It is all math and science.

Me: Did you just eat two cupcakes?

DC: MMM-MMM-MMMMMM-MMM (His attempt at "Yes and I'm not here to be judged" while his mouth was full)

Me: Ok, that ONE that is left...that is mine.  You have eaten every cupcake.

DC: No, I took 8 to work.  And you took 4 to work AND! YOU HAD ONE!

Me: Ok, I had one.  On my birthday.  Without icing.  Now, if I took 4 and you took 8 and there is one left, that means you have eaten 15 cupcakes.  In one week.

DC: I am gonna be blogged about tomorrow aren't I?

Studies show that eating all of a particularly fun/exciting/diffferent food is the #1 way to anger your significant other.  By studies I mean mostly looking at my marriage and Kstan and Will's relationship.

Bed, Breakfast, Buddies and Bicycles

I feel like I still haven’t recovered from our weekend in Dripping Springs.  Sleep. Deprivation. Too much excitement.  Too much fun.

Here’s a recap, a sorta kinda race report, and a lot of pictures.  Relax, get some more coffee, go to the bathroom, get comfortable.

This is our bed and breakfast in Wimberley.  Seriously awesome.  It was in the middle of nowhere, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  We’re going back.  Love.

 

Our view from the porch of the B&B.  Texas scares Kstan.  Views like this remind her of No Country for Old Men or something.  It was beautiful and someday, Kstan, I will take you there.

 

   Tell me this isn’t the cutest picture of Devin ever taken (baby pictures don’t count) & I will say you’re absurd.  He never smiles like this.  I can’t get over it.  I feel like I want to print 11 copies of it and give one to all of you. 

Moving on to race day.

 

 

 

There were lots of bikes to try, lots of vendors with all of their goods.  Much like a bike carnival.  Or something else that is way cooler.

Lance thinks of everything- boy/girl portable toilets?  Genius.

The start, as if you didn’t know.  This was Devin’s group lining up.  I think.  There were a lot of races, ok?

Bing, Bong Boom…BANG!  They’re off…

Lance Armstrong and Bryan Fawley (and JHK on the left).  This is about as far as Lance got in the race, I think.  I decided not to edit this picture because I like the spectators in it…but…

Here is the cropped version for the someonewhowillremainnameless who asked which one is Lance.  He’s in black.

Chad lookin’ cool as a cucumber representing the Aggies while carrying a little girl on his back.  If you zoom in on this, it is way funny.  Or maybe I just think it’s funny.  Yeah, it’s probably not that funny.

Dev starting.  Love the green.  Could do without the neon in-my-face sunglasses.  I love you.

Dan, Shane, and Ian looking down at the course figuring out where our first photo spot will be.  The racers looked like little ants on bikes, which I was thinking may be even more efficient for ants.  Again…I haven’t slept enough lately.

 

Chad takes racing really seriously.

Dev dominating a creek/hill of misery.  A handful of riders fell here, and if you know me, you know I cannot control my laughter when people fall.  It’s not that I think it’s funny, it’s like it stresses me out so much that I just laugh.  Anyway, if I laughed at you, I really just felt bad for you.  I’m not making this any better.

This guy won the race.  I think I got this shot as he was looking back at Dan and Ian who chased him like 12 yr olds chasing the Jonas Brothers.  Totally weirded me out too, JHK.

David Wiens…you may remember him from the Race Across the Sky documentary.  What?  I’m the only girl who got talked into going to that?  Sweet.  Anyway, he is an epic rider.  Look at me using boy words.

Ian using a classic Looney Tunes tactic to try to slow Chad down.

Still goin, lookin good.

Devin’s fans running part of the course with him.

And he’s done!  He finished!

And there is mud.

Lots 

AND lots of mud.

 

Dev finished 32nd out of 53 race starters at 2 hours 25 minutes and 15 seconds! 

I am so proud of him for the following reasons:

1.  He did not crash

2.  He finished the whole thing!  And the mud was killer.  Only 38 racers finished this in his category.  Lance was not one of them.

3.  He beat this guy!!

4.  He stepped it up and raced in a class that was challenging instead of racing with the Cat 1 19-29 men and creaming them.

5.  He was and always is a good sport

He inspires me

Smoke him.

In eleven days, my man, my hero! is racing this guy.

Mr. Armstrong, I hope you know how to stay on to a wheel like this rider.

Look at them eating Dev’s dust. I love it.

Lance, perhaps you want to learn to fix a flat for this race so you don’t have to finish the way you did at Leadville.

