Hey, everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It started out as a busy week and then I got sick starting on Wednesday. Missed work on Thursday and Friday and am feeling a little better. As someone I know would say "I've got a porcupine in my throat". So, I'm not feeling so great and am tired so this will be a short post. Just wanted to touch base again.
Obviously due to my poor health this week I haven't done much as far as training goes. Julie went and ran for a little bit last night but the weather is a real drag on one's energy. Hopefully this weekend we'll get back to it.
Tomorrow we are having almost 500 plants delivered to the LLS office! We had our annual spring fundraiser with Linder's Greenhouse. 14 TNT participants sold 492 plants worth nearly $4,400, with $1,870 going to the cause! Great job everyone! And for those of you who purchased plants we thank you! Each year this is a very successful event. Keep your eyes on this page for another Linder's fundraiser in the fall when we sell poinsettias.
That's it for tonight. Going back to bed. I'll be posting again this weekend, so see you then!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Ride Like The Wind
Today we finally got the bikes out and went for a ride with the Tahoe team. The weather held off and except for some cool wind off the lakes it was a beautiful ride. We met at the Calhoun Executive Suites and jumped on the Greenway Trail for a 20-mile ride. It is SOOOO nice to be riding outside instead of in a spin room at Bally's. Everyone did great, got in a little pace-line practice, and headed over to Chiptole for some much need nourishment! All in all it was a great day! It really makes a huge difference in the wind temperature when you're riding by a lake that is still covered in ice. Won't be too much longer, tho, if we continue to have days in the 60's! Let's hope the warm weather continues!
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Julie says the Burger King guy in the TV commercials is really freaking her out. I must admit he is a little creepy looking.
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I think we would have a house full of Golden Retrievers if Julie could do it. We were watching the news this morning about the 80+ Retrievers rescued from a puppy mill in North Dakota. What a sad story. I think if Julie could she would adopt every single one of them.
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Way tired. Way late. Goodnight.
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Julie says the Burger King guy in the TV commercials is really freaking her out. I must admit he is a little creepy looking.
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I think we would have a house full of Golden Retrievers if Julie could do it. We were watching the news this morning about the 80+ Retrievers rescued from a puppy mill in North Dakota. What a sad story. I think if Julie could she would adopt every single one of them.
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Way tired. Way late. Goodnight.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Reverse Triathlon
This morning Julie and I did the equivalent of a reverse triathlon. We went to Bally's around 9 AM and ran for about a half hour, did a one-hour spin with the Tahoe team, and then swam for about 40 minutes. All in all it was a good workout. We felt better today about the swim than we did earlier this week, but we need to increase our time in the pool. We also need to start incorporating more weight training. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we'll be having our first out-door ride of the year. It's supposed to be raining with a chance of thunderstorms, but hopefully that will hold off long enough for us to get a good 20-25 miles in.
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Found out on Friday that Eaton will be sponsoring Team In Training again this year. Thanks to Eaton! We've also sold some flowers and cookbooks, have cell phones to send in for money, and might be able to recycle some laser printer cartridges as well. We're going to get there. It will be a little tougher this time but we'll get there - baby steps. Thanks to all of you that have donated. If you would still like to donate you can visit either of our fundraising websites listed on the right side of the page. Thank you so much!
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Totally enjoying the warmer temps! Today had to be in the upper 60's. The snow is melting quickly - pretty much the only snow left is from the piles created when they plowed. The problem is the ground is very saturated. We have our annual "Lake Gibson" in the backyard, and it looks like it will be there a while, especially if we get rain tomorrow. We'll see what happens.
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The Buckeyes have advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. They really played some great basketball today against Memphis, probably their best game in a while, especially looking at the post season. GO BUCKS!!!
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Just want to say that loving you is easy, because you're beautiful.
Everyone have a great rest of the weekend!
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Found out on Friday that Eaton will be sponsoring Team In Training again this year. Thanks to Eaton! We've also sold some flowers and cookbooks, have cell phones to send in for money, and might be able to recycle some laser printer cartridges as well. We're going to get there. It will be a little tougher this time but we'll get there - baby steps. Thanks to all of you that have donated. If you would still like to donate you can visit either of our fundraising websites listed on the right side of the page. Thank you so much!
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Totally enjoying the warmer temps! Today had to be in the upper 60's. The snow is melting quickly - pretty much the only snow left is from the piles created when they plowed. The problem is the ground is very saturated. We have our annual "Lake Gibson" in the backyard, and it looks like it will be there a while, especially if we get rain tomorrow. We'll see what happens.
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The Buckeyes have advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. They really played some great basketball today against Memphis, probably their best game in a while, especially looking at the post season. GO BUCKS!!!
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Just want to say that loving you is easy, because you're beautiful.
Everyone have a great rest of the weekend!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
I'll get you, my pretty!
Received a birthday present today in the mail from some good friends in Maumee, Ann and Jim. They sent me a package with some food only found in Toledo. Tony Packo's hot dogs, pickles, hot dog sauce, Wonder buns, Ballreich's potato chips and Combos. If you've never had Tony Packo's, made famous by Jamie Farr on M*A*S*H*, then you're truly missing one of life's great joys. Thanks Ann & Jim!
