The Simonson Life

Post prego half marathon

2011-04-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Double click on the video to blow it up and see the entire screen.

Spring Training

2011-03-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... this is not the longest we've gone without having a blog post but it's definitely been a little bit. Since our last post we've been busy traveling around and having fun. For instance, Liam decided to take a vacation from us folks and spend some time with the grandparents. He had a great time, but since he was on vacation, we decided to fly out to Colorado with our good friends the Wrenicks to do some skiing at Winter Park.

The following weekend Liam decided he needed to spread the love so he had us drive him to his other grandmother's house for the weekend. Since he didn't want his parents to embarrass him, we were not aloud to stick around so we took the opportunity to visit the Arnolds in Manhattan. As always, it was a lot of fun.

Now that we are back from all our travels, we plan to spend some time here in our neighborhood. Good thing too, spring is here and its time for spring training. Dana has started training for her first post-pregnancy half-marathon. Come out and cheer her on in Olathe, KS on April 16th. Lawrence has also started his spring training, but Liam thinks he needs to add a little resistance to the schedule...

We Love 2 Run

2011-02-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we decided to run the 4 mile Love 2 Run race in Columbia. It is a couples race that adds up both runners' times as the finishers' total time, and their ages for the divisions. The Simple Simonsons (as our team name stated) decided to add a third "runner" and give Liam an opportunity to participate in his first race, so we bundled him up in his snow suit and buckled him into the baby jogger for Daddy to push.

Liam didn't much enjoy being immobilized by his tight snowsuit and buckles.

Warmed up and ready to run!

Turned out our efforts were rewarded - Liam enjoyed being pushed in the race, so much so he fell asleep mid-run, and we somehow managed to place 2nd in our division! Go Simple Simonsons!

3 States in 2 Days

2011-02-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well, as usual, we had a whirlwind of a weekend. We visited the Beezley's and packed a load of boys' clothes back across the neighborhood on 2 strollers Friday night. If our neighbors didn't think we were strange before, they're surely on their way at least to that train of thought by now. Unfortunately we had to trek through the street as most of the sidewalks were still covered with snow/ice from the last couple snowfalls and Liam's first stroller isn't quite made for that kind of off-roading... yet.

Saturday, we traveled to Kansas to see our nephew Ayden for his 2nd birthday party.

Lawrence got Liam warmed up for the party with some "roly poly" playtime.

Ayden loves baby Liam and is getting good practice for

his little baby sister or brother that will be coming along this July!

Ayden also got to play with their cousin Evan who was visiting

from South Carolina, while his Mom (Sarah) played with Liam.

Liam had fun seeing the Simonson family, and cuddling up to his numerous uncles.

Grandma Karen got some cuddles out of Liam too!

We traveled back that night in order to get up early for another full day of traveling and adventure. This time we headed east and made it all the way to Illinois (as far as St. Louis anyway,) for a bike expo and swap. It was another first for Liam; not only traveling to St. Louis, but also to a bike expo that will surely not be the last if Daddy has anything to do with it. We also made it to Trader Joes, a very interesting, and infamous grocery store, with many organic foods and cheap wine to boot!

As you can tell, Liam had a pretty full weekend, but he's already resting up for the next adventure we're cookin' up for him!

4 Months In... 18 years to go

2011-01-24T18:45:00.000-08:00

Welp, he done did it - he made it to 4 months, but more importantly, so did we. Liam is eating us out of house and home and now weighs 18 lbs - the same as most 9 month olds. He's also starting to act like a real baby, check it out!

Snow Day

2011-01-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

We wanted to share the link to a special video that Cousin Kelsey pulled together for Dana's brother Grant, who is still recovering from his stroke and could always use more prayers. He has always loved the song "Lean on Me" and she thought it would be a good idea to gather pictures of his friends and family holding each word to the song and spell out the song so that he could see us singing it to him, as he is not able to hear much at all. We all thought it was a great idea - check out this very cool Christmas gift (especially the ending:-):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuRTIy5C7z0

Well the holidays are beginning to fade into the past and we are starting to get back into the swing of things. However, this past week's snow storm that hit Columbia slowed down the town a bit and resulted in many school closings, but it created an atmosphere for many fun adventures for those kids who got to stay home. This includes the Simonson boys who managed to have quite an adventure of their own. Check out what fun Lawrence and Liam had...

