Merry Christmas

I wasn't really sure we would ever get to take this picture. Denali has been touch and go for quite a while...he's officially been diagnosed with cancer and has had us all wondering whether or not it's time to say goodbye. It's a tough decision for sure, particularly for my folks, who've been taking such good care of him for quite a while now. His good days still far outnumber his bad, and Christmas was definitely a good day. And so, our first Christmas card with Abigail is a picture with the whole family...Me, Kira, Abigail, Luna and Denali. Merry Christmas everyone

I'm dreaming

of a white Christmas. Though it looks more likely that my dreams will be mixed, literally, with rain and sleet and temps too warm to sustain this brief bit of winter here in Westfield. Things are good...Abigail is finally getting her eat on. It took some time, but Kira and Abbie are no longer fronting in the feeding department. Kira has been great, and it hasn't been easy. Watching her run through the range of emotions this week...frustration, elation, disappointment, relief...while she gets an average of 4 hours of sleep a day, has been difficult...I wish there was something I could do to take away all the work she has to do. But unfortunately, my boobs don't work quite the same. Even if they did, they don't look nearly as nice as hers.

I Miss You Already

Aunt Erika left today...she came up to visit on Monday. She was a HUGE help! She helped Kira with all kinds of things, too many to list, really. More than anything...the great dinners, the cleaning, the trips to the market, Abigails first walk around the block, the trip to see the surly lactation consultant in Chatham...it was just great to have her here with us. We're really lucky. We are so grateful to Pavel and Sophia for parting with mom for a few days...looking forward to seeing them soon. Thanks again Erika, we miss you already

I believe in miracles

Say hello to Abigail Ray Theesfeld, who decided to join us here a bit early on Monday evening, Dec. 1st. It has been an unbelievable couple of days...completely overwhelming in ways I could have never imagined....but I think I'm most overcome with the feeling that she truly is miraculous. I don't mean that in a "my girl is the most important, miraculous child ever to grace the good earth" (though I'm sure you all would forgive me for feeling so..)...but really, the whole thing, from the moment I met Kira, to our second date seeing Ray Lamontagne at the TLA, to that June day in New Paltz 2 summers ago...all of it leading up to monday night...has been remarkable, a blessing. I think we're both overcome with the feeeling that we're so blessed to have shared so many things with each other and so many friends and our families. We are so grateful for everything...and now, the greatest gift, our little girl.

Getting really, really close

I am a horrible person...that is, if a horrible person is someone who can describe himself as someone who continues to make feeble attempts at posting his semi daily activities for all the world to see.
Then again, it's hard to imagine I can be that bad if I've been lucky enough to spend my days with Kira and be hours away from being a father. I think we're that close. Kira's starting to feel it quite a bit...she's a rock star, getting ready to bear down and get it done. We just carbo loaded...a big pot of sauce and meatballs and pasta...getting ready for what we're half jokingly calling the baby Zofingen (more on the Zof later). It's crazy, this whole trip...Send some good thoughts our way.

Happy Easter

Spending the day with Pavel, Erika and Sophia today...really looking forward to seeing them all, I feel like this has been the longest stretch of time since I've been with Kira that I haven't seen them, and I'm definitely missin' them. Lots of people out and about today in their Sunday best...it's nice too see so many families together, lots of generations...I wish my grandparents were still around, it would be really nice to sit and talk now that I'm starting a family of my own, I hope my poppy would be proud of me. A good day to realize how blessed we all are...

Feelin' Lucky

Today was a really great late winter/early spring day. A great day to get some big miles in, to put some time in, to start feeling really good about the work I've put in the past few months...but I spent most of the day on the couch...and I'm really lucky I did. I've got 12 staples in my back right now holding together a wound from surgery on tuesday. I had a moderate/severely dysplastic nevi (a really bad mole) removed...the staples will come out in 2 weeks and 2 weeks later I'll have another one taken out and some more staples put in. So, I can look forward to the better part of my spring being unable to bend over to tie my shoes for fear of tearing out staples. By the middle/end of may, I'm hoping to get my fitness back to where it was 2 weeks ago. I'm not going to lie, I'm bummed...but I'm lucky. I don't have melanoma, and if I did, we're taking care to make sure we catch it on time. Kira set me straight last week...a spring without riding or running or climbing is a hell of a lot better than the alternative. Sitting on the couch is definitely not the best use of my time, and I'm a bit disappointed it's how I spent my day...but it's rest, which I need...it's time to put some thoughts and ideas together...take some slow walks with the dogs around the new neighborhood...and be thankful for how lucky I am

The Move...

is over. It sucked, moving always sucks. It probably would have been a bit easier if we had spent less time watching Lost and more time packing, but it still would have sucked. We're home now, for a long time to come we hope, and we're happy. We worked hard this weekend, didn't sleep much, didn't eat well...but we held it together, worked together, and with lots of help from our families we got it done.
So, we're in Westfield and looking forward to so many things. Looking forward to not feeling like we have to find another home in a year, looking forward to making some friends, looking forward to feeling like we can put things in motion without worrying about things coming to a halt...lots of things.

Here we go again...

Moving again, the fourth time in four years...from Chester, NJ to Philly to Hoboken and now onto Westfield, NJ...only this time is different. No longer will I be a renter...Kira and I are the proud owners of our first home. We closed yesterday, and it really was a great time (which doesn't always seem to be the case with closings). Our whole crew really was amazing...starting with our realtor Jim Euwer at Weichert, Jackie at WaMu, who somehow managed to score us the greatest mortgage of the past decade, I think, and our lawyer in westfield, Jack Edgewood (aka Jim Miner). We're super psyched to be heading out to Westfield...I realize our lives have somehow become a bit of a cliche...Hoboken to Westfield...if I start driving a BMW SUV kill me, please...but we think Westfield is a really good place to be...who knows how long we'll be there...maybe just a year, maybe 5, maybe forever. Right now, it's a good fit. Sure, there's a big part of me that would rather be far away from the city, off the grid a bit...climbing, running, riding, getting after it every day. But I'm not ready to bail yet...we've got a decent thing going on where we're at, and we're not ready to turn our backs on it. Talk to me in 6 months, or a year...so much can change...maybe we'll decide we've had enough...maybe our jobs will change (I'm still plugging along on the NYMEX, they haven't locked the doors yet), maybe we'll be ready for kids, maybe we just shouldn't worry about the maybes and enjoy our time...I think that's the best idea

testing, testing (redux)...

Some more tests of the strength variety. I've actually been on the bike quite a bit the past month, testing, figuring out FTP, working on building endurance. I'm way ahead of the curve compared to last year...actually, compared to just about any year since I've been training and racing. I'm really looking forward to this year...some fun, big, long races planned...we're moving (again!) in a few weeks, and work is super stressful (I'm convinced I'll be out of a job any day now...though I've felt that way for about the past year or so...welcome to the wonderful world of trading energy futures on the NYMEX)...but I'm really motivated, really happy about a lot of things...our marriage, our new home, our families, our dogs...lots to be happy about, lots of reasons to keep rollin'...
Max Pullups: 19
Max Squat: 235
Max Deadlift: 295
Max Hangclean and Press: 125