The Christmas Shopping is Done!

As usual, I saved my Christmas shopping for Mimi until the last moment! As of 2:30p on December 23rd, I am officially done!

I know - I am weird, but I actually enjoy hitting the stores at the last minute and picking out Mimi's Christmas gifts. I usually have a rough idea of what I am going to get her, so it is does not take that long. Good thing since I normally despise shopping! However, during the last minutes before Christmas, I do enjoy the energy level in the stores, the kids are all jumping around, and I like the people watching. I was a little surprised about how laid back it was this year. The malls were busy, but not crowded. I did not have to do "combat parking" - I actually parked very close. The sales were not as good as I expected - have the stores figured out that the people shopping at the last minute are desperate? However, I found everything I was looking for. How good is that?

Well, I am going to put my feet up and see if I can find a football game.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.......

The Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas party is a major event for Mimi. It is not unusual for her to start planning several months in advance. She spends countless hours baking and decorating cookies, planning a full buffet, and decking out the house. Many of our friends are scattered around the metro area from Warrensburg, VA to Annapolis, MD to Martinsburg, WV. This is our opportunity to see friends we only get to see once or twice a year.

This year, Mimi got a special treat. Her mother, May, arrived on Tuesday to help Mimi get ready for the party. It was perfect timing! Mimi was in class all week and was not getting home until after six. Mimi had done a lot of prep work (i.e., making cookie dough, etc.), so her mother took care of baking during the day and Mimi continued her efforts after work.

Friday and Saturday were the typical frantic days. Mimi took off work and went into high gear. With the help of mother and friends (and some help from me!), everything was finished and we were ready for the party on Saturday night!

We had a little bit of a scare with the weather. Possible ice and sleet was predicted to roll in about dusk. I had visions of eating leftovers for a month! Luckily, the Weather Service was wrong and we had a great turnout. I think there was somewhere between 45 - 60 people that made it this year. For a brief moment, I thought we might run out of food! OK, it was only a brief moment. It was probably the closest we came in a quite a few years!

Everyone appeared to have good time. Old friends, some new friends, co-workers, and neighbors made there way here and gave Mimi her "party fix" for another year. As much as we enjoy it, I am glad we do not do it more often. I was beat the next day.........

It is easy to get caught up in the trappings of the season, but there are certainly some nice benefits. Spending time with our family and friends is certainly at the top of this list!

I have been busy!

It has been extremely busy since the last time I posted to the web site, so I will try and catch up! I sent the week of November 25th in San Diego for a manager's meeting. The weather was great and we managed to keep the meetings to eight hours a day, so we were able to enjoy the city in the evening. Had some great sea food and enjoyed seeing the harbor lit up for Christmas.

The real fun started on the 30th. I got up at 4:30 am to catch an early flight home. Arrived about 3:30pm. I took a cab from the airport to Budget truck rental. I rented a van and drove home. Mimi was waiting for me. We loaded up the truck and went over to the Wakefield Rec Center to set up Mimi's booth for the craft show. Finished about 8:00pm, went and got a bite to eat, and then came home. What a long day!



Mimi worked at the craft show both Saturday and Sunday. I did not stay the whole time - went in to spell her a couple of times and did a little Christmas shopping. On Saturday night, we decided to rearrange the booth since we did not like the way we set it up.
On Sunday morning, we completed setup. Mimi and her friend Deirdre worked the booth and I went out to get the Christmas tree. The craft show ended at four, so I went to help Mimi breakdown, load/unload the truck, and return the rental van. All in all, Mimi did really well and made a dent in her inventory.

The week of December 2 was fairly uneventful. I spent time on several projects at work. Nothing exciting, but interesting enough to make the days go by fast. This weekend, we went to see the move Enchanted, went to the Sugar Loaf Craft Festival, and spent the remainder of the weekend getting ready for our big Christmas party next week. Will give an update on the party next week.

Well, I better get back to work! I need to pay bills and then go see what my next assignment is - I think quality control testing the cookies Mimi is baking should be my top priority! Till next time....

The Thanksgiving Holiday is over

As I write this, we are down to the last few hours of the holiday weekend. We had an enjoyable time the last few days. On Wednesday night, we went to see Beowulf. I can't say that I was that impressed. The animation was great, but the story line was slow and character development was weak. We went early enough to get the matinee price, so was not a total loss {grin}.

