August... according to Jasper

Just a few short weeks ago this guy was a puppy. As a matter of fact he was at the Smack Dab In The Middle gathering and everyone went on and on about how cute the little guy was. He is now 4 1/2 months old. Now he takes me for our afternoon walk and we go much faster than I want to. Soon he will be big enough to dictate not only the direction we go, but how fast we go as well. I still think he is a cute little fellow (all 50 lbs. of him). Things are going as planned, though. He is turning into a hike loving dog. My son Justin has taught him to ride a skate board. It is the funniest thing you ever saw. He actually stands on it and pushes with his back feet. He has learned to catch things in his mouth. I think Lydia had something to do with that. We can throw them treats and if it hits the ground Lydia is on it quick. Jasper likes to stand in front of the front door looking out the glass. It is surprising how few visitors we have these days. Except for him tearing through the house it is pretty quiet around the house lately.
Well, it finally happened. Mstrwndl got a promotion at work. Thank the Lord a nice little raise went along with it, but the promotion was what I was hoping for. We deal with a lot of community service workers at the Discovery Center since it is a non-profit organization. The lady who until recently was the CS Coordinator resigned in order to return to school and the job fell open. I put in for it and got the job. I am still the Custodial Supervisor, but now I have another shirt to wear as well. Some of the fringe benifits of the new position are...a desk, and a chair, and a phone, oh my! A desk, and a chair, and a phone, oh my! I don't look forward to the paperwork, but I do look forward to the challenge.
The 18th came and went as quietly as it could. Not much hooplah, but not ignored either. Thanks for all of the phone calls and e-mails from everyone. It was a good day to turn 50. I don't feel any older, but I don't feel any more experienced either.
My middle daughter moved back home for a spell. She left her husband and two sons in Virginia and is missing them all very terribly. Remember, Virginia is for lovers so don't get the wrong idea. She had medical insurance in Tennessee and had to come home to have some surgery. The real problem was trying to figure out what was wrong with her, but they think they've got it. She is to have one more surgery (possibly two) and then she is going back home to her family in Virginia. It has been nice having her around, but it has been a strain on our living arrangments and our finances. I guess that small raise will come in handy after all.
I am sorry I have been so quiet lately. I've just been extra busy and had to deal with some health issues of my own. Maybe I can get that under control and creep back into LBing soon. That is the plan. Thanks to everyone who keeps up with this blog and thanks for the thoughts and prayers. To all of those who haven't even noticed me gone, well then maybe I can get back into the swing before you do. So, that's August...according to Jasper.