Who I'm Voting For in '08...

Of course, it's more for the VP than the President.

Two Weeks and Counting...

until the City of Oaks Marathon. Today was my last 'long' run--a ten miler. Unfortunately it happened after a long night with Myra, but overall it was a pretty good run. It will probably be my last Falls Lake Trail run for awhile, but what a beautiful trail. I spent a lot of time on it this summer. Especially now, with the leaves down, giving additional padding, I really enjoyed that run!
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So, why did Myra give us a long night? Well, to correct myself, she gave me a long night. Kerry participated in the Flangian girls trip to Wrightsville Beach. She left at 6 Saturday morning and returned around 10ish this morning. And I made it through the weekend with the girls! We actually had a lot of fun--we went out shopping (BJs, Running Store, and Borders), then went to the park in the afternoon. Lucy goes down all the slides by herself now! What a big girl!! Jumpin' Beans did a lot for her confidence! Anyway, Myra did well throughout the day, but I think last night she just grew tired about taking a feeding from the bottle and from me. We had many 'scream-fests,' but we made it. My run actually turned out pretty well. Although, I think I will lobby Nana to fly down next year!

We Got Rain!

I have never seen such commotion. I went in to work early this morning (early as in leaving at 5:55). I like to do that sometimes so I have the office to myself. I can catch up on my podcasts, get comfy, and work. Today, it stayed pretty dark right through the early morning. Around 10, I began to hear something, looked out my 5th floor window, and saw RAIN! Now, considering the severe drought, I quickly called my co-workers. They rushed to my window in an excited commotion. After staring for a few moments, we returned to work until a phone call interrupted my thoughts. I heard our administrative assistant say, 'Yes, it's raining here too!' Only in Raleigh can we get so excited for rain!
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Went to the NC State Fair on Monday. The crowds were smaller, but there were still a large number of folks. I enjoyed sharing this with my girls: the games (we won three prizes, including a COOKIE MONSTER!), the PBS tent, rides, and of course the carnies! In the words of my wife, 'The fair brings out all types of folks, huh!'

Jumpin' at Jumping Beans

What a great weekend! With Nana and PapPap down, cool weather, and a birthday to celebrate, we enjoyed quite the fun times! Today Lucy had her 3rd birthday party at Jumpin' Beans. It was great to see her interact with the other kids, especially her good buddy Anna!

My Daughter Turns 3 This Weekend!

Kinda mixed feelings on that. On the one hand, it is incredible to see the neat little person she is becoming. Preschool makes such an impact on kids--she sings songs all the time (especially the Vowel Song!), pretends more, and just seems to enjoy learning. On the other hand, Lucy getting older means I am getting older. She does not need our help as much and is beginning to want more independence in playing on our own. Well...we always have Myra!

One Month Until Christmas Music!

Those who know me, know also I being playing my Christmas Music (and quite the large collection) on November 1st. Can you believe October will begin Monday? What a quick Summer, and now Fall. Had an awesome time this morning with the girls. It cooled down, so we decided to visit Blue Jay Point Park near us, on the banks of Falls Lake. We hiked down to the water, threw rocks, waded through the water, then had a picnic. Awesome, awesome time!
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The Mountains were gorgeous as well. I had two good runs through the Great Smoky Mountains Park. Cool morning! Then the town of Bryson City was so nice. I can definitely see taking the family up there sometime soon!

Off To Another Trip...

And I will leave this sweet face...But I will spend the next few days in the mountains at an IMPACT Schools Visit. Those not privy to what IMPACT is all about, basically in a nutshell, is federal funding provided to schools to implement a model, NC's IMPACT Model, which stresses technology and collaboration in schools. Those of you keeping scorre at home will remember I worked at one of the original IMPACT schools, Williford, a few years ago. We reaped the benefits of higher student achievement and better teacher retention, so here's hoping this will continue across our state!

But it will be tough without the girls!

Lots of Fun With the Girls

I just continue to enjoy my daughters. Life is so simplistic and real when I can leave behind my work, my running, and everything else to enjoy time with them. We enjoyed this weekend with Grammie and Grandpa. They definitely enjoy spending time with the girls as well!
I look forward to the times I share with them, as they both are growing so quickly! Myra crawls and stands everywhere. Lucy surprises me with her knowledge and 'street smarts.' Just fun times right now!

