FAMILY IN TRAINING

Things are progressing for all of us in the Gallagher family. Michael is starting to get out on training rides in the hills on his mountain bike. I'm starting to train for upcoming races with a little help from the YMCA; its free babysitting, swimming pool, spins class, treadmill and yoga. Michael and I have discovered the joy of partner yoga. Talk about really getting your stretch on while also bonding a little. WOW! But Gilbert takes the cake with the discovery of his hands, the lifting of his head, and getting on his new bike for the first time. He is just about to roll over, but those darn arms keep getting in the way! He might not be walking by the family reunion in July, but who knows he might just head out on a few training bike rides with us. ;) Oh but don't forget Lucy....she went on a mountain bike ride with Michael on Saturday and ran so hard she almost puked. At least that slowed her down a bit for her run with me the following day. Yes we all have to suffer a little to get back to our fighting weight.

A VISIT TO OUR NATION'S CAPITAL

Despite just having our things delivered to our new house, Michael and I went to DC last weekend. My friend Ginger from Portland was going to be there for a wedding so that was just the motivation we needed to make the trip. Luckily my friends James and Keren live in DC so we had a place to stay. They were very hospitable and help point us in the direction of the Metro so we could check out they typical tourist things in DC. James lives only a Metro stop from the White House so Saturday we took it in. On Sunday we hooked up Ginger at her fancy hotel, The Mayflower, and caught up while taking in a few more sites. As busy as the weekend was, we managed to make a trip to IKEA to get a few things for the house. We were running on fumes by the time we were leaving and refuled with soda and hotdogs. Anyone who knows us, knows that we must have been desperate. ;) The weekend was fast paced, but great! DC is only under two hours from Chambersburg! How lucky are we?

MY FIRST VISITORS

Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathy were on their way down to Florida for the rest of the winter and were able to meet me for lunch! Three cheers, my first visitors. It was great to see them. We had lunch at The Big Oak Cafe connected to The Meat Market. Really this is my favorite place in town and a perfect place to meet people who are just passing through. As you can tell by the picture, I think we all know the real motivation for their stop. :)

FINALLY MOVING IN!

We finally are getting settled into our new place. We had our “stuff” delivered on Friday and we are in the middle of about 100 boxes and 100 items not in boxes. Wow! I told Michael that as soon as we get unpacked we are going to go through things. How does this happen? I swear I moved to Portland with one a trunk, one suit case and three boxes. Well, regardless we have finally arrived to a point where we can get settled into our new place and our life together. Our new house is great. Since Michael redid ALL the hardwood floors, as in all 1000 square feet, the place looks awesome! It went from stinky and questionable to live-in ready, even for a baby that will be crawling in the near future. But we do know that our place will always be a work in progress as we have titled it our learning house. Currently the kitchen is torn up, but very functional. Also the ceiling just has the drywall on it and needs to be finished, but looks a heck of a lot better than the office tiles that were there before. We also plan on redoing the bathroom, adding a half bath, and doing a lot of cosmetic fixes. All in due time, for now we are in and very happy to be here!!!

In the picture my car is parked infront of our half of the duplex. If anyone has ever been to my place in Portland, note that this place is pretty much the same except it has an extra bedroom upstairs and a full basement and attic. We actually have three sets of stairs!