uncle splendrific returns

many thanks to ignatius reilly for guest blogging in my absence. i.r.'s pen name was not published with the posts, but the lack of headline could have told you they were not from the likes of me.

vacation kicked ass. our catch phrase was FULL BORE. and, yes, it was in jest-aren't ALL catch phrases? we simply had a great time. this is an amazing feat considering it was 3 couples with 7 children--all under the age of 9. We stayed here. We had a pool and the beach was an easy 2 minute walk...perfect for fickle children with short attention spans. We even made it into historic Charleston for some site seeing. Bottom line is I relaxed and we had a blast with our daughter. She loved the ocean and the beach.

There were a few times I wanted a drink of beer, but it was due to the other kids getting annoying. Luckily they were not annoying for long and the pangs for booze dissipated. I even managed to run twice while I was on vacation. For me, this is a good thing. In fact, I just logged my 1000th mile today and have finally hit this milestone since starting waaay back in 1994. About 4 of those years I barely ran at all, so it has taken me awhile.

So I am rested and relaxed. I face a very short 4th of July week. It's even shorter for me now. I originally took Monday off to ease my reentry into work. With the 4th off, that leaves 3 days. WRONG! At the last minute, friends invited us to come down to Dale Hollow Lake (on the Kentucky/Tennessee border) over the 4th of July weekend. So I am taking Friday off as well. Listen to this setup: lake house, pontoon boat, speed boat and two jet skis. Not bad, eh? So the family will jump back into the minivan and head south again. We'll celebrate the 4th and my 32nd birthday on the lake.

Speaking of minivans...any issues I had with my cool rating taking a beating over minivan ownership went out the window on vacation. The 10-hour ride was no problem in that thing. Comfortable as all get out. I'm hooked.

A shout out to all the new moms and pending new moms. this summer is baby-mania (perhaps a bit of 9/11 whiplash, but doubtful as most of these parents and parents-to-be wanted kids prior to the event). Half Mad Spinster's sister finally gave birth to Henry - a 10 pounder!?. And a good friend and ex-coworker just gave birth to William - an 8 pounder. Big boys, eh? Two friends are due soon and two coworkers are due in August. Lotsa pink and blue shit to buy.

And as I return from a memorable family vacation with three rolls of film being developed, I am excited about all that awaits these new parents and parents-to-be.

Much more to come...but it's good to be back!