Slackin' on Bloggin'

Ok, so I have been slacking a little bit on updating my site. I CAN NOT believe that it is July 14th already. Time really seems to be flying by lately.

So, the day after we return from our trip to visit Grandmary in Conneticut, we go to the opening night of the circus! It was so fun & the kids were amazed at all of the tricks & of course, the elephants pooping on stage :-)

We then had a really nice visit with Amanda, John, Mason & Addie at Krause Springs. They are doing really well. Follow the "Therapy Solutions" link at the right to take a glimpse & maybe even use their awesome online business.

Here is Maya in one of her many "Rockin' Out" ensembles.

Our next "Kodak moment" occurs when I come home from the working out & Sam is heavily ace-bandaged around his head. Hmmmm... So, I ask him what happened & he precedes to tell me that his head was hurting, so he was rubbing it on the ground and got a huge carpet burn on his forehead. Thank goodness he thought it was just as funny as I did.

Next is 4th of July...we start off the day with a wonderful "hotdog brunch" at Joi & John's house. The margaritas start flowing, the "Apples to Apples" party game is brought out & it all winds up with Stephen asleep on their comfy couch. But our night was just beginning...we then went to the Austin Fire Department 4th of July celebration on the roof of Whole Foods. The Eggmen (a very fun Beatles cover band), bar-b-que, beer & balloons were in full effect when we arrive. Now the clouds have been very menacing all evening & looking like massive thunderstorms should happen any second, but the rain doesn't begin until the middle of the band's set & about 45 minutes before the fireworks are to go off. Well, the kids are having so much fun playing in the rain, but Stephen & I do not have umbrellas or rain coats. So, we casually take over the playground fort & watch an amazing fireworks & lightening show! A 4th of July we'll always remember :-)





Here the kids are painting their "coats of many colors" after hearing the story about Joseph & his brothers.

Here are pictures of the kids being goofy with their new "geysers".





So...we are still training for a triathlon which we will probably have to wait until next year to do, since the tri season will be over in September & we will possibly be gone for all of August. But, as some of you know, I have been shopping for a new road bike. This has been very difficult for me, because I want a good bike, but don't want to pay too much and my size bikes are all sold out for the season :-( So, a local bike shop (which I highly recommend) found me a really good deal on a bike & they have tweaked it out to fit me. The only problem is that even though the bike is 50% off, it is still way out of my price range. Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I am HORRIBLE at making decisions like this & become very possessed with researching & trying to make the right choice. (Thank you, everyone, for listening to me talk about this bike for the last week-I promise it will be over soon) Well, after a "day of health" yesterday where I visit the dentist, have my "annual medical exam", and finish it all off with a wonderful massage & adjustment at the chiropractor's office, my chiropractor offers to sell me his bike (either for me or for Stephen) for a mere $500. (To those not familiar with the road bike market-this is very inexpensive! Just to put it in perspective...He bought the bike last year for $1800 & they sell used for around $1000) So, I drag my good friend from college and bike guru, Dan, along with me to take a look at the doctor's bike. It turns out to be a 2005 Litespeed with Ultegra components, good tires/wheels & barely ridden, etc. Dan is immediately interested in the bike for himself, so I buy it with the idea that someone is going to fit this bike, especially for this price. The doctor throws in a trainer and computer with the deal!!
The only thing is--this bike is too big for me & too small for Steve, soooooo here we go again around the mulberry bush....Thankfully, Dan has all sorts of ideas on how to get me on the road with a nice bike that fits, so I am taking a deep breath & waiting patiently to find the "perfect" bike for me :-)

Along with the 5,000 items on our To Do List (including trying to solve the mysterious functioning of the electrical wiring to the lights on our trailer), we still do not know if we are going on our month long excursion to California. Stephen interviewed for the team leader position this week & after him being VERY confident that he is not getting the position, he is greeted at his interview by all his team leaders from his side of the academy that he attended. Not only does his former team leader tell him, "You're really going to like it down here in training", but his interview goes very well (what do you expect, right?) & I am now 92% sure he is going to get the position. So, 3 weeks away from our vacation, we still do not know if we are going or not--grrrrrr! Either way is a win-win for everyone, but it would be really nice to KNOW!

Other than that, I ran into a really good friend of ours (Jennifer Tyson) also yesterday that we haven't seen in 5 1/2 years & she lives about 2 minutes away from us. Her & a girl that I went through Montessori training with have opened their own school & one of their teachers is also a good friend that I have been wanting to find (& her brother is a leutenant with AFD)--SUCH A SMALL WORLD!

Keeli's birthday is tomorrow, Joe Cimato is giving swim lessons on Sunday & Stephen is racing in the Marble Falls Triathlon on the 23rd-so more pictures to come soon!!

Love & Gratitude :-)