Hope you all have an adventurous week of your own!

New Year with a New Baby

2011-01-09T11:25:00.001-08:00

We would like to thank everyone for their patience with us as we figure out just how we will be adapting to our new family life. As you probably already know, we were blessed with a very healthy, 8 lb 10.7 oz baby boy on September 18th at 11:29pm. It was a stormy night, which should be no surprise as during all major events in our lives, the angels start throwing some loud parties to celebrate with us. This day has even more special meaning now because Liam Paul shares his birthday with his Uncle Grant as well as his GrammaLou and Papa's anniversary.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures & videos from Liam's first 3 months.

It's hard to believe that Liam is almost 4 months old! He already looks so different after going back through his first baby pictures, but we know he'll continue to change each and every day so we really try to live in the moment when we spend our waking hours with him. We will say those first 3 months did not seem short at the time, but we can appreciate that much more these happy days that we continue to experience as Liam develops in many ways other than his style of crying. He's having cooing conversations with us, holding his head up very well, and giggles when we cuddle up with him.

We hope to better keep up with our family blog so that you can share in the joy of Liam's development. You're always welcome to stop by and visit our cyber as well as physical home. Happy and healthy new year to you all!

The Wrenicks are the Best!

2010-08-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

We would like to send out a huge thank you to the Wrenicks for having a baby shower for us! Also, thanks to everyone that came. We really enjoyed visiting with everyone and Larry couldn't get enough of practicing to be a dad.

(Dads hide in Thomas the Tank tents and scare children as they come close, right?)

We also really enjoyed the diaper cake. Although, they really should put a warning on those things. Dana found out the hard way that its a cake made of diapers, not a cake made to look like its made of diapers.

(They say pregnancy makes you crave some weird things)

With only 1 month until the due date we are getting really close to having everything ready. Everyone has gotten us really great gifts at the showers and Larry finished staining Dana's great-grandmothers old dresser.

The decorations are getting put up in the baby's room.

And Larry's co-workers have found a sonogram of what the little guy looks like.

Coolest Aunt and Uncle Ever

2010-08-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Well, as you probably noticed, we missed putting up a post last week as we were both busy (Dana) and lazy (Larry). Dana's excuse for being so busy is that she is having a little more trouble getting everything she likes to get done accomplished. Here she is having trouble figuring out what she forgot to do.

(Nobody tell Dana she forgot to put on one of her shoes, she can't see her feet these days)

Larry's excuse for being so lazy is:
1. He has always been lazy and he is getting too old to change his way now.
2. He is worn out after spending a long weekend partying with Emma and James (one of his favorite things to do!)

Here's a shot of Emma and Larry playing Dora the Explorer in the Devils Ice Box Cave.

To Larry's surprise, Emma kept telling Larry they should keep going, and even thought it was cool when they turned off their light when they were as far into the cave as they could go.

Not to be out done, James wanted to show off his adventurist side by having uncle Larry show him how to rock climb.

(Lookout Mt. Everest, here comes Sweet Baby James)

After a long hard day of spelunking and mountaineering it was time to hit the water park and show the niece and nephew how to stay out of trouble. First things first, plugging up the water jets.

Then....Boom!

Emma even showed uncle Larry a thing or two about her technique for plugging the water jet.

James preferred to stick to the water jets that were a little more his size.

Out of town

2010-08-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, as you probably noticed, there was no update to the Simonson life last week. That's because ever since Clarence (or gnome) was kidnapped and taken on vacation we decided it was time to get out of town. Thankfully the kidnapper and his accomplice returned Clarence after the ransom was paid.

(Clarence on vacation in Crested Butte)

Dana first headed to Paola for a baby shower before going onto Chicago for work. Before we left town the little Simonson's room looked like this:

When we got back and unloaded everything from the baby shower it filled the room so full we could not get in to take another picture. Thank you to everyone that attended. Time to get to work organizing and preparing for the big day.

Before returning from Chicago Dana stopped off in Lincoln, NE to visit her brother. He's been doing really well and is going strong with his recovery.

