well, we're finally home!
for those of you who don't know, we've had quite an adventure getting back here to san diego.
we were supposed to fly back on friday, jan2, so we would be home on our anniversary for the first time in 5 years.
but alas, it was not to be.
as soon as we checked in at the airport, the lady at the counter told us that all flights to chicago (our 1st of 2 layovers) were delayed until later in the evening. she said that they would most likely be cancelled, but that there was a chance that she could get us to chicago late that night (where we would have to get a hotel room or spend the night in the airport). so we decided to rent our car back for one more day (much less expensive than a hotel in chi-town) and drive back to heidi and ken's, where our towels were still hanging in the bathroom and our bed was still made! we ended up having a fantastic extra night!
long story short, saturday we went to the airport again, went in a TINY plane from cleveland to washington dc, and then dc to los angeles. the flight from dc took forever, due to some wierd winds, so we had to run to our connection in another terminal in LA. of course, we missed our flight. and the girl at that desk said, "okay, i can get you on the 6:45 flight" and i'm thinking, "jeesh, we could drive home and get there faster", and then she says "that's tomorrow morning." at this point, matt turned funny and mean and started huffing and puffing. thank God she got us on the next flight out (just an hour later, not too bad at all).
and we finally got home around 7:30. whew!
happy 6th anniversary to us! :)

we had a great time visiting family and friends this christmas and new years.
i wish people weren't sick, though! michael, justin, dad at the edwards household (gramps later...)
ryan, michelle, and matt at the good household...(hannah later...)
i felt good, though.
(michelle--don't beat yourself up over not getting the flu shot--there are MANY flu strains going around--remember you were also exposed to columbus, cincy, and BG germs as well--and it is MOST LIKELY that the flu shot you would have received in lexington would not have been the flu virus that you caught).

highlights from our visit with heidi and ken:
-matt and isaac, their german schnauzer, became best buddies--finally! a dog that matt is not allergic to (i had done some research a few months ago and found out that shnauzers and poodles usually don't give people allergic reactions. poodles = no-no ever.)
-at midnight, we went running outside, armed with confetti, horns, party hats, etc. from emily and kevin's gift to matt. matt and ken each had a can of silly string and proceded to spray me and heidi each with an entire can! i was laughing so hard i couldn't even stand up!
-yummy fondue--2 types of cheese fondue and a meat fondue, and a chocolate fondue.

welp,
i'm trying to recover from a migraineish type incident that i caught before it blew up.
but i still have residual head trauma, so i need to stop looking at this computer screen.
have a great day back to work everyone!
tracey

Tracey’s Year in Review
2003

January- Matt and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary!
I moved into my new speech room at Sunset View Elementary School-a whole new office with high ceilings and tons of natural sunlight.
We found out Michelle was pregnant with Hannah Banana!

February-Matt and I took a trip to San Francisco to stay with Joel, Astevens, and McCann—such an excellent time and an instant bond with new friends. Additionally, we started to really make some good friends in our own region of San Diego, with people in our Bible Study and people at Matt’s work.

March-I kidnapped Matt after a difficult couple of months at work and took him to our favorite places in San Diego—Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-Sea (the area where we stayed when Matt, Mary and I came out here for a spontaneous vacation several years ago). Then we had fun visitors-first Michelle (and Hannah, in her belly!) and also Astevens, McCann, and Joel. We all went to Joshua Tree National Park and had an epic trip. Matt and I also went to see Cush, which was one of the best shows I’ve seen in my life.

April-Mom and Dad Good came to San Diego!!! We hiked to an oasis in the desert, went to the zoo, farmer’s market, sunset cliffs, and many other great places. Also watched “a mighty wind”, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
May- Our friend Chelsea was in LA on business so we drove up to meet her and spent the evening with her on the Santa Monica strip—excellent time with another lifelong friend! Also, I went to see Billy Graham, who was in San Diego (so beautiful and simple and honest). We finally made it up to Chowchilla to see Mary and Casey—quick visit to Yosemite and a glimpse into their new lives in central California.