Peaked Out Today

Had my 26 miler today. I did it along the Falls Lake Trail. Unfortunately, we're back in a heat snap (91 degrees now), but I had to run. The run itself was not too bad--I definitely see the need for some ultra-wicking socks and MORE water.

K12 Online Conference

How Cool! Make sure you attend!

My Daughter, the Tree Hugger!

Gotta love this picture from a park near Laura's in Durham. My girl, well on her way to becoming a liberal! Makes me proud!

Action Figures, 2.0

Ok, back in the day of Castle Grayskull, My Little Pony, GI Joe, and MASK, our toys never associated with each other. Come to think of it, besides my MASK figures taking over my sister's My Little Pony stable for their 'secret' headquarters, I never thought that He-Man could enlist the help of GI Joe to overthrow Skeletor. Well, in this picture, you see our smart daughter already figured out how to make things better--have them all visit the 'Dora Store.' You see Dora, Homer (of the 'Simpsons People, Daddy'), and Strawberry Shortcake. She makes me laugh!!
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Went on a 10 miler today that I put off from yesterday. I guess, with about 6 weeks before the marathon, I am tired of the constant attention of it. The training, while not rough physically, is weighing on me psychologically. It is tough to be on a road trip with the thought of a long run in the back of your mind, or knowing that every weekday has a long run (I am getting to the 7, 8, 9 milers during the week). I did finish the run today, the weather was gorgeous--70, but I am ready for the marathon!

Another Speech

Ok, not really sure why we have yet another speech this evening. I guess to announce the long overdue trip withdrawal. Off course, that comes with the caveat that whoever (GO OBAMA!) wins the presidency next year, we will be in Iraq for the next several years. Why? Oh, the Iraq government asked us. Forget the fact we are lagging in education, technology, common sense, our requests go unanswered.

You know, I really did believe at first that the intelligence of our fearless leader was not quite up to par. But I stand corrected. It all fits. Our 'grand old party' focuses on what? Military and oil. So how do you keep the intelligent, creative, and technological folks down? Bring down the schools. Do not provide any funds, but require unattainable goals, then allow students to transfer if their current school fails to meet the criteria.

Wow...a definite d'oh moment.

Maybe its Due to Lack of Water...

Went on my 18-miler this morning along Falls Lake Trail. Beautiful area to run--soft, pine straw floor, trees blocking out the sun, and a nice lake view for most of the run. Unfortunately we are in a drought and the lake is 3-4 foot below normal, but still a nice view. Only two long runs left-26 and then another 18 miler. Then the taper begins for the Raleigh Marathon in November. While excited about the marathon, boredom from running already showed it's ugly head. Coming home from work everyday and going out for a run is exhausting me. That said, the next four weeks contain weekly runs of 7-9 miles after a full day of work. Don't know how that will work.
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And here's where the title of this blog comes in--I LOVE this song!

Our Lucy's First Day of Preschool

Can you believe it? Lucy got dressed, carried her big blue backpack, took her orange kitty, and went off to preschool this morning. I think her Daddy had a more difficult time with it than she did. We attended an orientation Tuesday night (yeah, nice to be on that side for a change!), and I cannot believe how much preschool now mirrors school. She will only have 10 students in her class, but two teachers, a schedule, art, music, PE, etc. *Sniff, sniff*

Gotta Love Technology...

Check this out--I will have an overnight in Charlotte soon. I need to do an 8 mile run for my training. I go to mapmyrun.com, and voila, I have over 600 possible runs.

Myra Wants to Skip Crawling and Go To Walking...

Labor Day, 2007

Enjoying a nice, relaxing weekend. Shannon visited today, we went for a nice walk with the girls, and just enjoyed the day. I figured I would add some pictures before the busy September commences.

And We Come to September...

So, what's on the agenda for this month? Hopefully some cooler weather. After our PA trip, we're definitely ready for fall. We'll see if that becomes a reality, as at least the first week still has us in the 90s. What else will we do?
-some trips for work--seems I need to do a variety of tech plan visits for charter schools
-a trip to Vienna. Now that Kerry's folks ok'ed everything with their builder, they will probably be down here next year at this time
-hopefully some good runs--this is the big month for marathon training with an 18, 20, and 26 mile run.