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Sibling Rivalry:
ADIDAS/Adolf & Rudolf Dassler
Background: According to Everybody's Business, "Adolf and Rudolf Dassler were the sons of a poor laundress who grew up in the tiny Bavarian milltown of Herzogenerauch, near Nuremburg. Before World War II, they started a factory there to make house slippers, then branched to track shoes and soccer boots."
Rivalry: "They had a violent falling out and after the war went their separate ways. Rudolf left Adidas and started a rival athletic shoe company, Puma. Before long Adidas and Puma - both headquartered in Herzogenerauch - were battling head-to-head all over the world. When Adolf died in 1978, the two brothers hadn't spoken to each other in 29 years." - From Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader
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Boy, would we be in trouble!! During the Middle Ages you could be accused of witchcraft if your pets disobeyed you.
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Short post. Buckeyes won. Time for bed.
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Sibling Rivalry:
ADIDAS/Adolf & Rudolf Dassler
Background: According to Everybody's Business, "Adolf and Rudolf Dassler were the sons of a poor laundress who grew up in the tiny Bavarian milltown of Herzogenerauch, near Nuremburg. Before World War II, they started a factory there to make house slippers, then branched to track shoes and soccer boots."
Rivalry: "They had a violent falling out and after the war went their separate ways. Rudolf left Adidas and started a rival athletic shoe company, Puma. Before long Adidas and Puma - both headquartered in Herzogenerauch - were battling head-to-head all over the world. When Adolf died in 1978, the two brothers hadn't spoken to each other in 29 years." - From Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader
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Boy, would we be in trouble!! During the Middle Ages you could be accused of witchcraft if your pets disobeyed you.
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Short post. Buckeyes won. Time for bed.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
One Ringy-Dingy, Two Ringy Dingy....
We had a great turnout last night for the tri spin classes and core workouts. We had people upstairs running laps around the track, some doing the spin training, and others doing core workouts, and then we'd switch. We took over the place! The core workouts get more and more elaborate each week, which is really cool. Ingrid and Mike are doing their usual awesome job at motivating us through challenging workouts. Thanks Ingrid and Mike!
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We purchased another 10 cookbooks hoping to get rid of them all through either donations or just by selling them. Suzanne did such an awesome job on these cookbooks and has sold over 400 so far and figures they'll be sold out by May. So, if you want one of these cookbooks you'll need to let us know! They also make great gifts - especially for Mother's Day. And you're helping a great cause at the same time!
We've also got a bag of cell phones so far, and according to my calculations that should net us around $80 - all straight to the cause! We're still working on getting the cell phone collection boxes into banks and coffee shops at which point we think this can really take off. Most phones bring in between 50 cents and $10 each, so it can add up quickly! If you know of a good place where we can put one of our collection boxes please let us know.
I have now added links to our fundraising web sites so everyone can follow our progress and maybe even donate! As always, on behalf of our honorees thanks so much for your support.
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New Song of the Week: "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's. I've only heard the song once but really liked it. It's a little acoustic number - worth a listen.
Old Song of the Week: "Mess Around" by Ray Charles. A classic song by Mr. Charles and one that I think I first heard in the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", which is a classic movie. It's a really fun song, it's got a good beat, some great piano (of course), and I can dance to it, Dick. (American Bandstand reference for those not familiar.)
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Everyone have a wonderful hump day. Don't let me forget to put the garbage out tonight.
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We purchased another 10 cookbooks hoping to get rid of them all through either donations or just by selling them. Suzanne did such an awesome job on these cookbooks and has sold over 400 so far and figures they'll be sold out by May. So, if you want one of these cookbooks you'll need to let us know! They also make great gifts - especially for Mother's Day. And you're helping a great cause at the same time!
We've also got a bag of cell phones so far, and according to my calculations that should net us around $80 - all straight to the cause! We're still working on getting the cell phone collection boxes into banks and coffee shops at which point we think this can really take off. Most phones bring in between 50 cents and $10 each, so it can add up quickly! If you know of a good place where we can put one of our collection boxes please let us know.
I have now added links to our fundraising web sites so everyone can follow our progress and maybe even donate! As always, on behalf of our honorees thanks so much for your support.
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New Song of the Week: "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's. I've only heard the song once but really liked it. It's a little acoustic number - worth a listen.
Old Song of the Week: "Mess Around" by Ray Charles. A classic song by Mr. Charles and one that I think I first heard in the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", which is a classic movie. It's a really fun song, it's got a good beat, some great piano (of course), and I can dance to it, Dick. (American Bandstand reference for those not familiar.)
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Everyone have a wonderful hump day. Don't let me forget to put the garbage out tonight.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Brown Bag Lunch
Tonight the cycle team had a meeting at the LLS office and we had a nutritionist come in to discuss what we should be eating and drinking while we train for our endurance events. She was extremely informative. It was rather ironic, tho, that we had a tray of cookies and cupcakes there - we were celebrating my birthday and some others on the team whose birthdays are in March. We learned a lot from the nutritionist and may even go have a consultation with her. Other TNT folks have done that and rave about the difference she's made in their body composition and general health. We're all about that!
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Speaking of nutrition (not!), today I took food into work for my birthday. We had donuts in the morning followed by a brown-bag lunch and cookies for the afternoon snack. Everyone really liked the lunches. Each person got a bag with their name on it (plus a smiley face compliments of Julie) which contained a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bag of chips, a cup of applesauce, a CapriSun drink box, and a Hostess cupcake. It was lunch old school! I had told Julie that I wanted to do something different for lunch and she came up with this great idea. It was a hit! We also bought some headbands that people had to wear (bunny ears, a flower, lamb ears, etc) if they wanted a treat. Most everyone was game and went along with it. They also had to get their picture taken with their choice of headband on - quite a riot. Cheesy I know - a little over the top, sure - but it was fun.