June- Yay! School’s out!!! Ryan and Michelle (and Hannah still in the womb) came to visit us for 8 days! Unfortunately, we had probably the worst week of weather we’ve had since we’ve lived here. That didn’t stop us from having a great time, though. I was on the local news, laying out at the beach-ha! We also found a condo that we fell in love with and put a bid on (the waiting game began…)At the end of the month, I left Matt for a couple of weeks to spend time with family and friends in Cincinnati.

July- Cincinnati visit continued…whew! What a busy two weeks of visiting with Grammy and Granddad and Kevin in Columbus, Mom and Dad in Cincinnati, Ryan and Michelle in Lexington, Michelle’s shower in Cincy, and then a visit from Heidi over the 4th of July. The rest of the month involved me running at Sunset Cliffs, relaxing at the beach, and having fun!!! Also, inspection of the condo and more waiting…. Michael (and his friend) came to visit on their way through the country.

August-More waiting for the condo, a visit from Rachael, and one of the best vacations ever! Matt and I drove up the coast of California and camped at a different place each night—it was beautiful and peaceful—great to have time alone and with the Lord, enjoying His many creations. While on our vacation, we received a message that we could close on our condo! Yay! We finally joined the ranks of first-time homeowners! We moved in at the end of the month, with much help from good friends and a schedule that allowed me to move things over little by little. And we had fun painting our new walls with actual colors!

September-Our dear friends, Heidi and Ken, came to visit and we had such a fantastic time. A perfect ending to a perfect summer! And then, school started! It was a rude awakening at first, but I eased into it by the end of the month J. And then beautiful Hannah was finally born! We are now Aunt Tracey and Uncle Matt! And Michelle and Ryan are Mommy and Daddy!

October- Kevin and Emily got married! Yay! A new sister for me! Matt’s good friend Marni got laid off of word (at Scantron) and we kidnapped her and took her out with the friends that we run around with. Mary and Casey came down for a weekend and we had a great time! Unfortunately, they had to leave early due to the California wildfires. Mary and I started training for the San Diego Half Marathon.

November-Matt got laid off of work, which was sad, but we’re looking forward to the next adventure! We shared Thanksgiving with the entire Edwards family (except Gramps)—my first turkey-making experience! Such a great week of yummy food and visiting and a sunset vow renewal ceremony for Mom and Dad’s 30th anniversary.

December-A fun month of Christmas parties, more training for the half marathon (to take place Jan 18th), and a trip back to Ohio to visit family for Christmas break: first to BG (Edwards’), then to Cincinnati (Good’s), then to Youngstown (Heidi and Ken). This year we’re thankful for the family and friends with which God has blessed us.

Favorite movies this year…
-Catch me if you can
-Chicago
-Owning Mahoney
-Bruce Almighty
-Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Seabiscuit
-Elf
-Love actually

Honorable mention
-Down with Love (set design, costumes, and style of banter only)
-Lost in Translation (for Tokyo scenes and Bill Murray’s hilariousness only)


Favorite music this year…
-The Strokes
-The White Stripes
-The New Pornographers
-Rooney
-Saves the Day
-Something Corporate
-Ash
-Denison Witmer
-Travoltas
-Cush, as usual

twas the night before christmas
and all through the house
every creature was stirring
especially grandpa and matt.

mare! i forgot about that awesome lazy quote of:
"(come on fog!) i didn't get this job to have to go to work every day!"
i laughed so hard when i read that, remembering the silliness of that statement (and also the anger behind it!)

best quotes from grandpa so far:
"it'll never work out with michael's girlfriend."
why not?
"because she's a redhead!"
(pause maybe 3 minutes)
"life never works out for redheads...unless they have lots of money and can pay their way through life."

lots of laughing at that funny guy!

we had sort of a ridiculous trip out here, which included our taxi being late to pick us up to take us to the airport, and two flights where we had CONSTANT screaming kids sitting the row in front of us, and then a lost suitcase--which of course contained all of our christmas presents. so anyways, it all worked out and we finally got the suitcase back today, so everyone will get their gifts this year! hopefully the trip home will be less eventful.

been having a fun time over here at 1040 village drive: eating, talking, laughing, playing cards, eating out at trotter's, etc.
last night matt and i went out with lots of old friends and had such a wonderful time.
it's hard for us to be back in BG for several reasons, but family and friends make it worth it.

