The Grimm Family

Don't get caught seeing Stars

2011-01-17T22:02:00.003-05:00

Thanks Dale!

1st Corinthians 9:25-27Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.

So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air.

Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.

This devotion got my attention this time thanks to Dale and God's Word. I have seen this verse and have read it over and over again. It has hit me like a ton of bricks, as if I was a cartoon character seeing stars. God has made some big adjustments in my life. Today I gave Him my all my very best all day long. It feels good to actually do something right for once. Got up at 4:30 am prayed to Him on my way to work on my bike. Didn't complain about being froze in 7* weather because I had faith that He would reward me with 30 + * temps going home. At work I worked by myself and got the work done with His Hands because we were short 3 out of 4 workers today. His plan was perfect today at work because I had time to spare and left out of work on time. I also prayed on and off all day since I had no one around to talk too, kind of lonely and spooky. I prayed for others, not for myself to get the work done. : )

So now I am on my way home and yes God is Great because I rode hard for 1 hour of my hour and a half ride, kind of wish I would have had the power tap on just to see how much watts God was pushing me. Especially when the car sloooowly passed me with grinning faces. Love it when that happens, but it always seems to happen with a tail wind, well almost everytime. Made it home and my mom had supper for my wife, that is very ill due to her pregnancy, daughter, and me. Ok so it was just for me but she did bring a lot of other stuff for them. Becky still can't eat and is losing to much weight and she should be gaining instead. Prasie the Lord because Becky felt so much better tonight, Doctors gave her a perscription that has helped her, I pray for her health tonight and the weeks ahead. God blessed our evening together as a family and now I write this this for my blog that hasn't been updated for a long time. Thanks Dale for His word!

Win With Him!

JC

Champions

2010-11-17T08:49:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we would like to be a Champion. Other times we just want others to be Champions. I have found over the years that it is not worth trying to be a Champion for yourself. The satisfaction you get when you win is no where as close as when someone you Love wins. This 2011 season coming up is full of Champions. We have all raced together and we know how to win together. We all know our limits and have communicated in the past, can't wait.

In my life communication has helped me get closer to doing the right thing every day. It all depends on who you communicate best with. God makes things happen in your life for many reasons. He communicates to us everyday, the real question is are you listening? I find it so much easier to do everything with my attention on Him. So glad that He has created others to help me grow in the best of all we do. Having fun in life is what He wants for us. The bad things in our lives are very hard to get through when our trust isn't in Him. I hope that I can focus more on Him every day so that way I can be a Happy Loving person more.

Altoona and Caylin at School

2010-08-31T21:15:00.003-04:00

I have been really wanting a victory in cycling for a long time. It is great to get a good result at a big race like Altoona, but I feel like I can do better. My wife will be starting me on a workout program in a week's time after my last race of this year and I look forward to the 2011 cycling season with RGF. I learned a lot about myself this year and I think that next year will be the best yet. I will have another weeks vacation and possible talk of 4 10 hour days at work which would help big time with cycling and family time. Right now our family focus is on Caylin as she has started school and let me tell you she is a lot like me when I was her age, not good for the kids that pick on her. She has already stood up for herself as she was pushed down to the ground and she got up and pushed the boy down. I am trying to teach her to tell the teacher or adult instead of pushing back because she does not want to get in trouble at school or at home. I am glad she stuck up for herself, but she really needs to let the school take care of the rest and protect our girl. She has been telling us everything which is a great start, praying that will last forever. So one day of racing next week, labor day in Detroit and then it is time to work out for next year. Here is the team press release about Altoona: http://www.rgfsolutionssportsmarketing.com/pdfs/229.pdf

The Spoon

2010-08-31T21:12:00.000-04:00

A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table.
In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly.
They appeared to be famished.
They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.
But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."

They went to the next room and opened the door.
It was exactly the same as the first one.
There was the large round table with the large pot of stew, which made the holy man's mouth water.
The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, "I don't understand."
"It is simple,' said the Lord. "It requires but one skill.
You see, they have learned to feed each other.
The greedy think only of themselves.'

When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you.

Remember that
I will always share my spoon with you.

Reckless Bike Race in Grand Rapids

2010-07-14T06:49:00.001-04:00

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/grand-cycling-classic-ne/elite-men/results

Another hot day of racing for more than an hour and a half. This was going to be the hardest race for me this year. Grand Rapids has always been nice to race at the last 3 out of 4 years that I have been able to race there. The course was a little different than two years ago. I really enjoyed the course this year. I knew that my legs felt great before the start, even after sitting in the car for more than five and a half hours. Our team Cleveland Clinic Sports Health / RGF pb Felt Bicycles had started with 4 riders, Cruise, Alan, Adam, and I. The race started out with attacks only from Bissel Pro team and it didn't stop from start to finish. I stayed at the front of the race all but 10 laps when I burnt too many matches staying in the top 10 for 20 mins. I took a chance and played tail gunner at the back of the 60 man field for 10 laps until I felt better. I noticed Adam was doing a great job staying up front so that took the pressure off as well. As I moved up front again and made some very hard breaks following wheels I hit a pot hole that should have been filled before the race. Four laps later my tire was flat. Thanks to the Sram support, (team sponsor) I got my new wheel and was back up front. It was too late though as a Bissel rider was solo and no one was chasing. With maybe 20 mins. to go, Kenda Pro team and Flying V pro team riders took off. I followed and all three of us worked together to get a break from the field. United Health joined us later and we had a Bissel rider messing it up.

During this whole race I saw another side to Pro racers that I don't care to see. Some of the Pro racers were trying to wreck others on purpose. They looked like they were biting others ears off as they were yelling at each other. I guess I never thought about it but man this is their job and they want to win so they can get sponsors for next year. I really didn't care for Bissel racing the way they did. Bissel had a guy jump away before the turns and the teammates would sprint to the next turn and slam on their brakes to try and wreck everyone behind them. This also happened when I jumped on a Kenda pro riders wheel and it was a good thing I was looking forward when he did this to me or I would have taken is rear derailer off. He wanted me to pull through and I didn't want to at that time so when he slammed his brakes I went flying by. This kind of racing doesn't make it fun and it is very childish and arrogant. Praise God no one was seriously hurt this time.

Back to the break that almost lasted to the end. The field was close to us maybe 10 seconds with a gap to the solo Bissel leader and from the field. So United Health rider jumped and I jumped passed him wanting him to grab my wheel as we had a small gap. We would have caught the solo rider but who knows what would have happend after that. I wish I would have tried to join the solo rider but I don't know if I would have caught him. That was the last attack of the day. All I had to do was hang on till the end and just maybe a top ten liked I had hoped for before the race started. I knew I spent to much time working the last break and as the last 3 laps were coming to an end our group now had over 15 riders as they came from the field. Kenda led out the last 2 laps before the final lap. As we went by the start finish line we flew up the brick section up the false flat. My eyes were on United Health Pro as they took the first two left turns at the fastest speeds of the day. We took the quick right turn and left turn next as I got put back a couple of places before another brick section. As we took the last 2 left hand turns I was keeping pace with the lead out train but could not pass but one Bissel rider in the end for 9th place. I know it would have been a better result if our full team was at the race today. I look forward to racing with the whole team in the next few months. My Zipps and Felt bike worked perfectly as it crossed the bricks today. Also Hammer gave me some more great products to help get in the top ten against the best U.S. Pro Crit Racers. Look forward to a better result in the future. Thank you Lord again for our safety and health to do this sport that we love.

Math

2009-12-23T07:06:00.000-05:00

The Beauty of Mathematics and the Love of God! This is TOO cool!

Just the math part is good enough, the end is even better.

I bet you will NOT be able to read it without sending it on to at least one other person!

I received this e-mail and thought it was pretty cool! Keep scrolling it gets better. 

Beauty of Mathematics!!!!!!!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Mind Boggling...

Now, take a look at this....

101%

>From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100% ?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100% ?

Ever wonder about those people who say they
Are giving more than 100% ?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to

GIVE OVER 100%...

