Getting ready for vacation!

WooHoo!! My last day of work before vacation is almost over! Just thought I'd post a quick note since I don't feel like starting anything new in the last 20 minutes of the day.
It's been a busy week for the Lockwood family in getting ready for our trip to the East Coast. Between laundry and cleaning and work and baby and studying, Brandon and I have been non-stop. All that's left now is the final packing and getting all our stuff to the airport tomorrow night. Thankfully, Aunt Mary is helping us out with the transportation.
As of right now, these are our plans for the trip:
Sunday - arrive in NC
Monday - visit with family, Wes is coming down from Boone
Tuesday - visit with family
Wednesday - visit with family
Thursday - Brandon and Christie leave EARLY on the train for New York City, arrive afternoon
Friday thru Monday - CMWC and NYC sightseeing
Tuesday - leave afternoon on train back to NC
Wednesday - visit with family
Thursday - fly back to Seattle

We are SOOO excited!!!

On a side note, Abigael is doing great. I still can't believe what a happy baby she's turned into. It's like someone flipped a switch. All of a sudden she's laughing and smiling all the time. I love it!!!

Fathers Day!!

Well hello everyone. We had a nice week proceeding Father's day weekend. We have less than a week before we leave for NC and then NYC!! Abigael has been such a happy and smiling baby now that her teeth have busted through and are not hurting her as much. Abigael took a small spill trying to learn how to walk down the steps. She nailed the first step, stopping to turn around and back off the step. GREAT! Then when she tried to bend over for the next step she missed the step and went right over the edge (only about a 4" step) and scrapped her left eye lid, it swelled up, and the side of her nose. She is truly a trooper though and it has not slowed her down as she is almost healed up already.
Brandon raced at the track on Wednesday and Friday. There was a bad crash at the track Wednesday night in the Master A category involving 3 riders. One of the riders, Dan N., hit his head, started seizing and was pretty banged up. The other two were not injured. Brandon helped to administer emergency first-aid along with the EMT on duty and a couple of other medically trained racers (two ER Dr.'s and a trauma RN). The training just kicked in. The paramedics arrived and transported him to Harborview. He ended up ok with no head injuries just a broken scapula, ribs, a torn up broken hand, and a bruised lung. Not to worry anyone, the truth is the track can be dangerous, but then so is walking across the street. The whole family went out to the track Friday night to put on the Kiddie Kilo. Christie was once again invaluable in helping to register and wrangle about 25 kids from 3 yo to 12 yo. Abigael played and was entertained by one of our friends and Brandon's teammate, Jeff "Money" Middlewood. Money was not racing due to an injured foot. Brandon had a dismal results night. Oh well.
Thursday night's KCFD 20 training was truly a team building exercise. And on Saturday we drilled on our state firefighter one practical exams. We all need a little more practice... FATHER'S DAY was quiet. Christie and Abigael let Daddy sleep in, gave daddy a card when he woke up and then we went to the Mecca for a late brunch. Afterwards we went to the Seattle Center and let Abigael test her new two piece bathing suit and wade in the kiddie wading fountain. Then we played on the grass. All in all it was a great week. Pictures to come soon.

The Lazy Weekend

Not too much to report for the weekend...Brandon didn't have KCFD20 class on Saturday so we were able to spend the day together. It ended up being a lazy day. Played with the baby, took a nap, Brandon went to the bike shop, played with the baby some more and went to watch some bike riding in the evening. There was a criterium over in Ballard so we rode over on our bikes (with Abigael in the bike trailer.)
Brandon's two cents; Abigael did great in the trailer, she stayed dry, although she was fed up by the time we got home. And for those of you that live here in Seattle, the Ballard locks close at 9pm! Which meant we had to ride home in the pouring rain over the Ballard Bridge! Talk about threading the needle!! Our Burley trailer only had about 2" on each side, we even had to stop and lift it over a tight spot, we made our way across very slowly. We made it, but I don't want to do it again!! It was my second time on my single speed bike, I really like it. Brandon put the perfect gear (39x16) on it for me. I was a little worried because I'm so out of shape, but had no problems, made me feel a little better about the upcoming trip to NYC.
This morning (Sunday) we had breakfast with friends from our last apartment (Kyle, Layla, and Mia.) It was really nice to see them and catch up. We miss having such great neighbors.
In the afternoon, Brandon went out to Marymoor Veledrome. He was helping to teach a beginner track class. He really enjoyed it, and is looking forward to doing again. After helping with a few classes, he might be able to lead one on his own.
We're starting to get geared up for our trip to New York City for the Cycle Messenger World Championships XIII (CMWC). It is going to be so much fun. Neither of us have ever been to NYC. Brandon is billing this as our "second honeymoon." ;)

