Colorado Clan

Lots of News

Lot's has been happening!  I just completed my first session of school; my classes were Drawing and Color Theory.  I made an A in both classes; in fact I accumulated the most possible points you can accumulate in Drawing, and Color Theory was short by only 3 points because I missed a total of 3 questions on 5 tests.  My final drawing is posted.  It's a view of part of the living room.  New classes start on Monday, a week from today.  I'll be studying Drafting and AutoCAD, I'm very excited.

I also have taken the lead position, the Skipper, in the Sea Scout Ship.  My entry on February 20 talked about Jeff and I helping a ship get started.  Well, the leader decided he needed to step away from Scouting for a while, and I was the only logical choice to take his place.  I'm actually having a lot of fun.  Working with the older kids is great, and the potential of being able to work with girls in addition to the boys is exciting.  I've recruited a young lady, 27 years old, former Sea Scout from Portland to help us.  I've recruited several adults, so hopefully they'll take this as seriously as I do and I won't have to do as much!  Working with the older kids is great, because they take responsibility for the program as well.

THE REALLY BIG NEWS IS THAT AMY AND NICK ARE GETTING MARRIED AND HAVING ANOTHER BABY!  The two of them have been talking about marriage for several months, they just couldn't decide when.  Then yesterday, Amy found out that she is pregnant (only a couple of weeks) and she thinks she'll have a November due date.  I suggested they get married while I'm up there and they both thought that would be splendid.  So, everyone's invited to Anchorage on Saturday, June 3, 2006 for the big (small) event!  I'd love to see everyone attend, but it's a long way to travel and costly to fly so we'll understand if you can't make it.  Amy and Nick are very happy about the pregnancy, and Coby is excited to be a big brother. 

Jason is doing well.  He's been "doing sound" for a local bar/hang-out in his spare time.  He's still hoping to go to school to learn about it.  He's gathering information to start heading in that direction.  It's expensive.  He's still looking for a summer job, but he has several leads so he's optimistic.  Everyone send positive vibes to central Colorado...that might help.

Jeff is doing okay.  His hip seems to get worse every day, he has very few good days anymore.  We can't wait for the April 18th hip replacement surgery!  He has started doing some pre-hab to strengthen his muscles so that re-hab will be easier after the surgery.  He's working with our chiropractor, who has a gym in the basement of his office building.

That's all for now...I'm going to do my daily workout...eliptical and reading in the basement.

School, Scouts, and Kids

Taking classes online is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.  When you attend classes in a traditional bricks-and-mortar school all you have to do is go to class, do the assignments, and take the tests.  In an online classroom you have to do the assignments and take the tests, but you also have to participate.  That means critiquing other students' work and staying active in the discussion thread.  I think there's a lot more interaction with the other students in an online classroom, but it takes a lot longer to read all the comments, look at all the postings, figure out which ones to comment on, and then write your comments!  The good news is, I'm doing well.  For the first two weeks I have accumulated the maximum number of points you can accumulate.  The drawing above is my latest...I did it earlier today.  To see a larger version, just click on the picture.

Our spec house is really becoming quite the place.  We've been telling everyone it's about 6,000 square feet; but last week our partner, Jerry, took actual measurements.  It's really 7,166 square feet!  Now we can ask for $2 million when we put it up for sale!  We've had all kinds of offers for providing furniture and accessories for the Parade of Homes, and the discounts we've been able to get on things like high-tech lighting systems, cabinets, low-voltage wiring, etc. has just been phenominal!

Yesterday Jeff and I helped out with a "Trainer Development Conference."  It's an all day seminar for adults who want to be better trainers for other Scout leaders.  I taught "How Adults Learn" and "How To Prepare Power Point Presentations," and Jeff and I together taught "Characteristics of a Good Trainer" and "Teaching Methods."  It was a good course; but it sure is tiring to have to be on stage all day!

This week we'll be visited by the new Gilwell Redevelopment Campaign Director.  Gilwell Park is near London, England and it is considered by many to be the "home of Scouting."  It's basically a Scout camp, but it's been in existance since about 1910, so like many properties in England, it's showing it's age.  When Jeff and I visited England in 2003, we spent a week at Gilwell and made some good friends who we've stayed in touch with.  And we got involved in the Gilwell Redevelopment Campaign.  One of our friends is the former campaign director; so the lady visiting us this week is his replacement.  She's coming to meet us, see how she can help us get more people involved, and make sure we still want to be involved.  In August, we'll be visited by two more friends from Gilwell; the Director of Programme for the UK Scout Association and his partner who also works for the Scout Association, she's been transferred to a different job and I don't remember her position.  We're really looking forward to their visit!  (All of this ties in with our visit to Phoenix last month...we're trying to get assigned to Gilwell for the World Jamboree; and it looks like that's going to happen.)

Jason is doing well.  He's been looking at college programs that would qualify him for a job in the entertainment industry...specifically, sound design/recording.  He's got his eye on a school in Florida that's really top-notch; but it has a price-tag to match!  He's been "doing sound" at some of the local bars in Keystone lately; sometimes he gets paid and sometimes it's gratis, but he gets some experience.  He's still grooming the ski slopes at Keystone, but that gig's up next month.  He's been working on getting off-season work.  (I hate this time of year!)

