Hl/wwsg - 5/10 - 5/23 Happy Mother’s Day!!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers (and potential mothers) out there! I hope that you all are having a great day. It’s hard to believe it is May right now, especially with the nastiness that is floating around the country these days. And of course I mean the weather. Can you all believe the tornadoes and severe weather that we’ve been having? It’s hard to imagine that Virginia has had 2 tornadoes in the past two weeks as well as all those places in the Midwest - our prayers are with those folks as they recover from the storms. But getting back on topic, this has been a good couple of weeks for check-ins from the regulars. Life continues to move along for most of the families here so without further ado I’ll try to recap the past two weeks in an attempt to push off the coming two weeks.

Life successes/Good News include - Laura checked back in after a couple months away, busy as ever with new hubbie and DS in high school and his swimming, trying to get as much working out in as she can amongst the other distractions and it’s good to hear that she’s still hanging in with us; Kate got a chance to ride Mack a couple times, learned some knife skills in a cooking class (and kept her fingers attached :p ), getting DBF to work on his wardrobe too; Karen had a goo Passover and 2 Seder meals, kids are well and about a month away from the end of school, life is pretty contented for her and her family even amidst their 5 schedules that interact on a frequent basis; and I get closer to the end of the school year with one class day left, one paper to complete and two finals, pretty happy with my health and life in general, and figuring out what to do for my mother’s 70th Birthday (that was yesterday).
Stressful living - Laura is just trying to balance all the fun things mentioned above and still maintain her sanity; Kate continues to work with an unstable economy, searching for a new job, and the fun of a Texas spring; Karen has been having issues with her knee and realized that it’s pretty much reaching a stasis and new status quo, looking forward to a new Anole this coming week, and trying to prepare for her kids to be away for part of the summer at camp; and I am getting over the expiration of my old car and the stress of purchasing a new one (used), figuring out what my real plan is for a race in a week, final preparations for the end of the year, and not the smallest thing - an upcoming 11 week internship at Children’s Hospital as a chaplain.

Workouts: Because classes are winding down I’ll probably be able to get some good workouts in but will take it a little easy this week because I will run/race/pace in a race on the 18th. Still, plan on riding and running most days this week just to keep my legs in it and the week following I’ll probably run and ride as we wait for the actual last day of school on the 22nd.
Healthful living: Getting a clean bill of health in prep for working with the children this summer, getting more sleep (at least for now), and trying to figure out what my healthful living plans will be in the coming weeks after I’m at Children’s Hospital.

Two week threads seem to work and it’s nice to keep me from fretting what to say on every Sunday. I hope that all the mothers out there are having a good day of being pampered and if not, let me know and I’ll figure out something. ;) Hopefully I’ll finish the last project in the coming hours then it will be just studying for two finals. Yee Haw! So I’ll sign off and say until later - be good to yourselves, stay dry, and have a good week.

Peace to all,
Les

[Laura]

Checking in quickly at lunch. This past weekend was busy, but nice. Jack swam well at prelims, but just okay at finals. His 100 Free was a disaster as his googles filled up as soon as he dove in so he really couldn't see the walls. Thus, he took 8th. In his 50 he took 6th but 4th, 5th and 6th were separated by only .03 seconds and he was seeded fourth going in. Their team took 3rd overall though and given that they are the smallest team in the city that is quite an accomplishment. His HS has a good chance of taking second next year.

Mother's Day was nice. We went to church, then to a late brunch. Than I came home and took a nap and went for a walk afterwords. DS and DH both gave me flowers and DD called 3 times (this is the first mother's day she has not been with me).

DH and I are going to a cooking class tonight so likely no workouts. Les, good luck with the end of school and congratulations on your new-to-you car (I think those are the best deals).

Laura

[karen w]

Les-Congratulations on finally doing the necessary deed and putting the old jalopy out to pasture. Enjoy your new "used" car!

Laura-That sucks about DS's goggles. I know how that feels when I am in the pool, but then I'm not competing. I did find out recently that our YMCA is going to be starting up a Masters swim team this summer in their outdoor pool. I may look into that and see what it entails. Glad mother's day was nice for you.

