Once again, she says "It's been awhile..."

So what's been going on with me? Well...

• We're undertaking a redecorating effort at Jordan. Depending upon the meeting, there are anywhere from 4-6 attendees who consider themselves team members. Therefore, there are nearly always 4-6 divergent opinions on colors, styles, money and taste. The male dominated Council that recently spent thousands on a new riding mower does not understand why $500 is not enough to overhaul the facility.
  
• Jerusalem just had its city wide garage sale this weekend. I think Rab and I spent about $100. It wasn't that there were really that many amazing finds...instead, it's more like we actually did something in town and bought a bunch of junk we don't need. Haul from the excitement includes: a pipe wrench, the McCullough John Adams book ($1.oo), some rubber stamps, a dart board for each kids' room, a cool hammock chair thing, a nice bike for Rab, some clothes for Minky, an arrowhead for Sony, the award-winning movie Daredevil, a fountain (that the cat thinks is for her drinking water), a bunch of baskets, and a bag full of various kinds of tape. I think we'll hold a garage sale next week...
• The estate drama drags on without much relief. I'll spare you the maddening details.
• The dog is nearly hooked on Acepromazine - his anti-anxiety drug needed during storms. Yeah, I know, go ahead and laugh. Yes, we have a special needs dog who needs to be drugged during storms. Kinda fits us, right?
• We continue to update, improve and paint the Cute Gray House. We've now painted the dining room, living room, entry, master bedroom (wallpaper removal and trim only), Minky's room (Pirates of the Caribbean theme), Sony's room (space theme), and upper bath. We've removed wallpaper from all these rooms except the entry. What's left? The master bedroom (new color), play room, Rab's office and lower bath. The kitchen wallpaper border also needs to come down, but that's the least of our worries.
• Outdoors, Rab has fixed a walkway, planted a bunch of stuff, and improved the lawn that I ran over inadvertently during the snow thaws. We need to re-lay the walkway and parts of the sidewalk as well as do some touch up painting on the front porch. Next year, we'll tackle the backyard and maybe even the garage and a new breezeway connecting the garage to the house..
• Sony earned a 3.7 in school this year. Next year, he'll enter 7th grade. He had a friend spend the night not long ago and has begun to spend more and more time with new friends around Jerusalem. It's great to see him find his groove. He's 5'1'' - a little too close to my height!
• Minky is really doing great. He's certainly still feisty but his outbursts have become fewer and farther between. He'll go into 4th grade next year. Rab tells me I need to stop treating Minky like a toddler. Maybe I need a new baby (not!). Minky spends as much time as possible at the pool and has a pretty sweet looking dive.
  
• Rab continues to be a stay at home dad. It's like having a wife with handyman skills. He spoils me rotten, really. I get coffee in bed most mornings. Life is good.
• We've got tickets to 3 different Buffett shows this summer. I'm excited to share the excitement with some Buffett virgins who'll go with us to one of the shows. Rab and I will actually escape to Chicago for a few days in July to see those shows.
• I've been walking to work. I'm hoping to lose some weight. I don't think walking to work will solve the whole problem, but at least it won't make matters worse.
• Life is a crazy mix of work, home, and escapes to cities. Overall, we're beginning to find our groove here in Jerusalem. In a lot of ways, that's really nice.