Halloween Cx Video

This video was just posted online from the cross race in Astoria last weekend. All the footage is from the costume race on Sunday -- there is a shot of Abby, Michelle & I at about 3:08.

Cross Racing in Astoria - The 'Halloween' Races

This past weekend Michelle, Abby & I went to Astoria, OR for 2-days of cyclocross racing and Halloween fun. Saturday was the 'serious' race and then Sunday was the Halloween cross race where everyone dressed up in costumes - it was a blast! The three of us dressed up as Sarah Palin in red suits with sashes that had 'Palinisms' on them. The credit for this idea goes entirely to Michelle -- Abby and I were super skeptical about the costume idea up until the last minute, but the costume idea turned out to be a real crowd pleaser!

Below I'm attaching a bunch of links to various sites with photos from the weekend. Enjoy!

Remember to check out PDX Cross for their awesome black & white shots of the Cx races.

Here's the link to a picture of myself clearing the six-pack of barriers on the first day. Thor says he thinks it might be the first time he has seen both of my feet off the ground at the same time. (I don't like to jump!)

The three 'Palins' - winking at our constituents!

A picture of the 'Palins' from the back.

If you would like to see all the pictures from the weekend in Astoria you can visit Oregon Velo's photo site to see pics from all the races on both days.

Finally - here's a video from the race on Sunday. It's a men's race, but we raced exactly the same course so you'll be able to see what we rode. We had absolutely gorgeous weather!

Pumpkin Carving

On Monday of this past week a large group of us got together to carve pumpkins and watch the Broncos vs. Patriots football game. The Broncos were embarrassingly terrible (they lost 41-7. Ouch!), but I think we all had a good time anyways. The boys were pretty much glued to the TV, but some of the ladies brought pumpkins and we got a few carved.

Stephanie, Merrill, Katy, Stacy (holding Nick - our junior Broncos fan - who is actually wearing a Broncos onesie), Becky, Me, Jen & Lindsay.

The results of our evening! My pumpkin is the one on the far left.

Tingey Family Reunion - Lake Tahoe

We spent last weekend in Lake Tahoe with Thor's family at the Tingey family reunion. This is Ralph's side of the family and they are a ton of fun. Here's a series of shots from our weekend.

This was the view from our room where we stayed in Tahoe. Thor's aunt and uncle (Judy and Grant) are care takers of a condo complex on the lake and since the fall is the slow season the entire family can stay there with them in the empty condos - it is a lot of fun!

Ralph, Thor, myself, and Thor's cousin, Liz. We hiked up the Flume Trail to Marlette Lake on Friday and then ate lunch on these great rock outcrops. (A neat side note is that Liz just started her own non-profit group called Iris, VSI. Visit her website, www.irisvsi.org, for more information on how she partners with foreign NGO's.

Saturday was Thor's aunt, Mardie's, 50th birthday. To help celebrate we all went out to breakfast at a little restaurant on the lake called The Log Cabin. We had to sit at a couple different tables -- here is Thor's cousin, Amelia, her husband, Justin, and their son, Henry. Their daughter, Bea, is in her carrier on the floor next to Amelia.

From the far left and moving clock-wise: Ralph, Ralph's cousin Linda, Linda's husband Garry, myself, Thor, Thor's cousin Katie, and Mardie (Katie's mom).

We went to watch the sunset one night and went out to sit on these great rocks for the show!

Thor & I at the sunset rocks.

Garry, Linda & Ralph.

The sunset itself - we had a beautiful, clear (mostly) evening.

Here's a shot of everyone who was at the reunion. This year was a record turnout for them!

Local NW Sources for Native Plants

Weekend in Sunriver

I forgot to post these pictures! Thor and I were in Sunriver two weekends ago for his office's semi-annual retreat. The weather was TERRIBLE!!! It was pouring rain and blowing sideways, but we still managed to get outside in the afternoon when the weather settled down a bit. Thor went fishing and I took a mini-hike along the river. It was beautiful!





AND - as a an extra special kitschy treat here is a picture of Thor & I in front of a lovely autumn harvest background. We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have our formal picture taken indoors while sitting on hay bales with such lovely autumn foliage surrounding us. Ahhhhh.... Thanks Ball Janik! (Parents & Grandparents - guess what you're getting for Christmas this year?)