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help
Answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E

1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

If you find this interesting share it with your friends & loved ones.
Have a nice day & God bless you

Commit To Him

2009-11-20T19:25:00.003-05:00

Day 81; Now I have started to take care of my physical needs. I have loved reading the Bible everyday and posting it on facebook. I feel it keeps me accountable to God and it helps when others help out as well. I am not surprised but it has been 41 days of no junk food. I wish I would have been a do'er earlier in life. I have made a lot of wrong choices, and I am so glad I am making better choices now. I am not perfect and never will be. I can tell you this for sure, I have that joy back and am going to let my light shine for Him.

So here is how God has been working in my life. I hope this helps you in your life. I feel God's word speaks to me everyday. I pray that His word works in my life daily for others. I try to focus all on others and not on myself. It is very hard to do all the time and I don't know why but it is the hardest with family. My family is the best and I just really want them to be happy and they are. I have to talk to someone and it is usually my family first. It is a great thing to go to your family first but they also need to feel loved too. I have spent some more time on the phone talking about cycling recently, more on that in a second. I have spent time being a servant of the Lord and have enjoyed that as well. Also I have been riding more on the weekends with friends. All of this time away from family and things have been better than before. My wife and I have enjoyed spending more time together. Also Caylin and I spend more time together playing the wii and her learning the Bible. I feel all these things are going on because I spend more time caring about them. This all has to do with the Bible changing my life. God will continue to mold me the way He wants as long as I Love Him with all of my heart and life. Last year was a good year but I have enjoyed the last 81 days more and so has my wife. She says I am doing good and we are doing good. I have tried to be their for my friends as well. I pray that I will do everything He wants me to do and this has been hard for me.

So with God, family, and friends in my life the next thing is cycling. God has brought cycling into my life to enjoy as well. I didn't have that joy in cycling that my good friend talked about this year. I feel very confident in taking the leadership role of RGF Team Captain for 2010. I have to say I feel more at ease with the great job that the RGF leadership board is doing. That is why I have been on the phone so much. Panther is no longer a part of RGF for 2010. I have decided to stay with Polo because Panther wanted me to commit to races and I told them I would do my best to show up at the races but couldn't make any commitments. It has all worked out better this way for everyone I feel. Polo is an Awesome Team Owner. I feel that it has been very easy for me to continue cycling for Him and Polo. They have always been closer to me than any other cycling group. It is so hard to leave from guys that feel like family. It was also hard to leave Panther and new teammate Kirk Albers as well. When Andy told me I could sit in more at the races I thought wow that is huge. Things come up and in this case family came before cycling. I am glad that Paul was honest with me and made it to easy to leave Panther. I wish Panther the best and I can't wait for RGF 2010 to mix it up with them. The new RGF Elite Team will be posted soon at our Team website. http://www.rgfsolutionssportsmarketing.com/ I am really excited about 2010. I feel I have improved every year racing. I am below race weight for the first time during the off season and will have more hours than last year as well. I have also avg 15 hours per week for the last 3 weeks. God is working in my life in all things to the Max and I am going with the flow of Him.

Listening and Doing:

James 1: 19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

The Great Commission

2009-10-25T21:19:00.004-04:00

Matthew 28:16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God wants us all to be with Him in Heaven. Yes that is why Jesus hit the bars instead of being with His brothers (those that already believed in Him). God calls us all to do this. How do we? Very simple...Well it is easy to tell you but hard to do. First you need to accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God? Next you need to get into His word daily and live by His words in the Bible. Read, Study, and Obey.

The last step can be hard. Ask a friend or ask anyone it doesn't matter. If you are loving to them and take the time to be with them. The hardest part is trying to do what is right, everyone is different. Go to God in prayer and He will let it be known. Be quick to listen and slow to speak. The things you say and do can change there life as well. Live off of the word of God in all you do, and others will come to Him as well.

So what have I been trying to do recently? I have been trying to live for Him. You do this in all things. Give yourself to Him and everything falls into place. Some things are more important than others right? I feel nothing is more important than another. You are saying "whatever nothing is more important than your family." Well actually God is more important. Here is an example of how God is first and everything else falls together. Remember that you can do all things through Christ because He gives you the Power to do them.

I have changed.... I Said... I Have Changed! Hope I have your attention. I had a hard year at putting family, cycling, church, and other things together this year. Had a lot of great races and not so great races. Becky and I could have had a better time, but I would continue to talk about myself. I would complain about cycling or how much I was gaining weight as the season went on. It just was one of those years that I wanted to quit and just get our life back on track. Thanks to simple words from a very good friend telling me "Jeremy you need to have Joy in your life." This friend was telling me about Jesus. I raced in the race and I crashed hard to the pavement. It was the last turn of the Pro race in good position for a top twenty finish. I could have been a good witness to the rider that wrecked me and also to those hundreds of people watching. It made me realize that I didn't have Joy in my life. So I decided to change my life and give it all to Him.

Sept 1st I started reading the Bible day and night. The Bible has transformed my life to give everything I have that is taking away from my time with Him. So I started giving more time to Him. I spent a lot of wasted time doing nothing! I still do it! So after the first 40 days of reading the Bible day and night I decided to give my junk food to Him. Yes you heard me right no more cookies! At least for one year. I do have people betting that I don't do it but they really want me to succeed for they know the real reason why I am doing it. It was hard at first coming home and right in front of you is cookies, my favorite cookies that Becky makes me. God has been changing my life though, and for people that really know me they know how impossible it would be for me not to just grab one of my favorite cookies. The last couple of years I have enjoyed spending the times with my family when we don't talk about cycling. Becky and Caylin have stopped going to races mainly because I don't win Pro races but also I think it is because I don't spend quality time with them on these trips. I have been a downer for them. I always talk about the race before and after. How bad I did or should have done this better or that. So since Sept 1st I have changed and I will start following God where ever He leads me. No more selfish thinking and asking for more. 2010 will be for others and where God leads me. For now that is not clear but I want it to be clear in His timing of things.

I will continue to try and be a better husband, co-worker, cyclist, father, son, friend, but most importantly I need to have Him come first so I will try and be a better student of His word and what He wants me to do. That my friends is not selfish at all. For when you give your self to Him you will have love in all things that are in your life. If love isn't for you than I feel sorry for you. Key verse that has more of meaning to me now.

Philippians 4:13 (New International Version)

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Kalahari

2009-10-14T08:01:00.006-04:00

We went to Kalahari 2 weeks ago and had so much fun! Caylin got to paint pottery. She painted a surfer girl.

Our Caylin is growing up, this time when we went on the lazy river Caylin had her own raft and didn't have to sit on Mommy's lap. I think we went around about a dozen times. She kept saying, "Lets do it again!" She had fun going down the kiddie slides, riding the waves in the wave pool, and swimming.

My Sweet Caylin

2009-10-14T07:44:00.003-04:00

Caylin started swimming lessons this fall. She is doing so well! She can swim an entire lap, she can jump off the platform into the 9 feet, and swim on her back. Caylin loves the water. I am amazed everytime I watch her. Who knows, maybe she will be on swim team one day!

Caylin also has started going to AWANA. She is a Cubbie. It is a program that focuses on biblical teaching to children. She has to learn 1-3 memory verses a week. They play games, hear stories, do puppets, crafts, and have snacks. Caylin wears a vest to Cubbies and as they learn their memory verses they get a patch. She is SO PROUD of her vest. I will post a picture of her in it later.

Just Horsing Around

2009-09-14T07:55:00.002-04:00

We had fun at the Wayne County Fair. Caylin loves walking through the barns and visiting all the animals. When we went into one of the horse barns Caylin spotted this cute pony. They both smiled for the camera!

Thanks for reading

2009-09-03T12:04:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the delay, thanks for waiting. I sure am glad God has been watching over me. It has been a hard year for cycling. That is because I didn't have my focus on Him, family, and friends all the time. As I think my wife would say, "It is all about cycling all the time." She is right you know. Without her in my life I would have ruined everything, but God has been there to encourage me as well as family and friends. I do Love cycling, and it is easy to tell I love food a little,.... ok more. So it is way past time, I need to start changing things. Now that I have my act together I figured I would post something. So what do I write about?

