I've been tagged!

OK, so I haven't updated this thing in forever. Well, you know, life has a way of getting in the way and mucking up the blogging process. I bet there are worse things to happen in this life. :-)

So, Kim, here you go ......

1. Where did you meet?
In the local "it" grocery store at the time in our hometown.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
What eyes!

3. Do you remember what he was wearing?
A Demond's red apron over his clothes - I believe black jeans and most likely a white, long-sleeve shirt.

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?
In my parent's garage after our first date.

5. Where did you go for your first date?
It's been a long time ...... I know we ended up at his brother's softball game and some kids there kept running by me and smacking my behind.

6. How long did you know this person before you were a couple?
Hmm...... About 5 years, I think. Friendship is wonderful.

7. How did he ask you out?
He asked me to go to his sister's wedding. The rest is history.

8. Has this person ever proposed to you?
Yep.

9. Do you and this person have kids together?
At this point just dingoes and felines.

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person??????
Probably .... every time we drive somewhere! And then there's the tree poaching and not following included instructions ......

11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person.
Immediately. Even though I was only 13 when I first saw him, something was there. Over the years my thoughts always returned to him.

12. Do you get along with his family?
Yep!

13. Do you trust this person?
Most definitely - except when it comes to doing laundry the "correct" way. (Read that as MY way!)

14. Do you see him as your partner in the future?
Yes.

15. What is the best gift he gave you?
Our pups!

16. What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves?
Well, he has a tendency to kick his legs around at night. I swear, sometimes I think I could just cut them off! :-)

17. Where do you see each other 15 years from now?
Living in a house in the middle of the woods with herds of pups and goats running around. In our spare time we travel the world completing long-distance runs.

18. What causes the most arguments?
I don't like to think of then as arguments, but as discussions that require clarification.

19. How long have you been together?
This coming July 1 will be 16 years.

20. Are you married?
Yep.

That's done! So, I should write another entry that updates our happenings. Well, .... maybe later. ;-)

the Deck - a test of endurance

Here are a few more photos of the deck ... the beast that it is:

Deck photos

OK, so I haven't written in this thing in "many moons." Many moons as in butts. As in, mine keeps getting bigger because we keep eating too much! Ha!!!

So, here's the scoop. I haven't been doing much at all on my dissertation, but the deck is coming along nicely. Here are a few photos:



This on is of the guys digging holes for the supporting posts for the deck. There are 17 of these things in total. Our ground is just about completely ROCK. Needless to say, fun was had by all. :-)









And here's one of Corina -- helping dig/clean-up the holes. Isn't she just too cute? She had bought those new blue jeans earlier in the day at the local ShopKo. She found quite a few nice things at ShopKo.



And here's the "boss" of the operation. He does like to supervise. And if you don't do what he likes, he'll lift his leg on you.
Here's a shot of the part of the deck that goes off of the dining area. Combined, I think the deck will be 800+ square feet! That's bigger than many of the apartments we've lived in! Ha!


So, I'll try to take more photos of the deck today and tomorrow and I'll update this thing once again.

The end is near

OK - sounds ominous. What I'm talking about is the end of my summer vacation. I will be going back to work on August 18. I wish I could say that I have accomplished a TON on my dissertation during my break, but alas, this is not the case. I have made quite a bit of progress in how I'm thinking about it and the overall organizational structure of the thing, but, as is the case with pretty much everything I do, I don't feel like I've done nearly enough. I seem to do much better when I have less time and severe deadlines. I'm hoping that going back to work - this time having my own office (with a door!) - will encourage me to kick it in gear. It looks like my last day to defend and graduate this fall will be November 7. Ug - -now I feel sick.

So, what else has been going on? Hmmmm...... Well, we've been putting up insulation and drywall in our garage. It's not much fun, but it certainly looks a lot better than it did before. Chris has been doing some fishing - he even caught a walleye and three lake trout last week. Boy, they were good!

Chris is doing the Copperman Triathlon this weekend in Copper Harbor. We plan on staying at the Ft. Wilkins campground on Friday night to avoid traffic and parking on Saturday morning. Hehehe - parking and traffic in Copper Harbor! It should be fun. Chris did it last year and enjoyed it, so I know he'll enjoy it this weekend. I'll be the athletic supporter and will have both dogs on leash, so it should be interesting. I'm sure they'll enjoy being out-and-about, I just hope they behave.

