good things for July (sort of
Again, I have missed keeping track of a bunch of days here. Must be because of summer break. Also, it is September and I am just finding my partial list from July. August and September have been great but have no lists.
1 - Doubly social: lunch with a young couple and dinner with another young couple. Fun Fact: the female in each couple was named Michelle, and both were pregnant.
2 - So very thankful for air conditioning.
3 - Jonah was tired and went to sleep without a fuss.
4 - The power came back on in Earlysville just in time for everything to be cooled down for a cook-in.
5 - Busy day included dinner with Todd and Amy and a visit to see our 6-hour-old nephew.
6 - Well-timed arrival downtown to meet my parents and Amanda and Jonah for dinner.
7 - Nice breakfast with relatives from Missouri, even if Jonah was antisocial.
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10 - After six months of my new job, I still smile when I realize that I get paid to read articles about buses (and possibly write one at some point).
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15 - The waxy chocolate donuts I ate after rehearsal didn't seem to affect my singing during the choral presentation.
16 - Ultrasound determined that everything looks perfect with baby boy #2.
17 - While playing with the lamp, Jonah would turn it on and say "It's sunny!", then turn it off and say "It's moony!" (He made this up and was very proud of himself.)
18 - [I know there have been good things over the last few days, but I haven't recorded one since the 10th. I will backfill as possible.] Today's good thing was that I had my fan at work. It had sat unused for six months under my desk, but was worth its weight in gold today.
19 - Drove an orientation shuttle. Also, on my bike ride home, there was enough rain to make a beautiful rainbow over the mountains, but not enough to get me wet.
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23 - Jonah behaved reasonably well for me when I had the evening duties all to myself.
24 - Celebrated eight wonderful years of marriage to Amanda.
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Labels: good things
good things for June
1 - I made the right decision in driving to work (double monsoons would have made biking tough).
2 - My mom liked the spice shop, and Jonah enjoyed visiting with Grandpa and Grandma. And they brought fresh cherry pie and left the whole thing in our fridge!
3 - Dan and Alden happened to be at church for the announcement of our pastoral candidate. This announcement means the veil of secrecy can be lifted.
4 - In the morning, I kissed Amanda goodbye, after which Jonah really tried hard to kiss me on the lips. It was awkward but hilarious. We compromised by letting him kiss me on the forehead. 5 - Had a meeting in the state capitol building and walked right past the governor's mansion. I am Kind Of A Big Deal.
6 - The kids' musical at church was hilarious.
7 - Amanda had a good pregnant-lady checkup and they could hear the heartbeat.
8 - "If you can teleport, then why are we taking the bus?" "Because I LIKE BUSES!" 9 - We went to the pool in the morning and went on an adventure in the afternoon.
10 - Another pool at the church picnic. Jonah went down a little slide and let me catch him in the pool.
11 - We visited my former co-workers at JAUNT and let Jonah disrupt their afternoon.
12 - I bought a new-to-me desk chair for $5.25 to replace the one that hurts my butt bones.
13 - Amanda went shopping and got a lot of stuff we needed, including a $3 stuffed dinosaur that Jonah named Buddy.
14 - I got to learn more than I needed to about the old coach bus.
15 - I pretended to be hip in the morning by sitting outside downtown and drove the old coach bus in the evening (without hitting anything - maybe).
16 - Trouble-free brunch and reception for the new pastor.
17 - The vote to call the new pastor was unanimous, which was a relief. And Jonah got to go for a "ride" in the in-laws' new travel trailer without its wheels turning.
18 - I drove to work instead of biking so I could pick up a Relay order on the way home, and it worked out really well because there was an unexpected downpour on the way in.
19 - Brandy had her baby.
20 - Met and held the new baby. I find it hard to remember Jonah being that tiny, but he was (almost).
21 - Discussed some exciting possibilities at the bike committee meeting (left turns! where they are now prohibited!)
22 - Jonah cackled with glee for us to sing Yankee Doodle (which involved bouncing on our knees), which of course was a song he learned at Vacation Bible School.
23 - Jonah was funny (and smart) at Dylan's birthday party, refusing to play in the heat outside except when the water play table had been set up.
24 - Leisurely bike tour through a lovely historic neighborhood with my dad.
25 - Perhaps to make up for being a defiant boy most of the day, Jonah demonstrated "big hugs" and "tiny hugs."
26 - Beautiful day meant we opened windows and never ran the A/C.
27 - Lots of tasty food and desserts at church potluck. Possibly too much.
28 - We made it one whole day with the "funny-looking trains" being cleaned up without Jonah noticing.
29 - Free lunch at O'Hill, and Dean was the card-swiper.
30 - We had power after the big storm and were able to help the Bartleys take some showers.
Labels: good things
good things for May
1 - Had some fun reading about Yield to Bus laws and flashing signs.
2 - After months of wrangling, Jonah finally got a haircut. Just in time for hot, humid summer days!
3 - Amanda and Jonah rode my bus, and Jonah really seemed to enjoy it. He kept yelling "Weeee!"
4 - Thai lunch.5 - Operation Inasmuch always makes me feel good for the right reasons.
6 - I put new batteries in the blue and red trains and they went faster.
7 - We narrowed the pastor search list.
8 - Lunch out at nice pizza place after talking about transit.
9 - Didn't bomb at first Research Advisory Committee meeting.
10 - Brought home Bodo's for lunch, and Amanda got to see Baby #2 moving around a lot (probably due to the Bodo's) during an ultrasound.
11 - Announced our news on Facebook.
12 - Jonah got to meet Aunt Liz and see Aunt Mary Kay again.
13 - Good times with Jonah outdoors at Mother's Day festivities: he played with 7 balls, went down three slides, used two swings, rode on a scoot-car, and bounced on Jacob's trampoline/wrestling ring.
14 - Drove a bus all the way to the top of Monticello.
