Prima Domenica

Today was Prima Domenica -- the first Sunday of the month. And Prima Domenica is celebrated by a local Catholic church (it's a church that dates waaaay back to the beginning of the state of Colorado, almost and has been Italian that long). After the mass (all given in Italian except the homily), there's a breakfast served to the parishioners.

For the first time in a very long time, I was in a community where I didn't know a single person. I have no problem attending mass alone (I do this frequently), but it occurred to me that this is the first time I've been somewhere social where everyone else knew lots of people and I was completely unknown to any of them. They were serving wine (yes, in the morning) and coffee so I chatted with the guy behind the counter for a bit. It wasn't any time before I got to know quite a few other people as they were all super friendly and I found myself in conversations about everyone's experiences with Italy. I will be returning for future Prima Domenica celebrations. Community is what I absolutely love. There is nothing better than eating with others and seeing people together with their family members also enjoying the togetherness.

And the rest of the day had a similar theme: Amy and I went to N. Boulder Park to skate ski.  The conditions were terrific and there were tons of people out there. I was happy to be back on the snow for the first time this season and practice this very technical sport again. I'm still not at all good at it, but I got in a decent workout and that was the goal. I ran into one of my teammates and a co-worker who I haven't seen in years. N. Boulder was the place to be today.

And the day ended with one of my neighbors serving up appetizers (unexpectedly) so I ended up in some fun conversations with my dear friends who are right here in the building. Perfect considering I was not about to go out for any reason after getting back from skiing (too cold out there!) Again, awesome community and sharing good times with good friends. What a lovely weekend. This is what happens when I haven't over-scheduled myself and can just enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer.

Italian Feast!

One of the things I promised to myself to do after getting back from Italy was to make a full Italian dinner, as I had experienced in Italy. Thanks to my ridiculous schedule, I never have time to cook much of anything. However, I haven't seen my good friend, Patrick, for months (since before I went to Italy and he went to Australia) so it was appropriate to celebrate his birthday and catch up over many calories.

The meal literally turned my kitchen inside-out. On the left are hand-made fettuccine noodles (made with spelt, whole wheat and coconut flour) and the balls on the right are sweet potato gnocchi (prior to making the nice little gnocchi pieces with the fork, of course).

I'll make some changes to a few of the details, but overall, the meal turned out great. It included,  in this order: Valpolicella vino, bruschetta & prosciutto, fettuccine & gnocchi with a cream sauce, cooked spinach with too many cloves of garlic mixed in, leafy green salad and last but certainly not least: tiramisu and a pinolo cookie from a local bakery that is all-Italian.

Best tiramisu I've ever tasted. So, yes, the best part of the meal was the part I didn't cook...

New Bike

Yes!!! Giant came through with a new frame. It's a T-Mobile race bike from 2006 (well, the frame is new, I'll put my old Dura-Ace components on it). Brand NEW! This is going to be fabulous to conquer the hills of Italy on!!! YIPPEE!

Haley

Riding and Thinking (A Lot)

This weekend has been the most quiet thought time I've had in a long time (much of this was by design). Being someone who is typically committed to something constantly, I made a conscious decision to try to not over commit for this weekend. The long miles have been good time to think.

Today started with a group ride (3 hrs) and then another 2 1/2 solo. The group part was great--involved Red Rocks, up to Idledale & Grapevine, back to Denver. It was a group of women who race & not my typical ride. They're planning more, I will be looking forward to those. It was weird that the warmest it was all day today was at 10 am, temps dropped thereafter it seemed.

Back to the thoughts on the ride. I once got great advice from a former co-worker that I've never forgotten. "If you want to grow, take a risk." And other advice that has stuck with me that I've heard in one form or another: when life gets too comfortable, do something to scare yourself.

Yes, I'm thrilled to be heading to Italy in a few months (and the time will fly by between now and then). But in my attempt to sugarcoat the story so my family accepts what I'm going to be doing (they don't love it, but won't stand between me and the airplane), I have downplayed my own fears that are very real in me.

