Last night Susan and I went with our friends Wes and Julie to see Simplified play at the Blind Tiger. For those that don’ t know Simplified they are a great band from Charlotte NC. I have been to see them live several times now and the shows have always been great. They were so good last night that we stayed for the whole thing and Susan wasn’t telling me we had to go. That means we didn’t even leave the club until 1:30 and she stayed awake the whole time! It is 11:30 right now and she is still asleep so she is making up for it today.
Us with Clee Laster (vocals, guitar) and Chris Sheridan (guitar) from Simplified
Back in May Susan and I got sick and gave up our spots in the White Lake half iron distance race. Well this weekend we did it again. We were suppose to run in the Victory Junction half marathon on Sunday, but we had both been sick on and off for the previous 3 weeks. Because of that we hadn’t run in almost a month. When we woke up in the morning it was 35 degrees and poring rain so we decided not to go (we had really decided the night before). All and all this hasn’t been our year for races. I had my blister issue in the marathon and we had rain, we were both sick and had to skip White Lake, I was running a fever during the Blues Lake triathlon but did it anyway, blisters again for me at the Mission Man triathlon, and then we got sick and couldn’t do Victory Junction (not to mention the weather). Hopefully next year will turn out better for us as far as races go.
On a brighter note Susan got us tickets to a Carolina game for my birthday so we will be going to that next week. This will be Susan’s first time in the Dean Dome which makes it even more exciting. I went to a exhibition game earlier this year while Susan was at her fall “camp crop a lot” so it will be my second game of the year!
Eric Clapton is coming to Raleigh in March and we got tickets for that this weekend. I had heard a few weeks ago that he is going to be in New York with Jeff Beck in February so I think Susan was relieved when she heard on the radio that he is going to be in Raleigh. She of course made sure to call and let me know right away. Before I heard that I was buying plane tickets and headed to New York. It would be fun to see him with Beck but the cost savings of going to Raleigh instead is too much. So between going to B.B. King, a Carolina game(s), and Clapton we are doing good on the entertainment front…now if our racing would only catch up.
Not much to report lately, which is kind of nice really. We have been getting a few requests to update the blog so here are the highlights:
SICK
I stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday of last week (9/28 and 29). At first I thought it was flu, which means automatic 7 days out of work. Luckily (?) it was only a sinus infection. I am finally feeling back to normal today (10/6) 1 week later. It has indeed thrown a wrench in my training and weight loss progress (more later). But as of tonight (great run!) I am back on track. Paul and the kids had gotten the respiratory funk a couple times in earlier weeks. I think we all are on the mend. I got my flu shot and the H1N1 flu vaccine will be at our site in a few weeks at the latest. Because I am a high risk person (asthma) in a high risk job (healthcare), I am near the top of the list. Which I feel mixed about since they are still looking at long term side affects. I did also get a pneumonia vaccine free at work b/c of the high risk thing and the fact that the H1N1 tends to affect respiratory system and turn to pneumonia.
HEALTHY
So Paul and I have been in a weight loss contest of sorts w each other for a couple months now. My goal is 11 pounds, Paul’s is 7 (I think). So we weigh in every Wed morning and if we have dropped weight we get a certain amount of money we chose put towards the kayaks that we want (but cannot afford). If we did not lose, but we did our workouts for the week (training for the 1/2 marathon in Dec), we put 1/2 the money back. So far I have lost about 6 1/2 pounds. This means that I am under the cut off for what our life insurance company thinks is high risk. So once I can stay there, I will get re-tested and save us some money!
KIDS
Tyler had a hard time w getting used to school and its routine/restriction/discipline, but he has been doing much better recently. He lost his 2nd tooth yesterday. I woke up in the middle of the night (ok, 10:30) and heard him rolling around, then nothing, then…”yessss!!!!” He had found his quarter from the tooth fairy.