15 - Squeezed in a bit of play time with Jonah between work and a meeting.
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17 - Ran into someone from BSU at a transit conference (oddly, he was there for a women's conference)
18 - Glad to have dinner at home again after almost a week.
19 - Hannah's wedding featured a golf cart ride, mountain stream, and a beautiful drive out there.
20 - Drove an old bus for UVA graduation.
21 - "Strawbee" picking adventure plus lunch at Anna's in Crozet
22 - Didn't run out of gas and learned that the new car still has a few gallons when the fuel light is on and the gauge is fully on E.
23 - Had fun being a transit geek and riding The Tide, Norfolk's new light rail line.
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26 - We fulfilled our missions as cheapskates and saved $8 by parking around the corner instead of right in front of the arena for Sesame Street Live.
27 - A few of the kids at the bike rodeo seemed to be learning what we were trying to teach. Also, Jonah got a free cookie at Whole Foods just for being his cute self.
28 - Adventure to Richmond children's museum and lunch at Belle Isle, and made it home in time to take a large amount of fish (that we had been given months ago) to a memorial day cookout.
29 - Made it through my first big project kickoff meeting at work unscathed.
30 - We got out of choir early.
31 - Checked out bike racks for our newly installed hitch.
Labels: good things
good things for April
1 - Got TV mounted, got my hair cut (despite misgivings about doing so on April Fools Day), and walked around the nicer parts of Belmont
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3 - Saw four hot-air balloons on the way to work, plus had two interesting meetings.
4 - Free lunch featuring a cranberry chocolate chip cookie.
5 - Checked out cars at a bizarre car sale thing.
6 - Checked out cars at a regular dealer.
7 - Spent the morning downtown cheering for the marathon runner brother-in-law.
8 - Perfect weather for some outdoor Bartley-Ohlms fun with the inflatable cube: just enough wind to make it interesting.
9 - Maybe made a decision?10 - Jonah asked Amanda, "Why not Daddy stay home, Mommy go work?"
11 - At church dinner, Jonah loved both the spaghetti and the giant letters on the wall behind us (Me: "What does OIAM spell?" J: "Jonah!")
12 - Worked from home.
13 - Jonah bought us a surprise while he was playing on the iPad (at least it wasn't the $1,200 vacation to London).
14 - We kind of bought a new car - not on the iPad - and coincidentally, Phillip came over and spearheaded the scratch-removal and washing of our old car.
15 - Jonah managed to nap for me while Amanda went to a bridal shower.
16 - Five-cent cone day at Kohr Bros. gave Jonah a chance to eat a whole ice cream cone. (He didn't actually eat the cone itself, though.)
17 - Free breakfast at work. And we brought our new car home!
18 - Got to drive the new car a bit.
19 - Had both Hot Buffalo Wing Pretzel Pieces and Spree to help make the afternoon bright.
20 - Beautiful morning driving a beautiful ancient bus.
21 - Our second time getting in the Guinness Book of World Records (both were for the Great Cloth Diaper Change)
22 - Drove into the country, got some eggs, and poked around inside a 1984 Greyhound bus.
23 - Pastor Search meeting clarified some things before we went too far down the wrong path.
24 - Rediscovered toys that we had been storing in the basement. They had working batteries!
25 - Spoke to a candidate for pastor for the first time.
26 - Made the right choice to go to a meeting in person rather than call in - got to meet some key players.
27 - Sent out my first project proposal.
28 - Jonah and I had a lot of quality time while Amanda hosted a baby shower for Ashley.
29 - I played handbells for the first time in years and wasn't a whole lot worse than everyone else.
30 - Really interesting pastor search committee meeting.
Labels: good things
good things for March
1 - A beautiful day to have the window open at the office.2 - Cloudy days are nice too, because I don't have to shut the blinds.
3 - Jonah did a good job playing well with others (or at least near others) at a birthday party.
4 - I had a salad for lunch after having pizza three times in two days.
5 - Drove a car (because of the snow), a bus and a van (both after the snow melted).
6 - Pastor Search Committee meeting affirmed some things I was afraid it wouldn't affirm.
7 - Really nice day afforded an opportunity for a walk at lunch.
8 - Another nice day gave me a chance to bike to a nice neighborhood.
9 - And a third cooler but still nice day allowed for a hike in the woods.
10 - Jonah said "Grandma" and "Grandpa" to their faces.
11 - Possibly (fingers crossed) fixed the dryer without taking it apart.
12 - Squeezed in a tiny bit of bus driving during the workday.
13 - Ate some bacon
14 - Got caught up on some podcast listening on the drive to Norfolk for a freight conference
15 - Harbor/port tour on a boat
16 - Romantic getaway to Staunton, featuring a live play at a bargain price and other deals.
17 - Test-drove a Mazda5. Also, bacon for breakfast for the third day in a row.
18 - Found an entree at the Mexican restaurant that was both tasty and vegetarian (which made it seem almost healthy, making up for the bacon).
19 - Good news. My bike tire lasted all day after being a little low in the morning.
20 - I did not have to go anywhere on my bike.
21 - Amanda went above and beyond to help resolve the bike thing.
22 - Ashley joined us for dinner, even though we were just having leftovers.
23 - Another weekend begins.
24 - I was inside a hip coffeehouse like a hipster. (We were there for The Very Hungry Caterpillar storytime.)
25 - I was productive while Amanda went shopping for deals.
26 - Amanda and Jonah joined me for a pizza dinner followed by a big old meeting.
27 - Got to be my most lazy by driving a bus and getting off where I could ride downhill to work.
28 - The MPO director I'd been trying to reach for three and a half weeks called me back!
29 - Hung out with big shots and had free lunch at a pat-ourselves-on-the-back "research summit."
30 - Friday night on the downtown mall with hamburgers and frozen yogurt.
31 - I fought valiantly for eternal bus glory (and did not back into a tree) in the morning, and Jonah cleaned up at the egg hunt (with over three dozen eggs) in the afternoon.
Labels: good things
good things for February
1 - Nobody was injured during Amanda's rough morning.2 - I moved into my new office, and at least one co-worker was envious of my desk.
3 - Succeeded in completing a full week of biking to and from work.
4 - After much gnashing of teeth, the washing machine became functional again.
5 - Spent the morning honoring Girls in Action and spent the evening honoring commercials and men crashing into each other.
6 - Organized the office in the afternoon
7 - I was not selected as a juror for the George Huguely murder trial
8 - First team meeting at work
9 - Jonah was really excited to have CAKE for his birthday.
10 - Crystal came over to help with birthday party preparations.
11 - Jonah's birthday party went smoothly.
12 - Finished watching the last episode of Chuck (bittersweet)
13 - Put finishing touches on Valentine's scavenger hunt for Amanda
14 - She seemed to enjoy it.
15 - Lunch with the current BSU minister.
16 - They Might Be Giants rocked C'ville.
17 - Start of my second long weekend - holidays are so nice. We got a bookshelf.
18 - "Guy Time" with Jonah while Amanda went to a party, including some productive reading during Jonah's nap.
19 - Finally, some actual snow, and on a convenient evening when I don't need to bike to work the next day.
20 - Successful shopping and IHOP.
21 - I wasn't the only one at work feeling crappy. Misery loves company.
22 - Meetings were worth the trip to Richmond, and Jonah learned to say "cross" after noticing the crosses on our foreheads.
23 - Jonah made me feel loved by wanting to play with me every time I came upstairs from the home office.
24 - First work meeting related to transit.
25 - Afternoon nap was just what the doctor ordered, and Amanda got to spend some time with Ashley.
26 - Shared information.
27 - First free lunch of the new job.
28 - The replacement top for our new bookcase arrived, and Amanda had a great idea for reusing the damaged top as a shelf.
29 - Leap Day! And I had three breakfasts.
Labels: good things
good things for January
1 - Saw lots of folks at church in Greensboro, toured Doug and Cindy's new house, rode a Gator and operated an excavator with Jonah, and met baby Aidan.
2 through 9 - [there were many good things, I'm sure, but this week is one of those holes in my record-keeping]
10 - Started new job. Orientation was painless, and I had a choice of offices.
11 - JAUNT Board made a dumb decision that made it even easier to leave for the new job.
12 - First whole day at new job. Either office provides views of trees.
13 - First holiday at new job.
14 - Crystal played with Jonah while Amanda and I did some much-needed organizing.
15 - It took all of Jonah's naptime, but I fixed the coat rack, at least for a while.
16 - Pancakes and local sausage for dinner.
17 - Reserved a hotel for first trip of new job (Transportation Research Board).
18 - Apple sent me a tiny, fancy new Nano to replace the vintage one that was recalled.
19 - Spudnuts and Bodo's at work. Eatin' round things with holes.
20 - Pizza lunch with the new boss and listened to a colleague give a talk in one of the old engineering classrooms.
21 - We tried an appetizer at Belmont Pizza.
22 - Snow, without all the problems that usually come with snow.
23 - Safe trip to DC during morning rush hour when it was supposed to be icy.
24 - Saw some old friends and colleagues I wasn't expecting to see.
25 - Was glad to get home and see Jonah and Amanda again (well, I only saw Jonah at church).
26 - Attended a planning meeting and saw many of the usual suspects.
27 - Back at JAUNT for one last day to give a decently well-received presentation.
28 - The weather was nice enough that we walked to the open house of the International School, where Jonah will not be attending preschool.
29 - One of Jonah's friends appeared at Red Robin as we were lunching and sat by us.
30 - Amanda and Jonah met me for dinner.
31 - Anniversary of 11 years since Amanda and I started dating.Labels: good things
good things for December
1 - Free lunch. I am a big fan of free lunch.
2 - Todd rode my bus. It was not necessarily good that he was in town, because he was here to visit his father-in-law in the hospital, but it was good that he took a break to ride Green Route.
3 - I biked, Jonah rode in the bike trailer, and we got to see the Christmas parade downtown while Amanda had some time to clean.
4 - Amanda's first Cloth Diaper Party had a good group of interested parties.
5 - Stayed busy at work.
6 - Interesting small-world conversations at dinner in Roanoke with other mobility managers.
7 - "They want you to take the rolls!" (This episode of Boy Meets World, at this moment in the episode, happened to be on when I turned on the cable TV in my hotel room at breakfast.)
8 - Jonah went to bed without much fuss and I got some things accomplished (including adding Dec. 5-9 to this list).
9 - Finally created a Mii.
10 - Visit from the 'rents.
11 - Choir Christmas music performance. In the words of another choir member, "I'm glad to do it, and I'm glad when it's done."
12 - News on potential new job continues to be good.
13 - The Blue Ridge Eco Shop now carries Plan Toys and has one of Jonah's favorite things: a train table.
14 - Santa shopping was a better deal than I planned on. And Alba liked his singing Peanuts characters.
15 - Explored the warring winter wonderlands on Mountain View Street.
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21 - Formal job offer should be in the mail just in time for Christmas. And free lunch at work.
22 - Amanda received a mop for Christmas (she actually wanted one).
23 - Christmas Part I was great, except for naptime. Jonah really got into it.
24 - Christmas Part II and church in Earlysville.
25 - Christmas Parts III and IV, and I checked the mail just in time to put the letter confirming my new job under the tree.
26 - Christmas Part V, recovery, and an adventure to Whole Foods.
27 - Received lots of congratulatory messages after spamming everyone I've worked with for the last three years.
28 - My boss replied to the same e-mail with a picture of a crying baby.
29 - Two burgers in one day. And our last trip to Ben & Jerry's for free ice cream.