Lucy Rides the Trike

It is so neat to see your child get better and better at a skill. In this video you can see how well Lucy is doing on her tricycle. Of course, she is trying to run Myra down, but hey--whatever you can get for inspiration, I guess...

Back To Normal...

Well, as back to normal as things can be! We returned from a great trip to PA. Awesome weather. One day was 72, 30% humidity, so we spent the ENTIRE day outside. The girls loved it! Hopefully fall will come to Raleigh soon--we are so ready for it. Had an awesome 16 mile run along a new section of the Ghost Town Trail in the big 'burgh of Hesbon, PA. Not even sure if they have a post office, so it may not be an official town. The girls enjoyed all the spoiling from Nana and Pappap. We're excited for them to come down in October for Lucy's THIRD birthday. Phew, I'm getting old!

Our Dancing Girls

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

My Two Adorable Girls...

Lucy is becoming the tricycle master, complete with BABAB in the backseat. Myra just loves to watch her big sister!

I Am Back Home!

Phew! What an insane two weeks. I pretty much went from one side of the state to the other. My culmination was a trip to Hickory Wednesday, including an overnight. Boy, how I do love the mountains though. A good presentation on web 2.0 and advocating for those tools, especially with elementary teachers. They all seemed engaged, so we hope we hear some interesting projects they begin to develop.
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Girls made it without me too. Boy, Lucy and Myra really both continue to grow like two weeds. Myra takes a few tentative steps/crawls, then throws her legs on the floor and cries. It will happen any day now! Lucy does such an awesome job in helping Mommy, Grammie, Aunt Shannon, or whoever may be helping at any given time. Such an awesome little girl!
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Two trips this week, then we'll head to PA either on Wednesday night or Thursday. Will be good to visit with everyone up there!

One Week Down...Two To Go...

Well, I am one third of the way through my busiest portion so far. Last week I travelled a bit, but this week is the big travel week--4 days, then two days the following week before heading up to Pennsylvania for a little rest.
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Fifteen mile run yesterday. Pretty smooth, as the weather was a little more cooperative, as opposed to last weeks 104 degree days.

Lucy and Daddy's Veggies

Despite the hot weather, we did get some vegetables before the plants died. A handful of peppers, some tomatoes, and even a pumpkin! Lucy is a great gardener!

Hazy Days of Summer

Well, we are in the long days of 90+ degree heat with no end in sight. We stay in pretty much most of the time, save early morning trips to the playground, or early (6 AM for me) long runs. Went out to Umstead State Park again today for a 10 miler. I think the end will be difficult, but I feel confident now, seeing the end 13 miles.
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Myra had some problems after starting rice and oatmeal cereals and sweet potatoes. We had some nights of walking the floor with her-->yes, me too--no playing possum!! (-: So we stopped food for now. It really is neat seeing the girls begin to interact. Lucy loves making Myra laugh. It is so cute! They actually play together now (somewhat), which is pretty neat to see too.
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The next three weeks will make or break me. I travel pretty much everyday, before heading up to Pennsylvania for a nice visit. Hopefully *hopefully* September and October will slow down, less the marathon training.

Do You Have an AMEX Card?

This won't cost you a sent if you do, but it will help a great program, DonorsChoose, provide funding to individual teachers across the country. I used DonorsChoose successfully in the classroom to fund a variety of proposals including cameras, hockey equipment, books, and so much more. Now, American Express will provide one dollar for each vote on the DonorsChoose site. If you or anyone you know possesses an AMEX card, please click here and vote for DonorsChoose. Thank you!

We Went On a Date!

Wow! Aunt Shannon (YaYa to Lucy) came up to watch the girls to allow Kerry and I to go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Great time. I, of course being the Potter geek I am , had plenty of comments/opinions on the movie, but we totally enjoyed the opportunity just to get out and enjoy each other's company. And that's our moral of the story to all of you. Yes, we love love love our girls, but it is so nice for the 'adults' to get out and enjoy themselves.
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July will end and another busy month will begin. I will criss-cross the state for two weeks on a variety of workshops, then we will head up to PA for a nice visit. Feels so good not starting the 'I don't want to go back to school' dread.

