Cycling is a sport, but so much more........

So my friend and favorite electrician Mark Topping said he'll admit that cycling is a sport if we would try the blog thing again, well, here we are. I'll touch on the cycling thing here in a bit. Although it's a busy time in our lives we are also very excited but the possibilities that the near future might hold as well. We are fortunate to have some really amazing friends who do some really amazing things who inspire us to try and do some really amazing things ourselves. Pat is special teacher who touches lives with her grace and simplicity. Julie is a writer. Mark is a father, and I mean a F-A-T-H-E-R. Rodney blesses us with his humility and willingness to help anytime, anywhere. Ken and Becky have turned their lives upside down seeking a dream and I could continue on and on but I think you get the point. The only problem is that we have never had one single "issue" that has grabbed our hearts collectively and moved us to action until now. Human slavery is a bitch, and don't believe otherwise. Although this is an issue that doesn't get much news time the numbers are staggering and the personal stories are worse. Women and kids get the worse of it although it isn't limited to gender. There is nothing in my faith that would suggest that this issue is unimportant. So we keep our own issues, but we become united in this effort. Although it's just a start, we're trying to raise awareness and we'll see where it goes from here. In the meantime, here's some food for thought:

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://www.zoechildrenshomes.org/

http://www.educatingforjustice.org/

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/

Now, the cycling...........

Cycling is sport: Right now the Giro de Italia is going on somewhere where they will climb more altitude in a day on a bike than most of us will in our lifetime. It's sport alright.

Cycling is medicine: Get stressed, go for a ride in the woods. You'll feel better.

Cycling is transportation: 5.00 gas anyone?

Cycling is romance: My parents ride most Saturday mornings and get breakfast during their rides. They don't golf together, they don't kayak together, the don't even play cards well together, but they bike together.

Cycling is whatever you want it to be. Ezekiel 1:21 stats that the spirit of the living is in the wheels. Am I using this out of context, probably, but I still think it's true.

Ride your bike.

We've Been HIT....

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Well, well, well, look whose back. After a brief retirement the Napier's have been brought back to the game. Our dear friend Julie has called us out and we've been 'tagged' which means I have to think of 5 completely amazing and interesting things to tell
all of you about myself and the fam..

Numero uno:

Even though I grew up in the most football happy place on the planet, my favorite sports are soccer and cycling. I can easily kill a Saturday during the fall watching college football but I can destroy a whole month of my life watching the Tour de France or spend dollar after dollar getting every television channel that will allow me the maximum number of soccer games possible for viewing. If you need useless info. on the spring classics, the major tours, American stage races, or a brief history of the Liverpool FC since the eighties I'm your man. I'm probably the only Texan who has ever been inspired by Bruce Grobbelaar.

Numero Dos:

There's a song in the musical Oliver Twist that's titled "If I were a rich man", in which a man discusses all he would do if he were rich. After long thought the Napier's have decided what we would do if we were rich and here's the list : 1) A new truck converted to bio-diesel; Most likely a big red-neck job like a Ford 250 or 350. 2) Get the wife a new vehicle that doesn't have 140,000 or so miles on it. 3) Add on a bit to the house we just bought. 4) Get a new bicycle...Done, that's it. Probably invest and give away the rest. Don't believe us, try us. Give us riches and see what we do. Honest, you give us millions as an experiment and we'll try and uphold our end of the bargain.

Numero Tres:

We watch way to much HGTV (Home and Garden Television). We can carry on discussions as to who our favorite designers are, what we like about the new "Dream Home," and can give you a list of how much it cost to live in certain cities. Other than the above mentioned sports, this is probably one of the only reasons we have cable.

Numero Qutro:

We are extremely fashion conscience.
i.e. Combine that adidas warm-up top with some Nike bottoms; not gonna happen. Nike shoes on your feet then the rest of the body needs to be decked out in the swoosh as well. Exceptions to the rule= Asics go with everything as it's a a neutral shoe. Nike or Adidas on the feet you can go with a no name or no label brand on the body. (I know buying Nike and Adidas goes against every human rights stand that we're trying to improve but allow us some hypocrisy. )
Remember this only applies to the Napier's...... We don't hold the rest of the population to our standards. BTW, I just realized how "Plastics" the last statement sounded.

Numero Cinco:

I spent way to much time on this list. This has taken me almost all morning. I'm done.


I'm not gonna tag anyone because I don't think that many folks read the casa-del-napier blogspot.

