Change is good

Many of you already know this but since its kind of a big deal in our house, I thought I would post about it.
Tomorrow is my last day at Schenkel Shultz. I have taken a position with a local firm called Moseley Architects. Hopefully it will be a greener pastures move. There are a bunch of reasons why I have chose to make ANOTHER career move, but some of the hightlights are:

1. Closer to home - probably one of the least important but definitely an added bonus.
2. Opportunity - I will get the opportunity to "try" and spearhead Higher Ed work in NC.
3. Smaller firm but bigger local office - This should benefit me greatly.
4. Bunch of layoffs at my current firm - never fun
5. Less stress!!!

So hopefully all of these reasons will hold true. Fingers crossed!

September Song

As the song goes, "Oh, it's a long, long while From May to December But the days grow short, When you reach September." September flew by and here we sit on the day before October.
We have had a jammed packed month!
First was Labor Day which Sean and I spent at Carolina Beach. It was a much needed vacation and we had perfect weather for it - even though Hurricane Gustav sat somewhere out in the Atlantic.

Second came my 10 year high school reunion. This weekend was full of rain and kept us away from the football game Friday night. But we headed to the local bowling alley and enjoyed ourselves. It is always so good to see friends you haven't seen in awhile. And real friendships are so great because no matter how long its been you can just pick up where you left off like no time has passed at all. Saturday night was the big party. A bunch of us met up at Jaclyn's parents house and hung out before we headed out. We took excellent "prom" pictures on the grand staircase with our "dates". Overall it was an awesome weekend that brought back all those wonderful memories from high school. Even the not-so-great memories seem funny now that we are all "grown up". So many of my friends I have known since elementary school and I am just blessed to have such amazing friends that I can laugh with and know will always be there for me.

Also during September, we were privileged to go to the Annual UNC College of Nursing Alumni awards banquet where Becky (Sean's mom) was receiving an award for her exceptional community services. She works in many different facets but I guess the most noted one would be the free clinic that she runs up in Jackson county. I am probably not doing all the work she does justice, but we are very proud of her and are glad we got to attend. It was also nice to see other family members that were able to join her and Dick. Gramma Lib, Johanna & Debbie made the trip and we got to visit at dinner and catch up on some of the haps in Sylva and Rutherfordton.

This past weekend I spent up in the mountains with the women of my family. We haven't come up with an official name, but for now we will call it "Cousin's weekend". We had a group of 9 this year and 3 generations. Mama Jean (my grandmother), Aunt Jenny (my great-aunt), Teresa, Ann, & Karen (my mom's 1st cousins), Ginger (my 1st cousin & Ann's daughter), Aunt Cathy (my aunt & my mom's sis-in-law), my mom & me. There was lots of reminiscing and story telling. We had Mama Jean laughing so hard she was crying. A treat from the middle generations childhood was found at the Mast General Store - Fizzies. For those of you like me that don't know what fizzies are just think flavored alkaselzer tablets - things were rough back then :).

During this same time, Sean was at a bachelor party for his(our) good friend Chris Bushnell. They went to Busch Gardens and then enjoyed the evening out near William and Mary. Though I am not privy to all that they did - it sounds like they had a really fun time.

So all that and throw in a track event, a football game and a charity gala and you have a busy month. October is going to be just as crazy - with 2 weddings (one being Chris and Hayley's), 2 football games, our family beach trip and Sean's PE exam. I'm exhausted just thinking about it! But we can't complain because we live a very full life - filled with wonderful friends, family and fun.

Hootie at Harrah's

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...those guys ROCK!!! This was my 7th HBF show, and I continue to be impressed at how good of a show they put on. Their set list is always well thought-out, and they always sound great. The show at Harrah's was no exception. Every song they performed was great (although I am a bit biased).

The crowd on the other hand...UGH!!! The way Harrah's has their ticket distribution set up meant that an easy 85% of people at the show were VIP's/high rollers/etc. and were given their tickets. This meant that most everyone there didn't really know the music and were simply there to watch a show. It was, unfortunately, the only rock concert either Ashley or I have ever been to in which we had to sit almost the entire time. However, when the band broke into a cover of "You don't call me Darlin", we jumped up and sang our lungs out.