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Appropriate for today, since it's my birthday:
"You're no spring chicken"
Meaning: You're not young anymore; you're past your prime.
Origin: "Until recent generations, there were no incubators and few warm hen houses. That meant chicks couldn't be raised during winter. New England growers found that those born in the spring brought premium prices in the summer market places." When these Yankee traders tried to pass off old birds as part of the spring crop, smart buyers would protest that the bird was 'no spring chicken.'" (From Why You Say It, by Webb Garrison)
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Speaking of nutrition (not!), today I took food into work for my birthday. We had donuts in the morning followed by a brown-bag lunch and cookies for the afternoon snack. Everyone really liked the lunches. Each person got a bag with their name on it (plus a smiley face compliments of Julie) which contained a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bag of chips, a cup of applesauce, a CapriSun drink box, and a Hostess cupcake. It was lunch old school! I had told Julie that I wanted to do something different for lunch and she came up with this great idea. It was a hit! We also bought some headbands that people had to wear (bunny ears, a flower, lamb ears, etc) if they wanted a treat. Most everyone was game and went along with it. They also had to get their picture taken with their choice of headband on - quite a riot. Cheesy I know - a little over the top, sure - but it was fun.
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Appropriate for today, since it's my birthday:
"You're no spring chicken"
Meaning: You're not young anymore; you're past your prime.
Origin: "Until recent generations, there were no incubators and few warm hen houses. That meant chicks couldn't be raised during winter. New England growers found that those born in the spring brought premium prices in the summer market places." When these Yankee traders tried to pass off old birds as part of the spring crop, smart buyers would protest that the bird was 'no spring chicken.'" (From Why You Say It, by Webb Garrison)
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Stella!!!
This weekend was my "birthday weekend", something that Julie and I have done for the last couple of years, I guess just since our birthdays have been falling on or near the weekend. Since my birthday is Monday this weekend was the birthday weekend and, therefore, I got to decide what we did, what we ate, etc. Pretty cool. She'll do the same for her birthday in July. Saturday we went and had dinner at Stella's Fish Cafe in Uptown. Awesome meal. Today we went to the auto show downtown and then just chilled at home this evening, enjoying a blizzard from Dairy Queen and getting caught up on some of our shows we've recorded. All in all it was a great birthday weekend! Julie got me a couple of nice shirts, a pair of golf shorts, a couple DVDs and a wild bird feeder. We tried the bird feeder thing last year and it didn't go so great, so we'll try it again this spring. One thing that was really cool is that Julie hid my presents around the house and I had to go find them. It was like an adult Easter egg hunt!! Way cool!
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Last night I had kind of a freaky dream and the only people I recognized were me and my dad. It was very "24" like the TV show - it had what I think was a nuclear bomb, some refinery was on fire, almost very end-of-the-world, really dark and tense. I was an adult in my dream and my dad was being very brave and fatherly, taking care of me and the others that were there - again, no one I knew. While I woke up feeling a little rattled at the images in my dream I had a deep sense of calm that my father was there taking care of me. It's been 5 1/2 years since my dad passed away and it was really nice to feel that connection again so strongly, even if it was in a dream. I think of him often and miss him dearly. It's so true - you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.
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I've started keeping a tablet and pencil next to the bed so I can start writing things down when I wake up in the middle of the night. Quite often I was thinking that I should write down what I'm thinking about when I wake up at 3 AM. It's funny how the mind will work and how clear something will be when you're roused from a deep sleep and equally frustrating at not remembering what that was when the alarm goes off 3 hours later. So, I've started writing down what's on my mind at these crazy hours. Some of it will appear here, the better stuff that floats to the top. If I could only read my writing!!
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An interesting entry in the Guiness Book of World Records:
Who: Michel Lotito, Grenoble, France. Achievement: Has been eating metal and glass since 1959; currently he eats more than two pounds of metal every day. Since 1966 he has eaten 10 bicycles, a supermarket food cart, 7 televisions, 6 chandeliers, a coffin, and a Cessna airplane.
On that note, caio.
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Last night I had kind of a freaky dream and the only people I recognized were me and my dad. It was very "24" like the TV show - it had what I think was a nuclear bomb, some refinery was on fire, almost very end-of-the-world, really dark and tense. I was an adult in my dream and my dad was being very brave and fatherly, taking care of me and the others that were there - again, no one I knew. While I woke up feeling a little rattled at the images in my dream I had a deep sense of calm that my father was there taking care of me. It's been 5 1/2 years since my dad passed away and it was really nice to feel that connection again so strongly, even if it was in a dream. I think of him often and miss him dearly. It's so true - you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.
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I've started keeping a tablet and pencil next to the bed so I can start writing things down when I wake up in the middle of the night. Quite often I was thinking that I should write down what I'm thinking about when I wake up at 3 AM. It's funny how the mind will work and how clear something will be when you're roused from a deep sleep and equally frustrating at not remembering what that was when the alarm goes off 3 hours later. So, I've started writing down what's on my mind at these crazy hours. Some of it will appear here, the better stuff that floats to the top. If I could only read my writing!!
