good things

The last few months have been really, really good. I mean, i know that there are some weeks and months that are better than others, for all of us, but by in large i can say that things have been relatively wonderful. My wife first of all is really great and she makes me feel good and she is pretty great at making things out of cloth and she is just plain fantastic.
I have been working a whole lot and feeling pretty good about my activity level which brings me to this post, and picture.
I fixed a friends bike a few days ago and decided that since he lived close to the fire station and I was going to be there today to help out, I thought I would ride there and run back. Not a huge distance, but a fun and good run none the less. It took me about an hour and much twisting and turning and backtracking along Bellingham's great city trail system to finally get home.

Chocolate milk..... The only thing i wanted and my body craved it. And justifying it by reminding myself that somewhere in some wacky, yet reliable, sports magazine, i had read how chocolate milk was one of the best recovery drinks out there. And there is truly NONE better than Twin Brook Chocolate Milk. Local company, reusable bottles, not to sweet by any means, and on a sunshiny Bellingham day that wakes us out of our winter drowsiness and reminds us summer is here, it is true bliss. And summers in Bellingham... the next few months are going to be exceptionally good, yes indeed.

With eager anticipation

We wait for the day and enjoy all the ones in between. On February 21st I asked Miss Laura Christine Riches to marry me and she said yes. It has been quite the road over the last few years, but the date has been set, there is a ring on her left hand and we are both very, very happy.
The process begins of planning a wedding, turns out I have never done it before, but I am enjoying it none the less. We have a superb community of people here who have volunteered their time and resources to help us. One of them being Garrett Grove, a close friend who offered to take some engagement photos of Laura and I here in Bellingham. As you can see in addition to being a good friend, he is an exceptional photographer.

Having to move on...without wheels

I would love to say that I gave her up after a long hard fight where I tried tirelessly for hours and hours and blood sweat and tears to revive her, but it wasn't the case.
During the freeze here in Bellingham I forgot, well thought the best of my truck, that I could leave it in sub-freezing temps for over a week with little to no anti-freeze, and it would be fine. Well no. I cracked the block. So for two bills I gave it to a county guy. It was sad to see her go, so sad. With the MBA alumni, American flag and Obama sticker on the back window. It was a running contradiction. So now I have only the bike and Laura's truck... oh wait, yep her head gasket needs to be changed. No car for a while!

A few months and such

It seems like it has been an eternity since I have updated. Things have been changing for good and scary and scarier. I am still in Bellingham, I have been working the same job as a property manager during the day and by night I am a saver of the Bellingham-outskirts population as a firefighter... well not really. I pulled my first shift the other day which was uneventful. I was nervous the whole time, but we never had a call. I like it a whole heap. I like the part where I get to work on a team, that I am a part of helping people and that I get to be always active. Even at the fire hall, when there were no calls, we did pull-ups and cleaned and just chatted.

On the side I am volunteering for the YMCA. I set routes for the climbing community who flock indoors to wade out the monsoon season here. It has been a challenge, especially the part where I was asked to put up a 5.12. A level that I have only climbed a few times in my life. So my m.o. for this route is if I can barely do the move then it is 5.12.

And then there is The Hub. Oh how I love the Hub. It is the bike shop I volunteer at here. I spent five hours there this past Saturday and it felt like an hour. I was taking apart an older bike to clean and then rebuild it for the shop. They in turn will sell it at a reduced price to someone who will love it. I am learning a whole bunch about bikes this way, and I feel like I am really investing in Bellingham which I like as well. Trouble is I have had this one bike of my own for a little while now that I have been hoping to build up into a fixie, but I take up all my time doing this other bike I don't get to it.

And lastly, and most important is that I have Laura Christine Riches back in my life. Yeah, it is pretty much the sweetest part of me right now. She doesn't complete me, she hasn't made me perfect, she isn't a southern bell, but she is what I want. She is funny, kind, thoughtful, and she is good for me. We're good for each other. There is still a lot we are working through, but I don't know a couple who don't have to. Things are smoother. Nashville was great together. My little nephew and the rest of the family was an absolute joy to be around. And hats off to my sister-in-laws who are the best ones in the entire universe. Thanks Erin and Pace.

Iron and Wine

For the last week I have been listening to the Iron and Wine album and their video for "Boy with a Coin" is worth taking a look at. So here it is. I love the angles, the dance, the song, the intensity, all of it.

