Happy Birthday to my Special Girl

Another year goes by and my kids get another year older.  Pretty simple concept, for sure.  Hanna's birthday is always a special one, simply because she's my first child and it's difficult to reconcile her first moments of life with the current, glamorous woman that she's evolved into.  A lot of memories get stirred up around this time of the year, as she was born just after half-time the night the Rams won the Superbowl. Lord knows I'm not a football fan but these memories get burned into one's brain anyway.  I also had to cancel a trainer workout with my buddies Neumann and Blain and picked up Jack-in-the-Box for breakfast on the way to the hospital that day.  Fun facts!

Standing in the middle of her BIGGER but YOUNGER brothers, you might not know how BIG her impact is on everyone she meets.  But trust me.  She's special.

So Much Winning

Imagine how proud we are of our fabulous daughter for making the Dean's List at Mizzou! She's always been great in school, yet it still surprised me.  Pleasantly, of course.  That is a solid WIN right there.

Eli keeps getting better and better on the bike.  We rode at Lost Valley together last week and he crushed 23 out of 24 with his personal best.  By quite a bit, too.  We're very proud of him!  Totally WINNING.

Deanna's brother and their family have a new bundle of joy.  He's a handsome and feisty little guy named River.  Oh, he and the Hound Dog get along swimmingly! WIN!

They play non-stop when they're together.  I'm not kidding. They never stop. The benefit is that they're both tired when it's time to part ways.  That means less trouble that Remi will get into for the rest of the day.  Yes, you guessed it: WIN.

Normally, he's the king of mischief, as you will probably note by the as-yet unrepaired wall behind him that he's been chewing on. A quiet, calm Hound Dog is a great Hound Dog.  And his blankets are all washed. WIN for him!
 

2022 - Time to Change it Up

I spent 2021 on a very racy Giant Anthem.  I like racing bikes. This one was fun.  I went reasonably fast. But you know... I also like pounding the trail with a bit of reckless abandon.  Plus, it never hurts to have an extra layer of suspension to save my arse when the speed on the trail has exceeded my talents. This pretty Giant Trance was sitting in the showroom for a while this year.  It's not a radical departure from the Anthem, but it does have more travel and it's angles are more forgiving. I'm not afraid to race a trail bike and I doubt the Trance will slow me down at all.

But what of the racy Anthem? That was set before I even decided to nab the Trance.  Eli has been getting more and more into mountain bike racing and he used the Anthem at the last few races.  Nearly every time we ride, he gets faster. He's the new pilot of the rocket ship.  No doubt if he keeps working, he will make it go faster than I could.

And what of the Hound Dog?  What is Remi changing up for 2022? Nothing. He stays the same. Stubborn. Big. Loud. Hungry. Always in need of a bath.  Some things don't need to change.