I can teach you if you want.

So, if Lance can fix a flat, and as long as Chad “Julius” Hagasaki keeps his fingers out of his spokes, we might have some competition!

In conclusion,

My husband is going to smoke you, Juan Pelota.

Enough hardcoretrashtalk. The countdown until we race Lance is on! Why did I pick 11 days? Your guess is as good as mine.

The race is at Lance’s ranch near Austin on November 22, and we are so pumped for it. Herzbin has been getting a good amount of time on his bike, and when I asked him the other day if he was fast, I believe his exact words were, “Psh yah” with a not-too-cocky grin and head nod.

I believe it. That guy is an absolute natural especially on the mountain bike. He hops on and flies through any trail like a little bumblebee. I guess I could pick something manlier…jackrabbit?

I am so proud of him and so excited to see this.

We’d love your prayers (we don’t need another broken collar bone…or anything broken for that matter), encouragement, comments

In exchange, I will take one bazillion pictures and hope for one or two good ones to post. Like one of Devin lining up next to Lance. Or one of Devin laughing as he passes Lance. Or one of me running alongside Lance in a banana costume. You just never know.

Editor’s Correction

[A breakfast conversation]

Me: Did you read the blog yesterday?

Devin: Yes.  And for the record, I got a helicopter last year.

Me: Oh.  Did you break it?

Devin: Pshh. [head nod] Yeah.

I stand corrected.

Two words: wife. points.

You may be thinking to yourself, “I wonder how Steph got to be such a cool and funny person?”  Right?  You were totally thinking that!  Well, every morning, I stick a piece of bologna in my shoes…nevermind. I refuse to make the same jokes as my dad.

I’m not really that cool or funny, but the fact of the matter is, I rule at being a wife.  Stop laughing.

Reason (the one and only reason, I guess): I am going to see this tonight with Devin. 

I know, I can’t believe it either.  I mean, I like bikes and I love to ride mine and would love to have a mountain bike someday, but I am about riding them to have fun and cannot comprehend the technical stuff or the racing strategy.  So, it’s sort of like how I watch baseball- I just watch and don’t listen to the announcers.  With this, I will just watch and make an idiot out of myself yelling for Lance to PEDAL!!!! the way I yell at Devin at races.  The only difference is Devin can hear me when I do it. 

Maybe I’ll bring my cowbell to get in the spirit.  No?  Too much?

Anyway.

I had other plans tonight (don’t ask me what they were because they were less than exciting.  Fine, they were lame and this is not lame). 

…but because it is a ONE NIGHT ONLY event resulting in this documentary being wiped off the planet so Devin can never see it again, and he would cheat on me with a bicycle if he could, AND because he has successfully brainwashed me into being somewhat interested in cycling, I choose to go see a documentary about some insane mountain bike race that sorta kinda features some other 6 time champion, but conveniently follows Lance the majority of the time. 

And I guess when I say let’s go to a movie sometime, I can’t be picky.

But I won’t lie- I’m very excited to hang with him, half-way excited to see the movie, and really hoping that the A&M Cycling Team list-serve will please discuss this tomorrow at length so that Devin can get it all out.

In return, Devin has promised to buy me a scooter. 

He just doesn’t know it until right about now when he’s reading this like everyone else.

It’s all about give and take, you guys.

And speaking of cycling, if you’re into it, check out http://fitbottomedgirls.blogspot.com/ for a short interview with Chris Carmichael.  And if you’re a girl, read it daily.  It’s one of my favorite fitness blogs designed for women.  Good stuff.

Love.

Monday, I had an interview, and as a result I had to dress like a librarian mixed with a female police officer (the picture is from one of my favorite shows I never watch, Police Women of Broward County…they bring some hotness into the hot mess I looked like Monday morning).

+  

Monday Morning:

Me: Dev, do I look [super butch]?

Devin: [laughs and says nothing]

Tuesday morning:

Devin: Remember when you asked me if you looked [really butch] yesterday?

Me: Yes?

Devin: Well…you look GREAT today.

 

He has sweet ways of being subtle.

Super Devin...The Tale of the Hero Husband

Warning...this may get mushy. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you can't handle it, just don't read it...it's that easy!