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An interesting entry in the Guiness Book of World Records:
Who: Michel Lotito, Grenoble, France. Achievement: Has been eating metal and glass since 1959; currently he eats more than two pounds of metal every day. Since 1966 he has eaten 10 bicycles, a supermarket food cart, 7 televisions, 6 chandeliers, a coffin, and a Cessna airplane.
On that note, caio.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Where is my Digital Personal Communicator?!
After a rough start Thursday I finished the day pretty well and am in the top half of the NCAA bracket pool. Absolutely shocked there was only one upset yesterday, and it's Duke of all teams. Luckily, I called that one but completely shot an air ball on my other upset picks. Hopefully today goes much better. The Buckeyes looked good and it will be interesting when they play Xavier on Saturday.
Went through a bag of cell phones last night that were donated as part of our cell phone recycling fundraiser and there was one that was about 3 times the size of my cell phone. It's a Motorola and when you flip it open it says "Digital Personal Communicator" under the Motorola trademark. Sounds like some Star Trek thing and it looks like a prop from some 1980's B-movie. Amazing that this used to be cutting-edge technology.
A few trivia items concerning cars....
1933 - The first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, New Jersey. By the fifties there were more than 4,000 drive-ins around the United States, much to the joy of teenagers everywhere.
1955 - Bucket seats were offered for the first time on Corvettes and Thunderbirds.
1971 - Chrysler offered the first in-dash stereo cassette tape player/recorder, complete with a microphone.
1987 - The Lincoln Town Car was the first American car to offer a factory-installed CD player as an option.
Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the weekend, and go easy on the green beer!
Went through a bag of cell phones last night that were donated as part of our cell phone recycling fundraiser and there was one that was about 3 times the size of my cell phone. It's a Motorola and when you flip it open it says "Digital Personal Communicator" under the Motorola trademark. Sounds like some Star Trek thing and it looks like a prop from some 1980's B-movie. Amazing that this used to be cutting-edge technology.
A few trivia items concerning cars....
1933 - The first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, New Jersey. By the fifties there were more than 4,000 drive-ins around the United States, much to the joy of teenagers everywhere.
1955 - Bucket seats were offered for the first time on Corvettes and Thunderbirds.
1971 - Chrysler offered the first in-dash stereo cassette tape player/recorder, complete with a microphone.
1987 - The Lincoln Town Car was the first American car to offer a factory-installed CD player as an option.
Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the weekend, and go easy on the green beer!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Nauseous and Nervous
Holy smokes! Another great workout tonight compliments of Coach Bob of the Tahoe cycle team. We had a great turnout in what turned out (didn't plan that) to be a pressure-cooker of a room. We had the fans on and most of the lights off but it still was shirt-soaking hot in there. Bob put us through some tough hill work (said we were working on our "base") and then through some core training before calling it a night. A few of them stayed longer to get a swim in. Way to go TEAM!! Everyone can't wait to get the bikes out and hit the road!
Tomorrow starts the NCAA tournament and I've yet to really look at the brackets. I printed out some stuff and will fill it out in the morning. If I do well this year it will be sheer luck as I haven't followed the college hoops much this year, but man do I love March Madness.
New song of the week is not necessarily a new song - "Read My Mind" by the Killers. Pretty cool. The old song of the week is "Promises Promises" by Naked Eyes. Every time this song comes on I'm immediately transported back to when the song was first out. I believe it was summer and I was soon to be heading to a new school and the butterflies I was feeling then come back in a rush when I hear the song now. Most songs I associate with good feelings or memories but this one makes me feel somewhat nauseous and nervous. I love it and crank it every time it's on.
Short post tonight. Hot and tired and need some sleep. We'll chat at ya' later.
Tomorrow starts the NCAA tournament and I've yet to really look at the brackets. I printed out some stuff and will fill it out in the morning. If I do well this year it will be sheer luck as I haven't followed the college hoops much this year, but man do I love March Madness.
New song of the week is not necessarily a new song - "Read My Mind" by the Killers. Pretty cool. The old song of the week is "Promises Promises" by Naked Eyes. Every time this song comes on I'm immediately transported back to when the song was first out. I believe it was summer and I was soon to be heading to a new school and the butterflies I was feeling then come back in a rush when I hear the song now. Most songs I associate with good feelings or memories but this one makes me feel somewhat nauseous and nervous. I love it and crank it every time it's on.
Short post tonight. Hot and tired and need some sleep. We'll chat at ya' later.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Is it hot in here or is it just me?
The New York Times today had an interesting piece on Global Warming. Apparently, some scientists are now backing away from some of the claims Gore made in his "documentary". Click here to read the column. They're saying about Gore and his movie that they don't want to pick on him “But there are a lot of inaccuracies in the statements we are seeing, and we have to temper that with real data.” Who'da thunk?! And here I thought documentaries were supposed to be truthful. Silly me.
Also along the lines of global warming was this story. Apparently, explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen had planned a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean to bring attention to global warming when the trip was canceled due to, you guessed it, extreme cold temperatures! What I found most interesting was the last line in the story. Organizer Ann Atwood is quoted as saying "One of the things we see with global warming is unpredictability." What?! Unpredictable? I thought global warming was all but guaranteed!
