The Dratted Flat

Brent's first tri of the season was held at General Smallwood State Park at Indianhead MD. this was an Olympic distance race 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run. The swim went well - as usual - it's one of Brent's better sports. The bike was smoking until he hit that little piece of glass! That accounted for the first flat. The second flat, 5 minutes later, can be chalked up to him missing the piece of glass still embedded in the tire. Oops! A good thing he carries 2 spares and 2 co2 cartridges, eh?! This debacle left him a bit deflated for his least accomplished sport - the running. oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad! Brent insists I mention how hot it was - I suppose 85 degree weather made his run more challenging than normal.

As usual, I rounded up a bunch of strangers to cheer him across the finish line. He always tells me he can't hear me yelling for him, so I typically ask people near me to cheer him on. One down, two more to go.

Old Alexandria

This was a tri weekend. I committed to attending 3 triathlons this year, and this was the first. In order to make it more palatable, Brent does his best to make it as enjoyable a weekend as possible for me. We revised our original plan and decided to spend Saturday in Old Alexandria, the tri on Sunday morning, and then Mt. Vernon on Sunday afternoon.

Old Alexandria is a great place to visit if you want to just wander through interesting shops and dine in ethnic restaurants. We did a little bit of both on this scorchingly humid day. But, as usual, Brent and I had a great time despite the hot weather.

These are pictures of Christ Church. This is the Episcopal church attended by both George Washington and Robert E. Lee.

The Carlysle House became of import when British General Braddock made the mansion his headquarters in 1755. Braddock summoned five colonial governors to meet there to plan the early campaigns of the French and Indian War. Gadsby's Tavern was an important to Alexandria's political, economic, and social life and included visitors such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.

We enjoyed the Torpedo Factory which produced torpedos during WWII. It has been turned into an art center along the waterfront.

This picture was taken for Kera.

Our plans to visit Mt. Vernon went by the wayside when one of the windows in the van broke as we were leaving the tri on Sunday. The window was down, and a mechanicsm broke so that we couldn't raise the window. Mt. Vernon will have to happen another day!

Fifty-four - But Who's Counting

It was supposed to be a picnic, but 10 minutes before everyone was due to arrive for my birthday celebration, the clouds opened up into a pretty hefty downpour. Just my luck! We were still able to grill the Ricky burgers, but had to bring the rest of the picnic indoors.

It was wonderful to have my entire family together - that hasn't happened for awhile. Thanks to you all for another great birthday! Here's a pick of me with Allison and Kera.


As usual, Kylie and Gwen stole the show. We asked Kylie to sit with Gwen and smile for the picture. The little clown - this is what we got!


We did finally coax these two good pictures - one of Gwen and Kylie and one of Kylie with Kera.



My Mom planned my birthday party - good job Ma and thanks a bunch!

Congratulations to Kat

We attended our second wedding of the summer. I worked with Kathy at Reed Smith several years ago and we still chat hook up for lunch when I can lure her away from the gym. I am truly happy that she found such a great guy. I think she had the wedding of her dreams and I wish her great happiness!

You're Gonna Miss This

Have you heard this song by Trace Adkins? Basically, it's a guy singing about his daughter who, rather than living in the moment, is always focused on the next stage of her life. Are you guilty of this? I think I am to a certain extent. The chorus of this song is:

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Each year around my birthday I take a few minutes to ponder the whole age/aging thing. My philosophy has always been why be upset by something I can't change (Oh if only I could effectively apply that philosophy to other parts of my life!). I can acknowledge that there are things I miss and if I could do them over again I would. Regrets I suppose.

For example, I think I can remember far more about Kera's childhood than I can about Trav's. Thinking when they get older and can fend for themselves, I can have a life again. Well, they're 31 and 28, and I certainly have all the life I can handle. But, yeah, I'd take those days back in a hearbeat if I could go back knowing what I know today. Knowing enough to savor the moment. Knowing that life flies by in the blink of an eye. Knowing that the quality of life doesn't necessarily get better - it just changes. Knowing that those days really would become "the good old days."

Life really is what you make it. I need to remind myself of that now and then and remember to savor this moment and only this moment.

