Miss me?

Please do not try to adjust your computers....yes, it's me, and I'm actually blogging. You're shocked, I know. It's been a while huh? What cha been up to? Here's the top ten things you missed (in no particular order) that have been going on with me...

1. My wonderful husband decided to "fix" our computer. It was sluggish and not running quite right, so he saved all our stuff and wiped it clean...then discovered we didn't have the number code to re-install Windows XP. There's a guy at his work who can help, but they just had a baby so he's alittle busy right now. Timing is everything. It'll be probably another month before we're back, so pictures may be minimal till then. Now we can't find the disc to install our printer on this temporary computer...ugh! I'm exercising my patience.

2. Justine learned to ride a bike. Yeah!

3. I did another triathlon on July 24th with BadJen. It was the Twilight Tri, at Crystal River. It was a night-time tri, sprint distance. It was a tough one for me. My swim was terrible, although I did improve my swim time from last year's Cooter Tri by three minutes. The swim was in the Gulf, and there was a strong current we had to work against (sucked!). No oil...I know you're wondering. Then the bike had a strong head-wind going out and huge down pours coming back (thunderstorm activity). Everything was wet...drenched! The run was complete darkness...good thing there was a full moon out to help light the way. My time was about 1 hr. 39 minutes. It wasn't fun...but I never quit.

4. Jen and I are training for our next triathlon. The Great American Cooter Tri in Inverness, FL.

5. Our family went to San Diego this summer for vacation! It was really great to spend time with the family and see our friends we miss so much. We did more "touristy" stuff this time: The Zoo, Balboa Park, even a trip to Julian for the day. My favorite was a trip to The Getty with Becky and Keiko. Next time I visit we're gonna do the Villa in Malibu...sweet!! We also timed our visit just right to attend my nephew's high school graduation, which was so cool. I got to see plenty of my sister and mom, which was great! And staying with my in-laws worked out great...they're so easy going (and put up with all 5 of us!). My dad was there for us, too...he had some "pocket money" for the whole family (which made the vaca more budget friendly to say the least!). We're lucky to have such loving, generous parents and in-laws.

6. Veronica got her Driver's License. Stay off the sidewalks when you're in Fleming Island.

7. My job changed a little bit this spring. My boss and the financial person both quit around the same time, so jobs got shuffled and we hired a new receptionist. I moved into the next office and became, officially, the "assistant to the priest". An outside accounting firm was hired to handle the financial stuff. Our new receptionist is my friend, Diane. She's so much fun to work with and fits in just great. The feeling in the office is very relaxed and fun. I'm working less hours, but more days...only 4 days, 5 hours each. Not bad. I'll be home for the kids when they get home from school, and that's very important to me.

8. I'm still knitting up a storm. Many socks have been started and finished over the last few months. A few scarves, too. I'm slowing down on the sweaters...it's just too darn hot! I started, recently, to make granny squares from my left-over worsted weight yarn that will eventually become a big blanket. I'm also making a big shawl called Bridgewater. Photos to come soon, I hope.

9. Mike's job is going great. He did some travelling recently to GA and TN. He brought me to his work to see the magnet he's designed. I really was impressed! Maybe he's not the goof-ball I think he is...hmmmm.

10. Last but not least...Joey is excited about starting school next week! This is huge. He usually complains about it, but this year he's starting High School and is already practicing with the band. He was very glad to hear I was working and that Veronica was more than happy to help him at orientation this Thursday. Can you believe he doesn't want ME to help him?! Heavy sigh.

And this year is Justine's last year in elementary school. Heavier sigh.

Ok, so there's your update. I'm going to be blogging more, too. Promise!! Feel free to comment, too. It's nice to know you're out there and like to hear what's going on with me and my family.

Bye...for now.