Just keepin' on

I was helping my dad on his computer over the past weekend and noticed I hadn't posted anything since January 3. (Andersonville is set up as the homepage on his Internet...yeah!) Not sure exactly how that happened but it did. I hadn't meant to neglect posting. It just happened.

Following is a quick snapshot of the last two months -

JANUARY

Mile High Madelyn turned 7!

She celebrated by having donut holes with her class at school. And, she had a gymnastics party at Peak Athletics with her close friends. Great fun was had by all who attended including those of us who stayed to watch the fun.

There are a lot of toothless grins amongst this group but that's just one of the many things that makes this age and these friends so special.

Running.

There's been a lot of running. (1) I like it. It makes me happy. And, (B) On Halloween, I registered for the Platte River Half Marathon on April 10. Three years ago, I ran this race with a friend but I didn't have a great race. Please note that it had nothing to do with my friend! This time, I'm hoping to beat my previous time and have a better overall experience.

I finally have good cold weather gear so I've been able to log most of my miles outside. The medieval contraptions in the picture on the right are called Yaktrax. They're basically chains for your running shoes and they're awesome. With all the unpaved trails around Highlands Ranch and Littleton, now I don't have to wait for everything to be melted to head outside.

Thanks to a pair of crumb-bum running shoes, which have long since been replaced, I developed tendonitis in the posterior ligament on my left foot. Translation: My foot hurt...a lot. However, the second podiatrist I visited identified the problem and seems to have gotten it under control. I've been mostly pain free for the last month plus. For that, I'm thankful.

FEBRUARY

Girls' trip to Grand Lake with Rebecca. 

This was a much-needed and well overdue trip for Rebecca and I. Her family owns a home off of Shadow Lake in Grand Lake, Colorado. She graciously invited me up for a weekend. We had a great time catching up without interruptions, sleeping, relaxing, and being together.

Perfect weather for snowshoeing. Thank you, Rebecca. I look forward to our next trip!

Super Bowl.

Broncos win! Enough said.

The Dude (Sawyer) and I had planned on attending the celebration parade and rally downtown two days following the game. But, when I heard they were anticipating 500K+ people, we decided to stay home and watch it together on the TV. The news reported that almost 1 million people actually attended the parade and rally. Wow! Such an exciting and fun time! And, at home on our couch, we had the best seats in town.

Valentine's Day.

I'm Room Parent for Madelyn's classroom and Valentine's Day is a biggie with first graders. Needless to say, they had a great, simple party and I was relieved when it was over. A room full of 26 amped up 6- and 7-year olds is exhausting!

Boys' Ski Trip to Winter Park.

February was closed out with a boys' ski trip for Griff, Gabe, and Uncle Jerky. Gabe and Kari own a mountain house in Fraser, just outside of Winter Park, Colorado. The three boys went up to Winter Park, skied for two days, and stayed at Gabe and Kari's place. I keep hearing bits and pieces about things that happened and stories that were shared. And, I'm convinced it was a good time.

Gymnastics for both Madelyn and Sawyer wrap up next week. We're taking a break on sports and activities until t-ball (Sawyer) and softball (Madelyn) start in mid-May. Other than, I'll keep on keepin' on...and try to get back to posting more regularly.