tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75946596742439687862012-02-16T02:14:17.618-05:00Welcome to the nuttiness that comes with 8 year old twins, a two year old puppy, 2 jobs, 8 skis and a quasi-active lifestyle.VermontMikenoreply@blogger.comBlogger521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-7489797045185290742010-06-09T10:46:00.004-05:002010-06-09T11:08:32.646-05:00

It seems nearly impossible, but today is the last day of kindergarten for Ally and Ty. It sounds cliche, I know, but it truly does seem like yesterday we were agonizing over whether to put them into separate classrooms, getting them ready for their first bus ride, etc, and now, we are an hour from first grade. Even Ally, somehow wise beyond her years at 6, noted over breakfast that it felt like

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-79832000515996793442010-06-08T12:49:00.003-05:002010-06-08T13:22:14.874-05:00

Kind of proud of myself today. Since March, I have dropped 16 pounds, worked out at least four days a week, run a personal record half marathon and have consumed less than a 12 pack of beer. Why the fitness charge? Proper motivation.There are lots of sources of motivation to do lots of different things. Some people find religion, some people find a cause, and some people get it from the

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-2815038601783636232010-01-13T10:35:00.022-05:002010-02-23T09:57:35.734-05:00

"You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely."~Author UnknownI had meant to write this before launching over the hill, but, as with everything else in my world, a few weeks late will have to cut it. I am now a month into my forties. Crazy. I still remember looking at Aiko when I was twenty-five and not being able to fathom the idea that forty was close enough that she might

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-84961089056171727122010-01-05T13:50:00.008-05:002010-01-06T14:29:04.411-05:00

I work pretty hard at my job. It takes some long hours, but for the most part, I'm happy with it, and enjoy being challenged personally and professionally. There are times when the demands of my role find me sitting on a conference call in the middle of the night, and while I really don't mind it, there have been times when a moment of frustration left me thinking, 'what are we doing talking

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-20465231397022231052009-10-12T08:09:00.005-05:002009-10-13T09:22:17.013-05:00

Ho Hum. Another dominating performance at a major marathon for Lauren (yawn). Another great finish and another personal record (sigh). This time, Lauren zipped through the Chicago Marathon with a blistering time of 3:38:50. Which beats her PR from just a few months ago in Burlington. And qualifies her (again) for the Boston Marathon. And yes, that time is fast enough to qualify with the 18

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-31883566883109624182009-06-15T10:15:00.009-05:002009-06-15T15:36:15.199-05:00

“There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.” - Stephen WrightHands down the best fishing quote I've ever heard. I can't say the best ever, because I haven't done the research, but this one really seems to fit for me. I've returned once more from the Great North Woods (of Maine again this year, as nearly every state along the Canadian border seems to

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-5680744095236155692009-06-01T08:34:00.004-05:002009-06-01T09:05:47.529-05:00

3:41:15.People always told me to watch out for fast women but I ignored their advice and married one. I'm a week late on this (not due to lack of desire to write it), but I need to let everyone know the extent to which Lauren destroyed the field at the 2009 Vermont City Marathon. Check out the race results:http://www.runpix.info/vmt09/00/finord.php?LastName=cady&lan=&aset=0&dist=42Not only does

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-16608608989162838902009-03-19T09:03:00.002-05:002009-03-19T09:35:51.402-05:00

Today is March 19. I'm looking out of my office window to bluebird sunny skies and a quickly receding snow pack in the side yard. There are no snowbanks left, and I've been hearing birds outside for the past week or so. By most people's standards, these are all good things, but I'm feeling a little bit down about the imminent arrival of spring.Where did my ski season go? Looking back at the

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-90353747730906397222009-02-10T11:50:00.002-05:002009-02-10T12:01:45.662-05:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Ally is not only walking, but she's back up on her skis! I am a little late in posting -- she actually made her return to the slopes back on January 31, but life is busy and we've actually been spending our free time skiing again as we usually do. Odd for ski season to begin at the end of January, but that is what it feels like. The routine for the

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-22105734258633412492009-01-05T21:15:00.008-05:002009-01-05T22:11:09.098-05:00

Today Ally is the proud owner of a removable walking boot and the recipient of her first full bath (sans cast) in several weeks. She's not quite confident enough to walk in the boot, yet, but I doubt it will be very long. Not surprisingly, her doctor gave high marks for bone growth, the caution she has exercised in guarding her leg from further injury and overall cleanliness (they said they'd

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-37414963090961839632008-12-18T10:09:00.004-05:002008-12-18T11:07:13.074-05:00

