Stick shifts and safety belts

I rode my bike to work today. It wasn't that I really wanted to. My car decided to let ALL of it's coolant out via the coolant bypass valve.....stupid swedish car. What the f(@k is a coolant bypass valve. I love to ride my bike. I really do. It makes me happy, it's good for me, and it is a good way to stick it to the man. That being said, I really hate riding it to work. I kept looking at my watch every five minutes, tryin to calculate if I will get to work before 8. The rides home are great, the rides there suck. At least now I have a bike at work again and I can start riding at lunch time again. I told myself that I wasn't going to do that any more, but I need to burn strees off and burn calories.

In work related news, my boss and I had a talk about future marketing efforts at PG. Apparently the marketing plan impressed him enough that I get to run the marketing efforts at PG from now on. I will retain some of my current duties, but by January I should be in a marketing role full time! Change is good!

Peace

cd

Jim and Cindy's Wedding

Well, we are home now. I estimate that I have driven over 1500 miles in the last week. Our whirlwind trip to Fargo was really good. We got to meet Cindy and our new niece Kelsey. They are both quite lovely and we are happy to welcome them to our family. The wedding was a bit unconventional, but it seemed to suit the happy couple quite well. The wedding was at the courthouse, followed by a quick celebration at Buffalo Wild Wings and then to the FM Redhawks baseball game. Jim and Cindy seemed quite happy with the way things went so that is great! Edison really liked the playground at the ball park and didn't really want to see the game, but dad made if fun by doing a little play by play at the game. We sat front row looking directly down the third base line. It was great. We ended the day by swimming at the hotel pool and going down the water slide. Both Edison and Maddy loved the water slide. It should make the next trip to the Dells more fun now that Edison likes the slides. The trip there and back was uneventful. We made both trips in less than eight hours. Remarkable considering it is 450 miles and we have a two year old and a six year old.

Today we went to a nice park in Dane County for our nieces Bday party. It was really nice until Edison got squirelly and fell down from his picnic table and smacked the back of his head really hard. I didn't see it, but the sound of it made us nauseous. We are back now, and very tired. All are sleeping but me so I can enter the journal before I forget.

At the end of the weekend, I am grateful for my family. Lorelei always makes these painful trips to Fargo wonderful, and she didn't disappoint this time either. The kids were fabulous, and I tried to be a good sport too. Most of all, we are grateful that Jim has found love. It seemed like Cindy and Jim were really supposed to be together. It felt like it was two people that have been put through some life challenges, and came out of them finding each other and finding a soothing, loving, warm, soft place to land. We couldn't be happier for Jim and his new family and wish Jim, Cindy, and Kelsey the best! We love you!

Peace,

Chuck

Too much fun to blog!

Life has been grand lately! Our time has been filled with first time fishing trips, teaching Maddy how to cast a fishing line, night time rides in the thick darkness......the list can go on and on.

Work has been pretty good lately. I have sent out a few more resumes, my working group is a well oiled cohesive machine, and my boss is too busy to really bother me.

I have been getting more exercise lately and the mornings make me feel like I am in my 90's.
Sunday night: 20 miles at night
Monday night: 15 miles at night
Tuesday night: 20 miles at night
Wednesday: 25 miles fast at night
Thursday: Tennis for an hour
Friday: Basketball for an hour

Translation, I lost a couple of pounds and I am starting to feel better!

We spent most of today getting ready for the big trip on ND. I got the car ready to go, Lorelei is getting the house ready to leave. We did start the day with breakfast at a new organic cafe. The owners run a farm and the eggs, beef, bacon, sausage, and vegetables are all grown on the farm and brought right to your table. It wasn't even that expensive. Yummy!

The remainder of the day was spent catching up on season one of Madmen. I have always been intrigued by advertising and marketing, and the writing, casting, and acting are incredible. Watch it if you can!

Peace

cd

AARRRGGGHHHHH!

In less than a month from now, my lovely wife and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. She has been my soul mate, the love of my life, my muse, my partner, my friend, and my counsel. I had planned a wonderful vacation for the two of us in Sturgeon Bay for four days and three nights. Just the two of us like it used to be. It was going to be wonderful and we were already excited about the trip.........You can feel it coming can't you! MY BROTHER CALLS........"Uhh Chuck, we have a date", he mumbled. I asked a date for what. "We're getting married July 25th...we think, we're almost sure." What the fuck am I supposed to do with this information? That is one week before my love and I were supposed to go have some unterrupted us time and forget about jobs, kids, family, bills, yardwork and just be "Chuck and Lorelei". I faked the big brother happiness and told him that we were happy for him and Cindy, but inside I was devastated. I knew that in this economy, we could never pack up the fam and go to Fargo one weekend and then the next weekend pay close to $1K for a honeymoon suite. Needless to say, last night was not fun at our house. Both L and I were very sad, as we were so looking forward to our little vacation. I owe everything to my wife. Life before her was good, busy, and uninteresting. Life after Lorelei has been rich, interesting, funny, warm, loving, and excellent. I wanted to bring her on this vacation to thank her for just putting up with me and my insanity (and the total insanity of my "Fargo family"). We still have the care for the kids lined up, so we will make our 10th a "staycation" and have some fun!

So we will be going to Fargo in three weeks, and in the same day we will meet Cindy and watch her get married to Jim. Our visitwill be brief. We will be in Fargo for about 40 hours to go to the wedding, go out for dinner afterwards, meet our new family members, have the kids play with Grandma Gaylen, go to bed, and then come home on Saturday. We will make the best of it for sure. It will be fun?!

Peace,
CD

So busy

I have been too busy to blog lately. I suppose that is something that happens more in the summer than the winter. Anyway, it seems as though all I have been doing is killing mosquitos and spraying the kids for the critters. In the last few weeks we have been busy going on vacation in the Dells, company picnics, playing outside with the kids, and even getting a few miles in on the bikes.

I will try to enter my thoughts a bit more often before school starts. I have two months to get fit.

peace