(Dana and Grant out catching some rays)

Hopefully by this time next year Grant will be able to join the Simonson's on a trip to Ragbrai, which is were Larry decided to spend his week since Dana was going to be Chicago. As always, Ragbrai was amazing but an entire week without Dana is tough on Larry. Luckily Larry's tent mate was there.

(Collin doesn't smell quite a nice as Dana but he's about the same size)

The entire gang had a great time but as always, what happens on Ragbrai stays on Ragbrai. So if you want the story's you'll just have to come by the homestead for a visit.

(Larry, Matt, Kyle, Eric, Collin)

Science be damned

2010-07-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back Larry's father stopped off here at the homestead to visit and stay the night during one of his long hauls across the nation. During this particular stay Larry's father told us how back in the old-country people would put a rubber tree in their bedroom to prevent pregnancy. So we thought, we have a rubber plant - we don't keep it in our bedroom - but we have a rubber plant. Well, as we all know, this happened to Dana:

(Dana 30 weeks prego)

The day after Larry's dad told us this story we remembered that it was probably time to water that rubber plant. Well, it appears those old Germans might know a little something about birth control.

(Guess we should have watered it sooner)

Giving it another go

2010-07-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand and one threatening friend (be sure and take the time to email him with your opinion of his faculty picture), we are going to try and give this blog thing another try. Sorry we kind of let the updates fall behind but ever since Larry got a job with his dream company and Dana went and got herself pregnant things have been a bit on the busy side. That's not to say we haven't been having fun, just a little too much fun for much else.

Here is a picture of Dana at 20 weeks.

Currently she is 30 weeks pregnant and the Doctor says she's going to continue to get much bigger before she can be cured of the pregnancy. Apparently this little guy needs to grow a little more before he can come out.

Well, that's all for now. Be sure to check back at least weekly for the Simonson Life updates, good times, and noodle salad (if you can tell us were the "good times, noodle salad" line is from you'll win a high five).

Home at last

2009-10-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

After spending weekend after weekend away from home the Simonsons finally got a nice relaxing weekend at home.

Dana spent the majority of her time at home working on some of her many projects. She was able to put a huge dent in all her sewing projects and really enjoyed the time she spent editing video and making DVD's. That's not to say she didn't spend any time relaxing.

(Dana loves to relax in what she claims to be the most calming room in the house, her walk-in closet)

Larry spent his time at home doing chores and making scones for Dana. He also spent some of his time running errands.

Now that it's fall, all the leaves have changed colors and both Dana and Larry agree that with all the trees and hills Columbia has to offer this is one of the prettiest falls they have ever experienced. There are so many colors. There are reds, oranges, yellow's, and green's and when the sun sets on the hills it looks like they are glowing. Dana saw this change in seasons as a great...

...and decided to get a few shots of what our backyard looks like in the fall.

(View: North East looking South West)

(View: Looking straight West from the patio)

(View: South East looking North West)

Unfortunately many of those pretty leaves are no longer on the trees and have instead decided to blanket the lawn. This can only mean one thing, it's time to pull out the dreaded rake. To avoid having to do any leaf raking Larry decided to celebrate the beautiful fall weather in the way he celebrates everything, with a bike ride. Here are a few pics showcasing the beauty of fall in Columbia from the handle bars of Larry's bike.

(Notice, you can't see the road because of all the leaves)

(It's hard to see from the picture but this gravel hill is around 12%, aka steep)

(This is one of Larry's favorite roads to ride)

Unfortunately, as the seasons continue to change, it's going to start to be too cold for Larry to stop at his favorite mid-ride rest stop.

(Typical Missouri yard art)

Hopefully they'll spring for a heated seat.

.

The little Apple

2009-10-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Initially Dana and Larry were traveling back to Manhattan to visit their friends that still live there. Luckily it turned out that Larry's roommates, from the start of his college experience, wanted to get together for a small reunion as well.

(Derek, Larry, and Fletcher enjoying a plate of smoked ribs at the KSU tailgate)

It was really nice to catch up with them and hear how everyone is doing now that they live so far apart.