I don't really like to do the weekend update thing. I don't like everyone to know every little thing, and I don't think people care to read "First we went to the mall, then to the movie, then this, then that, then we ate this this and this, then we sat and stared at each other, then Devin left so I stared at the wall". When I read that sort of recap on other blogs, I'm bored out of my mind. But, this weekend-themed post has a different purpose. If you'd be so kind, please let me tell you how awesome, hard working, giving, smart, talented, wife-loving, and patient Devin is. I am pretty sure most everything he did this weekend was for me, and I'm not quite sure he got to do anything he wanted the entire weekend, except watch TV on Sunday...which he didn't really want to do. Oh good grief, I started crying when I wrote that. What is with my emotions lately? Don't get any ideas. This may even be too mushy for me. I'm really sort of sad that I have ZERO pictures to show you with this post, but the iPhone just wasn't handy...and then it took a dive and broke on Saturday, but we'll get to that in a second...

On Friday night, Devin and I volunteered for the Knuckleball. This is a black tie event that the hospital I work for hosts for the Joe Niekro foundation. Devin left work early, after a very hectic week, to get dressed up and tote me to the event. We worked registration for the guests where we gave them their bidding paddle and casino money, then we were live auction spotters (they had items like a signed Nolan Ryan painting, a trip to Cancun for 10 days, a cigar humidor from the president), then silent auction item deliverers (silent auction items were much better- signed Cal Ripken jersey, hall of famers signed baseball..), and we really didn't get to eat at all which is miserable for the husband of mine who has the metabolism of a kangaroo (first off, I don't know what their metabolism is like, but it worked. Secondly, I think it's Eric or Dan that says Devin is a kangaroo? So...it fits). I know he had a million other things he could have done on Friday night, and I am so thankful that he came. We ended up sitting with Mr. Bertrand, the most famous pharmacist you'll ever meet, and his family (Rebeeb and Shanna were there!) listening to Mr. B talk about Devin when he was a baby. He told me that I married a good guy, which I already knew.

Mr. Bertrand and Devin...and Collin Raye in the background.
Shout out to Rebeeb for her excellent cellular photography

Saturday morning, Devin had to get up and go DO WORK! He got home just in time (8:30am) to go work on Lifehouse. I was so happy he came, because I knew he would be able to use his scary-smart brain and man-power talent somehow. They ended up needing some guys to rip up some tile in the bathrooms, and he was an expert. I was so so proud of him, and if he hadn't come, it would have taken twice as long to work on the house. I was put in the garage to organize it, which was fun for me. It's always more fun to organize someone else's house, right? Apartments are so much harder to organize...not that I'm making excuses or anything...WE HAVE 6 BIKES! Sorry...that escalated quickly.

Saturday, this should've-been-born-blonde dropped her iPhone on the kitchen floor and the power button was stuck. After a trip to AT&T and the Apple store, I had to get a new phone, and even though I felt terrible...absolutely horrifically terrible, Devin told me a million times that it was no big deal and that I needed a phone and that I must be crazy if I thought he would let me run around Houston without one. I am so blessed. I think he's excited that my new phone can take video now, and I can show him the crazies I see on the train instead of trying to describe the insanity. Then, Saturday night, I started getting a migraine, but we still needed to go to the grocery store if we wanted to achieve the Sunday-do-nothing-day. I went to bed, and he went to the store alone...he doesn't care much for the store. Again, I felt so so awful, and he was happy to do it.

Sunday funday came and we tried a new Bible study and new church service. We really enjoyed it and I loved hearing herzbin chime in with the new group of people about prayer and what we think prayer should and shouldn't be. We came home and had planned to go to the lake house, but it didn't work out, and I was so disappointed for him. We watched a lot of movies on TV, rested, and played all day, but I know he had other things he would have preferred to do.

While I'm talking about things he would rather do, I want to re-emphasize our need for your prayers. We talked in Bible study yesterday about how God tells us we can pray for ANYTHING big or small...and we still need prayers for Devin's bike fit issue. We have gotten to the point where riding isn't even enticing because it is potentially miserable. Please pray for his knees, his legs, his fit. I want him to want to ride again because not only is he phenomenal at it, but he absolutely loves it.

Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
Phil 4:6 NLT

Who do you know that would volunteer for TWO causes in a weekend while multi-tasking with his "real" job? Who do you know who would buy this doofus a new and very expensive phone when she just broke the other one? Who would be patient enough to deal with yet another night full of attitude from a migraine-suffering wife? Who would just offer to go to the grocery store because he knows I am in pain? Who would settle for a Sunday with me instead of a bike ride with friends or wake boarding, and then forgive me when I snapped at him this morning when the alarm went off? He is my hero and not only do I love him completely, but I appreciate him deeply. I thank God every single day for giving me someone I do not deserve one single bit.

