Well Christmas is almost over and the New Year is almost here. The time in between is a time to send it with family and friends, and that is exactly what has been going on. DO you remember that saying that "you can chose your friends but not your family"? Oh my god! it is so true. Regardless of what has happened throughout this last year, the princess like behaviour of some family members is astounding. It is one of the things that really gets up my nose and unfortunately, and those who know me will atest, I will definately let you know when you have pissed me off. Family members haveing aprincess moment and dumping their children(including a new born) on their partner because thety are tired(I can understand this) but then going out and partying half the night????
I am not the most favoured member of the family right now but, and I can handle that. But ignoring me and treating me like one of the animals that rule the families houses is a bit much, I think.
Felt very uncomfortable in one house, was glad to leave and dont think I will be stopping in for a coffee for very long on the way home on New Years Day.
Any way, we left there and came down to Newcastle, NSW, which is where we all call home now, and have caught up with some really close friends and more family and having much more fun. None oof us can wait to move back down here at the end of 2009 and to finally move into our own house and do the renovations that we want to. We have owned this house since 2001 and never lived in it because Army has always moved us around and never near the house. So soon we can live in it and call it "OUR HOME" will post a pick one day.
SO what is the plan for the near future, January actually.
Emma and I drive back to Brissy on New Years Day and will have a few days wioth out the kids as they are going camping with their Nanny and Popbo. I will climb back on to the bike and commence my rebuild for the 2009 season. My focus is on getting stength and speed back as well as endurance. But I am targeting the State Masters Track Titles in February. While Emma is at work and the kids are still away I will get some road legs, once the kids return I will be back on the rollers and also having some early starts to get some road kms in aswell.
Thsi year I am planning on doing more climbing so I can help the team in Tour of the Sunshine Coast, Grafton-Inverell, Cunningham Classic and some other undulating races, while the build up their strength and speed for the lead outs I need in the sprints. THere is a team meeting planned for early January to map out the years racing and get together for training. Hopefully we can expand this year and also gets some more sponsors. I have asked a few large sponsors from overseas to jump on board and use HYPE as a launching pad intot the Australian market so hopefully that pays off as well.
Anyway enough form me for today.
I hope all of you have had a great Christmas and have stayed safe and well. Till next time(I will try to post more often) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Rebuilding love and friendshhip
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US
Well I have been home now for nearly three weeks and the time from home this year has paid a toll. But, in the last 3 weeks all that is slowly dissapating and the love and friendships are rebuilding. I have spent nearly every day with my kids and have had a ball. I have forgotten how funny and exciting they are. I am so lucky that they play so well together and are such
good friends to each other. Emma has been working hard still, but, having me home and helping out around the house the extra workload has been reduced and as such has allowed us more time for each other. Emma now only has 2 more days to work this year before we can go on holidays.
good friends to each other. Emma has been working hard still, but, having me home and helping out around the house the extra workload has been reduced and as such has allowed us more time for each other. Emma now only has 2 more days to work this year before we can go on holidays.
Today we are allowing ourselves a lazy Sunday and having fun myucking around and watching some crazy chick on Foxtel who has 8 kids. Who does that????
Come Wednesday we begin the annual go see the relations that live on the East Coast of Australia. It starts with a 4am get up and i the car by 5am the morning before Chrismas followed by a 5 hour drive to Coffs Harbour, The Bannana Coast. WHile there we will spend Christmas Day with Emma's Dad and Brother, and catch up with old friends and new babies. When that is finished around the 28th we wil then repack the car and make the trek to Newcastle to spend New Years with Emma's Mum and Grand Mother. While there we will catch up with more old friends and more family.
New Years eve will be spent living it up in the stuffy old Newcastle Club where, I have to wear pants and a tie. I have been told I will have fun and enjoy it. I think thats is more like a YOU WILL have FUN and You WILL enjoy it, because I SAID SO type event. Certainly not the NYE I would have liked to have. Mind you I could be surprised and besides the kids w should have fun being able to stay up that late and not have to deal with the usual NYE crowds at the Waterfront.
