Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! Notice the name change from 26.2 to 13.1....so, I'm not exactly training for a marathon anymore. I figure this thing called "life" is quite enough of a marathon. Maybe my 50 year-old goal will include a marathon. For now, I'm content with half marathons and less....much less. :)

I was having trouble uploading photos on my old blog, so we'll start over with this one.

August has been a whirl-wind month with some of the following highlights:

Marijke joined our family August 7th. Marijke is from northern Germany, very close to the Baltic Sea. She is an outgoing, friendly person who is adjusting very well to life in the US!

We went on a vacation August 9th, for about a week, to one of my favorite places on earth: Colorado. Unfortunately, it means spending several hours in a vehicle crossing a vast open space also known as Nebraska. Also, unfortunately, our vacation resembled a National Lampoon's Vacation movie, as it was marked with road construction and closed attractions. However, we managed to have a great time overall, especially when we were able to spend time with my lifelong friend, Deb, and her daughter, biking in Summit County. We also spent time with Pat & Diane and McBeavy, and thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.



Shortly after we returned, we went again for an extended weekend to Minneapolis to witness the marriage of my brother with his best friend, Heather. Their wedding was unique and included many references to their shared love of biking & the outdoors. May they live long and healthy and enjoy each other.

Upon returning from the home of the Mall of America, we then geared up to start school! For the last three school years, I've been homeschooling, but this year we decided to go for it....and all four girls are now attending public school. Marijke is doing great at the high school. It is so different from her school in Germany, but she is enjoying the differences for the most part. The other three are attending middle school and are trying to figure out where they should get involved. There are many opportunities. As for me and Case, we are on day 4 of being home together. He's into PBS, reading books, playing legos, cars, trains, and "food." I'm catching up on laundry, cleaning, and when the weather cools off some more - weeding the garden areas. Wow, that's a big job!

And, of course, I turned 40 this month. Uggh! I had a few "moments" on Thursday. What's the deal with those feminine emotions anyway??? Thoughts like, "it's half way over...or maybe more!" But, I think I'm doing ok now, embracing the 40's....gulp.


This was at an amusement park in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.


This picture just cracks me up!