Turkey Day was busy. We cooked all morning and had some neighbors over to celebrate with us. After cleaning up the kitchen, I snoozed and watched football the rest of the afternoon.

It was back to work on Friday. Mimi is out of leave and I decided to just go ahead and work. I did get to work at home, so that made it a little more bearable.

I was really lazy on Saturday. Did not get up until about 10. Of course, it could be that I played on the computer until late on Friday since I could not sleep. We went out to lunchat Chevy's, but managed to avoid the crowds at the stores. Later in the day, we went to see another movie, Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium with some friends. It was a great movie. It was very well done and a lot of fun. Went to Frank's for dinner afterward.

Sunday was laundry day and Mimi getting ready for her next craft show. I watched a close game between Washington and Tampa Bay. Washington played a great second half, but could not make up for their mistakes in the first half. Finally, we went out for Chinese food tonight with some friends.

I feel like I gained 100 pounds this weekend, but it was nice to spend time with friends. I also got a good football fix in (did not list all the games I watched). And the biggest bonus was I did not go into a single store this weekend!

Anyway, hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday!

Thanks at Thanksgiving

OK - There is no way you can be keeping a blog and not take the opportunity to write down what you are thankful for, right? So - in true David Letterman style, here is my top ten items on my "List of Thanks"

10. I feel very fortunate to live and to have grown up in the United States. Despite our flaws, this is a great country. We do not give ourselves enough credit for the good things we do.

9. I have been blessed with a good job for the last 26 years that has provided me with a comfortable living. Like any job, it has it's ups and downs, but I have never had to worry about being laid off, had the opportunity to travel across the country, and have not had to worry about where the money to pay the mortgage and groceries would come from.

8. I am fortunate to have been blessed with good health. My few bouts with the cold/flu each year and my allergy/asthma problems seem so minor compared to the issues others around me face.

7. I am thankful for our place in Colorado. I know, it is a strange thing to be thankful for, but it was a god-send when I was going through a particularly difficult time at work. The peace and calm of the mountain and the opportunity to spend time there when the pressures of life were coming down on me was priceless.

6. I have the greatest "in-laws" you could ever ask for. I knew I had found my soul mate when I found Mimi, but I did not realize how much more I would be getting when I married in to her family. I love them dearly and I am thankful that they all came into my life.

5. I had the best grandparents that a person could ever wish for. Although they are all gone now, I still think of them often and how much they meant to me. A quick word about each of them:

Ivan Mendenhall - My fondest memories of my grandfather has to be two things - working with him in their country store and cutting thistles on the farm. It may be selfish, but I think the reason I remember and cherish these times the most is because I had him all to myself. We were very close and I still miss him.

He was a man that worked hard all his life and had very little if you measure things by wealth. He did not. I learned from him that caring for your family and the people around you is the most important thing you can do. He was always in the background and never looked for praise. He just did what he thought was right and enriched the life of everyone around him.

Kathryn Mendenhall - My grandmother was the most spiritual person I have ever known. She looked for the good in everyone and everything. Her faith in God was amazing and she certainly showed me what can be accomplished by one person. She lived her life to serve others and never expected anything in return. My childhood memories of her are filled with acts of her giving of herself - taking meals to shut-ins, visiting people in the local nursing homes, teaching Sunday school, doting over her grandchildren, and attending to the needs of her family. I was fortunate to attend college a few miles away and was able to spend a great deal of time learning about my grandmother as a young adult. I would not trade this time for anything.

Bill Trembly - My Grandpa Trembly was an amazing man. He provided for a large family during the height of the depression. He could fix anything and spent my formative years fixing every TV, radio, lawn mower, etc. in southern Iowa. He was vey different than my other grandfather. I also have many memories of him, but there is one that has always stuck with me. The only car he ever had that I remember was a 1949 Plymouth. He loved that car. He had two engines for it and drove it over 500,000 miles! One time when I was in Iowa for the summer, he was rebuilding his "spare" engine and there was a part he needed that he could not find. Did that stop him? Ha! No, he built the part himself!

