catching up

I admit I've been a little passive in my cyber presence these last few months. There's certainly been a lot going on, and I guess I didn't realize how quickly time was passing.

Zeke
He's such a big boy now, and almost as big as Zoe. If you see him out the corner of your eye, you can't really tell which dog it is any more just by their shape and size. Of course, that'll be changing soon and the day will soon come where he will tower over Zoe. He's definitely too big to pick up and cuddle any more.

The funny thing is that my sister just got a Rat Terrier puppy which fits in the palm of your hand. It's crazy to think how tiny her pup is at just a pound, and our 5 month old is 40 lbs now. In other good news, he's pretty much potty trained. While there are the occasional accidents, I do sometimes wonder if those are more acts of defiance rather than real "accidents." :)

Next Vacation
No three-week epic trips planned for 2010, but we do have a few fun things up our sleeve. Rick's celebrating his 40th birthday in March, so we decided the best way to honor that milestone was on a nice warm, sunny beach in Maui. He's never been to Hawaii before, so that in and of itself is a treat. We've splurged and booked a condo on the oceanfront, and are looking forward to doing some snorkeling while we're there, and even a helicopter ride.

Our jeweler, who made my wedding rings, is living back on Maui again too, so it'll be nice to see him again. He's also been incredible helpful in helping us determine great places to eat and where to stay. March cannot come fast enough -- especially with all of our cold weather and will be a nice break from my busy work schedule.

Making Changes
So I'm trying something new -- a personal trainer. I'm too old to have the aches and pains that have slowly crept up on me over the many years of sitting at a desk and looking at a computer. Right now my focus is on "corrective" exercising. Fixing posture, building up core muscles, stretching out my hamstring muscles. Just two weeks into the program and hoping this will help me jump start my fitness goals. Especially with a trip to Hawaii in the next few months.

Rick's also contemplating a change. He's been with his job for two years and is entertaining the idea of leaving and becoming a traveling therapist again. Since he gets great medical through my job, I'm totally supportive of him stepping away from the sports club to get more flexible hours and possibly more pay. Not to mention, the flexibility to take time off for vacations. That's been frustrating that he only gets 2 weeks of vacation a year and I get 4 weeks.

The Holidays
We're staying put again this year. Just not that much interest in traveling during the business travel season of the year. So taking advantage of the down time, Rick is going to be getting the first of his two carpal tunnel surgeries. As a golfer, musician and therapist, his hands have taken quite a beating over the years. His hands are so affected, that they bother him when he drives, sleeps, twisting open jars, you name it....so we're excited that he's going to be able to get his hands taken care of.

Christmas Eve is the first hand surgery and four weeks later his second hand surgery will follow. Hoping that he'll be back to golfing condition by the time Maui rolls around.

As for me, I've got some early January deadlines for work, so I'll be plugging along there. 2010 is going to be a busy year for me work-wise. Exciting, but busy. So I'm mentally gearing up for the long road ahead. On the bright side, the move to Minnesota is now off the table, so at least I'm not trying to figure out how to make a living there. :)

Hope you are all well, and I'll try to make a concerted effort to update more often.