Send Me On My Way

My phone rang early Saturday morning and a friend told me that one of my favorite bands was playing at the Amphitheater at Hershey Park on Sunday. I quickly logged on the PC to check for sure, and sure enough, Rusted Root was performing 2 shows on Sunday. Brent couldn't go, but when I called my brother to tell him, all he asked was, "What time are we going?"

Hershey Park is no cheap affair these days. I'm embarassed to admit to being old enough to remember when the Park was just meandering paths with pay as you go rides, large picnic pavillions, and the Comet was the only big attraction. But, I digress. Not only is it $47.50 for adult admission, but they sock you $10 to park on top of it. I can't imagine how a family with children can afford to go there and pay for food too! I picked up discounted tix at Giant which saved me $10 per ticket and they had a promotion this month with a coupon for the parking. Good deal.



Anyway, Rick and I hit the 2 new coasters - Farenheit and Stormrunner. Awesome! We waited about an hour for Farenheit, and only 15 min. for Stormrunner. They are both crazy rides. We loved 'em!

We hit the 4:00 Rusted Root show and decided right then and there that of course we'd be back for the 6:30 show. I'm glad we did. The play list was different, except for "Send Me On My Way." I got some great pics - and, they're coming out with a new CD. Check here http://www.rustedroot.com/ for information!

Dat's Day

What a gorgeous day to celebrate our fathers! I was smart this time, unlike Mother's Day, and remembered to bring my camera. We took Dad to the Officer's Club for brunch. hehehe. He's not used to getting up before the crack of Noon! It's always a pleasure to spend time with my family, but especially nice to take the time to honor my Dat. Here's a pic of my brother, Dat, and me.

Look Who's 2!

I love this picture of Kylie in her hat!

She's a Flag Day baby, but we celebrated Kylie's second birthday a little early. Allison picked the perfect location for such a steamy hot day. The celebration was held at a park where the pavillion was completely shaded during the worst heat of the afternoon, and there was a wonderful breeze blowing. The girls could run around and play under the pavillion or on the playground equipment.

Unwrapping the presents was a bit nerve wracking as the other cousins wanted to be in on the action. Sanity finally prevailed when Kylie picked up a gift and brought it over to Great Grandpa to open. She handed each tiny speck of paper to him as she tore it off. Very cute!


And what's a party without party hats? Trend setting Allison shows her style and demonstrates that party hats go with everything!

I don't know what it is about balloons, but kids just love them. Kylie was having a blast running around with the whole bundle of balloons. I got quite a chuckle watching her.

Here Come the Mouse Mommies

Yes, the Mouse Mommies are headed for Disney for the Expedition Everest Challenge. Who are the Mouse Mommies you ask? Why they are Renee and me of course!

We are officially registered for the 5k night run, obstacle course, and scavenger hunt at the Animal Kingdom. Not to mention the party in the Park following the race.

Now the heat is on - I will actually have to train for this. Oh the things I'll commit to just to see the Mouse again!

A Toast to Bob and Carrie

We attended Bob and Carrie's wedding on Saturday night. I don't know the last time I enjoyed a wedding this much. First of all Bob's parents are among my most long-time and dearest friends; Bob and my son have been friends since birth. Bob chose his bride wisely as she is one of the most beautiful young women - both inside and out - that I have ever had the priviledge of knowing. I wish them a happy fruitful life together! Here's a picture of Trav, Allison, and Kylie with me, posing for a quick pic! The best part of the evening was watching Kylie dance. She was really loving the music. I howled as she watched the women doing the Electric Slide. She would see them step to the side, so she would step to the side - she tried hard to mimic everything they did. Here are 2 video clips including one where she's trying to do the twist with Daddy.

We Got Da Blues!

On Friday night, we drove to Hagerstown for the Western Maryland Blues Festival. The first two acts were pretty much unknowns, but next up was Jimmy Thackery and the headliner was Savoy Brown. Jimmy Thackery is known as a co-founder of the Nighthawks. Since 1987 he plays with his band, The Drivers. All I can say is he was incredible!

The headliners, Savoy Brown, have been around for a long time. Kim Simmonds is the only original member, but regardless, they were quite good. I really didn't know much about them, but I sure did enjoy the evening.

My brother went with us and is quite the musician/historian. He can tell you who played with whom, what bands the originated from, where they went, and who they played with for the rest of their careers! You can tell from this pic that both my brother and husband were having a good time!