Layers

Layered cornbread salad

 

Tonight as I was making this layered cornbread salad for a birthday luncheon tomorrow at work, I was reminded of how much our lives are multi-layered as well.....

 

I have some very close family members, some of whom I got to spend time with at my nephew's dance recital last weekend; I also have cousins and friends in various locales throughout the states and around the world. I have friends at work and friends outside of work. I have bicycling friends and motorcycling friends; I have triathlon friends, and I have running friends, and sometimes these groups overlap, like when my family members form a group to complete an athletic event together, or when my work friends get together to support a specific cause such a Relay for Life. Sometimes my tri friends will do running events or bicycling events, and sometimes my co-worker friends double up as my motorcycling friends, too.

 

This past weekend, several of us did a group ride together out to the Oscar Store for lunch. One of my oldest and closest friends led the ride, and it was a gorgeous day to be out and about on the roads.

 

 

The Oscar Store then.....

 

                                                               and now......

                                                Some of the group gearing up after lunch....

                                        A stop for gas along the route back home....

                                           The ending point where we all go our separate ways.....




        Getting a quick drink and relaxing in the shae before heading out to our respective homes.....

After the goup ride, I wanted to do some solo riding and thinking and hunt for some more murals in nearby places. I was fortunate to find a couple, and, you guesed it, they had layers as well.....

All of these layers...of family, of friends, of friends who became lovers and of lovers whose friendsdship ended along with the relationship. Sometimes the layers work, and sometimes we peel back one layer to find yet another, and another, and another. But the beauty of it all? Everything works just they way it was meant to do. I find comfort in that.............

KOM

KOM......the first time I rode this bicycle route in Central Texas, I asked one of the riders with me, once I could catch my breath, what this sign painted on the road meant. "Well, Miss J, that means King of the Mountain!" I'll admit, once I completed this ride, and continue to complete this ride of varying distances but always, always with killer hills and gorgeous Texas scenery,  that I felt and feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

There are days it seems I am always conquering mountains, personally, professionally, and athletically. I often put too much faith in those who are unworthy of my trust, consistently take on professional mountains in order to move up the career ladder, and challenge myself to enter a variety of athletic events that push my perserverance and stick-with-it-ness well beyond what I ever believed I could endure. And yet, I keep looking for more mountains to climb, and every time, I still feel that exhilaration each time I make it to the top. I like consistency, and it comforts me to know that in life, there is never a shortage of mountains where I can test my grit. And I DO have that quality...in spades!

 

                                                               Anticipating the climb........

                                                                        Wide open spaces.................

                                                                      Just keep pedaling.........

 

   The wildflowers along the route.....I have seen wild turkeys and a few coyotes while riding out       

   here.

Fire Ant Tour 2013

I did my first Fire Ant Tour bike ride this morning. Usually on this weekend in June, I am in Las Colinas doing the Wounded Warrior 10k or half marathon, but in the interest of time and money and in keeping with my goal of doing more biking events this year, I stayed closer to home this year.

I have been riding with a local bicycle club for over a year now. Some of us have been meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays and riding some killer hills out on a local military base. I have met some great people and have gotten much better at biking due to these T-Th ride dates. There is some gorgeous scenery around these parts, and it does look so very Texas-y.

 Team Jersey

 

 

 

I got up early this morning to drive the approximately 40 minutes to the start of the bike tour. It was already beautiful at 6 AM, and it was a perfect day for a ride...not too hot and little wind.

 

 

 The start....

 Ride this way!

 Rest Stop 1

 

 At times I was riding all alone along some beautiful stretches of countryside.

 Texas beauties...wildflowers along the route.

Rest stop 2



 

 

 The bounty from the Queen of cookies....she made every one of these from scratch as she does every year. They were amazing!

 

 Route markers...green:10 miles; yellow: 25 miles; blue: 45 miles; and red:62 miles

 

 Final turn....

 

The 18th Annual Fire Ant Tour shirt. I like it!