Still playing catch-up here on the blog.... Back on Tuesday, August 16th, I dove back into working on the biofuels grant. Tomkin even did the weekly shopping trip to Target so I could keep researching and writing. We did take a break to walk Chloe, which I needed. That night Tomkin came along to Chloe's therapy dog class to observe (and take pictures).
Chloe did well, although she gets so excited that some of the things she's usually good at go right out the door when we're in class. I guess that's why she needs to be trained well enough to behave in any environment. And we're getting there!
Wednesday morning Tomkin saw a radiologist about his arm and got a cortisone shot. It does seem to be helping! Even now (at the beginning of September), his arm is still a little sore, but it's definitely better. He had lunch with his friend John and then headed in to the office. I worked on the grant and actually finished up a first draft! That felt like a good step--like all the pieces were finally coming together. I also worked on a little dog training with Chloe. Unfortunately, she was naughty when Tomkin took her along to poker that night (wouldn't listen, kept trying to get food off the table). I had a premarital counseling session and then did a little more work.
Thursday morning we exercised while watching the movie "Role Models" (not very good). Tomkin headed to the office, and I met up with Helena to get manicures. Usually I only get a pedicure, but this was part of my early birthday gift from Helena, and I have to admit that it was a nice treat to get a mani, too! And, of course, fun to see Helena.
I got the house all ready for Third Thursdays, and we took Chloe for a walk. Our featured drink this month was vodka lemonades. Simple and refreshing.
We had a relatively small group (12 guests), but that was kind of nice because we actually got to visit with everyone more.
I pulled out my photo album from the semester that Helena and I spent in Amsterdam during college (back in 1990!), studying art history. Fun flashbacks!
Since we had tickets to see Kelly Clarkson in concert and American Idols Live! I featured Kelly's music as well as the best of Adam Lambert (and dressed accordingly) at the party. It was a really fun night!
On Friday we went over to Tom and Nancy's house for lunch. Jenny and Allison had flown in for the weekend to help celebrate Tom's 80th birthday, so it was a treat to see them, too!
After we ate, we went outside so Tomkin could help bring down a dead tree branch. He's very brave!
Tomkin ran some errands and went to the office. I baked cupcakes (sugar-free!) for Tom's birthday and then did some work. It was a beautiful day out, so we were glad to take Chloe for a walk. That evening we met up with Jenny and Allison for dinner at Pizza Luce, and then they came back to our place and hung out for a while. It's always so fun spending time and talking with them.
Tomkin had a wedding early on Saturday. I ran errands and got the house ready for Tom's 80th birthday party.
Tomkin fixed lunch (scallops, veggies, and sweet potato fries), and we served everyone as soon as they arrived at 1:00.
I lit candles on the cupcakes, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Tom, then enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream.
We also raised our glasses in a toast to Tom!
With our bellies full, we all moved into the living room, where Jenny presented her dad with a scroll on which was written "80 Legends About Tom Coleman."
She had printed out a copy for each of us, so we took turns reading about Tom's heroic deeds, acts of kindness, and other memorable actions throughout his life. (And what a life it's been!)
We asked Tom about some of the legends, and he explained the stories and told us that--in some cases--memory (of friends and family) had caused his deeds to be exaggerated. But since it was to his benefit, he really didn't mind.
He got other presents to open, too. I think his favorite was the Sacred Heart belt buckle (on a black belt). He proudly put it on right away.
It was really a wonderful celebration. I am so lucky to be a part of this incredible family!
Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk, cleaned up the house, and did a crossword puzzle. We bought tickets to Boston so we can see Scotty and Jake in November, and then we figured out a year-round travel budget. Turns out in 2008 we took 13 trips (many of them were very short, though). This year we've taken fewer trips, but two of them have been (or will be) big ones: Spain (which I can't believe I still haven't blogged about) and Hawaii. We've already got a few trips on the itinerary for next year, too. Always nice to have fun things to look forward to!
Sunday was a relaxing Sabbath day. We read on the porch and worked on our itinerary for Hawaii. Tomkin has been doing lots of research, so it was fun to plan out day-by-day exactly what we'd like to do (snorkeling, hiking, horseback riding, going to luaus, seeing volcanoes, taking a helicopter ride, etc.). It's just over six weeks now until we go! We took Chloe for a walk and let her run around in a park, went home and exercised, and read some therapy dog materials. It was a pretty mellow day--a nice ending to another great week!