He did not openly show affection to his many grandchildren, but there was no doubt that he loved all of them. Even though we lived far away, we were fortunate to spend time with them each summer. In addition, we would see them each spring when they were working their way back from Arizona to Iowa. I spent time with him picking up more bullet shells in the desert around El Paso than you can imagine (he recycled the brass for gas money).

Elsie Trembly - My Grandma Trembly was a wonderful woman. She had tons of grandchildren that demanded her attention, but she had the ability to make each one of us feel special. As a child growing up, I did not get to spend a lot of one-on-one time with her. During our summer visits, there were always dozens of people around and she was always busy cooking! However, when they would come to El Paso in the spring, we had her all to ourselves. Later on, I got to spend some time getting to know her. I learned just how hard her life was and how they struggled to support their family. However, she was always there when you needed her and I will never forget just sitting and talking with her.

4. I am thankful for my mother and the time we had with her. I know I also mentioned my parents in Item 2, but I feel like I needed this just for her. I was very close to my mother and when she died, I felt like there was a big piece of me was missing that could never be recovered. She always worried about me being alone and I wish she would have been around to see how things have turned out.

3. I have two wonderful siblings. Life has taken us in different directions and we are scattered from DC to Alaska. We fought like cats and dogs growing up, but there is no doubt that we love each other. Although we are not as close as I would like, I know that they are always there for me.

2. I have wonderful parents. I grew up in a loving home with parents that not only provided the necessities of life, but taught me everything that is truly important. My parents were always our guide and our friend. They literally grew up with us (they were married very young). I have vivid memories of our parents playing with us when other parents just stood around and did not take an active role in their children's life. My mother died at 48 and even that experience eventually opened up new opportunties for me. I got to know my Dad in a way I never did before and Nancy came into our family.

1. And finally - I thank God for my soul mate, Mimi. We celebrated our 12th anniversary this month. She came into my life when I needed her most and she is everything I could ever want or need. She is my best friend and the love of my life. I don't know what I ever did to deserve her, but I cannot imagine my life without her in it. When I think back over my life, it has taken many twists and turns. I can't help but wonder how much was fate and how much was divine intervention. Whatever the cause, I am thankful that we found each other and look forward to spending the rest of our life together.

Wow - that took longer than I thought. Here's wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Till next time.....

Wakefield Arts and Craft Show

Mimi is getting ready for her next craft show. For those of you that are able to attend, we would love to see you there.



Wakefield Park 30th Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Show

Audrey Moore RECenter
8100 Braddock Road
Annandale, VA

Mimi will be in Booth #67 in the Gymnasium.

Hope to see you there!

Sitting in the airport

I am writing this in the airport in Cincinnati. I flew here on Tuesday for work. We were expected to stay through Friday, but finished up early, so I am on my way home today (yeah!).

Mimi & I celebrated our 12th anniversary last weekend. It is hard to believe it has been 12 years! It seems like time is passing so fast! We decided to take a short road trip and just take some down time since Monday was a holiday. We drove to the Eastern shore on Saturday and stayed at a B&B near Assateague Island.
We worked our way up the coast to Ocean City and into Deleware. The weather was good for early November and we just enjoyed the down time.

We did not have good news regarding kitty health care last week. Sandy (our middle cat), had to have a tooth pulled and Bo (our youngest) has a heart problem. Luckily, it appears it can be treated with relatively cheap medicine. If only the kitty cardiologist would have been more reasonable!

Well, they just called my zone for boarding! Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

It is a cool fall night here. The smell of fall is in the air and it finally looks like the dog days of summer is past. I really love this time of year!

It has been a tough couple of weeks in the Mendenhall household. Mimi has had some issues going on at work and I am feeling very unmotivated at the moment. Despite that, we have managed to get a few things done since the last time I was on here.

Last week, we closed on our house refinance. The rates were pretty good and we thought it was time. We have heard so much in the news about the mortgage industry right now, but I have to say it was the easiest it has ever been. One phone call, a handful of questions and we were done. No lengthy loan applications, nothing! They even came to our house to do the closing. We did have to sign our names countless times, but still took less than 30 minutes.

We spent some time working on Mimi's workshop (uh, the garage). We put up some new shelves, organized glass supplies and cleared some workspace. The workshop will never be big enough, but at least Mimi can turn around now! I mounted the web cam up high on a newly empty shelf. Not much to see, but at least I am putting it to use.

