Son - Shiney Day

Started out the day with another salute to our graduate.  Today it was Jim's church holding a breakfast to recognize the seniors.

Turned out only Carter and one classmate could make it,  but it was still very nice. Had a speaker who works with campus ministries who laid down the groundwork on what they can do so they don't lose sight of their faith in college. Good advice but it's not what most 18-year-olds are thinking of following as they experiment with true,  independent adulthood. 

After breakfast and mass (with a special blessing for the grads), we went home, packed and headed to Amherst for a graduation party.  This one was for Harry, whose mom worked with us in Iola, and who attended Kidz Camp and took a vacation to Washington DC with Carter

Like the party yesterday,  there was an "old" picture of Carter and the host. This pic is from their spring break trip to Washington DC when the boys were in 6th grade, I think. 

And here are the handsome lads today!

From the party we headed straight down to Platteville. We decided we'd rather just get here and sleep than having to hit the road at 5 a.m.! So we got here around 6, found a room at the Super 8 and then went walking around campus. 

Carb loaded at Steve's Pizza in downtown Platteville so we'll be set to register for classes and more by 8 a.m.

Uff da. This is it. All signs point to our baby growing up! 

Workforce Development

The resume building has begun.

Today was Carter's first official day joining the workforce. I mean the serious, official kind of work the requires the W-2 and W-4 and W-whatever forms to get started. And, more importantly, get paid.

It was interesting. He was at the fitness and aquatic center all last week for the Adventures in Leadership program -- and has spend numerous summers going in and out of those doors. But today, knowing it was his first day on the job, he was a bit nervous. On the commute over, he taps my shoulder from the back seat and whispers, "Mom, will you walk me in?" Awww. My baby isn't all grown up just yet.

We picked him up after we were done for the day and he said it went well. His main duties "on the clock" are assisting with swimming lessons -- getting needed equipment ready for various age groups and helping (possibly comforting) them in the water during the lessons as needed.

"Did you have any fun?" I asked. Yes, he said, it was cool getting to know all the kids and the lifeguards, too. (No doubt.) One kid follows him around all day and keeps inviting him to his house. He thinks Carter is so cool. Don't we all?

So of course we had to celebrate with some King Cone on the way home! He deserves it, you know!

Obviously, he'll have to learn that we can't stop every day. Most definitely when Mom drives, though!

Daily Commute

Today was Carter's first day commuting with us to Iola. This week he is doing the Adventures in Leadership program. Next week he'll start his job duties.

It was a long ride without his iPod. He survived.

We had to pick him up by 2:45 to get back into Rapids for a 4 p.m. appointment. Knowing we were on a tight schedule, he still asked if we could stop at King Cone. Unfortunately, I had to say "no." Right now, between our two detours en route to work, we don't even go by King Cone anymore. It is actually out of the way. But there have been times we have still been able to find it. We are nothing if we are not diligent!

One of these days, when we aren't pressed for time, we'll stop in. Hopefully the road construction ends soon so King Cone returns to our route. I'm fully aware Wisconsin only has two seasons -- winter and road construction -- but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

I imagine Carter and I will make up for lost time later.

Hey, we have to have some perks to our jobs!

All in a Day's Work

On his second day of summer vacation, Carter had to get up at 6 a.m. like Mom and Dad so he could ride with us to Iola. He had a big day ahead.

First stop was the Fitness & Aquatic Center to meet with his summer boss. Yes, he has a job! He will be working part time there, doing everything from helping with swimming lessons to serving as a "junior counselor" at Kidz Camp. When he is not working, per se, he will be participating in the Adventures In Leadership program again. Busy boy! All this and baseball 5 days a week in June and July. Ha.

After his job meeting, he came over to work with us. I think for once he was jealous of my job in the classic car division. Can you see why?