The guy working the band's soundboard noticed our enthusiasm and knowledge of the songs, and gave us a set list. That makes 2 set lists from our last 2 shows. Kinda cool.

The rest of the trip was great. We pretty much wore ourselves out, but we had a good time. The Riverfest over in Asheville was nice, but wasn't quite all it was hyped up to be. I think the city was just festivaled-out after Belle Chere the weekend prior. After hanging out there for a little while, Ashley, Taylor, Bo, Megan, Karl (their dog) and I went into downtown Asheville for lunch. We ate at Mayfel's on their outdoor patio. The food was terrific, and the people watching was as well. I had the best Muffaletta sandwich I have had in a long time.

We spent Saturday afternoon back at the house in Sylva. We all needed a nap after the day's adventures and to prepare for staying up late for the show. After a nice dinner with the folks, we took off to Cherokee. While we didn't get to spend much time with them, it was good to see them.

Now we have to slow down a little bit so that I can get more studying done for this PE exam. Oh joy.

Hanging out with "The King"

I will let Sean post about the concert (which was amazing btw), but right now I want to write about the way I spent my Tuesday morning. I headed out down 64 from Raleigh around 8 with another coworker. We were headed to Asheboro for the groundbreaking for Randolph Community College's new automotive center. The exciting part is the facility was recently named the Richard Petty Education Center. So of course guess who was at the groundbreaking but none other than "The King". I got to meet him before the presentation b/c I was one of the podium speakers and then I stood by while he and the other big shots in Randolph County talked racing. I didn't want to embarrass myself but I did know who won the race at Pocono. It was cool to see him hanging out and being so "normal". I had always heard he was a real down to earth man and I can now say that those rumors are definitely true. Then we all spoke - people clapped and we got to play in dirt with our "official" shovels. I also got his autograph and my picture taken with him. It was an exciting morning! Also he was flying out immediately following the groundbreaking to Jackson Hole - Greg and Ann keep an eye out for him.

Watch the TV clip here (make sure to click on the play button in the upper right)

Road Trip!!!

***Unbelievable. I'm finally posting another entry***

This Friday, Ashley, our friend Taylor Moran, and I will be heading to up to Sylva. The purpose of the trip is to go to the Hootie & The Blowfish concert at Harrah's Cherokee Casino on Saturday night. I've been a huge HBF fan since 1994, and the chance to see them playing near my hometown couldn't be passed up. Taylor has been quite a fan as well, and since he hasn't had a chance to see them in a few years, he's pumped. Ashley, who wasn't a big fan before we met, has mercifully given in to my attempts to prove to her that they are the best band ever, and is now a true, die hard, singing-every-lyric fan just like myself.

I'm a little weary of how the show is going to be, however. Since the general Harrah's Cherokee crowd is quite different from the average HBF crowd, I'm not sure what the vibe is going to be like. This, combined with the fact that they don't serve alcohol at the casino, could certainly produce a sit-on-your-hands type crowd. I know Ashley and I will gladly be the only ones standing and singing the whole time if we have to be, but I certainly hope it doesn't have to come down to that. I think I'm going to go in with low expectations so that I have the chance of being pleasantly surprised.

The trip will also give us the opportunity to see the Sylva clan, although our time with them will be somewhat limited compared to other trips up there. Part of our Saturday will be spent in Asheville at the Rockin' Riverfest. We plan on meeting up with my old friend Bo Carpenter and his fiancee, Megan Apple.

On Sunday, we MAY stop by the Eagle's Rest Hillclimb (a car race up the ski resort's access road) in Banner Elk on our way home.

It will be a busy weekend, but should be a blast.

new addition (to the blog)

So as you can all see I have added a few of my favorite blogs' links on the side. I love this feature on OPB because it always opens my eyes to cool new sites. Please check these out and hopefully they will become some of your favorite sites too.

Well hello there July

So you would think since there are two of us that we would be better about updating this thing, but alas we have failed. When I read other people's blogs (OPB) I feel like I should go back to school and take a creative writing class, b/c well my writing is not so creative.

