Catching Up

Well, it's been a while and I apologize to my faithful readers and to myself, for this is where I intend to keep a more regular record of our life. Between the visiting family, the Olympics, and our busy life, I've failed to do that. I also don't have any good pictures to post and I know how pictures spice up the blog.

Grandma & Grandpa left on Wednesday morning and arrived safely back in NJ. They were up in Park City on Monday, and at the pool with the kids for a few hours on Tuesday. There are photos of these activities but they reside on their camera, not ours (and maybe now that they're connected to the internet, they can send some our way). We also had a chance to play 9 holes of golf on Tuesday after I left work, and I'm pleased to report some improvement in my play -- I had a par and at least two bogeys (we weren't keeping score).

The kids start back to school on Monday. We finished the remainder of the shopping today, Quinn got belts and socks and Keely got some red knee socks. They are both excited for school and I find I look forward to it also, not because they are occupied throughout the day but because I love to help with homework and keep things organized with them. It makes me feel like I am going back to school too, and in a sense I am living vicariously through them.

Update on the car -- we've decided to go ahead and fix the engine. It's been ordered and we await its arrival. It is amazing how spoiled I've become with two cars. Now that we're back to just one, it seems inconvenient especially with family visiting and the kids out of camp and school for the last week. We're going through gas like crazy and that bothers me. As I've mentioned, we were a one car family for quite a few years and it's amazing how fast I've gotten used to the luxury (or burden) of two cars. So hopefully we can get the engine in quicker than expected and until then, we'll deal with one car. It will be easier when we get back to a normal schedule this week.

Triathalon training is stalled, for a number of reasons. I guess the biggest is that I don't have a bike to train with. Now you might ask, how did I decide to train for a triathalon without a bike??? Well, I presumed I would use James' (he has two) but after a test ride on his bike last Sunday, it was painfully obvious that it would not be suitable for me to race with. Given that we're spending lots of money on the car repair, and that I've just spent several hundred on airfare to Las Vegas (more on that later), I don't think it would be wise to spend money on a new bike. Also, swimming training was suspended for a week when the gym pool was closed for repair. It seems like there are a number of factors playing against me here and I'm just not thinking it is going to be happening in 3 weeks. I also felt restricted in my workouts, only having the three cardio choices. I miss my weekly step class and my Saturday weight lifting with James. So for all that, I've decided not to continue training. I would like to try one but another time!

So as I mentioned, I've booked a trip for us to Las Vegas in September. James has a convention there and the kids happen to have a school day off that same weekend. So we're headed there and my mom and dad will be joining us! We're flying on JetBlue (I snagged some tickets at just over $100 RT for each one) and staying at our timeshare, the HGVClub at the Las Vegas Hilton. We've owned the timeshare for over 4 years now, and this is the first time we'll be staying at the one we technically own (for those that don't own timeshare, that's probably confusing but it's too long of a story to type out now). My parents are also staying at the same place and we've never all been to Vegas together so it should be fun. James will stay on an extra day to attend his convention. Then we will all be home to celebrate Quinn's 7th b-day on the 24th!

Oh, also since I've posted James and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. The actual day, we all went to Village Inn for dinner (I know, fancy!). We really celebrated with our stay at the Hilton downtown while the family was in town. I couldn't let the day pass without mentioning how much I love my husband. We have known each other for 16 years now and I couldn't have imagined how happy we would be, our love growing stronger by the year. Sure there are ups and downs, but I am grateful that we have each other and that whatever happens we will be there for each other. I also know that I am not the easiest person to deal with sometimes, but he understands me better than anyone and I couldn't imagine life without him. He is the best father and husband I could ask for and I'm grateful to share my life with him.

Well, that's the catch up. The weather has turned cooler for the last few days, and it feels like fall is in the air. I'll definitely have first day of school pictures on Monday. Until then...