My mother's day weekend was nice as well. I woke up early and went swimming which is a change from my usual routine, but I wanted to be at religious school for the kids Mother's Day service. I had a really great swim, took a leisurely jacuzzi, got a nice carnation from the YMCA staff, stopped off for a drink at Dunkin Donuts and then headed off to meet DH and the kids at the synagogue. There I had brunch with DH and then watched the kids do their special service for the moms. They all gave us carnations there, too. Oh and I mustn't forget the beautiful WOODEN roses that DH gave me! For most of the rest of the day DH took the kids away as his present to me.:) It was a VERY quiet afternoon. Later we all met back at the house and went out for dinner. On the way home we stopped at the store and finally found a bike for DD! Yeah! Then it was a quick stop for ice cream, home for baths(the kids) and to bed for all.

Today I also had a great swim and did go to boxing. My knee seems a bit better, but I am not pushing it to much at class. The instructor kept it very basic as he was hurting a bit as well since he tested for his 3rd degree over the weekend. He kept the pace moving, though, so it was a good "basics" class which is nice from time to time. It felt pretty good for me today.

Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Laura - That's good news about DS and his swimming. Too bad that he was just that slow but it sounds like he's right where he's supposed to be. I agree with Karen too - that sucks with his goggles and oh how I know that feeling. I can only imagine what was going on with DD being away from home for her first Mother's Day but it sounds like she coped fairly well. If you don't mind, when is she done with classes?

Karen - It sounds like you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend too. Wooden flowers sounds interesting and maybe sometime... or not. I hope that you have a good week and that you take it easy on your boxing instructor. ;)

I had a productive day after the rain and all last night. Don't know why but I had a wild night and didn't get to sleep until ~ 1am. Partly because of that I didn't run today and partly because I needed to whack out the remainder of my take home final that's due on Friday so it was spin time for 50 minutes. I'll have to run a coupld more times but hopefully nothing too strenuous as I need to save my legs for the weekend but I also need to figure out what my running plan will be.

Take care all and just 1 more week until classes are over and no more actual instructional classes. :cool: But a final to study for and the finishing touches on one paper (90% written now just need to smooth it).

Peace all,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Wow, you are really coming down to the end of the term fast. Glad to hear you've got a handle on everything. Too bad we did not get any of the rain here. We could use a bit. DH may actually have to water the vegetables and flowers tomorrow. We have green beans and squash beginning to pop out of the ground. And BTW, those wooden roses are so delicate that at first I thought they were real until I actually touched one!

I had a very good day for the most part. My swim was excellent and boxing very good as well. My knee seems to be holding up pretty well this week, but I may take a boxing day off tomorrow. The elliptical seems to be the least stressful on me so that would be the alternative if I stay home tomorrow. We had a bit of a rough evening with DS#1, but I think it is going to work out to be a positive thing in the long run. Long story short, he was recommended by a teacher at his school for this Washington DC program for kids 5th-12th grade that are honored for academic and leadership excellence. The invitation came yesterday(and coincidentally so did 2 of his school progress reports!:eek:). We had to say "no" to him regarding attending a forum in 2009 and he was none too happy about it. Today he seems to have grasped this decision and wants to make some positive changes. Our decision was based on his academics. Even though he usually ends up with B's, he puts absolutely no effort or time into school work and could care less if he does poorly on tests/assignments. Fortunately, up until now his good grades balance out the things he blows off and in the end he receives a reasonable final grade. We basically felt we could not justify spending the several thousand dollars that this would cost and the week of school that he would miss for a forum recognizing academic excellence when he just does not care/try etc... Well, today at school, he talked to his teachers about doing more work and came home to tell me he was going to try to make some changes. Seeing will be beleiving, but at least he is not sulking about all of this and throwing in the towel. He is thinking of a way to make things more positive.

