After Watching The Road Rally

Posted by on 15 January 2010 | 0 Comments

I watched episode 2 at work this week.  At Samuel's Furniture we have 2 big screen TV's, so I had them both set to our show!  Customers and co-workers alike were forced to view the show with me!  I was struck by a couple of things while watching this episode.  One, I have done a lot of work on the basement!  It's almost complete, and I followed directions to make it a sound, weather proof, leak proof space.  I'm grateful for Robert's input.  Two, oh my god I can't believe we even admitted to owning those horrible bikes, and that we actually rode them!  Really.  That was very brave.  Three, my kids have really grown.  I'm so proud of them!  They were both tentative about riding their bikes anywhere, and now they are always on their bikes.  Even I ride occassionally.  I use Nic's bike because he got a new one and it fits me well.  I remember all the questions we asked our bike buddy, feeling nervous about even getting started.  I was worried about safety.  I don't worry so much about that now because we all took the bike road safety class.  That was a very valuable class.
 
Even though I was there, I'm so curious about next week's episode!  How will we do?  Will we really have to use those horrible bikes for the transportation rally?  Won't someone save us the humiliation?!

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Reactions to Episode #2

Posted by Jaelyn Falcone on 8 October 2009 | 2 Comments

I watched episode 2 at work this week.  At Samuel's Furniture we have 2 big screen TV's, so I had them both set to our show!  Customers and co-workers alike were forced to view the show with me!  I was struck by a couple of things while watching this episode.  One, I have done a lot of work on the basement!  It's almost complete, and I followed directions to make it a sound, weather proof, leak proof space.  I'm grateful for Robert's input.  Two, oh my god I can't believe we even admitted to owning those horrible bikes, and that we actually rode them!  Really.  That was very brave.  Three, my kids have really grown.  I'm so proud of them!  They were both tentative about riding their bikes anywhere, and now they are always on their bikes.  Even I ride occassionally.  I use Nic's bike because he got a new one and it fits me well.  I remember all the questions we asked our bike buddy, feeling nervous about even getting started.  I was worried about safety.  I don't worry so much about that now because we all took the bike road safety class.  That was a very valuable class.
 
Even though I was there, I'm so curious about next week's episode!  How will we do?  Will we really have to use those horrible bikes for the transportation rally?  Won't someone save us the humiliation?!

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Reactions to Road Rally

Posted by Team Falcone on 27 September 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: road rally, race, challenge

Nic: "Dude, my bike is way too small! I'm totally uncomfortable on it and wish I could get a bike that fit me. When Charlie came over it was cool - he taught me a lot about bikes that I didn't know, making me more eager to get to know bike riding and to actually do it. I figured that, because Charlie came on Friday night, the Saturday morning challenge was going to involve bicycles. I was looking forward to the event, but was worried about how I was going to deal with my bike. I didn't really have any idea how far we were going to have to ride, but it wasn't that daunting once we got started. Seems like I can really get anywhere on my bike. Bellingham is not as big as I thought. I was really proud of my sister because she really powered up! He bike has no gears and she rode like a crazy maniac! She would not give up! I think she was the family champion. I'm really proud of myself too because I managed to get through the whole challenge, even though my tailbone hurt (I hurt it about a week ago) and my bike was too small. Really, I'm proud of my whole family because we worked really hard, stayed together, and gave it our all. It was a power up day all the way around! Now, after the challenge, I still hate my bike, but I'll keep riding."

Alena: "I'm going to be so embarrassed. I really liked Charlie, he was nice and helped me feel a lot safer and more comfortable on my bike. I never rode my bike before, maybe once or twice a year, but ever since he came over, I've been wanting to ride my bike everyday. When I learned that we had to ride our bikes into Fairhaven (for the Transportation Challenge) I was scared. I had to walk my bike up the hill, really I didn't want to ride my bike at all. My mom and I planned to take the bus part way through the bike ride, but as I was riding past the first bus stop, I just wanted to keep going. I had a Luna bar, that made me have more energy for the ride! After the challenge, I feel better about riding my bike anywhere and I think it's fun! I don't worry about crashing. I'm proud of my mom because she made it through the challenge and she did great! I'm also proud of my dad because he carried me on his back and pulled me to the finish line when I didn't think I would be able to make it at all! I was tired!! I'm proud of Nic because he's proud of me! I'm really super proud of myself. Everyone says that I was the champion of the family that day, and I think I agree, because I didn't give up! And, it was fun seeing what I could really do. That's why I'm so embarrassed!"

Mark: "Charlie was a great help in boosting everyone's confidence in bike riding - including mine. Knowing that we all felt more comfortable on our bikes made me less concerned for our safety on the road. During the first leg of the Challenge - to the store, I was quite concerned about Jaelyn and Alena because the roads were really busy, Alena doesn't know the rules of traffic and Jaelyn was dealing with fears from a past crashing experience. I kept looking back to make sure they were alright, and was having trouble keeping my own bike on the road as a result! After the first leg I felt much more confident in Jaelyn and the kids, and was able to concentrate more on my own ride. Alena way surpassed my expectations of what she was capable of, riding her bike as well as she did and exceeding her own limitations. Nic called her the family champion, and I would really agree! She was fabulous! During the challenge I found myself wishing we were all in better physical shape - especially me. I think the Eddison family had a leg up from the start because they have more experience and knowledge using their bikes with their kids in tow - that caused me concern about winning this challenge. At the end, I pushed myself harder than I should have - and ended up hurting my back - but I just wanted to win! Overall, the experience was very rewarding for me. Now I'm focused in on getting us all really good bikes so that we can ride together more often."

Jaelyn: "Wow. The Transportation Challenge was a turn around event for my family! I have to laugh at how pathetic our bikes are. Charlie came over and helped us get comfortable on these bikes we never ride - and said one of them was so terrible it really needed to be 'kicked to the curb' - that's how bad it is! My bike, a $65 special and it shows, didn't have working rear brakes, and was hard to shift. Mark's bike used to be really great - about 10 years and a pound of rust ago - and he never rides at all. Nic has a great bike, but since he grew so much over the last year, he was about 4 inches too tall for it! Alena's bike is fine, but is a no gears kind of bike, not really a trail riding long distance kind of thing. I was worried. I figured we would be riding our bikes as part of challenge the next day - and really I was hoping they would provide loaner bikes for us! Boy was I surprised to find they really meant for us to ride these terrible bikes!! We started off, the morning of the Transportation Challenge, riding from our house to Fairhaven. Through traffic and over the freeway. I was really nervous. I had a terrible bike crash several years ago - on a busy road with lots of traffic - and it's kept me from riding. I was worried about Alena and me. The one thing that kept me focused and not too wigged out was talking to Alena. She rode in front of me, and the whole time I talked to her - encouraging her to keep going and reminding her to stay to the right. We all agree that she was a champion that day! Last time she rode her bike was on a safe trail, last summer. I didn't know how she would do - but she became the leader of us all! I really thought we were the underdogs in this challenge - but we were determined to give it our all. That's really how we have been with this whole Greenest House Challenge - we are giving it our all. The most significant part of the T.C. is not what happened that day, but what has happened since. Every day we have gone on a bike ride together (mostly at Alena's encouraging), just around our neighborhood, and to the grocery store a couple of times. Nic took Alena to her friends house using the bus system, and I'm going to ride my bike to work. We have all realized that biking is not that hard, and that we can combine the bus and bike riding, to get just about anywhere. I'm excited about how we are lowering our car usage - and it's so much easier than I thought! And, am encouraged about the enthusiasm and leadership of the kids. We rock!"

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