He got to spend the morning with our editor Angelo, cruising in his '55 Cadillac and seeing millions, yes millions, of dollars worth of cars in a collection near Iola. Then he and Angelo let a parade of classic cars that were part of the Freedom Road Rally back to our old car show grounds.

No, he didn't drive it, but Angelo let him sit behind the wheel! He was drooling alright! And thinking how he is making his older brother Casey (owner of a '85 Caddy) jealous!

He's saying, "Just two more years and I can drive this!" I'm saying, "You better keep saving those cans!"

The other part of the experience is that he had my camera with him and took photos of many of the cars participating in the group touring around the country. Since I am the online editor for our transportation division, I got to post those photos for all to see! And give him his first photography credit, of course.

Check out the album on Facebook. This is a "public" page so you can get onto it without creating a Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Cars-Weekly/54353598303.

Enjoy what for some of us, is all in a day's work!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Here we are as in olden days... Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us... Gather near to us once more.

One of the many blessings of the Christmas season is seeing or hearing from friends -- "faithful" or otherwise.

As I get older, I don't really see myself as someone making a lot of new friends but I guess it just happens. You spend time with someone and you can't remember what life was like "before" them.

From my hair artist to my fellow basketball moms and some other "groups" in between -- not to mention Christmas cards from old friends and new-- I was basically surrounded by friends throughout my entire day.

What a neat feeling.

Hubby had the day off so he got to join some buddies for lunch. This particular group of guys are retired so they see each other all the time. On rare occasions, Jim gets to join them. He knows their "schedule." Glad he got the opportunity today.

Carter also got to see an "old" friend at basketball. Assumption played at Amherst -- a convenient stop on the way home from work -- so he was competing against Harry, his pal from many summers together at Kidz Camp in Iola. No matter who wins the game (Harry this time), I think they'll be friends for life.

That's pretty cool, too.

If you haven't given it much thought, take a moment to think of those "faithful friends who are dear to you" -- and let them know you treasure them in your life. As the song says, we just don't know how long they'll be around.

Through the years We all will be together, If the Fates allow...

Thanks, friends, for being an important part of my life!

No Pain, No Gain

It's always an interesting wake-up call when those of us who think we are somewhat healthy and active try something new and we definitely pay for it the next day. Sometimes two days.

I have not heard as much moaning and groaning from Carter in his life as I have the last two mornings after football camp. And this is just a 90-minute "fun" camp to learn some drills. Practice won't start until the 22nd!

Still, he's using different muscles than what he uses in his regular workout of sitting on couch, lifting remote, exerting pressure with his right thumb and changing channels.

Actually, he's been more active than that, thanks to his time in the Adventures in Leadership program in Iola. He gets to swim most days, he's biked some and even went kayaking. He loved that! Even after developing a wicked blister on each thumb, he insists we need to get a kayak!

He may just save his money and get one. He cashed in his first bags of cans last week and got a total of $11 for approximately 2-3 months' effort. He did the math -- and he's good at math -- and realized he'll probably be 20 years old before he earns enough money for a go-kart. "I might as well save my money for a car instead!"

Yep, that's a different kind of pain, son. Perhaps your new workout regimen can include pinching pennies.

It's a lot harder than it sounds, trust me.

Blame the Heat

At 6:15 a.m. it was already 77 degrees so I knew it was going to be a bit wicked again. I know it probably got to 90 again but, in typical Wisconsin fashion, the temps will plunge to 49 degrees tonight and this heat wave will be nothing but a memory.

Probably a good thing. I had some "senior moments" today that I am much too young for... so I'll blame the heat. The baseball team had some non-energy moments (a lot of them) tonight... and I think we can probably blame the heat for those, too!

Had a big loss tonight and have one more makeup game for league next Thursday. Hopefully we'll finish on a strong note!

Carter was pretty wiped out tonight but I can't blame him. It was his first day at "Adventures in Leadership" so he got to go fishing at the hot lake (twice) and go swimming at the cool pool in the fitness center. No wonder he was a bit tuckered out!