30 - Jonah slept great last night and went to bed tonight with minimal fuss.
31 - Came to Greensboro and met Atticus before he turned 1.
Labels: good things
good things for November
1 - We have six fish! In our fish tank!
2 - We still have five fish! On the bright side! Also, a short bit of evening bus driving.
3 - We still have three fish! And the rest were under warranty, so we have six again by the end of the day! Also, my dad is 70.
4 - Impressed Amanda, and a pedestrian, and myself with my parallel parking abilities (key: use the bumpers - that's what they're there for - but be gentle).
5 - Visited my parents to help celebrate my dad's birthday.
6 - Jonah slept most of the drive home.
7 - Jonah had a friend over.
8 - Voting and dinner out afterwards, which is becoming a tradition.
9 - More interesting news on potential jobs.
10 - Three fish have made it at least a week.
11 - Jonah is becoming a pro at pooping in the potty, even at other people's houses.
12 - Drove a 23-year-old bus for the football game.
13 - Jonah went to bed without a fuss for the first time in over a week.
14 - A longstanding misconception about lunch breaks was corrected.
15 - The Regional Mobility Map may not be perfect, but it is finally done.
16 - Told a funny story in choir.
17 - Learned about what we'll be doing on the Pastor Search Committee.
18 - Busy and productive day: got car inspected, biked, drove bus, had lunch with co-workers, had an outdoor meeting, played with Jonah.
19 - Watched as Jonah put gravel and leaves into a bucket, very purposefully.
20 - There was not total agreement at the church Transition Luncheon, but there were some ideas I agreed with.
21 - Unexpected, exciting, and terrifying news about a job.
22 - Continued and confirmed good news.
23 - Authentic and tasty chimichanga for lunch.
24 - Thankful.
25 - Jonah and I had some Guy Time while Amanda got deals, and we saw Charlottesville's Grand Illumination that evening.
26 - Spending the day in Nokesville without spending the night meant less time wasted in preparing and screaming. Win-win.
27 - Jonah took a long nap and we still got outside to enjoy the nice weather afterwards.
28 - I got fingerprinted and didn't get ink on my hands. And I didn't have to commit a crime.
29 - Although it was a little silly for them to serve only cookies and peanuts at a meeting scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m., the chocolate chip cookies were good.
30 - Finally started to get some of the melodies, words and rhythms for the Christmas cantata.Labels: good things
Good things for October
September: Didn't keep track of all the good things that happened...
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6 - Such nice weather this week... we walked to Belmont BBQ and ran into one of Jonah's friends on the way home.
7 - Fighting back against The Man Tryin' to Keep Me Down, who in this case is Google Transit's gatekeeper.
8 - Cows 'N' Corn with both sets of grandparents.
9 - Good deal on brunch downtown.
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12 - Saw that TMBG will indeed be playing a show in Charlottesville on 2/16/12.
13 - Fun train trip to Philadelphia and subway ride to the hotel. Jonah made lots of use of the Baby Sign for "train."
14 - Jonah had infinite fun at the Please Touch Museum.
15 - Another day of Jonah fun at the Smith Play Place and Philadelphia Magic Garden. Sightseeing at the Italian Market and a cheesesteak at Pat's King of Steaks.
16 - Cobblestone streets.
17 - Despite Jonah having a cold, this day worked out pretty well, and we made it back home on the train before bedtime. Well, not before Jonah's bedtime, but he stayed awake.
18 - Two bus stop sign approvals, approval to join Google Transit, and driving up the bumpy road on Carter Mountain - a good day at work.
19 - I could tell I was getting sick, but I went to choir anyway and enjoyed it.
20 - Got out of the office for a pleasant drive to Scottsville and back.
21 - Rented an antique convertible and drove it on the Skyline Drive to see the leaves. It was a little cold and I was sick, but it was still awesome.
22 - Spent some time swimming at an aquatic center in Christiansburg.
23 - Relaxed and avoided speaking.
24 - Quiet Monday at work.
25 - Slept in.
26 - Stayed home to rest.
27 - Bicycle planning goddess Mia Birk visited Charlottesville.
28 - A co-worker had a vat of hot cider going across the hall all day.
29 - Jonah did a lot of good dinosaur roars.
30 - Hayride on a tiny wagon attached to a lawn tractor.
31 - Trick-or-treating on the Lawn was slightly less crowded than last year. More roaring.
Labels: good things
good things for August
1 - Discovery of chiggers on me meant I wasn't going to crazytown - there's a reason for the itching.
2 - Insulating contractor came and did work that may lead to us not having to run the A/C so much.
3 - Fun bidding on hotels through Priceline, even if we didn't get anything yet.
4 - Jonah ate fries with ketchup, bread with ketchup, and peaches with ketchup. A true Bartley.
5 - Morning bus driving.
6 - Took an interesting class that let me revisit the architecture school building at UVA.
7 - Jonah gave us kisses at bedtime and was, for the first time, coordinated enough to make the sound when his lips were on our cheeks.
8 - No traffic jams on the way to Roanoke.
9 - My presentation at the conference went well. Also, old buses.
10 - Got to swim with Amanda and Jonah before evening activities.
11 - Jonah really got into giving kisses.
12 - Still not sure if it's a good thing, but I rode in the back seat of a jacked-up Jeep Wrangler for a very important work meeting.
13 - Jonah finally met the much-discussed Marie when we visited Nokesville.
14 - Our power never went out during the big storm.
15 - Drove a bus in the HOV lane of I-66 past some slower traffic.
16 - Surprised by being asked to return for a second-round interview.
17 - The whole workday was taken up by one meeting in Lynchburg.
18 - Serious mental beach preparation.
19 - Last day of work before the beach! And handrail delivery. And Twentysomethings gathering.
20 - Sort of got our money's worth by getting to the pool one last time before my season pass expired.
21 - Went to the beach, blissfully ignorant of what was to come.
22 - Little Debbie Fudge Brownies, ocean.
23 - Sitting in the beach house, we just barely felt the earthquake that rocked the Charlottesville area and were quickly able to learn more through the power of social media.
24 - We wisely crammed in a lot of stuff this day, including a trip to take Jonah to the sound-side beach with no waves.
25 - Went shopping instead of evacuating in a timely manner.
26 - Pretended we were still at the beach by going shopping again and having ice cream.
27 - Walked downtown before Irene really got going.
28 - Discovered the huge sprayground at Forest Hills Park.
29 - Felt nice and busy at work.
30 - Interview went fairly well and was almost fun.
31 - Amanda's birthday was low-key but fun; she and Jonah met me for a picnic lunch, and then we got a deal on dinner at IHOP.
Labels: good things
good things for July
1 - Joined the Downtown Mall for its birthday party2 - Bought vibrant paint and began brightening up the kitchen during Jonah's nap time.
3 - Dan and Alden appeared at church; productive afternoon.
4 - Painted a wall of the guest room while my parents had fun with Jonah (they all wore each other out). Wet conditions made the evening fireworks safer.
5 - Dinner out with Amanda (Jonah stayed home).
6 - Left work a little early for an afternoon nap, which helped me feel better.
7 - More good interviewing experience.
8 - Received good news about our finances.
9 - Explored Afton with Amanda and Jonah.
10 - Jonah's naptime was our most productive in a while (in at least three days, since Jonah hadn't taken a normal nap in three days).
11 - Guests arrived safely.
12 - Quiet evening.
13 - Air conditioning is a great friend in July.
14 - The weather cooled down enough to make my walk around Scottsville (looking for bus stop locations) pleasant.
15 - At the Eco Shop, overheard John Grisham commenting to his wife about a bat guano product.
16 - Thanks to weather and Tour Guide Todd, the bike ride in Lynchburg was a smashing success (excluding the part where I smashed Jonah's trailer into a wall by taking a turn too tightly).
17 - Jonah gave me a nice hug in the morning.
18 - Listened to this. Also gave blood without feeling woozy.
19 - Finally got initial approval for the second bus shelter.
20 - Amanda surprised me with wild wing popcorn the day after kettle corn.
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22 - Got to drive a full bus, a rarity in the summer.
23 - Harry Potter movie in a theater (first movie in a theater in almost two years).
24 - Seven years of married bliss cannot be overshadowed, even by a large amount of pink vomit on the carpet.
25 - Ate healthy salad for postponed anniversary dinner out.
26 - Enjoyed a fancypants lunch at Hamilton's courtesy of the boss.
27 - This was not a good day. However, I had an interesting meeting with a developer's architect.
28 - Felt much better.
29 - Got to drive the oldest bus, which amazingly had very nice A/C.
30 - Received $70 for doing basically nothing.
31 - Shade + breeze = nearly pleasant weather for the outdoor family gathering.Labels: good things
good things for June
1 - I had an interview and did not melt down completely.2 - Looked forward to next week's trip to Indianapolis.
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4 - Jonah did fine on his first two airplane flights.
5 - Bike surrey ride along the canal in Indianapolis.
6 - Some good conference discussion; met Amanda and Jonah for lunch.
7 - Free dinner at a fancy steakhouse where we saw Peyton Manning after he finished his meal.
8 - Jonah ate pizza like a big boy (not cut into little bites) and loved it.
9 - Jonah was excited to see the buses at the Expo.
10 - Everything went smoothly with late checkout, eating our large amounts of leftovers, walking around, taking the shuttle, and getting home (very late in the evening).
11 - We all took an afternoon nap.
12 - After the big storm came through, the weather was decent for the Earlysville Community Picnic.
13 - Jonah started walking all over the place without help (as long as I wasn't there).
14 - At work, three agency drivers finally got trained. I have been working on making this happen since September.
15 - Church conference actually featured a vote on something with substantial amounts of "no" votes. (We shouldn't always all agree.)
16 - Played with an iPad. Unrelated: Jonah got the giggles.
17 - Got paid to ride a bus for three hours.
18 - Long walk to and from the farmers' market, and then Jonah enjoyed a fresh peach at Carter Mountain Orchard.
19 - Amanda gave me a a manly Dremel for Father's Day.
20 - Installed shelves in the garage.
21 - Jonah built block towers so high that I had to lift him up to keep going.
22 - Jonah was OK after getting hives mysteriously.
23 - Evening cookout with Twentysomethings.
24 - Skipped work to help at Vacation Bible School: PandaMania.
25 - Successful shopping trip; Jonah said "Washish?" 794 times.
26 - My first trip to the pool at Meade Park.
27 - Jonah walks around now like it's his job.
28 - Free lunch.
29 - Went on a field trip to take an old bus to the auction.
30 - Watched half of the long-awaited video of Jonah's first six months.
Labels: good things
Good things for May
It's not that Thursdays are bad, just that I forget what happened by Monday, when I realize I forgot to jot anything down.
1 - Todd and Amy and Mellow Mushroom2 - Spent the afternoon riding around Shenandoah National Park for work
3 - Amanda called me at work to say that Jonah was walking around his room by himself.
4 - Drove a special exam shuttle that confused everyone
5 - Nice weather for a morning meeting downtown
6 - Jonah enjoyed playing with the beach ball and miniature bus at Clean Commute Day.
7 - The weather wasn't to blame for our dismal yard sale earnings.
8 - Jonah slept a little better than in recent memory.
9 - Amanda and Jonah met me for lunch in the park.
10 - Amanda found a great deal on airfare for our trip to Indianapolis.
11 - I turned in a job application, my first in over two and a half years.
12 -
13 - Church Twentysomething gathering
14 - Jonah is now old enough to feed the bear puppet my mom likes to play with.
15 - Bubbles were blown and fun was had outdoors.
16 - City Council supported a tiny piece of new bike lanes that (gasp!) required removal of on-street parking spaces.
17 - Jonah slept all night last night AND screamed for less than 10 minutes before going to sleep.
18 - Hilarious presentation at church about the Deacon Team Ministry Model. Seriously, hilarious.
19 -
20 - Spoke with bicyclists in the morning, had a going-away potluck at work, and had a second meal with Todd and Amy in one month.
21 - Tried a locally made popsicle at the farmers' market. Also: had a shady spot at the kids' bike rodeo.
22 - Drove a bus with good A/C (sensing a theme here?) for UVA graduation and enjoyed the Jesus Rap at the Follies in Earlysville.
23 - New bus route I helped start began running
24 - Strawberry picking at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains... idyllic.
25 - This blog was revealed to me. The blogger rode each of Charlottesville's city bus routes and evaluated them. 26 - Amanda and Jonah met me downtown, where we enjoyed strolling (Jonah walked many blocks), hot dogs, and fro-yo.
27 - Saw Charlottesville's newest stretch of bike lanes
28 - Afternoon in Waynesboro for Grayson's first birthday party and dinner with Phillip and Ashley
29 - Took the 'rents to the new pizza place near our house
30 - We bought season passes for the city pools.
31 - Drove a bus and chatted with another bus driver who is here as an exchange student from Ireland.
Labels: good things
Good things for April
1 - Monkeys in the bathroom, cow in my lunch, dinosaur behind the mouthwash. Animals everywhere for April Fools.
2 - First Farmers' Market of the season!
3 - Jonah's first bike trailer ride went well. It's unclear whether he liked it, but he didn't scream.
4 - Leftover Thai is a good leftover to have.
5 - Watched the video of Jonah adding his own power to the swing.
6 - Installed a bus (passenger) shelter (with a crew of four others)! Possibly the first time I have used my civil engineering degree.
7 - Excellent weather for doing some shopping on the Downtown Mall.
8 - We had guests, and it was funny to watch Jonah and Lucas engage in "parallel play."
9 - It was cold, but the trip to the eco-tulip place was a success.
10 - Dinnertime hilarity thanks to the "Banana Fanna fo [name with initial consonant sound replaced by F]" song
11 - can't remember
12 - can't remember
13 - Jonah is really getting into hiding and finding Easter eggs.
14 - Date with my special someone involving melty cheese and melty chocolate.
15 - Odd but good day... inauguration charter, cheap custard, and some alone time on the way to Dublin (VA).
16 - Bus roadeo, where I did not die despite sitting outside on a day with a chance of thunderstorms in an open parking lot on a hill in a metal folding chair holding an umbrella. Plus, one of our drivers took first place.
17 - Successful family bike ride leaving from home in great weather.
18 - Jonah slept fairly well both before and after this day.
19 - Two outdoor excursions during work
20 - Jonah shared his curiosity with the church nursery workers, "washish?"ing and pointing at everything, and they understood what he was asking.
21 - Just about perfect weather.
22 - Felt like a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all in one.
23 - Got rid of household hazardous waste, walked through the Eco Fair, participated in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record, and went to the church picnic/Easter egg hunt.
24 - Easter with family.
25 - Jonah went to sleep fairly easily when I was alone with him for the evening during Amanda's shopping adventure.
26 - Waited out the thunderstorm in Ben & Jerry's, where we could see a rainbow while eating ice cream.
27 - Jonah slept in after his first night without a midnight feeding (though not without a midnight scream-fest).
28 - Cookout in a lovely new-urbanist enclave
29 - We biked downtown! And then converted the bike trailer to a stroller and terrorized the aisles of CVS!
30 - Learned how to build a patio as a do-gooder.
Labels: good things
Good things for March
I am posting this tonight in case April Fools gets out of hand and I lose access to my list. Nothing good is allowed to happen in the next few hours (at least nothing better than what I wrote for today.)
1 - Filming at work, when Jonah got to be a movie star (see the 31st).
2 - Amanda discovered Jonah's top molars, which explained the screaming.
3 - Exciting news at bike committee and still-warm lasagna when I got home.
4 - I built a pentagon tower with Jonah's blocks after he went to bed.
5 - Free stuff at healthy babies fair, then my parents came, and Jonah started being able to stay standing unassisted for multiple seconds.
6 - Productive rainy afternoon creating space to play in Jonah's room.
7 - Amanda reported that Jonah pointed to his hippo puppet when she said something about a hippo. And he got his Personal Penguin book when she started singing the song.
8 - We watched an entire movie... on a weeknight!
9 - We had dinner at church and sat at a table of, well, old widows, and Jonah did an excellent job of being cute for them (and stayed quiet during the prayer!).
10 - Replacement TV arrived! No more horizontal lines!
11 - Tax refund arrived!
12 - Strolled by the river in perfect weather.
13 - Another walk in perfect weather, this time around the neighborhood.
14 - Amanda took care of Jonah, which isn't that different from the usual, but this time it allowed me to stay in bed for over 10 hours and recover from a bug.
15 - The first day after being sick is always a thankful time.
16 - Jonah took a couple teeny steps on his own. Maybe they were more like lunges.
17 - Explored the Ix building. 18 - Drove a bus and called Amanda every 20 minutes when I had extra time at stops.
19 - We bought a bike trailer! Kind of an impulse buy. But it's awesome! I am excited!
20 - Jubilate Homecoming Concert was excellent.
21 - Nice long drive through scenic Buckingham and Nelson Counties for work.
22 - Ended up having two outdoor work meetings at coffee shops in beautiful weather.
23 - Choir was good.
24 - Jonah pushed his Mega Blocks table all the way down the hall and around our bed.
