Make It Miami

Friday was a full day of Miami University activities. Karen, you'd be proud! Meg has finally committed to Miami, which just kills these two Ohio University graduates. But since Meg grew up on the OU campus, it's understandable why she'd want to try her hand at a different college.

Our first visit to Miami during her junior year was a bust. Meg wasn't AT ALL INTERESTED in attending Miami. She disliked the small town feel and she hated that they only had two coffee shops. Forget the fact that, where we live, we only have two coffee shops and it works just fine, thank you very much. After several other college visits, as well as an additional trip to see Miami again, she knew that Miami was for her. Friday only sealed the deal (and required Mom to make that whopping deposit).


I have to admit, Miami University did a great job of entertaining the parents and introducing us to the campus. The most fun of the day for my girls was eating in the dining halls. Meg was excited that they had healthy food (tilapia, brown rice and veggies) as well as unhealthy food (cupcakes, cookies, ice cream). Just look at how happy they looked!

All in all, it was a good day. I still can't believe this day is here, where my little girl is big enough to go away to college!

Was Your Weekend Busy, Too?

GNO.  Friday night was Girls Night Out and we enjoyed a nice little meal at Sweet Melissa’s.  Our food was great and Meg even tried tempting me by reading the beer selections off the chalkboard.  When she read “Lagunitas” out loud, I thought I was going to have to cover my ears! I had a very busy Saturday planned, including a long-ish bike ride, and didn’t need a drink (or two!) to slow me down.
 
Cycling.  That darn learning curve is huge!  I am glad I had such a good cycling partner and friend, Karen, to ride with Saturday.  Here is a sampling of things I added to my list of things I did not know:
 
1.      You don’t need to look at the person behind you while talking.  It’s hard to stop doing this because I’m all about eye contact.
2.      If you go off the edge of the road (and you will), don’t jump back quickly.  Find a gentle spot to re-enter. 
3.      Don’t shift to an easier left side gear until you go to the middle tension of your right side gears.  I did this and it looked like my chain had parted because I was spinning air.
4.      Tucking in saves you effort.  It’s not a natural feeling position for me, but worth the “saved” energy.
5.      Damn good cycling shorts are worth the investment.  Your ass and girly parts will thank you.  And hello chamois cream!
6.      It’s good to have a go-to friend who will indulge you in all the endurance events craziness.  Thanks, Karen!
 
College Visits.  Meg is a senior and until Sunday wasn’t sure of where she wanted to go to college.  She had narrowed down her choices, but was finally able to rank them as of 4:00 p.m. Sunday.  Greg and I have laughed that, when these visits first started a year ago, she didn’t want to go to a small, quaint school. She preferred large, urban settings.  Funny what a difference a year makes.  Now, her top 3 schools are neither large nor urban.  So we’re crossing our fingers that she gets in to her top 3 choices!
 
HBBC Progress.  The weather here in Northern Ohio dampened my outdoor workout attempts, although I did manage to fit in a very wet 3.5 mile run during lunch Thursday, a beautiful long bike ride (before another flat tire happened!) on Saturday, and 3 strength training sessions during the week.  I think that gives me 12 points for the week.
 
Phew, what an exhausting three days!