Will & Devin: Separated at Birth?

This is Will.

This is Devin.


Will loves Disney Movies. He can sing any song from any of the classics, including the dialogue between verses.

Devin loves Disney Movies. He knew the name of the Little Mermaid for a crossword. I did not.

Will leaves cabinets open in the kitchen.
Devin leaves cabinets open in the kitchen.

Will says funny things.
"Jennifer, Alex can talk a big game (pause) but in the end, he's only 5'6".

Devin says funny things.
"I used to watch the crap out of Boy Meets World. (5 minute pause) Ok, I'm Corey and Zach is Shawn".

Will showers before he works out.
Devin showers multiple times a day.

Will:


Devin:


It's so hilarious, it's scary.

Our weekend was a wreck (pun intended) for the most part...

Happy late Memorial Day!! I hope everyone had a rowdy good time cooking out, relaxing, and enjoying the day off. A shout out to all of our friends who are serving our country. We're always praying for you, and we appreciate you tremendously.

Our weekend started out a little rough when I was rear-ended on Friday morning on the way to work. The other lady and I are okay, but my poor little car suffered some damage to her back side.

The other lady's car, however, was jacked up. As one of the Doctors at Methodist said, "THIS IS WHY WE DRIVE VOLVOS, PEOPLE!" (Quick side note: If I were a doctor, I probably would not be driving a Volvo. I mean, I love her as much as a person can love a material thing without being too attached (but not as much as my bike) but...just sayin'...)

So anyway, everything was ok, and we spent Friday night at the Astros/Rangers game with Zach and Lu. Somehow I walked away from that without one single picture.

Saturday we went to Matt and Kath's wedding in College Station (Whoop! A-A-A-A!). Devin looked splendid in his tuxedo. Let me stop here and tell you about this tux. The bride sent out tux information about 2 weeks before the wedding, so Devin didn't have a whole lot of time to get measured and try on and pick up and try on again and remeasure and all of that hubbub, so at the what-seemed-to-be-wise advice of his beautiful and knowledgeable wife (what!?), he asked them to use the measurements from Dan and Callie's wedding a month ago. Done and done, right?! Wrong, you guys. As we were leaving the house, and I do not exaggerate, Devin tried the pants on for the first time. Have you met my handsome husband? Have you stood next to him, perhaps? He is not 6'0. However, his pants were made for a man who would tower over me. Or they were made for Hugel...


Anyway, don't you worry folks, super wife to the rescue straight up hemmed his pants in the car with hemming tape. WHAT? WHAT!?! When we pulled into the parking lot and he put his cummerbund on, it was still way too big. Props to Carlos for switching with him.

Men's Wearhouse at their finest. Can you tell he's stoked?

But! The wedding was wonderful, and we had a lot of fun spending time with friends that we hardly get to see.

Look at this group of hot breakfast brides...I can only assume that since we all married cyclists, we all have the bike room issue.


We also spent some time just adoring each other...

On our way home from the wedding, we stopped at a Farmer's Market, which is one of my favorite things to do.

Can you believe all of these phenomenal pictures I'm showing you?! It only gets better, my friends...

Sunday morning, I spent some quality time in the ER at Methodist since my back had just gotten worse from the accident on Friday. My sweet husband cleaned our whole apartment while I was gone (side note: Devin has met his time in the ER with me requirement due to a little thing we call knife to finger accident in April).

When I got home, I debated and debated and decided I would suffer the uncomfortable ride up to the lake house for a reason that is 3 fold:

1. I love boats
2. I love lakes
3. I'll be darned if my husband is going to go play on a lake (which I love) in a boat (which I love) without me.

So, being the trooper I am, I braced myself for a long car ride. Oh, but wait, did you not remember that when the Carrolls have misfortune, they do it big?! Did you forget that? We got rear-ended...again...in Devin's car...on Sunday. Lord love a duck, what are the odds?

(Picture soon to come)

We can only conclude that the good Lord wants us to get new cars. My dad concludes that our rears are too big. Gong. Dad joke.

We had a blast at the lake with Mike and Patty. It was absolutely beautiful out at Lake Livingston and we look forward to getting some use out of that there boat.

Is that Jay-Z and Beyonce?! No guys, calm down, it's just us.

Good night, nurse! My hair looks so red! Allie would say this is a good thing. Jen would say I have a temper.

Our weekend, in pictoral form

Devin has a new girlfriend...


So this was last weekend, but it cracks me up. We took Cassie and Avery to the beach on Saturday and Devin reaped the consequences of having a 3 year old in the back seat for over an hour. Ok, fine, his wife may have done this...This picture could also be labeled "Reason #9475 Why We Don't Want Kids Anytime Soon".