Other than that and having one of my "what am I going to do when I grow up" moments today, it was a good day.:rolleyes:

Tomorrow DH will be off. He is going to help me do my Costco shopping in the afternoon. I will have to try to keep him from getting into trouble there.:rolleyes:

Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sorry you didn't get any rain - we had plenty down here. Hopefully it wasn't too warm so the lack of rain isn't killing your plants. The elliptical is probably the easiest machine for joints or at least knees going. It's probably a good call that you are taking a break from boxing tomorrow if your knee isn't totally happy. As hard as it is to hold DS#1 back from coming to DC I agree that it wouldn't make much sense to send him to a conference that rewards academics when he's just muddling through. It will be interesting to see if he really does turn over a new leaf for real. Are you planning on growing up? What will I do in the sand box when you grow up? ;) Have a productive day tomorrow with DH going to COSTCO - I hope he keeps his mitts off the big toys.

I'm winding down and I've finished my last paper, all that's left is to print and turn it in tomorrow. Now there's just one test - Old Testament on Monday. Ruined my planned run today as I picked up my car and had to clean out the old one. Kind of a melancholy moment as I realized that the oold beast was no more. Funny that I was kind of missing the 15 year old car - at least until I fired up the new one then... all that was behind me. But in all the flailing around I missed my run. So I'll try to run a little tomorrow and be a good boy for the rest of the week.

Have a great hump day all and peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Don't worry. If I ever grow up, I will still come back to play in the sandbox. How could I pass up such fun.;)

Good to hear the paper is completed. I bet that is a load off.

DH did behave today at Costco(for a change!;)).

Enjoy the new wheels. My taxi gets a lube job this Friday afternoon. Just made the appt. today.

I had a good swim today and as planned did not box, but did ellipticize. I also did some abs and weights. It was very weird, though. . .walking through Costco today, I had a terrible pulling sensation/pain in the back of my right knee which was very different than the knee discomfort that I usually get. But then just as suddenly as it began, it went away:confused: . Glad it is gone for now, anyway.

Tomorrow I do plan on boxing along with my swim, but will rest from boxing on Friday. Tomorrow night is the science fair at the elementary school. Both DD and DS#2 are displaying posters/projects that they did ALL BY THEMSELVES!!:) DD did hers on "magnetism" and DS#2 planted terrariums with different habitats and made observations over time about the plant growth etc...; then did a bit of research. I am really proud of their motivation and seeing things through all by themselves.

That's all folks. Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thank you for assuring me that you'll come back to the sandbox - I might get lonely. ;) :cool: Ah, the joys of obstinant joints. I hope your knee plays nice though and it hangs in there. I'm glad to hear that you're finally getting DH trained for Costco. ;) I'd be interested to hear how the kids do in their science fair presentations - those a neat topics.

I'm definitely happy that the paper is behind me. Great news for me today, I ran and felt much better than I did on Saturday. I can tell that I'm not running as frequently as I did in the past because I actually had to stop and stretch about 10 minutes in. I tried to do an hour easy and was pretty goo about that. Maybe another run tomorrow but in the 30-45 minute range. I am really down to one test - I turned in my last paper today and got started in earnest on Old Testament.

But the books call so I'll see you tomorrow.

Peace,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-back... oh no!

Nothing much on my plate from today but I did go for a ride today and went for about 45 minutes. I felt good after yesterday's run so I guess I'm about as ready for the run as I'll ever be. Hopefully I'll be ready for the test (and I think I will be).

Take care all and peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Good luck with your run/test. Let us know how it goes.

Sorry for deserting last night. It has been a busy few days/evenings. Last night was the science fair at the elementary school and both DD and DS#2 entered projects; DD on "magnetism" and DS#2 on "terrariums." They both did their projects largely by themselves and followed them through to the end. They did a great job and I am so proud. Today they displayed them for all of their school classmates and then I had to pick the projects up before 11am(their lunch hour) as they were set up in the school cafeteria. Also DS#2 DID not win the anole in the drawing for his class on Wednesday(I was SO SO releived;)) BUT. . . .the other science teacher in his grade had two extra from his class, so yesterday they did another drawing of names from the hat in his class. Guess what. . . we now are the proud parents of an anole named "Neo":rolleyes:. So today I stopped at Petco to get some stuff to set up the aquarium. I still need a few more things, but I have enough to tide us over a few days. . . they were out of alot of the stuff since so many kids from his grade were taking them home this week. Since we were the last to be notified, the store was wiped out. DH has next week off and he wants to do this with DS#2, so I will happily hand over all of the anole responsibilities to him.:D I picked up "Neo" this morning when I went to get the science fair projects and set up his tank for the time being. Fed the thing some meal worms(yuck) and he's getting used to his new home.