What are those fears? Well, for one, life is very comfortable in Denver. I have a great group of friends, riding/training friends, co-workers I like to work with and my family is nearby. I love my home and most of my routine (that isn't all that routine in the standard American sense). Sure, there are parts I'd like to change, but everything is very acceptable as it stands now. I'm not going to Italy in any attempt to escape my life. I am, however, looking forward to taking a step back from the "rat race" in order to see things in greater perspective.

Leaving here means starting all over again. I saw no women riding road bikes (aside from women on bike trips) the whole time I was in Italy. So will I find riding friends? Will I be strong enough to hang with men, if they're cool with having me as a riding buddy? And how will I find training partners prior to knowing Italian? What about regular (off-the-bike) friends? Will there be girls there I can be as open with as my close girl friends here? Oh how I will miss them and my family members who provide me so much support, too. I think as we age, we appreciate our fundamental need for those we love to be close physically and emotionally. I see this more and more in myself and in my friends.

Of course, there's the elephant in the room: dating. I've heard that quite a few people skip the opportunity to live in a foreign country due to their fear of not meeting a mate. Certainly, I don't want to put my dating life on hold while over there (as it currently is here since I have no desire to have a long-distance relationship)...but Italian men do have a reputation and it is a little worrisome. I tend to think I'll be able to find the decent guys and weed out the others. We'll see how that goes! I'm not as concerned about this as with all of the other aspects. I have a great deal of faith that God takes care of this part of life and there's no use for me to worry about it much.

Then there's the challenge of learning Italian. Can I do it? I don't know if I can be fluent in a language. It's been so many years since I've taken any courses that are non-technical. And I know I want to experience the non-technical side of living. Oh to learn history and everything that comprises a culture so different from the only one I've ever known!

And the last item: money. It looks like I might be able to work a few hours a week doing some computer work to pay basic expenses (so my savings doesn't get tapped into from this experience), but I don't know about that yet. Getting a job there isn't easy like it is here...I'd be so okay with being a barista, especially since it would involve speaking the language with many different people BUT there are lots of hoops to jump through to work in Italy as an American. Will I get stir-crazy without a job? I haven't ever been out of work for more than 2 weeks since I graduated from college. And I definitely don't want to feel guilty about paying for frequent cafe & gelato. At least the expense of school and housing isn't that bad and I won't want to buy much aside from food and the occasional thing for the bike. It'll be simple living and that's what I like. It's one of the things I'm most looking forward to.

So, as excited as I am about this next life adventure, I realize the risk that I am taking and it is scaring me. And, somehow, this discomfort makes me want it all the more.

Italy Bound

I will be going to Italy to live for 6 months from the end of March to the end of September. Plans include learning the language, culture (studying at a university near where my ancestors are from), riding and racing my bike (at the amateur level if the scene is good) and getting to know some relatives who live nearby. More details will be forthcoming as time draws near and I'm happy to talk about it offline.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was smaller this year since bro and sis-in-law were with her family...they were missed, but we still had a nice time together. We all have so much to be thankful for! But seriously, we need more kids in the house. Mom and I sat at the "kid" table, but I'd love to see rascals running about. Dad was taking this picture, he's below with Mom. Happy Birthday, Dad! The sweater mom is wearing was lovingly made by a nice person in Sorano.

Tonight I got my wish with respect to the kids. I rode my bike from Denver, up Golden Gate Canyon, Peak-to-Peak highway, down Canyon into Boulder, rode around there awhile and then ended up in Louisville. Hung out with bro & sis-in-law and then ate dinner (super yummy Thanksgiving leftovers at her bro's place with his family & two adorable little girls). Just caught the bus home. What a day...love the adventure!

Concerning the ride--my legs felt great! This is the first time that I can remember doing the Golden Gate portion happily all of the way. In fact, it all felt great. I was sure my steel steed wouldn't climb it very well, but it did just fine.

So that leads me to believe that someone put something in Thanksgiving meal yesterday. What was it? What's this mystery power food? Here's my plate (and there was pumpkin pie afterwards). I'm open to your suggestions. Can't believe it's only Friday. Thank goodness there are two more days for cleaning and riding. This is so vacation-like!

Prepping for the Feast

Today was a glorious 1/2 day at work so, therefore, 1/2 day on the bike, too. It was a cold ride (one that left me zonked and with numb toes), but it still felt great.