We ate at a fabulous Italian restaurant on Friday night, called Fabio's. They make their pasta in the room next door, and you can watch from the window outside. It was a quiet, quaint place with about 6 tables in the entire restaurant. My favorite part about it was the bartender sat and drank wine the entire time we were there. Props to Miss (Soon to be engaged) Allison Brooks on the recommendation.

Saturday we were hemhawing around and went to the pet adoption place in the Highland Village shopping area. Devin fell in love with a boy...

He was a 3 month old tabby who acted just like my cat at home, Frisky, which helped his odds since Devin and I really miss hanging out with Frisk. Devin had a name picked out and everything, so we had to play the pros/cons game and decided not to take this little one home with us. Someday, Dev...

Devin raced, and did great! See post below for race report.

Then we went to a bike swap and saw some cool bikes...


and this vintage Raleigh, as of tonight, is Alex's bike!


If you live in DC and see a guy who looks like he rolled out of a J.Crew catalog on his bike, it's probably my brother. If you live in DC and see this guy...

It's my other brother. And yikes.

Race Report: Houston Gran Criterium

Sunday started a little early... 6 AM wake up to get ready for the 8 AM race start. After rolling out of bed, I was getting in the “zone” as I did last minute preps and ate some cereal. Stephanie was very excited and helpful (filling bottles and getting other last minute things together). Definitely a welcome change to the past doing everything myself and rushing to get it all together. Having a supportive wife is pretty sweet!

It had been 1 year and six days since I last pinned on a race number and taken to the starting line(road). I was pumped/excited, but also a little concerned. There were definitely a few more nerves going than usual. I couldn’t help but think of my last crit….duhn duhn dunnnnn!! Anyways, I was a little concerned about the 105 riders starting in the Cat 3 / 4 race (think crash-fest), and I was a wondering how my legs were coming into form, if any after only about 5 weeks of consistent riding. I figured the Houston Grand Criterium would be a great place to begin as much of the course takes place on one of my local training routes.

The course didn’t look to be too treacherous on paper but in practice, crashes claimed quite a few riders, in our race as well as the P1/2s later. There were numerous cracks and holes in the pavement that surely contributed to a large straight-away crash mid-way through the race. It looked like they sent two guys away in the ambulance, so I hope they are okay. Back to the course layout… It was about a 1.7 mile (totally guessing as I had no computer) lap with 2 90 degree corners and a tight super-slow u-turn at Taft and Allen Pwky. The course was run clockwise (right-hand turns)… Needless to say, I made it a point to be the first of the 105 riders to that tight u-turn on lap 1. I anticipated a mid-pack crash…which there was one… I think it scared a few riders, and humbled a few more so that everyone behaved themselves in that corner for the rest of the race.

Additional pictures can be seen at: http://www.sportsduo.com/gallery/8254290_pMcxN#540013552_3TykD

I stayed near the front of the group for the first couple of laps to let the pack settle and get all of the jitters out of riding with a group 100 strong. Nothing really much eventful happened throughout our race. There was a group off the front for a bit but they never really got organized and were easily brought back in the closing laps. I decided that I didn’t really have the gas tank for any attacks yet so I decided to chill mid pack for the duration of the race. Upon taking the bell lap, I made may way up to the front along the fringes. Coming up on the tight u-turn I was sitting third wheel. Not exactly ideal. I didn’t want to be that far up but it was about the only place I was able to squeeze in. The three of us actually made it through the corner with a little gap on the field. I was ready to attack and jam it for the last km or so and tried to inspire the other two, but they were not interested. So I sat up and waited for the group. As I got absorbed into the front of the group, people were banging around quite a bit. I was a little winded from my quick burst out of the corner so was content to sit in till we were close to the line. It didn’t seem like anyone really wanted to be on the front stringing everyone out. So as we came to up towards the line, I kept having to tap my brakes in the group, slowing my momentum and becoming boxed in even further with each slow of the group. Somewhat frustrated I sat up. I crossed the line toward the back of the pack.



I had a good solid ride. The results weren’t there but that’s okay. It was a good crash-free return to crit racing. In hindsight, I might have been able to solo from the u-turn? pipedream? Maybe. It sure would have been a cool way to win. Though I always aspire to good race results, this race served more as a test for my legs and scale by which I can determine the areas I need to focus on for training.

From here, I am just gonna keep on riding. I now know some areas in which I am lacking and need work. Lots of that stuff will just come naturally as I continue to accumulate miles in my legs. So coming up, I am looking forward to the Memorial Park Crit Series this summer. It should be some good fun training/racing in the middle of the week. Not really sure what else will make it on the race calendar…?

Thanks to my wife and parents for coming out to support me and take photos!

