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.