NYR 5-27-14

Promoted to Adult 3!!!  (Sorry you have to look at this sideways!) 

NYR 5-24-14 to 5-26-14

We were invited to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to spend the holiday weekend with Jimmy's college friend and his family.  The weather was beyond exceptional, the company entertaining as always, and the time most relaxing.

Saturday we attended the Chestertown Tea Party Festival (centered around the original tea party and not Sarah Palin and her bunch of hooligans). Think parade, festival food, artisans, etc. in an adorable small town. 

Sunday was tennis, a boat ride, fishing and kayaking.

Monday was a boat ride to a river beach before we headed back to DC.

Great weekend with great friends, and for that I'm truly thankful!

NYR 5-23-14

Today I went back to the bike shop to pick up our bikes.  Despite my rear view looking like this:

I made it home without incident and the trunk didn't fall off the back of my little car with all that extra weight.

It wasn't enough that we have the bikes.  The boys wanted to go on a ride this evening.  A bike ride for me means the equivalent of a stroll through the neighborhood to look at houses and yards.  It means something different to Jimmy and Mac.  

Jimmy estimates that we rode those bikes for 13-15 miles.

MILES.

I thought we might go 13-15 blocks, not miles.

I was utterly exhausted, my legs hurt, my backside was in pain from that little seat, and only in hindsight can I tell you that I was able to get out of the bed the next day.  

For breaking in the new (used) bike, I am thankful. 

NYR 5-22-14

After being back here for over 9 months, we finally picked out bikes tonight.  This is the first bike in my 43 years that came from a bike shop and not a Wal-Mart. Pretty exciting stuff.  I'm hoping since we paid more than $60 per bike, they'll practically ride themselves.

Thankful to have these new exercise instruments.  Yay for more exercise instruments. 

NYR 5-21-14

Today I had writing class.  There are only 5 students in the class, and I am the youngest.  I have been trying to determine the ages of the other people based on conversations and their essays.  I figured out last week that one lady must be in her 80s.  Today I figured out that one of the men is at least mid-70s because he went to his 50th high school class reunion in 2006.  The teacher also mentioned attending his 50th class reunion, and another guy is retiring from his college professor job this year.  There is one other woman in the class who has a junior in high school as well as a younger child, so she must be at least mid-40s.  

Anyway, if you take out the two youngsters in the class, you're left with 60-80 year-olds who have come out to take an Adult Ed writing class.  I think that's so cool.  

I want to be like that when I'm 85, still searching out things to do to occupy my brain and time.

For inspiration in my Adult Ed class, I'm so thankful.

NYR 5-20-14

Today, my friends, I had a breakthrough at ice skating.  Oh boy.  I think I looked like a real ice skater.  Or at least in my head I looked like a real ice skater.  The teacher even said that she thinks we might be passed to Adult 3 NEXT WEEK!

In case you're interested, I learned how to chasse.  (There's supposed to be an accent mark over that "e" but I can't figure out how to do it).  Anyway, it's pretty awesome when you learn how to do something that sounds French.  If you're interested in what I now can do, you may see it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcIphpKo9Q8

I think I need a cool ice skating costume to go with my new chasse.

For breakthroughs on the ice, I am so thankful!

NYR 5-19-14

Jimmy flew down to South Carolina so he could speak at our high school's academic awards banquet.  Not to sound bitter or anything, but I graduated with higher grades than he did in high school (even though he says he graduated ahead of me) but have given up my career and any greatness that might have come from my work to support his.  Nobody asks me to come and speak at the banquet.

So I pouted and decided that Mac and I would have a fun evening with Dad gone.  When Mac got home from school, we went to the movies to see Million Dollar Arm.  It's a little slow in parts, or maybe I was tired in parts, but it's such a great (true) story, especially if you like baseball.

Since we were being decadent, we then ordered pizza before we left the theater, picked it up en route home and devoured it once we got back.

For a great evening that felt like we were playing hooky from real life, I am truly thankful.