I Didn't Want to Be Batman...

You Are Batman

Billionaire playboy by day. Saving the world by night. And you're not even a true superhero. Just someone with a lot of expensive toys!

What Superhero Are You?

Where Does Time Go?

Wow! Hard to believe we head into the last weekend in July. What a great month! All these things seem like they just happened though. Nana visited for a week while I attended my IMPACT Academy. We visited the Aquarium, Pullen Park, and Aunt Shannon'. Lots of fun. That's really what we try to do with the girls--just come up with lots of neat activities and places to remember. In August I will be tied up with my August Workshops for two weeks, but then we will go up to Pennsylvania for a nice long weekend and visit everyone up there. Maybe some Eat-N-Park. Mmmmmm....chicken fiesta sandwichhhhh. (-: And yes, The Simpsons' Movie comes out soon, too! Then the next month, September, my little girl will attend pre-school. *Sniff, sniff!

Ahhh....the 80s

You Are 88% A Child of the 80s

There's hardly a moment of the 80s that you missed out on. Was there ever a better decade? As if!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

Continuing the Open Source Cause

Open Source, Open Source, Open Source. I continue to get head-scratching looks when I mention this or Linux. Family and friends cannot understand why I gave up Windows in place of something free. "Surely that cannot be as good, since it's free," they tell me. What a sad state of affairs when this thought process happens. I would think the same thing. We are conditioned to think that you must pay (and pay handsomely) for software to work properly. You are also then locked into that publisher of the software to their 'vision.' Have an idea to use it better? Too bad. Maybe they will implement that in the new version, of which you will pay once again, but too bad for you in the immediate future.

That's where all who do not know about Linux are wrong. Linux just gets me. I definitely cannot see all these huge amounts of paid software. For instance, working in just one school, to purchase one piece of software for approximately 100 computers totals $30,000. I could buy a car for that. And do we receive training for this? Nope. Ways to integrate? Nope. Do they come and install? Nope. They send a disc, and even a file through email these days, and that's the end of it. Well, Linux does not give you any of those things either, but then they don't charge you either. Come to think of it, the communities for the different OS distros (operating system distributions, think Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows NT, etc for Linux: examples of Ubuntu, Edubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, etc) provide more and better support. Many have call centers to use for FREE, forum boards, email lists, and even support groups in major cities.

Then software. You can pretty much find a comparable piece of software in a Linux version. Want Photoshop? Use the Gimp. Want Dreamweaver? Then check out Quanta, Screem, or nVU. Inspiration? Look at Dia. And that's the power of open source. Yes, these are free, but open source means that the source code is available to you. You can make changes to the code for your own benefit. The question becomes can you do that? Yes, but make sure to provide a copy of the revised code to the developers, and allow others the possibility to use your changes.

How cool! I will continue to update you on this in the future!

Chris on the Simpsons

So, what would I look like if my dream came true, and I appeared on the Simpsons? Well, enjoy this image of me, with my Linux t-shirt on!

The End of Harry Potter...

So I finished the book. Received it yesterday from the UPS guy (don't know why Mr. Larry, our mail carrier did not bring it). The UPS guy, a closet comedian says, "Let me tell you how it ends...he finds out he's a Jedi Master." Funny UPS guy! (-:
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Finished it in one day, or by 12 AM the night I started. Overall, I enjoyed the book. It nicely tied up many of the dangling issues, but at times these explanations seemed forced. One major thing that bugged me was the need for so many pages. I think we could get by in the story with 200 less pages. The whole middle, with Hermoine and Harry camping across the British Isle really leaves a lot to be desired.

I enjoyed the final battle scene, which when made into a movie could rival the final LOTR battle, if directed correctly. JK definitely left herself an out if she wants to have another book. The 19 Years Later epilogue was pretty basic as well.

Fishies and Trains

Had a good two days. Yesterday we met some friends at Pullen Park. It was hot (90s by 10 am, it is July afterall), but we still played, rode the merry-go-round and train, and ate a great lunch. Today we went to the Fort Fisher NC Aquarium. I love spending time with my 3 girls!

