birkie fever

the birkebeiner is a big cross country ski race in northern wisconsin. we've always wanted to do it, but have never had time to train, aren't very good at cross country skiing, and kind of felt intimidated by the whole thing. a few good friends have done the race in the past, and david was there to cheer them on and came home convinced that he should do the race. finally, after years of lighthearted and playful consideration of participation, this year we really did it: we trained, we got better skis, we built a little muscle, and we drove up to hayward and completed the half length race with energy to spare. it was an exhilarating experience. the party in hayward is so unique and joyful, and so very wisconsin. we will do it again, and at least one of us will do the full 54 kilometers of the birkebeiner.

the weekend was short, and so full of activity. we dropped the kids at my parents' house, and headed for hayward first thing friday morning. well, not FIRST thing. first thing was to change a flat tire about 2 miles into our drive. perfect thing to do in 3 degree temperatures.


5 hours of driving in a light snow shower, heading for a 14 mile race you've never done before, provides a lot of time for fear and self doubt to creep into the brain. i did a lot of thinking about how i probably have no business heading out into the woods to do a physical activity that i've never done for more than 2 hours. so yeah, it's kind of a long drive. and there is a LOT of driving behind slow trucks full of trees and massive big scary metal pincher clip things hanging off the back. 'tis tree country, up there.


once in hayward, we picked up our bibs and race packets, checked out the finish line for the birkebeiner (our half length kortelopet was a loop, turning off the main course and looping back to the start. we didn't get to finish triumphantly through the downtown main street of hayward. next year....), had a beer at a local brewery with some friends, and then headed to the family cabin of a good friend. this place is charming and cozy, and these friends are wonderful and generous people. check out this nighttime cabin view,


and the view across the lake (from the outhouse--yep, the outhouse) at 7 am. breathtaking, even in -3 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.


we took a walk across the lake to cool our pre-race jitters,


enjoyed some old school music entertainment (christmas music in german, in need of a hand crank to speed it up),


and david showcased his evil race number.


the next morning, we loaded up the skis, donned the bibs, collected all the finger-and-toe hot packs we could find, and drove to the start line in cable.


of course, what we really had to do was park in a field, stand in line, and board a school bus to shuttle us all to the start line. look at all these people! and get this: at the time we were standing in this line, more than 50% of the racers had already departed in earlier waves. this line is a tiny fraction of the 10,000 race participants.


start line smiles,


and wave 9 taking off. we're in there, somewhere. wave 9 is for all new racers, and is about as far back in the race as you can be. next year, we should get an earlier wave placement.


but you know what? that race is just a ski in the woods. it was the best snow i've been on all year. the mood is positive and joyful the whole way. the refreshment stations are party scenes. the hills are nowhere near as bad as i'd been lead to believe, and i didn't fall down even once. it was, frankly, the best 3 hours of the whole winter. david and i skied the whole thing together, and here we are at the third refreshment station (about 11 miles into the race). total joy.


and the finish line! we were announced together, and it was really fun to cross a finish line with my husband. i have always crossed alone, in all my races, and i probably always will in the future. but this first time in a ski race, we did it together, and it was so very nice.
happy finishers, medals proudly donned.


then: a quick clothing change, a short shuttle ride back, and boom, we were in hayward. cheering crowds, packed bars, and that amazing main street finish line. birkebeiner finishers were pouring down the ramp of the bridge and spilling onto main street in a constant flood of very fit and very exhausted people in spandex. it is really a sight.


best beer and brat i've ever had.


we spent some time with this crowd,


but ultimately opted to trade this bar with it's moderate quantity of taxidermy for the moccasin, a bar that was more crowded than the worst college basement keg party, and more full of taxidermy and dioramas that the smithsonian. they've been featured on road side america, and if that isn't enough to pique your interest, just do a google image search. go ahead. i'll wait. it's worth it.

here's my favorite diorama: one victorious raccoon boxer, one fallen raccoon boxer, a rough looking beaver referee, and two supportive skunk coaches. (the wolf judge diorama is pretty epic, too).


and here is the side of the building. you can't miss this mint green gem.

it was so much fun. it is so rewarding to enjoy a race because training worked and the race wasn't out of your grasp. it is so fun to spend time with friends in the northwoods. it is so fun to cross country ski. you can believe that next winter, you will find us training with the first snow fall, creating even more reasons to wait for and hope for snow. 

i mean, just look at this! and listen: this race has its own song. everyone loves it.

on wisconsin!

