All Good Things Must Come To An End

Posted on by Lindsay
I'm sitting outside for one last sunset in Tucson before leaving for California tomorrow. From one perspective, this trip has been one long series of goodbyes: I said goodbye to home, goodbye to each new place I discovered along the drive across the country, goodbye to Andrew and many of my teammates at the end of camp, and now I am saying goodbye to Tucson. This place has become home. It's missing a few critical things - Andrew, my parents, the pets - but something about it has stolen my heart in a way that will never be undone. When I am alone on the side of Mt. Lemmon looking at the vastness of the hills and the desert while the wind blows, I feel the happiest and most alive. It's not the coffee shops or the great tortillas or the other cyclists; it's just the desert and the mountains and the way the sky is ...continue reading.

This is how life looks right now

Posted on by Lindsay
Once upon a time, life in Arizona was so lovely and entertaining that I couldn't find the motivation to write a proper post. So here are a lot of photos instead: [caption id="attachment_5982" align="alignnone" width="600"] The Peppers rock. (Ha. HA. Get it?)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5983" align="alignnone" width="600"] COME AT ME, BRO[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5977" align="alignnone" width="600"] Our host here in Tucson shares a last name with Andrew and because I am simple, this is thrilling.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5973" align="alignnone" width="600"] Nothing is more terrifying then a chipmunk darting across the bike path when you're on the aero bars. They're everywhere out here and holy crap, they have huge balls.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5978" align="alignnone" width="600"] Learning to ride my TT bike one anxious grimace at a time. Then I finished 3rd in the Tucson Bicycle Classic TT and now I'm all WATCH ME ROCK THIS, I'M GONNA WIN THE OLYMPICS.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5976" align="alignnone" width="600"] We don't mess around with getting to ...continue reading.

Pepper Palace: Your #1 Source for Awesome Sauce

Posted on by Lindsay
Andrew arrived in Tucson just over a week ago. I was nervously primping (because even though he's stuck with me for life, I don't need to make him regret that decision) when my roommate asked, "Do you have any clothes that aren't for cycling or the gym?" No. I have mascara and sweatpants. When he arrived, it was a whirlwind of activity for three straight days. I wanted to show him my favorite places around town (Stella Java, La Estrella Bakery, Mt. Lemmon, Time Market, Le Buzz...hmm, this list is rather food-heavy) and we also had to get all of the team bikes ready for camp. By "we", I mean "Andrew" while I spectated and offered helpful suggestions like, "How's my TT bike coming along? Will you be done soon? When can we go eat?" And then in no time at all, we were driving with Julie in a caravan towards the Phoenix airport to collect ...continue reading.

PTSD from that time my parents tried to kill me with fish

Posted on by Lindsay
About six weeks ago, my parents invited Andrew and me over for Sunday dinner. "I'm marinating hamburgers and a salmon burger for you," my father said excitedly. Then they cancelled a few hours before, because they do not love their only child. Dinner was rescheduled for the following Sunday. "I'm still marinating those hamburgers," my father said. "They'll be so flavorful!" We gathered for dinner; everybody ate their beef burgers while I had my salmon patty (which had been marinated and cooked separately). It was flavorful: brimming with the delicious flavor of fish. Nobody else tried the salmon. The next evening, I started feeling badly. I crawled into bed early, hoping it would pass, but soon became horribly ill. To briefly and non-graphically summarize the subsequent five hours: I exploded and begged for death to come take me away. Andrew watched sympathetically, because marriage means you cannot run screaming when your spouse is ...continue reading.

Reunited and it feels so good

Posted on by Lindsay
Life here in Tucson is great! I'm just sitting here at the kitchen table, stress eating and waiting for the locksmith to arrive. My car keys are missing and after ransacking the house and dumpster diving the neighbor's rolling trash can (try to look dignified while doing that), I've resorted to calling a professional. The $46 fee is spent at this point, so now I'm really hoping the keys are locked in the car. If not, I will be devastated that my keys are still missing because I will have no way to go buy the alcohol required to move past this. Other than the obvious, things are good. I did the famous Shootout group ride on Saturday morning and while I wanted to die a million deaths during the ride, my first thought after it ended was that I couldn't wait to do it again. Sunday was a sufferfest up Mt. Lemmon, noteworthy for the glorious ...continue reading.

You made my dreams come true so here are some nice socks

Posted on by Lindsay
This trip has already been amazing - while I've written about many of the wonderful moments here, there is so much more that has been left unsaid. I feel like a different person than I was a month ago. Happier, lighter, more confident, more relaxed. I've met so many new people and dropped into so many different places and lives. It's give me a chance to let go of many of the bad habits and dead weight I was carrying around at home. Instead of wishing my life were something bigger or feeling angry that it's not more like I'd hoped, I'm getting the opportunity to make it everything I've ever wanted. Holy shit, that feels good. I feel so lucky to have this be my life right now. It's not all luck, though. I have people - my parents, my coach, my friends and teammates - who are making this possible and ...continue reading.