My prayers have been answered

I have many an event to post about, but first, I must praise God for my answered prayer, and this prayer granted deserves its own post! We live in a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment that has a study as well. Because of Devin's obsession...ahem....talents and hobbies, our study was naturally deemed the "bike room". Those who do not ride much may not comprehend how this could affect me so, but you do not realize that when you marry a man who is a natural at all things bike, he doesn't come with one, nor two bicycles. He comes with five and he builds his wife one. Now, on to the praise...get ready for it...I can now walk into our study without getting bike grease on my leg. YES!! Y'all, we ordered some bike racks from Better Bikes for our SIX bicycles, and Devin's parents brought them to us yesterday!

Before:
It really just doesnt do the inconvenience justice...

and after:

And a picture of my bike because I love her:

BLISS.

In Devin's defense, he sold his Cannondale Time Trial frame and such to a guy we met at a Bike Swap on Sunday. More on the swap later...

Movin' Up in the World!

How exciting! My brother, Zach, just found out he got an internship in Washington, DC working for the Discovery Channel! We're so proud of him, so excited, and so sad he won't be in Houston for the summer...BUT! It is so neat to see how God has taught Zach patience. He has been working to get this for a long time, with a lot of closed doors, and it has paid off. So proud of you, Z-Man!

PEDAL, CHAD!!!

We're so excited for our friend, Chad Haga, who just placed 13th out of 130 riders at the Collegiate Road Nationals today in Ft. Collins, CO!!! Unbelievable finish! Congrats, buddy!!! We're so so proud!!! Fine...I'll do it...Whoop!?!

Sayonara Cat 2!

GET EXCITED!!! Devin found out last night that he has been upgraded to a Cat 1 on the mountain bike!! For those who are clueless as to what this means, this may help. Dev is SO very talented on all bikes...

Come to think of it, he is great at everything- he tried yoga for the first time with me the other night and did great...maybe due to his feet though- they give him an advantage when balancing.

ANYWAYS, mountain biking seems to be what he excels at naturally. So, since mountain season is pretty much over, we will work on the road bike for the next couple of months and see how God uses this in the fall!

We Must Go Live to Feed the Hungry, Stand Beside the Broken...

God has blessed Devin and myself immensely with jobs that provide more than enough for the two of us, and then some. It is so important to us, as the very small 2 person family that we are, to diligently return His money to Him so that He may do the work He needs to do with it. I have always had a heart for missions, for the struggling, the broken-hearted, the poor, the weak and exhausted, the loveless, the less fortunate, whether the people are next door or across the world. One night at what we believe is going to be our home church, Dr. Jerry Rankin spoke about how Christians are to have and show compassion. He spoke of the Great Commission, that God commands that we make disciples of all nations, and his emphasis was on 1 John 3:17,

"If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions".

I so desire to have and show compassion to His people, and so, as I read Melisa Moore Fitzpatrick's daily accounts on the Living Proof blog of her trip to India with Compassion (God has a funny way of using the same words to speak to us) International to meet her sponsor children, I was drawn with a desire that was so urgent to sponsor twenty children. God has blessed us, but twenty was probably out of our realm of giving, so I toned it down before I talked to Devin. After talking and praying and talking, we signed up to sponsor a child, and TODAY, we found out who our child is.

We have a little girl. She is 5. She loves dolls and playing house. We love her already, and I truly mean that we love her.

Her name is Lisa, and she. is. beautiful. Unfortunately, the Compassion website won't let me download her picture to post here, but as soon as we get one in the mail, I will scan and post it like a proud mother. We are so thrilled and hopeful that God will continue to bless us for years so we can watch her grow up and become the Godly woman she is called to be.

Lisa lives in Bolangir, Orissa in India with her mother and father.


Her mother is unemployed and her father is a laborer. If he gets work, he makes an average of $27 per month. Our donation, monthly, is. more. than. his. salary. on. a. good. month. And the money doesn't do small things- Compassion makes sure that it spreads a long way! The money will give our little girl food and clean water, education, medical care. She will learn life skills, hygiene, trades, and how to care for children. But the sweetest of it all- she will hear the wonderful stories of Jesus Christ. She will hear how much He loves her (something that, most likely, not even her parents tell her), how much He has planned for her, and she will hear it every single day. We are excited to be chosen as the vessel for Jesus to change her life and set her free.

That night at church, when the pastor spoke on the Great Commission, and the requirement that Christians show unconditional compassion, the congregation sang this song that drives me to tears of motivation every single time:

God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord

Now that I've told you of the need all over the world, and how far your dollar can go...
Now that you know, what will you do?

Off to a rough start...

With a free weekend, Devin decided he was going to race the Sugarland Crit race on Sunday. On Saturday night after a full day in Kingwood, he cleaned his bike, packed his bag, and set the alarm for 6:10. That would give us just enough time to roll out of bed, throw his bike on the roof, and get to the race in enough time to register and warm up. But, maybe because we had an exhausting day on Saturday, or maybe because our alarm was set for Monday-Friday (oops!), we slept too late and he didn't get to race. So! The first race is in fact the Houston Crit on May 17th!!