Our weekly movie last Friday was Dan in Real Life. It was an interesting experience. The movie covered a wide range - funny, weird, boring, heart-warming - you get the idea. Overall, it was a decent movie - not the best I have seen, but probably worth seeing.

I watched a heart breaker on Monday night - Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay. Denver lost in the early minutes of overtime. I rarely get to see a Denver game on the east coast - we have Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, New England, and a couple of others in the vicinity, so you rarely see anything but regional action.

Not much else going on. This coming weekend is starting to fill up with various activities, with the biggest being a friends wedding. Till next time......

Club Fed

I spent the week in Glyno, GA attending a meeting at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. FLETC is an interesting place. Even though I work in Criminal Investigation at a federal agency, I am in Computer Support, not a Special Agent, so I did not go through training at FLETC. It is interesting to see all the new recruits from the various federal agencies going through training. Makes me feel a little old, though. The average age is probably somewhere around 22-24 and the training looks intense. And they all look pretty fit! The students probably look at me and wonder why that fat older man is on campus {grin}. Anyway, we stayed at a nice resort out on St. Simmons Island. We had limited time to explore since we were in meetings all day, but it was a nice setting, the heat/humidity was tolerable, and I got to catch up with some old friends.

Mimi spent the week catching up at work and organizing her workshop. She always gets a lot done when I am out of town!

Mimi & I did get a chance to spend the evening together. We went and saw a movie, Gone Baby Gone. Can't say I was that impressed, but not that bad at matinee price.

Have not decided what we are going to do this weekend. Guess we will decide Saturday morning........

Craft Shows and Other Stuff

If you have been reading my blog, you know that we were at the Fredricksburg Wine Festival last weekend. Mimi worked every night for weeks to get ready. Unfortunately, the attendance was light due to the unseasonably hot weather. Not hard to understand - the main draw is wine testing, which is probably not real pleasant when it is 86-92 and humid!
Even so, Mimi did OK and got some more experience under her belt. Even the attendees that did not buy anything were very complimentary of her work and took the time to tell her so. Our friends, Deirdre and Charles, came down to Fredricksburg to help us, so it was not a huge chore to set up, man the booth, and break it down after the show. There was a good band and everyone also got in a little wine tasting (I skipped that!), shopping, and good food. We stayed down in Fredricksburg at the Coate's cabin on Friday and Saturday night. It is on several acres of land away from the hustle and bustle of Washington. We were really tired after long days at the show, so we did not get a chance to really enjoy it, but it sure beat fighting the traffic up I-95 or staying at a hotel. It did cool off at night - we opened the windows and enjoyed the fresh air.

Tonight, I watched one of my favorite shows, Boston Legal. It can really be bizarre at times, but it occasionally has moments that really get you to think. One of the main story lines tonight was a 15 year old girl that had contracted AIDS. She was suing her school for the lack of comprehensive sex education (i.e., abstinence only). Alan Shore (James Spader), the plaintiff lawyer, did a closing that was unbelievable. By nature, I am a fairly conservative person, but it really got me to think about the issue of sex education in all forms and how important it is for our kids. I don't know when this episode will be available on ABC's Full Episode Player or the rerun will be on, but if you missed it, it is worth watching.

Finally, a last bit of good news! We got a call from the Old Town Theater on Monday. They found Mimi's wallet (see 9/15 post). It still had the cash and all her credit cards in it! Yea!

Trip to Black Hills and Bad Lands

I finally got around to adding a few pictures to my Photo Album from vacation to South Dakota. It was a phenomenal trip. I have embedded a slide show here. You can also view pictures in the Photo Album.

The Badlands

Just got back from a week in the South Dakota Black Hills and the Bad Lands. It was an amazing trip. An unbelievable amount of wildlife, perfect weather, and great scenery. I will post some pictures later this week.

Fall is here

TIme is marching by and it is fall again! Life here has changed little since the last time I wrote. Mimi spends every free moment getting ready for the upcoming craft show. You can tell the pressure is on as it gets closer to October 6th.