He's not complaining, though. He caught (and released) 3 fish today and was very excited about the experience. He got his fishing pole and tackle box as a birthday present last year so it's about time he puts them to some good use.

Something tells me he's going to have a great time in Iola this summer. Again.

And yes, the first day and he was already asking to go to Shivers or King Cone. Unfortunately, we just didn't have time when we picked him up! (Good thing Dairy Treat was open after the baseball game.)

Adventures in Leadership... and Baseball

It looks like our summer is quickly taking shape... around Carter's schedule, that is.

Actually, we couldn't be prouder of some news we recently received. One, Carter made the Rapids baseball tournament team again! Looking forward to 6 or 7 weekends of baseball. I'm serious, we love it! And so glad Carter's hard work in the batting cage this winter paid off.

The second bit of news was that he has been accepted into the new "Adventures in Leadership" program at the Iola fitness center this summer. Since he is 13, he is officially too old to go to the Kidz Camp child-care program. We weren't sure what we were going to do with him this summer so keep him active enough not to die of teen boredom. Then we heard they were starting this leadership program for teens going into 8th and 9th grade. They will learn skills like CPR and photography, but also help with the younger "kids" at the Kidz Camp while learning team leadership skills.

He had to fill out a lengthy application for this -- very lengthy in his mind -- and we let him fill it in his words, not ours, run-on sentences and all.

When asked "What are the top five things at which you are best?", he listed: Math, Band, Baseball, Soccer and making people laugh.

His greatest asset or strength? "My positive attitude. I'm easy to get along with because I'm smart, sensitive, friendly, and have a great sense of humor."

Sounds like my kid!

What does leadership mean to you? "To me, leadership means to be a good role model and setting good examples. It does not mean bossing people around, but working well with them, too."

I think we should hire him, don't you?

So our summer schedule looks like he'll commute to Iola with us Tuesday-Thursday, then we'll travel to tournaments Friday-Sunday. His Mondays are open. We had previously talked to someone about babysitting a day a week. I asked him, "Would you still want to babysit on Mondays if that's your only free day?"

"Well, Mom, how else am I gonna make money?"

Oh boy, this summer will be an adventure, indeed!

And personally, I can't wait.

Holy Cats

I've moved on from talk of Tiger Moms and Cougars to a new cat... the Jaguar. You'll see why...

One of the perks of working in a town 45 miles away from home is that gradually, over time, you get to know the "locals" -- community members you don't necessarily work with but see most week days at places like the fitness center, where I try to work out a few times a week and where Carter has "camped out" for the past 5 summers.


One of their native sons hit the big time last year when he was drafted as a defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who coincidentally are coached by one of my favorite Vikings, the former #55 Jack Del Rio.

I had heard Austen Lane (#92) was "home" in Iola for a few weeks and was seen by one of my co-workers at the fitness center. This is not a big deal to the locals because to them, he is just family. This is a big deal, however, to goofy people like me (and Carter) who just think of him as a larger-than-life superstar.

Today I went to the fitness center over lunch break and had all intentions of a light workout as I ease into my running routine. I'm trying to baby my stretched muscle while at the same time, break in my new running shoes. I'm always complicated.

So I start out walking today and then run, then fall into a routine of intervals. Then in walks Mr. Lane! The first thing I thought was I can't wait to tell Carter. The second thing I thought was there's no way I'm gonna let an NFL player see this old lady just walking. So I kicked it in gear and kept up a steady run -- no walking -- for the rest of my workout. He was on the machine right behind me so I couldn't exactly slow it down! (Did I mention I am always complicated and most often crazy, too?)

If the whole Phy. Ed. class wasn't in the same room, I would have probably engaged him in some sort of conversation (using Carter as an excuse -- I'm good at that). But I didn't want to look like a silly school girl among other silly school girls.

So maybe next time. After I go get my hair done... and shave my legs... and find something he can autograph. I'm kidding!