I was so exhausted afterward, all I could do was eat a beautiful salad and watch "The Italian." The Italian, however, takes place in Russia and there's almost nothing Italian about it. Still, a wonderful movie with the cutest little kid playing the main role.

The cranberries are popping on the stove. This year I was supposed to bring asparagus to Thanksgiving dinner. I just can't help myself; I cannot go to Thanksgiving without fresh cranberry sauce. And this year will be the introduction of good Italian wines (from Piedmonte and somewhere else up north) to the family gathering. The guy at the store did a good job of telling me the geography of the wines, I'll trust his recommendations.

From Bruges Belgium

One of my friends is in Belgium (I believe to watch some great cross racing), got this picture from him. I wish I knew just how weird it sounds to people from other countries that this is my name. But I can't say I mind seeing it in print in stone. :)

Relaxation

Tonight is finally a bit of relaxation time...well, I have some things that do need to be done, but there is time to sit here for a little while and spend quality time updating the blog. There is so much I want to write, but there are also a lot of emails that I owe people so I should put some effort into those.

With the lovely Colorado weather recently and some schedule modifications, I've finally gotten back on the bike in a way that is reminiscent of how I used to ride and train. And it really feels good. I feel more alive every day that I spend time on the bike. The last time I did the Sunday morning ride (MOB), it was when I was seriously racing. Being back there took me back, though there were many new faces. And yesterday's Twin Peaks ride also took me back to the time when I was on Twin Peaks. This has been a tour of previous years and a very welcome one.

Today we celebrated Amy's birthday (very belated) by having lunch at an Indian place--no one ate except for me (for their own reasons) but I scarfed down the buffet...now let me refrain that. My stomach doesn't hold as much after a solid almost 4-hr ride as it does any other day of the week. I know I ingest too many calories when I don't train.

Yesterday I went to mass at the Italian church in town. It was neat to be in a place with so many Italians. It was a very friendly place and I was happy that I went, even though I could count on one hand the number of people anywhere near my age.

How can it almost be Thanksgiving? I am happy that it is becoming vacation time, so many things to do and I am not going to have much more time off between now and mid-spring.

Catch Up Blogging

It's not fun to get behind on blogging, as it typically means that life has fully gotten out of control. I'm taking a break from working two weeks straight (it's been more like three).

And this week all I did was work. And stress about working. The beginning of the week I was so happy from traveling last week that I had tons of energy and was knocking out the work. By yesterday, I had a hard time getting through it. Stress takes its toll.

This weekend it snowed a lot in a very short period of time, I love lots of snow! Fortunately, I got lots of riding in on the trainer and am getting close to being done with work until tomorrow which is a huge, major deadline that I'm freaking out about...

Last night I went to a friend's housewarming party, 70s theme. I have no 70s clothes nor did I have time to buy any, so I went in all black, which fit my mood pretty well after this week. Below are some of my friends who were at the party.

Last weekend my very cool uncle was in town from NJ so we got a chance to visit and even ride a little together (he borrowed a mountain bike, I met him after finishing up a very nice long-ish road ride to Morrison). 






And here are pictures we each took of each other from where we were standing/lying in downtown Denver:

Two weeks ago I spent the week in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota. For a place like Minnesota that is so freezing cold in the winter, the week I was there was very pleasant. It was a warm 40-50 degrees and I got to workout every day I was there. I find work travel to be very relaxing and a great time to catch up on sleep and workouts. One of the things I truly dislike about my current situation is that I have to drive to work every day. When traveling to another city for work, driving is typically not necessary. I wish I could travel more often!

Notice the walkway above the street--it's part of the 5-10 mile indoor skyway system in the city that allows people to go all over downtown without going outside...yes, it gets THAT cold in the winter in MN.














And the weekend prior to leaving MN was the grand prix cyclocross race in Boulder. Below is a picture of a random racer, but I was trying to capture the beauty of the scene--Boulder mountains in the background and a huge crowd making deafening noise cheering on the cross racers. It was so much fun being out there and it was a perfectly beautiful day (like upper 60s) for a long ride prior to cheering at the race.

And the before the race, I was hiking here, in this winter wonderland near Golden.

Bridesmaid Bowling...