Yesterday, we took a proactive step of putting up the new E-ZUp tent we purchased last May to make sure everything was OK. It was an extremly frustrating experience, but I am glad we did, since we found out it was defective. After trying to get it up for almost 45 minutes, we gave up and took it back to Sam's Club and got a replaement. Going to Sam's Club is always an experience! It is about 45 minutes south of here on the dreaded I-95. On the weekends, it can be a 40 minute drive or a 2 hour drive! We lucked out and made it down there in about 50 minutes. The Customer Service Representative at Sam's was fantastic. Not only did she go out of her way to help us, she knew we had a bad morning and went out of her way to cheer us up. We left Sam's in a much better mood than when we arrived. It just shows what a symathetic ear and a smile can do to improve your day!

The rest of the day was much better. We got the new tent home and put it up in about 10 minutes - amazing! Later that day we went to dinner in Old Town and went to see a movie with friends. The movie, Stardust, was very entertaining. It came out a few weeks ago and did not get a lot of press (at least I did not see much), but I would rate it as one of the best movies we saw this summer.

I am preparing for my trip to the Badlands - will have more on that later.

Stay safe and be happy!

I Love September!

I love cool weather! We had what I consider perfect weather today. High in the 70's, sunny and a light breeze. How can it get any better than that? We enjoyed an afternoon drive in the convertible today, opened all the windows in the house, and just enjoyed the day.

Not as much fun last night. We went to the Old Town Theater and saw the new Jodie Foster movie, The Brave One. The Old Town Theater (circa 1914) is not the best venue, but we like to give it our business when we can and help keep the old theater alive. As for the movie, we did not feel cheated, but would not consider it a great movie. We both thought the character development was weak, and except for a couple of surprises, the plot was pretty predictable. After the movie, we went to the Austin Grill. Usually, this is a great place to eat, but Mimi's meal, the "Fajita Burrito", was really the "Gristle Burrito". I will say that our waiter, Orlando, and the Austin Grill management were great when we brought it to their attention. Worst part of the evening actually came the next morning when Mimi realized she lost her wallet. Spent Saturday morning cancelling credit cards and retracing our steps. No luck finding her wallet. Of course, as luck would have it, she just hit the ATM Friday afternoon. Oh well, a lot worse things can happen to you! My main regret is she had the winning lottery ticket in her wallet {grin}.

Did I say the weather was beautiful today......

Late Summer Activities

It has been a few days since I have written anything, so thought I would add a few lines. I have not decided if my lack of anything to write is due to

1.) My life is boring?
2.) I am too busy to do this,
3.) or I am just lazy and let it go for a few days.

No matter - I plan on keeping this blog up, at least as long as it is fun and I have some interest in doing it!

We went up to the Alexandria Festival of the Arts on Sunday. It was a nice day and not oppressive like it can be this time of year. It looked like there were about 200 vendors, mostly selling framed art and sculptures. The city closed off several blocks on King Street, so we enjoyed strolling down the street and admiring the work of numerous artists. The prices were well out of our range or at least more than we were willing to spend, but we still had a good time.

There was one very enterprising artist that we planned to buy something from, but she was so busy, we did not get the opportunity to buy anything. There was a 7 year old girl that was drawing "refrigerator" pictures for $1. It was too cute! Her Dad was selling sculptures (at MUCH higher prices) and she was spending the day with him. She was doing a booming business! She had her little table set up and would draw her custom art work (dogs, horses, etc.) on the spot. I would say she easily had the largest crowds of any vendor there!

Later in the day, we went and saw the new western, 3:10 to Yuma. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie, although it was very violent. There was enough plot twists to keep it interesting - overall, a good movie.

Mimi continues to work every night making plates and jewelry for the Wine Festival. I have included the web site for the Fredericksburg Area Wine Festival if you are interested.

Autumn Fired Designs

My wife, the artist! A few years ago, Mimi started messing around with stained glass. She made a few things - a lamp, a kitchen cabinet, wall hangings, etc. Recently, she has become interested in glass fusing - bowls, jewelry, etc. To help pay for her hobby, she has started selling her work. She was in two craft shows last year and has a couple planned for this fall. Her next show is at the Fredricksburg Wine Festival the weekend of October 5th. If you are in the area, look her up. She has made some amazing things!

Anyway, Mimi plans to make glass fusing her full time job when I retire (and she quits the corporate world). We plan to be on the craft show circuit in Colorado and hopefully do some consignments in the resort areas around New Mexico and Colorado.