tonight is christmas eve and we're going to do "the night before christmas" over the phone with mary and casey. and we're going to make cookies, too, since we haven't fatly eaten enough yet.
and then tomorrow christmas of opening presents, maybe a movie, and best of all, mom's chicken enchiladas!!!! yummy!

merry christmas everyone!
~tracey

here's a quickie blog
since i'm at school right now.
the kids are out of control!!!!
oh my gosh, the wildness is unbelievable!!

i gave myself a headache for lunch since i ate a cookie, a cupcake, and candy all before 11:00. there have been kids in the nurse's office with upset stomachs all day long...hmmm..wonder why...

when i went home for lunch, matt was cleaning the house (thanks sweetie!). we're having our friends marni and ed over tonight before we take them to the airport. then we'll have our friends sue and tom over on saturday to have a fun game night. that's why he's cleaning....

and then pack it up, pack it in, let me begin...
it's off to ohio for christmas! hooray!
arrive in BG on the 22nd
go to cincy on the 26th
lexington on the 29th maybe?
cleveland on the 30th

whew!
i'm tired just writing it!
it will be great to visit and relax and eat and laugh with everyone.

see you all soon!
love,
tracey

matt is setting up my new photo printer right now--yay!
so i'll come home with some pictures for all to see at christmas.

ryan, i was laughing so hard at your blog! i can't believe reeces howls along with hannah's cry! that is the sweetest thing!
your fireplace story reminded me of our own fireplace story...
which is that matt and i were having a christmasy kind of night last weekend. we had the tree on, and sparkley lights on our banister, and we were just playing cards and stuff... it wasn't actually cold but i thought, it's december: let's have a fire! so after about 52 matches, we finally got it lit. the fire was actually just 10 evenly spaced blue flames. and the sound of the gas coming out of the line (with and without the flames) was so LOUD we had to turn it way down low. ha! so it seems that we need someone to come out and look at our deal to see if anything can be done about the wierdo gas line. maybe our neighbor knows...
well, it was a nice try, at least...

we're listening to the strokes new album--very quality, for those interested.

one more cake day before break!
i plan to do no actual speech therapy
and instead make fun christmas cards
and "holiday glasses" that say "happy holidays" on the top of big googly paper glasses
and eat candy and cookies and cupcakes, etc.
sounds fun, eh?

then freedom.
and then when we go back to school we'll be halfway through the school year.
huh???
how did that happen???

welp, matt needs to get on to get this deal going!
~tracey

ahh, three more days until freedom!!!
this last week is busy, filled with lots of meetings that are being squeezed in before we go for break.
tomorrow i have the afternoon off, due to the fact that everyone else will be going to the christmas lunch deal for my one school.
i originally wasn't going because i had a meeting scheduled for my other school--but that got rescheduled, but i didn't get my rsvp turned in in time (besides, it's $16.50 WE have to pay. the social committee is sort of weird this year with all that stuff). so no tears here, i'll just have a nice run and relaxing afternoon with my husband!

matt is strumming the guitar in the next room-- i love it!

can't wait to see friends and family in less than a week!

i was playing the game "trouble" with 4 little boys this morning (you know, the game that has dice in a little plastic bubble that you pop in order to roll) so anyhoo, whatever number they roll is the number of speech cards they have to practice; and i was teasing a little boy because we ended on the word "girls". so i said, "oooh, girls--your favorite thing!" and he said, "ewww--yuck! girls are not my favorite thing!" and another little boy who was sitting next to me hugged me and said, "i don't like girls either, but YOU'RE my favorite girl!"
why do i have the best job in the world????

