Archive for January, 2010

Champions!

January 31st, 2010

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Yesterday, Jennie invited me to a dinner dance for Champions, the self-advocacy group for which she was recently elected vice-president! Above is a shot of me and Jen before the Chinese auction, and below is a self-portrait after we shook our groove things on the dance floor.

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It’s one month until the Mardi Gras Half Marathon. I can’t believe it’s so soon! It was a bit too chilly (single digits early this morning) to do miles outside, so I spent two hours on the elliptical. Here’s to hoping that somehow translates into a good finish time in New Orleans!

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It’s Official!

January 20th, 2010

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Classes start next week. Or, rather, class. Here’s to hoping I fit in with all the youngsters. :-)

Fright Night!

January 17th, 2010

Even though Julia and I were brave (or foolish?) enough to see Paranormal Activity in the theatre, when it came out on DVD we knew we had to suffer through the experience again. This time, we invited Heather to join us, and of course we had to have Linds on hand as the voice of reason/eye-roller. Here’s a shot of me and Heather doing our best Zak and Nick impression from Ghost Adventures (which we also watched, of course). “Dude! The hair on my arm is standing up! Did you see that, bro?!”

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And here’s Linds, practicing the eye rolling, and Julia, showing off her Ghost Adventures reaction skillz. And OMG it’s an orb!  ”Is that you?! Did you do that? Are you here right now?”

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Here is an accurate recreation of how Julia and I endured the scary scenes in the movie. Yes, I could see the screen through the holes in my sweater, and yes, this time I actually watched the ending!

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And finally, here’s one last shot of all of us, with no scared faces or GAC impressions:

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Other than Fright Night with the girls, life in 2010 has been busy with work, Gilda’s, getting ready for grad school, Wii Fit-ing, and fitting in outdoor miles when the weather cooperates. The Mardi Gras Half Marathon is just about six weeks away! Yesterday I did eight miles around my neighborhood. Here’s to 13.1 in a more temperate climate!

Goodbye, 2009!

January 1st, 2010

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What better way to ring out the old than with good friends? On Wednesday, Matthew, Kevin, and Sarah came to Mom and Dad’s for lunch and presents. The highlight of the day was night vision goggles Matthew got from Mom and Dad. Kevin was very jealous! Here’s a great shot of Jennie and Matthew sharing a hug:

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Last night, I drove through the rain and snow to celebrate New Year’s Eve with the Dowds and Merrills. Here’s a shot of Matthew and me:

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And here’s one of SarahBeth and Kim in front of the Dowd Christmas tree:

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There are more photos from the last days of 2009 here. Lots to look forward to in 2010, including a trip to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras Half Marathon with DH, starting grad school, the annual (!) trip to DC to spend Fourth of July with Mandy Lou, the annual Rochester Half Marathon in September, and hopefully some other trips (South Carolina, Dallas, Nashville, Maine…). Good thing I have five weeks of vacation!

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Happy New Year! :-)