On a lighter note, we had a very good workout tonight - a great spin class followed by another great core workout. Our spin class is in a racquetball court and there is little ventilation, so needless to say we each must have lost 10 pounds in just sweat! What a workout!
Short post tonight. Have a good one - and only eat the crunchy peanut butter.
Also along the lines of global warming was this story. Apparently, explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen had planned a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean to bring attention to global warming when the trip was canceled due to, you guessed it, extreme cold temperatures! What I found most interesting was the last line in the story. Organizer Ann Atwood is quoted as saying "One of the things we see with global warming is unpredictability." What?! Unpredictable? I thought global warming was all but guaranteed!
On a lighter note, we had a very good workout tonight - a great spin class followed by another great core workout. Our spin class is in a racquetball court and there is little ventilation, so needless to say we each must have lost 10 pounds in just sweat! What a workout!
Short post tonight. Have a good one - and only eat the crunchy peanut butter.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
They Had Me By The Ankle
Are you lovin' this weather or what?! Another day around 50 is really making us itch to get our bikes out. Went to the spin training this morning and Coach Bob forgot to set his clocks forward an hour. He walked in 5 minutes before we were finished with the spin portion of the training. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about it. We gave him the appropriate dose of crap and proceeded to the core training of the workout. We had 10 stations that we spent one minute each at: push-ups, planks, steps, lunges, running laps, superman drills, just to name a few. We also did these crunches where you sit on the floor in a crunch position, leaning back with your feet off the floor, while Coach tosses a ball to you and you have to toss it back. Wow those are killer! All in all it was a great hour and 45 minute workout.
Went to a new store (can't think of the name of it) in Chanhassen that sells mostly organic and nutritious foods. Picked up some fruit, vegies, trail mix, almonds, plus other good-for-you-and-hopefully-tasty stuff. Julie found some chocolate yogurt that she's going to try. Definitely not the cheapest place to shop, but the quality seemed very good. Just got the important stuff there and finished the rest of our shopping at Cub. Speaking of Cub, we used to have one it Toledo that was truly a pit and we swore we'd never shop in another Cub store. So many people here swear by them that we tried the one at Hwy 41 and Hwy 7 and it was actually pretty good. However, it's STILL no Super Target.
Starting today is one of the most exciting times of the year - March Madness! Ohio State got a number 1 seed and the fun begins on Thursday. College basketball is so much fun and suspenseful even for the games where I really don't know much about the teams. Each year I get in a bracket (usually run it) which only adds to the excitement. GO BUCKS!!
Tomorrow night we should find out if our niece is going to be coming out here next weekend. She's an assistant with the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team. They just won the MAC tourney and will be heading to the dance starting this weekend. One of the places they could be playing is here in Minneapolis which would be really cool. Being a University of Toledo grad I really shouldn't cheer on the Falcons but I do wish them the best. They could be seeded as high as fifth. Too cool.
Finally finished the walk-in closet - well, as much as we can. We have one section that we're still waiting of shelves for but for the most part it's complete! Looks pretty good I must say. It's just really nice to not have to keep all our clothes in boxes anymore. I have to laugh when I look in the closet now, tho. All of Julie's stuff is at eye level, while all my stuff is down near the floor. We have a 4 ft by 7 ft section of the closet that is just shoes! Of the 11 shelves, my shoes are on 3 and hers are on the other 8!
I can't believe tomorrow starts another week in March. On Thursday we'll be half-way through the month already! That's cool as we're that much closer to spring. And as spring gets closer it will be that much sooner that we'll be out riding our bikes on the open road. Can't wait!
So, we were watching the morning news on WCCO earlier this week and they were talking about how to deal with changing the clocks and how to get your body adjusted to it. Seriously? How about going to bed an hour earlier? They were talking about how to deal with kids and them losing an hour of sleep and they never once suggested that you just send their butts off to bed! "Oh, we can't make Johnny go to bed an earlier. He'll just have a fit!" I think if I tried that with my parents I'd be the recipient of an old-fashioned smack-down!
Speaking of snow (ok, I really wasn't talking about snow, just stick with me here) I figured I'd share this story before all the snow is gone and I forget to share it. When I was a kid, perhaps around 8 years of age, we lived in front of Maumee High School. Back then it seemed like you actually GOT snow, and the plows at the high school would pile up the snow right behind our fence in the back yard. So, in order to play "king of the hill" we needed to get to the other side of the fence. Now mind you our neighbors had a gate that we could have walked through but what fun would THAT be?! My best friend Andy and I would hop the chain-link fence, which stood about 5 feet high. Now, as we walked the length of our backyard we got to the fence and proceeded to jump over. The problem came as I was on top of the fence attempting to cross over to the other side when my snow pants got caught right at the bottom of the leg. Of course I didn't realize this until I was already on my way down the other side. Andy quickly surmised that one shouldn't be hanging upside down by their ankle (he was a smart one!). Fast thinking on his part sent him back into my house to get one of my older brothers, Dan, who ran to my rescue in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. By the way, he had quite the 'fro back then (it was the 70's) and his hair would bounce as he bounded to me. I'm sure I was screaming like a little girl at the time, not knowing if I would make it to my next birthday, let alone know if I would ever again be king of the hill. Fortunately, for you my legions of idolizing fans, my big 'fro bro' saved me from awkward peril.
I've got many stories about my brother Dan which I will have to share with you at a future time. He most definitely kept things hopping around there.
