Moving on

Well one task down 234,203,129,392,109,03 to go. It seems like a never ending trail of “things” to do. Most of them I enjoy in one manner or another but now that the test is over it seems like I have let things pile up a bit. We bought a house and are now in the midst of painting. I loathe painting. I would be just as happy with the walls remaining white but more important is pleasing my wife. So we paint, and paint and paint. Great colors as soon as I find where I packed my digital camera I’m sure I’ll have ever good intention of taking pictures and posting them up, I mean it will defiantly probably make the list of things to do. I just haven’t the foggiest Idea where on the list it falls.

Work is a bit tedious at the moment. It is summer and many clients are on vacation others don’t’ want to think about making decisions so the office remains slow. We manage to pull in a few orders here and there. Its not like we are starving of anything. Speaking of starving…its back to the diet we go. Perhaps I should clarify…

In 1998 I spent a blissful semester at school in Florence, Italy. Ah the memories…it was everything one could expect from a stay in Europe where one of your featured classes was Photography. I left for Europe a bit chunky for my frame and returned a rail. You see, I went to Italy with one of my dearest friends Noal. Noal was an athlete through and through, but his passion of the moment (and the next several years) was rock climbing. So we set out to climb all over Europe on our semester away. And we did, surviving nights with porcupines and sleeping under off ramps, train stations and bushes. After many a wonderful night it was time to return home. I noticed that none of my clothing fit except my kilt that I had purchased in Scotland. Low and behold I weighed in back in the states at 148. And then life happened really fast…

I returned to school the following semester(PLU) met my wife in ballroom dance class…and yes real men do dance…got engaged 5 months later, graduated the next year got a job, got married and gained over 100lbs. So there I was sitting at 260 and looking extremely uncomfortable and I decided that something had to give. So I tried exercise and didn’t change eating habits…great now I was strong and fat…and then I tried diets galore. Atkins, Carbaddict, you name it. Well after 3 or 4 diets I came across the South Beach Diet and for all the hell people give the low-carb diets for some of us they are truly a good thing. And better yet it works. I lost 60lbs and have kept that off and I am now ready I believe to go for 40 more. It would be nice to wear some of my old cloths again but it would also be nice to stay married! So yes back to the diet we go. The hardest part is the first couple of weeks but then you ease into it.

Phones a ringing and work is waiting.



Jay

Tests

Tests suck. They are up in the category of mean people. Unfortunately there are times when you can’t avoid tests though. Anyways I just got done with part 1 of a very difficult exam. Part 2 is tomorrow and then life may return to some sort of normalcy, if there is such a thing. But its not like life hasn’t been moving forward while I have been studying for this exam .

For instance we sold our house moved out and moved in with my parents for a BRIEF amount of time. We bought a house which closes at the end of the month and there are always the little details that must be taken care of while that is happening. Now I love to house shop, especially if we get to look at NEW houses. We ended up buying a used home but we love it. It’s in the perfect little neighborhood and it’s HUGE. We’ll stretch the finances for a bit but it will be worth it in the long run.

I also have this little thing called work nagging for my time and attention. Who would have thought that running a business would require time and effort! The nerve….

Then there is bagpipe practice. Now this is something I love so much that it rarely if ever annoys me to have to do. Now it may be annoying to those around me at times but it is my own little world of bliss. I love the pipes, playing and listening to them. I could sit (and have) for hours and listen to them. Sigh….

Then there is the most important thing, my wife and two dogs. In that order (hi honey). Balancing all the activates (golf, chamber, rotary, optimist, bag piping, basketball) and also trying to maintain a marriage can be challenging at times, but she does take priority! I have the blessing of being married to my best friend. We love to travel, read, play games, go wine tasting etc. It’s great to know there is always someone there. Speaking of which I had better get home and have dinner before I get in trouble.

Another long day tomorrow, I’ll report on the exam and weekend with friends sometime next week.

Cheers,
Jay

Well I have been inspired, so to speak, to blog....Not so much by anyone event in life as much by the number of individual blogs that I have read and enjoyed. The last of these by my good friend in Tacoma was the final push I needed to start my own. Jenny after her long trip with her husband (my roommate from college) took a trip to Ireland with her "sweetiebear" and now I blame her for the need to write. So if you find the tired old drones of this blog not to your liking you can blame her. (you can find her blog at http://growingoldernotup.blogspot.com/).

Now in that last paragraph I noted that Jenny's husband was my old roommate in college, but its funny how once they are married off they then become so and so's husband....They are no longer introduced as my old roommate. Hmmm...Interesting that my first affiliation with Kevin(now the husband) no longer finds its way into the introductions until it is noted that first and foremost he is Jenny's husband. But I digress. Kevin and I have many many fond memories of Guinness and late night pasta makings with D&D and Vampires haunting our dreams. Curt our other roommate (who is not married andthereforer not introduced as someone's husband) never fully appreciated the art of gaming but still managed to participate while laughing at us out the side of his mouth.

Its funny how we find ourselves reflecting in such a public manner as a blog. So where to begin what to say! Well lets do a short background check without having to delve into to much history and stories but at least to give some sort of bearing on who and what this is all about. Names Jay, been kicking around this old planet now for all of 26 (almost 27) years. I am blessed to be married to a wonderful OLDER woman who is not only my wife but my best friend. Her name is Chenoah; we have two lovely red headed children with wagging tails. Yes that's right they are dogs, Golden Retrievers, the best kind! (In my humble opinion) Lovers and not fighters great for kids and grownups alike! Sunny Girl and Sir Humphrey Bogart (Sunny and Bo) are now 3 years old. No human children (yet) but I'm sure they will show up sooner or later.

Well off to piping practice..We'll talk about that another time.

-Jay