Chloe did well, although she gets so excited that some of the things she's usually good at go right out the door when we're in class. I guess that's why she needs to be trained well enough to behave in any environment. And we're getting there!
Wednesday morning Tomkin saw a radiologist about his arm and got a cortisone shot. It does seem to be helping! Even now (at the beginning of September), his arm is still a little sore, but it's definitely better. He had lunch with his friend John and then headed in to the office. I worked on the grant and actually finished up a first draft! That felt like a good step--like all the pieces were finally coming together. I also worked on a little dog training with Chloe. Unfortunately, she was naughty when Tomkin took her along to poker that night (wouldn't listen, kept trying to get food off the table). I had a premarital counseling session and then did a little more work.
Thursday morning we exercised while watching the movie "Role Models" (not very good). Tomkin headed to the office, and I met up with Helena to get manicures. Usually I only get a pedicure, but this was part of my early birthday gift from Helena, and I have to admit that it was a nice treat to get a mani, too! And, of course, fun to see Helena. 
I got the house all ready for Third Thursdays, and we took Chloe for a walk. Our featured drink this month was vodka lemonades. Simple and refreshing. 
We had a relatively small group (12 guests), but that was kind of nice because we actually got to visit with everyone more. 
I pulled out my photo album from the semester that Helena and I spent in Amsterdam during college (back in 1990!), studying art history. Fun flashbacks! 
Since we had tickets to see Kelly Clarkson in concert and American Idols Live! I featured Kelly's music as well as the best of Adam Lambert (and dressed accordingly) at the party. It was a really fun night!
On Friday we went over to Tom and Nancy's house for lunch. Jenny and Allison had flown in for the weekend to help celebrate Tom's 80th birthday, so it was a treat to see them, too! 
After we ate, we went outside so Tomkin could help bring down a dead tree branch. He's very brave! 
Tomkin ran some errands and went to the office. I baked cupcakes (sugar-free!) for Tom's birthday and then did some work. It was a beautiful day out, so we were glad to take Chloe for a walk. That evening we met up with Jenny and Allison for dinner at Pizza Luce, and then they came back to our place and hung out for a while. It's always so fun spending time and talking with them.
Tomkin had a wedding early on Saturday. I ran errands and got the house ready for Tom's 80th birthday party. 
Tomkin fixed lunch (scallops, veggies, and sweet potato fries), and we served everyone as soon as they arrived at 1:00. 
I lit candles on the cupcakes, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Tom, then enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream. 
We also raised our glasses in a toast to Tom! 
With our bellies full, we all moved into the living room, where Jenny presented her dad with a scroll on which was written "80 Legends About Tom Coleman." 
She had printed out a copy for each of us, so we took turns reading about Tom's heroic deeds, acts of kindness, and other memorable actions throughout his life. (And what a life it's been!) 
We asked Tom about some of the legends, and he explained the stories and told us that--in some cases--memory (of friends and family) had caused his deeds to be exaggerated. But since it was to his benefit, he really didn't mind. 
He got other presents to open, too. I think his favorite was the Sacred Heart belt buckle (on a black belt). He proudly put it on right away.
It was really a wonderful celebration. I am so lucky to be a part of this incredible family! 
Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk, cleaned up the house, and did a crossword puzzle. We bought tickets to Boston so we can see Scotty and Jake in November, and then we figured out a year-round travel budget. Turns out in 2008 we took 13 trips (many of them were very short, though). This year we've taken fewer trips, but two of them have been (or will be) big ones: Spain (which I can't believe I still haven't blogged about) and Hawaii. We've already got a few trips on the itinerary for next year, too. Always nice to have fun things to look forward to!
Sunday was a relaxing Sabbath day. We read on the porch and worked on our itinerary for Hawaii. Tomkin has been doing lots of research, so it was fun to plan out day-by-day exactly what we'd like to do (snorkeling, hiking, horseback riding, going to luaus, seeing volcanoes, taking a helicopter ride, etc.). It's just over six weeks now until we go! We took Chloe for a walk and let her run around in a park, went home and exercised, and read some therapy dog materials. It was a pretty mellow day--a nice ending to another great week!
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