~tracey

my shoulders are sore this morning. i think from my bike ride yesterday. i upped the mileage/minutes and by the last 10 minutes i was feeling it in my lower back (for mary's info: i measured most of it and i think it was approximately 13-14 miles in 60-65 minutes--most triaths i've checked out have a 9 mile bike section--so even if we stayed at this speed it would be at least less than a 45minute ride). love it, though, it makes training much more interesting and biking is easier to control speed than in running. mare, do you concur? mom and dad, do you still have your exercise bike set up in the basement? if so, i will probably need to be using that on one of the days we are visiting. i will definitely be using the treadmill (don't worrry, mom, i won't do it when your quilt shows are on:) if it is too cold to run outside.

i was walking down the hall in school the other day, alone, and i hear a little child's voice say, "hey baby." so my eyes get all mean-teacher-squinty, and i say, "who said that?" and i hear, "hey baby," again. i can't really identify where the voice is coming from so i just stop and sort of look in all directions. all of the sudden, one of my little girls comes around the corner and i hear the voice again (not coming from her) give a scream and a laugh. and i ask her, "who is that? who is laughing?" and she points to a random brown wooden box in the hallway that has holes drilled into it--"it's a bird". so we go over and there is about a 3 inch diameter hole with a circle of white feathers and a silly bird eye, checking me out. i started cracking up. (apparently there were people from the zoo at our school, bringing around different animals--this little guy was just on a break). maybe this bird was a friend of bocifus?

i sent out christmas cards yesterday morning. yay.
last night we went to the festival of lights at the wild animal park.
the lights actually weren't that impressive, but we did get to see some sweet baby warthogs (they looked adult size, though), who were acting like dogs. one of the zoo workers came in to fix something and they ran over to her and nuzzled against her and she petted and scratched them. she said that sometimes when she scratches them, they roll over onto their backs! then when she was leaving, one of them sat his little bottom down by the door and she said, "oh good boy! you're sitting! oh no, you want a grape--i don't have a grape." SO CUTE! now i want a pet warthog!

long, slow run today, too:)
~tracey

saturday morning!
and i finally slept past 7:00 (7:15, to be exact)!!!
yay! this really is reason to celebrate!
i love coming back to ohio for family and friends, of course, but another reason is that i can actually stay up until 2:00 am and i can sleep in until 10:00 am!!!! (nevermind that it is my usual 11:00pm-7:00am schedule disguised as eastern standard time).

dad, how about the 23rd for a trotter's dinner?--yummmy............. i can't wait for one of my favorite meals in the world!!!
and mary, you get those pictures of bocifus up on your blog or i will come visit unexpectedly next weekend!
he sounds so completely cute and such a great pet!!! i'm so happy for you guys!

tonight we're going to the festival of lights at the wild animal park, since i took too long of a walk last night (it wasn't actually long in miles, rather, minutes, since the person i was walking with was s-l-o-w) and got home too late. but i made a great dinner of carne asada tacos and matt and i played uno and watched tv for awhile. i started falling asleep at 8:30 but matt forced me to get up, thankfully!

mom, cool bag. is that an exchange gift for the quilter's guild? i wonder what you received/will receive. hopefully you don't get a ceramic box that holds a smelly piece of soap!
well, i'm going to make some christmas cookies today, so i need to go shopping.
farewell people.
~tracey

hello there.
fun day yesterday, i had a day of rest from all exercise so my body can get schtrong and build up!

nice long talks with mare and our good friends chelsea and connell. so good to catch up with everyone. and we haven't talked to chels and connell for months, but it really seems like yesterday. they're low maintenance friends where you can pick up where you left off and it seems as if no time has passed at all. and they've been such great, encouraging, life-giving friends--truly a gift from God.

yesterday i had to do a training for my supervisor and some other teachers and teach them all how to give a certain test. that was fine, that's not really the point of the story, though. my supervisor, guy, gave me a gift for doing it. and that was a ceramic box type thing with a lid and a yucky smelling soap inside. it was a nice gesture, though. and then later he explains how we're going to do a "trash for treasure" gift exchange. so let's say you bring in three items you got for christmas that you didn't want and you get to choose 3 items that other people have brought--fun, eh? except i want to bring that ceramic thing already!!! darn! i know i can't get away with that one--that would be so chacho!!!

it's friday.
i'm listening to norah jones and getting mentally prepared for the day.
i don't feel like working, but i know it will go by quickly.
plus, i have the last hour and a half of the day to do paperwork and that kind of stuff. so i don't have to be "on" for that.
so as long as i can make it to 2:00 today, i'm fine. so minus lunch and recess, that makes 5 hours of performing for children! i can totally handle that!!!
then tonight matt and i are going to the wild animal park to see the festival of lights.
yay!
my two favorite things in one place: animals and christmas!

