The Year in Review

As years go, 2011 was a doozy.

We found out at the end of 2010 that we would be Hoosiers in the year to come. We also knew that Mark would be a Hoosier well before the rest of us, and the separation was a real bummer. So bummerish in fact that we swore if we ever had to do that again, we would never do that again. We would do something, but we would never do that. Cap off a long, painful separation with a horrific real estate experience and we had the worst first quarter of the year of all time. But let's focus on the positive.

The boys finished out the school year in Tennessee, quite successfully I might add. Ben ran track, and Daniel took up wrestling. I love watching them try new things and succeed at new things. They amaze me daily. They also put the pedal to the metal and finished up their ranks in their scout troop in Tennessee - not an easy thing to do for either boy. But Daniel made Second Class and Ben made Life a week before the move - we were extremely proud of them both.

Then the school year was over and the very next day, we were Hoosiers. Mark had been in Indiana full-time since March, and he was ready to relinquish his swinging bachelor pad to have us all under one roof. The move was a smooth one - nothing was broken or lost that we can tell. Roy's Moving Service is the bomb, in case you were curious - I strongly recommend them to any East Tennesseans looking to move.

So the boys began summer vacay in a new neighborhood. They went to scout camp with the old troop in June, but after that, we were here to stay. Mark went back to JC a time or two for work, but that was it. We had very nice visits in our new home with my parents in July, and with Mark's mom, niece, and sis-in-law over Labor Day.

We also acquired a permanent house guest named Ramp. He moved from the local shelter straight to our back porch and took over immediately. He is part Jack Russell and part Australian Cattle dog. We call him a Cattle Jack. He loves to catch tennis balls and frisbees and has a vertical lift that rivals any NBA player. The boys love him and he kept them occupied for most of the summer.

We didn't officially take a vacation this summer, but we did explore Louisville several times, and we drove as far as Cincinnati to see the Yankees beat the Reds in an awesome game watched from awesome seats. We are still figuring out what places can be easily visited from our new home (St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis).

The fall brought two new schools. I can now say that my kids have had to do something I never had to - they both walked into a brand new school, not knowing a soul. And they both survived. Both boys ran cross country this fall, and made friends on the team quickly. Daniel is now wrestling on the middle school team, and Ben is enjoying some time off from sports. They both got settled in academically and we are very proud of their accomplishments - moreso because of the added stress of everything being new.

And finally, we found a new scout troop. The boys have attended a camp out and a merit badge fair and really settled in with the new troop. I love how this troop is different, but very much the same as what we are used to - there is only one Scout Law and one Scout Oath after all. Ben is focusing on his Eagle rank, which is exciting, and Daniel is finishing up the Pets merit badge as well as requirements for First Class.

For Mark and myself, the move was less intrusive. We both still work for the same company, just in different roles. There have been some bumps along the way, but the culture here is very positive and we are excited about the possibilities. I have also stayed focused on my favorite part of the move: my dream kitchen. I can't believe I ever survived in a smaller kitchen - the cabinet space alone was worth becoming a Hoosier.

We have been visiting a church we really enjoy - Northside Christian - very much different from what we are used to. Membership is in the area of 5000 people, and the weekly budget is the same as our yearly budget from our church in Tennessee. The worship services (there are four to choose from) are exciting and different , and we look forward to worship in a way we haven't in a long time. The downside is not knowing anyone - we need to join a small group to get connected and we just haven't taken the plunge yet. We will have to decided in the coming weeks if we want to stay and get connected, or keep looking.

Wrapping up the year, we had two very different but very nice holidays. Thanksgiving was spent mostly on the road - we drove to Tennessee and spent Thanksgiving Day with Mark's family. We also ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and got to see lots of familiar faces. On Friday, we drove to South Carolina and spent time with my family, before driving back to Knoxville to spend the night. Up early on Saturday, we drove back to Indiana. It was wonderful to see everyone, but we were exhausted from the driving.

We spent Christmas in our new home. It was a really nice change: we didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go or anyone to see. And it was wonderful. We attended a lovely service at Northside, had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner, watched football, opened gifts, and generally enjoyed the peace and quiet. I hated not seeing extended family, but I loved have a relaxing time with just the four of us.

We are spending the final days of 2011 at home. Mark and I are on vacation until the 3rd and the boys are out of school until the 4th. Decorations are put away, the house is clean, we have tons of new Christmas gadgets to play with: we are truly living the dream.