Any who ... let me think of what has been going on in our lives since early June.

June 7th - We went to the Jimmy Buffett concert. It was so much fun. We tailgated with 4 other couples and had quite a nice set-up. 2 tents, chairs for everyone, a fan, lots of food, a grill and lots of excellent decorations. It was over 100 degrees outside so that was less than ideal, but a few beers and Buffett made it all worthwhile.

The whole crew at Buffett

June 14th - 16th - We headed up to Sylva for a birthday weekend celebration. Sean's Gramma Lib turned 90 and our nephew Brandon turned 1. It was great getting to see all the in-laws and celebrate such a milestone with the Libster. Also, we felt very blessed to actually be in town for one of the niece/nephews birthdays. We have 5 of them but they all live up in the "high country", so we are the bad aunt and uncle that never get to be there. There was an excellent pinata game with a bunch of 1-8 year olds and a whiffle bat. Needless to say - the pinata won but it provided us grown ups with a lot of great laughs.

Sean and Gramma Lib at her 90th Birthday Party

Brandon sporting his blue icing

July 21st - Sean headed off to CMP (Carolina Motorsports Park) down in SC for a long weekend of racing. I stayed home and went to the Toby Keith concert on Saturday night with Kim and Ashley Wilson. Though a big fan, I had never been to a country concert before. It was a lot of fun and definitely a concert I could sing along to. We got some crazy weather that weekend. So before the concert a monsoon hit and it down poured for 3 hours straight. Lucky we had a tent and had gotten it up before it started raining. Two concerts in the same month and completely different weather - thanks NC weather!

The group at Toby Keith (before the rain)

July 28th-29th - This past weekend was much more low key. We had two cookouts to go to but no traveling was involved - thank goodness. I studied a bunch because I had my second ARE exam on Monday. Hopefully I will be posting in a few weeks that I passed - cross your fingers!

And now here we are in July - I swear time is flying this year.
Yesterday we went out to dinner with Kim, John & Aidan for Kimber's birthday. It was great to see them and celebrate with her. Yesterday was also Bo's 8th birthday. I got him a "doggie peanut butter cupcake" which he mostly just licked but seemed pretty excited about. We also got him one of those Benafulls (sp?) meals. He devoured that and ended his birthday with a full belly asleep on the couch. I still can't believe he is 8. He's such an old man.

Bo licking all the icing and sprinkles off his cupcake

We are staying in town for the 4th weekend. Tomorrow we are walking over to Brian & Kim O'Days for a cookout and fireworks show.
We hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July!
Happy Birthday America :)!

Materials and Methods: Check

Just wanted to share my exciting news ... I passed my first ARE exam. I only have 8 more sections to go. I got my letter a few minutes ago and couldn't contain my excitement!
I'm currently studying for Construction Documents and will be scheduling my test for this month soon.

Jimmy Buffett is this Saturday!!!

As the weekend approaches, Sean and I are gearing up for the Buffett show. I am currently jamming to a little Buffett on Pandora.
We realized when we were buying tickets a few months ago that it has been forever since he came to Raleigh. And the last time he came the concert was inside during the winter, which is not the ideal way to experience Buffett. All of these reasons are probably why the lawn seats sold out in 7 mins.
There is something really invigorating about a Buffett show. This will be my 4th one and from what we can tell it will be Sean's 11th. He started young!
I can't wait to wear a cheap lei, drink a margarita (or corona-rita) and belt out all the lyrics to my favorite Buffett songs. Everyone we are going with this year is what we call a Buffett-virgin. They are all in for quite a treat. Fat men in grass skirts and coconut bras anyone?

"Stay in touch with my insanity. Really is the only way.
It's a jungle out there kiddies. Have a very fruitful day!"

Anything but that

So I felt I had to post just to move the word turd further down our page and not as the title.

Once again things are busy as usual in the Dennis household. We are both playing on an adult kickball team (which is as fun as it sounds). I am playing volleyball with FreemanWhite in the local architectural volleyball league and Sean will soon be signing up to play basketball in the YMCA's Men's league. So we can't complain about our schedules because this is all voluntary.