Aside from that, I swam as usual this morning(with the flailer:( ) and biked after breakfast. Also did some weights/abs. This afternoon I got my oil changed(on the taxi, that is). Next change I am due for some big services(75K). I guess I'll have to watch for some coupons!

This weekend is a bit busy. DS#1 is involved in a plant sale through the student council. Money from the sales goes to help save the rainforests. That is tomorrow morning. DD is going to an ice skating b-day party in the afternoon. DS#1 also has a school project he needs to get started on due in the beginning of June. he has to make a model of a satellite. He was assigned the Magellan. DH will help him a bit, I'm sure. DH may go shopping for the anole, if he gets time. DS#1 also desperately needs new shoes and DS#2 a haircut. Not sure how much of that will be accomplished(or not) this weekend. Finally Sunday is the last day of weekend religion. Next week is the last week of weekday religious school.:)

And finally I do still intend to squeeze in my hour in the mornings for a bit of exercise(and sanity:)).

Have a good weekend,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

I figured that was where you were last night. I'm glad that things went well at the science fair. Congratulations on winning an anole - I like the name too. Meal worms aren't so bad - just think if it were a turtle or something that ate real worms. But that's just the 8 year old talking from this end. :D A busy weekend for you but why should these coming two days be any different? ;) Still I hope you get your sanity hour in tomorrow and hopefully without the flailer (if you swim).

I had a decent day at school and did some studying for my final on Monday (I know a broken record). I'm just getting ready to pack a bag for tomorrow and then do some setting up exercises as studying tonight. I mmay or may not be back until Sunday - depends on whether my notebook computer works or not. If not, have a great weekend.

Peace,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Quick-ish check in -- it was a great race today and I had a blast pacing. The lady I paced ended up with a personal best so she was quite happy. I'm a little tight in my hamstrings but not too bad considering everything else that's been going on. In all - a great day.

That's about it - need to push through and get some studying done (and stay awake - it was an early morning) for my test that starts at 9am. See you all later.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Congratulations on the successful race and good luck on your test tomorrow.

As for our weekend, it was pretty quiet overall as well as productive with most of all of the things we needed to do getting accomplished.:) I ellipticized yesterday; did a short power walk on the treadmill and a short elliptical today. I am trying to avoid the running on the treadmill with my knee issues of late for now(and beleive it or not, I miss it!;)).

As I mentioned earlier, DH is off this week, so I have alot of help which is always welcome. Things on the docket this week include a quarterly meeting with our financial advisor on Tuesday, carpets getting cleaned on Wednesday, last day of Hebrew school on Wednesday along with the usual weekly activities and likely then some!

Have a good week,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Drive by to say... I'm done for the semester! The test went well and it took as long as I expected it would take.

A little admin to do to clean up the school year then I'm done until Children's Hospital pops up next week.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Woo hoo!! Congratulations!! But. . .wow. . . you don't get much of a break before you have to start your internship at Children's Hospital. At least that will be more "hands on" which is usually more interesting.

I had a good swim this morning after staying up way too late with DH watching a movie(The Ultimate Gift), but it was good. Went to the grocery store and boxing later in the morning. This afternoon DH and I had to do a bit of celebrating(you need not know how:D) as it is an important anniversary for us today. Fourteen years ago on this date was the day we met!:)

Tomorrow I will swim and ellipticize at home as well as weights. Then we meet with our financial advisor. Also have to vote(town budget), DS#1 is working at the polls from 3-8 PM for some sort of student vote they are conducting(all a ploy to get parents to the polling sites!;)), and there is also guitar.