Tyler's first lost tooth
Anna is kicking butt in school. She has her dad’s spelling prowess so we have been working on that, but she has aced her test each of the last 2 weeks. She is very much into mermaids right now.
Both kids love riding their bikes, Tyler prefers trails and Anna the road. Tyler wants to play hoops this winter. Anna changes her mind daily, but did decide she wanted to do a craft from a book she got from Miss Sallie, one of the triathletes I coached through Team in Training this season. Sallie works at Edward McKay, a local used bookstore we LOVE LOVE LOVE. Anna got to go a couple weeks ago and pick some books ($3 worth) b/c she got to 10 on her reward chart (for following the rules at school and home).
FUN
Paul read one of my books about Michael Jordan–its about his retirement and (first) comeback. I recently read 2 books my mom brought me: Never Change (Elizabeth Berg) and Garden Spells (Sarah Addison Allen). Now I am reading Seven Summits–it is about the first 2 guys who climbed the highest mountain on each of the 7 continents. Next comes 2 books I got in Wilmington at one of my favorite little shops, Two Sisters Bookery. My choices are Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work (Jason Brown) or Breakfast with Buddha (Roland Merullo). The weekend of Sept 20th (our anniversary!!) Paul and I went to Wilmington for the race that my TNT peeps did.
L to R: Tom, Sallie, Kathy, me
The weekend after that my parents came down and we had lots of fun, especially at the zoo w Paul’s mom, sis and her kids.
Mom, Dad, Susan, Paul at lunch at Fishbones
Tyler stylin' in my cap while he fixes my hair (at the zoo).
Girl time at the zoo!
Then last weekend Paul and I went to see B.B. King in Myrtle Beach’s House of Blues. It was SO KICK ASS! I will let him tell the rest. No new real house projects in progress. Saturday will be an easy weekend at home so we will have chore day (shhh–Paul and the kids don’t know yet).
The moment that Susan has been looking forward to has arrived. Tyler’s new drums came this weekend and I got them together before he got here today. This morning before Tyler got here I caught her in his room playing them (I had guessed that would happen). When he got here he was so excited. Susan’s parents are coming this weekend and he said that they would love to hear him play so he has been practicing for them.
Sorry for not updating sooner, thanks for the prompt, Biz.
Paul began assembling the set shortly after the kids boarded the bus Friday at 6:50am. About an hour later the news was grim–the base drum frame thingy had a crack. Long story short, we had to ship it back. What we SHOULD have taken pictures of for entertaining our blog readers is us REPACKAGING the drums in the original packing materials. Yikes. We only forgot 2 pieces: a package of nuts and bolts and the return invoice thing. Minor details, eh?
I imagine that it will be a couple weeks now between the exchange happening (length of time could vary depending on how important those missing pieces are to the drum company), the shipping back to us, then waiting for the kids to return to Robin’s to it can be assembled. We will keep you posted.
Paul found a really good deal and we were going to do it for Christmas anyway.
Anna also got in on the act
So they have been shipped and should arrive this week. Plan is to put them together in Tyler’s room this weekend while they are w Robin.
He could not get between the drums and cymbals stations fast enough!
Then when they come back to us on Labor Day, we are going to fake him being in trouble and send him to his room right away. So shhhhhh, its a secret!! Only 1 question remains–Paul, when do my sound cancellation head phones arrive? Plan B is for me to hide under the cornhole board w Bluesy:
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It’s not the Tracer 29er proto, but CRC Intense team riders Matti Lehikoinen and Ruaridh Cunningham are testing some prototype downhill bikes throughout the 2010 season. The video above gives you a few glimpses of them. As yet, no production plans are in place. […]
“Daily Dose: Jan 27, 2010” by Bicycle Geography. Check out their blog, Live Learn, and Ride, and follow them on their 2010 Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew tour as they encounter enthusiastic mountain bikers and interesting experiences–including tire fails. To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to [...] […]
We have been getting a few requests to update the blog so here are the highlights:
