This is the first time I have checked the blog since way before the Family Reunion. Michelle is right about using it more. I am the worst! (This is Jen.)

I am feeling super stressed lately b/c I have started taking an advanced art class. It is way more advanced than I am. The third class was Thursday and I have felt so incompetent that I haven't picked up my paint-brush since. I have been so down that I haven't even gone running which I usually like. I need to get back into it b/c I have lots of homework every week. I think everyone else in the whole class graduated from college in art. I think I will ditch next week. :)

On the lighter side, the elementary school had a walk-a-thon yesterday. A week ago, the boys came home from school so excited to get pledges for the walk-a-thon that they went straight to work. They were canvassing the neighborhood and basically bugging all of our friends and neighbors. I even put a $2/lap pledge for each boy. A lap is 1/8 of a mile. They would have 50 minutes to run as many laps as they could. Roy misunderstood and thought that they could run up to 8 laps and pledged another $3/lap/boy. There were lots of prizes for the most laps, the most money earned, earning over $100, etc... So they were super motivated. By the next night each boy had about $50 collected. Then Joey started getting nervous that one of his friends would get more money then he. So, he decided to "train" for the walk-a-thon. He was using the elliptical every day and running around the neighborhood. Well, yesterday was the event. The newspaper was there to cover it. I helped mark off laps for the kids. After it was over we owed Will $115, Joey $165, and Andrew $170. Will did 23 laps (almost 3 miles!), Joey did 33 (a little more than 4 miles!) and Andrew sprinted the last five minutes to beat Joey and got 34 laps. I am very proud of them. Next year we will not be pledging $5/lap. But on the bright side, every penny goes to the school for technology, school activities and classroom supplies. $450 eeeck!