Just got word that my brother-in-law, Hannah’s husband was in a bad motorcycle accident this morning. I don’t know many details but know he could use your prayers.
At Long Last, Our New Kitchen
We started saving for it a year ago: new appliances and a new floor for our kitchen. Jen worked many hours of overtime to make it happen. Over the fourth of July weekend, my mom and Jen’s parents came into town to celebrate the holiday with us and help make the project happen. Jen’s dad was an incalculable help in actually getting the floor laid. I can’t imagine what the tile would look like if it wasn’t for his help.
The floor had an upset stomach, so we coated it with Pepto-Bismol. After that dried we started laying the title:
Title’s down, wait for it to dry and then grout time
Everyone lending a hand with the finishing touches. (I’m better at taking pictures than hammering, and by the looks of the following photo that means I’m down right scary with a hammer)
Complete:
Not Too Shabby for a First Race
I get to brag on my mother-in-law a little bit here. This year we had the idea to gather our parents to our neck of the woods for 4th of July ’08. One of the attractions was the always fun RJ Corman Wilmore 5K. Jen’s mom has been walking on a regular basis and almost immediately thought she should try to run the race with us and not just walk like we had proposed. So she started training, and this past Saturday in this year’s 5k she finished 2nd in her age division! Congrats!
Update: Official results in the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Wilmore Newsletter (PDF)
Work and Pleasure
You know how some weeks work is ok and other times it’s alright; well for me last week was fantastic. Here is the scoop:
I have been assigned to write a proposal for various bridge and roadway jobs in WV. In order to write this proposal I need pictures of some of the advertised job sites. This meant two days of driving around the middle of coal country southern West Virginia. I decided to make a true trip out of it and brought Pablo along. Together we saw some quaint historic coal towns, some run down coal towns and some active coal towns, along with the five bridges I was assigned to locate and document with pictures. We also stumbled across two state parks – Pinnacle Rock State Park and Twin Falls Resort State Park – and my parents, who were traveling to PA from SC. How cool to have lunch with my parents, camp out, take a hike, spend time in a beautiful state and still put in full work days? Right now I love my job!
Pablo and Grandparents
Top of Pinnacle Rock
Wild and Wonderful West Virginia
They’re a Game and a Snack
Pablo got to come into work with me a couple of weeks ago. Jen was off inspecting bridges and there was a lot of work to be done. So instead of testing Pablo’s bladder strength, I figured he should just join me at work. We’ve had dogs in the office before so I knew my co-workers would welcome him with open arms.
But besides all that, I think Pablo’s true favorite part of the day was eating lots of cicada. In this part of the country seventeen year cicada’s were in full force. Yum!
Pablo’s First Race
Last weekend (May 31st) we ran the Skelter for the Shelter in Jessamine County. It was a small 5K that was a lot of fun, one of the biggest reasons was that we could run it with Pablo. Jen and Pablo did great, and had a great time.
Not to mention they got a trophy for 3rd place in Jen’s division. I (Peter) finished first in my division. I was very happy with the run, but I still want to shave off a couple more minutes this year. Elissa and Kris also placed!
Thanks to our fantastic photographer, Steph. Official Results
Rob’s Wedding
We spent the weekend at and traveling for Rob & Annie’s wedding. It was at the most beautiful outdoor amphitheater I have ever seen. We even had the privilege of reading scripture during the ceremony. (Romans 12:9-12 MSG, 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 NIV and Romans 8:38-39 NRSV). It was such a great and unique wedding.
Congrats you two!
Animal House Part 2
Hound pulled up residence on the back porch while the other dogs got a good brushing. The creek and mud made for dusty, dirty dogs, but once the mud dries it brushes off well, to the liking of the dogs who I am sure would rather not have a bath. Pablo and his selective memory “forgot†who Hound was and started defending his turf as soon as he spotted Hound in the back. A stern reprimand followed and things quieted down.
Rain was forecasted for the night, so Hound was moved to the garage. We put him in Cheddar’s crate – not a smart move – we quickly became familiar with the famous hound howl, so we left him free in the garage and the house settled down for the night. Unbeknownst to Peter or I, Hound actually slept on the floor of our bedroom! The door to the garage has a tendency to not latch completely and Hound took advantage of it, not disturbing a soul. I am endlessly amused by this.
After church on Sunday we took the dogs for a run in the field, which is when we took the attached pictures. I tell you this was a fabulous half an hour. The dogs all running in the tall grass and enjoying themselves was a blessing to experience. Hound woke up a new dog and was much more comfortable. You could see the puppy in him.
Peter and I had decided that it was best to take Hound to the Lexington Humane Society and that was our next move, not an easy one I might add. We do hope Hound finds his owner or really just a good home. One by one the animals left and by Tuesday the Animal House had returned to normal. Let me just say, normal seemed awfully quiet. There is something to be said about an active house.
Hound we Found
It became clear to Peter and I that our conscience would not let us leave him at the Gorge to starve. Back up the trail toward the car with Hound in toe. It took some encouragement and food to get him in the car, but he quickly fell fast asleep. A stop at Miguel’s for pizza and to inquire about animal shelters, the closest being Clark County, and then on the road toward Lexington with all dogs accounted for.
Animal House Part 1
Our house has been quite busy recently, a unique sort of busy. Some people have lots of kids which results in a busy house and others are the hang out for the neighborhood kids which also results in lots of activity, well our house is the Animal House! This past weekend we watched Sabrina, Steph’s cat and Cheddar, Jason’s dog. The big event was a trip to the Red River Gorge with Cheddar and Pablo; our first trip this year. Sabrina opted to be Queen of the House while we were gone.
The trip was not without extra excitement. We decided to check out a new part of the Gorge, at least new to us – the Clifty Wilderness. Not 5 minutes into the hike Peter and I look at each other and realize that Pablo was within sight, but not Cheddar and come to think of it, we hadn’t seen Cheddar for a few minutes. So we headed different directions and rounded up Cheddar after a good 10 or 15 anxious minutes; a good thing. Neither of us wanted to try to find a replacement Cheddar for Jason. Whew! Things improved after that, Cheddar constantly kept an eye on us! J