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April 29, 2008
Out deepest sympathies and love go out to the Ball Family who lost their son Matthew last Saturday. His obituary is posted below:
BALL, Matthew Kyle, 13, of Tampa, passed away April 26, 2008. He was born in Tampa, September 26, 1996 to Clyde DeWayne & Amy Ball.
He was preceded in death by 2-grandfathers, Lowell Freel and Donald Ball.
Survivors include his parents, Clyde DeWayne & Amy Ball; sister, Lindsey Ball; grandmother's, Frances Ball and Dolores Freel; aunts & uncles, Craig (Nancy) Ball (his God-Parents), Theresa (David) Griffith, Lynn Stanton (Steve Waters), Penny (Art) Nash, Nancy (Jerry) Michaluk; cousins, Jason Parrino, Julie (Reed) Evans, Rian Ball, Michelle Stanton, Sean Ball, Sydney Griffith and David Griffith.
A special thank you to all his doctors and nurses, especially his Home Health Nurses, Linda Metz, Donna Whitmore Audrey Johnson and many more who helped care for Matthew.
Our "Angel" finally got his wings!
Memorial Mass will be Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 5:00 pm, at St. Paul Catholic Church, reception to follow at 6:30 in the Church’s Family Center.
April 27, 2008
Rob and I cannot recall ever being as excited at a triathlon as
at today's St. Anthony's:
our 14 year-old swam on a relay for the very first time.
Nicole managed to come out of it unscathed in spite of
having to swim through swarms of TNTers and novices. And, their
all-female team (Nicole and the speedy Geisa sisters)
ended the day in 3rd. Last night, Rob gave her some tips
on where to start on the beach, how to avoid the bobbing bodies
and get clear air. Nicole did just as he told her and lined
up with her heart pumping and an "I'm going to kick butt"
attitude. She really had a lot of fun and now wants to try
to race a triathlon in its entirety. Uh-oh...bad time to be
looking at a new bike.
Obviously, his words did not sink into my head and I did not
kick butt. In fact, as I was "gallo-walking" during most of the run
and really not enjoying myself, I thought a lot about how,
despite putting in time in the pool this spring, I just
can't seem to get that competitive feeling during the swim.
Sigh. So, there really isn't an reason to try and fool
myself any longer that I can be a decent swimmer. At least
not now. I just don't have the focus. Besides, triathlons
are supposed to be fun and, without my "head in the game"
this season, it was just pain and misery out there today.
Thankfully, no more triathlons are on my
schedule. I think I can be a pretty good cyclist so I'm
going to just ride to keep the fat off (since I like Nestle
drumsticks too much) and enter in some road races this
summer. I look forward to putting my time trial bike on the
rack for awhile. That ride is pure torture.
April 22, 2008
What the heck is going on in the world? There's no butter in Japan, and hardly any rice in the Philippines. Today, I went grocery-shopping for the week and the bill was over $350. I cannot fathom that groceries are
projected to go up 50% by 2016. One would think this would resolve the obesity problem around the country but I drove through a Wendy's last week and picked up a double cheeseburger and fries for $2.12.
Sorry Rob but it looks like we'll be doing fast food once a
week.
Well, the good news is Rob's hip/groin doesn't hurt anymore. He was able to run 4 miles with me today at my pathetic pace; bad news is that he has decided not to be at the starting line at St. A's. A month of no running (except at the Ft. Desoto race) took a toll on his fitness. Oh well, it'll be just Nikki and
me. My goal is to get out of the water before she catches me
in the swim. She leaves a measly 15 minutes after me so it's
likely she will. Without my devoted hubby out there racing
with me, having my daughter swim a relay is the next best
thing. I sure hope she doesn't swim up to me and start
slapping my feet. I know, for a fact, that is her goal on
Sunday. And, so is swimming over me. Sheesh.
April 18, 2008
Wanna fiscally blow your mind? Go to this
online calculator if you have kids
who plan on attending college. So, I ran the numbers for Nicole, Ray and Renee. Presently, it costs
in-state residents over $15k
annually to go to University of Florida. In 4 years, it will cost Nicole $115k
to finish her undergrad degree, Ray $149k, and Renee $196k.
That's almost $500,000! Throw in 2 years each for grad
school and voila, that's an additional $200k. What
does that tell you folks? That no matter how painful it is
to cut a check for pre-paid tuition, just do it. It's worth
it.