Heiser Farms Cross Race

Well - this race was a frustrating lesson in taking responsibility for checking over my bike to make sure everything is attached correctly! Saturday morning I decided to swap out my front chain ring so that I had an easier gear on my San Jose. I went from a 42 in the front down to a 36 so I could spin faster (easier for hills & mud). Thor helped me swap out the parts - and then I dilly-dallied around, drank some coffee, gave Thor a ride to work, came home, realized I was running late (as usual), got my bike down from the bike stand and spun the pedals. SH$*%!! It made a terrible noise - my chain was rubbing on my chain guard. It was too late to try and take it off myself (I am SO SLOW at working on my bike) so I ran to a local bike shop to have them take a look at it on my way to the race. The guy was awesome and said he could put some spacers on right then while I waited - I told him I was on my way to the Heiser Farm Cross Race and we chatted about what the course might be like. Ten minutes and $9 later I had my bike back and was off to the races without a second thought to my bike!

The course at Heiser Farms was awesome - lots of up & down and varied terrain which made for an exciting race. I wasn't very good about lining up...I don't like to shove around so when the B's got called up to the line I all of a sudden found myself in the second row (I'll have to work on that!) I had an okay start and began plugging away -- I wasn't able to pre-ride the course before the race so I started out conservatively since I wasn't sure what was coming or what lines to take. At the end of the first lap I was in about 6th and decided to slowly start working my way up the field. I was having a great race and had just moved into 1st at the end of the 4th lap when it happened - ping! - my chain shot off. I cursed, hopped off my bike, put my chain back on and set off to chase the two girls who had been on my tail and - ping! - my chain came off again! Back off the bike - chain back on - back on the bike - stood up on my pedals and - ping! - instantaneously my chain came off again. Now I was suspicious so I took a better look at my bike when I got off and sure enough -- my wheel had moved foreward in my drop out....sigh...the best I can come up with is that the guy at the shop didn't bolt my rear wheel on tightly enough because I definitely didn't have the sag in my chain when I started, but at this point in the race it was just drooping down between my cog & my chain ring. sniff. So I put my chain back on and started soft pedaling my way around the course. It was really disheartening to get passed by the entire women's field, but I just tried to remember that it was a good lesson to check over my own bike before racing it. I ended up dead last in my field - my first DFL ever....sigh...but at least it was due to a mechanical and not just having a terrible race - up until the whole chain problem I actually thought I was racing really well and was happy with my bike handling in the muddy sections.

I don't actually have any pictures of my race to link to - but check out these amazing B&W shots by PDX Cross from the Heiser Farms race - these guys take beautiful pictures.

Also - here's a video of the men's A race. You won't know anyone in the video, but you can see the course we were racing on!


Heiser Farms Cross A class race from Matt Haughey on Vimeo.

Photos I Love

I have been cleaning out my work email files in preparation for leaving this week and have come across a number of emails containing pictures. Here's a collection of some of my favorite photos from the last three years.

Thor - this was in fall of '05 I think - Joe took this picture when they were out hunting pheasants.

Myself, Kathryn & Anna. Fly fishing on Lake Clark, AK. Summer of '05.

Thor in Sante Fe Cafe. This was at my graduation from the UW. Spring, Seattle '05.

William & I practicing open water swimming in Lake Washington - maybe spring '06.

Kathryn, myself & Anna - Grand Canyon - '05.

Perhaps my all time favorite picture of my dad (yes, that is my dad) and I. Grand Canyon '05.

German Coast Guard

This video cracks me up every time I watch it. Every. Time. I've had it in my work inbox for a year and it hasn't gotten old yet.

Laea gets good news!

Laea & I spent yesterday afternoon at the vets getting X-rays and blood work done and we have good news! Even though Laea has breast cancer the x-rays don't show that it has metastasized into her lungs or lymph nodes so the vets are pretty sure it's confined to just one system at this point. Their radiologist is coming in tomorrow to take a look at the x-rays just to make sure, but as of right now it looks like it will just be a matter of removing the lumps she has. The tricky part is that she has lumps in multiple 'breasts' so the likely go ahead is for Laea to have what the vets refer to as a bi-lateral chain masectomy where they remove all ten of her teats simotaneously so that the cancer can not spread any further up the mammary chains. During the same surgery they will spay her too so that she is no longer producing the hormones that increase her chances of developing cancer again. So this will be a pretty big surgery (read 'cha-ching!'....good-bye new carbon road bike that I've been saving for....sniff), but the good news is that the vets are really optimistic that once the current lumps are removed Laea should have a full recovery and be back to her old self in no time! Thanks for all your well wishes this week!