It also turned out that even though Dana and Larry didn't have tickets they got the best seats in the stadium for watching KSU beat Texas A&M. Larry's best friend Kyle, owner of Arnold Sound and Video, records video and sound of the KSU marching band at every home game. As it so happened, the world renowned group "The Boston Brass" was going to be giving a special performance during the half time show along with the marching band. Because this was a special event Kyle was asked to do a special recording and to set up a PA system that would showcase The Boston Brass's sound. This turned out to be the most stressful job Kyle had ever undertaken. Normally an entire set up for an event like this usually takes him between 30-60 minutes but because of the time constraints it needed to be done in 2 minutes. To help accomplish this feat Kyle employed Dana and Larry's help. Before the game started Larry and Dana got to walk around the field and see the VIP box seats first hand. As the game got started Dana got to do some filming from the press box while Larry got to high-five the team as they ran onto the field.

(Start of game from Dana's press box perspective)

Once the game got started, and before they needed to get to their posts for their half time duties, Dana and Larry were then allowed to hangout on the field and walk around while watching the game. It was an awesome experience to get to view the game from the sidelines. To quote Dana, " Next to our wedding day, this is the most special day of my life!"

During half time Dana went back to filming while Larry ran cables onto the field before getting to stand and film on the 50 yard line, 10 feet from The Boston Brass. As it was, the entire show went on without a hitch and Dana and Larry got to continue watch the rest of the game from anywhere on the sidelines they want to be. Dana and Larry have heard they were even on T.V. when they were leaning against the goal post during one of the KSU touchdowns.

Here are a few pictures:

(Watching warm up before the start of the game)

(Good thing the referee didn't make any bad calls or Dana could have easily told him what she thought)

(Dana living the dream)

(It felt like we were part of the team as we listened in on the huddle)

(We were so close we could hear the offense and defense bad mouthing each other)

(Thank you Kyle for such a wonderful experience)

oktoberfest

2009-10-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend Dana and Larry once again partook in the annual Oktoberfest in Hermann MO. They were joined by none other than the famously fun, not to mention Hermann regulars and case club members, community of Block Kansas.

(The fun lovers of Block Kansas at Adam Puchta's)

It was so much fun that Chrissy peed her pants. Twice!

(She claims that it was just spilt wine)

In the morning we spent our time enjoying the wine at Bommarito's almond tree winery. Here we are enjoying the scenery and staying warm next to a cozy fire that Nick, the owner, was kind enough to start for us with diesel fuel.

Later on it was off to the Hermannhof festhalle for polka music and where Paul and Kathy kept the dancing tradition alive.

(Paul and Kathy Haley, a.k.a Dana's parents)

Where Larry was the life of the party.

And where Dana got very protective of her jug of wine.

To finish the day we strolled over to the beer garden where we learned who has two thumbs and loves dancing to cheesy hair band rock music...

...This girl!

But of course she was only taking after her mother.

(Kathy getting down)

Kathy was having so much fun that she wouldn't even stop long enough so a picture could be taken of her that wasn't blurry.

That is of course until she got stuck in the fence and needed help out.

(Kathy stuck in the fence)

Recent happenings

2009-10-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Dana and Larry are pleased to announce their 1,461 day anniversary. It was a wonderful day and they celebrated with a delicious and traditional German meal of rouladen, hot German potato salad, and braised red cabbage. They also celebrated like any old married couple would, by dressing up in matching outfits.

The next weekend they had a visit from the Snyders. There was a lot of fun and enjoyment had by all. The girls enjoyed eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast:

Riding their bikes to the park:

And the older girls enjoyed riding their bikes to Coopers Landing in order to quench their thirsts:

It's official!

2009-08-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

It's official. As of 4:30 pm yesterday afternoon Larry passed the RD exam and is now a Registered Dietitian.

Colorado trip

2009-07-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, the SD card with all our pictures on it decided it wasn't done with vacation and took a trip to Chicago. Now that it's returned the Simonson life can go on.

Since our trip took so long, and because every minute was filled with great fun and friends, it would take a book to tell you all that happened. So in an effort to let you get on with your good times we'll give you a short itinerary of what we did and a BUNCH of pictures. To get all the high altitude details come visit us and we'll fill you in while creating more good fun.

Thursday:
Larry traveled to Manhattan and did some riding.
Dana enjoyed a quiet evening without Larry running around the house.

