Coins On Emily's Leg

How can you tell Lauren is having fun in this video?
Count how many times she "snorts."

In The News

Yep, I said that.

Draw Your Own Conclusions

I'm not sure what this is all about. I'll have to ask.

A Clean Sweep

Here's something I don't see every day: an empty parking lot.
The lot was cleared for patchwork (at left).

One of my all-time favorite photos of Olivia.
Olivia's First Communion fell on my weekend, so it was nice to be able to accompany her to such a special event. Here's the day in pictures.

Aunt Jean couldn't make it, but Olivia was thinking of her.

We stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Weide's house afterwards.

Olivia really liked her First Communion dress.

Veronica wanted to re-enact a photo with tulips
featuring Emily and Lauren when they were young.

This was the "goofy" photo that Emily and Julia requested.

Happy May Day!

The girls proudly display their hard work.
The girls celebrated May Day here at my apartment by making a bunch (see the photo) of May Day baskets. It was quite a surprise for the people who live here, as you might imagine.

Jelly Bean Fun Night

Lauren helped with one of the games.
"Jelly Bean Fun Night" is an annual event at St. Mary's School that offers students an opportunity to play healthy games, for which they earn jelly beans. When they've successfully completed every game, they earn a prize. And no, Phil Keoghan is not there to eliminate the "last team to check in."

Veronica scoots along, the picture of concentration.

She was also terrific at shooting baskets.

Her form on the ring toss wasn't as great.

Olivia knocked out a bunch of sit-ups...

...while Julia guided a little ball around an obstacle course.

Spirit of Mary Award Winner

Olivia shows off her Spirit of Mary Award.
The Spirit of Mary Award is awarded quarterly to the student who is judged to be "the best witness to their faith" as the Virgin Mary was.

Olivia was honored as the second grade winner at an all-school assembly today. I was quite proud to be on hand to see her receive this prestigious religious honor.

Additionally, Emily received first honors and won an award in the Duchense Art Contest. Lauren was recognized for second place in the Catholic Daughters Contest. Her artwork earned her a certificate and a cash prize.

Julia In Action

Julia (No. 26) shows off her (defensive) basketball skills.

Visiting Aunt Jean

A stroke landed Aunt Jean in the hospital.
I was headed to the criterium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic when I got the call: Aunt Jean had suffered a stroke. Bridget was the one who broke the news to me. Obviously, it was very upsetting since this was at least the third time I was delivered bad news about a family member's health while working in California.

The day after returning from the race, the girls and I headed up to the hospital to visit her. Her speech has been significantly affected, but she was very pleased to see the girls and me. The girls also made "get well" cards for her (pictured at right).

On our way out, the girls took a moment to check out the player piano in the lobby. Some of their expressions are a bit strange...

Redlands Bicycle Classic: A Look Back

One of my favorite images from the race:
The warm glow of the sunset as Ben Day relishes his overall victory.
The scene was reminiscent of my other trip to the Redlands Bicycle Classic in 2008. That year, I was working for Rock Racing – which won the overall title. This spring, I was back in Redlands, Calif., to handle media relations for Fly V Australia. And once again, I was helping the winning team celebrate a victory in one of the prime stage races on the National Racing Calendar.

Here are a few of my favorite photos (not shared in previous posts about this race):

All the electronics on the folder are mine. Lots of tools of the trade.
My Blackberry Pearl (lower right) took a spill on the last day of the race and had to be replaced.

Ever wonder how shots like this are achieved?
I learned how it's done from mechanic Chris Davidson.

Helping Davidson adjust one of the De Rosas before the criterium.

Believe it or not, this is Ben Day before the criterium.

The team meeting before the final stage.

The "numbers to watch" of other contenders.

One of the prizes to the overall winner: a custom painting.

Photographer Michael Crook was my chauffeur to the airport.

Catching Up With Friends

The first race of the season provides the opportunity to catch up with my friends and colleagues on the pro cycling circuit - some of whom I have not seen since the Tour of Missouri. Many of them ask how my daughters are doing, which is very thoughtful of kind of them. I was able to say, "great" this week because I just spent last weekend with them.

Because time is short, here's a few highlights from my day Friday – Stage 1 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

One of the girls's all-time favorites, Ivan Dominguez.

Plenty of press is here (and I know nearly all of them).

Reed McCalvin is working for Trek-Livestrong this year.

I hadn't seen this done before. Gels attached to bottles.

Same red, black and white colors - just a different team.

Finally, can you spot which "Daily Distraction" I shot for Pezcycling News this month?

Back In California

Host housing in Redlands, Calif., is first class.
So I'm back in California for the third time this year. This time, it's for the 26th annual Redlands Bicycle Classic. The four-day stage race is one of the longest-running events on the National Racing Calendar.

This is my third time at this race. In 2008, I was here with Rock Racing (which won the race overall). Last year, it was Team Type 1. This year, Fly V Australia.

On the flight out of Omaha, I was nearly bumped. But flying through Phoenix had its benefits, as a snowstorm in Denver all but shuttered that airport and stranded travelers nationwide. Surprisingly, when I boarded my flight to Ontario, Calif., (not Ontario, Canada) the plane was nearly empty.

The other interesting aspect of my travel Wednesday was running into the Azusa Pacific basketball team. Coincidentally, I had watched highlights of the NAIA school losing by one point (the potential game-winning basket was waved off) to Dallas Baptist.

The airport in Ontario, Calif. seemed strangely empty.

Back To The Future In The Old Market

Friday night, we watched "Back to the Future," which is one of the girls' favorite movies (along with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and the newer "Star Wars" trilogy.

So when we were driving through the Old Market on Saturday night, an empty lot that will be the future home of a Downtown Omaha hotel caught everyone's attention. This down-trodden piece of property – a huge hole in the ground surrounded by concrete barriers and a fence – reminded us of a particular scene in "Back to the Future."

Here's the background to bring you up to speed:


Marty returns to 1955 to find his neighborhood looks like this...

...instead of the way he's used to it being in 1985.
So, in the spirit of capturing progress and the transition from abandoned lot to multi-story hotel, we returned to the "Future Site of Residence Inn by Marriott" to capture the "before" photo. (Lauren and Olivia opted not to be a part of it.)


We'll be sure and take another photo when it's finished.  

View more of our "Back to the Future" photos through the years by searching our blog. (Scroll down to see them all.)