Other than that, life goes on. One of our sets of friends found out they were expecting last week - she's due at the end of March. Anita is exactly 3 days older than me and her husband, Chris, graduated with his PhD from UCF at the same time my Chris did. Funny that we both ended up here! So, I guess our time is coming! I'd like to first graduate and finish the Chicago marathon, but anytime after that is as good as any I guess. Hopefully, it won't take too long -- tick-tock, tick-tock. Ah, how time flies.

The price of living in heaven

OK, so an admittedly odd title.

When we were considering the move up here a colleague of Chris' mentioned that air travel can be a bit unpredictable up here. Apparently, he told us, air departures/arrivals are on time and without delays and problems about 30% of the time. He went on to say that this could be a bit frustrating (much travel occurs in order to locate and maintain relationships with sponsors), but that's the price we all pay for living in heaven. Well, Chris paid up for quite awhile last night.

Yesterday Chris flew to Minneapolis for the day - taking the 6am flight out and coming back on the late flight at 11:45pm. At least that was what should have happened. Morning went off without a hitch - step 1 complete. He arrived back at the Minneapolis airport yesterday afternoon around 4pm their time, hoping to get back here on an earlier flight if possible. Well, that earlier flight was canceled for some reason (maybe not enough people to "make" the flight). No big deal, he thought, he'd just come back on his scheduled later flight on the "big" plane - read that as an actual jet, 4 seats across. Our other plane selection is a nice little, 3-seat-wide, prop plane. These can be quite exciting to ride as they like to bounce up and down a bit on the wind. So, then the late flight on the big plane was canceled. A bit later, the late flight was rescheduled, but on the small plane. Again, no big deal, at least he'd get home .... he thought.

The time came for plane boarding. They all got on the little plane - the little plane that never seems to have much in the way of forced air circulation until it is completely up in the air. After they sat on the tarmac for over an hour, they finally took off. There was a line of storms that had moved through Minneapolis earlier that caused a bit of a backup for flights taking off. Up in the air, Chris got to enjoy a simulated roller coaster ride - he does not normally enjoy riding roller coasters. The line of storms won the race to the Houghton County Airport. The plane circled for quite awhile. The pilot finally came on to inform them that they were running low in fuel and needed to land somewhere in relatively short order.

So, it was on to Iron Mountain! I bet Chris would have never guessed he would be so lucky as to get to visit Iron Mountain at 2am this morning. What an exciting adventure! After landing, they were informed that they needn't worry - a bus was on the way from Calumet to retrieve them. It would be there in just 2 short hours!

After all was said and done, Chris arrived home this morning a bit after 8am.

Ah, the price we pay for living in heaven. Chris' account must have a positive balance at this point!

Race Report

Well, ................ I finished! I must admit, I'm not all that pleased with my time (2:58), but I did finish. I ran until mile 8+, but then began a run/walk approach. See, I had pretty new running shoes (had only run about 9 miles in them previously) and I didn't tie them tightly enough before the race. I had a lot of rubbing going on that really hurt. A bit into mile eight I stopped, retied my shoes, and then began the run/walk regimen. It was also pretty darn humid - especially in comparison to where I've been training in the UP. I'd only run in shorts (in the UP) once this year prior to the 1/2 marathon on Saturday. Let's not forget the ankle issues I've been dealing with for the past month and a half either!

OK, so it sounds like I'm making excuses. Maybe. However, I am happy to report that I did finish my first 1/2 marathon and lived to tell the tale. I hurt a bit for a couple days - mainly my quads, but all is just fine now.

Here's a photo taken a few minutes after I crossed the finish line. It includes Chris' dad Mike and his wife, Wanda, Chris' sister Corina and her husband, Gary, Chris' brother Larry, and Chris and me. Chris and I ran the 1/2 marathon and everyone else did the 5K fitness walk. A good time was had by all!

Tabouli Time

OK, so that's a super-exciting title. As you may have guessed --- I've recently dealt with tabouli. In fact, I just got done eating it for lunch. Chris and I took a trip to the Keweenaw Co-op today at lunch to get some spices for Wanda, Chris' stepmom. They had some freshly-made tabouli and I figured it made as good a lunch as any, so I got a little container of it. Not too bad. It could have used some tomatoes and a bit more "bite," but other than that it was pretty darn decent.

Tomorrow we take those spices and head south. The annual Suburst races are this weekend and Chris and I are running the Half-marathon. It will be the first 1/2 marathon I've ever run in and I'm a bit nervous. My training schedule has been upset a few times these past few months with ankle problems. I'm sure I'll be able to complete the 13.1 miles, but I really want to run all of it and at least not be LAST to cross the finish line. I guess we'll just have to see what happens. I'll post some sort of update next week - incidentally, my last week of paid work until August 18. Look out dissertation, here I come! ha!

