Where to start

Boy does time seem to fly. It's hard to believe March is right around the corner, although I am definitely looking forward to spring. Mother nature can't seem to decide if she wants it to stay cold or if warmer temperatures are on the way. I know I sure don't like it. I am fighting a cold and ear infection right now and it's definitely not comfortable. Still, the last couple of weeks have been full of fun and excitement.

Let's rewind to Valentine's weekend....

That Saturday (2.13) Drew and his sisters held a bake-off benefit for their mom. (Drew's sister's cookies are the ones above.) She passed away two years ago and they wanted to raise money to do something special for the cemetery where she is buried. They chose to make it a bake-off because she loved to bake goodies. Guests were asked to bring a dessert/dish and then vote on their favorite one. Yours truly won!!

Yes, that is right, I took my mom's advice and made a Hamburger brownie/cake. The funniest part about winning is that only one person actually had a bite. Everyone was too afraid to cut it because they didn't want to ruin it.

Overall, the night was a huge success. There were probably over 60 desserts to choose from.

And, I had the opportunity to meet a bunch of Drew's family and friends. The next day Drew treated me to dinner and a movie ("Valentine's Day", of course).

This past weekend I enjoyed a mini vacation in West Virginia. A group of us drove to Snow Shoe Mountain to go skiing. Boy, was it an adventure. On the way up, Drew got his car stuck in the snow so four of us spent the first part of the trip digging his car out. Later, we hit some really bad roads, still covered in snow. It made for a long and slow last couple of hours. But, we made it safely. We still weren't completely out of the clear though. The power went out across the entire mountain. Needless to say, everyone had a good time with plenty of stories. This was the first time I had been skiing since high school. I did surprisingly well though. Over the entire weekend I only fell twice on the slopes, and about 4 or 5 times getting off the ski lifts - those things are dangerous! I really wanted to try snowboarding but I was told that in the beginning you spend most of the time on your butt. I didn't want to waste my money being frustrated so I stuck with skiing. I'm hoping to get out at the slopes close by and try it before winter wraps up. I'll let you know how that works out.

Back in the lead

I'm not sure if anyone cares or wants to follow my volleyball record, but my 6's team is back in the lead after winning all three games Monday night. I can't say I played very well, but we had fun and of course winning is nice too! I am extremely excited about 4's tonight. Originally I thought we were starting last week, but there was a delay from the previous session and our game got pushed back. Wish us luck!

On a side note, I haven't mentioned it in the blog, because I think if I do then it makes it 100% real, but I have been training for the Flying Pig Marathon. It's the first weekend in May and not only is it my first marathon, but it's probably the worst course to start on - it is absolutely, unbelievable hilly! And yes, most of my family thinks I am nuts - although my mom is excited for me. So far, training has been going well. I've been running shorter routes during the week and saving my long runs for Saturdays. This weekend is my first 7 mile run. I know I can do it, but I can't say I'll be fast. O well, I'm not interested in winning the race, just not finishing last! I'll keep you posted as the runs get longer. Towards the end of March there is a downtown race for Heart Disease. I've done the 5k (it was brutal - the course is a continuous incline), but this year I'm going to tackle the half marathon for my long run. I should be able to make it 13 miles by then or at least it will help me decipher where I am at. Drew did sign up for the Flying Pig with me. We've only ran together once, but I'm sure once the runs get longer we will do more of it. It definitely pushes me when I run with him (he ran in HS and has much longer legs). And, I can't imagine how much I'll have to push myself running with him and the 2 other guys he's been training with. Ugh - I'll keep you posted.

PS. I did inspire our traffic reporter/weekend anchor to run the race this year. He's doing it with his brother after years of saving they would like to race.

I hate to lose

Unfortuntely, my 6's volleyball team lost 2 out of 3 on Monday, but the good news is we are in a three way tie for first. It's really frustrating though because the team we lost to is the same team we lost to in the finals last season and they play as a quads team. We've inquired about why a quads team can play in a 6 league when the facility has quads leagues and we really haven't received a good answer. O well. We played really well. They were definitely good games - just doesn't seem right. Our quads league begins tomorrow. I still don't know what time we play, but I will let you know how it turns out. It should be interesting.

Other than that, not a lot is new. Drew taught me how to play speed solitare and I've come to learn that I am a TERRIBLE loser. Seriously, I start out confident, that leads to frustration, then silence and ultimately ends in anger when I play (games with Drew). At this point, I think I am one and four against him in speed solitare. (My only win was the first time we played. I am sure Drew would say he let me win too.) It's become a love-hate relationship. I want to play the game because it is fun and then I end up losing and I stay in that angry mood for a good fifteen minutes. It happened when we played Dr. Mario too! Again, TERRIBLE loser. I need to find a game I KNOW I can win....

Avatar

So, this past weekend I ventured to the theatre to see Avatar - in 3D. And, I have to say I really enjoyed it. That surprised me because Sci-fi movies aren't usually my first choice, but considering how much publicity the movie has received I knew I had to see it - and on the big screen. I only knew two things going into the movie: 1. it is about a bunch of strange blue people and 2. James Cameron has been working on it for nearly 10 years. I thought the visuals were simply stunning. I have no idea how Mr. Cameron (or any writer) comes up with his ideas, but Avatar really is out of this world (no pun intended). It is a long movie, but I was never antsy to leave. I thought about looking at my watch only because I was curious as to where we were in the film. It's my way of guessing what's next or how a movie will end.

Continuing on with movies, I finally saw The Reader with Kate Winslet. I more or less knew about the love story entwined in the plot, but I had no idea about the trial portion. It was very surprising and graphic to say the least. I'm not sure if Kate should have received the award for Best Actress because I didn't see all of the films up for the award last year, but I was extremely shocked by how old she looked in the film. Make-up did a phenomenal job aging her throughout the movie. Just beware, The Reader is very emotional and has a "heavy" storyline.

I definitely recommend both movies.

In other news, my volleyball team is back in the sand again. We played our second game this week and I am happy to say we are 6-0! That's the kind of record I like to see ;) Drew and I are also playing in a quads league starting next Thurs. It's the two of us and two other friends from high school. We are both looking forward to the competitiveness and intensity that comes with the quads league - it should be a totally different game.

Pictures as promised

Christmas Eve with the family

Happy 2010!

Happy new year everyone!

I hope you have survived the holidays and the late nights that come with them. I have definitely had a lot of fun the past two weeks or so. There has been plenty to keep me busy. I should add that I made it through my couple of days filling in for the 7am producer without any major hic-ups. I received a lot of compliments and had a lot of support/help along the way if I needed it. Christmas with the family was fantastic. It was nice having everyone home together. I will try to snag a couple of pictures from my parent's camera and post them a little later.

The day after Christmas my brothers and I bared the cold and attended the Bengal's last home game. The good news is they won, making it into the playoffs. The bad news, I was defrosting the rest of the night!

Got to love Bengal's fans. Yes, that man is wearing a Santa outfit with garland wrapped from head to toe around his body.

New year's eve was a blast. Drew and I got together with a group of people we play volleyball with and met some new people as well. It was nice to just relax and hang out without spending a lot of money or dealing with a huge crowd.

This is almost all of the fantastic volleyball team

With the host of the party

Happy new year!

Santa Claus is coming to towm

Classy holiday party...

George family 'Christmas' dinner. My younger brother was blessed with the Santa costume this year...
Siblings....Big and little cousins...some are happier than others