quick report

My mind has been in a million different places.

First thing:

Shirley finished school last week. I can't even begin to say how proud I am of her for the hard work that she has put in since beginning school here last year. She has improved dramatically in so many areas and continues to work hard to improve. She is such a smart girl who loves to read, even taking time to read to her brothers quite often. Now she is getting into summer mode, enjoying being at home with Mami and the boys, spending time with them. Mami continues to work with her in math, though, but she has been good about working without much complaint.
Shirley also lost her first tooth here in the U.S. the other day. She was so proud of losing it, showing us immediately after it fell out as she brushed her teeth for bed. She got a nice visit from the tooth fairy for her first one with us; I thought about pulling out some of my own for the generosity shown by the tooth fairy. Anyhow, she will most likely lose another one in the next couple weeks; the dentist said it would be a summer for her losing teeth. She's going to be rich.

She also had her 10th birthday earlier this week. After a full day of fun with Mami and some time with Tio Pepe', we ended up going out for dinner at a steak house (her choice) with some friends. It was a good time for everyone, visiting and celebrating her birthday. Her summer has been quite adventurous so far, and will continue to be so as Janine and the kids prepare for a trip back to PA for a while.

The boys have been doing great. The biggest thing about them is how much they have grown lately. It seems that both Juan and Andres have sprouted about three more inches just in recent weeks. I am not sure that it is necessarily true, but it certainly seems to be so. It has been fun to see them growing in so many ways and developing new skills all the time. They have fun wrestling each other and playing as much as possible. Every time I wake them on Saturday I ask what they want to do that day. Inevitably, Juan answers, "Play." That's all he wants to do. Play. I always tell them that it sounds like a good idea. I can't believe that they will be going to pre-school in the fall. They are growing so quickly.

For me, work continues. It hasn't been an overly busy summer so far, but it has been busy enough. With the economy slacking somewhat, I am very happy to have had steady work and to have had strong support from our boss in making sure that we are able to stay busy. I know that survey is not my ultimate goal, and that I have been less than thrilled about it before, but I am grateful for it now, for the chance to provide for our family on a regular basis.

I continue to get ready for the Mexico trip, which is now just four weeks away. I am anticipating a wonderful trip, full of hard work and good times. Our friends Josh and Becky have been diligently working hard to prepare our team and have been doing a fantastic job getting us all ready. Tomorrow we will work as a team in doing some things around our condo complex; I will like being close to home to work, as I am sure that Janine and the kids will join us in the fun on what looks to be the hottest day of the year so far.

But that will follow the running of another 5K. My 4th race and 3rd 5K of the year. This comes one week after running a 10K down Emigration Canyon. I can't really explain what has happened, why I have started running...and really why I have enjoyed running. But I do. It has become a time for me to get good exercise in a relatively short time (usually I run for about 25 minutes, 50 on Saturdays) and to clear my mind of much of the nonsense that compiles throughout the week. It is refreshing for me, and has been good for my stress level. In the seven weeks that I have been running I have dropped 15 pounds, too, which is an added bonus. I am grateful to have the support of a few friends who have been running the races with me, challenging me in the training, and just overall having fun with me in doing all of this. Plus there is the friendly competition that we have with each other, which helps push us to our limits (and sometimes past our limits) for sure. It has been fun.

Anyhow, I have been absent for a while, but it is not for a lack of things to say or with any intention to not fill readers in on what has been going on. I have just lost track of time, really, getting caught up in the busyness of reality, specifically summers. There is actually a ton of things going on in my mind, but I will have to find the time and words to share them. For now, just play by play news.

The news of Tim Russert has touched me in an odd way. I stayed up late with him and Tom Brokaw on election night in 2000, sitting in an apartment in Glennallen, AK, awaiting news of a winner, only to go to bed without a new president-elect. I was 24, just beginning to care about a lot of thing in the socio-political spectrum, and found someone who I believed I could listen to, who could speak to the people and be entertaining at the same time. I have enjoyed Tim Russert in the 8 years since. I will miss him.


Go Celtics.