I pray that 2012 is much more boring than 2011, but I also pray for continued health, prosperity, and laughter. As crazy as our year was, we still had all of those things, and we had each other. It doesn't get much better than that.

Here's wishing a happy and healthy new year to you as well!

Before and After

There was a lot of storm damage in this area after those crazy storms passed through. Many lost their homes and virtually everything they own. I know that in the grand scheme of what was lost, this is fairly minor. But these pictures upset me more than almost anything else I've seen. The Creeper Trail is one of my favorite places in the world, and one of the things I will miss most after the move.

Before:
After:

My Periodontist Dumped Me Today. Seriously.

It started innocently enough. I went in today for my third post-extraction follow-up. See, right after Christmas I was feeling pretty down about a very painful root canal and crown situation. My endodontist and my regular dentist got together and decided that an older crown was also decaying underneath, and nothing would do but for me to go see this friend of theirs, this great periodontist.

So I went. And he told me grand stories about dental implants and easy extractions. He had me at "Rinse". It was going so well. And then....today.

He says "How's the pain?"

"Better. Still hurts, but better."

"Looks like it's healing OK. You might have pain for two more weeks or so, but I think it will be OK. When are you moving?"

"June. Memorial Day weekend probably."

"Hmmm. Well, I think we just need to give this thing time to heal before we move on to the next phase. I don't think you'll be ready before your move, so I don't think we need to have any more follow-ups. Just find a dentist after you get settled in Indiana and he can pick it up from here."

I takes me a moment to wrap my head around what he is saying. "Wait.....are you dumping me?"

"I don't think it's fair to say I'm dumping you, I just don't think it makes sense to...."

"You are! You're dumping me!" I couldn't believe it. "What about the consult we had, where you promised you could have this all done before I moved? What about the two-hour extraction we went through together, on Valentine's Day no less? What about the THOUSAND DOLLARS I paid you, you son of a ......"

"There's no need to get upset. We'll cut you a check for the difference. And you knew this relationship wasn't permanent. You have a regular dentist you know."

"It was more permanent than this! You were supposed to see me through! You were supposed to do it all! The extraction, the new tooth, all of it!"

"There are perfectly good periodontists in Indiana. In fact, I know one. I just don't know what part of Indiana. I can try to look him up if...."

"I don't need you to find a periodontist for me. I can find my own periodontist, thank you very much."

"OK then. Take your chart to the front desk and they will sort it all out."

I make the slow walk of shame to the front. The receptionist takes my chart and says loudly, "Let's see, we will see you back in.....oh.....it says here no more follow-ups?"

"Nope. No more follow-ups. He's ending it. And thanks for sharing my humiliation with all the other patients here in the waiting room. The patients he still wants to see." (My voice faltered a little on this last part.)

"Well, I guess we need to write you a check for what we owe you. If you can wait, I can get him to write one now, or we can just mail it to you."

I couldn't hold the hurt in any longer. "MAIL IT!" I cry as I run from the building, knocking over a display of gingivitis informational flyers on my way out.

I came home and chewed gum with real sugar for a few hours and didn't brush at bed time.

What a way to start the weekend.

Happy Birthday Daniel!

(Yes, this post is a few days late. Welcome to my world.)

My baby boy is 12. 12!! Since Mark was out of town on the big day (March 2), we postponed the celebration until the Saturday after, which, sadly, was a make-up snow day and the boys had school. So there was some celebratory spillage into Sunday as well. It was a great big birthday bash weekend! We had some of his favorite meals (including Sunday brunch at Waffle House), a cookie cake (shown above and featuring my personal best decorative efforts) and a variety of gifts reflective of DP's many hobbies and interests. The scheduled bike ride was snowed out (yes, I said SNOWED out) but we spent a very cozy Sunday afternoon vegging out and playing video games. Good times.

Happy Birthday to my amazing 12-year old! I love you!

That Yogi Berra was a Genius

It ain't over, till it's over. And it's finally over. That's the only positive thing I can say.

The sale on our house fell through. I won't bore you with the details, but if you are trying to sell your house, I can say with absolute certainty that there are worse things than not having anyone interested. You could have the wrong people interested. I would absolutely positively have preferred to have no one even look at the house for two months than go through what we went through these last two weeks. Awful. Bleh.

