A Few More Photos from the Weekend

LAUREN: It's hard to believe that the ride occurred one week ago today. It seems like ages ago now, but the experience was unforgettable and incredibly fun. Kudos to the Challenge staff for another great event.

Here are more pictures from a fun-filled weekend.

Angie Kelly and her buddy, Bruskie.

Our Prom Pose - (left to right) Melissa, Jen, Angie, Jerry and me.

All the way from Denver, Colorado - Patricia and Michael Birdsong and me.

Erica Brown working hard at the LAF Booth at the LIVESTRONG Village

Jen telling people about Prop 15 at the LAF Booth

Volunteer (and LIVESTRONG Day 2007 Delegate) Rebecca Esparza

Sue, Jen and I having some fun in the LAF Booth

Lining Up for the Start of the Ride

Steve and Ralph - our great riding partners

Preparing to Start

Low Water Crossing - We had to get off our bikes and walk across it.

Jen Riding Into the Rest Stop

Connecting with Old Friends at a Rest Stop

(left to right) Rob and Spencer Sartin, Bill Eby, me and Jen

What a view! This was at a rest stop.

Those are real longhorns. We rode past them and I stopped to take a quick photo.

Don't you love Texas?

My husband, Richard, was waiting for me at the finish line.

It was our two-year anniversary that day.



Jen and Matt, her husband. He was waiting for her at the finish line too.

Yellow Roses

JENNIFER: When our friend Michael sent us these photos from last weekend's LIVESTRONG Challenge, I couldn't keep them between just Lauren and me. It's more fun to share!

LIVESTRONG means...

JENNIFER: ...pushing through the pain and not giving up!

LIVESTRONG also means supporting each other and seeing challenges through, together.

That's what Lauren and I did today at the LIVESTRONG Challenge. We ended up doing the 40-mile ride (it was really more like 45). It was very hilly and much more difficult than last year. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful ride.

Thanks to Steve and Ralph for riding with us and making it such a fun day.

I'll write more later (I'm tired!) but I wanted to post a few photos.

Here we are on Ride morning - pretty morning sky!

Our friends cheering at the start line

Lauren, Ralph, Steve and Jennifer - a great team!

Are we crazy? Yes, but it's for a GREAT cause!

LAUREN: Okay folks, time flew by and the LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin is just a few days away. Are we in tip-top shape for this event? Well, not really; but it could be worse. We weren't able to train as well as we did last year, but there is nothing we can do about it now. Our strategy is to stay hydrated, pace ourselves and to have fun with our riding mates. So far, it looks like we will have two members from last year's original riding crew - Uncle Steve and Ralph. My buddy, Loubel, from Pink Ribbons Project may also join us. We tend to pick up folks along the way and that's okay by us. We enjoy the conversation and will welcome the distraction from our hurting legs any time. If you can't tell, I am really excited about this ride. So many friends will be in from out of town - including Jerry and Angie, Michael and Patricia, and Erica B. - and I can't wait to see everyone. It's going to be great!


In between the "few" training rides we had, here are a few pictures to show you what we have been doing.

UT Women's Football Clinic - That's Melanie, Mack Brown and me!




Watching the Killers at ACL Fest: That's me and Jen with our super supporters - Gwen, Melissa and Devon!




That's me and Jen watching Blue October AFTER we rode 30 miles that day!

Traveling for work: This photo is from National Manufacturing Week near Chicago. Pretty, isn't it?

UT Football Game vs. Rice: We won that one. Hook'em!

Watching my pal, Lisa, complete a Half-Ironman. That's me, Lisa, Jeff (her husband) and a real longhorn!

P.S. I just signed up to do the MS 150 (the ride from Houston to Austin) as part of the National Instruments Cycling Team. Fun times!

I think I've been in denial...

JENNIFER: It's not like I can really ignore the fact that the LIVESTRONG Challenge is almost here. I mean, I do work at the LAF.

The Challenge team sits right next to Marketing, and I've seen them working their tails off to plan the Challenge events in Philly and Portland. We get updates in monthly staff meetings and I get all the emails from the Challenge team with fundraising updates and other important information.

So the fact that the LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin will be here in 10 days is not a surprise. But am I ready for it? Welllllll...

To our credit, Lauren and I have been riding together. Two weekends ago we rode for almost two hours, the weekend before we rode for three hours, the weekend before that we rode for two...but still, we both know we're not in as good of shape for this ride as we were for last year's ride.