Sort of.

Happy Endings

Today was Carter's last day ever at Kidz Camp in Iola. The childcare program is available for first- through sixth-graders so he will be too old (and perhaps too mature) to come back next summer.

Of course, we're not going to start thinking that far ahead. It is the end of an era, though. He has been commuting with us for 6 summers now! He has made a lot of great friends at camp and has met -- and hero-worshipped -- a lot of awesome "counselors." What a neat experience for him!

We should all be so lucky to have such a happy ending.

Tonight we went to the races. After a wicked rain storm on the way home from work, we weren't even sure they'd have them. But it cleared up in time.

Colin qualified third fastest time. But then in the heat race, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and could not avoid a crash that happened in front of him. So his Super Stock got a little banged up.

For the feature, he was leading the last 12 laps or so. There was a caution and restart with 6 laps to go and Colin still was holding onto the lead -- by inches. On the last lap on the very last turn before the finish line, he got knocked out of the lead (quite literally). We're talking majorly banged up. But the good news is Colin is OK. The car, on the other hand, will have to undergo some major work this week so it is ready for racing next Friday. We aren't quite done yet. Colin's happy ending will come in 3 weeks if he can take home that season championship. He's poised to do it now. He just has to hold onto that spot.

We all know that's not as easy as sounds. Good thing he's got all you fans out there in cyberspace to cheer him on!

Back on Schedule

I was awakened by an annoying sound this morning... and had to make fast friends with Mr. Snooze. Oh how I did not miss my alarm clock on vacation!

Since we stayed up late (in my opinion) to watch Mad Men, I was a little slow out of the gate this morning, but about an hour into work, it felt good to be back. Not as good as laying on a beach sipping a smoothie, but OK good.

I tell you, if we won the lottery, I would not get a chance to be bored. Here we had a whole week off and I didn't even get anything done around the house. I could use a hefty jackpot to help me get things started -- like cleaning out my closet, organizing some family tree stuff, scrapbooking...

I'm not envisioning it's going to happen (winning or getting those things done), but I can dream.

Carter was back at Kidz Camp today, too. He is going Monday, Wednesday, Friday this week, then all next week, then that's it. Do you realize in just a little over 2 weeks, school starts? I knew it was a bad sign to see Sunday Night Football last night on TV already. Now, knowing school is less than 20 days away, we might as well admit summer is over.

Except for the part where it's 90-some degrees and humid.

With mosquitoes.

On the way home from work we made sure to stop at King Cone for ice cream. With Labor Day right around the corner, our days there are numbered, too! You'd hate to miss out on one more Blueberry Waffle Cone treat!

I better get off the computer and see what else I need to get done before the leaves change!

Holiday Weekend

A few signs it's July Fourth weekend: A camper or boat is attached to every 3rd vehicle on the road, there are already "speed traps" aplenty, and the mercury is rising (along with the humidity, of course).

Today was a holiday at Kidz Camp, too. Since it was closed and hubby had a vacation day, I worked from home. Just to make sure I stayed focused, Jim took his sons golfing (well Casey and Carter at least) and I had quite the busy morning in the "office." There is more work I will just have to get done this weekend because I closed the "office" in the early afternoon so a friend could take me on a belated birthday lunch. Priorities, you know.

Had a good meal at Chili's over in Plover. Then got some errands run in town this afternoon. Heard it was going to be pretty hot and sticky tomorrow so we turned the air conditioning on before we left the house tonight to go to the races.

Our nephew Colin raced his Super Stock at Golden Sands. We love watching him race in that division (which he dominated last year and is leading in points this year at Sands). He ended up qualifying third, had to take a quick pit stop in the feature during a caution so that put him at the back of the pack. It was fun watching him work his way up towards the front. He ended up finishing 6th but he probably could have won it ... just needed a few more laps! He's still leading in points so that says something about his skill level in that division.