I Miss My Girls!

Who would think a week away from my three girls would be this difficult? Here I sit at a conference in Sunset Beach, NC. It's Thursday, and I've been gone since Sunday. Tomorrow is the big day that I get to go back home, and I cannot wait. When you look at these pictures of my girls, you see how tough it would be to leave them for any extended time. I know what will happen this weekend though--a FULL WEEKEND OF DADDY TIME!

Enjoying Our Summer!

Lucy, Mommy, and Myra (those are her legs in the blue chair) enjoy the 'mega-fort' Daddy built.











Lucy's Bling

Today (or actually Tomorrow) We Celebrate Our Independence...

July 4th--the traditional middle of summer. We have been enjoying the recent coolness in Raleigh. The past two days' highs were 84 and 87 respectively. That just does not happen in Raleigh in July. This morning I actually shivered on the way into the office (65 degrees). The girls and I spend a fun day together last week. We stopped at my office, then went to the Natural Science Museum. Tomorrow we may visit Wake Forest for a parade.
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The marathon training goes well. I run 8.5 miles out in Umstead State Park on Saturday. About 6 of the miles followed the 'actual' marathon course. Pretty tough--some long, steady hills. I continue to get excited about it though. My right calf is a little tight and sore, so I will try to move it around gingerly and see if it can heal some. Figures I would finally get an injury after years of no running...
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And the big news--NANA FLIES DOWN ON SATURDAY! We're so excited!

How Embarassing...

You Are Speed Skating

You're motivated, aggressive, and willing to work hard to win. You have what it takes to be hell on skates!

What Winter Sport Are You?

End of Yet Another Month...

Can you believe we are almost into July? Since summer is here, we planned a variety of 'one day' vacations throughout the summer and fall. Today we went downtown to the NC Museum of Science. Lucy loves seeing all the animals and dinosaurs. Myra actually enjoyed herself too--she slept most of the time! Other trips this summer include the NC Aquarium, Fort Fisher, the NC Zoo, and trips to PA and DC. Should be fun!

End of Net Radio?

How many of you listen to radio via the internet? Those that know me, know that once November 1st comes, the Christmas music gets geared up. I always did that, even in the classroom. One tool that helped me do that was AccuRadio. On this site, an online set of radio stations, you could choose between approximately 10 different Christmas stations, all year long! When in the classroom, I could use the Classical Christmas station. Other times I wanted to use the Pop Christmas to hear my favorite singers belt out their renditions of Christmas songs. And once in awhile, I wanted the Rudolph station, where different artists did nothing but sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Granted, I did not use that station often!

Also on this site, stations for all music existed. Jazz, pop, rock, country, etc, etc. The purpose, or maybe the inferred purpose, was users would listen, hear a song they liked, and go out and buy the album or pick up the track on iTunes. The radio stations (Live 365, Pandora, FineTune, etc) could generate income via advertisements on their sites. Not a huge amount of revenue, but enough to keep things going for the last 4+ years.

In walks the RIAA, or the Music Royalty Board, or the Rich Executives Screwing Their Employees (RESTE). They want to take a larger chunk of the profits generated by these online stations. Well, as you can imagine, the profit line is pretty small, but those in power (or with the power of attorney) want even that small profit. Ignore the fact that if these stations close down, many will not hear music they might purchase. Ignore that this is great for the up and coming musicians. Ignore that this will only turn an already disgruntled public against you even more. Just generate more profit. More profit. More profit.

Well, in a quite amazing show of solidarity, many of the larger radio stations will shut down today for a Day of Silence in protest. They encourage you to contact your legislators to protest and encourage them to take action. Will it work? Possibly. Probably not, but if this goes through, many of these radio stations will close, ending independent music. Will it stop there? Once these corporations take over internet radio, sites like YouTube will fall under their crosshairs next. Click the links below and contact your legislators!!!

Live 365

Pandora

AccuRadio

Re: The Linux Transformation, Part Deux

Re: The Linux Transformation, Part Deux, originally uploaded by eElementary.

