Is It Really Wednesday?

I can't believe it is hump day already. This week has started quick. I hope the rest of the week goes as fast. The weather has been wonderful and it seems like that trend is going to continue for the rest of the week.

Day two of my running regiment went much better. I completed the run without stopping. It was still a struggle but nothing like the day before. I am hoping each day gets a bit better.

Jessica was telling me a funny story yesterday. She has a keyboarding class and it is very easy. The instructor makes the class turn off their monitors when she is talking. Jessica and a friend of hers sit side by side kind of off to the side of the room. When the teacher makes them turn off the monitor, they just keep working with their monitor off. They know what they are typing and if they make a mistake they just fix it when she lets them turn them back on. So I can imagine this teacher thinking she has their strick attention because the monitors are off and most of the kids are still slowly keying so they can keep working, ignoring her the whole time. I can understand the kids point, how much instruction do you need in keyboarding?

Drew had practice last night. The coach told him he will be the starting pitcher on Thursday. I personally hate that he pitches. It is way too nerve racking for me. He is excited so I hope he does well tomorrow. I am going to the game and will take some pics for the blog.

Jess has a track meet tomorrow as well. I think there may be some light showers in the forecast. I hope it hold off until our activities are done.

Next week is a big week. Jessica has the conference meet on Monday and Districts on Friday. I am sure she will do well.

Softball practice has unofficially started as well. Jess has to go Monday, Wednesday and Sunday nights.

Drew is mowing the neighbors yard for a summer job. He gets ten bucks each time so it gives him a little spending money.

Nancy was grouchy yesterday. I hope she is better today. It makes for a long day when the office is tense.

Rolling Along

I made it through Monday. The week is rolling along as usual. It was kind of hot yesterday. I think we got up to 90 but it was kind of a nice change.

Work is busy this week. I have a bunch of things to get caught up on and there are always new issues to deal with. I have a few meetings today and hope to get some work done in between. Drew and Jess just have practice tonight so it should be a relatively uneventful day.

I posted some pictures of the trip to Redmond. I really had a good time and hope to get a chance to go out there again. The asked us if we would be willing to come up again sometime and work with them on other projects. We, of course, said yes. I really hope we get to do it again.

I went for a run yesterday and it was not a good experience. I haven't been on a run in a month or so but it felt like I hadn't run in a couple of years. I usually have to run slow if I haven't run in awhile but I never feel wiped out. Yesterday I felt wiped out. I had to stop three or four times on the run. That typically doesn't happen. I hope today's run goes better. I am sure it can't be any worse.

It should take about a month of consistent running before I am able to get a good handle on my pace and time. Right now I am just trying to make it through. I have to get my body in decent shape if I plan to live forever...:)

I hope things are going well for everyone at home. I miss you all.

All Kinds of Stuff

I made it back from Redmond. There was plenty of suspense and drama in the trip. Travel was the main culprit for both but the time at Microsoft was fun. There is so much to talk about it is hard to put it down in a blog.

Jessica had a track meet last week and got third in the long jump and 1st in the open 400. She ran 60.5 which was a new meet record so she was happy about that. The Sprint Medley team also got first and have a shot at getting to state. The competition is getting tight for spots on that team. The 100 runners are all competing for a spot and one of the girls who was on got bumped by a girl with a faster time. Plenty of drama in that one.

Her next track meet is Thursday in Des Moines.

Drew had a game this weekend. They lost but it was mostly because they played so poorly. The pitchers (Drew did not pitch this game) gave up 9 runs on only 4 hits. They walked around 12 or 13 kids. It was a shame because the team they beat is not that solid. May be a long season. Drew has his next game Thursday - Yes, the same day as Jessica's track meet. I am going to Drew's game this time.

I start back at work today. WHOO-HOOO!!! I have mixed emotions about it. One one hand I kind of want to get back and get some of the things done that I have on my list. On the other hand, being back to the same old grind is not a happy thought.

The weather was awesome this weekend and the kids played outside for much of it. The neighborhood is really great when it comes to having kids around and a bunch of things to do. There were about 12 kids running around the cul-de-sac this weekend. They all seemed to be having a great time.

I have some pictures of the trip to Redmond to post and a few stories about the travel as well. I will post them later this week.

Redmond Washington and Still Alive

We made it to Redmond. It was quite and adventure. Flight left at 6:00 AM so my day started at 2:30 AM. The flight was typical and the drive from Seattle to Redmond was an adventure. Here is a small summary:

The day started off with a bang. We got to the Des Moines airport and had to go to this gate that was in the basement, kind of. So after about 15 minutes of waiting I am tasting this metallic taste in my mouth. I mean it was strong and gross. I ask Nancy if she is tasting metal and she said "YES!!!!". So we ran up-stairs and got some gum and chewed like the dickens until we boarded the plane. The plane was delayed so we were running late to make the connnecting flight in Salt Lake City. The gate we had to go to was on the other side of the airport so we had to hussle to get there. Just as we were walking up we heard our names on the load speaker that the plane was getting ready to leave us. So we get on on the plane and wait on the tarmac for like 40 minutes. Like Nancy says, hurry up and wait.