justin, if you like lemony snicket, you might get into the spiderwick books, too. unless you already are, that is...

well, i must be going.
have a great friday, everyone!
tracey

last night i ran 5 miles while matt played bball in la jolla with friends
(mare, you may notice i'm off of our schedule--because i stayed up too late sat and skipped sunday--i'm doing everything a day ahead or something).
then i went to henry's to get some groceries
then i came home and made a fantastic cheese fondue, if i do say so myself!
matt also had a steak, since he doesn't think bread, cheese, and vegetables are a full meal :)
then we went in the hot tub and relaxed our tired muscles.
ahhhhh..... what a perfect night!

i can't wait to see bocifus!
have a great day, people!
tracey

yay dreams!
it's been fun to read the dream-themed blogs lately.

"if nothing else, i can dream..."
over the rhine

i was just driving to work the other day and i could see the mountains, the ocean, and the city all in one shot, and it finally hit me that this is real! we really LIVE here! i am a californian! up until now, i have been in almost a state of disbelief, like, is this real? but it is and i finally realized that in fullness. we made it, we're realizing our dream! and justin, like you, i remember the dream stealers and crushers, who said, "yeah right. you always talk about california but you won't really move there." or even just the looks or idiotic questions (why would you want to live out there? you're going to fall into the ocean...) or silent disapproval of folks. all lies! and why? just to squish you and make themselves feel better about their own insecurities and fears?

anyhoo, it's real. and with God in control of your desires and dreams, anything can happen.
ahhhhhh...

i'm excited for christmas, to see family and friends!
we're almost done with our christmas shopping--it's much less this year (whew!) since we drew names with the siblings in BOTH families. thank goodness--it was getting out of control! but it is still fun to buy things and wrap them-heehee!
welp, i'm going to go running now.
dream on!
-tracey

saturday morning and i'm up as if i need to go to work.
sort of sad that i'm not to be able to sleep in anymore!
it has been so long--at least since summer--since i have slept in past 8:00.
ah well, that just means i get more things accomplished in the morning!

last night we went to a friend of a friend's house (who we didn't know:) and hung out.
it actually was pretty fun. these people have such a cool house and backyard (a giant jacuzzi with a cool wooden half shelter, surrounded by plants and white christmas lights). it was so serene and festive! we didn't get in the jacuzzi but some other people did. and then we played ping pong. the guys played each other, then the girls played each other, and winners from guys and girls played each other. so matt and i were both on teams that won and we played each other for the championship. it was 19-19 and we threw away the last two points--so sad! but the guys were pretty impressed that we held our own for that long!

where is bocifus???? :)

a 50-minute bike ride today for me and mary (or cross training of your choice!)

our house is all decorated for christmas---we have our tree up and our banister is decorated with ribbons and lights.
also, mom, the wall hanging you made for us is above the fireplace--it looks so great! grammy, the wall hanging YOU made for us is in our guest room--it also looks great! we have a little baby tree in our guest room and our room, so each room has it's own christmas spirit! i know, i'm a nerd! but i don't care, there are only 19 days left until christmas--i need to totally celebrate! that's why i'm listening to frank sinatra's christmas songs. so there!

tonight our friends marni and eddie are having a dinner party so we're going to that tonight.

i'll probably do some christmas shopping today.
also, there is a christmas marathon of old clay-mation/stop animation shows, like rudolph and all those fun old christmas shows we used to watch when we were little. so i may catch some of those for fun memories later!

welp,
i'm out.
-tracey

welp, i am getting annoyed with seeing my old blog, so i have to write at least SOMETHING before i go to work today!
it's foggy out this morning-just like that past two mornings. when i was driving to school yesterday i was thinking that if i was still working for wauseon, it would have definately been a fog day. and then i laughed at myself when i remembered the first foggy day we had here last year: i turned on the tv, looking for the school listing of 2 hour fog delay. and of course there was nothing. because the fog actually clears here! and there are no cornfields/country roads to retain the fog all day. sort of disappointing then, but funny now.