That's all! Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Drive by... Yep, Children's will be a lot more hand's on and I'm definitely looking forward to that. And as I said before it is great to be done and almost all the admin stuff done. The last "official" thing I will do is take one of my classmates who is graduating to the airport so he can return home to Namibia. Sadly, he'll be departing at 7:50 am on Friday so... with a 3 hour prior show time and an hour's drive... you get the picture. Oh well, it will be good to see Lukas and his fiancee head back home together.

Neat thing today I got a ride in outside. Put my road bike back together and got it off the trainer. Made a good 65 minute ride and felt fantastic. Now all I have to do is get my quads to shut up for a little while.

Time for bed though - I've had enough of the midnight stuff to last a lifetime. Until tomorrow - peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-No outdoor activities for us the last few days. Today was rainy and yesterday, cold and windy. By the weekend we are supposed to get back to more normal temperatures for this time of year. The garden is almost all planted, however, so we'll cross our fingers and think "growing" thoughts!;)

WHEW!!! What a whirlwind of a day. But. . . I started it off the right way. I had a most excellent swim, scurried to get dried and dressed so I could go vote before heading home, and had an excellent elliptical/weights session after breakfast. Rest of the morning was occuppied with our(DH and I) meeting with our financial advisor out of Manhattan. A few changes were made but nothing major. After lunch I managed to get a batch of Almond Roca made before everything hit at once. DS#1 came home and had to go over to one of the polling sites to help out with the "student vote" today. After we dropped him, he calls to be picked up because the adults that were there at that moment said they did not want kids helping. :confused: I made sure he had told them that this was arranged with the middle school student council teacher and he was on the council. To make a long story short, by the time we got back to get him, the misunderstanding had been straightened out. And as it turned out they only wanted the kids for 1 hour shifts not the full 5 hrs(made more sense, anyway). Meanwhile, I had already re-scheduled his guitar lesson to Friday, so I quick call the music studio to see if his instructor is still available since we can now get him at the polling site before 5 PM. Yep! So DS#1 did his shift and then went to guitar(canceled his Friday make-up). Then I finally get around to canceling his Thursday orthodontist appt. since as a student council rep., he needs to help set up/run the last school social of the year. I've been meaning to do this for over a week now, and of all days to do it. . . . . . . . an hour after I finally do it, he tells me one of his wires broke today and that we could pick him up from the social early if needed. UGH!:rolleyes: Left a message at the orthodontists answering service. I'm guessing this won't be a problem since I canceled and re-scheduled so fast and this is one of those 5 min. appts anyway. But boy, what a day being pulled in a gazillion directions! At least DH was here to help. He is going to be happy to go back to work next week so he can relax!:D

Tomorrow I will swim and box. DH and I will likely do a Costco trip. The kids have their last day of religious school!!!

Good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

It sounds like a wild day with all the cancelled and rescheduled appointments, 5 hour shifts to 1 hour shifts. Oy vey! Still you made it through and may actually get the orthodontist appointment done without an issue tomorrow. Still, I feel your pain trying to get everything balanced. Hopefully tomorrow won't be as hectic and convoluted.

I had a good day today and spent some time at campus fiddling and reading about my upcoming internship and the requirements - it will be a busy summer that's for cure. After I got home I went for a run today after I didn't figure I'd get out with the nasty rain and wind. I didn't feel all that good either - quads still ache from Sunday so I held it down a little and hit ~31-32 minutes. Rewarding myself though and taking LW's massage therapist appointment in the morning for a little therapy. :cool: And life will be good.

'Bout it for now... Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Hope you enjoyed your massage yesterday. . . but then why wouldn't you!!??;) I'm a tad jealous. I could go for one right now. Although to be fair, DH gives me lots of great massages including one last night.:)

Another whirlwhind day with carpools and kids, but religion is now officially over until fall. Yippee! Tomorrow should not be as bad with JUST DS#1's after school social and the orthodontist. I did have a good swim and made it for boxing. The house is still torn apart and upside down since the carpet cleaners were here all morning. We will slowly get things back in place tomorrow after the carpets have had more of a chance to dry. Unfortunately, it was not a great day to leave windows open for a long time. It was chilly and we ended up with thunderstorms this evening.