Amy has been busy with her house.  She got a home-equity loan to make some improvements; so she's put in all new appliances in the kitchen, got a new washer and dryer, and replaced the furnace.  She's also continuing with her classes that will get her closer to her goal of becoming a Cisco Systems Administrator, or something like that.  I'm planning to go see her, Coby, and Nick in May/June.  I'm not planning to work on her house the entire time I'm there!

Jeff's hip replacement surgery is scheduled for April 18.  We took a joint replacement class at the hospital a few weeks ago.  It's going to hurt.  But he's in so much pain now that he's really looking forward to the surgery and getting better!  So am I.  (By the way, I'm fully recovered from my surgery.  I think it worked this time.)

Back To School

It's been a while since my last post.  When I read it, I thought to myself, "gee, how did I ever manage to just lay around for an entire week!"

Shortly after my last post, we decided to enter our spec house in the Parade of Homes.  The Parade is an annual showing of new homes that have never been lived in before.  They are all decorated to the hilt, just as a model home would be.  The Parade that we'll be involved in is hosted by the El Paso County Home Builders Association, but they invite Teller County to participate as well.  (Colorado Springs is in El Paso County, and Woodland Park is in Teller County.)

Because we made that decision, many things changed.  We had not planned on worrying about furniture layouts, much less decorating the house!  I got busy and finished drawing the house in my 3-D Architectural Design software so that I could easily plan for furnishings.  Then we developed a lighting plan.  Now we're working on security and low-voltage...that's the wiring for sound and electronics throughout the house.  There are so many decisions that have to be made!

All of that work lead me to question whether I have all the knowledge I need to make those kinds of decisions.  So, I did a lot of research and am now enrolled in a Residential Planning diploma program through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh!  It's an accredited program, so if I ever decide to take it further, I could apply the credits to a degree program, like Interior Design.  All of the classes are on-line...but that doesn't mean I can just do all the work and be done with it.  I am required to log into the classroom and make "substantive" postings to the class discussion every four out of seven days.  The class lasts five and a half weeks.  There's lots of reading and projects.  The drawing above is my first assignment in the Drawing class.  I'm also taking Color Theory.  I've already "tested out" of the computer literacy class, so I get to take the more advanced Image Manipulation class instead.  I'm very excited...but a bit apprehensive about the time commitment.

The Scout Show project is moving along.  I developed a packet of information to go out to all the leaders.  I've visited several large meetings of volunteers to get the word out.  I'm a bit frustrated with the Boy Scout council's webmaster though; he's had the information for three weeks and has not posted it to the website yet.  And it's already in electronic format!  Communications is something that large organizations can be so bad about...and it is so easy these days with all this wonderful technology!

Jeff and I helped organize a Sea Scout Ship in Colorado Springs.  Sea Scouting is an extension of the Venturing program under the Boy Scouts of America umbrella.  It is a coed program for 14-20 year olds; we have 6 or 8 boys AND girls registered.  They asked if I would be a leader; I couldn't refuse.  The opportunity to work with this age group...and girls...and go sailing...was just too tempting.  So, I'm working on getting my sea legs back.  They only meet twice a month, so it's not too much of a burden.  And I love the kids.

We went to Phoenix last weekend to be interviewed for jobs at the World Scout Jamboree in England in 2007.  We are very hopeful that we'll be selected, since this Jamboree will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Scouting movement.  And it will be at the birthplace of the movement.  While we were in Phoenix, we visited Don and Ruth Wilson; Don was my boss at the Boy Scout council in Anchorage.  So, if we aren't selected the trip wasn't a waste because we enjoyed our visit with our friends!

So, I haven't had time to sit around and think much lately.  I try to do my creative and philosophic thinking while I'm ellipsing (working out on my elliptical treadmill thingy).  But once I get off of it, I go blasting into the day and I forget all those things I told myself in the morning...like "the word NO is formed by first placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and then forming your lips into an 'o' shape while you move air through your voice box and past your lips!"

If you notice that I'm not adding to my blog, you'll know why.  But I will try.  And here's where Jeff would remind me of the famous saying of a great philosopher, Yoda..."there is no try, there is only do or do not."  (We've been slipping in Star Wars movies on the DVD for a little relaxation in the evenings...it's great with the surround sound!)

May the force be with you!

Snowy Day

It's snowing heavily today, so there will be no meeting tonight.  The residents of Colorado Springs get just enough snow to remind them that they live in Colorado, but not enough so that they ever really learn how to drive in it.  So, when it snows like it is today, people get home as quickly as they can and stay there.  School is cancelled, meetings are cancelled.  Funny though, how many folks will drive an hour and a half through it to get to the ski slopes!

I spent a lot of time today organizing pictures of our 2005 Scotland trip.  I didn't realize how many there were until I actually loaded them onto the blog, and that's after I deleted several.  We were there for three weeks, and I took pictures every day.  Sorry about the time it will take to download them.  I'll work on reducing the number, and maybe organizing them into more manageable album sizes.