New format

Ok viewing public - what do you think of the new format of this blog? I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed with the "uncustomizability" of this template. I lost my photo of myself on a ridge in Alaska and the template doesn't have the same drag-and-drop capability as my old one. Alas, I guess this is what happens when your lack of coding skills leads you to utilize free templates.

So, tell me what you think. Thanks.

A long time coming ....

OK, so here I am once again apologizing for having not updated this thing in a long time! And so it goes ..... Enough said.

I've been pretty busy - worrying about my dissertation instead of writing it; training for the upcoming May 31 Sunburst 1/2 Marathon in South Bend; dealing with ankle injuries which have hampered training for the Sunburst; traveling to Orlando to meet with committee members regarding my dissertation and possible defense dates; visiting with good friends while in Orlando; preparing for my annual summer leave from my job - trying to be sure loose ends are tied up; attempting to enjoy Spring weather in Houghton (if it ever becomes Spring here); buying a new comfort/commuting bike (which will be ridden to work once the aforementioned mythical Spring arrives); etc. So, as you can see, it's not my fault that I haven't updated this thing in awhile. :-)

Other than the above mentioned drains on my time, not much new has been going on. Life continues... I should post some wondrous photos, but I don't really have any. The leaves are just beginning to come out up here in the north woods and I'm feeling an ever-increasing urge to get out in the wilds. Of course, living in Houghton really isn't "the wilds," but it will have to do for now. I imagine that many would consider Houghton particularly remote - 100 miles to the nearest Target, no Starbucks, no Lowe's or Home Depot, and only a Super Walmart and ShopKo for everyday shopping needs. However, venturing further north into the wilderness of the Keweenaw ephasizes the crowded nature of the southern burg of Houghton. There are times when returning to my southern home brings stress and aggravation because of the "traffic" and increased number of citizenry on the prowl. Only after a visit to Houghton will you understand how comical my feelings of social smothering really are. I think it's been decided that if we stay in this region we will definitely be headed towards the big Copper Island north of the bridge. Again, if you lived/visited here, you'd get it.

Yes, you'd get it, indeed. My recent trip to Orlando brought home the notion that this place is now home to me. Most people would be very excited to visit Florida - let alone Orlando. Just think of all the entertainment and shopping opportunities (I must say, I did indeed spend a few coppers during my extreme southern exodus)! However, the weekend before my grand Floridian adventure found me bemoaning the fact that I would be missing the entire weekend of Keweenawian adventure. No trips to Estivant Pines, or the Eagle Harbor Inn for dinner. No wondrous trips to the shore of the big lake. No pints of frothy goodness at the Keweenaw Brewing Company. No marvelous meals or visits with friends who appreciate the same northern luxuries mentioned above. Oh, the sorrow! So, it was with these persistent thoughts that I realized I must indeed be Home - yes, "H"ome (caps intended and emphasized). Of course, I imagine Alaska would bring the same feeling! hehehehe

Once again remiss

So, seems that I've once again been remiss in my blog-updating duties. I offer no grand excuses. Nothing life-altering has happened since I last updated the blog. Haven't taken any wondrous photos. Just not entirely motivated I guess.

We did have blizzard conditions this last weekend, so Chris and I didn't really do anything. Well, take that back, we DID go on an extravagant jaunt to Walmart on Saturday - Oh Boy! Other than that, it's just the same 'ol same 'ol. Perhaps this weekend we'll get out and go snowshoeing or something. It's supposed to be in the low 20s this weekend, so the weather should be just right for some outdoor activities. Maybe we can get up to Copper Harbor and wander around there for the day on Saturday. We should probably be working on dissertation and class preparation/research proposals on Sunday. Man, our lives are filled with excitement .... NOT!

It still continues to snow, which I like, but my thoughts have begun to turn towards the warm summer days that will arrive in a few months. It will be nice to once again have the windows open in the house ... to hear the birds sing ... to feel the warm sun on my skin. Hmmmm .... perhaps I have a touch of the winter blahs. Perhaps my pretty much lacking training schedule is beginning to have mental repercussions. It's weird to think that at this time of year in Orlando I was involved with runs, Chris was already doing some triathlons, and "the season" of training was well under way. Here it's difficult to imagine doing a triathlon outside at this point - or even going for a run outside for that matter. I don't mind running in the snow and cold, but since we've had very cold temps (for here), snow, and plenty of wind recently the notion of going outside to run actually pushes me back down into bed in the morning. And my body is showing signs of this neglect.