So, the Cadyland ski season is off to a great start. New skis for Ty and Ally, new gear for everyone and shiny new passes to Smuggs. Snow has been plentiful in the mountains and I had last week off. All set up to get going.And then we went. And on the first run of the first day of our season, we managed to accidentally navigate to Smuggler's Alley, which is a bumped up expert run. Now, if

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-72554887365969839572008-10-16T11:51:00.008-05:002008-10-16T13:02:09.931-05:00

"And then one day you find ten years have got behind you."- Pink Floyd "Time"There must be some mistake. I have no idea how it happened, but somehow I ended up on the mailing list for the 20th Reunion of the Kingswood Regional High School class of 1988. I remembered attending Kingswood, and I knew that my graduation was some time ago, but I couldn't fathom that it could have been 20 years ago.

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-60706457499719211592008-09-17T10:06:00.005-05:002008-09-17T10:49:56.609-05:00

"Why don't you call me some time when you have no class?"- Rodney Dangerfield asking out his busy professor in 'Back to School'An underrated classic for sure -- the hilarity of a middle-aged dad going back to college with a bunch of kids half his age. I decided to head back myself this fall to pursue an MBA. So somehow, 20 years after I saw this movie, here I am, nearly living the same

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-58205300542430590122008-08-22T20:58:00.004-05:002008-08-22T21:23:06.382-05:00

Last weekend Lauren and I completed the fourth annual running of the Heart of Vermont Relay on our 6 person team. As always, the course covers 100 scenic miles along VT Route 100, beginning at Stowe and ending at Okemo. Also, as always, our team was not the fastest or the best conditioned, but definitely had more fun than just about any other entrants. We were a little off our time from last

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-22042054255405211152008-08-13T10:25:00.004-05:002008-08-13T10:47:34.807-05:00

Crazy to look at the calendar this morning and see that Labor Day is very much on the horizon. Partner up a couple of work trips over the next two weeks with a social weekend in Boston and there you go... Labor Day is basically here. This summer feels quick, but looking back, we managed to dodge the raindrops and get a lot of pretty cool stuff accomplished.The coolest thing for the kids has

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-9141207889212840602008-06-24T13:46:00.006-05:002008-06-26T09:29:31.444-05:00

"It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall..."- Bob DylanI looked out my office window yesterday and... yes that's right. The sun was actually out. Not only was it out, but it stayed out all day. Children were running around frightened in the streets and pets sought shelter from the mysterious glowing object in the sky. I nearly took the top off my Jeep, but then I came back to my senses. Yesterday

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-45968107787306079282008-05-14T10:28:00.003-05:002008-09-17T10:57:28.909-05:00

It's been about five days now since I lost my best friend, and things are beginning to get better. Last weekend was a lot more difficult than I would have expected, and I was surprised at how hard this has been for Lauren. She and Aiko had a bit of a love/dislike relationship, and there is no doubt that Aiko had some character flaws. But as with many things, you don't always know what you have

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-50002637109368554452008-05-09T13:30:00.012-05:002009-11-23T11:24:06.336-05:00

It's been quite awhile between posts... due to a nice combination of a lack of free time and a lack of creative thought. It feels good to start typing again, although as you'll see in a second, I wish it was about a happier topic.The Cady Family lost our good friend Aiko today. Her physical health had greatly diminished over the past two months, and we had to make the impossibly difficult

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-8945055109256158562008-02-08T11:10:00.001-05:002008-02-08T11:20:57.219-05:00

Just thought I'd follow up the last post with a few pictures of the kids running through the slalom course at Smuggs. We'll be out again this weekend (20" of new snow to play in!), so keep your eyes open for my two little burners if you happen to be at the mountain.Here is Ty making a turn near the bottom of the course:Ally getting ready to start her race:Ty crossing the Finish Line:The course

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-39780230476945813592008-01-28T14:09:00.000-05:002008-01-28T14:37:38.367-05:00

January 27, 2008. Graduation day from Morse Mountain! After dealing with the crazy lines and yard sales that sometimes litters the slopes of the beginner trails at Smuggs for the past two Saturdays, Lauren and I decided to offer a new alternative to Ty and Ally yesterday. We took them on up to the *big* mountains at Smuggs -- Sterling and Madonna. There was just a bit of trepidation at first

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-47846149128907615852008-01-09T10:39:00.000-05:002008-01-17T13:11:28.616-05:00

