Weekend Highlights

• Finished watching Up, complete with homemade popcorn. Loved it so much I watched it a second time later in the weekend.
• Painted the basement: one dark green accent wall, "latte" for the rest.
• Started cleaning up the yard: raked up the sawdust and sticks from the wood Mitch cut this fall, pulled out the cinder blocks that previously held a hot tub and flattened out the hot tub pad
• Went biking with Jon and one of his coworkers, Ned. The wind was wicked on the way back, but other than that it was great to get out.
• Laughed our butts off with Dave and Dwayne at Mitch's parents' church! The dinner theater was lots of fun, even if we didn't get nearly enough hot fudge on our sundaes.
• Experienced an exceptionally powerful message at church. One of our worship leaders had many in tears with her performance of Nichole Nordeman's Why, and Pastor Tony delivered a powerful sermon on the crucifixion titled, Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
• Cleaned up the house and did some laundry
• Hosted our small group. We laughed a lot and had some good discussions on pride and selfishness. And they all loved little Macie!

And speaking of Macie, here's a cute photo my father-in-law took of her. She looks so sweet!



We're most certainly looking forward to having a short week and celebrating Easter with our families. And the fact that we're going to have beautiful weather just makes it better! Spring, I think you may be coming!

Personal Record

When I ran track and field in high school and college, I was all about the personal record. Each race was a chance for me to set a new PR, each practice a chance for me perfect the technique I'd need to reach my goals. And since we had two meets a week plus weekend invitationals - at least in high school - I had plenty of opportunities to be better, faster and stronger.

Mountain biking, however, only gives me fewer than ten chances per year to go out, race and potentially set a PR. And because every course is different, and a single course can change from year to year, I sometimes miss being able to set new PRs and quantifiably measure performance improvement.

But now I have a new benchmark. Yesterday, I rode home from work and blew any previous road ride PRs out of the park. I wanted to have an average speed of 15 mph or greater (previous best was 14.5 mph), and I wanted to keep my cadence in the eighties. Modest goals for anyone who is a serious cyclist, I know, but I'm kind of new to this whole road riding thing, since I just got my road bike in January. Anyway, the ride was awesome! It was a shade under 23 miles with a crosswind most of the way. I averaged 17.3 mph, did pretty well with my cadence (my computer doesn't measure the average) and finished in an hour and nineteen minutes. I should disclose that these mid-Michigan roads are pretty darn flat, and I would have been much slower if there had been hills to tackle. But I'll take what I can get!

So now, in part to satisfy my need for new PRs and in part because it's an easy way to get a good ride during the week, I plan to ride home more often. Maybe, after a few weeks, my coworkers will even stop shaking their heads when they see me in cycling attire at the end of the day. :)

Recap

This has been a lovely week for us! Well, until the snow started flying today, that is.

Mitch's Birthday: We celebrated Mitch's 28th birthday on Tuesday with a road ride in the sunshine, rainbow trout for dinner and Dairy Queen ice cream cake for dessert. He also opened presents, of course: a new pair of mountain biking gloves and a set of carbon fiber handlebars for his road bike. Combined with the carbon seat post my parents got him (to replace the one he broke earlier this winter), his bike looks pretty sweet - just in time for outdoor riding to truly begin!

Macie: She's such a sweet puppy, and pretty smart, too! Housebreaking remains our most challenging task, but she has figured out that she should pee on her papers instead of her towel if she has to go while she's stuck in her crate (though as she develops the ability to "hold it," those instances become fewer). She is also good at telling us - by running to the door and whining - that she has to go out when we're home. At just 10 weeks, she knows the "sit" command, especially when we're playing fetch with her toys. And, stubbornly, she keeps trying to make friends with Chip, who has just recently started venturing out of the bedroom and becoming a presence again. There has been some hissing, some barking, a swipe or two...but I think, eventually, they'll find balance and boundaries.