yesterday i told a little boy that he was going to be graduating from speech soon and he said, "but i'll miss you!" so i explained that i would miss him too, but he was getting all better and didn't need my help anymore. so he started crying and threw his arms around my neck and hugged me so tight. it was hard to keep myself from crying, actually, he was so sweet.

mom, what a beautiful quilt you made for the church--it does look like stained glass!

random dinner last night: a bowl of soup, a whole bag of microwave popcorn, and half of an orange.

well, i have to get going to work now.
tracey

thursday again!
how did that happen?

congratulations mom! did you change your mind about the presidency, then?

since everyone else is giving their running reports today, i'm going to join in as well: i ran 4 miles yesterday (without walking! yeah!) in 40 minutes. man that feels good! today will be biking, due to some shin splints that i'm trying to recover from. apparently, i'm supposed to cut my mileage 30-50%. by the way, mare-core, i know i should rest next weds, but i think i'll do an easy 2miler on tues--just to remind my legs of what they're supposed to do. :)

i LOVE and am ADDICTED to running. i finally figured out that i run best at a certain pace (breathe in 2 paces, breathe out 2 paces) and it is getting easier to get into that pace and just be machine-like. and best is when the endorphins kick in and i'm running and thinking in my head and i look down and my body and i think, "huh! my body is moving but i don't really feel it." a fake out of body experience.

i'm listening to old juliana theory and matt's going to play basketball.
he applied for 4 more jobs today--it's good that there's something out there at least!

and now for some personal messages:
rydogg, are you ever going to update your blog? come on guy, you've had a month off!:)
michael, are you going to run the thanksgiving day race with us?
emily, read matt's mom's blog.
grammy, your blog made me hungry!

1 week until the best meal of the year!!!
-tracey

yum.
i just had my favorite dinner: salad and bread with cheese and white wine.

yeah, mare, i'm getting there for the race but i'm annoyed by the shin splints--i'm icing them every night, though, so hopefully won't be too bad in a week and a half. i seem to be averaging between 28-29 minutes for the 5ks i run in practice. we'll see how thanksgiving day goes.
i, too, am exhausted on sundays after the long runs--my last 5 miler was rough-mentally and physically.

i just got some fun christmas ornaments in the mail from kevin and emily-yay! thanks guys! they made me so happy!

i had sort of an annoying day of meetings with a counselor who is rude, condescending, and has no social skills. how is she a counselor??? i was glad to get away from work for the first time in a long time. and at 3:20, in the middle of one of my meetings, i just happened to look at my planner and notice that i had a 2:30 meeting at my other school. heart attack time! i called over there and everyone was just finishing talking about their findings so i flew over there, just in time to present my findings. whew! thankfully, both the teacher and parents were so cool about me being late (and i didn't really need to be there for the rest of it anyways). but still, it left me sort of discumbobulated (i love that word but i don't know if i'm spelling it right!) for the evening. surprisingly, i calmed down after some grocery shopping and "friends" watching. now i'm in my jammies and i'm just going to veg out for the night.

we bought our christmas tickets!
can't wait to see everyone!

tracey

hello there.
welp, if you've read matt's blog you know that he has been laid off from his job.
sort of a surprise but sort of not, considering all the people who have been laid off since spring.
we kind of thought he was safe, being the only technical writer, but apparently not.

but just like matt said, God has a plan, he always has a plan.
when we first moved out here and matt got his job, it was such a miracle and such a crazy way that it worked out.
we're expecting something wonderful again. we've seen God do too much NOT to trust him with this.
and sort of sickly, it's almost an answer to prayer because i've been praying that matt would LOVE his job, that he would have
FUN doing his job, (which, in case you didn't know, scantron was pretty boring work). so this just sort of forces him to move on to that job that God already has prepared.
and already people have been so wonderful with offering financial support--we feel so blessed. thank you all so much.