Week in Review

It's been a pretty quiet week at the Lockwood home. Well, disregarding the occasional screaming from Abigael because of her sore mouth. Poor baby has two more teeth coming in, for a total of SIX at once! We're up to four on top and two on bottom. The bottom teeth are being a little stubborn and haven't completely broken through yet. However, the top ones are very clearly there and too cute! But, she's a trooper and overall seems to be handling it pretty well. Her appetite is starting to pick back up a little, although she still eats like a bird.
It was a busy week for Christie at work, lots of deadlines. But she loves the pressure, it helps her excel. As well as her normal job, she's been able to participate on several special teams that have provided some good visibility to upper management, as well excellent opportunities to improve those presentation skills.
Brandon had a great weekend of fire fighter training. It made him even more eager to get to the real thing. The week has been spent resting up and taking care of Abigael (a full-time job!).
Sorry there haven't been more pictures. Our digital camera died a couple of weeks ago. It's currently being repaired. Hopefully, we'll be getting it back in the next week or so. We definitely need it back before we head out to NC and NY for vacation at the end of the month. More on that later...

Firefighter Training

So, this weekend Brandon went to North Bend, Washington for his first live fire training with King County 20. For those of you that don't know, Brandon is going through recruit training with the fire department in a nearby community called Skyway. In July, they will be finished with the class and in August will take the test to get their Fire Fighter I certification. Afterwards, Brandon will officially be a firefighter and a volunteer with King County 20. Pretty exciting stuff! Hopefully, this will be a good stepping stone to eventually get into Seattle Fire, which is his ultimate goal. In the meantime, he will get some valuable experience. He called last night to let me know how his first day of live fire training went. He didn't go into details on the phone, but it sounds like he loved it. Everyone says that the true test to see if you can be a firefighter is to be in an actual fire. Even though this was a controlled setting, I'm sure if it wasn't for him he would have known immediately.
At home, Abigael and I are having a nice mommy-daughter weekend together. She seems to doing better with her teething, she's even started smiling again, although she's still pretty clingy. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much done around the house, but that' s ok, I'm sure the dirty dishes won't go anywhere (darn).

Toofers!!!!

We finally have teeth!!! Brandon called me at work today and told me that Abigael's first two teeth have broken through. I couldn't believe it! I was sure we were going to have to check into baby dentures, LOL! It's her top two front teeth that are coming through first. Kind of strange though, I always thought the bottom teeth typically came in first... Oh, well, at least that explains some of why she's been feeling so badly the past few days. Now that they've finally started, we're probably in for a few weeks of her being pretty miserable. I have a feeling that she's going to get a lot of teeth really fast. It's going to be so strange to see her with teeth, I'm going to miss that sweet, gummy smile. My little baby is growing up....

Bicycles and more bicycles.....

It's been a pretty eventful week for the Lockwood's. Where to start....? This past Friday was the official start of Friday Night Track Racing at Marymoor Velodrome.

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Brandon is racing Cat 3 and did Great! Out of three races he won one and placed in another. Brandon has done a wonderful job of putting together a team, securing sponsors, and keeping everyone motivated. Team CounterBalance Bicycles is the one to watch out for! Saturday the three of us headed down to Portland for the NACCC (North American Cycle Courier Championships). We had a blast. After a three hour drive, Brandon hopped on the bike and took his first qualifying ride for the main race. Then we packed up and headed over the Alpenrose Velodrome, so Brandon could compete in their Elite National Championships Qualifier. He had never ridden this track before and, with a 43 degree bank (one of the steepest velodromes in the country), it proved to be quite challenging. He tried his hand at the 200m Match Sprints and placed 8th (official results). Didn't' qualify for Nationals, but still not too shabby....Then it was back to the NACCC course for another go at qualifying for the main race. Brandon improved his time and easily put himself into the competition for Sunday. Meanwhile, Abigael and I are just hanging out, enjoying the sunshine and catching up with some friends from the messenger community that we haven't seen in a while. She's getting around so well now and a handful to keep an eye on.

Sunday Brandon competed in the main courier race. Three hours nonstop on a closed course. He placed 13th out of 41 people (official results). Even though we were organizers for CMWC XI, Brandon wasn't able to compete or even ride the course in Seattle. So this was his first experience on a closed course messenger race. He loved it and had a blast!
All in all, it was a fun and relaxing weekend for us, spending time together as a family.