Wow. The ski season was off to such an amazing start. Three feet of snow (at least) before Christmas and just crazy-good powder. Ally and Ty have already been on the mountain at least 8 times and are really finding their groove. I was planning to take a couple of early morning runs last week, since my grown-up skiing time has been somewhat limited. On January 5th it was all so good. And

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-2861992877808683882007-11-07T10:20:00.000-05:002007-11-08T12:53:56.319-05:00

I was in a gas station convenience store last week and caught the cover of a weekly baseball magazine... "Red Sox Sweep The World Series Again". Okay, so that's one headline I'm not sure I ever expected to read... but then it gets even stranger. The subheading read, "and why they are set up to keep winning World Series." Keep winning World Series??? For someone who grew up in New England and

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-16446885109631692732007-11-02T12:19:00.000-05:002007-11-02T13:39:53.986-05:00

Check out the header... had to update Aiko's age as yesterday was her 13th birthday. She's not as young as she used to be (who is?), she seems to be suffering from dementia and doesn't get around like she once could. The 'selective hearing' now seems to be engaged full-time and her sniffer seems to be letting her down, but all in all, she's doing pretty well for 91 years old. Aiko celebrated

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-66766991106541120252007-10-30T12:53:00.000-05:002007-11-02T13:54:05.226-05:00

We just got back from a really cool weekend in DC where I got see the sights, eat at some cool restaurants, watch the Browns win for the second straight game for the first time in four years, watch the Red Sox win their second World Series in four years (more on that soon), and oh, by the way, watched Lauren rip up the field in the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon!Lauren absolutely kicked it in the

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-64214758003929355462007-10-08T10:24:00.000-05:002007-10-08T12:41:44.322-05:00

September 30, 2007... Amazingly, another year has passed and Ally and Ty celebrated their fourth birthdays last weekend. This will probably end up reading a lot like last year's birthday post, but it is really crazy that four years could have passed by so quickly. It's been an awesome ride so far, and despite the occasional stress points, Lauren and I really have enjoyed every minute. This

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-82735304924586348492007-08-21T11:33:00.001-05:002007-08-21T12:14:50.512-05:00

The third annual running of the 100on100 was last weekend, and I am psyched to report that Lauren and I completed our legs, and our team had it's best finish ever. I am pretty sure that Lauren's contribution was her fastest average time ever for that kind of distance, and although I was a little slower than last year, I still had a blast. Our team finished 17th out of 61, and 7th in the

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-35391492106902506952007-08-16T10:34:00.000-05:002007-08-16T11:24:06.952-05:00

One more fun thing about being a parent is how you spend half of your life looking for stuff. I am pretty sure I could run a successful small business on the side if I could reclaim the hours I spend each week finding things. It is rarely the same item that's been lost, but invariably, whatever we are searching for is less than 2" long. It seems to always be the Red Truck or the Doll's Shoes

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-19358892413301594062007-08-13T15:57:00.000-05:002007-08-14T08:10:42.533-05:00

A quick follow up to yesterday's post. Somehow, I managed to find the energy to go back down to the river Sunday night, joined by my brother-in-law, James, and my nephew Ian. I really wasn't sure I'd go back after Saturday's fiasco, but somehow I found the will power. This was a different visit because I was now going to act as a guide. Which is ridiculous, given the little I know about fly

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-1725955068459312722007-08-12T09:26:00.000-05:002007-08-13T10:28:59.110-05:00

I don't tell *fish stories*. Not only is there not much point in making up stories, but anyone who has been fishing with me would see right through it anyway. When your average catch per year is in the single digits, it's going to be a tough sell to tell your fishing buddies that you suddenly had a day where they were just jumping into your net. I do like to carry a camera, though... just in

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-34751856039499007652007-07-23T10:02:00.000-05:002007-07-23T11:13:08.790-05:00

The year was 1997, and I was about to leave the woodsy confines of Vermont to move to Boston. Although I knew it would be a temporary move, and the goal would always be to come back to Vermont someday, there were some aspects of life in Vermont that had to be left behind. These were mostly small things, like knowing that getting out to mountain bike and hike would be tougher, and I happily

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-44059035093794516502007-07-10T09:37:00.000-05:002007-07-10T10:03:18.828-05:00

Lauren and I will soon compete as part of a team in the third annual 100 on 100 relay race. The race takes place on August 18. As I've mentioned in earlier postings, the idea that I could actually be looking forward to running 16 miles in one day still blows me away, but somehow, I've really come to enjoy this event. The race ends up being a really cool team experience, which is kind of rare