Laea needs your sweet thoughts...

Laea might have cancer - it is pretty certain. The vet took some samples and said it doesn't look too good - but she is sending them to the lab for analysis before we know for sure. So think lots of good, healthy thoughts for Laea all this week, okay everyone?

The Best Birthday Present Ever!

I got a new job! And they called me with the offer on my birthday, last Thursday! I can finally write about it too because I officially gave my notice today and now it is just 'count down' time. My new job will be at PECI and I will be working there as a Project Coordinator in their Retrocommissioning Services & Incentives Program.
After I received this exciting news Thor & I rushed off to Andy & Katy's house to watch the VP debate with they and our other friends Ethan & Lindsay. Katy was a total sweetheart and made delicious homemade chile and dessert - and afterwards we headed off to the Sapphire Hotel for a drink.

Here are a few other shots from my birthday.

Stacy, Merrill, Katy & I

A close up of Nick in the hat I knit him. He almost fits it now.

Look at what a little chunker he's turning into - he is so cute and happy! Nick was very well behaved throughout the entire debate - only one or two gurgles.

Early October Blooms

Here are three blooms that opened up this past weekend while we were away in Sunriver. It is a pleasant surprise to find that there are plants in our yard blooming into the fall.

Our tiger lily has finally blossomed! I was beginning to wonder if we had mis-identified the plant. These little flowers are so delicate - they are only a little bigger than the diameter of a quarter.

This stunning dahlia is on the west side of our house tucked in underneath the lilac tree. I love the fringed petals and delicate pink color.

I wasn't sure this dahlia was going to bloom at all. My mom & I moved it into a barrel in the back of the yard and it has been straining to reach out into the sunlight all summer. I was planning on transplanting it to a better spot later this fall - and now I'm glad I waited since it was a late bloomer!

Mosaic Fun

1. Before the world was made… the innerlight of Sarah.K was!!! :))), 2. Braised Pork Belly, 3. A Parallel Sunset in the East, 4. wham:a different corner, 5. Christian Bale, 6. Hendricks makes the best G&T, 7. Positano, 8. tiramisu, 9. square feet, 10. Contacts, friends, family...FLICKR!, 11. Let me Enjoy Summers..., 12. She

I saw this photo mosaic as self-portrait today on a friend of mine's blog and I thought it was really neat! You answer 12 questions and type your answer to each of the above questions into Flickr’s search. Select only the images that appear on the first page, choose your favorite and copy and paste each of the URL’s into the Mosaic Maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

Here are the questions and my answers that generated the mosaic above.

1. What is your first name? (sarah)
2. What is your favorite food? (udon noodles)
3. What high school did you attend? (east)
4. What is your favorite color? (blue)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (christian bale)
6. Favorite drink? (hendricks gin & tonic)
7. Dream vacation? (italy)
8. Favorite dessert? (tiramisu)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (urban farmer -i'm stealing this answer from Alexis!)
10. What do you love most in life? (friends and family)
11. One word to describe you? (boisterous)
12. Your Flickr name? (can't remember)

It's fun!

Daphne's Bag

October 8 is Daphne's birthday! Earlier this fall I took a class at Cool Cottons to make this bag for Daphne for her birthday. (I don't think Daphne reads my blog so I don't think there is any danger of this post spoiling the surprise!) This bag uses an Amy Butler pattern called the Swing Bag. It was pretty easy and straight forward - which was good since I hadn't sewed anything since my mom taught me how to sew a pillow case! I think the bag turned out pretty well and I have some fun fabric to make one for myself too (whenever I actually have time!)

My First Fundraiser

Last night my friend Dawn & I went to a fundraiser for Barack Obama - it was my first time attending a fundraiser and I have to say I had a good time. This particular event was all women and involved wine - lovely! The speakers they had were Cyreena Boston - who is a very insprirational young woman running for State Representative and Renee Mitchell - a former columnist with the Oregonian. Both were well spoken and motivational - although the crowd didn't get as fired up as I was expecting it would.

One fun aspect of the evening was the silk screeners that were there making t-shirts! If you brought your own t-shirt they would print a slogan of your choice on your shirt for you. There were three designs - and here's a shot of my new pink, political t-shirt!