This could take awhile to explain. Basically, we dressed up in our bridesmaid dresses and/or jewelry and went bowling. This was the first time any of us had worn our bridesmaid dresses since the wedding for which the dress had been bought. And, more importantly, it gave us a chance to celebrate everyone who was born in October...four girls in the group! October is a popular month, apparently, to be born and I'd say the month has turned out quite a few terrific people.

Whirlwind

Getting back into life has been insane. There have been so many things going on, I can't keep it all straight. Last weekend started with dinner at Anne's place (she had a lot of organic veggies from a local farm that needed to be eaten...my fav was the spaghetti squash, which was as useful as spaghetti in the meal). It was oooohhhh so good, it sort of took me back to the way I had been accustomed to eating in Italy.

It took me a full week and a day to get to a grocery store after getting home...so I didn't eat much of anything fresh for a little while. Fortunately, I had lots of frozen fruit and veggies, but that's not a good substitute when my taste buds knew the difference.

After the meal, it was time to hang out with new friends (a group that a friend of mine had pulled together, many of them from Washington DC, they came in for Beer Fest). Yes, beer fest is THAT good, it's worth coming all this way for it. And here I am, living in town and I missed it for the second year in a row. Phooey! Anyway, we went to a jazz show at Dazzle. Interesting, I just love jazz, but I realized that think more and am able to go to a happy place when I am listening to jazz. Really need to go more often than once a year.

Saturday night was the Inaugural Party of the Century...and it truly was a party of the century! We had a crowd of probably close to 200 young Catholics (mainly, but wasn't limited to Catholics, of course), the dance floor was full all night and the band had so much fun, they told me how impressed and pleasantly surprised they were at how good everyone was at dancing and how much everyone dance. Trust me, I was shocked. And the dance made up for years and years of disappointing dances, where I would go and not dance all night since the guys wouldn't ask the girls and I was too shy to do anything about it. Everyone had so much fun, in fact, that when the dance was over at midnight, many people were still there not interested in going home yet. And there was a party after the party (the guys felt compelled to empty the kegs!) Seriously sweet.

Sunday my tired legs allowed me to do a little bike path riding and then I had to get cracking on work. No way to start the week! Anyway, there's the update. No need for anyone but me to read this far down this post, I am using this as a journal at this point! This is a weekend I don't want to forget. Tonight I just got back from salsa lessons, I'm really motivated to learn how to dance now that I know how much fun it can be!!!

1 Week Since Returning

I really like blogging as a means of journaling. This is just not as private as a journal should be, but at least it captures the every day stuff that's interesting to remember. Here's a random, cool pic of the Trevi Fountain in Roma. It's huge, it takes more pics to show the whole thing.

Just when I thought the jet lag was over, it seemed to get worse. Every morning I've been waking up really early without the alarm clock (good), but every night at 8 pm, I have turned into a pumpkin. Today that seemed to change, but I was also being very active at 8 pm (at the gym) so maybe I would have gotten super tired had I not been out.

I'm still uploading pictures, but at least enough are up to share the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lifeonskinnytires/Italia# (this only goes 1/2 way through the bike trip so lots of cool pics are still coming). Every day I get a few more up. I've been trying to caption them, but that's taking quite awhile.

Here's a picture of people at hot springs (on a hot day) on the last day of the bike trip. I'm including the picture just because I REALLY want hot springs right now. I leave Denver for ~20 days and it goes from summer to winter. It was raining a good portion of the day today and tonight it smelled like snow (and was quite chilly).

Yesterday was my second ride since being back, but the first long ride. It was 40 miles all uphill, then 40 miles down with a tailwind. Started at 6:30 am since the Italian Festival was going on and I didn't want to miss it! I haven't ridden that far without a break for espresso, melone, figs or a full garden-fresh lunch in a very long time. I missed the food stops.

Had a scary blowout with my front tire, but fortunately the tire stayed on the rim and I was able to get the bike stopped before the rim touched the pavement. This is the second time I've had a ride-stopping mechanical really close to The Bike Station. Funny, because I was thinking that I should drop in to say hi to Pete and tell him all about the trip.

