Swim meet pics. Don't claim I didn't warn you about the possibility of a lot of swim pics. Here are a couple of action shots of Hannah and Eli. They both swam hard. Hannah has taken our offer (bribe) to heart. We offered each of them $1 for every second they shave off of their times. Hannah shaved a total of 4 seconds off for the day. Of course this is cumulative for the season. I had better start saving.
Lunch with good friends. It's a rare thing in life to be able to hold on to friends, even when you don't see each other often. When Tammy and I get together with Pam, we just pick up where we left off. It's kind of like a favorite pair of shoes that you haven't worn in awhile. Not really, Pam. You're not anything like a pair of shoes. You're more like a sweater......or maybe a robe.
Dave and Switzerland. I don't like Switzerland, but I really cannot stand Dave. These are the rubber bands that I wear on my braces. I'm not sure why they gave them these clever little names. They are also some known as "Bummers", which is apropos. Have you ever had one break in your mouth? 
I bought the cereal, but I really wanted the chips. 
Senior swan song. Hannah's last high school choir performance was this evening. She sang a solo, two duets and a trio. Here she is singing "There She Goes" with her friend, Taylor. I love the expression on her face in this picture. It's so Hannah. I'm going to miss going to these performances. Hannah has grown so much as a performer. She's confident and her voice is beautiful. She did not inherit this talent from me. They don't even allow me to sing "Happy Birthday".
New addition to the family. Sunny was headed back to the pound. We intervened. Now he's ours. I wanted to introduce him properly to our resident cat, Marius. However, Marius introduced himself. After a tense standoff, Marius let me know in no uncertain terms, that this new cat is not acceptable. This may take a while. 
The butterfly effect. Mike has recently gotten back into swimming. He swims at least twice as fast as I do. (Of course, the old men walking in the pool are faster than me.) His current workout includes 5 IMs (Individual Medley). IMs include one lap each of butterfly, back stroke, breast stroke and freestyle. Not bad for a guy who turns 51 tomorrow.
And in the blue corner...We hosted a boxing event this evening. I thought I would play with my camera a little. This stool has seen some action over the years. Hey, it was either this or another dog picture.
That's going to leave a mark. Eli was playing at recess today and he "accidentally" hit a girl in the stomach with a soccer ball. The girl said she was planning on retaliating, however, according to Eli she was joking. Another girl took matters into her own hands and threw a rock that nailed Eli just under his right eye. An investigation is under way and soon the guilty party will face her punishment.
There are 17+ million registered voters in California. We had an election today. I estimate my vote counted for about 4 people + me, because only 25% of the total number of registered voters turned out today. That doesn't even count the estimated 6 million people who don't register to vote at all. I'm claiming those 6 million too, so my vote counted for 6 million and 5 people. Do you really want ME to decide these things? I'll take the responsibility if you don't want it.
Bath time. Zac is giving Ezzy a much needed bath. Ezzy acts like she doesn't like it, but she runs around like in frenzy afterward. Psycho dog.
Swim meet. I'll probably post more swim pictures than is socially acceptable, however, that's what we're into at the moment. Swim meets start bright and early (we have to be there at 6:45 a.m.) on Saturdays, so a lot of the adults, Mike included, try to catch a little of the sleep they missed. I don't know how he can sleep with all that going on in the background.
Workshop. I conduct scrapbook and card workshops in my home every few weeks. For the ladies, it's both a creative and social outlet. They must enjoy it, because they keep coming back for more. 
A very bad day at work. Unfortunately it was worse for some of my coworkers who were laid off today. This one's for you.
A little note from Eli. Eli came to work with me a couple of months ago. While I was out of my office for a few minutes, he wrote this reminder. Duly noted Eli. 
My own fashion faux pas. We somehow got on the subject of wearing socks with sandals. Both Zac and Hannah said that only really old people do that. Well, remember Day 56? My feet really hurt, so I wore my Keens with socks for a couple of days. Both of them swore they would never go out in public with me looking like that. I promptly put these on. Zac didn't even notice. When I finally pointed them out to him, he just said, "No." Oh well, Happy Mother's Day.
Swim season is upon us. This is how the kids know which event, heat and lane they are in. Usually they find their way to the right place, and usually the writing washes off by the next meet.
Disputed Door. Mike and I didn't see eye-to-eye on this door. I didn't want a door for aesthetic reasons. Mike wanted it for practical reasons. He got his door. It's not so bad, but don't tell Mike I said that.
Santa Cruz. We went to the Mystery Spot, but I can't tell you about it, because it's a mystery. We also went to the boardwalk. Eli didn't want to ride the rides, so we walked on the beach. A nice ending to a nice trip.
Whale watching. It took us over an hour to find them, but it was worth it. We saw four humpback whales and a huge pod of dolphins (about 400). It was amazing. They swam next to us and road the wake of our boat. They were a challenge to photograph, but I managed to get some good pictures and video.
Monterey Bay Aquarium. Always a treat. I love the jellyfish exhibit. They're drifters you know.
Monterey Field Trip. I joined Eli's class for a 4 day trip to Monterey. 8 out of the 9 students in Eli's class made the trip. There were 5 chaperones. Not a bad ratio. Here Eli is having a blast being chased by the waves at Asilomar Beach on our first day. This is a favorite activity of Eli's whenever we go to the ocean. He is such a joy to watch.
American River Parkway Walking Half-Marathon. I achieved my 2 goals for this, my first race of any kind, since junior high. The first goal was to finish. The second goal was to finish in less than 3 1/2 hours. A third goal, one I made during the race, was to beat those two girls who cheated (they jogged). Third goal accomplished. Cheaters! Official time: 2:57:59. 33rd overall (400 participants). 5th in my age group. 27th among women. It's an awesome feeling, however, there is a downside. Today I have to crawl everywhere. 