God is good! The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit is my light, and the path I choose. Does it really have to be hard to do the right thing all the time? Is it for you as well? Have you been down that same road I have when you hope God is going to be there to encourage you. I don't know about you but knowing that He will makes me feel comfortable. Sort of like sleeping straight through the night for almost 8 hours. Then waking up with nothing to do but to enjoy God's beautiful sunrise coming up while walking on the beach with family and all you can hear is the sound of the Ocean. You know what I also like? Riding my bike for a 6 hour ride knowing I can do it and going places I have never seen while riding on the bike. It is hard to do that now because I think I have been on every road around Orrville within a 40 mile radius. I still enjoy it very much and am so blessed to be able to continue to ride my bike.

As I spend some time away from cycling I spend it with people I love the most. My family is so very important to me and that will never change. They help me to stay focused and let me know how much I am loved. This year I have also felt loved by so many friends. Yes I have been stalked and hunted down but I enjoy every second with each and every person. Sometimes I can be a very hard person to talk to though. I do wish I had more time to talk to everyone in my life. I have been picked up off the pavement and taking to the hospital as well. People just Love me and I Love them too. I pray that people will also let it be known how I can improve my life so that we all can be better together. I struggle so much with a lot of things and right now I have several friends praying for me and helping me to be the best I can be. Everyone needs more prayer in there lives so who wants to pray for me? I need prayer and you need prayer let us pray together prayer partners.

I Love Play Dates!

2009-08-29T09:11:00.003-04:00

My friend Ellie came over to my house today! We had so much fun playing together! We played dress up, played with Barbies, went to the park, rode in my Jeep, and went to lunch at Dairy Queen. We had a great girlie day!

Pool Time

2009-08-20T20:43:00.002-04:00

I'm a Little Monkey

2009-08-20T20:29:00.003-04:00

Racing

2009-08-20T20:23:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures from a race my Daddy did in Youngstown this summer.

Pool Time

2009-07-21T17:40:00.003-04:00

I love going swimming. Grandma got me this new swimsuit at my new favorite store, Justice. When I go swimming I still like to have Fun Dip at the rest breaks. Some habits never change!

Fun Times

2009-07-21T17:38:00.001-04:00

I had fun playing with GG this weekend. We got our faces painted, jumped in a jump house, and played with scooters.

Next Top Model

2009-07-21T17:34:00.001-04:00

Maybe Caylin has a future career in modeling? She comes up with these poses all by herself.

Rock Star

2009-07-21T17:32:00.003-04:00

Caylin loves to sing and dance in the car! She was showing off her moves in the backseat!

Podium Girl

2009-07-21T17:30:00.002-04:00

I was a podium girl this weekend. Daddy won the race in Troy, OH on Saturday.

Bike Race

2009-07-21T17:22:00.004-04:00

Caylin got 1st place among all the girls in her bike race and got 4th place overall, competing with the boys. When I asked Caylin if she could of pedaled faster, she said, "Yes!" She said she was afraid of wrecking. Caylin doesn't want to follow in her Daddy's footsteps of wrecking! We were so proud of her! She even looked like she was trying to throw her bike at the line! She already knows racing tactics at the age of 5.

I Love Blondie!

2009-07-21T17:17:00.002-04:00

I take Blondie everywhere with me. He is the best dog ever! He doesn't bark, doesn't shed, and he likes to do whatever I like to do!

My 5th Birthday Party

2009-06-23T08:08:00.009-04:00

I had 2 birthday parties this year. I just love birthday parties. I love the balloons, cake, flowers, presents, playing with my friends, and being with my family.

Presents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-23T08:00:00.004-04:00

I got lots of fun gifts for my birthday!!! My favorites were a pink guitar, Barbie Clean Up Pups, Rapunzel Barbie, an MP3 player, and pretty clothes.

Le Tour De Mount Pleasant

2009-06-17T07:44:00.001-04:00

Today was my 12th year Anniversary and my awesome wife told me I could go race with the entire team. It happend to be a 105 mile Road Race and not a Crit. It was great seeing how strong everyone on the team is. Our team is so much stronger than everyone else. I think we needed that weekend to learn that we are capable of so much more. It will be a great summer.

Caylin Swims

2009-06-16T20:01:00.003-04:00

Animals at Kalahari

2009-06-12T08:49:00.003-04:00

Kalahari just opened a new animal exhibit! You can feed kangaroos, giraffes, and lots of other animals. In the morning we got to go see Jack Hanna. He brought out lots of animals for us to see and learn about. We had another great day at Kalahari!

Kalahari

2009-06-12T08:38:00.002-04:00

We went to Kalahari this week! Caylin had so much fun going down the slides, riding the waves in the wave pool, relaxing in the lazy river, and playing basketball in the pool. This girl is a pool girl all the way.

Who are these masked animals?

2009-06-12T08:33:00.002-04:00

I Can Ride On 2 Wheels

2009-06-12T08:27:00.003-04:00

No more training wheels for me!

Mill Creek 2009

2009-06-08T20:16:00.005-04:00

Thanks for Dad doing the video and posting it. Panther/RGF pb Felt raced a perfect race today. It hurt bad the last 10 laps so I tried to take off from the rest with what I thought would be one lap left to go. Instead it said two laps to go. My throat hurt for a day after the race.

You want me to do What?

2009-05-25T22:38:00.002-04:00

Here is a great story to tell. After my weekend at Frankfort, and Louisville, KY I really thought hard about a lot of things. I felt so good in those races and our team would have won both races if I wouldn't have been behind an excited early pedaling young racer. God had other plans there and I didn't approach him and he didn't approach me. I should have asked if he was alright even though he took me down. I am over it and next time I see him I will ask how he is doing. Any way I felt great after that weekend so I thought about going to Iowa.

At home I knew it would be to much traveling so I thought if I still want to race the rest of the year I better pay attention to what God wanted me to do. So I was going to go see my grandma in DC but then I got an e-mail from one of my teammates saying he wanted me to race with him local and that would be better than no teammates at DC. It was a good thing I stayed at home all day Saturday because Caylin learned how to ride a bike on two wheels. She already has 8 miles logged in on two wheels and wants to ride in her sleep. Yes it is true I did push her too much on saturday to the point she puked. Caylin thought hard about that and took the training wheels off because I told her it would be less work and she could go faster. I know that is why she wanted to learn to ride on two wheels, just say the word "faster" and she goes! She wants her seat down so she can touch the ground while on the seat. I am ok with that for now.

I am so amazed how God worked everything out for me to see her face the first time she did it. God is so awesome and plans everything out so perfectly. Also Panther/RGF pb Felt did really good out at Iowa taking 2nd and 7th at Snake Alley, and 2nd at Quad Cities. Here in Erie, PA We took 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th. Not a sweep but that is because Nate Larson was super strong and took 2nd. I tired several times to bridge up to him and Andy(Lazer) but had two really strong riders on my wheel. Awesome weekend but not looking foreward to the scale tomorrow. I did hit under 190 last week but will be blessed to be below 193 this week.

No More Training Wheels

2009-05-25T20:20:00.003-04:00

Caylin has rode 14 miles in 3 days! She took off her training wheels on Saturday and now she doesn't want to stop riding. I wonder who she got that from? Daddy and Mommy took Caylin on a trail ride on Saturday. Daddy kept telling Caylin to go faster and faster, and she listened. At times she was going 10 mph. When we got home Caylin was in the bathroom throwing up. I guess Daddy worked her too hard! Daddy is already teaching Caylin race tactics. (OH, NO!)

T-Ball

2009-05-21T15:32:00.002-04:00

Caylin is having fun playing T-Ball this spring. When I asked her what she likes best about t-ball she said, "hitting and running the bases." Last night when they hit the ball they were only suppose to run to first base, but Caylin wanted to run all the bases. I guess she thought she hit a home run.

Rolling Ridge Ranch

2009-05-16T20:46:00.005-04:00

We went to Rolling Ridge Ranch today. Caylin had so much fun riding in a horse drawn wagon and feeding all the animals. Some of the animals were pretty greedy and wanted the entire bucket of food. Caylin absolutely loved the petting area of the ranch. She gave lots of lovin' to all the baby animals.

Hilton Head 2009

2009-05-07T07:17:00.007-04:00

We are back from our trip to Hilton Head. I thought I would share a few (many) of our favorite pictures.

Hilton Head

2009-05-01T09:54:00.002-04:00

We have enjoyed a wonderful week at Hilton Head Island. It has been in the 80's everyday. I love playing in the sand and the ocean. I have eaten lots of shrimp on this vacation.