Friday:
Larry traveled to Golden Colorado with Brian Snyder and stayed at Andi and Dallas Burnum's house. After arriving in Golden they all went on a ride to the top of Lookout mountain. After the ride everyone drove to Boulder to their favorite watering hole (ask for Nate the brewer and tell him you know the Simonsons) . Southern Sun
Dana enjoyed another headache free evening around the house.

Saturday:
Larry got up early and drove to Avon Colorado and rode the Copper Triangle loop in reverse (Avon to Leadville to Copper, back to Avon) with Dallas, Brian S., Kyle, and Brian H. The entire loop ended up being 100 miles.

(Brian and Larry after Climbing to the top of Climax mine, 11,300 feet)

Dana flew into Denver and was picked up by the "girls" (Carrie, Kelly, and Alisa). The events of that night have yet to be divulged but they do a lot of giggling when asked about it.

Sunday:
Everyone traveled to the trail head (90 minutes west of Pueblo) for the beginning of the big hike. Around noon the hike began and everyone made it to camp and got setup by 7:00.

(Dana and Larry starting the hike in. 40 and 50 lbs packs)

(The last 1.5 miles before the campsite)

(Our home away from home, at 11,600 feet)

Monday:
Early in the morning (5:00 am) Dana and Larry woke up to join a small group of our friends to climb Humboldt peak. The climb took about 5 hours round trip.

(Start of the climb, doesn't look that far?)

(Resting half way up Humboldt)

(Summit of Humboldt with the needle in the background)

Tuesday:
Larry woke up even earlier (4:00 am) to join the group that was climbing the Crestone needle. Due to Dana's fear of heights she decided it would be safer for her to stay back and enjoy a nice day around camp. Boy was she right!

(A shot of the needle after 20 minutes of climbing)

(Kyle climbing up to broken hand pass. Half way point on the Needle)

(It's cold and windy on broken hand pass.)

(Larry on the summit of the needle with Crestone peak in the background.)

Wednesday:
Everyone slept in (7:00 am). After waking up we all gathered for breakfast before packing up our campsites and hiking out.

(Enjoying breakfast at Kyle's house before the hike out. Humboldt in the background.)

(Dana enjoying the beautiful hike down the mountain)

Thursday:
After hiking out on Wednesday we all drove south for about 2 hours to a small cabin in the town of Cuchara. We spent our time there relaxing and enjoying all the modern day conveniences we had missed while in the mountains. We also spent some time in the town of La Veta doing some shopping and even met a KSU graduate that owns a shop there. She said that most of the art work in the studio was done by other KSU graduates from around the country.

(Our cabin. This picture does not do it justice. It was a beautiful cabin in a beautiful location.)

Friday:
Dana and Larry drove back to Manhattan. 10hrs on the road.

Saturday:
Larry got up and did the Saturday morning pancake ride to Wamego and back.
Dana joined the girls for breakfast at the Chef and then went to the farmers market.
After eating lunch at Larry's favorite lunch spot in Manhattan Larry and Dana loaded up and made the final push back to Columbia.

Sunday:
Vacation from vacation.

Miscellaneous vacation photos:

(A smiling Dana climbing Humboldt)

(Dana climbing through the rock fall on Humboldt)

(Almost to the summit of Humboldt. Look at that north face.)

(Carrie and Dana on the summit of Humboldt and ignoring Larry.)

(Dana signing in on her first 14er summit.)

(Larry in the kitchen cooking a romantic dinner for Dana)

(Night life on the mountain)

(The casino)

(Helping our neighbor Kyle out with some yard work. Needle in the background.)

(Bath time in our 35-40 degree ferinheight hot tub.)

(The view from our back porch, the Needle)

(A view of the north face of the needle from the upper lake)

(A view of our campsite from the saddle of Humboldt)

(A view of our campsite near the top of Humboldt. Click on picture to enlarge, you can see Carrie and Brian's blue tent.)

(A view of our campsite from broken hand pass. Climbing the needle)

(A campsite visitor.)

(Another visitor.)

(Summit lunch: Spam, mustard, mayo, tortilla.)

(Mmm...everything tastes good on top of the Needle.)

(Even anchovies!!)

(Yummy.)

(Looking south from the summit of the Needle.)

(A view of Humboldt from the summit of the Needle.)

