Of Mouse and Man

My dear husband is not only my BFF, my knight in shining armor, and my soul mate, he is also my hero. We have had a critter on the loose in our garage, and he caught the little guy (gal?) a few days ago. And since where there is one, there are probably more, he re-set the trap in the hopes of catching this one's friends and/or family. So this story may have a sequel. Thanks, sweet hubby!
He also mowed the lawn this past weekend. Isn't he just the handsomest guy ever, with his jean jacket and his Stetson hat? Of course he is! He keeps our lawn in tip-top shape.
Love you forever and always, honey!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Last night Mark and I watched the DVD: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. If you haven't seen it, you should. This film, which is hosted by Ben Stein, was the #1 documentary of 2008, and had been recommended to us by several people. The main thrust of the movie is that, when it comes to academic freedom on college and university campuses all over America, there is basically none when it comes to the debate over intelligent design. And regardless of your position of this issue, it is pretty scary when the mainstream science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who have the "gall" to criticize evidence supporting evolution. As teachers, this issue was of special interest to Mark and me. Basically, within the academic community, unless you spout the party line supporting Darwin's theories, you are blackballed and could lose your job (and many have). Even if, as a professor, you don't necessarily believe in intelligent design, but believe that there should be a free exchange of ideas on the topic, you are in big trouble. This link explains more about the film. It's definitely worth a watch.

Fun weekend!

Family. Is there anything better? I think not. And this weekend, we were able to connect with all of our kids except Ben and Christine. Above are David, Jake, and Hannah on the couch, with Sarah in back and Goliath squeezed in for good measure. Thanks, Sarah and Chris, for hosting us for a yummy lunch together.
Beka and Hannah.
Mark relaxes on the floor.
VERRRRY relaxed... zzzzzzzzzzzzz......
Sarah and Chris.
Goliath had to wear his protective cone. For his own protection.
Dad, you have GOT to check out this web site.
The reason David and Nikki were in town was for Nikki's brother Michael's wedding to Whitney. Here Hannah and Mark wait for the ceremony to begin.
Mark and me. Sorry for the poor quality of these shots.
David was part of the wedding party. Here he escorts a bridesmaid down the aisle.
Michael and Whitney exchange their wedding vows. Such a beautiful wedding ceremony.
Sealed with a kiss.
David and Nikki. The flash on our camera was not cooperating (probably operator error!), so again I apologize for the poor quality of the picture. It was so wonderful to be with our kids and their spouses - even briefly - and like I said, life doesn't get any better than that!

6:41:49.68

Well, we did it. Hannah and I completed the Portland Marathon on Sunday. Our time of 6:41:49.68 was 20 minutes faster than my finish time last year. WOO HOO!!! I am so proud of Hannah. And so thankful for her. She hung in there with me, and was such an encouragement and inspiration to me. Once along the route, at around mile 18 or 19, both of my calves suddenly and simultaneously seized up with cramps, and I had to immediately lower myself to the street. Hannah quickly started massaging one calf while I rubbed the other, and she was soon pulling me to my feet to resume walking. At times when I felt like giving up, she prodded me along, "We can do this, Mom," and we stepped on the finish line together at the end of the course. Thanks, Han. I love you!!!
Here we are in the parking garage in downtown Portland at around 6:00 a.m. It was still dark, but we had our game faces on. Dear daughter Sarah had made these bright, colorful posters to hold up along the course to give us extra support and encouragement. And they worked. Mark, Sarah, and Chris were able to connect with us at six or seven points along the 26.2-mile route, and it seemed like those three made their appearances just when we needed them most. We would come around a corner, and there they were, cheering and waving these posters.
Our cheer squad.
Thanks, Sarah, Chris, and Mark, for your love and support. It meant the world to us.
Here we are at one point in the race - early on, I think.
And here we are, below, almost at the finish line. I am all hunched over, trying to avoid the pain in my heels, which were multi-blistered; my toes, which were also full of blisters; and my right calf, which has a pulled something-or-other on the back side.
Posing with our foil blankets, our roses, and our medals.
CONGRATULATIONS, HANNAH, ON COMPLETING YOUR FIRST MARATHON.
YOU ROCK, GIRL!!!
Back home, wearing my finisher shirt and medal.
Last night we had our friends Bill, Denise, and Renee for dinner (well, we didn't literally HAVE them for dinner), and Denise brought me this lovely bouquet of flowers from her garden to congratulate me on my marathon finish. Look closely at the arrangement - there are Band-Aids poking through among the pretty blooms! Thanks, Denise. They are lovely - and so are you.
Will I ever do another marathon? At the end of the day on Sunday, lying in my bed with all my "owies," I definitely would have said
"NO, NO, NO - a thousand times NO."
Today, however, three days later, I'm thinking, "Hmmm - just maybe I could do it again."