Happy 48th Anniversary, Ma & Pa!

 

I reckon they're still as in love today as they were when they used to court on this porch swing in their college days.

Wednesday

Good morning run with the running partner, as we count down the days to her departure.

Getting my afternoon fix - a little is better than nothing.

One last statistics class, and about 8 hours of studying between me and the final exam.

Aunt Beth babysits Kallie and Kyle - oh boy!

Patience with poison ivy and fingerscrossed that it doesn't continue to spread.

Fly Fabio Fly.

Vacation thankfuls

Getting all of my statistics work caught up before I left so that I didn't have to think about it at all while I was away.

My traveling partner.

Eating in Asheville: Laughing Seed Cafe, Early Girl Eatery, and Rosetta's Kitchen.

Malaprop's Bookstore.

Hiking off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Last-day-of-vacation-hike back home at Ragged Mtn: spiderwebs, dragonflies, duck poop, six young deer, solitude and finding peace in movement.

10 mile run day

No, not today. But about two years ago this month I was just beginning to ramp up on my marathon training. One weekend morning early on, I did a 10 mile run, and about mid-way through that afternoon realised that my appetite was insatiable, so I started keeping track of what I was eating. I just came across the list I made while cleaning some things up a few weeks ago, here it is:

2 cups Autumn wheat cereal (190 calories x 2, 45 g carbs x 2)
1.5 banana
20 oz gatorade (130 cal, 35 g carbs)
1 clif bar (250 cal, 43 g carbs)
2 eggs (140 cal, 2 g carbs, 12 g protein)
1 cup coffee with cream
2 cups spaghetti with sauce
1 breadstick
1/2 cup ice cream
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cheeseburger
1.5 cups french fries
20 oz coke
3+ liters of water
2 Gu (energy gel, 100 calories x 2, 25 g carbs x 2)

Hm, just adding up the items I made note of, that's 230 grams of carbs that day; the actual total was probably more than 300 grams. More than I needed, I'm sure. I guess I was just storing up for the miles and miles I had ahead of me that season. Nice to take a look back.

This is how my cats help me study statistics

 

Gratefuls

Revamping my course to, hopefully, acknowledge the current state of the economy. What's the point in teaching a financial management course if the information you provide isn't relevant or informed, I say.

A very productive statistical Sunday.

Phone calls from Kallie (she dialed me on her own!). She ends the call by saying "I love you, Aunt Cat." So cute.

Pa reminding me of Viktor Frankl's Man Search For Meaning, so I re-read and lurk on his course's email list. Aptly timed; more on that to come.

Hippy presents from my holey-shirted boyfriend.

Long weekend ahead.

Horse & Buggy Pick Up

4 beets with stems
4 ears corn
1 lb cucumber
1 lb squash
1 pint blueberries
10 peaches
1/2 very large cabbage
1 head bibb lettuce
1 loaf bread
6 eggs

I also purchased 1.18 lbs of blueberries a la carte, to freeze. These were darn good blueberries.

Then, after going home, feeling overwhelmed with all of the food in my kitchen, and planning a dinner at home, I drove (yes, I should have walked) the three (long, I might add) blocks back to the pick up spot to pick up an a la carte heirloom tomato, and a small basil plant.

So, for dinner, we had a mostly local pasta dish with squash, pine nuts and basil, plus a nice salad with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. Yum.

Obama on Federal bankruptcy reform

One of the reasons that I don't often speak too loudly when it comes to my political opinions is because I always assume that I don't know enough to make an informed decision about which is the "right" answer and which is the "wrong" answer. And, one thing I never want to be caught doing is making a leap to support someone or some position and then later find out that I didn't understand the whole picture about the topic or about the person's position on the topic. I'm very cautious in this way. Well, federal bankruptcy law, and federal bankruptcy reform, is one topic that I know a little something about. And, I think that Obama has gotten it right when it comes to this topic. Click here to read Senator Barack Obama's Floor Statement on S.256, the Bankruptcy Abuse and Prevention Act of 2005.

Long weekend at the end of a long week

9 days is a very long time under certain circumstances. Whew - it's almost over!

If picture quality is what you're talking about, why pay for cable when you can do free digital tv!

Blessings in Blacksburg: Betsy, Bean, Bowdie, campus walk, pedicures, Cosmo tutorials, veg-fare at Gillie's, low fat brownies, bad-ass girl run on the Huckleberry.

Global Lives Project.

Updating the new book club blog. It's funny to me that it looks more like a supper club blog.

Catalog Choice, need to remember to use this next time I'm bombarded with unwanted magazines.

Blue sky Wednesday

Welcome to the world, Nora Rose, born June 30th - she'll be both strong and soft.

Live strong, Ma!

Coaching Pa on smiley faces with no AOL emoticons.

Lots of good news to report to the honey!

Trip to IY for lots of goodies, including a new cookbook. Black bean dip is DEE-lish! And, I'm looking forward to baking banana bread! T-shirt seen in IY which made me smile: "Ithaca is GORGES" (if only because it was aptly timed).

Kallie gets her own room with her own tv & dvd player (for Mary Poppin's watching, of course) and her own IV antibiotic drip at MUSC - ugh. Fingers crossed really hard that my sweet, sweet niece feels better soon.