25 - Jonah's doctor ruled out an ear infection and the flu as causes of his crankiness and fever. Also, free part for my bike and free smoothie.
26 - We bought him a blue bike helmet.
27 - Jonah seemed much better by the afternoon and finally had an appetite at dinner.
28 - All three of us attended the IMPACT rally, Jonah's first time in U-Hall.
29 - The fast-casual Indian restaurant concept made it another week on America's Next Great Restaurant.
30 - Got caught up on some projects at work.
31 - The video with some of my favorite movie stars was posted on YouTube.
Labels: good things
Good things for February
1 - Even though we have 56 coupons for free Ben & Jerry's, Amanda bought a container of the limited edition Edy's Thin Mint ice cream.
2 - During the few hours of springlike weather, I walked to Blimpie and got my free cookie.
3 - Drove six buses
4 - Ate steak wrapped in bacon for dinner
5 - Guy Time with Jonah, then Amanda joined us to serve dinner to the homeless guys staying at our church
6 - Using the DVR made watching the Super Bowl amazing. Also, leftover bacon-wrapped steak.
7 - Messy burger (third bacon occurrence in four days!).
8 - Jonah went to sleep easily for the first time in a few days or maybe weeks.
9 - Jonah's birthday! Lunch at the hospital where he was born, then his first cupcake!
10 - I got to use spray paint at work, then came home to a one-year-old in a very good mood despite having had shots at his checkup.11 - Preparations for Jonah's party were on track.
12 - Jonah napped in the morning and woke up fully refreshed just as his guests arrived, and everything went well.
13 - Another Jonah napping miracle: he stayed asleep during the transfer from the car to crib after church and kept sleeping for maybe 90 minutes.
14 - I won Valentine's Day.
15 - The weather cooperated with my plan to have four meetings downtown from 9:30 to 2:30. Plus, I ate a hot dog with buffalo wing sauce.
16 - Relaxed bus driving in the morning. I sort of skipped breakfast, but then there were doughnuts when I got to work.
17 - Amanda attended the MOPS group at church for the first time and liked it.
18 - It was so nice that my boss asked if we could have our meeting outside. (Yes please.)
19 - Jonah made some really funny faces watching Amanda's mom chew gum and blow bubbles during Jacob's wrestling match.
20 - First use of free Ben & Jerry's coupons!
21 - Jonah drank a cup of cow's milk (he refused the day before)
22 - Jonah was doing a funny new laugh; I'd call it a titter.
23 - Long-awaited bus stop shelters arrived and were unloaded without breaking anything (people or equipment).
24 - Mmm, haircut.
25 - By a stroke of luck, the high winds didn't blow the shelter roof pieces over until there was a bus parked next to them preventing them from falling all the way over and getting scratched or broken.
26 - six businesses, one parking spot for our Saturday shopping extravaganza. Also, we saved more than we spent.
27 - Slightly awesome weather. Indian buffet, walked a few blocks, ice cream, walked some more.
28 - Special mission at work.
Labels: good things
Good things for January
1 - A float broke down during the Rose Bowl parade, which was entertaining. And NC friends' baby was born very close to 1:11 on 1/1/11.2 - Parents visited and brought me some gifts, all of which were better than the box of sour-cream-and-onion-flavored crickets they also brought.
3 - Birthday cake at work and dinner out. After the ChristmaNewYeBirthday eating season, I was proud to fill up on the salad bar and take 3/4 of my burger home.
5 - I brought a blanket to work to put over my cold legs and feet instead of my hoodie, which was less obtrusive but less warm.
6 - The Buckingham County Administrator complimented my report.
7 - I changed the most consecutive diapers ever, probably, due to staying home with a sick wife (note: I was changing Jonah's diaper, not hers).
8 - I spent way too much time looking at beach houses.
9 - Last birthday freebie at a restaurant: yummy cheesecake.
10 - Presentation to Buckingham County elected officials went fine, with nobody falling asleep.
11 - New LED bulb for Jonah's night light arrived in the mail.
12 - Hilarious e-mail from my parents with a picture of my dad wearing a T-shirt with an upside-down bus on the bottom from where my mom had made an ironing mistake and folded the shirt back up and put it in his drawer... and he then put on the shirt and wore it on a day when he had a physical and an x-ray and didn't notice the bus until the end of the day.
13 - Leftover half tofu wrap for lunch at work
14 - We started watching another episode of Sherlock.
15 - We attended the grand opening of the brick-and-mortar store for Abby's Lane and then spent a little time with my parents. 16 - Choir party extended the eating season
17 - I finally finished a draft of the report that I had been working on for over a year at work.
18 - Totally by coincidence, I rode both of the new hybrid buses in the city's fleet on their first day of operation, having not ridden a bus in weeks or maybe months.
19 - Leftover pizza was really good
20 - Jonah ate peas from my plate and corn from Amanda's plate and seemed like he would have kept eating them forever.
21 - Weekend again already!
22 - Large amounts of progress on planning a beach trip for the summer.
23 - Jonah ate more peas. And more peas. Peas seem to be his favorite.
24 - I gave blood for the first time in over eight years, did not faint, and got free dinner and a lot of orange juice.
25 - I had a morning meeting where I got to comment on a map and an afternoon meeting where I got to comment on a plan. I like commenting on other people's work, so these were both good.
26 - Snow! And I found out I won a Major Award from the blood drive: 52 coupons for free single-scoop cones at Ben & Jerry's.
27 - Amanda reserved our beach house! While there was snow on the ground!
28 - Manly birthday dinner for Amanda's brother (steak and potatoes and apple crisp)
29 - Preliminary taxes indicate a huge refund! When we almost had to pay an under-withholding penalty last year! Being poor has its pluses this time of year.
30 - Back to the in-laws' house for the final extension of the eating season - with gifts!
31 - Amanda succeeded in getting Samsung to extend our faulty TV's warranty so the repair will be free (knock on wood).