(The group that did the Needle: Kyle, Paulette (took picture), Nate the brewer, Dallas, and Larry.)

(Larry singning in on the summit of the Needle.)

(Crossing a very steep frozen stream while decending the Needle.)

(Climbing down through the ice and snow. Broken hand pass just above.)

(Crossing the snow field. Campsite just below. 30 more minutes untill we're back to the campsite.)

(Larry and Dana crossing a log bridge on the way to the campsite.)

(Larry's attempt to grow a mustache. Thats 2 weeks of growth and if you enlarge the photo you might be able to see some peach fuz.)

July 4

2009-07-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

For July 4th Dana and Larry headed back to Kansas for some fun with family and friends. Friday night we spent the evening boating and watching fireworks at lake Miola in Paola Kansas. And nobody was happier to hang out with her favorite aunt than Emma.

The rest of the weekend we spent in Lawrence Kansas at the Tour of Lawrence . We had a great time hanging out with our friends and celebrating the holiday by watching some really great bike racing. On Saturday Larry took 19th in the pro 1/2 field and on Sunday he had some bad luck with some equipment troubles but was still able to finish. However, Larry was able to take 1st place in the best fans competition thanks to the the Snyders, Kelly, Alisa, and of course Dana.

Well, that's it for now. Next week Dana and Larry are heading to Colorado to do some hiking, camping, and mountain climbing so there will be no update next week as they do not have Wifi at 12,000 feet above sea level. In case you are interested these are the two most important places we will be visiting:

http://www.mountainsunpub.com/

http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150434/crestone-needle.html

Tour of Kansas City

2009-07-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend in Kansas City with friends, family, and each other.

This past Friday we traveled to Kansas City to spend some time with friends and, as always, ride our bikes. This weekends biking involved the Tour of KC. Friday nights race was in Longview MO. It was our first time in Longview and it was a nice place to visit. Larry ended up taking 14th in the pro 1/2 race on what was a very hot evening. It was great to have Dana's parents and aunt and uncle come out to cheer.

On Saturday Larry lined up for the race in Lee Summit with high hopes.

Unfortunately a small storm cell came through the area dropping a ton of rain on the race course. Although they didn't cancel the race Larry decided he did not like racing in the rain for fear of crashing and pulled himself out of the race. After Larry pulled himself out of the race we headed back to Scott and Kerry's house, where we were staying for the weekend, to enjoy some time in their pool.

Of course the only thing Dana likes more than swimming in a pool is a margarita the size of a pool.

And although we stayed up way too late playing in the pool we woke up early Sunday morning so Dana could do the Operation Breakthrough charity ride. She had a ton of fun doing the ride with our great friends (Carrie, Alisa, and Kelly) from Manhattan. Maybe a little too much fun...

Later that morning Larry did the pro 1/2 race in the Power and Light District. After spending half the race trying to chase down the lead group on his own, the main chase group caught Larry before the finish. However, he was still able to take 20th, in the money.

Week in review.

2009-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit of time since we've been able to make an update but here is just a taste of the fun we've been having. Sit back and relax because this is a long one.

Two weekends ago our good friends, the Snyders, came to visit. We had a great time hanging out, going hiking, and playing at the park.

But lets be honest, the real winners of the Snyder visit were Ally and Lilly, who wore Dana's arms out with a weekend of swinging on our play-gym.

We had a ton of fun hiking at Rock Bridge State Park. While hiking in the park we decided to explore the Devil's Ice Box, a cave within the park. Of course Lilly had to be carried because she didn't want to get her pretty shoes wet.

After the hike nothing was cuter than watching the girls try and eat melting ice cream.

This past weekend was also full of good times. To start, and for those of you who haven't heard yet, Larry crashed his bike into the back of a parked car! He's not hurt and no damage was done to the car or his bike. We were just out for a nice leisurely ride around town and we were going really slow up a big hill, and of course Larry wasn't paying attention. Larry flipped completely over the front end of his bike and landed on top of the trunk. To add insult to injury the car alarm started going off alerting everyone in the neighborhood! After Larry left his phone number with a friend of the owner of the car, and Dana discovered that Larry was fine, she got quite a laugh at the whole ordeal! It's only too bad nobody got a picture of it or a video, it was hilarious!