I'm not prepared. The more I think about it, the more nervous I get. What have I gotten myself into?

Long Time, No Blog

LAUREN: First off, my apologies to everyone for being a bad blogger. Things have been a bit crazy in my life, but are now starting to settle down. For this, I am grateful.

Let me bring everyone up to speed. How much riding have I done since I last blogged? I rode once for an hour. Am I terrified of what lies ahead on October 14? You bet! But, it will be fun and it will be a challenge for me indeed.

Here's the scoop on my other life stuff.

New Job - It's great. I am on a tremendous learning curve, but it's fun. The people are great, the technology is interesting and I am enjoying it. Here's a sneak peek of what lies ahead for me for 2007 regarding tradeshows for National Instruments. I survived my first NIWeek too!

Working Out - My new job has a gym on campus, so I have been doing yoga classes twice a week. I love it and it is a great perk to the new job. I have been sprinkling in some light cardio sessions too, which is muy bueno.

Health - Since I left LAF, I have been dealing with hypothyroidism. Luckily, it can be managed by taking a pill everyday and I have seen a MAJOR improvement in my quality of life since I have been on the meds. The down side is that I have been on "restricted exercise" since my body is adjusting to the drugs, which doesn't bode well for someone who is supposed to be training for a 70-mile ride.

Getting Older - I just celebrated another birthday a few weeks ago and I am feeling the effects of aging. I have a gray hair (sadly, it's not the first) but I am a bit intrigued by it. This one is near the front of my head and I am tracking its growth. Sad...I know.

A Visit from the Milligans - Karen (one of my BFFs) and Greg came from London for a visit. I miss her dearly and was so happy that we were able to spend time together while she was in the States. Our night on the town included a visit to Trudy's near campus (just like when we were in college) and drinks at Union Park and Molotov.

Milford's Back - One of the smartest people I know finally returned home after a summer of making the world a better place. MM and BP hosted a fabulous brunch and I was the last person to leave the fiesta. Luckily, they didn't mind it and I was grateful that I was able to spend time catching up with both of them.

Jen and Lauren's Day of Fun - Due to busy schedules and my phone being broken for what seemed like an eternity, Jen and I haven't been able to hang out or catch up on life. Hence, we scheduled a day-long fun fest that included an office design class at Pottery Barn, our first (and lengthy!) visit to Le Garage Sale, a quick run-through of the City-Wide Garage Sale and a lovely lunch at Zocalo. Fun times!

Longhorn Football - My favorite time of the year is about to begin - it's time for COLLEGE FOOTBALL! I went to Mack Brown's Football Clinic for Women on Thursday with my pal, Melanie, and we had a blast. Not only did we walk away with a bag full of goodies, we also got an autograph from Mack and a photo opp. Bring on Arkansas State. Hook'em!

The LIVESTRONG Challenge in Philadelphia is this weekend. Good luck to all of the participants! To the Challenge girls at the LAF, I hope all goes well this weekend.

That's all for now.

Lots to say on Friday

JENNIFER: I could swear that Sawyer's (LOST) friend and hair stylist left a comment on my blog, and now I can't find it anywhere which makes me think that either I forgot to publish the comment or I was dreaming when I thought I got a note from someone who knows Josh Holloway. Sigh.

Melissa and I are well into season 2 of LOST. Last night we watched episodes 5-8 of season 2, and it was the first time I was left a bit unsatisfied. Rumor has it that season 2 goes slower than season 1. Still, the show is greatness.

This weekend Lauren and I are taking a class at Pottery Barn about sprucing up your desk area at work. I hope we learn some fun tips! It's timely because soon I'll be moving my desk to a different area of the office to be closer to the rest of the marketing team. I just hope I can find good spots for my framed Wicked and Rent musical posters.

My friend Haley and I saw Wicked last month when we were in Chicago for a meeting with the YMCA. It was my third time to see it, Haley's first. I love that musical! Defying Gravity is my favorite song from Wicked, and I also like Idina Menzel's non-Wicked version of the song.

Speaking of songs and Haley, today we listened to the song by Heidi from The Hills. Spencer, um, raps during the song. Seriously?

If it doesn't rain tomorrow morning, I'm going to ride my bike. Today I got a little freaked when I learned that although the LIVESTRONG Challenge ride in Austin is 60 miles, not 70, it will feel like 70 miles or even more because of all the hills. (Thanks, Lance.) Eight weeks and counting!