Walterboro 38 mph every lap

2009-05-01T09:24:00.002-04:00

Floyd Landis, Mark Hekman, John Murphy just to name a few were in the race. I was hoping to have a great race, but I have come to a road that is just to much too handle. No excuses, I just don't have it. The Lord has blessed me so much to finish these races and with no crashes. Most laps I could have used a 55/11 instead of a 53/11. I made it to the front early in the race, but couldn't move up any further than 65th at the end. I did manage to get in the hardest races of the year. I don't think my races wil be any harder than that.

Athens Twilight

2009-04-27T15:02:00.002-04:00

There were record crowds at Athens of more than 40,000 fans and they were ready to watch us suffer. The race started 30 minutes late, while my friend was relieving himself prior to the race. The race started with 150 riders. I lined up almost dead last, and remained in the position until 6 laps to go. Heckman was in the 3 man break when I came to the front of the field. I remained up there for 3 laps with my legs hurting. My legs never felt good the entire race, hopefully it was due to my wreck that sent me to the ER on Thursday. The best part of the night was finishing with no crashes! After finishing the race several thousands wanted us to slap hands congratulating us. I felt like a pro, even though I didn't race like one. People were yelling Go Panther and the chicks were growling!

53 Hours Before Athens

2009-04-24T06:34:00.001-04:00

Went to the ER last night. Had the worst wreck ever. My steering tube broke above the headset when I stood up to sprint last night on my way home from work. My body went into shock on the way to the ER. After they put 3 stitches in my elbow I rode my bike with Dad for 1.5 hours to loosen up. Excited to be alive, not my time yet thank you Lord. I will still race Athens but not at 100% of course.

Caylin's Icecream Shop

2009-04-23T09:05:00.003-04:00

I opened up an icecream shop at my house today. I have banana, strawberry, pink, brown, and chocolate chip green. My icecream just costs one dollar. I have two employee's, me and Super Man.

Race at the Lake

2009-04-19T19:58:00.005-04:00

Friday night I found out I was accepted to race at Athens, GA. It was perfect timing. I knew that night I had to ride as hard as I could Saturday at RATL. Panther/RGF pb Felt was well represented at RATL. It was so awesome to see how strong our team was. We took the top 3 places and I enjoyed winning thanks to my team, and the winner of the cat 4 race Greg Fletcher. If Greg wouldn't have given me his wheel I would have been done.

Easter!

2009-04-13T10:51:00.004-04:00

I woke up Easter morning to find that the Easter bunny brought me lots of goodies! In the morning, we went to church to celebrate Jesus' resurrection! We then went to Granny's house for Easter lunch! It was yummy!

Silly Girls!

2009-04-13T10:48:00.001-04:00

Mommy and I figured we would waste some time at the bike race by taking silly pictures of ourselves!

Deer Creek Bike Race

2009-04-12T22:02:00.004-04:00

I had Good Friday off of work, so I spent all day playing with Caylin. I had such a great time! I told Becky she had to take me to the race so Caylin and I could spend more time together. Becky drove us to the race with her really bad cold, yes I am an awful husband. I still had a cold too, but it was no where close to her Niagara Falls. I would have been over my cold if I would have stayed at home instead of racing! Well time passed by too fast and I warmed up for about 5 mins instead of 30. I gave Becky directions to go shopping, yes she felt good enough so stop feeling bad for her, and prayed she would have no problems. She was going to be ok with the directions, Caylin knows her right from her left. The race was ready to start without me and I had to go to the restroom, but the restrooms were the woods or down the road a mile, more to come later on that. We had 6 Panther/RGF pb Felt riders, all with our new white uniforms on so no one would know who we were. We had an awesome group of what looked like 60 total racers, best numbers I have seen yet at a race. Before we headed out of the parking lot area 4 riders slipped away and I was on front warming up my legs until we hit the head wind. The 4 riders were brought back and some little attacks were made. We made it through one lap and yes I still had to go pee. For racers they know it is not fun to hold it during a race that will take over 2.5 hours to finsh. The only way I knew how was to just go pee while on the bike or ride harder. I have yet to pee all over myself in public, that people know of, so my choice was ride harder. Plus I had on my Team issued rear wheel, 808 Zipp with a Tufo tubeless tire, and didn't want to go all over it. I tried to make a break with my Teammate Greg up the road and no one wanted that to happen. It was into the head wind section of the course and it was a good time to check the legs. My legs felt great so I went with my other teammate Dan at a point that I saw all 6 of my teammates up front. Our team is awesome can't wait till I have another shot at racing with them, hope they will give me another crack at it. We ended up having Dan and I in a 8 man break ahead of the other 50+ riders for the rest of the 70 mile race that was now down to 50 miles. All 8 of us worked together and grew a big gap fast and one that I hoped wouldn't have worked. I thought negative about the race and I even brought that on to my teammates. I didn't trust that The Lord would provide the legs I needed. He gave me the legs to do anything I wanted, but I used them in the wrong way causing us to lose the race. When one of the riders jumped ahead I jumped up to him which took some effort and drafted him instead of working with him, big mistake! I rolled through giving him a short half hearted pull twice and by then another rider joined us and so on. Then that same rider I decided not to work with, took off again and Dan closed the gap on him. I then didn't trust in my legs to have anything for the sprint so I took off with 1 km to go with a rider 10 sec ahead. I blew up with 300 mters to go as I passed the rider ahead of me. I then got passed by the winner and the guy I just passed. I came across the line suffering for 3rd. Dan took 4th and Paul took 9th. Next time I will trust in my sprint more, even if I feel I have tired legs. I really feel bad that I made poor choices and they all came at the most important time of the race. I have been praying for a more positive attitude and focus more on what God would want me to do. Not what I would do. I talked it over with my teammates and know what needs to be done so this won't happen again.

Yummy Ginger Cookies!

2009-04-09T15:19:00.006-04:00

Mommy and I made my favorite cookie today, ginger cookies! Yummy! I put in all the ingredients after carefully helping mommy measure everything. I then used the mixer all by myself to mix the dough. (Don't tell anyone, but I snuck in a bite of cookie dough when I was all done!) I then rolled the dough into balls, rolled them in sugar, and placed the dough on the cookie sheet. I tried carrying the cookies sheets over to the oven, but the balls rolled all over the cookie sheet. I think they rolled everywhere because the cookie sheet was too heavy! The cookies turned out so GOOD! Between Mommy and I, we have ate almost a half a dozen by ourselves. We know that when Daddy gets home, they will ALL be gone! Just kidding, Daddy! We know that you ARE the Cookie Monster in our house!

Zansfield Bike Race

2009-04-05T09:38:00.003-04:00

I wanted to sit in the field today since I had a little bit of a cold. I was praying that I could race the cold out of me. This race course Greg Lemond once did back in the 80's. It was a very hilly course and with the wind it made it seem even longer. I am so tired of hills already this year. I can't wait for a flat course, I guess a crit would be ok. I just like the open road with no hills or a couple of small hills, not 1 mile climbs. I am praying these hills will make me better though. Thanks to Tym Tyler putting on these great races that are so hard and with very little traffic to keep us safe. Tym also had help on every corner to keep us safe. I had tried several times to get away from the others but I could not get away until the last mile. The Hammer products came through better than I thought they would even with my cold. My legs were crampy Friday night and Saturday morning. My legs felt good during the warm up and also through the last effort of the race. I thank the Lord for a very good day and keeping me safe as my Felt sprint took off at every attack perfectly, as well as the down hill at 60 mph.

Malabar Farm

2009-03-28T19:57:00.004-04:00

Good to be done with that race. Now time to ride home, well almost home.

I cropped myself out of this pic, cause these guys look like racers.

