Ok, we are alive and well, but after fixing the computer a while back, I never got around to "spare time" computer activity...like updating the blog. That, and the updating Blogger into a Google account made it more than a one-click process for the first time in a long time.

Anyway, school stuff is still going and I am really getting to the heart of every bit of understanding my dissertation work in every what possible. Work is looking great, and I am actually doing some interesting stuff there instead of just running around like mad trying to patch issues. At home, I have been learning a bunch of stuff: wiring, installing a new dishwasher, leveling the sidewalk (that was slanted toward our house), making a little temporary work area in the garage, fixing the lawnmower, discovering the joys of having way too much mulch, and continuing some landscaping work. There is so much I want to do to the house, but there is no time to do it. I figure that becoming fabulously wealthy all of a sudden is the only way it will all get done.

Ok, now the reason you check the blog. Joel is awesome. He is so funny and smart that it is hard to believe that he is the same kid we saw just the previous day. He loves using his new word on everything..."on." Hats, shoes lights, fans, toys, music, water, coffee machines, cars, vacuuums, lawnmowers...all of these have an "on" and "off" state. He also loves going into my Civic and pretending to drive. He can now operate headlights, brights, hazards, the stereo, and the wheel. I also suspect that he has taken it out of gear. All he needs now is to be able to reach the pedals. Hey, he is 15 and a half--he can get a drivers permit. The DMV counts in months, right?

Anne is nuts about bones right now. I love that she is in this anatomy class. It is really neat material.

My birthday (last week) reflected my new old age. I got a multimeter, a sweater, a magazine subscription, and a bunch of coffee shop gift cards. The matching desk set did not make me feel any more youthful either. Surprisingly, I like it all.

We are attending the Quaker church again and it is looking quite promising. There are a lot of really interesting people there who seem to care a lot about things that really matter. It feels like family already.

We have been fighting colds as a family for the past week and a half, so I am going to sleep now. I figure that through this cycle of sneezing on one another we could be sick for the rest of our lives.