Work: Oh-so-stressful right now. I think I've mentioned that we're implementing a new, campus-wide administrative software program, which will fundamentally change many of the ways we operate. It's a huge task, and I do not envy those who are most responsible for making sure everything goes smoothly. I do have a pretty big role, however, and almost every week for the last month and a half has involved all-day training or consulting sessions, multiple meetings and lots of work. Admissions "goes live" in May, and some significant Web enhancements follow in August, so perhaps by then I'll have a little time to breathe. But I still have tons of other projects, like managing my territory (ultimately the most important) and working on next year's publications. And it seems like, when I'm not in meetings, I can't leave my office without someone wanting something. I don't mean to whine or sound ungrateful, because I'm blessed to have a job that challenges me in an environment with great people who support me...but I sure am glad when the weekend - or even the end of each work day - rolls around.

Training: It should come as no surprise, given the puppy and the work schedule, that I'm not as dedicated to my training as I should be. I didn't make it down to the Rec at all last week; though I've had a pretty good track record overall, and am even running a mile before I do my strength workouts. To any hardcore runners, that would be pretty weak, but I don't like running at all so I consider that an accomplishment! With the nice weather, I have gotten out on a few road rides, but I'm really looking forward to being able to ride home from work a day or two a week once the weather turns for good.

Church: We are still loving our church. Our new teaching pastor is wonderful, and he's breathed some good life into the congregation. Today we participated in something called 3rd Serve, where the third Saturday of every month offers some type of service opportunity. We made and delivered food baskets for Easter, which was a nice way to show God's love to those in our community.

Family: My Papa (grandfather, not dad) is having some health problems right now. He hasn't been truly healthy for a long time, but now his bladder cancer is back and he has to have some pretty aggressive treatment (once they can get another condition under control). I'd be thankful for any prayers you can offer up for him, and for Gramma as she cares for him.

Well, I think that's it for the moment! While Macie snoozes and Mitch works on his car, I should get working on some chores. Yay, scrubbing the bathrooms...

I'm a Growing Puppy!

It's me again, Macie. Wow, I've been home for over two weeks now and I can't believe all the neat things I get to do! I know how to sit (even though I don't always listen) and Mom tells me I'm a good puppy if I come when she calls (which I try to do, but sometimes I get distracted). I don't have many accidents in the house any more, but I still can't hold it all day or all night.

But speaking of night, I'm letting Mom and Dad sleep again. I thought I had them trained to get up with me when I was noisy, but one night they just stopped. I kept trying, but it didn't work. I'm pretty good about not making a racket now, though every once in awhile I give it a shot, just in case. But I have learned that if I run to the door (because they don't just keep me in the kitchen anymore), they'll let me outside so I can do my business. That's a lot nicer than being interrupted when I squat on the carpet!

And I can climb the stairs on the deck now! When I was just a little puppy, I fell down them and have been a bit scared ever since. But Mom and Dad showed me I can be a big girl, and now I scoot right up them without any trouble.

Mom says I get to go to the vet tomorrow and get some shots. That doesn't sound fun, but she's promised to take me to the park later in the week. I don't know what "the park" is, but she makes it sound really fun.

Self Control

I've decided to start deleting stupid emails that insult my intelligence. They do not warrant a response, and I would struggle mightily to write back without being a jerk. But sometimes, especially when I'm overtired from a puppy who whined and yipped all night long, I want to leap across the hall and yell: "I KNOW HOW TO DO MY JOB!"

Whew. Good morning. From this point on, it will be a good day.

Hi, I'm Macie!

Hi, I'm Macie! I just came home on Friday and I'm so happy! At first I was a little tentative in my new space, but after just a few days it was the best! I get my own little bed for when Mom and Dad aren't home or sleeping, but when they're here I get to run around the whole kitchen!



My favorite thing to do is cuddle. If you sit on the floor with me, I'll crawl on your lap and burrow in. Chances are, I'll fall asleep.





I also love to play! My favorite toy is Squirrel, because he squeaks and I can chase him all over the place. I spent a lot of time playing outside with sticks today, and that was fun, too. I think when it gets warmer, playing in the yard will be lots of fun. For now, though, I'll take the kitchen. My paws get cold when we stay out too long!

Sometimes I cry at night because I want Mom and Dad to pay attention to me, and sometimes I make messes in my crate or pee on the floor. But I'm learning really fast because I'm very smart. And I'm very cute, so that means Mom and Dad don't get mad at me. They know I'm trying to please them.

I know there's another animal in the house 'cause I can smell him. They call him Chip, but he hasn't come out to see me yet. Maybe he is shy. I hope we can be friends, because I want us all to be a happy little family!