We had a total of seven Panther/RGF pb Felt racers today. I told the guys I had some frustration that I needed to get rid of early in this race. So I took off on a downhill, have to use my weight advantage, before the last climb of the 10 mile loop. I grew a quick 1 min gap before the end of the first lap and took my time to the 4 mile flat section, then went hard again. I still had 45 seconds on the chase group and over 1 min on the field. I knew the chase group would catch me so I waited for them at the top of the climb, they would have caught me before the next lap anyway. Plus I saw D.C. coming and knew that he would help me out. Then P.M. Came out of nowhere and bridged up to all five of us. I rested before the climb to make sure I could go with the climbers up the 1 mile climb. I rested to much and at the top I attacked because one of the riders sounded like he was done. No more attacks were made until we passed the line with one lap to go and D.C. took off after one rider attacked. Paul and I were able to get away from the other two riders. D.C. won the race, Awesome! Paul helped me get 2nd place as he took 3rd. As for the other 4 riders I heard Andy Clarke, and Andy Moskal pulled back everything. In the end Andy Clarke pulled back everything so Andy Moskal could get the record for the fastest speed up the 1 mile climb, Lazer had to be in his 53-11 going up that climb. The hammer products worked great again today. The Felt bike took a beating today with a 198 pound body flexing that bike so hard the headset came loose. I had D.C. and my Dad tighten the headset back up before I rode back home 25 more miles on worse roads the the bike race was on. I love that Felt bike it is so sweet! Panther/RGF pb Felt Cycling Team has already made a huge impact in my life already, I Love this Team!

Hueston Woods Bike Race

2009-03-21T22:57:00.008-04:00

Chris Durand and I after the race. Chris went solo on the last lap to take 3rd.

Chad telling Ben how he beat me in his little chain ring. Ben took the field sprint for 4th.

I was telling Ben how much Chad enjoyed being on my wheel down the downhill sections.

Wow I need to lose weight!

Dad and I drove around the course before the race. It looked like I had 3 climbs today, but nothing too big. The race started out fast with Inferno and Roadhouse up the road after the first 2 miles of the race. I attacked to try and join the others and everyone was trying to do the same. Once 12 of us caught Chad Burdzilauskas and the two other riders Chad took off again. After 8 miles of the race Chad and I took off from the 9 man chase group and the field of 20 or more had already decided to quit 6 miles into the race. I had all the Hammer gel I needed and I forgot to drink with 20 miles left so I drank half a bottle in 3 seconds. My legs never really felt great like I thought they would today, but they must have been good enough. I wanted to win today, but Chad wouldn't let me. Chad and I worked good together for 42 miles and almost had too much fun in the end. We had 1 min and 30 sec lead over the chase group and it came down to 13 seconds in the last 3 miles. The Lord had blessed me with great legs today even though they felt weird. Thank you Lord for blessing me with the ability to ride my bike.

Praying for our time at Splash Harbor

2009-03-18T09:08:00.001-04:00

Caylin wanted to pray for our safety and our fun time at Splash Harbor. She is so sweet!

Splash Harbor

2009-03-18T08:59:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we went to Bellville and stayed at the Comfort Suites Splash Harbor. It has a small indoor water park inside of the hotel. Caylin absolutely loved it. I think she went down the water slide a couple hundred times. She screamed with excitement everytime she came down. One woman told her son to follow Caylin because then she would know when he was next.(Because of her screams.) We thought that was pretty funny! We asked Caylin if she liked Kalahari or Splash Harbor better and she said both!

Mid Ohio Race Course

2009-03-16T06:52:00.007-04:00

This weekend we had planned to have camp in Charleston, SC. at the Fernandez residence. Our prayers all go out to the Fernandez family. We had an awesome time last year and are very thankful for all the plans that went into going this year.

Caylin and Becky were getting ready to go to Comfort Inn Splash Harbor and I was going to meet up with them later after the race. I enjoyed watching my Dad's race, he took 7th place and worked with the chase group to catch Tym Tyler who won. Great job Dad! Our Team lined up for the race, well most of us did.

We had Polo, Paul, Dave, Moskal, Clarke, and I. It was a nice day with temps in the 40's and Sunny. I attacked with 17 laps to go on a 2.5 mile course and was joined by Tris and Thom. I had all the Hammer products I needed before and during the race and knew I would need some after the race as well. I had a very hard week of riding and didn't know how my legs would react. After letting Tris and Thom work for 3 laps I decided to try and push it by myself to see how they would do. I ended up dropping Thom and Tris was going good so we worked together the rest of the race. I saw that my team was doing a good job of splitting the field but 4 others were coming hard behind us in the closing laps as we were about to lap the 3/4 field. The 3/4 field let us go around without a tow and I decided to hit the pace harder. We kept the same pace as the 4 behind us, and my Teammate Andy Moskal was in that group working hard to get into shape for this year.

As Tris and I lapped the remaining riders Tris and I were offered help but I told them no! My heart was talking at that point then I thought about it later. I was still glad we didn't get any help after knowing the outcome of the race. I was hurting and didn't know if I could beat Tris in the end. So on the last lap I tested my legs early before the big climb and the Felt bike jumped up above 1600 watts instantly. My legs were my big concern, but the Hammer products worked perfectly. I don't know when Paul pulled Marco Aledia up to the chase group of four, but Marco pulled out an impressive 3rd place finish. Andy Moskal took a close 4th place and Paul finished in the top 8 with a lead out to Andy Moskal. Good day overall but will only get better as time keeps ticking away. It is early and the season has not even started for some yet.

I thanked our great cheering section after the race, Andy Clarke's Family was there Cheering me on as well as my Dad, Wife, and Daughter. I then went swimming for a couple hours after I had the buffet at Der Dutchman. Then woke up the next day and ate another Der Dutchman buffet meal and took Caylin swimming again and then for a bike ride to the park. Had a wonderful weekend all within 1 hour from our house. Thanks too Becky's mom we had a great time staying there. She had felt bad she couldn't take Caylin to the Beach in SC because Granny and Ann were sick with the Flu. Granny got out of the hospital Sunday so thank the Lord she is recovering well.

The Lord has been working on my heart

2009-03-08T15:03:00.003-04:00

Today in church I felt so happy. I feel like God has been working on my heart to listen more to others and to live life full of love. This all started in our classroom when Wendy had placed a verse of Love into our discussion. I love our class and I am very blessed by the message of prayer John preached today. I also read from the new book I have, For Men Only. It is about how to be a better husband and how women are like "swamps". I didn't say it, the guy who wrote the book said it. I have so much to learn. I had tears coming down my cheeks after church today, happy tears of joy.

The Hilliest Race I have ever done

2009-03-08T14:54:00.003-04:00

Today was a perfct day for long riding and that is just what I did. I have the sun on my legs and arms to prove it. Today was the real test of the new sponsor I have. A shout out to Wes for helping me all winter long and for his introduction to Jason. I have something every cyclist wishes he had. More on that stuff later when the time is right.

I rode the course with Dad before the race started. I have to say that this course was going to be a big test for me. Our group of 15 started out easy and just riding up the major climb for the first time. I have to admit it was far from easy even the first time. Nothing really happened until after the 2nd time up the major climb. I had dropped my chain from too much pressure while trying to shift before the major climb. I think I was in the lower chain ring for more than half a lap everytime. We had a strong headwind and cross headwind. We really had very little tail wind sections because it was on the downhill part of the course.

I felt great about the F1 Sprint Climbing and the Hammer products were working overtime today. Well I managed to make an attack work at the top of the major climb and we had a group of 4. Andrew Willis, Jason Stoner, Marco Aledia, and myself. We had worked together and had a great gap from the rest. I then tried to power shift again to the lower chain ring, I dropped the chain again. This time Marco was pushing me while I was trying to get the chain on it. It seemed like forever. I even got my hands dirty while he was pushing me.

They all waited for me as I had to get off my bike and shift it to the lower chain ring. I saw the others coming and I knew I had to work hard to stay away. I blew myself up geting to the others waiting on me, I felt so bad that they had to wait so I lead the charge as long as I could to stay away from the others so it would just be us 4. Marco, and Andrew kicked it on the 18% part of the Major climb the last time up the monster of a climb and my legs could only go for a couple of pedal strokes. Marco won and Andrew took second and I took 3rd. I talked with Jason who took 4th after the race. He is a great guy, I enjoyed talking with him all the way back to the Orchard.

Good news is my Dads Tufo tires worked good and I enjoyed riding with a tail wind back home for another 22 miles after the race. Thanks to my Dad for the support and time waiting till my legs were run dry. My family had a great day shopping as well. Thanks to God for a beautiful day, to family, and sponsors for this great day of cycling.

