Backgrounds, Frostbite, and Unicycles

Hello faithful reader (s?)!

Well,well,well... Lookie here.

A new background! I spent the weekend with a hunky tech support extraordinaire learning the foreign language of blogger command script. It was no small undertaking! Who knew there were so many little details to perfectly line up?! There are still a few things that aren't mastered in the new layout... but its a welcome change for now. Thanks, Tyson! I just might be ready to mess it up... I mean... try doing it myself next time!

Getting excited (and by excited I mean sweaty palms, pit in my stomach, would rather eat a handful of live bait lets get this over with) about learning to swim soon. Step one in operation amphibeth: stop whining and sign up for a tri already (I still havnt committed to which one Im doing). Just as soon as it warms up a smidgen... I'll be hitting the lanes, and deciding how long I need to prepare. Its been fffffreezing cold around here lately!

On Saturday, Bethany and I started off early for a rather ambitious bike ride/run route we had all mapped out. We got about 4 miles down the road and just about drove head first into on coming traffic to end the icy misery it was so cold. That is the closest I've ever come to frostbite/hypothermia, there were nasty visions of trips to urgent care and amputated body limbs flashing in my brain. 2 days later I am finally feeling (almost) warm again, and have regained feeling in my toes and fingertips- which I wont be taking for granted anytime soon! Note to self: invest in windproof gloves, pronto! Do not pass go or collect $200 until obtained.

Speaking of $200...

I had a sweet lead on a guitar from a craigslister. I got real excited about it... and in typical craigslist fashion, he didn't get back to me like he promised and fell off the radar. The search continues to find the right beginner for me to learn on... I'm trying hard to be patient and not buy a piece of junk, but not get more than I need or will use either. I did find a great teacher... and I have a hunch we'll really hit it off. She was really hard to get in to... she has a tight schedule with her demanding friends, work schedule, family life, and all the athletic ambitions she is continually aspiring toward... Bethany Sobraske, you've got your work cut out for you, but I can't wait to get started! ;)

The kids are back in school and I think its been a welcome event for all of us. Dawson got to be the "sea star" of the week the first 2 weeks back from Christmas vacation so he had that to look forward to. His pals Sarah and Connor are sharing the honor with him, they have a special wall dedicated to them for the duration of their shining moment, and Dawson filled out the cutest survey I have to share. I could kick myself for not taking a picture of the finished product but here are a few highlights from what I can remember:

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Artichokes.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: A daddy.

Q: What is something you are really good at?
A: Playing video games with my dad.

Q: What is something you need to improve on?
A: Unicycle riding.

Imagine a world where every adult thought being a dad was a dream career, and the thing they fell most short of was riding a unicycle.

Kids are so stinking precious. I hope mine never grow up.