After races, they shot off fireworks at the track. Took some pictures of that but I am not messing with it this late at night. This is a holiday weekend so I can relax when I want to.

And I want to now.

Have a great weekend! Travel safely and stay cool (and stay within the speed limit, too)!

Pitching In

Today was our first day of our "Iola Summer." In other words, Carter started commuting with us to Iola and we dropped him off at Kidz Camp -- basically a child care program at the fitness and aquatic center.

When we picked him up, he reported a great first day back. In fact, being one of the oldest kids there has its privileges. He will get some training in the weight room this summer and do some special fun activities like rock climbing. When we picked him up today, he was inching up the rock-climbing wall in the gymnasium. Cool stuff! (I'll have to bring my camera next week!)

Tonight was our penultimate league baseball game. I ended up pitching in and working the concession stand since another parent did a no-show.

The good thing about it is that it was a crappy, rainy night. (In fact it was called off due to rain, but we still took a loss.)

The bad thing about it is that I missed the game. I knew Carter was going to get to pitch, though, so I sneaked out and snapped a few shots during that brief outing....

Getting his footing.

Making eye contact with the catcher...

Winding up...

Putting some mustard into it...

... And release.

Carter said he did terrible. He did throw some strikes but he also walked 2 guys and hit one batter. So he lasted less than an inning. Which was to be expected since he hasn't practiced pitching like he has batting.

In his words, "I guess I can catch and climb walls, but I can't pitch."

Well, at least he knows his limitations. We should all be so humble.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Since we are merely hours away from our baby's last year at Grant Elementary, I thought I'd turn the blog over to the new sixth-grader and let him share "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" (or the subject of his choosing)...

To all my viewers and readers:

I'm excited and scared to be a sixth-grader. I’m excited because I'm moving on with school and getting back together with my friends. I’m scared that I'm the oldest kid and everybody looks up to me.

I will be prepared even though I am just sitting on the couch with my mom watching the Vikings win (well at least that's what they're doing right now).

I just got done with Kidz Camp but it seems like a year ago that I just got out of school. I had fun this summer going to a Twins game and 2 Brewers games just recently. I also went to Noah's Ark in the Dells this summer with my friend. I spent most of the weekends of the summer watching my cousin Colin race.

Now I'm looking forward to signing up for basketball for school this year because I think that I can help the team. I want to be good like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and K.G. I've been shooting 84.3 percent of the time this summer.

This year I'll be going to bed at 8:45 (I have to make a deal with mom and dad) and getting up at 6:58 so it will feel like sleeping in. But once I hear the sound of my alarm I'll be going "U-u-ugh."

I got the newest football video game Madden NFL '10. That's fun and worth my birthday money. The Vikings always win (and that's without Favre).

Thanks for reading my first report of the school year!

Carter :)

Summer Nights

Nothing signals the definitive end of summer like a final trip to The Harbor.

The sad thing is this is only the second time we got to the popular waterfront bar and grill, located on the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes. And this comes the night before Carter's last day at Kidz Camp (already!) and one week before school starts (already!).

Where did summer go?!

It's probably a good thing we had some things to celebrate -- 2 co-workers moving onto new jobs -- or we might not have made it out there again.

The Harbor is just a neat place. It's right on the water so I like it. The Budweiser's cold so hubby likes it. And some (not all) of the "cool kids" from work hang out there so Carter likes that. (I sometimes think he's got more friends than I do.)

So Carter spent his time telling jokes (and learning a few) with the guys and playing some game where you try to swing a metal ring on a string onto a hook -- and count points or something. We had a hard time getting him out of there!

The weather had been if-y all evening with drizzle off and on. When we left, I was glad it stopped raining but the drive home was a nightmare. Fog, fog, fog! Very challenging and scary. Good thing I am a lifetime designated driver or we would still be making our way home!

