Well another milestone has passed.

We “celebrated” what would have been Julie’s 36th birthday yesterday out at the cemetery. Nana and Poppa brought the kids up from Galeveston (where they had spent the week). Lil Joe & Jack, Marty, Angie and their Kids, Debbie Dodds and I shared cake and soda as Hallie led us all singing Happy Birthday. The grave looked really good as I know many have stopped by and helped maintain it while leaving flowers. Thanks to all of you who have remembered her day and sent notes to me or stopped by the cemetery to remember her.

I apologize as I have not updated the blog in over a month, but things have caught up with me lately and I have not had much inspiration to blog. I think my funk started about the time we started prepping for our annual 4th of July trip to the river. For those of you don’t know, Julie and I met on this trip in the summer of 1996 and have been every year except for the year that Kendall was born because she was only 3 weeks old at that point in time. We (especially Julie) loved that trip and it was her yearly project as she would organize the entire event for 30+ adults and kids every year… from room assignment to meals to meeting and departure times for the big day. Ever since then I have been in a funk.

I recently realized that I am not getting any exercise what so ever. My day starts at 5:45 in the morning, I am at work by 7:30 home by 6:30, home chores and kids through 8:30 and then I crash into bed only to repeat the same thing the next day. No exercise to burn off stress. So… I went over to the health club, Lifetime Fitness that is right next to my office on Wednesday and I signed the kids and myself up for a membership. It is great b/c there is also a location near our house so I can go on the weekends with the kids. They have a rock climbing wall (which Hallie loves as she went to rock climbing camp this summer in Dallas) as well as a huge pool with water fountains a great shallow end for Jack and Kendall and two GIANT water slides. I took Jack yesterday (Hallie and Kendall went back to Galveston) and he must have gone down the slide 50 times! I have been everyday since I joined and I can already notice a difference in my energy level and mental well being.

As stated the kids have kept busy. I mentioned earlier that Hallie went to Dallas, flying on her own, to visit her friend Janis and go to rock climbing camp. Jack has been doing quite well with his swim lessons and gets better at it every week. Kendall is growing like a weed as she turned two this summerand becoming more independent all the time and talking up a storm (see pic of her on her new bike). They spent all of last week in Galveston and will probably spend most of this week down there as well.

My brother takes the bar this week and he talked me and Brad into a post Bar Exam blow out in Las Vegas this coming weekend. It is Vegas so he did not have to do much of a sell job on Brad! In fact Brad is leaving out tomorrow I believe to work some basketball games Derek and I fly out Thursday night and return on Monday so watch for Vegas updates and wish us luck at the tables!

On a funny note… I was at my parents house last week and my mom had a photo album of me just after I was born out on a table. Derek and I were looking through it and laughing at my parents sense of fashion at the time along with the contraptions that passed for acceptable and safe baby equipment (strollers, car seats, etc) when we came across a newspaper clipping. It was clipped from the small town newspaper where my grandparents lived in central Michigan. Can anyone tell me what in the world this is supposed to mean….???

Seriously… what in the world??? I guess my Grandparents owe me a lot since I earned them their due respect!!!

Until next time (which I promise won’t be so long)…

YAY GOD!

-Brendan