last night was the first of my birth-weekend! matt has a fun weekend planned for us (and thanks to dad, we still get to do it!): last night we went to eat at ortega's for dinner and then to java jungle, to get my milky way mocha (decaf, of course!), and then to starbucks so matt could get his hot chai. then we just hung out in comfy chairs and chatted for a nice long time. apparently a little too long, because then we went to see "hot rod circuit" and "brand new" and we missed half of hot rod circuit's set. WHICH WAS TIGHT, by the way. they were so great live, and nice guys, too--really humble and genuine and always thanking the crowd and looking almost amazed that people knew their lyrics. i can't say as much for the boring brand new stage presence, which they tried to detract from by using obnoxious stage lights, which flashed and shined (shone? a little help, engish majors?) directly into the audience, which began to trigger a migraine. so i had to go sit down in a little alcove for the rest of their droning, victory-established way-too-long-type of songs. disappointing. matt said they weren't as bad as i'm describing, so maybe it was just the nausea overriding all of it. :) justin, in addition to your EMOKID, who permeated the place, of course, since it was all ages, i need to add a new showgoer. the kelly osborne wannabe. chunky girls in lowrider pants and skintight shirts that show their belly, and a huge thick rockstar belt, which draws further attention to the belly overhang. pair this with flinging arms and loud talking.
regardless of all that, i'd pay to see hot rod circuit again any day!
when we came home i started watching "the grinch", but fell asleep about halfway through.
and now i'm up!
somehow matt has a surprise for me today--so i can't wait!

and mare, i know you want me to get into tennis, but have you seen my hand-eye coordination??
why do you think the only sports i like are those that can be performed in a relatively straight line?: running, swimming, biking, hiking-notice a pattern there? i'll try it but you'll be sorry that you asked when you're chasing balls everywhere (or i am, because i can't hit even a normal serve).

i wore my red snowflake shirt yesterday and my snowman socks! and listened to christmas music before i went to work! yay!

have a great day everyone!
-tracey

and now for some words from frank sinatra:
and life gets more exciting
with each passing day
and love is either in your heart
or on it's way

today will be a day of random rambling thoughts, okay?

alright grammy! 2 blogs in one week!
(ryan and michelle--you could learn a lesson or two from her, you blog slackers! we know you have nothing better to do! speaking of which, i had another dream about hannah--she was bigger and looked like a girl! and so sweet!)

i'm home from work early, just because i can flex my time if i want. and i want.

justin, you're in luck--captain crunch is on sale :).

i'm sick of this layered haircut i've had in varying lengths for the past few years.
it's time to move on! any ideas, people?

today i had recess duty, annoyingly, and i was busy doing my usual deal of yelling at a kid who was acting in a dangerous manner, when i stopped, mid-yell, as soon as i walked into the view of the ocean. ahhhhhhh.... forget it kid, slide down the firefighter's pole upside down, i don't have a care in the world! and in my head i said, "what? is this where i WORK??? is this real?".

i'm listening to the new pornographers (by the way, nothing to do with actual pornography--just a stupid band name) and remembering summertime: running along sunset cliffs, early morning walks, milky way coffee from the java hut, climbing down the cliffs, discovering tiny beaches, hanging out on dog beach and checking out the pups, not thinking about anything...

-tracey

all hail what will be revealed today
-the new pornographers

awww yeah!
matt gave me my first birthday present : the new strokes album--QUALITY. i'm listening to it as i rip it to the computer.
got to talk to dad edwards tonight on his way home from lexington (for a few minutes before he cut out, that is!). michelle, a girl named maureen from your prayer group (is that the woman who called you to help with parenting issues?) hosted the cs lewis deal--what a small world, eh? dad, to finish our convo--i assume that we get the shirts after we race, that's how it has been done at the races i've been in, but it's been awhile for me so they may do it differently now. additionally, i'd say bring a couple of layers (tshirt, long sleeved tshirt) and see how it goes temperature wise. i've been wearing a tank top for the past few weeks but who knows, it could be extra cold that morning.
as far as the course goes, i don't know about terrain. i'm assuming fairly flat since it is down by the harbor--but i haven't been able to get a course map anywhere, so who knows? and mare--you will so break 30 minutes--if you ran 2 miles in 17:00, you are so set for under 27:00 (wow!!!). we'll all just go the pace we're comfortable with and have fun!