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-8100879341668406582007-07-08T07:47:00.000-05:002007-07-08T08:38:33.396-05:00

Just getting back into the routine of daily life this week after spending a fantastic week with the family on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was truly a family vacation, as we were lucky enough to spend the week with my brother and my parents, too. The occasion was my parent's 40th anniversary -- quite an accomplishment for sure. Congratulations, Mom & Dad!This was the first visit to

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-55961759942756318782007-06-06T13:56:00.000-05:002007-06-07T09:43:04.768-05:00

"Right now I'm going to my boss' mountain cabin to fish and drink and drink and fish and sometimes even fish and drink and drink and fish! For one week I'm going to pretend I'm actually alive!"- Al Bundy, "Married With Children"I just returned from the Seventh Annual Northwoods Fishout which is always a great time and an excellent escape from the daily routine. While I would never dream of

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-82755986870355149592007-05-17T09:07:00.000-05:002007-05-17T10:02:13.701-05:00

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town... For no particular reason I just kept on going..."- Forrest GumpLauren and I completed the Big Lake Half Marathon last weekend. For no particular reason, I've allowed myself to become convinced not only to run these long

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-87244516894912918562007-05-04T09:22:00.000-05:002007-05-04T10:40:12.458-05:00

"Broken hands on broken ploughs, broken treaties, broken vows,Broken pipes, broken tools, people bending broken rules.Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking, everything is broken."- Bob Dylan, "Everything is Broken"I've been putting in nights and weekends trying to catch up on some house projects and, while I find that to be a fun pastime, I doubt if I could recall a more frustrating few weeks in

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-51712385790739519452007-04-25T08:57:00.001-05:002007-04-25T09:20:03.124-05:00

It's been nearly a month since I was able to come up with a creative thought to post here. Not sure the reason for the 'blogger's block', but I guess it has something to do with the transition from ski season to summer, or what most call spring. We don't seem to have spring in VT anymore – winter stretches through April, and then, as it happened last weekend, one day you wake up and the skies

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-39711104645879885482007-03-29T19:14:00.000-05:002007-03-29T20:21:31.032-05:00

In the time of my life I now refer to as 'pre-kids', I knew everything there was to know about parenting. I could've written a book. Whenever I'd see someone having a tough time with a child, I knew the answer. Parenting was really simple. Now I think I need to make a 'My Name is Earl' list of all those parents I silently reprimanded in my head, and get some notes out to them apologizing for

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-21606838709272402252007-03-26T12:47:00.001-05:002007-03-26T12:47:42.967-05:00

Just as quickly as you could register two fairly significant March snowstorms, the month turned towards spring in a major hurry this week. Warm temperatures and quite a bit of rain. I think our house has the most snow left in the immediate area, but it is going fast. Not sure I've ever seen such a fast melt. Snowbanks that were several feet high 10 days ago are now bare grass. Hopefully the

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-22170896328889192962007-03-10T15:21:00.000-05:002007-03-10T16:00:03.431-05:00

Had a great day yesterday with Tim and Chip trying to tame the woods of Mad River Glen. Beautiful weather, great views, and as noted by the whiteboard at the top of the single chair, 'the conditions we dream about'. The double chair was out of commission until about 3pm, which meant the legendary single-chair was our only ride up (equaling some very long lift lines), no one was complaining.

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-39522514484697302232007-03-07T20:25:00.000-05:002007-03-07T21:22:38.021-05:00

My apologies to Ron Burgundy for ripping off his schtick from 'Anchorman' but WOW, was it cold this morning. Tyler was asking about going skiing, but as I hauled the trash out to the curb this am, the porch thermometer read -24 F. YIKES! Sorry buddy -- inside games today. It was cold like that yesterday, too, and no signs of relief until Friday. This is a forecast even Brick Tamland could

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-35231120448920613602007-03-05T14:00:00.000-05:002007-03-05T15:33:32.371-05:00

What an epic day spent at Okemo this past Saturday! Big thanks to our good friends Rob & Joy for extending an invite (and a couple of free passes) to join them for a day of skiing. Probably even bigger thanks to Joy's sister Janet who was willing to babysit all of our kids so we could get out together for a day. I think we were so fired up at the prospect of getting out together and so sure

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-89856808519906036012007-03-02T10:03:00.000-05:002007-03-02T13:31:50.016-05:00

Some random thoughts while quietly awaiting "The Blizzard of 2007 pt. 2"... Even though I've now lived in VT for the majority of my adult life, I still think there are few things cooler than the buzz associated with a potentially big snowstorm. As it would be in most areas, the storm ends up being the lead on the news, and a front page story in the paper. But the difference here is that

