A much-anticipated first

- I just signed up for my first run! Only a 5K (3 miles, roughly), but I figured I'd start out with a shorter run rather than leaping in headfirst and signing up for a half-marathon. So, obviously, I'm pleased with myself... and I can't wait.

Hiking pictures

We rarely take pics while we're hiking (unless F or Rebecca has the camera!), but here are a few random pics.

Gateway Park, Ft. Collins:

The place was perfect for shooting a fantasy movie. Crystalline lake nestled 'midst the rocky hills and mountains, surrounded by the varied greens of pine and fir, with bounders strewn over the ground like pebbles... very picturesque. If only Z would have stopped screaming - argh, did those hills carry an echo!

Z's pitching a royal tantrum in that picture, but hopefully you can't tell. Dad had his hands full on that hike, let me assure you!

After a good, long hike, we were all exhausted - except for Zita. After being carried for most of the hike, she was just getting started.

Rebecca at Lory State Park, Ft. Collins. Yes, we climbed past all those hills in the picture.

McCormick's Creek State Park, in some tiny city in Indiana. I loved that place; no other people around. Just us, the trees, and a million gray squirrels that loved to chitter at us.

LESS THAN A WEEK....

'Til I'm in Washington DC, surrounded by fellow lovers of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony, and learning as much about sacred music as I can possibly hold in my head!

*dances around* Haha, I can't wait! I'm looking forward to the plane flight, too - I think it's a total of about 4 hours, one way. I'm looking forward to a lot of writing and/or reading during those hours... not to mention the time that I'll have to spend waiting in the terminal.

So, yes... the music colloquium at CUA starts next Tuesday (19th). I'll be flying to Chicago the day before, then hopping on a flight to DCA the next morning - I think that's what the plan is, anyway. After that... ahhh... inundation in Catholic sacred music. *huge grin*

The only downside: the day that I get back, we have relatives arriving from California - which means that we're working like crazy to get the house clean before I leave for the colloquium. Though, I guess that's more of an upside than a downside, since I've never seen the house this clean since we've moved into it...

This is a definite first!

I've finally read a book that was worse than the movie based on said book. The book: "The Princess Bride". If you ask me, the movie was great; the book left a lot to be desired. My advice to anyone considering reading that book - stay content with the movie, because the book isn't worth it.

So, to repair the damage done to my avid love of book-reading, I read "Wolf-Speaker" by Tamora Pierce and am in the middle of "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke... both of which are excellent, in my humble opinion. Two totally different books, but they're both great in their own way.

Technology is taking over.

Hah. Well, I can attest to that... I'm still trying to break my computer addiction. Or, well, my internet-addiction, I suppose I should call it; I use my computer for writing, but I don't count that as computer time. But, even though I've been trying to break away from the computer, I still spend at least an hour and a half on it EVERY DAY! Agh. And now I'm blogging, which is on the internet... I'm ranting about how much time I spend on the internet, while being on the internet. My gosh.

On a similar note... my 4-year-old sister Zita just came up to me and said, "I need to check my email."