But we moved on. My mom always told me that the best thing to do when you are overwhelmed is just to do something. Anything. But get busy with something. So Mark and I got busy over the weekend working out our budget. After some very creative thinking, we came to the conclusion that although it will be tight, we can still make the down payment on the house in Indiana, and we can afford two house payments. Won't be fun for a while, but it will be OK.

Friends are saying "you'll find another buyer." Problem is, I am in no hurry to get the house back on the market. I'm like a girl that just got out of a terrible relationship and has sworn off men for a while. We may just look into renting it out, which was going to be a last resort if it didn't sell, and now seems like a decent proposition. Who knows.

This I do know: God is still bigger than I am. God is still bigger than my wildest imagination. And even though I'm more than a little buffaloed by this most recent turn of events, I am still counting my blessings, and I still believe deep down that it is all happening for a reason. That's why we call it faith, isn't it?

If These Walls Could Talk

I know from the bizarre experience of some friends that in any home sale, it ain’t over till it’s over (they had four – count ‘em FOUR deals fall through). So I’m still not 100% convinced that this is a go. But it looks like it’s a go. Every day that passes, we get closer to a go. We are now 2 weeks from a go.

Yes, dear readers, we sold our house.

I know, I know. In this market? Apparently, yes. The realtor came out on Tuesday, January 4. The web listing went up on Thursday. She showed the house on Friday night, and we got an offer on Saturday. Negotiating started and was long and at times, painful, but we sealed the post-inspection deal last Monday. A few things still concern me, like the fact that the SOLD sign won’t stay on, and the guy coming out to do the termite/septic inspection had a heart attack on the way over, but I’m really trying not to see these incidents as foreshadowing of any kind. I’m finally letting myself believe that this is a go.

And before I move on in my post, let me say to all of you….which is pretty much everyone on the planet….all of you who gave us that look when said we were moving. Who got that really sad look in their eye and said “So….what about your house? What are you going to do about that?” All those to whom we replied, cheerfully, “Sell it!” To all those who said “You know…the market isn’t good right now.” All those to whom I wanted to say “Really? Really? It’s a bad market? Where are you getting this intel? Because this is the first I’VE heard of this slow market. NO ONE has mentioned this before.” To all of you naysayers, all I can say is……God is bigger than the real estate market. When God says go, you’re going. It’ll work out. If Jonah had to sell a house before going to Ninevah, it would have sold.

Now back to my post….

Selling a house is a strange thing. Very much like having siblings. We complained and moaned about things for years…..the kitchen is too small, the deck needs an overhauling, etc., etc. But let someone else come in and mention shortcomings in your house…..some STRANGERs….and brother, it is ON. I am so ready for a new house, but I was very surprised by my emotional reaction to criticism of the old one.

Houses are quirky, just like the people who live in them. The door to our bathroom doesn’t shut all the way. I actually laughed when I explained to the realtor how to get into the attic (it involves a chair, a hammer, and preferably protective goggles.) These aren’t problems for us anymore – it’s just the way the house is. It’s part of its personality.

We broke ground on the house while Mark and I were on our honeymoon. We spent hours staining and sealing all of the wood trim and doors by hand. I vividly remember Mark’s dad giving me handfuls of insulation and showing me how to stuff it around all the windows. It seems like yesterday that we picked out paint and furniture for two different nurseries for two very different little boys. Those little boys are not so very little any more, but I look up the staircase and see their little sleepy-eyed, footed-PJ selves sitting on the top step waiting to see what Santa brought. I can’t look at the fireplace without remembering the sound of Daniel’s head cracking wide open against it. Or look at the living room window without picturing a golf ball flying through it.

I’ve learned that a house isn’t just a house. It is an extension of the family that lives there. It’s a treasure trove of memories – good and bad – that make up the patchwork of our lives. It’s a member of the family.

I don’t know how many of you read Anita Shreve – some of her books are better than others, but for the most part, she’s a keeper. She has one very unique aspect to several of her books: they are all set in the same house. Different characters, different storylines, different times in history. But the same house.

The story of our house will continue without us in it. I hope that the new owners have as many chapters as we did, if not more. I hope that their story is happy and funny and adventurous. I hope that they come to love the quirks and the squeaks as much as we do.

Leaving for school the other morning, Daniel and I were standing in the kitchen. I had just turned out the lights, and he was looking around. There was very little light through the windows, but we could still see. Out of the blue he said “I’m going to miss this house.”