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-2320571934895575802007-02-26T16:57:00.000-05:002007-03-01T16:37:26.720-05:00

Ally and Tyler made their first turns yesterday without the aid of their Edgie Wedgies! Trying to put together a little movie to document their first season on the slopes, but having some technical difficulties with my editing equipment right now. Regardless of my video challenges, this seems huge to me. Lauren was kind of pushing them towards taking them off, and frankly, I think I was the only

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-49474885228537328182007-02-19T10:43:00.000-05:002007-02-19T11:34:05.980-05:00

"I've got to be crazy! I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose! Praise Marty Moose!"- Clark W. Griswold, National Lampoon's 'Vacation'We haven't made it to Wally World, yet, but I now know where Clark was coming from. The highlight of our ski season has without a doubt been our relationship with new friend Mogul Mouse (although his good friend 'Billy Bob Bear' is running a close

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-40999548190709983752007-02-16T09:02:00.000-05:002007-02-16T09:38:10.240-05:00

The storm of the century hit Vermont on Wednesday -- dumping down somewhere around 30" of snow at our house (by my perhaps less than scientific measurement). An absolutely crazy amount of snow -- I think Sugarbush reported 48" at the summit! The only bummer is that we were pretty much too snowed in to get out and ski it on Wednesday, however, we did manage to make a couple of turns yesterday

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-85133459726922944952007-02-14T08:25:00.000-05:002007-02-14T08:43:01.142-05:00

Do you remember that line from Monty Python's 'The Holy Grail'? Where the French knights are hurling insults at King Arthur's knights? "I blow my nose at you... I fart in your general direction..." I always thought that referring to someone as a "tiny-brained wiper of other people's bottoms" was a great insult until I took up potty training for 3-year old twins. :-) Jokes aside, it's gone

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-2326567247210575272007-01-27T16:00:00.000-05:002007-01-29T12:51:20.046-05:00

Lauren and I watched 'An Inconvenient Truth' a couple of weeks ago, in large part as a need to educate ourselves as to the threat of global warming. It just seems wrong to be living in VT and have 65 degree temperatures at Christmas with no snow on the ground. Our New Year's resolution has been to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.The great news is that we seem to have

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-72154836601619455442007-01-16T15:08:00.001-05:002007-01-16T15:30:01.391-05:00

Just a quick thought from my morning today... Aiko wakes me up around 6am ready to go outside. No big deal, but a little earlier than I'd like. Now, for most of her life, Aiko has lived in fairly populated areas (like Boston) where I had to go with her, or in recent years, at least put her out on a her dog run. Since we now live in the great north woods of VT and can't even see our neighbors (

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-41716951907597322372006-12-05T11:15:00.000-05:002006-12-05T11:36:04.793-05:00

So, the news moves a little slowly up here in the Great North Woods of Vermont, but we did want to share a story that's been circulating. Apparently, sometime around the 31st of October many of our neighbors reported being harrassed by two odd creatures -- a small monkey and a walking flower. Apparently, the only way to get these two characters off your front porch was to bribe them with sugary

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-92162353836018969402006-10-24T14:22:00.000-05:002006-10-24T15:10:52.317-05:00

It seems impossible, but the tiny pair of premature bundles delivered to Lauren and I in 2003 somehow turned three years old this fall. Everyone says you should slow things down and try to enjoy each moment, and I really think we try to do that, but I still just can't fathom where three years have gone. It's been a great ride, and Ally and Tyler have brought more joy into our lives than we

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-8349456594947751512006-08-30T10:31:00.000-05:002006-08-30T11:00:54.837-05:00

So... we've decided to introduce the kids to car camping this year, and just to make sure the stress levels reached their absolute apex, we joined six other couples in a weekend camping showdown. 12 adults vs. 11 children (none older than 5) in a faceoff with bedtimes, mother nature and mosquitoes.My running camping log:Friday, 4pm: No possible way to fit tentzilla, 3 beds, 2 coolers, swimming

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7594659674243968786.post-27300241610744181182006-08-30T10:19:00.000-05:002007-03-01T12:05:44.557-05:00

Mike and Lauren competed with the Phat Angels team in the second annual running of the Heart of Vermont relay this August. The team finished with a very respectable 16th place (out of 35 teams) and 6th out of 12 teams in the *Masters* division (yes, we are all that old). What an outstanding day and a great cause. Think about joining us next year!

VermontMikenoreply@blogger.com0