I am also studying for my ARE Licensure Exams. This is the series of 9 exams I have to take to become a licensed architect. I take my first one the second week of May. I then plan on taking an exam a month. With a break for the month of December, I should be done by February of next year. I am actually rather excited about this added stress in my life, because it means that when it's all over I will have achieved one of my lifetime goals. I will probably force you all to call me Architect Ashley - I think that has a good ring to it!
Along the same lines, Sean will start his grooling study schedule soon to take his PE exam in October. This is the exam he has to take to become a licensed engineer. But I don't think Engineer Sean sounds as cool :).

I have also be selected by my firm to participate in our Leadership seminars this year. This is a pretty big deal and I am hoping to learn a lot. It is a series of firm-directed seminars that we attend in Orlando. I will get to meet people from the other offices and learn more about how are firm functions. The first one is in mid-May for two days.

So as you can tell 2008 has been and continues to be an extremely busy year - but it is also bringing lots of excitement. We will keep you posted ...

Turd Polishing

I washed and waxed the race car today. It is something I typically do about twice a year. I usually rinse it off at one of the do-it-yourself places in between track events, but the special, hands-on job I did today is a rare occasion. I feel silly every single time I do it. Mainly because after an hour of hard labor I end up with a car that looks like a 4 rather than its normal 2 1/2 (out of 10, of course). I think maybe it is just a way of helping me cope with the fact that I can't be driving it on track every moment. One of those "if I can't drive it, at least I can work on it/wash it/etc." kind of things. Plus, it is not a bad way to take advantage of the beautiful, 78 degree, not a cloud in the sky weather we had this afternoon.

Well...that...and the fact that I once heard a race car engineer say they could see an improvement of 1/10th of a second or so based solely on how well the car was waxed.

Allergies

I HATE allergies.

Claratin however...we are tight.

That is all.

Racing in the rain

The track event this past weekend (at VIR's North Course) came with weather that was certainly less than ideal for trying to drive sports cars as fast as they will go. Saturday started off wet and settled into a pattern of overcast skies and annoying light drizzle. Even though precipitation was falling, all the cars on track were drying it out fairly well...at least until 4:15. As my last student pulls off track and I prepare to go to the Time Trial driver's meeting, the rain starts. Hard. It becomes evident our TT will be done in the downpour. Oh boy.

Due to the fact that I had forgotten to turn my transponder (lap time recorder) on all day, I had no qualifying times. That meant they put me in the back of Group 3, the slowest group. I went out with 5 cars in front of me, all spaced 7 seconds apart leaving the pits. I was not ready for how slippery the track was. Once I figured out how to dance between going fast and not flying off into the grass, I managed to get going pretty well. I passed every car in front of me in my group during my 4 laps. I parked the car, glad that was over. As it turns out, even though I was held up during my time on track by slower traffic, I managed a 2nd place finish in my class (out of 7 cars)! I now have a cheap little plaque for all my efforts.

Sunday started out wet again but never rained during the day. Even though it was cold and windy and no where near Spring weather, it was much nicer having a dry track the whole day.

The car ran great. My new suspension feels SO much better than the old one. My students did great and picked up a lot of speed as the weekend progressed.

Now...if only May 17th would get here sooner so I can do it again!

Winter Wonderland

While spring is quickly taking shape here in eastern NC (flowers blooming, bees buzzing, birds chirping), it very much remains winter in the Teton valley area of Wyoming. When Ashley and I were planning this trip we were somewhat worried about heading out there at the end of March, as we were concerned the snow would be disappearing and our planned winter activities would be ruined. We had no need to worry.

Except for a 4 hour period on Saturday morning, it snowed the entire time we were there. The daytime temps were generally in the upper 20's to mid 30's, with low's down into the single digits. We went skiing on Thursday and Saturday. Snowshoeing on Friday. Watched various pieces of the action from the Snowmobile Hillclimb World Championship almost everyday. Even had a little run-in with a moose which decided to eat part of an Aspen tree in the front yard of the house.