FINALLY. . .big news of the day(and the kids don't even know this yet). . .our brand new(female) pet anole laid an egg this morning!!!!!:eek: I jokingly called his science teacher and left him a voice message saying that. . . um. . . I only signed the permission slip for one chameleon!:D Does anyone know the incubation period for an anole egg. Like when should we expect to see the young 'un if this is a viable egg. UGH!! Just what I needed.:rolleyes:

On that note . . . .have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Karen - it sounds like a good day for the most part. I bet you really do relish having the summer off from all the daily running around - especially since this summer the kiddos will be gone for a good portion of it. That's too bad about it being so cool with the carpets wet etc. hopefully they dry out and you can get the windows closed. Great job with your workouts today too. BTW - I noted when I googled anoles that there may be a little more than meets the eye going on here. :rolleyes: Read:
Captive anoles will breed, or attempt to, readily if conditions are right. Breeding occurs most often in the spring and summer months after a period of brumation. For several weeks, they must be kept at lower temperatures (65-70 F during day; down to 60 F at night) and with a shorter photoperiod (8 hours instead of the usual 14). During this time they may be fed only if they take food - they should not be force fed, and weak or thin anoles should not be brumated. The anoles must be healthy and be receiving the necessary UVB and vitamins, especially calcium, accomplished by gut-loading their prey.

Within two weeks of a successful mating, the female will begin to show a swollen abdomen. She will search out a warm moist place in the substrate, push it aside with her head, and deposit an egg (rarely, two may be laid), covering the egg with the substrate. This will be repeated every two weeks, for a total of about 10 eggs per breeding season. Eggs can be removed from the vivarium but many successful hatchings have been achieved leaving by the eggs in the vivarium.

To prevent injury to the egg, either by the female digging to bury another one or by you as you service the terrarium, the eggs should be removed and set carefully in a mixture of damp sterile vermiculite (1:1 mix, or one part water to 12-14 parts vermiculite) or sand, in a covered container, and incubated at 82-85 F, checked weekly to assure the substrate remains damp and that none of the eggs has molded. Provide gentle, not direct heat, to keep the container at 84-86 F (29-30 C); eggs should hatch in 35-40 days.
So it looks like you might have a few more little eggs to contend with. :D I hope you are really looking forward to being a lizard mother. ;)

Yep - I struggled through my massage and felt great afterwards, although I was a little tired and dry-mouthed. I spent a little time on campus trying to settle out the remainder of the day and figure out what I was supposed to be doing tonight. I thought I was a waiter for a reception but no one seemed to know what I was talking about so I bagged. That let me go to the church service where we commissioned the graduates and got to hear the Presiding Bishop (the head of the Episcopal Church in the United States who is, by the way, a lady) preach.

I got my pictures from the race and if you'd like you can find them on this link. (http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?RaceOID=22702008S1&LastName=FERGUSON&BibNumber=3422&Language=en&Mailing=12385&BFI=7xo2g2xj3i&Frames=true&Flash=true&FlashVersion=8&Height=768&Width=1024&Index2Home=true) You can probably figure out which lady I was pacing. You can also probably tell which ones are taken later in the race (no problem there). Had a great time regardless of how the pictures look.

Because of all the fun today and not wanting to whack my massage I took it easy. Tomorrow's another day and I'll try to run early because Friday holds a VERY EARLY start.

Off for a little and I hope you are well.
Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Your pictures look great. You even had a smile on your face at times and looked like you were having lots of fun. Did you always have a beard??? Is that new or is my memory just failing me(again).

Beleive me, Les, I read that same info. last night on line about anoles. Still only one egg in the aquarium, but we are keeping a look out. Not really sure if any will survive. DS#2's science teacher said he never saw an anole egg(wants him to take a picture of it), and the other science class only had one lay eggs(2, I think), so I doubt we will be innundated. Our neighbor has one from when she was in 4th grade(she's now in 6th same as DS#1). I suggested that perhaps she(or someone else) would like another if it hatches and survives. BECAUSE I DON'T!;)

I had a good swim this morning, but no jacuzzi. Temperature of the water was "super scalding" so I had to skip that. After breakfast, DH and I got the furniture put back in place. Most of the carpet is dry now. Just a few damp spots scattered here and there. Then I ellipticized and did 15 min. of weights plus a few abs. The remainder of the morning was with DH, but I can't talk about that here:D.