The Italian Festival was enjoyable since it was fairly authentic--all of the signs were in Italian and there were quite a few true Italians there (like those who speak the language). I kept myself away from the gelato and other food so as to not mess up my memory of what I had eaten in Italy, but I did have a very pleasing cannoli. The live music was fun and definitely the best part, well, and enjoying the time with my parents who have become much more interested in all things Italian lately. I wonder why!

Saturday I spent at a Theology of the Body conference. If you're Catholic (or even if you aren't), I highly recommend learning all about it. I think it holds the answers to so much of what is confusing in life, especially when it comes to relationships and the fundamental meaning of life. Theology of the Body is straight from the teachings of Pope John Paul II, he spent most of his life developing it but it doesn't sound like anything you'd ever hear a priest or a pope say. Seriously, check it out.

Trying to get back into normal life

It just occurred to me today that I don't remember seeing anyone walking around the streets talking on their cell phones or texting anywhere in Italy. I'm sure people do it somewhere, but not to the extent we do it here. And I saw quite a few young people all over the streets and on the beach (in Fano).

Another thing that took some getting used to is all of the big cars here. Even the small ones are huge compared with Italian Fiats and zippy matchbox-sized cars. And I had to get used to driving again (not that I wanted to, I could be very happy never driving).

It has been really tricky to sit and work yesterday and today. After being so active for so long, I got into that mode of moving constantly (unless I was sitting down at a meal). Tonight I ran and lifted, that helped rid me of some pent up energy. The time on the bike really kindled my desire to be race-fit again. And the trip helped me get close to race weight. After all of the huge meals and gelati (that's plural for gelato), I came home lighter. Maybe I should write a book entitled "The Gelato Diet."

Italian Fair coming up this weekend in Denver! I'm so excited to go, but am concerned the food won't be as good as it is in Italy, I don't want to eat anything that might possibly erase the memory of those flavors, textures, aromas...

Jet Lag & Getting Back to Reality

Today was my first day back at work. I needed yesterday to rest and unpack. Strangely, I awoke at 5:30 am this morning without an alarm and felt great. (HUH?) However, right around lunch time, I felt so super tired and that lasted for most of the rest of the day.

There are a couple of dances coming up this weekend and next (this is highly unusual) and I've been wanting to learn how to dance so somehow I gathered the energy to go out to salsa dance lessons. That was almost as aerobic as a good training ride and incredibly fun. (Does it count as cross training?) The salsa fusion dancing after the lesson was really sweet and there were live drummers.

All my pictures still need to be uploaded, when they're up, I'll post a link here to them. And yes, final thoughts and more Italy stuff coming this weekend.

La Dolce Vita

After 12 hours in airplanes today and an 8 hour difference in time, I have not slept since I awoke in Roma at 6 am. I don't want to do the math--that's being awake waaay too many hours. All of the travel time gave me time to think about the trip and bellisima Italia. A piece of my heart didn't make the trip home with me--I think I left it in one of the Umbrian hill towns. I am happy to see my family (and Mom made this super good arugula salad tonight and ravioli, go Mom!) I'm quite content to have more Italian food.


Arrivederci!

Today in Roma and the Vatican

I know this is jumping around a lot, but now it is officially past my bedtime and I am officially tired of blogging. I visited the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel today. St. Peter's bascillica was closed, I understand the Pope was making new bishops there. Tomorrow we will go to mass there, not sure which one. Spent a lot of time walking all over Rome tonight to see the sights and do a fair amount of people watching.

We got some rain tonight. The first clap of thunder was so appropriate for Rome: it was incredibly loud and it rolled through the sky for a few long seconds. Then rain poured and the thousands of people in the streets next to the Spanish Steps fled under awnings. Made for a peaceful scene during the rain. It is still really warm here so I didn't mind walking in the rain.

View of St. Peter's from the top of the Spanish Steps.

Bottom of the Spanish Steps looking up.

View from 1/2 way up the Spanish steps at the huge crowd below. There are so many more people in these streets well into the night than what I typically see in NYC.

Bronze statue of Hercules. Very few bronze statues from way back still exist. This was in the Vatican museum. I took so many pics, I won't post them, it was such a vast collection. Was really good to have a guided tour and being able to skip the line was a MUST.

In St. Peter's Square after the tour early this afternoon.

Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with cousins who just happen to be vacationing in Roma, too and I should see the Colosseum, Pantheon, etc. The trip is almost over. I will be very happy to see everyone back home, but I can't say I'm homesick yet.

I'll blog more about my thoughts on Italy, etc. later. All I can say right now is that I am definitely not coming home the same person who came here 2 1/2 weeks ago. I wish I had taken this trip years ago, but I also think the timing on this trip couldn't have been any better for a few reasons.

Thanks again to everyone out there in blog land, it has been fun traveling with you!

Ciao ciao!

Fast Forward to Porto Ercole

This is most of the group after we finished our coast-to-coast ride (Gina isn't here, she was visiting the x-ray machine thanks to a crash 2 miles from the end of the whole ride, fortunately, she was fine, just has horrible looking bruises). Jim and Roe had to go home early thanks to Jim's bad crash that caused him to have a bad concussion. His crash was caused by bad pavement (solo crash).

It was so beautiful in Porto Ercole, it was a nice time to have some beer, but I didn't end up getting in the water. The dinner that night was, again, scrumptious.

Spello & Rest Day in Spello

Food at dinner in Spello. The order of pics is going to be a bit screwy. It is almost midnight in Italy and a whole bunch of people just walked in so I don't have the privacy I've been very fortunate to have previously tonight.

What a great setting for dinner overlooking Spello!!!

On the ride out of Spello, we stopped for a photo op by the Roman theater.

Not sure what this is, but it's worth the pic!

See all of the stuff on Bevagna. Most of the time in Spello (for me) was spent riding to/from Bevagna. We did get a tour of a winery in Spello which was really good and a tour of Assisi. I think this is where my power blogging for the night is about to end. Will finish the rest when I can!

Gubbio

I think the ride into Gubio offered some seriously cool roads and lots of greenery. There were a few spots where I really wanted to stop and take a pic, but the road was too winding with no shoulders.

There's our support van, it was always a pleasing sound to hear its engine and friendly honking...and loud Italian music when Marcello was driving!
After we rode three times counter-clockwise around the fountain in Gubbio, the purpose was so that we could be crazy like the rest of the town.

Near Genga and the Caves

Near Genga, very close to the grottas (caves). Ga-ga gorgeous!

Pics of the grottas, we weren't allowed to take pics inside, isn't this fabulous?! It was the biggest surprise of the trip to me, I was totally blown away by the magnitude of them.

Again, looking from the gift shop at the grottas to the valley below.

This the place where we stayed (near Genga). Sorry for no pool pics, it was a really cool pool, too!

Urbino to a place near Genga (middle of nowhere)

From Urbino, we rode to this little town that was in the middle of nowhere, near Genga. I enjoyed being in the middle of nowhere so after the ride (which was a hammer fest for the extra loop that was a really long climb and the rest of the ride that was rollers) the only thing to do was sit in the cool pool and soak in the very fresh air.

Below are pictures from the ride.

At the end of the very long climb up a mountain.

Pretty woods. This is a hiking path that looks like fun, apparently there are many like these marked clearly all over the hills here.

Fano to Urbino

View from my room in Fano (it faced the railroad tracks, not ocean, but I thought it was still really cool considering the roof tops are gorgeous). Gina and I were there for 3 days in total. It was very nice to have time after getting off the plane to soak in the sea and relax prior to getting on the schedule of the bike trip. (Don't get me wrong: it was great to be on a schedule during the trip, felt great to get up and out early and have a full day every day.)

Nice scenery on the ride from Fano to Urbino.

Rest stop before the extra loop split from the rest of the pack. The loop was a gorgeous climb with great views.

This is the view: (pics don't do any of these vistas justice!)

Somewhere between Fano and Urbino, yeah, gorgeous yet again!

Food in Urbino (this is the dessert, sort of like flan with different toppings). Dessert here was never very heavy and did a nice job of completing dinner.

Urbino was a cool town. Apparently it has a few colleges there, that would explain all of the busling in it.

On a tour with Andrea prior to getting on the bikes and leaving Urbino.

Prior to every bike ride, our leaders would give us maps and tell us about everything we would encounter during the day on the bikes.

The courtyard in the place where we stayed (a converted convent) in Urbino was awesome.

One of the many hilly & brick roads in Urbino.