ouch!

Yesterday I raced my first mountain bike race in 13 years and had a really fun time. I headed up to the CCCX race in Monterey and raced the sport class (there are 4 classes; Beginner, Sport, Expert and Pro, with the non-pro categories broke up by age groups 19-34, 35-44, 45+) and actually did fairly well all things considered.
The race started out pretty fast, climbed up a hill then a fast descent. I came off that descent in about 4th place, reached down to grab my water bottle and found nothing there! It had bounced out of my cage in the first 5 minutes of racing! I had a small 16oz bottle but that's how much I normally drink in 1/2 an hour and this would be a 1 1/2 hour race! About 20 minutes into the race I remember thinking "Wow, this is really painful, why am I doing this?" LOL After the first lap I settled in and started to feel better.
The 3rd lap (of 4) I took it kind of easy hoping to put in a really good time on the 4th but the lack of water really caught up with me so I couldn't push it but still actually enjoyed being out there. It definitely cost me a few minutes by loosing my water but I made the best of it and was satisfied with my performance. All said and done, I placed 8th of 14 riders in my class and was 6 minutes behind the winner on a 22 mile course.
While I have no illusions of "going pro" this sort of racing is really fun and gives a great sense of accomplishment. That was definitely one of the hardest 1 1/2 hour rides I've ever done and I plan on heading back in 2 weeks for the next round of the series!

Mark and Viviana's SLO engagement session

Well, I guess it's time to make some non-baby related posts again! lol, life has been a bit nuts with two kids but we're all adjusting to the demands. Kyla sleeps fairly well (for a newborn) but likes to be held ALL the time! Stephanie always wanted Caiden to be more cuddly but I think she's thinking she needs to be careful what she wishes for now! Good times.

Mark and Viviana are getting married next month at the Mission in San Luis Obispo so we figured what better place to do their engagement session than at the Mission. Wedding day's can get so hectic that taking the time to do an engagement session at or near where the wedding takes place is never a bad idea, especially when you are right next to the beautiful downtown of SLO.
We started out on the steps outside the Mission and then ended up wandering around the next couple blocks shooting all we had time for. That part of town has a real Chinese influence so we got some images that reflect that as well. Mark and Viviana are awesome people who are great together. They are both Architects so I was sure to incorporate plenty of interesting architectural features in the images as well! Their wedding is coming up real soon so look out for more. They are having the reception at the wacky and fun Madonna Inn so check back for some super fun...and pink!...images!