Now it's late, way past our bed times and Carter keeps thinking about his new jokes so he doesn't forget them. I hope he doesn't volunteer to share them on his first day of school

So this drunk walks into a bar....

Observations

I'm getting home past my bedtime again so of course I'm not up for any creative writing! So here's just a few things I observed today...

• The rhythmic dripping of rain in a bucket can lull you to sleep. Not a good thing at work! When will they fix that leaky roof?

After reading the book The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel, I can no longer read one for fun! I'm ready to edit and critique it and see if or how it conforms to the guide's suggestions. I guess it's time I quit reading books and just start writing one. (I do have some ideas.)

• When my son earns the nickname Lover Boy at Kidz Camp, you gotta wonder how much school work is going to get done in sixth grade.

God did not want me to win that big Powerball jackpot because He knew I couldn't handle it. I'm pretty sure he has some faith I could deal with a dismal $2 million.

• The only thing hot about this hot August night is my electric mattress pad. Looks like sweatshirt weather on Friday. B-r-r.

It is possible for a person to be very self-confident yet have low self-esteem. Don't ask me how. It just is.

• If my list of people I am praying for keeps growing, it's a sign I'm the one with a blessed life -- and it's time I express some gratitude for it.

If I want to get close to 8 hours of sleep tonight, I need to sign off... Thanks for visiting!

Back to Back

Despite the fact I have to go to a chiropractor once a month (and did so this Monday) and the fact that this old bag o' bones got up early to run a few times this week (and did so today, too), I am not the one in pain today.

I'll back up a step. Last night while I was baking banana bread and jabbering away on the phone with my mom, Carter and Jim were in the batting cage next door hitting, pitching and catching. When Carter went to bed, he said his shoulder hurt already. Well he hasn't thrown a baseball in a month, so that didn't surprise me. But he seemed fine this morning.

About mid-morning, hubby calls my extension (we're both at work) and asks for a back pill or some sort of pain med. He said he wasn't sure if this was from catching so many pitches last night or what, but explained that his lower back just started hurting when he answered the phone. Now I know from personal experience that I can throw my back out doing anything simple like reaching for shampoo in the shower to picking up a jug of milk. So I took this seriously.

He took a few pills but called me an hour later and said it had worsened to the point it was hard to stand up and walk with the pain. So I got my work together, managed to wrangle a laptop for use this afternoon and called over to Kidz Camp to let them know we'd be coming early to get Carter. "That's good," said the director, "because Carter's been laying down with a sore tummy." Great. I wasn't planning to be Florence Nightingale this afternoon.

By the time we swing over there, though, he's got his pizza for lunch and is fine. Must have been too many sit-ups, that's all.

We go home. I get Jim situated (with little help from me really). Tell Carter to be at Dad's beck and call. Then head to the library to plug into their Internet and get some work done. For some reason our Internet connection at home does not allow me to log onto the server at work. It works from the library, though, which is where I spent a good deal of time in March, if you recall.

So I walk into the library and someone has the nerve to be sitting in my booth. Actually all 3 were occupied and the help desk lady said there weren't any other open connection areas anywhere. So I actually had to sit and wait, like a true squatter, until one opened up. Thankfully it wasn't that long and yes, it was my old booth again.

Kind of fun to be back and see some of those regulars -- the old guys still coming in to read various newspapers, gripe about the economy (and the Brewers now) and take a cat nap in their chairs. What a life.

When I got home tonight, Jim was not any better and had found he pretty much needs to be lying down for the pain not to be unbearable. This does not bode well for a golf outing we have planned over by Green Bay on Saturday. Forecast is not looking good.

We'll sort of have to see how the night plays out. I plan to work on Friday and take Carter to Kidz Camp so he is occupied. If Jim can't go to work tomorrow but thinks he may want to see our chiropractor (unlikely, he says), then he'll have to get a ride from some other Nightingale since our car is in the shop...