So we arrive in Seattle and find out that the cost to get a taxi is over $70 one way to Redmond. So we have the bright idea to save some money and rent a car. We get a car from Dollar rental, but they don't have a lot at the airport so we are literally wisked away on a shuttle to this drop off spot where they give us the keys. It is a small Dodge Neon, which is great for what we need, which is CHEAP!!!

We drive out of the lot and start heading down the highway. Ok, Washington is not tourist friendly when it comes to road signs. At this point I realize I have no idea which direction we are heading or where we are supposed to go. I see a Kentucky Fried Chicken so we stop have some lunch and look at the map. Still I have no idea which way is north. Sometimes the biological North is not North so keep that locked away for what it is worth. We drive and drive and drive and the traffic is crazy and the signs are like out of a game show. Here is an example: We were supposed to take an exit off of the road we were on to another highway that would get us closer to Redmond. The sign says right lane exit only. Ok, that is alright so we are in the right lane and as we go down the exit ramp, it FORKS!!! What the hell is that all about? Which fork in the exit do we take, the sign isn't saying. We guess right, that time but there are so many wrong guesses I am suprised we made it.

In retrospect I would have taken the dang taxi.

The Start of a Big Week

I have a feeling this is going to be a very fast week. We leave for Microsoft tomorrow. The flight is for 6:00 AM so we have to leave town by 4:30 which means I will be an early riser tomorrow. It looks like a pretty busy agenda but it should be fun. The procrastinator in me has yet to pack so I will have to do that tonight after work.

Jessica has two track meets this week while I am away. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday. Just a couple of weeks away from Conference and District meets so it is coming down to the wire. Here is the link to check her times compared to the other girls in our class: http://www.quikstatsiowa.com/girls_track/stats_fourhundredmeterdash.cfm?Track_Girls_Class=3A&order=hmd The first few times on the screen are messed up because they are not recorded in minutes so skip those. Obviously 1:00:9 is faster than 70:00 so that is what is messed up on that first page.

Drew has his first baseball game this coming Sunday. So far the forecast is good for it. I look forward to watching him play.

Much to do at work today. I have to make sure everything is taken care of so we have the least potential for problems while I am away. Today should be a busy start to a very full week.

I will try to post while I am at Redmond but can't garuantee so keep checking. If nothing else I will post again next weekend.

I miss everyone.

Fun Filled Friday

We made it to the weekend. The weather is still good here. Highs are to be in the 70's. My staff is celebrating Nancy's birthday today. Her birthday was sometime ago but we have not had an opportunity to get together and have a little party so today is the day. There seems to be so much to do today and Monday before we leave for our Microsoft trip.

Jessica had a track meet last night. She got 3rd in the long jump, 1st in the 400 and 1st in the sprint medley relay. The sprint medley relay team broke the track record last night so they were very excited. That event consists of 100,100,200,400. Jessica runs the 400 so if they can get her even or in the lead when she gets the baton, they will win. The coach thinks that relay team has a shot at state. She ran 61.10 seconds in the 400, which is pretty good because there was a very strong wind at the meet so she was very happy with the time.

Drew had a good practice last night and then he and I had Chinese food. It was good, he likes eating with chop stick so it is good and kind of fun.

I am working at the middle school track meet tonight as a timer. It is easy money and I enjoy watching track so it is a win-win for me....:)

There are no events planned for this weekend so it is going to be a chance for us all to catch our breath.

Sunny Disposition

It is another nice day today in a string of good weather. Mother nature seemed to do us wrong earlier in the month but she is making up for it now. It is so nice to see the sun everyday and for the kids to be able to be outside.

Jessica has a track meet tonight. She is only doing three events and that is a relief to her. She is in the long jump, the open 400 and the sprint medley (she is running the 400, anchor leg of that event). The coach is trying to put together a sprint medley team that can make it to state. I think they are close. I guess we will see what happens tonight.

Unfortunately I am not going to the meet tonight. Drew has baseball practice and the track meet is a little over an hour away. He could get a ride to and from practice but I don't want him to be home alone until ten at night. I think I will take him out to dinner after practice. A little father/son time tonight.

The countdown to Microsoft continues. I leave on Tuesday. Nancy and I had a conference call with Microsoft yesterday. They are doing a case study with us for our participation in the Vista beta project. When it is done, there will be a write-up on the Microsoft site about us and our school. It should be pretty cool. I will send you the link when it is available. I was told it would take about 5 weeks. They have to write it, editors check, Microsoft check, we check it, then back to the editors, then they publish.

Have a great day today!