Our trip photos can be found here:

Jackson Hole Trip Photos 3/08

Here are a few teasers/highlights as a preview:

We leave tomorrow!!!

We leave for vacation tomorrow! Can you tell I am excited? I am feverishly trying to wrap everything up a work, yet can barely concentrate.
I failed to pack last night, so tonight will be fun/horrible. I have a tendency to freak out when I am packing for long trips. I don't want to leave anything I need behind (i.e. my brush and conditioner that I forgot on our honeymoon). I also don't want to pack too much or too little. And I never have the right clothes or anything to wear. Sean really enjoys packing with me!
Hopefully, since the weather will be COLD - it will be easier to pack. Long sleeves and long pants - nothing fancy.
I hope when we get back - I can figure out how to post pictures of our trip. Wish me luck skiing! I have been practicing my "pizza slice" move. I haven't skied since I was in high school - so a good 10 years has past since I slide down the icy slopes of NC. At least when I fall down in Jackson, there will be snow to catch me. The weather report said that it's suppose to snow the whole time we are out there. So not only will I get to see snow on the ground, but I will also get to see it actually fall from the sky. This Southern Girl isn't going to know what to do with herself. The locals will be able to pick me out as a tourist (or as Savannah calls them - cake eaters, which is probably means something terrible but I will have to plead ignorance on that one) immediately because I will be the one walking around all wide-eyed going "It's snowing!".

Flu shots

For the last several years, Ashley and I made certain we got flu shots before the season got into full swing. The process of getting them had been made easier by the fact that her old company had someone come into their office and administer the shots. This year, since she was no longer at that company, we didn't have that option available to us. That, of course, means we never got the shot. Then comes the worst flu epidemic in recent state history.

It hit me last Monday. I thought it was just allergies, so I took a Claritin and headed off to work. By that afternoon I knew it was something more. I made it through about 1 hour of work Tuesday morning before I threw in the towel and headed home. The remainder of the day was spent on the couch, with various forms of fever and sinus pressure. I thought I was going to die. I managed another two hours of work on Wednesday, and then made it until 3:30 on Thursday. By Friday I was pretty much recovered, feeling worlds away from what I was going through on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I will not be skipping out on my flu shot again.

Let the madness begin!

It's that wonderful time of year again...the NCAA Tournament. There is absolutely no other sporting event that can live up to the thrill and entertainment of the big dance. And to push it totally over the top, we add in the good ole bracket pools.

I've got two going this year, one at work and one with Ashley's architecture list serve. While the list serve pool is just for fun and bragging rights, the office pool has a small pot of gold waiting at the finish line for the winner. I went with a new strategy this year. I decided that since basically everyone in my office was going to be picking UNC to win it all, I had better go a different route. Therefore, I picked a Kansas, Tennessee, Memphis, UCLA final four, with Tennessee and the eventual champ Memphis in the final. This will probably mean I either get crushed, or pull away easily. Only time will tell.

On an unrelated note...we just found out a couple of days ago that Jimmy Buffett is finally coming back to the outdoor amphitheater here in Raleigh. Seeing him inside an arena the last few times just didn't seem right. But this June we'll be back out on the lawn with our blankets and lawn chairs, the way it's meant to be. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10am. I'll be on the computer by 9:45.

Have a great Easter. The better half and I will be going to Greensboro for a group eat at her grandmother's on Sunday.

That's all for now.

ARS Airlines

As many of you know, ARS now owns a plane. It's a Cirrus SR-22 Generation 3. It's a fairly typical single prop 4 seater, but it has all the state-of-the-are bells and whistles, including its own parachute. Since I had only been in small private planes a couple of times in my life before this, I was a bit apprehensive about it the first couple of flights. Now that I've gotten used to the in's and out's of it, I have to say it is really the way to fly. The time savings we gain by using it are dramatic. For example, a couple of weeks ago I was able to fly to a small rural town in Alabama, do my work, fly back, and be back at the office by 5. That same trip would have required an overnight stay if I was flying commercial and driving. Our client's seem to think it is fairly impressive, so I don't mind bragging about it too much.