Bowling

2009-03-01T20:05:00.003-05:00

We took Caylin bowling Friday night. Jeremy and Caylin really did well. Let's just say the gutter was a magnet for my ball! Caylin was giving me instructions on how to hit the pins. She told me to aim for the middle. She even showed me where to stand to release the ball. Here is a 4 year old who thinks she is a professional bowler. It was pretty cute though!

First Race Mechanical out of the way.

2009-02-28T18:24:00.005-05:00

The first race of the year was cold, brrrr cold as Caylin would say. Becky was home with my mom. They watched Noah, Jacy, and Caylin. Things were going great back at home and things started out good in the race. I made the Break with Dave Steiner, he is on Team Spin this year. We were extending the gap on the field and then my pedal came off. Dave waited for a few seconds and asked if it was going to be ok and I said no keep going. I had just lost 20 seconds as the field passed by. Then another 30 before I could fix my pedal. It took a very hard effort and 3 miles to catch them with a cross head wind. I sat on until it was time to try again. I just caught on to the rest of the field at the same time Dave was caught. When I didn't see Andy, I felt like I should sit on for little longer. We came across the line with one lap to go with the Bolla rider attacking, he was the one to mark because he was so strong. I then countered his move and had a Thom another strong Spin rider on my wheel. We started to create a gap instantly. Dad had told me after the race that Spin did well as a team and Dave took third place. Dad was in the car following the entire race. Andy finished one minute behind Brian Batke's group, and only two minutes behind Thom and myself. The Felt Sprint Bike was perfect and it is the best bike I have ever been on, no joke! I also had Tufo tubulars on my Dad's wheels, awesome!

Family Time

2009-02-23T14:02:00.004-05:00

We went to see family and celebrate our nephew Gavin's 3rd birthday. Jeremy's cousin Ryan drove his 4 daughters all the way from Iowa to only see us. Jeremy's Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Dennis also came from Kansas. Caylin loves playing with all the girls. They have so much fun together. They all got to go swimming together at the hotel pool. They had a blast. Caylin had fun at Gavin's birthday party. She loved eating the frosting off the cake and hitting the pinata. Gavin and Caylin are the best of cousins. They love each other!

Daddy's New Ride

2009-02-23T13:58:00.003-05:00

I decided I should be the one who checks out Daddy's new ride. This is his new bike for the 2009 year.

Sally

2009-02-23T13:55:00.002-05:00

Meet Sally, our friendly snow girl! Check out the hair and earrings! Pretty creative!

Fairies, Pocahontas,and Meeko

2009-02-23T13:48:00.004-05:00

More Disney Pics

2009-02-23T13:40:00.002-05:00

A few more of my Favorite Pictures from our Disney Trip on Days 7 and 8

2009-02-23T13:33:00.002-05:00

Caylin's favorite ride at Disney World was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I think we rode it at least 6 times. Caylin laughed and screamed the entire length of the ride. She even put her hands up! This girl loves fast rides!!

Hibernating

2009-02-23T13:31:00.001-05:00

My apologies for hibernating!!! Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while.

Gourmet Bakery

2009-02-06T18:36:00.002-05:00

In the Daily Record this week there was an article about a mom starting a bakery in her home. She has done this to help with expenses from her son's surgery. I noticed they even have cooking classes for our kids to go to. Here is a link for her website. http://www.sweetsforsamuel.com/index.html I just love sweets and buttercream frosting. Oh, so yummy!

A wonderful day in February

2009-02-01T22:56:00.002-05:00

A wonderful day in February.

This morning I fixed Caylin Mickey Mouse pancakes. She ate pretty good but not a bunch. It didn't matter because she got car sick on the way to the mall with Grandma, Granny, and Becky. This happend while I was traveling too our first team meeting. Our new Team name is Panther/RGF Cycling p/b Felt Bicycles. My ears were bleeding from 12 Stones, Skillet, Toby Mac, and the Extreme Days CD's. Yes I know I am old but I am not ready to turn the music down yet.

A big thanks to Dick, Andy, Polo, and Paul today. They hooked us up with some cool new stuff from our awesome sponsors and topped it all off by paying for our food today. Rode together as a team in the best day weather wise for the year, thank you Lord I am ready for a change of weather. It may have been above 45 today. We talked to each other getting to know our pasts and looking ahead to the future during our two hour ride. Yes guys I am counting it as two hours.

Since I am older than all the riders by more than 7 years it has giving me an extra kick to this season. I also have someone to ride with me everyday to work and push me to get out of bed every morning. Things are looking bettter than good, this will be the best cycling season yet. In the past 8 years I have never been in this great of shape so early. I plan on an early racing and also A camp for three days thanks to Polo and his parents.

When I got back my mom gave me some chicken noodle soup to take home with me. Thank you mom that hit the spot. Then Becky, and I shared some time talking about our day. Caylin was watching her movies and playing with toys. While the Super bowl was going on and we all had a great evening together. I will post a pic later of Caylin on the new bike. She is sporting Marco Pantani with her outfit.

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One of our Favorite Rides: Toy Story Mania

2009-01-19T19:05:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from our favorite ride Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios! You where 3D glasses while you are moving during the ride. You also have to shoot at targets and score points while you are moving. Jeremy, Caylin, and I are so competitive. Caylin would always tell us she won. Jeremy's forearms hurt every time the ride ended because he was constantly shooting.

Lunch at Hollywood & Vine on Day 6

2009-01-19T19:00:00.003-05:00

We ate lunch at Hollywood and Vine. It was a play and dine experience with characters. Jo Jo and Goliath were there, as well as Leo and June from Little Einsteins. The food was so so good!!!! It was another all you can eat buffet. More yummy flank steak!!! The desserts were AWESOME! I think I tried all of them!

Day 6: New Year's Eve

2009-01-19T18:42:00.002-05:00

We spent the morning at Epcot riding rides. We rode Test Track. Caylin loved the part where you go 0-65. We were flying! She laughed and screamed the entire ride.

We then rode Soarin. During this ride you are suspended in a hang glider45 feet in the air, above a giant IMAX dome. You fly over different landscapes. At one point you flew over the orange groves and you could smell oranges. Disney thinks of everything. This ride was amazing! I took Caylin on Spaceship Earth (the big ball), while Jeremy rode Mission Space. He was no wimp, he rode the highly intense version. He tried to get me on there, I said, "No way!"

We rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Next, we watched Turtle Talk with Crush. "Crush" is an animated turtle that talks to different kids in the audience. They picked Caylin again to talk to "Crush". He asked her what she likes to eat and she said red apples. Crush wanted to know if the red apple turns your skin red and Caylin said, yes! Too cute!!! That was twice that they have chosen to talk to Caylin. I always get nervous and pray they don't ever pick me. Caylin absolutely loves the attention and isn't shy in the least.

We finished off the morning by going to meet more characters! Busy Morning!!! (Since we stayed at a Disney resort, we got in earlier than regular guests, so that helped us do a lot of the rides before it got too crowded.)

Day 5- 3 Parks in ONE Day

2009-01-14T12:29:00.003-05:00

We started off the day at Magic Kingdom and having breakfast with the princesses. Caylin absolutely loved riding the cars. She would get mad if we didn't pass anyone. We did a lot of the rides in Fantasyland today. We met Ariel, Fairy Godmother, and Jasmine at Magic Kingdom. I rode Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise. I loved both of them.

In the afternoon we headed over to Epcot. We went there purposefully to get Mulan's autograph. We didn't get to ride any of their rides because the lines were too long and all the fast passes were given out for the entire day.

In the evening we headed over to Hollywood Studios. We watched Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. Caylin loved every minute of it! She retold the story as they were performing it! Afterwards Jeremy and my mom rode Tower of Terror. That ride is not for Mommy and Caylin!!!

We were all ready for bed by the end of the night!!!!

08 racing year

2009-01-10T19:29:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a long time since I have posted something. I just love all the pics my wife puts on the blog. I rode less than 499 hours in 2008. I had more crashes than I wanted. I didn't lose any more weight than 2007. I didn't read the Bible as planned. I wanted to do things that no one else has ever done. I have failed in 2008 in so many ways but not in everything.