Yeah, we like to keep our challenges back to back to back so we appreciate the normal days when none of us is in pain or being a pain (oh, those are rare days).

How Charming

I've talked my way out of (and sometimes into) my share of things in my lifetime, but nothing holds a candle to the Austin charm.

If you've met Jim's dad or his uncles, you'd know what I'm talking about. If you've met Carter, you know it hasn't skipped a generation either.

Case in point:

Today while I was at the fitness center to work out (whoa, I'll give you a moment to absorb that), I stopped to see Carter at Kidz Camp (also housed there) to see how swimming lessons went. He passed!

Then he said, “There’s my teacher if you need to ask her anything.” So I ask Miss Mallory, “Everything go OK? Or is there something Carter needs to work on?”

She says, “Well, Carter says he needs to work on his jokes.”

Typical Austin charmer, eh?!

Makes me wonder how often our little Mr. Entertainer is charming his way through other things. Can he really swim? Is he really that smart in math or did the teacher just like him?

I guess I don't care ... as long as he charms his way into a high-paying job someday so he can support his parents :)

Will Work for Food

We set aside all concerns over child labor laws today and put our kids to work setting up for the car show. Hey, in this economy, you gotta take advantage of anyone who will work for food. Or in this case, ice cream.

Since Carter had swimming lessons, I couldn't get him from Kidz Camp until almost noon. So he got out of some of the heavy lifting (which he was fine with) and some spray painting (which he was bummed about). So he spent most of the afternoon hanging signs and loading stuff into the little vending trailer that will become my home away from home the next 4 days.

He actually was having so much fun I think he's envious he can't sit there with me for the show! In fact, he asked me right before bedtime tonight if I was going to pick him up early again from Kidz Camp tomorrow to "work" again. He was disappointed when I said no. (All this and I haven't even "paid" him for the first day.)

Speaking of good deals...

We went to the Legion baseball game in Rapids. It was Buck Nite so Carter and I enjoyed a economical dinner of brats and popcorn and Daddy got a few cheap beers for dessert. Sat with some friends and had a few laughs. Witnessed a near comeback but the Rangers lost 7-5.

Not bad for a cheap date!

Time Flies

They mentioned on the news this morning that it was 15 years ago today that O.J. Simpson led police on a low-speed chase along California highways in that now-famous white Bronco. Fifteen years? Where has the time gone?

I happen to remember that evening well (like most major news events in the '90s) because I was working at a daily newspaper at the time and that wreaked havoc with our Friday night deadline. What is going on? How long is this going to take? What happens when they catch him? How soon will they file a story for us to use?

Who knew that it would be such a pivotal event? For that day and time anyway.

I don't really care so much about that particular news story or event. I was mainly shocked that 15 years have gone by so quickly. They aren't kidding when they say "time flies."

Today is my sister Rachel's birthday (5 of us have June birthdays). Remember a year ago at this time I was counting down to my 40th birthday extravaganza? You'll notice I've wisely held my tongue this year. I still tell people (and I will for another week or so) that "I just turned 40." But 41? Somehow that just sounds old! I mean, you can still send cash or gifts or whatever, but I'm not going to be renting a cotton candy machine or anything...

When we dropped Carter off at Kidz Camp this morning, I told the gals at the fitness center that I actually brought my gym bag today and would be working out. I practically had to reintroduce myself to them since it had "been awhile." (Thanks mainly to the work project.) When I got back to the car, I calculated and realized that it had actually been 3 months since I'd been there! 3 months!

Not only does time fly, it also expands your waistline when you're not looking...

It did feel good to work out today. I unfortunately feel like I'm starting over at square one but before I know it, I'll be looking back fondly at how healthy and fit I was trying to be waaaay back when I was 40!

Even then, I bet I'll still be "cheating" with cool treats at Shivers... or King Cone... or DQ...

Time changes things but it's good to know that the awesomeness of ice cream (and any tasty fake dairy products) will remain the same.