Oh well. Spring will come, the dissertation will get written, the house will get cleaned, and the miles will find their way onto the bottoms of my shoes --- and all will be good with the world.

Here's one that's good for a laugh

moar humorous pics

OK. So my good friend Kim "tagged" me. Here's what I have, for what it's worth. Now you know me more than you ever wanted to ....

Four Jobs I've Had:

1. English professor
2. Book warehouse worker
3. Payroll/accounts payable clerk
4. Dump truck driver

Four Places I've Lived:

1. Houghton, MI (in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula)
2. Orlando, FL
3. Bloomington, IN
4. Mishawaka, IN

Four Movies That I Love:

1. Escanaba in da Moonlight
2. Atanarjuat
   
3. Never Cry Wolf
4. Fargo

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Macaroni and cheese
2. Kalamata Olives
3. Hummus
4. Salmon

Four Weird Things About Me:

1. I truly believe that there exists a "correct" way to hang a bath towel after use. Two-thirds of the wet towel should be seen on the front hanging over the shower curtain rod and the remaining third should be behind. This configuration allows for maximum air flow that will let the towel dry properly. That way the towel dries completely before the next use and it doesn't end up smelling funky.
2. Even though all the food you eat does mix in your stomach, it should not mix on your plate. I even like separate piles of spaghetti and sauce on my plate.
3. I always have to brush my teeth before I get in the shower in the morning - I just have to.
4. Jeesh ... all that makes me sound really neurotic. Is that the 4th weird thing about me?

Four Favorite TV Shows:

1. Men in Trees (if it ever comes back on the air)
2. The Shield
3. Corner Gas
4. South Park (I know, it's truly evil, but I can't help myself!)

Four Places I'd Love To Go:

1. Finland
2. Mongolia/Nepal
3. The North Pole (via the "Great Land" Alaska - - I think I'd just stay in AK when the visit was complete)
4. Morocco

Simple lists

OK, I haven't gotten to this thing in awhile. Actually, that could be a good thing - "my life is so exciting that I just don't have the time to update blog!" Well, I wish that were true. Unfortunately, it's easy to get caught up in the mundane day-to-day activities that comprise the largest part of all our lives (even if we don't admit it). So, what's been going on? Ah, I'll make a list (see, that way I don't really have to be creative, just write it in a list):

1. My parents and grandmother came up here from MO for Christmas for a visit. It was great to see them. It had probably been 2+ years since I'd seen my grandmother. Sometimes it really sucks when you move far away from home.
2. Finally got our truck back from the shop. Thank God for insurance - over $6000 in repair bills. Hopefully it's sound as a pound.
   
3. New Year's came and went. Had pizza and stayed in and watched a movie. Not all that exciting, but there's no one I'd rather spend it with more than Chris, so it was all good.
4. We got ourselves snowshoes for Christmas and took them for a spin up at Cliff Mine. It was wonderful - nothing quite like walking on snow where no one else has been. It's so quiet and peaceful, until, of course, snowmobilers roll by. What fun!
   
5. Got word that my dissertation advisor will probably be accepting a position up here and moving at the end of this summer. This will be great because she's a wonderful and very intelligent woman and very nice to work with. We get along and work well together.
6. Because of this ... I really need to get everything done before she leaves at the end of summer. OMG - - don't expect many updates of this thing over the next few months.
   
7. Tried downhill skiing. We really liked it, but my legs hurt for a few days afterward. No wonder skiers really don't have hips!
8. Signed up for a Yoga class at the university athletic center. It's three mornings a week - - at 6:15am! Yeah, I'm rethinking that one!
9. Participated in the first of what we hope will become annual Lumijuoksu (snow run) as part of the Heikinpaiva celebrations in Hancock. It was great fun, although it was a bit chilly. At the time of the run the temperature was a balmy 4 degrees! Add 20-25mph winds ..... Chilly enough that I did NOT participate in the Polar Bear dive in the Portage later in the day. Maybe next year!
   

So, that's been life for the past 1.5 months. Other little things have happened, but, more or less, life goes on as it will. Perhaps I'll get motivated and use this space as a type of mental download during the process of writing my dissertation. Actually, that would be an interesting thing to do in itself - chronicling the trials and tribulations of someone desperately trying to get their entire dissertation written in the next 4 months. Oh God, I don't feel very well.

Ah, and so it begins! Wish me luck and send all the good "smart" thoughts you can!