Me too, little man. Me too.

Hoosiers. Or Maybe Wildcats.

Every time I post lately, I feel obligated to apologize for my lack of posting. Well not today, Zurg. No apologies. I have great excuses this time, and frankly, you guys aren't exactly cranking out the blogs either.

What are my excuses, you may ask? Well , if you're on facebook and on my friends list and haven't blocked me from your newsfeed, you have probably guessed that we are moving. And we are! Congratulations! Too bad there are no prizes. But let me start at the beginning.

Mark was offered a position with our company in our Indiana office. It's a good offer, and hard to turn down, especially when followed-up with the fact that they are closing our local ops center and consolidating operations into the Indiana center. Don't want to relocate? How does unemployment sound? It was a no-brainer really.

So we are relocating. The ops center is in Jeffersonville, which is right across the river from Louisville, KY. We are still undecided if we want to live on the Kentucky side or the Indiana side, but there's still time for that. The boys will finish out the school year here and we will officially move some time this summer.

I, for one, am quite excited. When I moved here, I was 21 and was moving 300 miles northwest from my hometown. I am now 40, and moving 300 miles northwest of here. Apparently, I move 300 miles northwest every 20 years or so. Looks like Mark and I will be retiring to Peoria, IL.

All kidding aside, I AM excited. This is a great opportunity for Mark. He has worked hard and has earned some recognition. I am so proud of him and for him. And I can find absolutely nothing bad to say about the area we are moving to. It is beautiful (flat, but beautiful), the schools are great, Louisville has lots of metro-big-city stuff, but Indiana has lots of cozy-smalltown-laidback stuff. Best of both worlds. We will be two hours from the Colts and the Reds and, oddly enough, the Titans. Louisville has a professional indoor soccer team. AND....I recently read an article naming Louisville one of the tops cities in the country for foodies. What else could a girl want??

The downside to all of this - the reason we haven't been announcing from the rooftops that this is happening, is that 140 people that we know and have worked with for many years, will be unemployed in the next six months. Most have the opportunity to move if they choose, and while some will, many will not. It's a hard time to be excited when everyone else's future is uncertain.

So there it is. I will continue to be busy in the months to come, but will hopefully find the time to blog. Unapologetically.

If I don't post again, I wish both of my readers a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful for so many things, but today, I am especially thankful for health and fitness.

Last year at this same time, I posted that the four of us participated in the annual Turkey Trot - we started our day walking a 5K, and I wondered if possibly, POSSIBLY, we might actually run the race next year.

Well, next year is this year. And guess what?

Yep, here we all are, post-race. We all ran the whole 3.1 miles. Daniel and I even set personal records. We all wore festive hats, except for Ben who left his in the car so that it "wouldn't slow his pace" or some such. (Hey Ben, those of us what wore hats set PR's. Just sayin'.)

This is the lovely Mrs. Showtime. Showtime wore a roasted turkey hat, so they made a cute couple. Mrs. Showtime is usually the one taking the pictures, so it was a nice change for her to be in one finally.
Here we all are at the start line. Ben is front and center. Red shirt, #750. The rest of us are further back. There were about 3000 people total. It was a heck of a party.
Finally, here's a close-up of Ben at the start line, getting his game face on. We give him lots of grief, but I am so excited that he has taken to running so enthusiastically.

And I am so excited that in the course of one year, all four of us went from walking, to running a little, to running a lot. It has been so much fun to get healthy together.

Lots of cities host Thanksgiving Day fun runs. I can't begin to tell you how much fun it is, and I encourage you and yours to sign up for one next year if you don't participate already. It really is a great way to start a day that otherwise would be completely indulgent. Burn the calories to earn the calories!

Hope everyone had a great day no matter what you did. Let the holiday season begin!

More Soccer Pics

More pics to share. The team got their new blue uniforms a few games into the season - don't let this confuse you. : )

Ben in goal:

Feel free to laugh at this next one - we do:

DP owned this kid:

Yeah. He made the save:

Thundercats are 1-3-1 so far. We're calling it our "character-building" season. : )

The Bluegrass Half

(That's runner-speak for Half-Marathon.)

That's right blogosphere....today was the day. Team Ludicrous Speed got up early and headed downtown to relay our first ever half marathon. We left the house in a torrential downpour, but it didn't dampen our spirits. Despite being cold and wet all morning, we were all extremely pumped. After all, we had been training for this since July.