P.S. I didn't mean to whine in my post
yesterday. I am so grateful for everything I have in life,
especially my family, and I think my hubby is "da bomb."
April 17, 2008
I've decided to go back to the same position I had on my Yaqui
(bottom, left). Even though I won't be as aero, I should
feel as comfortable (and hopefully as powerful) as I felt on my old bike. I really miss the old
aluminum gal.
I dreamt last night that I was looking for Rob and I couldn't find him. Somehow he had disappeared from my life and I had no idea where he'd gone or how to locate him. Watching him
undergo a lot of stress lately has encompassed my thoughts and now my
subconscious mind. It has been difficult watching him undergo
this lifestyle transition
during the past couple of months. Making a living while trying to support a family of
five—and a dog, isn't easy for a trader. I have never seen
him put 12- to 14-hour days like he does now working from
home. Before, when he had a 8 to 5 job, he would come home
and play with the kids, then go for a ride or a run, and gel
w/us in the eve. Now,
he's at his desk by 7am until the market closes and I have
to really pester him to get up from his desk during the day
just to eat something. By 5 pm, he'll try and get his workouts
in but then he's back at his terminal until 11-11:30 pm. I know
that he wants to make this "working-from-home-thing" work but,
honestly, the kids and I see so much less of him now then when he
was commuting to an office.
April 13, 2008
I remember taking Greek and Roman Epics in college and reading the legend of Beowulf.
Well, last night I rented the movie on PPV and it rocked!
Speaking of legends, Jeff Cuddeback continues to engrave his name in triathlon history as he came in 15th overall at IMAZ with a stellar time of 9:21. Man, I hope I still have a skip in my step when I'm 50!
April 12, 2008
Today's
race was fun although very tiring. Both Rob and I realized that
a lack of hard group rides and hill training hasn't helped
us with speed on the bike. Actually, he's bummed about his
bike split and I am indifferent. I am however very disappointed about my swim.
Even though I have been consistent in logging yards, it
appears that I cannot get over
some mental block upon staring at the ocean's vastness before each race. Oh, blah, blah, blah...
My swim buddy did great as usual and so did
some of my other buds. I think we were all very happy to
shake the winter cobwebs off today. Now, I have to figure
out how to get my act together for St. A's, which will
probably be my only "A" race this season. Either, I feel
like age is creeping upon me or my mind is stuck on "just
gel" mode.
April 11, 2008
We've been trying to find a sport Ray enjoys. Although he swims on the same team that his sisters belong to, we
detect that swimming yard after yard is a hard sell for him.
Rob and I can't really blame him though because we both can
admit that, when we were 10 years old, there was no way we could imagine ourselves swimming back and forth in a pool for 2 hours, 4 times a week. So, yesterday, I took him for
his first tennis lesson and to my surprise he liked it and was
able to consistently hit the ball. He was also the only
kid who knew that it is exactly 18' from the baseline to the
net. I didn't even remember that and I regularly played
tennis from the age of 8 up until the time I blew my knee out at 23.
So, now I have to figure out a way to trek Ray to the courts
around the same time the girls get dropped off to swim. With
my luck, Renee will later choose to play soccer or
volleyball and her practice will start at the same time when
tennis and swimming begins. Some times I wish they all just
enjoyed running. It doesn't cost much to run because who
gives running lessons? And, the only investment is a good
pair of sneakers...no bats, no balls, no gear. Finally,
there wouldn't be any pool fees, court fees, or admissions
to a stinkin' facility...just walk out the door and "run,
Forrest, run."
April 9, 2008
My favorite cyclist started updating his page again. It's about time. I really enjoy his wit
and, I admit, I even like his new 'stache.
April 2, 2008
Yikes, our eldest has become a teenager! We're starting to notice that the smallest thing triggers an emotional outburst. We know we can blame hormones so we give her space, but it's so sad now that she would rather stay in her room and listen to
her Zune than to hang around us.
I think I'm going to cry.
So, I've been keeping my eyes open
here. There's quite a number of foreclosure auctions scheduled every week in our county and I've been dutifully watching for a
few really nice homes in Hyde Park, including the one we're
renting (although I would flip this home immediately because
it's not worth keeping). I have my fingers crossed that on
one of these upcoming days, Rob and I will be at the
courthouse steps putting in a bid for something bank-owned.
February posts |
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