Well, you all have a great week. I hope to be back to posting on a regular basis, so check back often.
Went to a new store (can't think of the name of it) in Chanhassen that sells mostly organic and nutritious foods. Picked up some fruit, vegies, trail mix, almonds, plus other good-for-you-and-hopefully-tasty stuff. Julie found some chocolate yogurt that she's going to try. Definitely not the cheapest place to shop, but the quality seemed very good. Just got the important stuff there and finished the rest of our shopping at Cub. Speaking of Cub, we used to have one it Toledo that was truly a pit and we swore we'd never shop in another Cub store. So many people here swear by them that we tried the one at Hwy 41 and Hwy 7 and it was actually pretty good. However, it's STILL no Super Target.
Starting today is one of the most exciting times of the year - March Madness! Ohio State got a number 1 seed and the fun begins on Thursday. College basketball is so much fun and suspenseful even for the games where I really don't know much about the teams. Each year I get in a bracket (usually run it) which only adds to the excitement. GO BUCKS!!
Tomorrow night we should find out if our niece is going to be coming out here next weekend. She's an assistant with the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team. They just won the MAC tourney and will be heading to the dance starting this weekend. One of the places they could be playing is here in Minneapolis which would be really cool. Being a University of Toledo grad I really shouldn't cheer on the Falcons but I do wish them the best. They could be seeded as high as fifth. Too cool.
Finally finished the walk-in closet - well, as much as we can. We have one section that we're still waiting of shelves for but for the most part it's complete! Looks pretty good I must say. It's just really nice to not have to keep all our clothes in boxes anymore. I have to laugh when I look in the closet now, tho. All of Julie's stuff is at eye level, while all my stuff is down near the floor. We have a 4 ft by 7 ft section of the closet that is just shoes! Of the 11 shelves, my shoes are on 3 and hers are on the other 8!
I can't believe tomorrow starts another week in March. On Thursday we'll be half-way through the month already! That's cool as we're that much closer to spring. And as spring gets closer it will be that much sooner that we'll be out riding our bikes on the open road. Can't wait!
So, we were watching the morning news on WCCO earlier this week and they were talking about how to deal with changing the clocks and how to get your body adjusted to it. Seriously? How about going to bed an hour earlier? They were talking about how to deal with kids and them losing an hour of sleep and they never once suggested that you just send their butts off to bed! "Oh, we can't make Johnny go to bed an earlier. He'll just have a fit!" I think if I tried that with my parents I'd be the recipient of an old-fashioned smack-down!
Speaking of snow (ok, I really wasn't talking about snow, just stick with me here) I figured I'd share this story before all the snow is gone and I forget to share it. When I was a kid, perhaps around 8 years of age, we lived in front of Maumee High School. Back then it seemed like you actually GOT snow, and the plows at the high school would pile up the snow right behind our fence in the back yard. So, in order to play "king of the hill" we needed to get to the other side of the fence. Now mind you our neighbors had a gate that we could have walked through but what fun would THAT be?! My best friend Andy and I would hop the chain-link fence, which stood about 5 feet high. Now, as we walked the length of our backyard we got to the fence and proceeded to jump over. The problem came as I was on top of the fence attempting to cross over to the other side when my snow pants got caught right at the bottom of the leg. Of course I didn't realize this until I was already on my way down the other side. Andy quickly surmised that one shouldn't be hanging upside down by their ankle (he was a smart one!). Fast thinking on his part sent him back into my house to get one of my older brothers, Dan, who ran to my rescue in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. By the way, he had quite the 'fro back then (it was the 70's) and his hair would bounce as he bounded to me. I'm sure I was screaming like a little girl at the time, not knowing if I would make it to my next birthday, let alone know if I would ever again be king of the hill. Fortunately, for you my legions of idolizing fans, my big 'fro bro' saved me from awkward peril.
I've got many stories about my brother Dan which I will have to share with you at a future time. He most definitely kept things hopping around there.
Well, you all have a great week. I hope to be back to posting on a regular basis, so check back often.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
All In
Today we had a "Breakfast of Champions" at the Hopkins VFW for our TNT participants and honorees. The mentors, coaches and staff cooked pancakes and we all learned about patient services, heard from a doctor about advancements in research, and heard from one of our honoree's mothers about how dealing with a blood cancer has affected their lives. It was a great and informative event. The VFW guy who was working while we were there gave us a tip on making our pancakes: whatever the mix calls for regarding water, cut that amount in half and replace it with beer. The result? Great, fluffy, yummy pancakes! Who'da thunk?! File that in your recipe repository...
Went an played poker last night with a friend of mine and his friends. Played Texas Hold'em and I did pretty good considering it was only the 3rd time I've played "live" poker. There were 11 guys playing and I finished in 3rd place! Such a cool game.
Sunday we're going to a spin class in the morning with the Tahoe team. That should be good as I need to work off all the pancakes I had this morning. I really hate this weekend as I don't like losing an hour of sleep. Ok, maybe "hate" is a strong word - let's just say I really dislike losing the sleep, but really like it in the fall when we gain that hour back. I think we hit 50 degrees today and it was beautiful outside. The snow is quickly melting although there is still a ways to go. It takes a while to melt about 2 feet of snow! All this warmth tho is really making us want to get the bikes out. Can't wait to do that!
I think that's it for tonight. Tired and heading to bed. Chat with ya' on the flip side.
