"Lock the doors and close the blinds -- we're going for a ride..."

You know what I miss about blogging at Mindsay the most? Bullet points:

• I wrote extensively about my son, av, growing up from a baby to a toddler and then into a preschooler.   Since I last posted here a lot has changed:  he's now in first grade! And he'll be seven at the end of next month! Where does the time go?!? We're sending him to a private Jewish school here in Northern Virginia -- which is an amazing fit for him.  He's in a class with 18 other kids with whom he's become great friends.  The teachers this year (as were the kindergarten teachers last year) are truly wonderful; they allow all of the kids to excel and immerse themselves in learning. I'm proud of him being able to work addition and subtraction problems with two-digit numbers; find different countries on a map and read entire stories in Hebrew. It's just great to see what he learns every single day.

• He's also very tall -- one of the tallest in his class. I have no idea how that happened.

• ... and he plays guitar! Well, kind of. He's been having guitar lessons every week for the past month and a half, and he's (slowly) getting it down. Perhaps the hardest part of it is his concentration during lessons and practice sessions. But when he gets it, he gets it.  He has six chords under his belt; this week we're focusing on transitions between chords.  He can play "The Wheels on the Bus." exciting!

(No, that's not him really playing. But it's a cool picture.)

• Enough about the kid; let's talk about ME! After taking a break from blogging, I decided to get more exercise and join Weight Watchers. I was at a pretty dangerous weight and was leading a more sedentary than not lifestyle. Well -- a summer of running in the neighborhood paid off (as did a pretty good change of diet): I'm now down about 30-some pounds from June! I still have a ways to go before my goal, but this really feels good. I've been told that I look different. It makes me happier and more confident. (Having bought pants in a smaller size for the first time in my life certainly didn't hurt!) I look forward to keeping up the progress. Although I can't run outside in the Fall/Winter season (too dark), I've joined the gym at work, and I find myself on the treadmill, elliptical and stairmaster a few times a week.

• Modern Family on ABC is the best new show of the season. With Glee as a close second. There. I said it.

• The Mindsay community was very helpful and supportive when I was going through the grief of my mom's death back in 2006, and I appreciate you all being there for me. Since then a lot has happened in my Dad's life:  He started dating a wonderful woman, and they have since moved in together. In March of this year he sold his home -- the home where I grew up since age 2. He also was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. An aggressive case of it, in fact, which required chemotherapy. But after a spring and summer's worth of chemo treatments, he has kicked cancer's ass into remission.  His hair is short but it's pretty much all grown back. I'm so proud of him for staying strong throughout this time.

• Oh -- and did I mention? He's getting married this month. At age 65. My brother and I will be walking my Dad down the aisle. And moments later, I'll have a much, much bigger family. A stepmom. Step-siblings. Step-nieces and nephews.  The cool part? We all get along pretty well.

• arrrgylesocKs and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary a few weeks ago. We spent the weekend in Baltimore and had a lovely time.  Here's to eleven more years! (Hell, maybe 12!)

• I've been spending a lot of time volunteering. But I'll save that experience for a post later this week.

And them things is bullets!  Have a good night...