Back on the treadmill

Soooo......I was being so healthy for a while.   Walking around talking about my mile times like I was a marathon runner or something crazy like that.   I ran two days in a row now and I'm all.....the time is not what matters.....it's the fact that I was. Out there.  Doin it....

Snow, snow

Go away....I hate your guts

But it's so beautiful, isn't it?   If only it would be completely melted in 24 hours. Then it would be perfect 

What?? We Thought You Were Dead

Well, I'm not.  I just gave up blogging for a while.  Now I'm back and hope to keep it up.  I have a lot of stuff to post.

Some pre and post Germany shots.  It's unbelievable how fast they have grown in the last 2 years.  Unbelievable.  John is done with high school.  How can that be?  Working full time at Merchants Tire and Auto while he decides which direction to take.  Almost too many choices.  

Ethan is a junior in high school.  Can. not. believe that he will be leaving us next year.  He is considering his options.  Maybe A&M, maybe UT Austin.  Not sure.  Even looking at colleges in Virginia.  We shall see.  Smart kid.  He will be accepted wherever he wants to go.  

Emily is hanging out in last place, looking forward to being an only child.  But I bet secretly she is wondering how she will put up with John and I with no one else to be a teenager with.  She is thinking about studying engineering.  Why won't anyone go to medical school?  I keep trying.  She also wants to go to college in Texas.  Still dancing.  She is in JROTC this year.  Finally a place where she can tell people what to do without getting in trouble.  

John says he is looking forward to Empty Nesters Syndrome, but we all know that it will be TOUGH without those guys at home.  He is still working for the government.  

Kathy Jo is still working away at the hospital.  Same ole, same ole......but that is a good thing.  

Well, there.....I have made a post for the first time in a while.  I am going to try and go backwards a little bit and post all of our European adventures.  

This is our new puppy.  His name is Trooper.  I know, I know.....we had a Trooper before, but we have had a dog between Trooper and this dog, Drover.  He was Satan's dog and that is no lie.  But another day for that story.  This dog is a full blood German Shepherd.  He is a good dog.  His parents reminded us so much of Trooper and while we were there looking at him, a Virginia State Trooper was there picking out a puppy for his little girls.  And so we thought.....it's a perfect scenario. How could we not name him Trooper.  He's a good dog.  We love him!  

The story of my new piano

This piano was originally built in 1904.  It was saved and completely refurbished and today it is beautiful.  Just being in the store was a great experience.  The shop owner spends about 14 months refurbishing the pianos and gets very attached to them during that time.  He rebuilds and his wife sells them.  He just completed the rebuild on this piano.  It's only been in the showroom 2 weeks.  They kept a journal of some of the rebuilding process.  He said it's something he wanted to do for all the pianos, but it was hard to keep up with.  These are the after pictures

From the Workshop Diary:  
With this project documentation we want to show our work, our staff, our ideas and our prices. 

A Bechstein grand is the ideal example for this. There are few grands, built between 1890 and 1920, which were build so often and so similar. In the past 26 years we have repaired more than 20 B-Models. We like this model because of its timeless design, its size (203cm), which produces a very nice grand-sound and its adequate price. 

Our grand has taken much damage, but the frame is alright. 

Today we start the repair. We check the instrument and think about the repairs we are going to do. 

We want to show the repair in detail and prompt. So if you want you can come to our workshop and take a look at the current status of the repair.   

And here are the before pictures.

Can't wait for it to be delivered!  I am giddy with excitement!

Going to Virginia to work

January 9th.....looking forward to it so much!  Getting an opportunity to work and catch up with friends.  Looking forward to a great time!  In other news, I am addicted to Bitstrips...

Cold

Thermometer says 52, but it feels more like 25. Tired of the cold already.  I miss these guys so much today. 

Cancer Sucks

My brother's father in law died recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  I feel so bad for them because, unfortunately, we know all too well what pancreatic cancer can do.  John's dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1997 and died the day after Christmas in 1998.  It was horrible......heck, it still is.  Our family was stripped from the best father in law and one of the best grandpas the world will ever know.  When John and I got married he made me feel so loved.  I figured if John and I had trouble he would disown John and adopt me.  But when John was born, I was shoved aside for his new love....his first grandchild.  It was so good to watch him with John and see how much he loved my little boy.  When John got his first haircut, we had 3 Johns in chairs at the barber shop.  Grandpa, dad, and baby.  A great day. Tom was such a social butterfly....did NOT know a stranger, loved a party.  Loved a debate.  John acts a lot like him. Ethan looks so much like him. Can't imagine how spoiled Emily would be if he were still on earth.        Miss him so much......