Labels: good things
Good things for December (ghostwriter)
Early December was busy and crazy and full of so many good things that I was going to take December off. Instead of keeping track of good things, I was just going to enjoy the season. Which is what I did. Without my knowledge, Amanda kept a list secretly and presented it to me this morning. I love being married to someone who knows all my good things. So, without further ado:
1 - Madrigal Dinner put on by Jubilate. A couple of good songs by PDQ Bach.
2 - Used our new DVR to watch a TV show a couple of minutes after it had started.
3 - Went to Greensboro to visit friends. Bought the first bag of kettle corn from a street vendor preparing for a festival. Mmm...kettle corn.
4 - Snow! We were checking out Amanda's uncle's new house in Pleasant Garden when it started snowing. The first flakes were so intricate.
5 - Church at College Park.
6 - Someone I work with brought Jonah a riding caterpillar that her twin daughters have outgrown.
7 - Finally brought our new-to-us set of drawers upstairs to our closet.
8 - Was gone for 12.5 hours and did not get a headache.
9 - Managed to create a block so that I could drive a bus on Saturday.
10 - Found this: http://www.masguapo.com/. It is locally-made and makes me happy.
11 - Had a productive morning: drove bus, shopped, choir rehearsal. Then went swimming in the afternoon.
12 - Christmas choir performance at church and a visit from my parents. Also, Jonah took a 2-hour nap, which is always a good thing.
13 - Made macaroni and cheese from scratch, which included using up an expired bag of Wacky Mac.
14 - Ashley took me to and from my chiropractor appointment (since we just happened to have appointments at the same time) and then dinner with Phillip and Ashley (and Amanda and Jonah).
15 - Perk of having a mechanic for a brother-in-law: Phillip brought his code scanner by and read the code on our Check Engine light.
16 - Snow!
17 - Retirement party for a co-worker. He was actually there for the party, instead of being like the last person who retired and left before a party could be had.
18 - Productive Saturday of Christmas letter writing, Christmas gift shopping, and socializing with our neighbors and their friends.
19 - Got to sit with Amanda in church, then had a chili lunch and went Christmas caroling.
20 - Yummy Thai food for dinner. Drove a bus for the basketball game.
21 - Jonah only woke up once in the middle of the night.
22 - Short day at work! Took off early to head to my parents' house for Christmas.
23 - Jonah's first "fake Christmas." He got pretty good at unwrapping presents.
24 - Sibling gift-exchange at the Bartleys' in which I negotiated and ended up with an awesome gift of root beer, yummy doritos and grasshopper cookies.
25 - Jonah's first "real Christmas." Lots of presents and joy.
26 - Unexpected free afternoon at home. We were able to install our last baby gate, using a dremel.
27 - Got a head start on using my birthday coupons from restaurants. Progressive dinner after driving a bus!
28 - Amanda washed the baby dishes, so that I wouldn't have to. I don't like washing all of those little things.
29 - Came home to freshly-baked bread.
30 - Did not catch our kitchen on fire while making funnel cake with Todd and Dustin.
31 - Played Band Hero with Amanda's family while waiting for the beginning of 2011.
Labels: ghostwriter, good things
Good things for November
1 - Won a door prize at a meeting. I gave it away.
2 - Voted. Also, dinner at Bodo's.
3 - Took Jonah for his first two rides on CAT buses and my first swim class with him.
4 - Special mission driving my boss downtown in a bus so she could measure something.
5 - Amanda and Jonah came and rode around UVA on the 22-year-old bus I was driving! Four buses in three days!
6 - Dinner at one of the many new upscale pizza places. So upscale that they baked a piece of paper into Amanda's pizza accidentally.
7 - There was a nice crowd for the choir's presentation of Rutter's Requiem, including my parents and some friends.
8 - Jonah slept in, mercifully, after a rough night.
9 - Beautiful day, with bright yellow, orange, and red leaves on Jonah's first hike riding in a backpack carrier.
10 - Jonah tried eating Stars ("baby crack") again and didn't gag on them this time.
11 - I got way too excited at a city bike committee meeting.
12 - Finally sort of finished a draft of a big report at work. 13 - Crisp autumn air: we went for a walk in a nice neighborhood.
14 - Envisioned the future of transportation.
15 - Dinner in lovely Buchanan, Virginia, at the historic Burger King. 16 - Rode an articulated bus from Blacksburg Transit back to the hotel. And Thai food in downtown Blacksburg. And brief swim before bed.
17 - Family time with Amanda's grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins.
18 - Turned off the engine on an Interstate highway for the first time in my life, I think. And the second, and the third. (We were stopped due to a blasting zone.)
19 - This day was basically like having a one-day work week.
20 - Had some good playtime with Jonah.
21 - Jonah kept pulling the phone book out from its hiding place, which caused me to look inside it, where I found a coupon for Belmont BBQ that expires at the end of the month.
22 - Jonah pulled himself to standing, sort of. Not sure if this is a good thing, but there it is.
23 - At work, I received a proofing sample of the red stars that will be stuck on our bus shelter windows.
24 - I was not the most stressed-out person at work.
25 - Thankful for someone to watch the parade with. Finally.
26 - After a false start due to a poopy diaper, we made it from Charlottesville all the way to Nokesville without a pit stop.
27 - We helped my parents decorate their Christmas tree.
28 - Lunch with friends from far away, plus we put up our own tree.
29 - Installed Jonah's new car seat... it's hard, realizing that he has already outgrown something so major as a car seat, but it's exciting to think about the trips we'll take in the new one. Also, we used the aforementioned Belmont BBQ coupon before it expired.
30 - Last day of the month, but a day of firsts: Jonah pulled himself to standing purposefully and repeatedly. He had his first ride in the new car seat. His first sixth tooth began to appear. (You can never have a second sixth tooth.)
Labels: good things
