A long weekend to celebrate my grandmother

I'm off to Portland today to head to the beach house & celebrate the life of my grandmother with my mother & sister. I'm hoping that it will be a good opportunity to remember all of the fun we had together, instead of a completely sad occasion. My grandmother was a huge part of my life growing up, and had a very big soft spot for my boys. She is missed very much.

I've had a problem with my computer not allowing me to log on to blog without breaking all of my settings for my work stuff, so I haven't been blogging much. I'm a blogger slacker! Since I do not plan to bring my laptop on this trip, I figured that now was as good a time as any to update. :-)

Here are a few things happening in our lives right now:

1. Finances look as good as expected, post the IRS/tax excitement. We've opted not to sell any stock to cover the bill, so our cash flow is tight at the moment. This should be okay as long as we keep our expenses in check. The stock is from our employer & vests regularly. If we choose to buy a house here (and, it's looking like that's going to happen in the next three years), the stock will make up our down payment.
2. I'm starting to freak out about extending our lease. We want to, but don't know if the owners are still interested in renting for another year. We live in a market with *very few* rental properties, and need to keep the kids in the same school district. *panic!*
3. My health is very good at the moment. I am grateful.
4. My weight is holding steady at 150. I'm not sure how/why, as I've been getting more exercise & eating well consistently. Getting old is hard! My goal is to get down to 140 pounds by our anniversary in October.
5. M & I are going to Hawaii to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I can't wait! I found an amazing deal via Costco - much cheaper than the hotel directly, and came with a rental car!
6. The boys are doing great. Lots of soccer, growing rapidly, and getting more tan by the moment. They are the picture of healthy, happy kids. My heart is full.
7. Speaking of which, the boys participated in a fundraiser at their school a couple of weekends ago. Sam ran 16 miles at a 9:00/mile pace. Nick ran 13. I was blown away by their stamina - so impressive!! 
8. I'm looking forward to seeing my mom & sister this weekend. We always get in a lot of walking/hiking/wine drinking & reminiscing when we are together. I know that losing my grandmother has been hard on my mom, so I'm glad that I can be there for her first Mother's Day without her mom.
9. We considered going to Yosemite for the upcoming long weekend (Memorial Day), but opted to do a few day trips to keep the expenses in check. (See #1)
10. And, work. My team was re-organized & I'm now going to be in charge of a significant portion of the business. My team quadrupled in size, and I'm going to be hiring senior level managers. All of this is fantastic in the long term - I actually see a path ahead for success and work/life balance. In the immediate term, I'm individually managing 20+ people, in three different time zones. Recruiting & getting everyone trained is my number one priority. I'm also going to Tokyo in a few weeks before all of the summer craziness.

I've missed my blogging, tracking, and posting, as well as keeping up with all of you. I hope to do a better job in May of spending time being more proactive with my goals & fitness!