This afternoon stopped at TJ's and also picked up some stuff to grill for the memorial day weekend. I think we are going to grill some asparagus(I got some lovely meaty looking spears on sale at our farm store) in a soy-sesame marinade, sea scallops with a hoisin glaze of some sort, and fresh corn on the cob.:) DH took DD and DS#1 to their orthodontist appt. so I had the late afternoon "off" which was pleasant. Now it is just DS#2 and I until the rest of the gang comes home.

Tomorrow likely more of the same. Boxing is closed for the weekend and I may take an extra few days off from it to give my knee a break. It seems to be happier after an elliptical workout than the boxing lately. Also I am meeting a friend the morning after the holiday for coffee/tea, so that will give it an extra day of rest.

Good evening all,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

I didn't figure that you'd keep another anole if it hatches and survives. Good call to give to your neighbor - she'll like a second one for her aquarium. Swim, elliptical, and moving furniture (and lifting weights) you had a busy workout day today. Glad the school year is winding down and you can actually get things done (more or less). Hopefully they fix the jacuzzi soon - I know how much you like a soak in the jacuzzi. It sounds like you have a busy Memorial Day planned - I'll just be driving back from Mom and Dad's after her surprise party.

I started growing my beard on September 1st last year. It has been about 16 years since I grew it and then only for a couple weeks while on leave. I was having a good time in the run, at least for the most part and I always try to smile for the camera if at all possible. Nice day today with Commencement etc. After that I went for a 15+ mile ride and had a blast. Now I need to head to bed because of my early morning tomorrow (up at 0315-0320). :(

Peace,
Les

[Laura]

A brief intermission in the Les and Karen show...

Life has been busy this week. Okay, Sunday was not busy. DS worked his first day as a lifeguard and I sat by the pool and relaxed. I did finish up with a run on the treadmill too. Back to work Monday and other than being swamped because of training I had to do with a new law clerk things were good. Got a workout in on the elliptical, but not as intense as it probably should have been.

Tuesday was DS's HS swim team banquet it was a fun time, but that, in conjunction with having to help DS study for finals made for a late night.

Wednesday was our first board meeting for DS's club team. I am the VP this year and president next year. 3 hours long :eek: Then I came home and edited (twice!) DS's final for history and helped him study for honors chemistry. Didn't get to bed until 12:40.

Woke up early this morning as DD wanted me to review her final paper for her international honors course. A perspective of Mao Zedong's labor policies through the eyes of Charles Dickens. Yeah right. I basically just corrected the grammar.

Tomorrow is a half day off, but we are taking in DH's son's dog for 4 days -- at least I will get some walks in as you will notice I have not worked out since Monday.

Karen, I have to admit I had know idea what an anole was. Congratulations are in order I guess? :D

Les, I probably missed why you are getting up so early (sorry, I admit I kind of skimmed the posts :o ), but I hope you are well-rested for whatever it is you are doing. :) BTW, I think Les looks good in a beard. :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

A brief intermission in the Les and Karen show...

Les, I probably missed why you are getting up so early (sorry, I admit I kind of skimmed the posts :o ), but I hope you are well-rested for whatever it is you are doing. :) BTW, I think Les looks good in a beard. :)

Thanks for dropping by - it's nice to hear that you're still out there and keeping busy with kids and swimming even if that means that you aren't getting workouts in. Hopefully things will slow down or get settled enough that you can develop a routine and get workouts in. Congrats to DS starting his lifeguard work for the summer - I always loved that job.

As for why I got up so early... I took one of our international students to the airport after graduation. He and his fiancee are flying home to Namibia via London and their flight left this morning (leaves I guess) at 7:50. Part of being in community is taking care of people who have graced us with their presence (and we have been enriched by his presence at school) and getting them back home after 2 years in school.

Thanks for the comment about my beard too - especially since we had our picture taken this fall and I had it then.

Time for breakfast... Gee, I've only been up for 3:40. :eek:

Peace,
Les