New Years Day Emma and I will get back in the car and do the 10 hour drive back home without the kids, which will allow us some US time for a couple of days.
So what are the big changes in my life and New YEars Resolutions?? Be a better Father, try to spend more time at home(with in the limitations of my job) , find the balance of bike and Family without sacrificing one for the other, and probably the most important one is be happy and have fun doing all of it.
To all have a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A year to remember for some of the right reasons and some of the wrong ones
Well, What a year it has been! Sounds like the words to a song doesn't it, but alas it isn't. This year has been one of those that you want to forget but dont know you shouldn't. There have been so many things that have happened this year that it is hard to break it down and summarise for you all. How ever I wil make an attempt so that when found in the same situations you can have an idea of where I have been.
THus year started like any other in the Army, flatout and without direction. I started of by finding out I was instructing on a course which started about 3 weeks later. Nothing had been prepared for the course although my Unit had known about it for well over 6 months. So with a bit of knuckling down and getting into the instructor groove I belted through it, much the detriment of my family and cycling.
At the end of the course I was begrudgingly given a week off, only to return to find I had been moved into another unit.
So begins a new chapter in my Military Career.
So after the move, all of 600m, but a move all the same, I settled into the new workplace and got my career back on track. I completed the courses required to secure my position ion the next rank level and did it relatively easily. However this involved me being away from my family again. Once again this was to the detriment of my relationship with my wife and my kids. Some of you can see where this is heading but it gets worse.
Upon return, I found that I had been pannelled for the course I had been trying to get for over 12 months but it again involved going away for around 6 weeks. This again caused further suffering to my long suffering family. Once this course finished I was ome for the longest period yet for the year. I managed to stay in the same vicnity as my family for 5 weeks, including a 10 day trip to Fiji, which I have previuosly spoken about. Many of the absence issues came to a head in Fiji, and were never really resolved. Once we returned from Fiji, I was once again off on another course insyructing. This time 6 weeks 3hours from home. Not that far can easily come home when time permited. Guess what, I got home 3 times, in the first 2 weeks, thats it.
So by the time all this finished only about 2 weeks ago the damage from the year had been done. Dont get me wrong, Army is not totally to blame here and either is the work rate or work load, but it hasn't helped. Combine all that with a poor sense of prioritising between work, family and cycling and it came to an explosive finale the night I came home.
SO what has happened since then, after so long nights just sitting and talking with my lovely wife, Emma, and family, we are rebuilding our friendship and love for eachother. We are spending as much time with eachother and starting to go out on your trusty old fashioned dates again, and she gets a few little surprises every now and again (something I had stopped doing years ago). My involvment around the house has increased in order to allow us more time to do the things we want to do and in the end when it really comes down to it, because I want to.
So I am now on holidays and spending the time with the kids while Emma is still going to work each day. The kids and I are having lots of fun and doing stuff together again. Emma and I are becoming really good friends again and together a really close family. I know it doesn't just fix itself overnight but at the moment we are all doing the right things because we want to and really enjoying it.
As for my cycling, I have had 4 weeks off the bike and dont see the point in trying to rebuild for the last 2 races for the year. My Jayco Bay Classic bid is off, so I can spend more time with Emma and the kids over Christmas and the school holidays. So I have decided to take off the rest of the year from racing and heading out on to the road, either solo or with firends until the New Year. For the first couple of months next year I will primarily target the Track racing, culminating in the State MAsters Championships in February. SO between now and the New Year I will be doing daily and sometimes twice daily roller sessions on both my track bike and my road bike, as well as weights. Why only rollers? SO I can spend it all at home with the Emma and the kids, and target specific things. Once the track starts up inthe new year my leg speed and stength wil be there is will just be a matter of fine tuning to weather conditions and some racing intensity to get it all spot on in time for the State Titles. Once Track finishes then I will be back into the road crits and road racing.