We partnered with another family who ran it with their kids too. Mark and Tani (their 12-year old son) started the first leg. They got to be at the start line with all the other hard core runners. We cheered from the sidelines, then walked to our relay posts (they had shuttles, but we had some time to kill).

Leg one started in front of the campus, went winding thru the VA, to the hospital, and back to the soccer fields at the end of campus - 3.4 miles total. They finished leg one in 29 minutes and passed their batons (actually banjo straps - there was a bluegrass theme, you know) on to Lisa and Daniel.

Lisa and DP ran around the soccer fields, through campus, then down and back through the tree streets - 3.1 miles. Lisa finished three or four minutes ahead of Daniel, but he ran the whole way - I was so proud of him! I was waiting at my relay point, and got a little teary-eyed when I saw him come around the corner - banjo strap in hand - ready to hand it off.

I left from the McD's at campus and ran ALL THE WAY down State of Franklin - long and boring. But mostly flat and easy. We turned on Legion Street, crossed over the interstate, and ran up Roan street to the Parkway. Maya (11) was my leg partner, and she had a good head start. I could see her most of the time, and was catching up to her at one point. I wanted to run with her, but right when I got to her, she stopped to tie her shoe. I didn't want to stop! I patted her on the back and kept going, but I didn't get too far ahead.

There were supposed to be musicians playing bluegrass music throughout the course, but I think the rain scared many of them off. But there was this one lady - probably college age - standing all by herself, in the rain, playing a banjo, and singing like there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She was so inspiring! I thought, if she can do THAT, I can do this.

My leg was 3 miles exactly, and I came around the corner to the final relay post to see Ben looking my way, already in the crouch, trying to set the timer on his watch and keep an eye on me. He grabbed the strap and bolted and by Showtime's estimate, we had run for about an hour and a half. (Showtime, Michelle, Chip, and Kristy formed a team as well, so they also hung out with us at the relay spots.) Our team goal was 2 hours, and I was sure Ben would finish in 30. Maya came up about 2 minutes after me, and then Tony took off to finish the last leg. The last leg took them back down the Parkway, back into campus, and basically backtracked the second leg, ending behind the Carnegie.

Maya and I took the shuttle back to the finish, met up with Mark, Lisa, Tani, and DP, and waited for our teams to finish.

The last leg was 3.6 miles, and I think Ben finished in just under 30 minutes. We don't yet know our official time, but we think we finished in 2 hours exactly, which was our goal. Our friends finished right behind us, so it was a huge party at the finish line.

We were SOAKING wet, so we ran (drove) home to change and came back, but we still missed the awards presentation. I confirmed we didn't place, but I really wanted to see how we finished and I still don't know yet.

Oh well. I consider us winners no matter what. A year ago, not a one of us could have run this race. Today, we each contributed and NO ONE WALKED. Not once. That's huge! And it poured rain the whole time, which made it that much more challenging. I am so proud of us!

P.S. - no pictures yet. Will post if we find any, but we didn't take a camera.

UPDATE: Official team time - 2:01:12. woot! We were 12th out of 30 Family Relay teams, although that's not entirely accurate - several of the teams listed in our category were not Family Teams, so it's a little botched. But it's all good....we're happy with our time!

Ten

So, I realized today that it has been almost one month since my last post. Blog-inspiration has been bone-dry here lately, and for that, I am sorry. Then I read That Neil Guy's latest post, 10, listing, in no particular order, ten of his favorite things. (Rumor has it that the song from The Sound of Music was originally called "Ten of My Favorite Things", but Julie Andrews threw a hissy and had it changed. She was oddly opposed to metrics. Just a rumor though.)

Anywho, color me inspired. Here are ten of my favorite things, in no particular order:

1. Clean sheets. There is nothing quite like being tired and crawling into a bed made up with clean, crisp, COLD, and neatly tucked sheets. I try to sleep still just to keep the feeling going for a few nights.

2. LOST. Ordered Season 6 from Amazon and it arrived today. Daniel started watching the final episode while I cooked dinner. I couldn't see it, but the music was all I needed. Man, I miss that show.

3. Post-season baseball. The boys of summer step things up in October. It just feels different. You either get that, or you don't.

4. Fall. My favorite time of year. Starts tomorrow!

5. A good back scratching. After 16 years of marriage, Mark has the technique down. My grandmother was the best ever, and my kids are getting there.