>

> I continue to shift from proprietory software (i.e. Windows) to open

> source (i.e. Linux, specifically Ubuntu). I really continue to learn

> things each day, plus the open source community provides so much guidance

> and support. With the purchase of an external hard drive (Western Digital

> 500 GB), I am in the process of digitizing our CD collection and backing up

> our files, and with Linux, it could not be any easier. With my WIFI now

> working, I can easily set up a home network via SAMBA, and everything else

> is falling in place.

>

The Garden

The Garden, originally uploaded by eElementary.

You can tell by the picture, Lucy's garden continues to do well. We planted

pumpkins and sunflowers, and as you can tell, they are taking over! Lucy

loves to come out into the yard to help. Yesterday, we thatched a bald

patch of land (Grandpa would be proud!), spread some seed, and then watered

the area. She is an awesome 'weeder' too--although she says, "No green,

Daddy!"

More of My Girls

More of My Girls, originally uploaded by eElementary.

Myra showed off her Hurricanes pride during Fathers' Day. We had a great

day, with lots of time spent with my girls!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

First Life Imitates Second Life

Quite funny for those of you 'in-world'

Linux and Hurricanes

Interesting title, right? Finally have a few minutes to update the blog. I spent most of my time lately shifting our home operating systems to the Linux distribution, Ubuntu. So why am I switching operating systems? Well, awhile back I decided to try out Firefox, the open source browser that challenges Microsoft's Internet Explorer. As a loyal Firefox user, I saw the benefits of open source, when adding extensions to my browser. Now, I could not imagine browsing the internet without my web developer toolbar, weather, built-in Google toolbar, and more. It just makes sense. So then I began to use other open source software. Products such as Audacity and The Gimp allowed me to complete tasks similar to paid software, most times even superiorly (is that a word?). Then I stumbled upon the office suite, Open Office. With this software, I found it did many of the tasks in one step that I needed two or more steps with in Word. Such as saving a file as a pdf. It eliminates the need for programs such as Primo PDF that 'print' files as pdfs.

When I started the new job and choose a Macbook Pro as my laptop of choice, I decided to run a Linux distro using the loaded Parallels. Parallels allows you to run another operating system within Mac OS. While most set it up to run XP, I decided to run Linux. Of course the challenge came from deciding which Linux distro to use. Many different selections abound, from Ubuntu, to Mandriva, to SUSE, the choices are mindboggling. I finally settled for Ubuntu for two reasons. One, their venture into education, edubuntu, would be something I could recommend to school systems, and two the overwhelming support community. Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros, so with my initial lack of knowledge, that appealed to me.

I will post more thoughts on my switch in future posts...

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Did you notice I had fewer posts recently? Compared to last year, I looked for the reason. When you look at my June, 2006 posts, you quickly see why--the STANLEY CUP. This year, as we failed to make the playoffs, I did not post as much. Two nights ago, we ended our reign as defending Stanley Cup champs, as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators. Hopefully we will see better things from the Canes next year! I did enjoy the playoffs--Myra really like the contrast in the games and Lucy liked watching 'iiiiiice' and 'awkeee'. (-:

Summer In The City

The heat returneth. Looking at my Firefox extension, I see 98 for today. Phew! And me, being the less than bright one, plan a 4 mile run today. Oh well! I actually believe I run better in the heat, as opposed to the cooler days. Running, since adding carbs back to my diet, has taken off. I did the Falls Lake Dam loop last weekend (6 miles) and SPRINTED at the end. I feel much stronger physically and mentally.
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Nana and PapPap left this morning. Lucy and Myra really enjoyed their time with them. We visited the beach (see above), lots of shopping, and they treated us to ice cream. Now we prepare for a weekend visit from Grammie and Grandpa. We even may go out on Hidden Lake this weekend!

Enjoying the Summer

Who wouldn't when Nana and PapPap come down to lend a helping hand with Lucy and Myra! I hope to post some pictures soon. The girls have been enjoying their time with Cole as well. We went to a local beach this morning, then went shopping this afternoon. Fun time!
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Running is better. The carb-free diet hindered what running I could do, so I am back in carbs eating.

The Newest Star...

Get a load of this picture...

