Ali started at Dell last week -- I am so proud of her! Apparently she was the only one hired out of 100 applicants! That is simply amazing! How exactly was I lucky enough to get her?! Life is good, and I have no complaints. She calls me each morning on her way to work, so I am getting up and accomplishing a lot before work. Working 11-7PM sounds like an idyllic schedule, but think about it for a minute... The morning can easily get away from you (believe me!), and the next thing you know you are at work. The day ends and all of a sudden you are at home and too worn out to do anything. Just as being a business owner takes discipline, so does maintaining a "normal" life with those business hours. Additionally, I am not just rolling into the shop at 11AM. I have already been online checking emails and taking care of loose ends, running errands to Blue or Lowe's, etc. It isn't just fun and games, but it is fulfilling.
We had an incredible time at the cabin with Ali's family the weekend before last! They rented one in Blue Ridge for the family, so we had been excited for several months! The only problem was that the weekend was over far too quickly. When I arrived and saw the pool and foosball table downstairs, I knew that I was going to be able to survive! HA! We definitely weren't roughing it! When I came upstairs Saturday morning for breakfast, her family saw my "Bacon Strips &" T-shirt and was basically like, "How cute! He loves bacon!..." I decided not to mention Epic Meal Time as the real reason behind it! HAHA!...We went downtown, then five of us went on a six-mile hike (round-trip) on the Benton MacKaye Trail to the Swinging Bridge. I must admit that neither running nor riding use the same muscle groups as hiking through the mountains! We were battling time since we had to make it back before dark -- we basically just made it. A big dinner, the LSU-Alabama game, and I was done for! It was an exhausting day, but definitely worth it!
Having a full weekend was great, but I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving. It is going to be a huge dinner with Ali's family, so that will be fun. Even though Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping insanity, my shop is usually dead the day after Thanksgiving. I have decided that the store will be closed that day, and one of my guys can run it over the weekend. I am thoroughly burned-out, so I need a break.
You might think that things have slowed down here, but nothing could be further from the truth! I have two custom Ventana bikes which are almost done. We have two Santa Cruz builds coming down the pipe. Two complete Surly bikes are arriving next week which were sold last week, and a Gunnar frame is being built for delivery in the coming weeks. We are also in the talks with another Gunnar custom build. Amazing!!! Oh yeah -- let me not forget the Blue RD1 being picked up this Friday. I have zero complaints about the shop. Things are good!
Last Monday night I went to the Foo Fighters concert with Peter. Originally, I had tickets for Ali and myself, but we decided that it might not be a good idea for her to show up at her second day of work exhausted from a late night at a concert! HA... I wish she could have gone, but there will be plenty of other opportunities. Peter and I had a great time -- my ears literally rang for two days afterward. I do have a question, though. Take a look at the photo I took from our seats, and the one below it, which Joseph sent me from his seats. Is there something wrong with that picture (literally)? HA!!! I still had a great time, regardless -- even if I was just a LITTLE jealous...Argh!!! At least I caught it! Luke's guys were able to replace it that day, so we were only an hour late leaving Atlanta. With two Land Rovers, the odds of my still having to ride a bike to work are quite high!!!
Great video and song!