I'll still be getting to the vast majority of my jobs by driving in the Jeep, but for those few occasions a month were I need the plane, it is certainly hard to beat.

Here's a photo I took of it outside our hangar at RDU one morning.

Atlanta ... for work

I was in Atlanta for a business meeting yesterday. Though I didn't get to sight-see or shop, I did get to experience riding on the MARTA. I was rather impressed. I flew into the Airport and then immediatly hopped on my north bound train for Sandy Springs. I was fortunate that I never had to change trains (so I can't speak on the ease of this transition), but the leisure of not fighting traffic or getting lost in Atlanta was relaxing. I also tried to "blend in with the locals" by jamming on my IPod during my commute.
I know there are many spectics for the light-rail system in the Triangle (my lovely husband being one of them). But after experiencing what Atlanta had to offer, I feel like there may be a place for a light rail system in our own Urban/Suburban sprawl. Atlanta is the ultimate example of Southern sprawl and it seems to work for them. I will have to take a closer look at what the TTA proposal looked like. Also, I would be interested to know what the average Atlanta-ite thinks of their transportation system. Is it as convenient for someone who lives and works in the City as it was for an outsider? Would a light rail system effect me - good or bad - in my suburban home in Cary? Would I be able to use it to commute to my job in Morrisville? I hate my drive to and from work. It is extremely short milage-wise but it takes me FOREVER. If I could jam mindlessly on my IPod for those miles - it would probably make me a much more pleasant person.
It is something that I never put a lot of thought into, b/c it never came to a reality. But now I am curious.

Ski clothes are expensive!

Ashley was right about spending the difference on clothes. Both of us were ill-equipped to do any kind of outdoor activities in Wyoming (planned: downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling), so we had to visit basically all of our local outfitters. Since low country North Carolina in March doesn't look much like winter, we were forced to deal with picking from the bottom of the barrel everywhere we went. Although this meant we were typically rewarded with "clearance" pricing, it still meant paying $200 for a $300 jacket that no one else wanted. We searched hard, got lucky in a couple stores, and came away with everything we needed. That being said, we spent almost exactly as much on the clothes as we spent on the tickets! Oh well. At least we will have all the ski stuff we need for the next several years.

We can't wait for this trip. It will be a much needed break from the real world, although I'm sure I'll be having to deal with emails and phone calls some of the time. It will be nice to actually see some snow as well. (No...that day I spent in 21" worth of the stuff in Detroit doesn't count...that was horrible).

Vacation booked

The tickets have been purchased. We bought them last night. Surprisingly cheap too!
We will be headed out to Jackson, WY on Wed. March 26th and coming back that Sunday. This is the longest we have been out there in a while. It should be fun. Hopefully the in-laws won't get too tired of us sleeping on their couch. Now I better go shopping. The winter in NC is a little different than the winter in WY. Glad those tickets were cheap, b/c I am about to spend the difference on clothes!

Past few weeks

The past few weeks have been a blur. Sean and I (as we have said many times before) have been working crazy hours. We are looking forward to March when we plan to take a vacation out to Jackson Hole. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!
Sean had a blast at his track event. On Saturday they were blessed with some of the best weather that they have ever had. I headed home to Burlington for a little R&R. Mom and Dad have redone the house over the past few months. For those of you who grew up with me, you probably wouldn't even recognize it. The final piece was granite counter tops - so I had to go see them and give my approval :). It was a very relaxing time - good food and good company.
Since things have been so busy, Sean and I had failed to plan anything for Valentine's day. We both ended up being in town (that was undetermined as of Tuesday) and his co-worker gave us his hockey tickets. It was a different but great way to spend V-day. Eating bbq sandwiches, drinking beer and cheering on "our" Hurricanes to a victory! It was exactly what we needed.
Also last Saturday we went to dinner with John, Kim and Aidan. It is always good to see them and I swear that child is going like a weed. He just learned to crawl (which Aunt Ashley was letting him do on the table at dinner), which very amusing. He's also very ticklish so we had a good time with that piece of information. It is really cool to see your friends be parents. I still don't feel like we are grown up enough to be having kids - but we are :).
This Friday we are headed to Chapel Hill to see the Will Ferrell Comedy Tour. I got Sean tickets for the show for Christmas. That should be a hoot. Preston is actually flying into town for that show too, so we will get to spend an evening with him. He flies out the next day to San Diego for a conference and will get to spend time with his lady (Lauren).
Well that's all I have for now. Have a lovely Tuesday evening!

