Other Summer Happenings

There were really some fun times to be had this summer--even if a couple of teen-agers (who will remain nameless) state the opposing view.

The first...the house got a makeover. OK, maybe this one wasn't really all that fun. But it was definitely needed and the house looks so much better.

AND maybe some day you'll get to see the pictures of the house and all the other fun things. But for today, Blogger won the battle.

Anyway, other fun times that are noteworthy...

• playing at the river with friends (Oh, why won't you let me add a picture, Blogger?)
• attending the Carey family reunion where the "Knobnosters" beat the "Monster Trucks" in a rousing game of softball

• cousin Skyler coming for the week
• someone getting a "real" job--thank you Golden Arches
YAY, Blogger decided to let me put up a picture!
• Dave and Katelyn going a Mariners game to celebrate Grandpa and Grandma Graham's 44th wedding anniversary. And where Dave discovered that teen-age boys are DEFINITELY starting to pay attention to a certain teen-age girl.
Another successful picture(s) added!
• 2 summer birthdays. Hello 39 and 14.
• wrestling camp and a wrestling retreat.

20 Years, Man

It's been almost like paradise for 20 years.

Thanks for being...

A loving husband

A very patient man

A terrific dad

A hard worker

A goofball

A good sport

The "fixer"

An even keel to steady my craziness

A great "cheerleader"

A faithful friend

I love you.

How to Reward Honesty?

I had to take the cars in for oil changes today. Let me digress from the story just a moment to mention how great it is to have a 16 year old. No more having to wait at the oil change place or get some friend to come pick me up. Nope. I just get Kate to follow me down to the oil change place and give me a ride home.

OK, back to the story. Oil change for the cars is usually pretty uneventful. Today was mostly the same except that there was a lady out front of the store who appeared to be very down on her luck. She tried to talk to Kate as I went into the store to give them the keys for the car. Kate didn't really respond. When I came out the lady and I made eye contact. I couldn't really ignore her so I asked if she was OK. She said, "No. I really need a beer from the store" (editor's note: there was a gas station right next door to the oil change place). I said I couldn't really help her with that and then drove out.

I thought about that lady the whole time Kate and I were out doing errands waiting for the car to be done. I said to Kate that maybe I should have bought her the beer just for the fact that she was honest about what she needed. I continued to stew about my decision to just drive away without offering anything to her. Then I decided that if she was still there when we returned to pick up the car I was going to offer her to buy her a water or a Gatorade. I felt pretty good about that decision.

Unfortunately, she was no longer in front of the oil change place when we got back. I feel kind of bad that I missed an opportunity to help someone and didn't think of the water or Gatorade idea until after we left the first time. Now I'm wondering, what would you have done?

Montana 2010

This year's summer vacation was pretty low-key. We spent the week at my grandparent's place on Flathead Lake. We were surprised to find that my Aunt Judy and her family were there as well. Katelyn had a great time getting to know her cousins better--especially since they were teen-age girls (Jordan is 17 and Christina is almost 13). I'm not sure Carson enjoyed the harassment, but he at least endured it well. We spent one day up in Glacier, where we saw more mountain goats and big horn sheep than I have ever seen. Usually these animals are shy and avoid visitors, but as you can see these animals were all about being seen.

The rest of the time we spent just hanging out by the lake. Carson has mastered the art of skipping rocks and spent a lot of time seeing just how far and how many skips he could get. Katelyn enjoyed riding the wave runner. And believe it or not, the two of them even went out on the wave runner together. Katelyn started off driving. Then being the nice sister, she traded spots so Carson could drive. It was all of about 2 minutes before he managed to throw her off and she said she was done.

We finished the week by going down to Seeley Lake and participating in the Seeley Lake triathlon. Dave and Carson were a relay team and finished 1st in the men's relay. I did OK, a little slower than I had hoped to do. But we had a fun time.

Are We There Yet?

I'm pretty sure that I am ready for summer to be over. The summertime ADD that I relished at the beginning of summer has worn out its welcome. It has left me feeling as if I have accomplished nothing and that my brain is turning to mush. I have tried a few things to combat the mushiness, but only feel that they have been mildly successful. I have read a few books here and there--some stretching the brain more than others. Books I have enjoyed this summer: Jesus the Christ (read not in its entirety, but by subject depending on what I wanted to study); Dracula (because Carson was reading it); and Bourne Supremecy (read for mindless entertainment). I, of course, continued with physical endeavors to keep a good oxygen flow to the brain. Dear Brother who is in medical school: Can you tell me if there really is any research that demonstrates that physical activity really does protect the brain against deterioration? Activities engaged in this summer: running (training for a fall 1/2 marathon); biking (only triathlon of the summer is coming up this weekend); swimming (to be ready for aforementioned triathlon); weed pulling; boot camp; and hiking. I also tried a few things that encouraged creativity. This mostly involved tinkering around with recipes to make gluten-free treats that are worth eating. Oh and I also made a killer pulled pork to serve at a RS bbq. I pursued these action items because I continue the dream of opening a gluten-free bakery and a BBQ joint. But even with all of those things, I still feel like my brain was on hiatus this summer. I need to get back to my job. Not because nit-picking and band-aid applying requires much intellectual development. No, I need to get back to my job because I need the schedule and structure. Those things keep my mind engaged and working as I try to multi-task and balance all that needs to be done.

I Got the Bird Today

Dave and I went for a bike ride this evening around the Saltese loop. On the way home, we got the "bird". It was given to us by some guy driving a beat-up brown Chevy pick-up. The funny thing is Dave didn't notice it at all and I only noticed it because I glanced up just after he passed me. If his flipping us off was supposed to upset us, it certainly didn't work. I wasn't mad or offended. He's flashing of the sign certainly won't keep me off of the road. I wonder what he was trying to accomplish. I am sure he was trying to show his frustration about something, but frustration about what I am not sure. Dave and I were riding single file. We were as far to the right as possible (the road did not have any shoulder to ride on), and we were riding at a relatively decent pace. I hope that his giving us a "three finger salute" brought some sort of peace to his life. He must have been having a really bad day. And I'm grateful that he only felt the need to give us the finger instead of trying to hit us.