Now for the good news .... it is 2009 and I have another day to live. God has a plan for my life and I have no idea what that plan is. I will try and do what His word says. His word tells us to Love. The Love I have is real and I try hard everyday. I may mess up and say the wrong things or do the wrong things. God is there when I am ready to ask for forgivness. He is ready and waiting for us all the time. Go to Him in prayer and look into His word. His word is our daily bread. Pray for me to go to Him more everyday.

Day 5 Breakfast @ Cinderella's Castle

2009-01-08T08:20:00.003-05:00

We ate breakfast this morning at Cinderella's Royal Table. Caylin got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Princess Aurora, Belle, and Mary Poppins. The princesses came to our table as we were eating. We all enjoyed eating inside of CINDERELLA'S CASTLE. It was absolutely beautiful inside. It was fun watching Caylin interact with the princesses and carry on a conversation. A lot of memories were made here!

The food was AWESOME. It was an all you can eat breakfast. They started you off with eggs, hashbrowns, fruit, bacon, sausage, and blueberry french toast with cream cheese. Yummy! If you wanted more of something you just told them. They also had a healthy breakfast, which was fresh strawberries, blueberries, and caramelized bananas over yogurt and granola!

Dining at the Crystal Palace with the Characters

2009-01-08T08:12:00.004-05:00

Wonderful Memories!

Day 4 @ Magic Kingdom

2009-01-08T07:49:00.004-05:00

Today was the day Caylin got all dolled up at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Grammy and PaPa surprised us today. They drove all the way to Disney to see us. We rode lots of rides today. We rode Dumbo, It's A Small World, Peter Pan, Mickey's Philharmagic, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Snow White's Scary Adventure, and the Merry Go Round. After spending time in Fantasy Land, we headed for the bigger rides in Frontierland. We rode Splash Mountain first. Caylin liked the big drop, but didn't like getting wet. She was pretty mad that she got wet. It was 80 degrees outside, so it didn't bother us. Next, we got Caylin on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She absolutely loved it!!!!!!!!! She screamed the entire time. When I asked her what she liked about it, she said the hills and going super fast!!!!! We also rode Buzz Lightyear, The Disney World Railroad, and The Barnstormer (rollercoaster). We decided we would go see Monsters, INC. Laugh Floor. This is a comedy show that interacts with people in the audience. During the show they showed Caylin's face on the big screen and a lady with a microphone came over and Mike Wazowski (Monsters, INC) asked her questions. They asked Caylin's name and she said, "Caylin Karissa Grimm". He then asked her a joke. It was too cute!

Our big meal today was at the Crystal Palace. The food was EXCELLENT. It is a character buffet. This place really knows how to cook! The selection was teriffic! Caylin got to meet Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. She gave them lots of hugs and kisses.

We watched the all the parades today and finished off by watching the fireworks. Caylin loved seeing Tinkerbell fly through the sky. We were at the park from 7:00 to 9:30. It was a busy fun filled day!

Princess Caylin

2009-01-05T12:31:00.003-05:00

(Notice the "C" above the chair. It isn't for Cinderella, it is for Caylin!)

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

2009-01-05T12:15:00.003-05:00

Caylin went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside Cinderella's castle and got all princessed up. They did her hair, make-up, and nails. They completed the look with a tiarra and sash. She looked adorable! She enjoyed all the special attention she received.

She dressed as Cinderella today. I took careful notes so I can do her hair like this again.

Day 3 Continued @ Disney

2009-01-05T12:02:00.003-05:00

After lunch we came back to our hotel at Pop Century and relaxed. Jeremy took Caylin swimming in the afternoon and then we took a well needed nap. After our nap we went over to Hollywood Studios. We rode Toy Story Mania. It is a ride that you wear 3D glasses and shoot at targets while the ride is moving. It was so much fun! This was Jeremy's favorite ride! We had fast passes so we only waited a few minutes. Where if you didn't have a pass, the line was over 2 hours long. We saw all the Christmas lights and did some shopping. Caylin bought Mickey Mouse hands. Daddy really likes these gloves. He was one happy camper when she bought these. He wants me to wear them at the bike races so he can find us. Too Funny!

Caylin has mostly only worn her princess dresses down here, so I won't have much laundry at home to do.

Day 3 At Disney- Animal Kingdom

2009-01-05T11:38:00.004-05:00

We went to Animal Kingdom today (Sunday). It was another warm 80 degree day. We rode on the Kilimanjaro Safari. You ride along dirt roads and see all kinds of animals. We had to stop and wait for a group of giraffes to cross in front of our jeep. It was pretty amazing.

Caylin waited with Granny while my mom, Jeremy, and I rode Expedition Everest. It is a roller coaster that goes forwards and backwards. It was a rush!

We watched It's Tough to Be A Bug. This is another 3D movie. At one point a stink bug comes out and needless to say he stunk up the place. At the end of the movie you feel the bugs leave under your seat. Disney thinks of everything!

We met Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger today.

Caylin got scared while waiting in line for Dinosaur. Jeremy took her out while my mom and I rode it. The cast member gave us a fast pass for Jeremy to ride it immediately after we got off, with no waiting.

For lunch we at at the Rainforest Cafe. For dessert Caylin wanted the "Volcano". It is 3 slices of chocolate cake with 6 scoops of ice cream drizzled with hot fudge and whipped cream. Caylin didn't even take a bite, she ate my mom's peanut butter pie.

More Pictures from the 2nd Day at Disney

2009-01-05T09:47:00.003-05:00

It was another warm day today. It was 83 degrees and sunny. At night it would get down in the low 60's and a couple nights it got down in the 50's. While we were here, I tried not to complain about it being too hot! I knew that when we came back it would be freezing cold!

Day 2 At Disney World

2009-01-05T09:21:00.004-05:00

Today we went to Hollywood Studios. As soon as we entered, we saw Minnie Mouse. Caylin immediately wanted to wait in line to talk to Minnie and get her autograph. Caylin loved riding Star Tours. We rode it twice in a row. She squeeled the entire time. We also rode The Great Movie Ride, watched Voyage of The Little Mermaid, watched Playhouse Disney Live on Stage, watched Muppet Vision 3D, and played in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure. We had a busy morning.

For lunch we ate at Sci Fi Dine in Theater. You eat your meal in a car, while watching a "movie". It looks like a drive in movie theater. It was a fun place to eat at.

For supper we went over to Magic Kingdom and ate at the same place we did the first night, so my mom and grandma could experience it. (Liberty Tree Tavern) Caylin loved seeing Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip and Dale again.

BEAUTIFUL CASTLE

2009-01-03T18:14:00.003-05:00

This is truly a magical place!

First Day at Disney World

2009-01-03T17:52:00.003-05:00

We left Cleveland at 7:30 in the morning on December 26. It was 20 or so degrees outside. When we landed in Orlando at 9:45, it was 75 degrees outside. Needless to say we were so excited to leave the cold Ohio weather behind. We rode the Magical Express bus to our Pop Century hotel located on Disney grounds. As soon as we got there we all changed into our shorts.

The first day we went to the Magic Kingdom. Jeremy and I couldn't wait to see Caylin's face as she saw the castle. She exclaimed, "I see the castle", "Cinderella's castle!" The first ride she rode was the Mad Tea Party (teacups). This is a Daddy ride, because I can't spin around or else I would get sick! Caylin also got to meet Drizella, Anastasia, and the Wicked Stepmother from Cinderella. We also listened to Belle read us a story.

For supper, we ate at Liberty Tree Tavern. This was a Character supper. Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip and Dale were there. Caylin loved getting their autographs and giving them hugs and kisses. The characters would twirl her around to look at her. Some danced with her and some played hand games with her. It brought tears to our eyes. She absolutely loved every minute of it.

The food was excellent. It was family style and they gave you as much as you wanted. We started off with dinner rolls with honey butter and a salad with strawberry vinegarette dressing. For the main course they gave us flank steak, pork tenderloin, turkey, dressing, mash potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and the best green beans ever! For dessert they gave us apple cobbler and ice cream. We were all stuffed!

When we left dinner it was dark outside. We started walking toward Cinerella's castle and we noticed the most beautiful sight. The castle was all lit up with Christmas lights. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Christmas Program

2008-12-23T15:25:00.003-05:00

I had my very first Christmas program at church. We sang lots of Christmas songs. It was so much fun! I wanted to dance while I was singing. Every now and again I threw in a few dance moves.