114 miles

Mark and dad came out about two weeks ago to hang and be in the great Pacific Northwest. They hung in Seattle until I could have a day off at which point they came up to the "City of Subdued Excitement" Bellingham to eat some good food, and do some fun trips.

My personal favorite was ferrying out to Orcas Island and biking to the top of Mt. Constitution. I had been wanting to bike all the way from Bellingham and then to the top, but I didn't feel like I was in good enough shape, and didn't know if dad and Mark were going to be into it. Well of course we got off late, barely made the ferry and had a really great ride to the top. It super steep at parts and I wasn't sure if my gearing was going to be enough, but it was. All three of us made it to the top and all the grunting and sweat was worth it when it came time to go down.

All this background to get to the present day. Two hours ago I just returned from my bike trip to the top of Artist's Point, the highest point accessible by car near Mt. Baker. I had thought about this for a long time, wasn't sure if I could do it, but after the Mt. Constitution climb, I was pretty sure it was possible.

I left this morning at six:thirtyam on my fortyninecm Lemond Poprad from my front door.

Anis Mojgani sounded off my little iPod an hour into the ride. I froze. It has been chilly here in the mornings, and this morning was no exception. Fog was all around, walls of cold open air mixed with the warm sections as I ducked into a mass of woods. It was delicious. Taking off my gloves to blow into my hands to warm them, and pedaling like a madman to get my body temp up. At eight:thirty I finally broke a sweat. Once I was out of the city of Glacier I was over half way. I was focused and just trying to conserve all my energy for the actual climb. Coldplay X&Y and David Gray White Ladder had already played through, but instead of going to the I am Sam soundtrack after the maintenance shed signaling the beginning of the climb. I found some Rage Against the Machine to get me to the top. I was suprised initially by the lack of steepness. I was in a pretty high gear the entire time, but what was lacking in grade was made up for in length. It took me an hour and a bit to finally get to the top. Five hours from my front door. Beautiful. Quiet. Thankful. I laid down for a quick power nap and to enjoy my realised dream.
Back on the bike I made it home in three hours. I was feeling good, and the thought of home was taunting me. Went through I am Sam soundtrack, one song from Imogean Heap and then the new Iron and Wine album paying special attention to Boy with a Coin that I fell in love with. Patty Griffin saw me into town. And just the sounds of cars and Bellingham to get home. Eight hours total.

It was a good ride for a lot of reasons. The last few weeks have been less than easy. Damn hard really. When I got up I just wanted to spend the day curled up in bed, but I worked some things out on this trip. I'm glad I did it. I felt alive on this trip. It is good to feel this way. Hopefully in the future it doesn't take onehundredandfourteen miles to get this emotion. Until I get there, I am happy with today.

The Happenings

I just realized that there is a lot going on in my life at the moment. Some of it good, and some hard and some exciting and well I guess I should just get to going on the telling of the last few months.
I am a volunteer firefighter in the state of Washington. This is exciting. Apparently there was a orientation today that wasn't on the sheet they gave us, but the last of the Connally clan was getting married down in Tacoma, so i wasn't able to be there. Not able meaning that I didn't know about this meeting. So appart from missing the first major training session, I am really excited about starting this. I got all my gear for the academy that will start soon, and even a really sweet helmet with my name on the back.

I started counceling. I needed some feedback from an outside source to walk through some messiness. I have had one session, but I am excited about going for a while and seeing what comes from it.

Laura and I broke up. If you know me from the last almost year and a half, Laura was a huge part of my life. This is the hard/sad/good part of my life at the moment. I know that it was the right thing, albeit hard, but we are both moving forward.

The return to Bellingham. There are so many people coming back to Bellinham I can hardly contain all the stoked emotions. Team Pfriem came back with their beautiful two year old and dog and incredible beer talents to work in a local brewery that hasn't been so successful as of late. The Groves have been here since the beginning of the summer, the Mauss fam has been here for a little bit, and the list goes on of people who once were lost, but have been found again in the sweet embrace of Bellingham's sometime drenched, but loving arms.

And biking. I have become hooked on it as have some of the TN crew mainly the two bros, Edward, and Kevin. We are trying to convert the world. I have been volunteering at a local bike shop called The Hub, and have been looking at bikes to fix and to fix up to bomb around on and make a few extra bucks. I love helping people there and the satisfaction of having them come in and leave without me having to ask someone else a single question. It is so sweet. All I do is help people. It is sweet.