Almost here...

First track event of the season is this weekend and I'm so excited I can't stand it. To give you an example, I just drove my race car to a do-it-yourself carwash at 9:00 at night in 40 degree weather just to make it a little "prettier" for the track. There are going to be several of the big dogs in BMW racing on track with us this weekend, so I plan on trying to follow those guys around a little bit for some education. I'm a little nervous about the Time Trial competition, and I know I'll be much more nervous when I actually pull onto grid, but it should be a blast. Hopefully the changes I made to the car over the last couple of months steer me in the right direction.

Wish me luck!!!!!!!!

Laying off on a Friday ...

Today my company layed off about 1/3 of the staff. They were all support people, which made them the "easiest" to get rid of - if that can even be a statement. Just really puts a damper on this already gloom day. I know they will all land on their feet - I did - twice. Yet it is still hard to see them all go. Even harder to feel secure when something like that happens by surprise. I guess this is a "benefit" of having a corporate office.
Personally, this will all just add to my stress and work load, but I am trying to be optimistic. Ironically, we just hired a new guy (go figure) who starts on Monday, so we will see how that goes. As one of my friends joked, maybe this new guy just needs that much room.

Here's to change, right?!?

L....O....S....T....!!!!!!

Tonight's the night. After a hiatus of what felt like forever, a new season of the best television show of all time starts at 9pm. The DVR is set and the couch is ready and waiting. *BONG*


We've been pretty silly busy lately. Each of us has been working 10+ hour days, and it still seems like there aren't enough hours in the day sometimes. I've also been spending almost all of my free time in the shop getting my car ready for the track season. I made some fairly large changes during the off-season (mostly safety related), and they all seemed to get delayed, forcing me to scramble at the last minute. It's a common theme in the race car world. We are always tinkering until the moment we drive out onto the track, no matter how well we plan or how early we start working on projects. I guess it's part of the "excitement" of the whole thing.

Best wife ever!

Since my wonderful, amazing, talented, smart and beautiful wife decided to give me permission to post on our blog, I figured I had better get around to my first one.
We had a great time down at Disney. I was so proud of Ashley; successfully completing the challenge she set her sights on back in August. I was honored to be there as her cheerleader during the race. I think she has finally forgiven Preston and I for dragging her around Universal Studios and Island of Adventure a mere 2 hours after the race!
Now that the holidays and the big race have come and gone, we are slowly but surely settling back into our more "normal" lives. Of course that means both of us working hard, with each of us typically working late or being out of town at least one night a week. Here's to furthering our careers, right?
Other than that, we're going to as many NC State basketball games as we can (no jokes please), or I'm out in the garage, tinkering on the race car. My season starts February 9-10. I can't wait.

And now...a picture of the race car!

Giving this thing a try...

So I enjoyed posting on my running blog so much, I decided to try this out. We will see how it works. I know I love reading other friend's blogs and staying up-to-date on the haps in their life, but actually finding enough to write about in my own may be a stretch.
Since being back from Orlando, I have not run yet. I am enjoying the freedom to come home and not worry about training and not feeling guilty about eating the hot wings from KFC that had taunted me for weeks before my race. Just as a side note, the hot wings are good. Sean compared them to a Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich in wing form. But anyway, I really need to get back on the horse. I am hoping to run in the Rockin' Raleigh Half Marathon in April. Something closer to home.
The only other thing that seems to be going on in my life is work. The all-consuming monster that it has become. There don't seem to be enough hours in the day - even though lately I have refused to work late. It just is too depressing to be at the office by myself after 5. One of my projects is suppose to wrap up in the early part of February, so that will be one I can check off my list.
Ok - well that was about as boring as I could make it. I will try and post photos of the Disney Half Marathon tonight, so at least you will have something to look at. Way more exciting than this mess.