Went an played poker last night with a friend of mine and his friends. Played Texas Hold'em and I did pretty good considering it was only the 3rd time I've played "live" poker. There were 11 guys playing and I finished in 3rd place! Such a cool game.
Sunday we're going to a spin class in the morning with the Tahoe team. That should be good as I need to work off all the pancakes I had this morning. I really hate this weekend as I don't like losing an hour of sleep. Ok, maybe "hate" is a strong word - let's just say I really dislike losing the sleep, but really like it in the fall when we gain that hour back. I think we hit 50 degrees today and it was beautiful outside. The snow is quickly melting although there is still a ways to go. It takes a while to melt about 2 feet of snow! All this warmth tho is really making us want to get the bikes out. Can't wait to do that!
I think that's it for tonight. Tired and heading to bed. Chat with ya' on the flip side.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
You Know My Name
Please allow me to introduce myself...
Wow, long time no blog. Things have been beyond crazy the last few days. We've begun a new project at home - building a new walk-in-closet system in the master bedroom. It's been long overdue - we sold our bedroom furniture last summer and have been living out of empty boxes since, which is fine if it wasn't for the fact that our beautiful cardboard unmentionable holders are starting to fall apart. So, since Sunday any free time has been spent building a closet system from IKEA. It will be SOOOO nice when it's done.
We've been keeping up on our training. Tonight was a swim training and Coach Ingrid broke things back down to basics as most of us beginners were feeling a little overwhelmed. The changes she made tonight were great - we're starting to focus more on balance in the water and how to generate the power you need to move forward in the water. Pretty cool stuff!
I'm going to start doing a couple songs of the week, one old and one new. Perhaps you will have heard these songs before but I think they're worth checking out. The new song this week is from The Fratellis and is called "Flathead". They're a band from Glasgow, Scotland, and their sound is really cool and different. For the old song this week let's go with "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" by the Beatles. This song is found on the Past Masters, Vol 2 cd and has a very "lounge" vibe to it, which makes it pretty hilarious. Definitely worth digging out.
March is one of the best sports months of the year. Not only is excitement building with spring training and onset of warmer weather, but it's time for MARCH MADNESS!!! Filling out the brackets as part of a pool is a ton of fun - that is until the games start and you realize that you picked the wrong upsets. But watching college basketball during the tournament is way fun. GO BUCKS!!!
I'm working on something for the site that I hope to have completed by the end of the month. Curious what it is? I'll give you a clue - it's long and numbery in nature.
Name that tune: "The movement you need is on your shoulder"...
So the Police are coming to town. Tickets went on sale this past Monday but we weren't able to get any. Well, we could have if we wanted to shell out $225 a ticket. No thanks! I'm hard pressed to find anyone that I'd be willing to pay $200 to go see. Even the on and only Bruce I wouldn't pay that much for.
Well, that's it for tonight. We'll try to keep it less than a week between posts from now on...
Wow, long time no blog. Things have been beyond crazy the last few days. We've begun a new project at home - building a new walk-in-closet system in the master bedroom. It's been long overdue - we sold our bedroom furniture last summer and have been living out of empty boxes since, which is fine if it wasn't for the fact that our beautiful cardboard unmentionable holders are starting to fall apart. So, since Sunday any free time has been spent building a closet system from IKEA. It will be SOOOO nice when it's done.
We've been keeping up on our training. Tonight was a swim training and Coach Ingrid broke things back down to basics as most of us beginners were feeling a little overwhelmed. The changes she made tonight were great - we're starting to focus more on balance in the water and how to generate the power you need to move forward in the water. Pretty cool stuff!
I'm going to start doing a couple songs of the week, one old and one new. Perhaps you will have heard these songs before but I think they're worth checking out. The new song this week is from The Fratellis and is called "Flathead". They're a band from Glasgow, Scotland, and their sound is really cool and different. For the old song this week let's go with "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" by the Beatles. This song is found on the Past Masters, Vol 2 cd and has a very "lounge" vibe to it, which makes it pretty hilarious. Definitely worth digging out.
March is one of the best sports months of the year. Not only is excitement building with spring training and onset of warmer weather, but it's time for MARCH MADNESS!!! Filling out the brackets as part of a pool is a ton of fun - that is until the games start and you realize that you picked the wrong upsets. But watching college basketball during the tournament is way fun. GO BUCKS!!!
I'm working on something for the site that I hope to have completed by the end of the month. Curious what it is? I'll give you a clue - it's long and numbery in nature.
Name that tune: "The movement you need is on your shoulder"...
So the Police are coming to town. Tickets went on sale this past Monday but we weren't able to get any. Well, we could have if we wanted to shell out $225 a ticket. No thanks! I'm hard pressed to find anyone that I'd be willing to pay $200 to go see. Even the on and only Bruce I wouldn't pay that much for.
Well, that's it for tonight. We'll try to keep it less than a week between posts from now on...
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Strike a Pose
Let's see what happens when I have some time to think about what I post. Usually there is a time limitation, trying to cram a post in when I've only got 10 minutes to do it. This could go well, or it could be a very painful process, like passing a kidney stone, which I hear is less than euphoric.
