Power Walk

I have been working out and trying to close out strong for our Biggest Loser competition at work. I haven't been feeling very well the last few days but I was determined to walk even if it meant doing a lot of little ones. Today, I did two power walks and combined walked 6.75 miles! I even had to walk over a snake... my feet are soar but it felt good.

Can't wait for the new season of BL! I have been watching some of the old ones as I didn't watch it much before the last two seasons. The show sure keeps me motivated.

Leaps and Bounds

While I went to my dentist appointment this morning, Mel was kind enough to watch Katie for me. I was gone for a couple of hours or so and when I returned, Katie and I stayed there the rest of the day. It was a hot, sunny afternoon, so we spent some time in the backyard getting wet and playing with bubbles. When I saw how excited their dog (also named Katie) was about the bubbles, I ran and got my video camera. Take a look at what she was doing:

In the Kitchen with Katie

Katie made breakfast this morning! We had cinnamon biscuits my Mom used to make for us when we were kids. Check out this video of Katie in the kitchen:

Me? Youtube-ing?

I loved the link Suzie shared with the wedding dance. I just saw this one and thought I would share it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QujA8YYgTWU&NR=1

Enjoy.

Daycation to Lake Wenatchee

Katie and I drove this morning to Lake Wenatchee State Park to spend the day with Mel and Courtney and their family. We had hoped to tour the lake on their boat, but the winds kicked up causing it to be pretty unsafe. So, we hung out around their campsite and on the shore. We left at about 9pm and got home two hours later. It was a fun day! I didn't take much video, but here's some of what I did get:

Katie loved spending time with Mel and Courtney's dog, also named Katie! One of these days we're going to have to get her a dog!

Celebrating Another Day of Life

Although I seem to be feeling a little down recently, my spirits were raised by visiting Mel and Courtney and their 17-month-old twins, Jack and Avery. Katie and I spent a few hours over at their house late this afternoon and they treated us to pizza for dinner. The kids played in the backyard getting dirty and wet, while having a great time together. Of course I had my camera running and here's what I got:

No More Training Wheels for Katie!

Today was the second time Katie tried to ride her bike without training wheels. A few weeks ago she tried it, got frustrated pretty quickly and quit. This time, however, her friend next door was with her. He gave her a quick lesson and she caught on very quickly. She refused to let me help her at all and as it turned out, she didn't need my assistance anyway!

Wow... With Only One Lesson!

We decided to go to a skating park last night because they had open skating. I, of course, watched as my feet need to be firmly on the ground. Katie asked me why I didn't skate and I told her I didn't learn when I was a little kid. My Mom didn't let us skate or skate board as she was certain we would break out arms or legs (apparently many kids were breaking bones back in the day). She thought about it and then throughout the night kept telling me to call my Mom and ask her if I could skate now.

Suzie did a good job, but Katie was a maniac She fell a few times, but most of the time she was racing around the rink. Oh, to be young again! They both skated from 7 until almost 10:00!

Katie's New Adventure

First thing this morning Katie and I headed over to the Skate King in Bellevue so Katie could learn how to skate! She was so excited! It really amused her that the very first thing they learned was how to fall correctly. Who knew there was a right and wrong way to fall! Anyway, she got lots of practice falling, as you'll see in this video. She did a good job though and is anxious to keep learning.

Can you believe it?

I was looking at old movies and pictures. Check me out! I was VERY fashionable. Clearly, it was because of my Mom!

And then, there were times where I wonder - what was she thinking!

I am hooked on this artist!

I have yet to figure out how to buy this online, and download it to my iPod, but for those of you who have that skill set add "The Good Stuff" by Schuyler Fisk. It is a great album (do they still call it that?) and it is perfect for when you want to sit back and just relax. There are some upbeat songs, but it is more low key.

Enjoy!

A Video Tribute

One of the things Regina's Dad, Alex, enjoyed was to capture the important and interesting events in his family's life in home movies. Fortunately, all of the 8mm films he shot were converted to DVD a few years ago and each of his kids now has a copy. Over the last few days, I have been reviewing all of that footage (whew!) and put together a 4-minute video of clips I pulled from Alex and Betty's home movies. Enjoy!

The Summer of 2009

I am sure many people will look back this summer and say "wow, what a summer!" Usually, people say it reflecting upon a summer full of family, friends, travel or excitement. Well, I guess I can say that, too, but unfortunately, it also had a tremendous amount of sadness and frustration over the death of my Dad and the massive stroke my Mom had just five weeks before his death.

My family consumed most of my summer, but it was the kindness and caring of my friends and colleagues at work that made it all bearable. I am still heart broken over my Mom's stroke and I struggle with how we will care for her. Will she walk again? Will she get to live at home? Will I get to have a conversation with her like before? I could go on and on, but I know I now need to find a way to move forward.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about life, love and happiness. It is a complicate mix to achieve, for sure, and to complicate matters our definitions of each of those three change as our life experiences, personal and professional desires, and obstacles change. If I have learned anything this summer, it is that life can change in an instant. I now think that the secret to life, love and happiness is to live in the moment - live life now. Save nothing. Have no regrets.

Thank you everyone for the support and prayers. It means more than you know.