I added a picture of Mimi's workshop (OK, it is the garage) on this blog. The web camera uploads a picture every five minutes during the times Mimi is most likely to be making something. If the picture is black, it just means the lights are out in the shop! You never know when she will show up there!

Labor Day

We spent the holiday weekend in Alabama. This was the "informal" family gathering for the Mimi's parents 50th wedding anniversary. The weather was overcast, but not real hot - a pleasant surprise in Alabama this time of year.



All of Mimi's family made it to the lake. We went fishing, took a ride on the pontoon boat, and spent some time catching up with everyone. On Sunday, night I went fishing with Mimi's Dad. The lake was perfectly still and the stars were out. I gave out on the fishing after about an hour, but had a great time just sitting back in the boat enjoying the stars and cool night breezes.

No flight delays getting home (darn), so back to work and life in DC! At least it is a short week.......

Messed up subway

Monday got off to a bad start! I got to the subway and the train was delayed. The train was very full - standing room only. We finally left the station, but was really slow going. Took over 20 minutes to get to the next stop (usually a five minute ride). I was feeling really claustrophobic and the idea of 20 minutes for each stop (over 10 of them), so I decided heck with it and got off to catch the next train home. I have what I need to work at home, right?! When I got home, I established a VPN connection, logged in, and found out our mail server was down. It is amazing how much you depend on email being available. Since I worked at home on Friday, I still had some tasks left over I could work on. I had enough work to keep me busy until about 2:30p, so I took leave for the remainder of the day. Sometimes it would just be better to stay in bed......our cat, Bo, was happy to have me around, so at least someone was happy!

A Low-Key Weekend

It has been pretty low-key this weekend. Saturday was a scorcher, so we stayed in the cool indoors most of the day. Mimi's aunt and friend came over for a couple of hours, but that was about it. It rained cats and dogs for about 2 hours with a fabulous lightning show.

Today (Sunday), I have been on my own most of the day. Mimi is up at the glass studio getting some pointers from the artist/instructors on her latest creation (some kind of Christmas plate). Of course, she will probably come home with some new glass supplies too {grin}! I have just been puttering around the house, listening to music, and just relaxing. Did manage to get some pictures of some items Mimi needed ready for submission. She needed them for a craft show application.

Friday Activities

I love working at home instead of going to the office. Occasionally, I get to knock 90-120 minutes of commuting off my day and work at home. It is really the same as being in the office except for occasionally knocking the cat off the desk! I don't take advantage of it too often, but it is nice. It is a challenge sometimes to keep from getting distracted, but otherwise I am usually productive.

Later that day, we went to the Marine Barracks to see the evening parade. We met Mimi's aunt and her friend, and also Mimi's cousin. Mimi's grandfather was once the commanding officer of the barracks. In 1948, he instituted the silent drill. It is still being done today. It is pretty amazing to see the drill team and what they can do with their rifles (with bayonet attached!). It is completely silent except for the maneuvering of the rifles. The drum and bugle corp was there and also the "President's Own" marching band. There was one funny part. Guess who the honored guest for the night was? A wounded soldier from Iraq? Someone else from the Marine Corp? A member of Congress? No..............it was the CEO of Outback Steak House. According to Mimi's aunt, her father was turning over in his grave! Anyway, it was fun and Mimi and her aunt had a good time swooning over the young Marines in their full dress uniforms.

Odds and Ends

I was riding home on the subway tonight with an unusual number of tourists instead of the normal bleary-eyed commuters. It was actually quite enjoyable. Instead of the normally subdued environment one experiences during the nightly commute (lots of newspapers and cell phone conversations), there was excitement in the air. One of the families sitting nearby was talking about what they had seen that day. Mom was gushing about the cleanliness of the subway system and how easy it was to use. Dad and his teenage son had really enjoyed the Air & Space Museum. One of the younger kids was trying to decide which museum was the "best". I think he decided on the paddle boats at the Tidal Basin or the big spider {grin}. I knew exactly what spider he meant, so I came home and dug out the picture to put with this post! Anyway, the kids were wound up like a drum and you could just tell they had a great time. No video games, no cell phones, no sullen teenagers. Just a family enjoying spending time together and reliving the experiences of the day.

It also reminded me how contagious a positive attitude can be. By the end of the ride, the locals were awake and chatting with the tourists, giving them suggestions on what else to see in DC, and actually enjoying the ride home.