This past weekend we also made an attempt and making some pizza from scratch.

Now although it didn't look the best, it sure tasted great!

Finally, we decided to take a day trip to beautiful St. Charles Missouri for a little romantic getaway. However, we didn't exactly make it. Along the way we stopped in a town near St. Charles so Larry could participate in the Tour of Winghaven. The plan was for him to race and then as soon as he was done we were to be on our way.

Although there was little excitement throughout the race, the finish proved to be extremely exciting. As Dana stationed herself to get a picture of the racers coming through the roundabout before the finish, she noticed the little figure in front of the field looked very familiar.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Larry had broken off the front of the field, about a mile from the finish, and had gained enough lead that he was able to win the race.

(Click to enlarge, Larry is at the top of the road, about to finish)

Since we were now going to have to stick around for the awards ceremony it meant we would not be able to make it to St. Charles. Oh well, we'll have fun anywhere! And Dana decided we might as well celebrate.

(Sneaking a beverage from the VIP tent)

Larry even got to give out his first autograph.

Here is Larry on top of the podium after getting his winnings.

Always make time for the fans!

Home ownership

2009-06-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

One of the things we like most about our new home is that it is only 3 years old. This means that there is little to do in the way of repairs and up keep compared to an older home. However, our new backyard has a good number of trees and because of that they need to be trimmed. Over the past few weeks Larry has spent a fair amount of time trimming dead limbs and is quite pleased with his progress.

This past Friday our friends Kyle and Paulette were going to be coming through Columbia and were bringing their two little boys. Their little boys were very excited to stop because they know we have a play gym in our backyard. The night before they were to arrive Dana asked Larry why he cut down a live branch. Larry had no idea what Dana was talking about because it had been several days since he had done any trimming. When Larry looked outside he saw that a live limb had come down on top of the play gym. Because the kids were coming it had to be cleaned up immediately. Oh the joys of home ownership.

From what we can tell, the boys really appreciated it.

Tulsa Tough

2009-06-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend we traveled down to Tulsa Oklahoma to participate in Tulsa Tough. Tulsa Tough is a three day cycling festival designed to promote fitness and healthy lifestyles while showcasing the beautiful city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa Tough offers events and spectating opportunities for everyone with professional level racing, recreational rides, kids and youth activities, live music and vendors.

Friday night Larry competed in the Category 1/2 race which consisted of a figure 8 course in the Blue Dome district of Tulsa. This is a supper fun race to watch and compete in as there are tons of spectators from the bars that line the streets and the race is held as day turns to night. Since Larry has not been consistently training his only goal for the weekend was to finish all three races, but to everyone's surprise Larry finished 18th on Friday which earned him some money.

Larry's cutest fan was there to cheer and even took some time to show off the new tattoo she got just before watching Larry race. Check out the video to hear her cheering.

On Saturday Dana did the 30 mile Tulsa Tough Ride. Here is a shot of her and their friends Carrie and Alisa getting ready for the start. The ladies finished in about 2.5 hours and there were just over 1000 people that participated in the ride.

Also on Saturday Larry once again competed in the category 1/2 race. This time the race was in the Brady District which consists of small eating establishments and shopping. This time the race was held in the late afternoon and it was quite warm. On this day he managed to finish in the top 40, not in the money, but he at least met his goal of finishing. Here are two nice shots of Larry (#282) taking a corner during Saturday's race.

Since Larry does not race well in the heat a plan was devised to help Larry stay cool. The plan seemed to work well as Larry did not over heat but Dana also seemed to have a little too much fun shooting Larry with a water gun.

Dana doesn't seem to care the race is over, it's just too much fun shooting Larry with a water gun.

Sunday was the last day of racing and was going to be the most challenging for Larry. He is not a very good climber and has never finished Sunday's race. It was another hot day but what makes Sunday's race so challenging is the BIG hill. Each lap, of the race, takes about 2 minutes, so every 2 minutes the racers must climb the big hill and depending on your category you could end up climbing the hill 10 to 40 times. For Larry's category, they were to do 30 laps. Unfortunately Larry only got to do 28 laps. With 3 laps to go Larry got bumped into the curb and fell a little behind and unfortunately was unable to catch back up and was pulled from the race. Larry was both happy and disappointing. He may not have finished but he got closer then he has in previous years.

