Warm January Rolls On

Time for one of those posts with a bunch of random stuff.

Celebrations all over the place --
Monday, January 23:
Happy Birthday, Holly!
Happy Birthday, Jeff!
Wednesday, January 25:
Happy Birthday, Brian!
Happy Birthday, Katie!

I'm not quite used to it being 2006 yet. I find myself recalling events in 2004 and thinking that they occurred "last year". I really need to get with the times.

How many of you have misspelled Jenelle's name and found yourself here?

What percentage of the U.S. population eats cereal without milk? How abnormal am I?

How come cellular companies don't advertise any monthly plans that cost LESS than $39.95 a month? Am I the only one who uses a cell phone, but not that much?

Have you seen the flashlights that don't need batteries? You just shake it up a little, and it gives light for hours. Whatever you do, DON'T buy one through mail order or an infomercial. They have them at the dollar store at the mall.

I have lots of little projects on which I'm currently working. You might see one of them here within a month. Maybe not.

That's all for now!

Houston Marathon Stuff

There's even more info in the running log, but here's some links that have enjoyment potential, even for non-runners:

• Ben's Race Results
  
• Ben's Graphical Race Results
  
• Ben's Finish Line Video
  
• More Photos

Houston Pictures

Here you go!

More details from the Houston marathon coming soon!

Mid-January Fun Fun Fun!

This past weekend was a blast. We had a great time with Todd, and I turned in a personal best at the Houston Marathon. I've put up a new poll along with a picture of my finisher's medal and mug. I'll have pictures and more soon!

Small Victories

It's important to celebrate the little things in life. That's why I'd like to offer congratulations to Andrew and Holly for successfully freeing their 2 year-old daughter, Ella, from her need for a pacifier. All it took was a tricycle. Seems worth it to me! :)

Here's another story that might brighten your day. I got a pair of flannel-lined pants at a J Crew store in Oregon a little over a year ago. On Friday, March 11, I accidentally put a pen in the wash with them, so I haven't worn them since. Jenelle, being the sweetie that she is, bought me a new pair for Christmas. When I tried them on (size 34x32), they were just a tiny bit too big. We called several J Crew stores in the area, and none of them had a 33x32 to match... UNTIL we called the J Crew Factory Store in Pleasant Prairie. To our suprise, they had a single pair left in stock, and it just happened to be my size. Wow. Also, they were only $20, and we're returning the other pair that Jenelle got for $50.

Finally, check out the running log for more information on the Houston Marathon, in which I'll be participating this Sunday.

Happy New Year!

To start off 2006, we celebrated on New Year's Eve with the other two couples from our small group. In the top picture are (from left): Mary, Steve, Jenelle, Janet, and Jamie. I'm in the bottom picture, and I happen to be wearing a new shirt. This is a shirt that I got in exchange for one of the shirts in the now famous BenCam poll. :)

We had a great time! Jenelle made chicken something-or-other that had fresh mozzarella and prosciutto on it. Mary brought a salad, and Janet brought appetizers and champagne. Though there were quite a few memorable moments, and here's a few:
1) We tried to play a game of Outburst. I'd like to think that we were pretty good at it, but the fact that the game was many years old made it tougher than it should have been.
2) We had chocolate lava cake for desert. Very yummy.
3) We had three kinds of noisemakers, leis, and three different kinds of party hats. :)

Finally, I'd like to send greetings to two people who celebrated birthdays on Friday the 6th:

Happy Birthday, Pam!
Happy Birthday, Aunt Nancy!