Yesterday's re-entry into the real world went well.  The meeting at the mall was very productive.  It's amazing to me how much time things take, though.  We started the day with a 6:30 am Kiwanis Club meeting that went until 8:00; then I left at 9:15 for my 10:30 meeting; then an obligatory lunch with my Scouting collegues; I didn't return home until 3:30!  The day was almost entirely spent, and I was exhausted. 

After spending a week and a half laying around, it's quite a shock to the system to have to be up and alert.  So, today's snow gave me a good excuse to be lazy again.  I'm having a tough time getting motivated to DO anything.  There's nothing on the calendar that's pressing; I should be looking forward and getting a head start on some projects.  Perhaps tomorrow.

Onward I Must Go

Okay, so I started this weblog thing sort of begrudgingly...but I admit, I'm kinda having fun.  A new project.  Another thing to try to do well.  That's the story of my life; always trying to do everything I do well. 

The trick for me is to control the number of projects I have to do.  My friends know that it is very difficult for me to say "no" when I'm asked to do something.  Jeff and I both have this terrible affliction, and so our lives are filled with projects and very little time left for us to do the things that we want to do.  We ARE good about scheduling in the "big" things we want to do...like trips.  But, there's no time for spontaneity, for deciding to enjoy a movie or go for a walk or have friends over for dinner.  This is something we must work on.

I'm feeling much better today, I didn't even take any pain medication this morning.  The surgery last week caused a terrible swelling in my abdomen, which is finally subsiding.  I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get into serious clothes for my meeting tomorrow.  Can you see me showing up for a meeting with the mall "biggees" dressed in sweats?  Terrifying thought.  But I think I'll actually be able to fit into business clothes.

So today is my last day of hibernation.  It's hard for me to enjoy the last day of anything before re-entry into the real world.  I get into the pre-entry mode; making mental lists of all the things I need to get done.  Once you start doing that, you might as well just start making actual lists and then it's not the last day anymore...it's the first day, and there goes all the fun.  Oh well.  Onward then, I must go.

Hey Look Ma, I'm Bloggin'

Here's a great recent photo of Jeff and I taken at the annual Glen Eyrie Madrigal Christmas Celebration.  Our friends Mike and KJ treated us to this wonderful night out.  The event is put on at a local castle; it's an evening of music and food served up by a cast of dozens, all decked out in renaissance garb.  It was spectacular!

I spent most of yesterday afternoon and this morning putting together an electronic photo album of our remodel project.  I can afford the time right now because I'm recovering from surgery I had a week ago.  I'm through the worst of it, and now I'm just resting for good measure.  On Wednesday I'll be forced to join the rest of the world since I have a meeting to discuss an upcoming event I'm in charge of.

I mentioned that Jeff and I are active volunteers; one of our passions is working with the Boy Scouts.  I have volunteered to be in charge of an event that's new to our area, a Scout Show.  This is an event that showcases Scouting to the community, to let people know what the Scouts are up to.  I've been able to secure one of the bigger malls in Colorado Springs to host the event in April, so that's the Wednesday meeting...ironing out the details with the mall.

I am enjoying my time off.  This is a luxury I'm not used to.  I've been watching hours of home improvement programs on TV, sleeping, and playing on the computer.  Saucey, our cat, has kept me company the entire time.  Jeff has been great; he's brought all my meals in bed, kept track of my medications, held my hand during times of intense pain, and kept me laughing.   But all this lazing around doesn't give me anything active to write about.  So, enjoy the photos for now...and I'll give you more to read later.

I Have The Space, Now What?

With an entire family of bloggers, I've finally taken the plunge and set up my own blog site.  The final bit that made me take the bite...my daughter sent me the link to HER site.  So here goes.

My excuse for having not set up a site until now is that I'm just too busy.  And nobody cares what I have to say anyway.  My husband, Jeff, and I are building a spec house, we are very active volunteers in the community, we travel a lot, we love to entertain our friends, and we are busy taking care of ourselves and finishing up a two-year long almost total remodel of our house.  But my mom, a famous author, convinced me that if all I used it for was posting pictures it would be valuable for the family.

How do you start a blog?  Do you write a bio of yourself that the entire world can read?  That just seems too wierd to me.  Do you start writing about what's happening right now?  That seems weird too...kind of like coming into a movie in the middle.  Do you write about a current project?  That seems logical, so that's an option.  I love my mom's blog.  She writes about where she lives and what's going on around her.  But she's a writer, it's what she does.

I'm not a writer, I'm not even a reader!  I'm just an ordinary 45 year old woman with a wonderful husband, two great kids of my own, two great step-kids, a cat, a few health problems, and a busy life that I'm trying to get through and have it mean something.  I guess that's a bio of sorts.

For the last two years we've been remodeling our house, and I've promised my family that I'd share pictures.  I took hundreds of pictures during the remodel, so those will be the first pictures that I post, and we'll go from there.