On Sunday everyone gathered on the hill to cheer. Here Dana and Larry are with their friends Kyle, Paulette, Alisa, and the kids as they cheer Brian (in purple) up the hill.

The hill is where all the action is. Not only is it the best place to see the racers in pain but it is also the best place to party. Here is a shot of all the spectators on the hill.

Here Dana is Shooting Larry with the water gun again as she cheers on the hill.

Even Larry's smallest fan (Ally) thinks the best place to cheer is from the hill. She brought a "Go Larry" sign that her sister Lilly made.

Larry always tries to take time to greet and thank his fans.

Pedaler's Jamboree

2009-05-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Dana and Larry attended the Pedaler's Jamboree. The Pedaler's Jamboree is a bike powered music and camping festival! For this two-wheeled celebration, we rode 30 miles of the most scenic part of the Katy Trail, from Columbia to Boonville, stopping for great live music, beverages, and fun along the way. That evening we camped and enjoyed live music by Big Smith. The following day we rode our bikes back to Columbia and once again stopped along the way for great live music, beverages, and tons of fun.

As always, the Debrick clan could not pass up a good time and decided to attend the Jamboree as well. Now that's a biker gang if I ever saw one.

Since Dana and Larry are new to the area, they thought it would be a good idea to find a way to stand out. Although they didn't get as many people to talk to them as they thought they would. Wonder why?

Our first stop along the trail was the largest tree in Missouri.

It took 8 people to hug the tree.

Our next stop was this huge cave that had a river running through it. We tried to see how far back into it we could go, but it started to get pretty dark and Ken ended up using it as a "rest" stop.

Along the way Dana's parents and Aunt and Uncle set up rest stops. I guarantee no one got taken care of or fed as well as we did. Just look at that buffet!

Nothing says "Man's Man" like dancing by yourself in the middle of a grassy meadow with pink tights and a farmer's tan!

Dana's reaction to realizing she is married to that person dancing in the middle of the grassy meadow.

Our camp site for the night.

While listening to Big Smith that night, we were really surprised at how good they were. We would recommend you go to one of their concerts if you ever get a chance. This is how much fun we had.

Dana had so much fun she didn't want to get out of her sleeping bag the next morning.

Maifest trip to Hermann

2009-05-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated Larry's third College graduation with a trip to Hermann Mo, Missouri's wine country. It's one of our favorite places to go and have a fun filled relaxing vacation.

We had several friends with us and the girls took sometime to model at our first winery of the trip.

We decided to have our picnic lunch at our favorite winery. Here we are consuming what must be the largest spread of picnic food ever at Bommarito's Almond tree winery.

After lunch Nick Bommarito gave us a private tour of the winery. He let us drink from every vat of wine in the bottling room.

At the end of the day we walked up the hill to Stone Hill winery. The group was nothing but smiles. It was a perfect day for walking around the beautiful country side and enjoying time with friends.

Our ladies were the only thing more beautiful than the weather.

We usually stay in a hotel or a B&B but this time we thought we'd try camping in the park at the bottom of Stone Hill winery. It was probably the best weather we'd ever camped in.

Keeping true to both our family heritage and the heritage of the town, Sunday's lunch was German themed. Drinking soda and bottled water sure takes us back to the old country.

Weekend Activities

2009-05-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

We spent mothers day weekend in Paola with the Haley Family.

Larry thought he'd get his ride in by riding down to Paola from KC. 50 miles and 2 hours later we snapped a photo of him on our way to Clint and Michelle's.

Grandpa got a new toy! Here he is showing off all it can do. We even used it instead of a car when driving over to Clint and Michelle's. Larry got to drive it home and the smile never left his face.

Emma loves hanging out with her favorite aunt and uncle.

Nothing better than relaxing on the "whats up dock" on a B-E-A-utiful day.

Paul didn't get too many bites but, as always, we had plenty to drink.

Last Friday in KC

2009-05-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Larry hanging out with his KC landlord, Scott, as he fills up his pool for the first time. If you look at Scott's shirt you can see that the pool is slippery and you can fall down. That's why there is no running near the pool. Of course Larry just sat by the side of the pool eating a bowl of ice cream while Scott did all the work.