There is a great deal we cannot control in our life, but we can certainly make it better for ourselves and the people around us........

Our House in Colorado

After a long search, we found our retirement property in Colorado. It is hard to beleive we found it almost seven years ago. We are counting the days until we will be full time residents and build our retirement home.

The following is just a little slide show I put together. It shows the construction of our vacation home/guest house.

The World of Wii

This month seems to be the month of new experiences. On Saturday, I learned about a video gaming system call Wii. I know, you are thinking "Where in the world has he been!?" Hey, when you don't have kids and have not played a video game since the hype of the Xbox (the first one, not the Xbox 360), you can be out of touch with these things! Anyway, I went over to my neighbor's house and played on it for a couple of hours last weekend. What a riot! It was a mixture of the older video games with new technology mixed in. Best of all, I even got some exercise for something other than the thumbs! Try doing several rounds of boxing on this game when you are out of shape - it is a workout! I don't think that I will run out and buy one, but I can see myself wandering over next door and bowling a few frames every once in a while.......

Entering A Brave New World

Mimi & I just got back from having dinner with Jason (my nephew). He is here in DC for his Peace Corp orientation for a couple of days and then he will be heading to Kazakhstan. He is excited, but a little nervous. It is an exciting time for him, and we were happy we got to spend a couple of hours and visit with with him before he leaves. He is a great guy and will do well. Good luck, Jason!

Not much else going on today. I got back in work mode and managed to be fairly productive. I got a few minor action items out of the way, worked on IT Contingency Plans (boring!), and finalized some new operating procedures.

On my blog, I removed a slide show I created last night since there seems to be some problem with Firefox users viewing it (works fine in Internet Explorer). I will figure out what the deal is this weekend, but just not in the mood to mess with it right now.

Sunday Activities

It was pretty easy day today. First order of business today was the International Gem & Jewelry Show at the Dulles Convention Center in Chantilly. Mimi likes to go to this show to pick up supplies for her glass fusing hobby/business. I am not big on shopping, but it is pretty amazing. More jewelry, gems, beads, findings, etc. than you can imagine, and a few thousand people in attendance! Not much there that I am interested in, but there are usually a few vendors selling nice rocks. No, not diamonds (although there is plenty of precious stone), but all kinds of raw material, such as large crystal formations, agates, etc. While Mimi is shopping for supplies, I look at these and frequent the food court for roasted almonds. Ah, the life of a devoted husband!

Later, we had dinner with our adopted grandparents, Franklin and Janee. They are full of great stories and Franklin always takes us on a tour of the changes he has made to his backyard landscaping. He is amazing - 79 years old and he puts in a work day that would lay me flat. We had a delightful supper, showed them a slide show I created for May & Jerry's 50th Anniversary, and watched the baby kits (three juvenile fox pups) that visit nightly fight over chicken bones. It was very relaxing and enjoyable evening. It is almost like having family in the area.....

Well, the weekend is over and we have to get back to making a living on Monday morning. Always look forward to going back to work (not!).

A Great Summer Day

Wow! What great weather today! We had a beautiful, sunny day with low humidity and temps in the low 80s! Mimi was in a class today, so I decided to go out for a drive, even with the high gas prices. I did a nice loop. I went down to the Maryland shore along the Potomac. Crossed back into Virginia on Hwy 301, then took a very scenic road to Fredricksburg, and then home.

I am a little sunburned, but it was great! The only "bad" part of the trip was getting on Interstate 95 at Fredricksburg to get back home. As usual, the traffic was unbelievable. I finally bailed out on to Route 1 until I got by a series of accidents. However, it is a lot easier to put up with traffic when the weather is perfect!

It was hard to believe how many convertibles I saw with their tops up. What kind of weather are they waiting for? When Mimi and I are together, we usually start yelling "convertible wimp!", but without her to protect me, I decided to hold my tongue .

Entering the wold of Bloggers

OK - We will see how long I keep this up. Just a note to start this out! Although I am an IT Manager and work with computers all day, every day, I have never spent much time in this medium. One of my nieces recently introduced me to MySpace.com and Facebook. It made me realize two things.

1. I am glad I don't have kids and have to monitor their Internet Usage
2. It looks like blogging may be kinda fun

We will see......