The Old Man Posts Again

Wow! I turned 30 this week. Never thought that would happen. Do I feel any different now? Well, my back caused me some serious pain yesterday, but I attribute that more to the fact I ran 6 miles, most on hard concrete sidewalks. Today, I went on a 3 miler through Durant Nature Park with no pain--the paths were all pack dirt with a soft cushion of pine needles. Ahhhhh!
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Girls are doing well. We all went to the park this morning. A beautiful weekend here in Raleigh. Warm temps, with low humidity. We do not see too many of these types of days, so we definitely will enjoy it! We found out on Monday that Myra's Hydronephrosis (stretching of the kidney) seemingly worked itself back to normal. We will visit with our pediatric urologist Dr. Weiner (insert joke here) in a year, but all looks good! Thank goodness!
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I also started to familarize myself with Second Life. For those of you not in the 'know,' SL is a virtual world where you create a second identity. You can buy clothes, hairstyles, etc, all with virtual Linden dollars. Education began to jump on board when we discovered we could meet virtually with people from all over the world. I actually began a project with this through work, so tune in. This picture shows me hanggliding over Heinz Field on UPMC Island. (-:

The Business Continues

That's busy-ness, not business! (-:

So what's been going on this month? Two weeks of travel (over 1400 miles in day trips), my 30th birthday, and finding out Myra's kidney ailment looks good.

Thirty years old! Wow! All I can say is thank goodness. Thank goodness you ask? Well, the past 3-4 years I've spent too much time thinking how old I was. 27? 28? 29? Now I can just say thirty. Thank you to all of you for not making a big deal of it.
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Monday we also went to Duke for another ultrasound for Myra. The results show her extended kindey returned to normal size. They believe there was a blockage pre-birth that stretched her kidney. The blockage went away, but it took awhile for the kidney to return back to normal. Regardless, we are quite happy she will not need any additional procedures.

Almost Another Month!

Can you believe how quickly time continues to move? I cannot believe May is almost here! With it brings my 30th birthday, which does not hold the mystique it may for others. I always see my birthday as just another day, but this year I guess I should reflect on where I am and where we intend to go.
1. Where am I professionally? In a great place. Working at DPI, I can see myself continue there indefinitely, learning more and more about technology and politics and how they work together.

2. Where am I physically? Beginning with the marathon training and Atkins, I see myself moving back toward that great period in my life where I felt good and saw myself looking good as well.

3. Where am I personally? In a place better than I could possibly imagine. With the best wife and most awesome two little girls, I would improve nothing in my personal life. I just love life with those three!

 
 
 

Movin' Forward...

Hard to believe May is only a few days away. Time continues to speed on by! With May, come new decisions. Kerry and I actually went out to lunch yesterday (thanks for babysitting, Grammie!) and came to a few decisions. The first, and perhaps most time consuming is that I decided to run the City of Oaks Marathon. After about five years, Raleigh finally will host a marathon again. This will go throughout Downtown, NC State, and Umstead State Park. If you remember, Kerry and I ran a half-marathon through Umstead, and it kicked our you know whats! (-: So I decided to try the marathon through it. Kerry really wants to do the Marine Corps next year, so this way my chance. I'll update you on my progress!
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To coincide with that, I decided to try Atkins once again. When training for the Kiawah Island Marathon (way back in 02), I spent the summer on the carb-free diet, and I believe it really helped. I'll shed a few pounds (30 hopefully!) and build muscle for the marathon. I think, considering Lucy and some other things, this will be easier to stick with long term. We'll keep you posted on that as well!!

So Where've We Been?

I noticed I am not blogging as much as 2006. As you can imagine, the new job keeps me very busy. I throughly enjoy it though. This week I will leave on my division's retreat in Beaufort, NC to plan for the next year's activities. We keep pretty busy. I already made many business trips to Charlotte, Rich Square, and my calendar stays pretty booked. I do like the freedom to fill my own schedule, however, as it allows me to really work to the best of my ability. Definitely my learning style!
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The girls rock! We spent all weekend home (literally!) in the bathroom with Lucy as she consistently used the potty. Only a family man could get as big of a thrill out of it as I did, but I genuinely showered her with so much positive praise. Proud Papa! Myra is doing well also. Close to sleeping completely through the night, until the next growth spurt. We also think that first tooth may be coming early (3 months). We'll take that as it comes!