i stood up to a rude parent today and it felt so good. he was being a complete jerk and nitpicking about the stupidest things. it wasn't enough that he told me i was only qualifying his son so i would have a job. no, then he had to complain about a tiny detail with the computer system that we have that formats our IEPs. i finally had enough so i said firmly, "you know what? maybe YOU could call the tech department and have them fix it. (slight uncomfortable pause) it sure would make my job easier." and i smiled. and he looked up, with a sort of shocked look on his face, and gave a weak smile. no more mr. nice guy from me!
but tomorrow will be great because i love thursdays--such a blob day. tomorrow i need to do report cards, though. but i think i'll take off early to get those running shoes :). i still haven't purchased those guys yet. but i've been biking instead to give my knees and feet a break, so it hasn't been essential for the new shoes immediately.

i'm going to buy a turkey tomorrow-- i think a 20-pound one, so i can make tortilla soup later on and we can enjoy leftovers as well.
is this what my life has been reduced to? being excited about buying a turkey? heehee!

i'm pumped for this weekend! we're going to see hot rod circuit and brand new on friday night, matt has a surprise for me on saturday, and then on sunday we're going out to dinner with our friends. yay!

welp, i must be going now.
i leave you with some words of wisdom from the strokes:

the end has no end the end has no end

-tracey

tuesday morning and no work today, thanks to our country's veterans!
mike-sweet song! i'm really into it!

today we're getting me some new running shoes.
mine are totally worn out and i'm having some foot and knee pain.
therefore, this will hopefully solve the problem.

matt's taking the day off with me! he has allergies/infection from them and stayed home yesterday so he's taking an extra day off to really recover :) yay! i think i want to rent "the grinch" and maybe some old claymation christmas movies (oh, also funny part of elf was a few clips of random claymation characters from old christmas movies--very amusing).

welcome back from your honeymoon, kevin and emily GOOD!
and where are more pictures of my hannah girl? michelle, sorry to hear about your dillema with the blog losing. i, for one, have no idea where that deal could have gone--maybe on a word document somewhere in your computer?

can not wait to get the new strokes album--apparently we're waiting for someone to burn it for us, but i'm starting to lose it. it's so catchy and fun--matt and i were listening yesterday and just talking about how their music always has the vibe of going out at night (like in the summer when nights seem so long and responsibilities seem far away) in the city.
this summer = oregon coast/olympic national park/seattle with mary and casey
next summer = NYC

by the way, mare, i don't know if you guys made reservations yet or not, but our friends used to live there and said that june is the grossest month there (in the way of grayness, coldness, and rain, rain, rain). they suggested pushing back to late july or august, which is apparently the best month. (sounds like here, almost). would that be a possibility for you guys?

2 weeks until the edwards family descends upon san diego!
-tracey

we had such a great night last night with our friends.
and even better than normal because we had the sweet presence of the Lord and good conversation.

mare, about the food preparation at Thanskgiving: i'm thinking (and i hope this is okay with everyone else) that i'll probably get a few things prepared in advance--nothing major, though, and on thursday after our race (it starts at 8, we'll probably run for a half hour, we'll most likely be home at 9 or 9:30 at the latest) we start doing the real cooking and we eat when we're done cooking the turkey. no time pressure or set schedule, but just munch on stuff and have the big meal when we have it. so don't freak about the wednesday night food preparation--let's just have fun on thursday and chat and make the majority of the food then. and THANK YOU on the excessive and awesome amount of pies!!! can i also request cherry if it's an option? heehee!

i got a suitcase stand for our guest room yesterday. actually, it is just a little stool thing from ikea that i got mom a couple of years ago that is on the porch. a cute and inexpensive alternative to a "real" suitcase holder.

poor matt is having some allergy issues this weekend so neither of us have been sleeping well with all the tossing and turning and throat itching happening in this house! fall seems to be his worst season for allergies, with all the mold kicked up in the air. on my way to ikea yesterday i saw some actual proof of fall: red and gold trees on the side of the road--so pretty.

welp, i'm going to get ready for my 5 mile run.
have a great day!
tracey