A Mixed Bag of News

So, it's some good and some not-so-good

First, the good.  In March I was tipping the scales at an unhappy 185.  After starting a sensible diet-and-workout regimen, I am now at:

164.4 and moving downward!  Yes, clothes are fitting again!   My goal is to hit 160...then hover between 160 and 165.  Since it's a (hopefully) sensible regimen...I should be able to keep it down there.

The not-go-great news.

Mathew has returned from Tennessee, having bombed-out down there.  But in the moving-back-home bargaining process, he assured us that he's learned those difficult life lessons and has reformed.

Ummm...yeah....not so much, it seems.

He's been here for less than 24 hours and...

• Started texting his friends when Russ picked him up at the bus stop.  Was it to let all his friends know he was back in town?  Possibly.  But, more likely, setting up....
• His run to Otakon.  I'm not a fan of Otakon...not at all.  But I get that folks like it and want to go.  Fair enough.  But...he's back for less than 3 hours...and has run off to the damned place.
• He's run off to the silliness, but---

       ....he's not even managed to put his clothes and other junk away.

• He doesn't get back in time for dinner.
• He doesn't get back before we all go to bed and lock the doors.
• He does get back and--finding himself locked out--calls the house phone to wake us up and let him in.
• The next morning, he wakes up and is off to Otakon again!
• Oh, but he gets there and realizes he's left his phone and Otakon badge at the house, so calls and asks us to find it and then drive it to him at the subway station!
• Then he goes to the wrong subway station and I sit for 45 minutes at the right one, wondering where he is.
• I finally find out he's at the other one, so drive over there to deliver his stuff.
• He opens the car door, plops in the passenger seat, and says "Wait."  (Not, "Can you wait a moment, please?"  Just the one-word command.)
• He calls his buddies to find out what their plans are.  Apparently my plans are nothing more important than to cater to his whims.
• He tells his friends that if they're not doing anything, he'll "unfortunately" just go back home.  Unfortunately?

Yeah, we're off to a grand start.

End of July

Well...here we are at the end of the month.  A whole lot of nothing of report but let's see what there is to say.

First, Russ continues to work on the kitchen.  It's getting closer and closer to being finished by March 2011...   But here's some pictures so far.  The counter tops and the little squares on the edges are actually very nifty!

The country is suffering under the 2011 Killer Heat Wave, so we decided to bring Magellan indoors.  It's not much of a hutch but as it is, but it's cool and he seems to like it.  When we're home we remove the grill and he hops around the kitchen enjoying the cool.

Tonight we bit the bullet and went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two.  It was very good.  Probably not all that the rave reviews had to say, but it was good.  A couple of handfuls of pretty important bits were left out that shouldn't have been left out, but all-in-all it was a good time.  Given that it's a story that spanned 11 or so years...very, very good.

Afterward we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  Garry, having worked for weeks on trimming down for Maui, lost all control when he heard of their Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Pie.

And that's about it for now.  Thanks for reading and we'll put new things up as they occur.  (They just rarely do!  Hehe.)

July 4th, 2011

Today we had our (relatively new) tradition of fireworks on the weekend of the 4th.  Ya, I know, us and everyone else.  But...give us a bit of a break, eh?

This was the first year that we had use of the firepit and lanai, so that was a nice thing.

People started arriving around 4pm.  Cory and Jill brought over a little tent for shade so we set that up.  As people arrived, they brought their food offerings.  Russ, of course, made tray after tray of salad, fruit, veggies, chips and dip, etc., and two coolers of drinks.  Alma and Dave brought pineapple upsidedown cake and rainbow jellow.  Cory brought some home-made salsa and chips.  Chris and Beth brought persimmons, figs, lychee nuts/fruit. 

 

Garry and Russ had bought hamburger patties, hotdogs, chicken, corn-on-the-cob.  Garry and Cory began the grilling....well...Garry did mostly.  Cory, um, was the cheerleader...?  Hehe.  Nope it was great.  The food, drinks, desserts...everything was fantastic.

As the sun began to set, we moved the tent and lit the firepit.  The big kids (Cory, Garry, Greg, Granison) started lighting the smoke bombs, firecrackers, and other things that can't be seen in the dark.

Once it got dark, they began the bigger, brighter things.

(Then the aliens landed! Looks that way, anyhow!)

 
(Damian and Alex P. light up 150 bottle rockets.)

(Looks like a phoenix!)

And then it was over.  Everyone had their final drinks and went home..and arrived safely.  We put out the fire, gathered up the exhausted cartridges for pickup tomorrow, jumped in the shower to wash the gunpowder off.

Then we went to bed.  It was a great night!