was the first time the whole family has gone to visit Dave C. Luke was very close to Dave when the accident happened and we felt it was time for him to see his Uncle Dave. After my basketball game (yes we lost) we went over to the Covell's. It was great to see Dave C and for him to see Luke and Meghan. The highlight of the visit was the kids performing their "dance party". Meghan has great moves.
Visit #2: The almost weekly visit to the Ye old with the Dogg for beef and beer. We had a visitor named TJ. It was great to have him with us. Jeff and Steve of the Northeast were out of town visitors at the Ye old. The stories with them were priceless. Steve ate 3 beefs! You are nuts!
Visit #3: We went to the Miller's for a holiday party. It is always great to see the Miller's. They are like second parents to me. I know they would be their for me and Becki if we needed them. The highlights of this visit was the food and Eric's boys. Eric is a great guy who we see at the Miller's or with Scott. His kids were older then Luke but, were good for Luke to play with. This made our visit easier and tired Luke out. He was asleep in the car on the way home at 7:45! Thanks Guys!
Visit #4: White Clay! Went on Sunday thinking that it would not be that wet! I was wrong, they must of gotten more rain then we did. I rode with some good folks in some muddy conditions. I must say I love White Clay!
Visit #5: Charlie got a new bike! I love when people get new bikes! He got a custom Niner. What a bike, Congrats. Now he just has to get it muddy. I also got to see his new house. Very nice!

Warmer Days

I am just perfecting the picture thing on the blog and with the help of my lovely wife Becki, I can do it! Were would I be without Becki? Don't answer that Mary Kay! Luke helped me pick out the pictures from Ocean City. He had to have one of his favorite Uncle Andy. As cold as it is outside today thoughts of the beach seem nice and warm.
I also want to thank Dave C for the e-mail! That was the best e-mail I have ever recieved! It made the start to 08 great!
Happy New Year!

Holiday Highlights

1. Just spending quality time with Becki, Meg, and Luke has been great. One of the main reasons I wanted to be a teacher was to be off around the holidays and of course the summer with the family.
2. Spending Christmas day with the Wendler family at our home. I bought my house from my grandmother. She bought it new in the 1950's so it is a special place to everyone. My dad even lived here as a kid and I spent many a Christmas day in this house as a child. I feel like it makes everyone happy to be in the house were they grew up and spent so many previous holidays.
3. Going out with some old friends and one new one to the Ye Old. The Dogg and I have been going out on a regular basis to get "beefs" and hang out. This time my brother and neighbor went with us. The beef, beer, and the company were super. It was nice to go out with my brother Andy. We always have a good time and don't get together enough. Dave is a great guy who it was nice to get to know a bit more. Lets do it again soon.
4. Eating! Becki made a great dinner for Xmas day. We are still eating the left overs! It is great to have a wife that is a great cook and likes to entertain the family. I must also mention Mary Kay's (mom) cookies. Her butter cookies are a Xmas tradition for me that I love!
5. Riding! Training! It is nice to have a goal in the near future of racing. I look forward to testing myself in 08!

Last Day

Today is a great day to be a teacher! We have a week and a half off to recharge, spend time with family, and ride the bike. One thing I need to do during the break is spend time with Becki, Luke, and Meghan to make the holiday as fun as possible. I am also going to use this break as the start of my training for the 2008 mountain bike racing and riding season. Getting back to some racing this season will do the body and mind good. I will say it now, "I am going to dedicate my racing season to Dave C". Go out for a ride and realize how lucky you are to be able to get on your bike and enjoy the outdoors. Dave thanks for the inspiration! Becki thanks for being great mother, wife, and support person for your mountain biking husband!
D.O.N.E

Meg

My daughter Meghan got up early the past two days. When I say early it was about 5:30 a.m., not that bad. As much as I would have liked to continue to sleep I got up with her. When I realize that she is not going to go back to sleep I take her down stairs so we don't wake up Becki and Luke. It has been really nice to spend the time in the morning with just her. We get to play and read without the Luke factor. Meg being the second child has had to share the spot light with Luke. Since Meg has been the "easier" child to deal with all of her life daddy usually gets Luke duty. Although I love Luke duty I never realized how little time I get to spend with just Meg. Thanks for the morning time Meg.