Don't Itch

Homeward bound! That's the continual thought that pierces my mind as we pull out of Alabama and head for home. We drive through history as we approach Texas, and then it hits, the greatest state line in the lower fifty. We talk about places; where we are, where we're going, where we want to be. I don't think we could ever leave this place? Then as soon as it started it's done. We're back in the metroplex, the start of the trip, three days and we'll be back back in H-Town

Arlington: We're lucky, both of us have great in-laws. Anyway, to make a long story short: My brother in-laws and I build a fence for my mother in law. The fence is great but the creek will be better. Twenty four hours later guess which three guys have poison ivy. A week and a half later and I'm still fighting it.

Houston: Home, love it and I don't know why. I guess it's home and that's why. We got great neighbors, great friends (www.wellspringspace.blogspot.com), and a bunch of family in a four hour radius.

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Just Trippin'


Two weeks gone, a half a week back. The family and I loaded up the truck and headed on the road a couple of weeks ago. It was a first for all three of us to be out on the road together. I've always tended to be a bit of a road junkie (turn up the music and drive away) but I was curious to see how it was going to go with everybody together?The plan was simple, see the mid-southeast and build a fence in the span of a week and a half. After loading the truck with the essentials (new map, bikes, reading material: "The irresistable revolution, Velvet Elvis", the Ipod) and saying a quick prayer, we were gone, the journey began:

Ozone, Arkansas: After a pit stop in Alma, AR (insert Alma jokes here) we made our first stop just outside of Ozone, in a tiny camp run by the Christian missionary Alliance. Our main purpose was to honor a man dearly loved by many, my father-in-law. Although he's not around in body his life continues on in so many people. He's got a putt-putt course named after him at the camp, it's a great tribute to him and pretty cool to roll up to some camp in the middle of nowhere and see his name on a golf course. The camp itself is simple; a chapel, some cabins, a pool, and the woods. Simplicity, love, and the beautiful creation of this earth continued to echo throughout my thoughts in the short time here. Hopefully I can take these three thing and apply them to my life day in and day out.

Asheville, North Carolina: Several hours, a couple of stops (and a diaper change in a moving car), and a beautiful mountain drive later we were in what is possibly the best city east of Texas-Asheville, NC. This eclectic little town has it all; hippies, rednecks, liberals, conservatives, straight laced, freaks, and any other label under the sun. My cousin described it best when she said it's like a big Willie Nelson concert. What a great place to go to visit family! The days pretty much went like this: Wake-up, eat, hike or bike to some waterfalls, eat, swim or hike, eat, sleep.

Favorite hikes or bikes of the trip- http://www.dupontforest.com/, http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/skinny_dip1.htm, and http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/graveyard_fields1.htm. Whatever you do, don't ever volunteer to go on a thirty minute float of any river with my uncle unless you have at least two hours. j/k, it was a really good to tame the mighty rivers of Pisgah forest.

Favorite eats of this stop-My sisters kitchen, thanks for the burgers and malt balls. My aunts kitchen, everything from BLT's to a great vegan meal. Black Bear Coffee, http://www.mountainshops.com/bear.html, a great place to start off any day. And http://www.laughingseed.com/index.php?page=1, a great place for a fantastic vegetarian meal and a good, sweet ale brewed right next door. And last but not least: Piggy's Ice Cream in Hendersonville!!!!!!!

Favorite Memories- Being thankful that my sister's house didn't flood! (We left the ark in H-Town) Seeing little girl going on her first hikes!! She loved it. All week little girl got to play and hike with her counsins. We can't wait for them to all hang out at the gulf. Seeing old friends from cornerstone and wellspring (and their beautiful mountain home), and just being someplace so beautiful for a couple of days.

Then it was time to pack up the car and start the journey home after a couple of quick stops.

Chickamauga, Georgia: You know your in Georgia when _____________. We had too quick of a stop here in the Northwest corner of Georgia to see Deanna's cousin and her husband. They have a beautiful house that looks out over Lookout mountain. Rumor has it that you can stand on top of the mountain and see like 6 states or something. Shared some great eats with them and Deanna's aunt and uncle and then hit the road.

Tuscousla, Alabama: Overnight stay, but I can't stay in the town that "Bear" Bryant built and not mention it. Also had some http://www.krispykreme.com/ doughnuts. When in the southeast do as the southeasterners do!!

Next Stop, Next Post: The home of the Rangers and Home!

The New Casa-Del-Napier

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Alright, let's try again. This is the best site to keep up to date on the thoughts, actions, and lifestyle of the Napier's. Hopefully this will be a bit better effort than the one started a couple of months ago.