Catch Up

So...when I left off, my family and I were about to embark on a two week road trip to Oklahoma for my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. We chose to drive because it was cheaper, but it also allowed us to see friends and family and countryside along the way, do something new as a family, and keep the trip cost down. For those who care, the carbon footprint for the trip was roughly 60% of a trip by airplane.



The trip was great. Many questioned our sanity for taking a toddler and a pre-schooler on a 4,000+ mile adventure, but we really did have a blast. We visited eight states, two zoos, an aquarium, a solar-powered yurt, and a Mennonite-run Dairy Queen. For those parents considering a similar family outing, I offer two secrets to our success: a portable dvd player and a 2-lb bag of Dum Dum lollipops.

I did go on two bike rides in the Brighton, Colorado area, where a nearby water tower verified with a painted ring that I was indeed riding at the one-mile elevation mark. Pretty cool for someone who lives at 350 feet a.s.l.

The week after we returned home was spent finding our routine. I biked the kids to pre-school in the MADSEN and we prepared for Halloween. By Halloween night, all of the kids were sick. By Tuesday, the pre-school had reported two confirmed cases of H1N1 and my wife and I were starting to feel ill. Yep, TBR has the Swine Flu. On the up side, the whole family had it at the same time, the kids were over the rougher fever part very quickly, and it's been pouring buckets of rain the entire time so we've missed out on very little riding time. ;) On the down side, it's been physically brutal on these two 20-something parents. After seven days of fevers, coughing, and congestion, I'm exhausted.

Don't hesitate to keep your kids home from school if they are symptomatic and do your best to avoid crowded public places. Wash you hands often. We're already planning to do most of our holiday shopping online, which will help keep the fine folks at UPS busy. They've already started doing deliveries by bicycle in my neighborhood, like they did last year.