6. My mixer. There's been more than a few posts, and that's all I have to say about that.

7. Riding a bike, downhill, wind in my face, going as fast as I possibly can before finally giving in and squeezing the brakes. Nothing takes me back to childhood quite as much.

8. My kids when they're laughing. It's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

9. Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream. If you've never tried it, go get some. Right now. I don't care what time it is. Thank me later.

10. Old Hymns. You sing them, and you sing them, and you sing them, and then, one Sunday morning out of the clear blue, you listen to the words and you are blown aware by the sheer poetry. Wordcraft at its most beautiful.

And there it is. What are ten of your favorite things?

Soccer Practice

One of the moms has been bringing a camera to soccer practice and takes a lot of action shots, which she posts on Facebook. Thought I would steal a few of Ben and Daniel in action:

That's Daniel in goal and Ben in the green shirt off to the right.

Yes, that is Daniel sandwiched between the other two players, about to go down hard.

Daniel, Coach T, and Lala: the team mascot.

Run like the wind!

I knew the lengthy gams would come in handy.

Ben shows off his mad dribbling skills.

More Yogaworks (and it really does!)

I was so taken with the Beginner Yogaworks DVD that I bought the other two in the series. I am a big fan.

The Fit Abs DVD has two work-outs - one 10-minute hard-core workout, and one 40-minute "core yoga flow". I like the yoga flow a lot. It's a step up from the beginner workout, I don't sweat too much, but I do push myself in some of the poses. Morning Workout Billy leads the yogaflow class, but Patty is there doing the newbee modifications. (I suspect that Billy has a thing for Patty, but she doesn't seem interested.)

Body Slim is a hard work-out. Fifty minutes of what they call "Cardio-followed-by-slow-burn". They aren't kidding. I work up quite a lather in this one.

Jessie leads this class. In the other videos, she did all the modifications, so this is the first time I heard her talk. She's very peppy. She reminds us to smile a lot. Probably sees way to many angry people glaring at her everyday. Ironically, Jessie is on the cover of the Fit Abs DVD (left) but she teaches the class on the Body Slim DVD. Weird.

I still do my morning and evening 10-minute workouts every day (or at least most days). And I have gotten pretty good at the 45-minute beginner class. It's really just a long, drawn out series of stretches. I like to do that in the evening when I can - I don't sweat during, so I can do it and go straight to bed. I feel like jelly after. It's AWESOME.

And with the new DVDs, I round out the easy beginner class with a good middle-of-the-road class, and a really hard butt-kicker. I have a little something for every mood. : )

But the really good news is: I feel GREAT. I have been consistently doing yoga for almost two months and I really can tell a difference in how I feel, and how my muscles feel when I do other things (running, biking, etc.) Yogaworks! It's not just a cute name!

So, if you are considering taking up yoga, or if you already do yoga and want an at-home option, I strongly recommend the Yogaworks series. I got all three from Amazon, and am really getting my money's worth.

Namaste.

Back to School

We started back to school around here a week and a half ago. Hard to believe I no longer have any elementary school children, but there it is. Following is a brief update on who is going where for what.

First up: Ben

Ben started 8th grade last week. Brand new year, brand new school. Actually, it's NOT a brand new school, it's a really old school that is getting a face lift. Renovations of the 8th and 9th grade buildings finished right before school started back. Ben had to go in on Day One completely cold - no tour, no orientation, no nothing. All he had was a homeroom number and a dream (and I'm not convinced he actually had a dream). But he slowly found his way around (he didn't find his locker until Day 4) and I'm happy to say, all is well. Everyone else was in the same chaotic boat, so that helped. The construction and renovation of other buildings on campus is still going on, so things will be crazy for a while yet. But it's all good. We went to an open house on Thursday and I couldn't believe how good the building looked. It looked like a brand new school.

He is running cross country (which started last week) and is running EVERYDAY after school. Some days they run on campus and in the neighborhoods around the school, and some days they run at the VA. Twice they have run in the evenings to let it cool down a bit. He is really enjoying it. He will also play soccer with Daniel in a Parks & Rec league, but that hasn't officially started yet. In music news, he is still playing the string bass (orchestra meets on the 10-12 campus, so he gets dropped off way far away from the rest of his classes and gets shuttled to his campus mid-morning.)

I think it's going to be a great year for him. I just have one of those feelings.