My team are still looking for local and international sponsors to take us into the 2009 season. WIth Metro Crit titles to defend, Tours to win and National Police and Miliatry Titles to win it is to be a big year for all of us. We also plan to expand the team to include a Womens team and and A and B grade mens team. So if you are interested you know what to do.
To all those who read this and or follow my ramblings, Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Prosperous New Year.
THus year started like any other in the Army, flatout and without direction. I started of by finding out I was instructing on a course which started about 3 weeks later. Nothing had been prepared for the course although my Unit had known about it for well over 6 months. So with a bit of knuckling down and getting into the instructor groove I belted through it, much the detriment of my family and cycling.
At the end of the course I was begrudgingly given a week off, only to return to find I had been moved into another unit.
So begins a new chapter in my Military Career.
So after the move, all of 600m, but a move all the same, I settled into the new workplace and got my career back on track. I completed the courses required to secure my position ion the next rank level and did it relatively easily. However this involved me being away from my family again. Once again this was to the detriment of my relationship with my wife and my kids. Some of you can see where this is heading but it gets worse.
Upon return, I found that I had been pannelled for the course I had been trying to get for over 12 months but it again involved going away for around 6 weeks. This again caused further suffering to my long suffering family. Once this course finished I was ome for the longest period yet for the year. I managed to stay in the same vicnity as my family for 5 weeks, including a 10 day trip to Fiji, which I have previuosly spoken about. Many of the absence issues came to a head in Fiji, and were never really resolved. Once we returned from Fiji, I was once again off on another course insyructing. This time 6 weeks 3hours from home. Not that far can easily come home when time permited. Guess what, I got home 3 times, in the first 2 weeks, thats it.
So by the time all this finished only about 2 weeks ago the damage from the year had been done. Dont get me wrong, Army is not totally to blame here and either is the work rate or work load, but it hasn't helped. Combine all that with a poor sense of prioritising between work, family and cycling and it came to an explosive finale the night I came home.
SO what has happened since then, after so long nights just sitting and talking with my lovely wife, Emma, and family, we are rebuilding our friendship and love for eachother. We are spending as much time with eachother and starting to go out on your trusty old fashioned dates again, and she gets a few little surprises every now and again (something I had stopped doing years ago). My involvment around the house has increased in order to allow us more time to do the things we want to do and in the end when it really comes down to it, because I want to.
So I am now on holidays and spending the time with the kids while Emma is still going to work each day. The kids and I are having lots of fun and doing stuff together again. Emma and I are becoming really good friends again and together a really close family. I know it doesn't just fix itself overnight but at the moment we are all doing the right things because we want to and really enjoying it.
As for my cycling, I have had 4 weeks off the bike and dont see the point in trying to rebuild for the last 2 races for the year. My Jayco Bay Classic bid is off, so I can spend more time with Emma and the kids over Christmas and the school holidays. So I have decided to take off the rest of the year from racing and heading out on to the road, either solo or with firends until the New Year. For the first couple of months next year I will primarily target the Track racing, culminating in the State MAsters Championships in February. SO between now and the New Year I will be doing daily and sometimes twice daily roller sessions on both my track bike and my road bike, as well as weights. Why only rollers? SO I can spend it all at home with the Emma and the kids, and target specific things. Once the track starts up inthe new year my leg speed and stength wil be there is will just be a matter of fine tuning to weather conditions and some racing intensity to get it all spot on in time for the State Titles. Once Track finishes then I will be back into the road crits and road racing.
My team are still looking for local and international sponsors to take us into the 2009 season. WIth Metro Crit titles to defend, Tours to win and National Police and Miliatry Titles to win it is to be a big year for all of us. We also plan to expand the team to include a Womens team and and A and B grade mens team. So if you are interested you know what to do.
To all those who read this and or follow my ramblings, Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Prosperous New Year.
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