Goodbye 2012, hello 2013!

Trying out the new skis right after Christmas.
It is so good to be on skis again!

For Christmas, Jim got us cross-country skis, boots, and poles. We tried them out right after Christmas and although it is a bit more work to cross-country ski, it is fun!  We have many parks with trails in the area and there will be plenty of opportunities to ski in and around the Twin Cities.

It is always exciting to begin a new year and what better way to begin the year with a fun 5k walk/run?  For the Commitment Day event it was very cold (below 0), but the large crowd was energetic and the atmosphere was fun.  There was lots of encouragement along the way.  I would have more photos, but the cold prevented the camera phones from working properly!  We ran along the river by St. Anthony Falls (where we canoed) and the Stone Arch Bridge (where we have bicycled).  Hopefully we will be doing more of those activities this year.

Commitment Day 5k in Minneapolis.
This was a fun way to begin 2013!
My goal is to keep fit and be happy!

We started at the Metrodome.  Ben and I are
staying warm until we go outside.

It started out sunny and below zero.  I am the short
person in  the brown hat and Ben is behind me.
He ran the whole way.

Jim and I, on the other hand,
wogged (walked a bit, jogged a bit).
At the end we got a bag with a
commitment diary to keep track
of our fitness for the year.

Still here!

I'm finally back to posting! July went by in a flash and now the summer is winding down for us. We celebrated our 33rd anniversary with pizza. Buca's is a fun restaurant! Jim always brings me flowers--and not just for our anniversary!
We've enjoyed Ben's visits home every week. He brought one of his staff buddies back. Scott came over, they played Halo and now went to the dam to play Frisbee. I made cookies (Ben liked the added coconut), and most will go back to camp. I'm hoping the t-shirts are finished soon so I can run them up to camp and the guys will have them for the last Outpost.
The shed is finally moved out by the fence and we have a patio! It makes the back of the house look bigger. Jim had quite the job of replacing siding, which turned into replacing insulation because of those pesky "mini-bears" (a Boy Scout term for chipmunks). Jim set a cage in the garage and captured the little bugger that's lived in the garage. Of course I fed it (feeling only slightly bad about it being in a cage).
Anyway, Jim will power wash the house and then we'll have it painted. I chose White Truffle for the house and Dutch Chocolate for the trim--how could I go wrong with those colors?
My brother and niece came to visit Mom and stayed with us. Ben just happened to be home, so he got to see them. Jim and I celebrated our anniversary with pizza at a very fun restaurant. We're still planning a trip this fall.
On the knitting front...I'm making progress on the Owls pullover. I decided to make a bigger size and put in all the shaping. I think it will fit and that way when someone else knits it, I can answer questions! The ECO Wool is wonderful to work with, and the natural colors are classic. I got the darker brown. Naturally, I've frogged back and started over. The yarn holds up well to frogging. That's always a plus. The Bowknot is on display at the shop. I confess my weakness for yarn has shown itself in my purchase of some sale yarn--Manos. I loved working with that yarn. I have 6 hanks of red, 1 gold, and 1 black. I know what I want to make, I just need to decide the Fair Isle design I want to add. Also, I took back an extra skein of white yarn and 4 skeins from the felted bag. They'd put some lovely Naturally Tussock tweed yarn on sale, so I snatched up all 6 of them. The buttons I bought at Treadle will go nicely.
On a sad note--on our anniversary, one of my knitting students was tragically killed. I went to the church for Kim's visitation and I've never seen so many flowers at a funeral before. The family had a display of photos, quilts, and her knitting projects. The family was so gracious and truly show the power of forgiveness. It was so wonderful to see the knitting and remember her making most of them in class. She was a sweet lady and will be missed. What a legacy she leaves behind with her family.
Margie, I'm working on my 7!!