And now: Daniel

Daniel is a sixth grader and is now a middle school student. He has a locker, a schedule, and an ID card. He has been thrown into the mix with 1200 of his closest friends. He likes his teachers, although he finds one of them "creepy". (I pictured some seventy-year-old battle axe, but we saw her walking in one day and she looked to be about twelve. I told DP it was probably her first teaching job and she was likely scared to death. He seemed mystified by the fact that a teacher might be scared of anything.) Anywho...he had two or three building tours and a meet-and-greet, so he was WAY prepared for his first day. Ironically, the only thing he didn't know going in was his homeroom assignment, which was the only thing Ben did know.

He got his locker assignment on the first day, had to practice opening it, and then reported back to his teacher that while he opened the locker just fine, he had to stand in a chair to reach it. She got him a new locker.

Daniel has signed up for band, and was "fitted" to be a trumpet player. (They let him try out every instrument and rated him on which ones he was most likely to play well. Trumpet was top on the list, and it was the one he wanted to play anyway. So it was a win-win fitting.) He will start toting his trumpet around next week. We ordered one from a "reputable" music dealer on eBay. The band teacher checked it out and gave it a thumbs-up. Whew. Glad that's done.

No school sports for sixth graders, but DP wants to play Parks & Rec soccer with Coach T anyway. He will be playing up this year, so he and Ben will be on the same team. All are very excited about that.

Homework has been light so far, which is a popular concept. There's been lots of connecting with old friends, and making new friends. Ben informs me that he eats lunch every day with a great, funny, bunch of guys whose names he does not know. I asked if he might need to know their names at some point, but he didn't think so. Daniel has friends that he refers to as "Brunden" , "Poop Ice Cream" , and "Shoulder-to-Shoulder". Long stories all. Maybe Ben is on to something.

At any rate, the new school year is well under way and it's good times as far as the eye can see. Here's hoping!

Marvin Kenneth Malone, 1941 - 2010

We said a sad good-bye to Mark's father and the boys' Pepaw this week. He had been sick for a long time and I am comforted to know that he is finally at peace. He passed away on Saturday night with his entire family at his side. I have never experienced anything like that before, and I am so grateful that God granted us that blessing.

One of my fondest memories of Ken happened six months or so before he broke his ankle, which was the beginning of his slow decline. This would have been some time in the fall of 2006 - I was not working at the time. Ken showed up one day and told me our shutters looked terrible and he was there to clean them for us. Ten years earlier, such a statement would have royally pissed me off, but as happens when we get older, I was enjoying a new mellowness. I looked at my shutters and thought "Yeah, he has a point." We spent the day cleaning the shutters. Rather, HE spent the day cleaning the shutters; I spent the day passing water and rags and chemicals back and forth through the upstairs windows. Ken tiptoed around on the roof over our porch, washing and scrubbing and washing some more. I was convinced that he was going to fall and break his neck, but somehow, he got the job done. Ken was a world-class workhorse, and I remember feeling strangely important to have been chosen to help out with one of his projects. It was a good day. (And the shutters looked awesome.)

It was a hard week for all of us, especially Mark. But in the midst of all of our sadness, God chose to bless us tremendously in lots of small ways. I won't share all of them with you - many of them are not my stories to tell - but this experience has strengthened my faith both in God and in people considerably. I know that God is good. I know that people are kind. And I know that Heaven is a little cleaner and quite a few things will get fixed up now that Ken is there. : )

I will share one thing that struck me as particularly poignant, probably more than anyone else. Both of Mark's brothers asked him to help them tie their neckties before the memorial service. It seems that neither of them ever learned; any time they needed to wear a necktie, they had their father tie it for them. To me, that was such a simple but such a profound picture of what it means to lose a father.

Good-bye Pops. We will miss you.

Yogaworks

In my pursuit of health and fitness, I have recently taken up Yoga. I keep reading about how good it is for the muscles and how it can help prevent injuries from the other stuff you do and how all these really super-hot people, when asked how they acquired their super-hot status, say "Yoga".

Problem #1 - I know nothing about Yoga. Except that you use mats and you stretch a lot. (In hindsight, looks like I knew a lot about Yoga.)

Problem #2 - I hate going to the gym and I hate going to "class".

Problem #3 - I don't have a lot of disposable time for another "hobby".