Pictures

I do not have the best computer skills so putting pictures on a blog was challenging. Becki was the one who ended up doing it. Thank you for the help! All the blogs that I read have pictures so I felt I really needed to get with the program. I hope all that check out the blog will enjoy. The bike is my son Luke's. The picture was taken at the end of the summer at Valley Green after a 5 mile ride and some wonderful rock throwing. Yes, he rode 5 miles of gravel road at 3 1/2 years old with no training wheels! Amazing! The other picture is of some super singletrack at White Clay. I love that picture because of the way the light is coming through the trees.

single track

Big Day

12/3/07 will be a day that goes down in history in the Wendler household. Luke is a Binky kid. From the time he was born he had to have the Binky. When he took a nap or went to sleep at night it was like a magic, give him the binky he was out. He would of had the binky 24/7 if we let him. We started to just give it to him to go to bed at night a few months ago trying to get him ready for the day he would be done with it. Becki came up with a way to get him to get rid of the binky quickly. He could use them to buy something. He would tell us when he was ready to use them and then be done with it. He did it. What did he get you ask? A hockey helmet, hockey stick, and two toy motorcycles. He had three binky's! Last night when it was time for bed we were a little nervous, but he did pretty good. Our only mistake was letting him sleep with his new motorcycles, he was up most of the night playing with them! D.O.N.E

Weekend Report

Friday the Dog and I went to Ye Old for some drinks and the best roast beef sandwiches in the world. The conversation is always good with the Dog. A funny thing happened when we were their, a song came on the radio by Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs Fame)She was one of Rob's favorites. I will talk about Rob in detail soon just know that he was my best friend, and the Dog's brother who passed away from cancer a few years ago.
Sat. was clean up the yard day. The whole family was out in the cold raking leaves. Luke and Meghan were doing more jumping in leaves then raking. It is fun to see them having so much fun. I am lucky to live in Plymouth all I have to do is get the leaves to the curb then the township guys come by with a big vacuum and suck them up. The kids love to watch the vacuum go by. Then I was able to get out for a mountain bike ride at Valley Green. The rig is a whole lot of fun, a single speed in those trails will never be easy.
Sunday we watched the Transformers movie with Luke. This was the first "big" person movie for Luke. He sat for the whole thing. It was fun to have a relaxing Sunday with the family.

Dave C

I got to see Dave C today. (thanks Kevin) It was great to he him. I miss talking to him everyday at work. So talking with him when I can is very special. Today we talked about Eulogy, Hooggarden, bikes, and as always food. Dave stay strong and remember I love you! Talk to you soon! D.O.N.E

Not Riding

Not riding my bike is hard for me. Sometimes life gets in the way. Not having the feeling of freedom you get from a ride is something I miss. Even if it is only a few days between rides it is tough. I end up spending alot of time planning out the next ride. Riding is also my stress relief and with a job, family,and car problems it is always nice to get rid or the stress. Not riding my mountain bike is even worse. The woods and the singletrack draw me in! Go out and ride if you can! D.O.N.E

Painting with Luke

My son will be 4 at the end of Feb. and I am already proud to be his father. Overall, he is great! Still has an occational melt down. He is only 3 and 3/4! We get to do great father son stuff all the time. We can ride bikes together, (yes he rode a two wheeler at 3 1/2!)play baseball and basketball, and draw. Now we have two new things to do. First, he is starting to use the computer. We play games and explore the World Wide Web! (Andy that was for you!) On Sunday Becki and I decided to paint the master bedroom to get rid of the kidergarden like color and job I did when we first moved in to the house. Luke was going to help. He has helped on painting jobs before although most were smaller. When I told him we were going to paint he was excited and said " I need to get my painting clothes on" thats training!I got the paint and tape ready as he got changed. First, Luke helped with the tape then I gave him a roller. This kid painted for hours with me. The room got done in one day. It was a great father son day, a day I will treasure and remember everytime I walk into that room.

Singlespeed Fever / Thanksgiving

What is it about riding a single speed mountain bike that is so much fun? As I said in a former posting I was anti-single speed for a very long time. Once I tried it I was hooked! Thanks Dave C. I have since purchased a 29er Rig. I must say I love the bike. The only real complaint I have about the bike is the weight. Coming from a XC racing back round I like a light bike. I plan on lightening things up soon! The 29er wheels are great as well. Once you get them moving they really go. The best part is the way the just roll over small bumps. Once I got the tire pressure right it was great.
Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday! It is a great time to be with family and catch up with extended family. I want to give thanks to my parents right now for the way they raised me and my brother. Now that I have my own family I truely understand the sacrifices they made for us. I also realize they did a good job because of the life and relationships me and my brother have. We were both able see what a family should be like and therefore had the blueprint for our own. I only hope I will be as good of a parent as Mary Kay and Lar. Thanks for everything.