What do you feed a duck?

A box of quackers!! Shout out to the older brother who told that joke probably 1300 times throughout my childhood.

How can you look at this and not love him? The duck loved him. He ate right out of his hand.

I love him madly.

We need Godspeed and fitted feet

Newsflash: Devin races bikes. It is what he does, it is one of 93,483,291 things he excels at, it is what he loves.

To catch everyone up...

Devin was riding when he was just a tyke. I think he rode out on a bike in the delivery room. Please look at how cute that is. Unintentional ape-hanger handlebars?? Look at the flip-flops! I thought we couldn't ride in flip-flops? He probably didn't even need those training wheels, and knowing him, he probably took them off right after this picture. The bike riding started at a very young age, and he soon became Evil Kinievel.

Go, speed racer, go!! From what I hear, he was quite the BMX rider. I definitely don't doubt it. I would hope 6 concussions would mean he got a lot of practice. I want 8 kids just like him (see previous post- the scooter isn't going so well, so I am using my alternate methods). The funny thing is, he has a bathing suit now that looks just like those pants! Biking of all kinds...my husband can do it all.

Look at his Devon Sawa haircut. He is straight out of Tiger Beat Magazine. So 90s, but oh so cool. He was probably looking for his girlfriend, Nancy.

Fast forward a few years, and Devin is racing mountain and road for Texas A&M...I can't resist...
AAAAAAAAAA A-A-A-A-A WHOOP!!!
Please disregard the fact that he is beating a Texas State rider. I am sure he had a rock in his shoe or something else legit like that. I'm kidding, I'm sure Devin smoked him.

You will notice Devin in the back holding up his conference champion belt. I plan to wear it this Halloween to achieve this look:

DANG IT! I totally thought he had a belt! Someone please tell me what is wrong with my memory. First, the Amelia Earhart vision and now this. Guess I'll have to go for this look:

STONE COLD!!! Enough about my Halloween plans, since I have about 7 costumes in the works and it is only June and more than likely I will be watching Kstan run the NY Marathon that weekend, so I wont even do anything Halloween related. Oh my gosh, enough! Back on topic...

This would be my unbelievable husband winning the conference championship crit. You can watch him sprint for the win here.

So, on Mother's day in 2008, Devin went with Chad to Road Nationals in Colorado. If Chad is going, it must be bad news. I kid, Julius.


I bought him those arm warmers. Do NOT be jealous of the Carrolls' hardcoreness.

I had just exchanged phone numbers with Devin's mom in church when she called to tell me (actually Zach) that Devin had crashed. We found out he had broken his collarbone. Womp, womp. Luckily, he knew some amazing person that worked at Methodist Hospital who got him right in to one of the best orthopedic surgeons. He went through 2 surgeries in a summer which really put a damper on my tan. Jokes. We were so thankful that it was just his collarbone, but it really was a frustrating experience for Devin. But, naturally, he had his second surgery in August of 2008 and won the first mountain bike race he rode in after the surgery. His road frame from the crash was dunzo, and he had to get a new one from Specialized. Ever since, things haven't been the same. We can't seem to get his fit on his feet quite right and it keeps him from pedaling hard with his sequoia legs. We have tried a very pricey Bike Barn fit which really just messed him up even more. Don't do it. I can say that because this is my blog. My blog my rules. Another example of my hardcoreness.

So, we decided to give racing a shot last week at the Memorial Park Criterium. They hold these every Wednesday night during the summer- it's really fun. My friend, Scott Corron, who took this picture back in November

was there shooting the race and helped me get our camera set up. I also got photography lessons! How to set the camera to track the rider you want, etc. I got a couple of Dev, but I didnt get very good ones. I'm new at it. He ended up DNF-ing because his fit was so wrong and he thought he might hurt himself.

Scott took this of Devin and his furious coach. I am so mad. Look how mad I am! But seriously- it was hot out there and I was sad he didn't feel right on his bike. We have been fighting this fit issue for so so long and I want him to love what he loves.

Friday night he decided to try track racing (on his track bike) with Chad.


And I quote the man himself..."the racing was great [he got 3rd!], the fit was tolerable".
All of these pictures and links and all of the rambling is for one purpose. I want my cute as a speckled pup husband to come home from a bike ride and say it was excellent. So, if you think about me or him or us, please pray that his bike fit situation would be fixed somehow.

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.