Gotta love this snow. Seriously. How sweet it is. As of about 5 PM we had 13.5" on the ground in Chaska and it's been snowing non-stop since. If this keeps up we should end up with close to 20" by the time it's all said and done. How awesome would that be?! The only thing that stinks about it right now is that they haven't been by to plow the street and driveways yet. Might not get to that until tomorrow, which will make going into work a non-event. Did that make sense? Anyhoo, I've had to help a couple neighbors get their cars unstuck and into their garages. Julie said "You're the one who loves this crap, get out there and help your neighbors!" No problem. I'm in snow heaven!!!
Happy Birthday to Gracie! We're not sure on her "exact" birthday so we decided March 1st would be good. She's lovin' the snow like her daddy. I mean that she loves snow as much as I do, not that she loves me and snow equally.
Went to the spin training with the cycle team last night. Wow, we were hurtin' from the night before which made for a long hour on the bike yesterday. Gotta get used to being in the saddle again. As Aerosmith says "I'm back in the saddle again, I'm BACK!" Speaking of Aerosmith, they must be just about the ugliest band on earth. Honestly, maybe that's how they all met, in the Ugly Club in high school. Not that I'm a looker like Woody Allen but MAN are they ugly. The Boston Celtics from the 1980's was an ugly group of gents as well. But I digress...
Ok, I didn't believe this story when I heard it on the radio on my way home from work the other day, but it's true. Unreal. Must be one of the funniest stories I've read in a while.
I was thinking of adding a "bit" to the blog and have people ask me a question and I'll answer it in a future post. Could be about anything, just try to keep it PG-13. If you have a question for me just leave it in a comment and I'll do my best to answer. We'll see where it goes, if anywhere.
I'm sure by now you've all seen the picture of Julie and I at the top of the page. Some of you have asked who the guy with his arms raised in the background is. Well, ok, no one has asked me but I'll tell you anyway. We have no idea who he is, but when we came back from our Sea Gull Century Ride he was in a LOT of our pictures, pretty much with the same pose. He's a very photogenic chap, tho. Actually, if I can be brutally honest, his name is Fred and he was on our cycle team. Great guy. Always with a smile on his face, compassion in his heart, and his arms in the air. Well, maybe not the arms part, but a jolly fella nonetheless. Hi Fred!
Best sandwich ever invented? Peanut butter and jelly. Jif Crunchy with Schmucker's Strawberry Preserves. A good variation would be Jif Crunchy with grape jam and potato chips in the middle of the sandwich. NOW we're talkin'! Julie prefers the peanut butter and Miracle Whip. Yikes. No thanks. Molson and Gracie prefer kibble with gravy. Wow this is exciting.
Well, that's enough for today. I don't want you guys to get drunk on my brilliant literary style. Yeah, I know, that doesn't make sense either.
Gotta love this snow. Seriously. How sweet it is. As of about 5 PM we had 13.5" on the ground in Chaska and it's been snowing non-stop since. If this keeps up we should end up with close to 20" by the time it's all said and done. How awesome would that be?! The only thing that stinks about it right now is that they haven't been by to plow the street and driveways yet. Might not get to that until tomorrow, which will make going into work a non-event. Did that make sense? Anyhoo, I've had to help a couple neighbors get their cars unstuck and into their garages. Julie said "You're the one who loves this crap, get out there and help your neighbors!" No problem. I'm in snow heaven!!!
Happy Birthday to Gracie! We're not sure on her "exact" birthday so we decided March 1st would be good. She's lovin' the snow like her daddy. I mean that she loves snow as much as I do, not that she loves me and snow equally.
Went to the spin training with the cycle team last night. Wow, we were hurtin' from the night before which made for a long hour on the bike yesterday. Gotta get used to being in the saddle again. As Aerosmith says "I'm back in the saddle again, I'm BACK!" Speaking of Aerosmith, they must be just about the ugliest band on earth. Honestly, maybe that's how they all met, in the Ugly Club in high school. Not that I'm a looker like Woody Allen but MAN are they ugly. The Boston Celtics from the 1980's was an ugly group of gents as well. But I digress...
Ok, I didn't believe this story when I heard it on the radio on my way home from work the other day, but it's true. Unreal. Must be one of the funniest stories I've read in a while.
I was thinking of adding a "bit" to the blog and have people ask me a question and I'll answer it in a future post. Could be about anything, just try to keep it PG-13. If you have a question for me just leave it in a comment and I'll do my best to answer. We'll see where it goes, if anywhere.
I'm sure by now you've all seen the picture of Julie and I at the top of the page. Some of you have asked who the guy with his arms raised in the background is. Well, ok, no one has asked me but I'll tell you anyway. We have no idea who he is, but when we came back from our Sea Gull Century Ride he was in a LOT of our pictures, pretty much with the same pose. He's a very photogenic chap, tho. Actually, if I can be brutally honest, his name is Fred and he was on our cycle team. Great guy. Always with a smile on his face, compassion in his heart, and his arms in the air. Well, maybe not the arms part, but a jolly fella nonetheless. Hi Fred!
Best sandwich ever invented? Peanut butter and jelly. Jif Crunchy with Schmucker's Strawberry Preserves. A good variation would be Jif Crunchy with grape jam and potato chips in the middle of the sandwich. NOW we're talkin'! Julie prefers the peanut butter and Miracle Whip. Yikes. No thanks. Molson and Gracie prefer kibble with gravy. Wow this is exciting.
Well, that's enough for today. I don't want you guys to get drunk on my brilliant literary style. Yeah, I know, that doesn't make sense either.
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