i have always loved the disney version of robin hood, from the very first time i heard that wonderful minstrel rooster's whistled tune at the opening. later, when i started dating david, we would hang out in his apartment and eat pizza and repetitively watch the one dvd he owned: robin hood, prince of thieves, starring kevin costner. we really grew to love that movie (while we were simultaneously growing to love one another). it was a simple time, the days before streaming content, but i digress. i even loved reading the original robin hood in middle school, despite the confusing language and challenging course work associated with that book. the point is that robin hood has been with us. a lot.

anyway, the kids are watching disney's robin hood, and i'm doing chores, but i'm humming and singing along while i listen in....and do you know what i just discovered? the wisconsin fight song, right there in the middle of the movie! i've heard a few folks make the claim that this tune is their high school fight song (ahem, david staple), but we all know where this tune came from. bucky badger's birthplace, baby.


(forgive the italian-speaking lady-in-waiting hen and prince john lion. this clip wasn't available in english, or, you know, this was the first search hit and it is good enough.)

just another reason to feel connected to robin hood.
on wisconsin!!

these two....

our kids are kind of wild monkeys, and it always seems like they're doing parkour or free running or free range tumbling when we're just trying to get down the sidewalk or get dressed in the morning. parkour is pretty awesome, so the other day we showed a video of parkour and tumbling to the kids. might not have been a good idea, but man, they thought it was pretty cool. james said they look like monkeys, and he's totally right.

but seriously, check this out!


immediately after watching the video, ramona did a cartwheel/round off from the sofa to the floor (we have rules and she knew she was breaking them). the next morning, i was awoken to the sound of "mommy! mommy! come see my moves!" and found her in the hallway at the top of the stairs in this position:


so i guess they are a little impressionable, and not totally aware of safety and risks. no more videos for a while.

in other news, ramona is all scheduled for kindergarten in the fall (!!),


and these two are pregnant.

florida fun

while it is true that our favorite thing to do last week was swim in nana and papa's pool, we managed to do a few other things during our time in florida. there is nothing quite so freeing as running out the door in shorts and flip flops right in the middle of winter-bundle-up season. we ran out the door in flip flops to go to lunch, to go to the play ground, to ride bikes, to spot dolphins and eat ice cream and hunt for shells at the beach. it was a good time.

ramona had another (and final) birthday party. turning 5 is a long process, and thankfully, it is a process full of chocolate cake.

there were morning bike rides,

and afternoon bike rides.

james learned to use a key, and the world is now a less safe place.

we looked for birds and dolphins from the pier,

we shared ice cream cones,

 

and we watched this guy play around for a while. ramona named him squeaky.

sand cakes and messy stews were concocted on the beach,

and cozy warm sun bathing was interrupted more than once by this wet, sandy, sticky wild beach animal.

climbing walls were climbed,

oldey-timey sugar presses were explored,

maps were interpreted, 

and cats were snuggled.

all that activity, plus hours in the pool every day? it's tiring. we did a lot of sleeping.

24 hours

today, we built a giant snowfort.  yesterday, we had lunch on the beach.

these photos are separated by 26 hours and over a thousand miles. isn't it kind of amazing that technology can take us from white sand to white snow, from vacation to home, in such an easy (usually) and rapid (usually) way?

beach lunch


snow fort selfie


i think kip said it best when he said "i love technology."


and i'm with louis c.k.: everything is amazing.

water babies

our visit to see nana and papa in florida has been a pool-heavy week long event of sunshine and popsicles. it's been pretty enjoyable. the pool is a big favorite, and we are there every day. the kids have always been pretty good and fearless swimmers, but this year, major things are happening. ramona is swimming entirely on her own! james refuses to get his face and hair wet! they have both discovered the hot tub, and like to disregard florida law about children under the age of 12 in the hot tub! it's a whole new world.

happy kids at the pool


 piggy back swimming. notice the dry hair.


jumping into the deep end with the big girls

swimming across the pool, on her own. the long way. with no assistance. amazing.
(that's james in the background shouting about ramona's "magic whale." i don't know, you guys. your guess is as good as mine on the meaning of the magic whale.)


and diving! she's diving to the bottom to retrieve toys. and they're playing so nicely together. so nicely, in fact, that their mother is sun bathing instead of worrying and hovering.


even if he won't dive and dunk this year (which he has done a million times in the past, including several times at the water park 2 weeks ago....), he will work those kickers. nice splashes, big guy.


and a little post swim hot tub with the big girls. don't worry, enforces of florida law and well meaning individuals with legitimate concerns regarding the health of my small children: the hot tub was 98 degrees that day.

i'd say that we are all pretty happy pool kids.