Santa came early to my house!

2008-12-23T15:06:00.002-05:00

Look who is starring in the next High School Musical. That is right! Me, Caylin Grimm! How about that! Santa came early to my house because I am going to Disney World.

My Dad's Dog Needs a Home

2008-12-16T10:14:00.002-05:00

Looking for a Home for my Female Tan & White English Setter

Here is a picture and some blood lines on my 8 year old Setter
Sire: Hamilton Diamond #1437446
Dam: Rural Route Baby Face #1466620
Whelped 5-9-2000
She is in excellent condition and loves to hunt and point birds with great style; she is easy to control with whistle commands.
Female Tan & White named “Grace”
I also have a 10’ X 10’ run and house for her.

Contact me for more information:
Bob Grimm
Orrville, OH
330.352.4193bob.grimm69@yahoo.com

Dr. OZ on the Oprah show Talks about Lyme Disease

2008-12-10T12:26:00.003-05:00

This is what I could fit in for my story. Please write your story to Dr. OZ for the Oprah show on Lyme Disease and tell how it affected you or the person with Lyme Disease. Please. Thank you.

Lyme Disease: Flu like symptoms with Church youth group white water rafting trip. Temp of 104 they cut the trip short. This began a 4 year nightmare.27 Doctors for 4 years not knowing what was wrong. As I Never felt good but looked normal. I am 33 years old now and it has been17 years since I got sick for the first time. I missed 180 days of high school in my last two years. I passed out in locker rooms during halftime after running the ball for touchdowns passed out catching the ball on the baseball fields. I told mom I would rather die doing something I loved doing playing sports. Some Nurse in town slapped my face to try and get me to move off of the stretcher in the ER onto the table. If I could have moved her life would have been in my hands instead I passed out again. One time some 5 Doctors got together and said I was lying and playing games at one of the so called top hospitals in the world. I felt like people hated me. Sharp shooting stabbing Stomach aches made me pass out or headaches that were ten times worse than a migraine. Chronic nose bleeds took hours to get over. Vomiting up blood was scary. A lot of times I couldn’t move for days. It took me forever just to get across the room. I had red blotches all over my body but never a bull's eye rash. I was diagnosed by my family because they never gave up. So after I felt I wanted to end my life early and had no care to live God stepped in with my family taking me to another Doctor. Treatment was for 11/2 years. I have told thousands of people at one time on many different occasions about Lyme Disease. I am blessed and thank God everyday for my health, my wife, our daughter, our family and friends. I pray that more people esp. Doctors will know how to treat patients properly. Long doses of antibiotics work. Why aren't we doing this everywhere? I am healthy now and race for an Elite cycling Team against some of the best Pro Cyclist.

https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=495&referer=http://www.oprah.com/oafhost/moz

Polar Express

2008-12-07T15:51:00.004-05:00

I went with Mommy and Daddy to the Polar Express at our library. We all wore our P.J.'s. Just like in the movie, they passed out hot chocolate and cookies for us to enjoy. Yummy! At the end, Santa came! I sat on his lap and told him my list of items I want for Christmas. I want bunk beds for my babies, a swimming Ariel doll, and High School Musical Stuff. I told him I have been a really good girl this year.

Our Sweet Girl

2008-12-07T15:41:00.004-05:00

Caylin your the best daughter! We love you so much!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

2008-12-07T15:34:00.005-05:00

On Saturday I went to see the Rockettes at the State Theater in Cleveland. I was in awe of the pretty dancers. They wore lots of pretty costumes. My favorites were the red Santa dress and the reindeer outfit. Santa was also there. He was very funny. One part of the show they did magic and had a bunch of Santa's. I don't know how they did it, but it was amazing. I know there is only ONE SANTA. At the end of the show they had a Live Nativity scene. I wanted Mary to take baby Jesus out of the manger so I could get a better look at him!

When I got home I practiced my Rockette dancing. I tried kicking my legs way up high! I even went in my closet and had multiple costume changes!

Old Car Ride

2008-12-02T16:47:00.003-05:00

We went to Hagerstown, Maryland for Thanksgiving to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Grimm. While we were their I got to ride in Uncle Roy's (antique)old car. I love riding in Pa Pa's Old Car in Orrville. This old car didn't have windows, it was burr cold on the ride. Thank goodness Pa Pa's has windows so I can stay toasty warm.

We also celebrated Great Grandma and Grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary.

Cave Girl Style

2008-11-21T18:48:00.001-05:00

I wanted to try the turkey the way cave girls would. By the way she really did take a bite!

Playing in a Winter (Fall) Wonderland!

2008-11-18T15:11:00.006-05:00

Today was the first snow of the year. When Caylin woke up this morning and looked outside and saw all the snow, she exclaimed "It is almost Christmas!" The second thing she said was, "Let's go play outside, Mommy!". I am NOT a cold weather person, but I was a good Mommy and took her out for a whopping 15 minutes. It was BURR Cold out, as Caylin put it.

Charles Schulz

2008-11-15T18:13:00.001-05:00

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.
Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?

The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials.. the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.

Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life, like I did.

'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today.
It's already tomorrow in Australia !'
''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!'

1 John 4: 16- 21

2008-11-12T07:12:00.000-05:00

16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Son: Billy Graham's work with presidents ends

2008-11-10T07:36:00.001-05:00

On his 90th birthday, preacher prays for Obama, Franklin Graham says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Billy Graham's work as a pastor to presidents is coming to an end, but he is praying for Barack Obama as the nation's next leader begins his work, Graham's son said Friday on the aging evangelist's 90th birthday.

Franklin Graham said in an interview that his father's mind remains sharp even as his body continues to fail. But the preacher who has counseled every president beginning with Eisenhower is not in line to mentor Obama.

"My father feels like his time and day for that is over," Franklin Graham said. "But he would certainly like to meet (Obama) and pray with him."

Graham's views of the world are still respected in White House circles. Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited Graham at his mountainside home during the campaign, and Obama tried to meet Graham but wasn't able to do so because of the preacher's poor health.

Though never partisan in his preaching, Billy Graham is a registered Democrat. His son expressed concern about Obama's views on abortion and gay marriage — an issue Franklin Graham raised in a meeting with the Illinois senator — saying that he and his father are conservatives who believe the Bible speaks clearly on those issues.

"President-elect Obama heard our position," Franklin Graham said. "And I told him that this was very difficult for us and hard for us. It's a moral issue that we just can't back down on."

"But he's our president-elect, and those positions that he holds that are contrary to Biblical teaching, I hope that God will change his heart," said Graham, who now heads the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2008-11-05T08:14:00.001-05:00

I'm off to get the candy, the wonderful neighborhood candy!

Pray for our new President

2008-11-05T06:57:00.002-05:00

The Country has voted and has decided Barack Obama. Please Pray for him and his family. Pray for our Nation as well.

Carving My Smelly Pumpkin

2008-10-31T08:43:00.004-04:00

I carved my pumpkin last night. Last year when Mommy carved my pumpkin I couldn't handle the pee yewey smell and I started gagging. I decided I would try it again this year. I helped take out the seeds, but again it was super stinky! Mommy had to do it by herself. I told Mommy I wanted a scarey looking pumpkin. I hope it doesn't scare too many people!

High School Musical 3

2008-10-29T07:07:00.003-04:00

Mommy and Daddy took me to the movies to see High School Musical 3. (Daddy is such a good sport!) I loved that movie so much. I liked all the singing and dancing.

When we came home I was Gabriella and Daddy was Troy. I watched High School Musical 1 and 2 all afternoon on Sunday. I just love, love, love it!

Grandma got me the Troy and Gabriella dolls. They are so cute!

(Mommy and Daddy like the movies because they are innocent clean fun movies.) It is nothing like the movie Grease.

The Idea's I Come Up With

2008-10-29T07:03:00.002-04:00

Daddy had a race on Sunday and I wanted to give him a race plan for the day. I told him I wanted him to win and put his hands up. I told him he needed to wreck the other guys to do this. (What happened to our nice sweet Caylin.) She gets her competitiveness from her Dad. LOL