But despite all my problems, I really wanted to try it. Mostly because of the helping-prevent-injury-thing. I'm not getting any younger, but I am getting a whole lot more active, and while I am healthier than I've ever been, I am more at risk for muscle injury than ever before.

So I did the thing I swore I would never do. I ordered a DVD.

I looked at lots of options, but landed on a company called Yogaworks, and a DVD called Beginner Basics. What attracted me? Good reviews on Amazon and the promise of "10-Minute Workouts". Probably not the best reason to buy a DVD, but it spoke to me.

And I have to say, I like what I got. And here's what that is:

1. Intro to all the poses. "Patti" takes you through all the poses you will do in the other segments, slowly and specifically.

2. Beginner workout. 45 minutes of entry-level Yoga fun. Not a lot of sweating going on, but I am challenged to do about half of the stuff we do, which I figure is good. Patti also leads this workout, but "Jessie" does modifications to the workout (i.e., if you can't do this, do what Jessie is doing - she's going bottom-of-the-barrel easy.)

3. The much-ballyhooed 10-Minute Workouts. One is an AM Wake-up and the other is a PM Relax and Restore. Patti does the PM workout. (I really like Patti - she's cute and tiny and has a great voice for this kind of thing. When we do the deep relaxation pose and she starts up with this "Let your brain sink slowly to the back of your skull" I'm a goner. I should just start doing this one in the bed so I don't have to drag myself off the mat when it's over.) "Billy" does the AM workout. Took some getting used to, sort of like the first time you have a male nurse. But I'm liking Billy now too. Both Billy and Patti end their sessions by saying "From all of us at Yogaworks, Namaste", which makes me feel like I'm doing Yoga with the Dharma Initiative. You can imagine how cool that is for me.

So far, I'm liking the Yoga. I've done the AM and PM workouts everyday for two weeks, and the 45-minute workout three or four times (my goal is twice a week.) I see some improvement in doing the poses, and I do feel really good afterward. I got a mat on sale a DSG, so I'm feeling like an old pro. (An old pro who still only does beginner workouts.) There are two more videos in the series, so when I master this one, maybe I'll move on.

For now, I've got a date with Billy for my AM workout.

What's for Dinner?

Necessity is the mother of invention. That, and an unnatural fear of bad shrimp.

So, a month or so back, I thawed some shrimp for a meal I had planned. As is so often the norm, the day spun out of control and my planned dinner got put on hold. But somehow, the side items all got eaten. The next day, I was left with thawed shrimp and no plan. I improvised. I was feeling an Asian vibe that night. And thus was born Mom's Amazing Asian Rice Bowl. Healthy, fast, and delicious: the dinnertime tri fecta.

First things first: cook some brown rice. About 4 servings worth. It takes a while to cook brown rice, but it's very hands off, so I don't count it as actual time. Use a rice cooker or go stove top - whatever works for you. Should take about 45 minutes.

While the rice cooks, dice a half a medium onion and one garlic clove. Saute them in a tablespoon or so of sesame oil for about ten minutes. Add a pound of shrimp, some soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Just splash some in there, "to taste" as they say. Saute for 4-5 minutes.

Also, steam some broccoli (lots going on at the same time, but trust me, it's easy.) You can do one of those stove top things, but it's really easy in the microwave. Just chop off a head full of florets and put them in a microwave dish. Add a tablespoon or two or water and a sprinkle of salt. Cover with one corner up and nuke on high for 3 minutes.

Adjust your timetable so the shrimp, rice, and broccoli are done at the same time. Then mix them all up in a big ole bowl. Enjoy!

I've made it twice now and I think it rocks. Mark likes it too. Haven't sprung it on the boys yet.

Still Lovin' Where I Live

So my new favorite place on earth is the Virgina Creeper Trail. If you aren't familiar with this 34-mile Rails-to-Trails project, then you haven't read my blog very much. We love to go up there and hike, and since purchasing bikes, we've added cycling to the mix. It is absolutely beautiful - high trestles cross over rivers and fields, and the wide trail cuts through rock and open countryside. All parts of the trail run downhill towards the Holston river, so it's an easy ride if you plan it right. Daniel and I planned it right on Tuesday - I took the day off and we met friends for a trek from Abingdon to the river and back. Cool for the ride out and warmer for the ride back, it was a lovely day. Picnic lunch, lots of laughs, great exercise - not a bad way to spend the day.

Summer Camp!

Ben is back from camp! Looks like he had fun!

I Love Where I Live