All Around the World

It's been a couple of fun weeks....Kelly, Jack, Shergar, and I drove to Michigan in early August for a week's vacation at Torch Lake. We were joined by the Klimek family, their entourage, and my mother, for a few days of sun, sand, swimming....and sickness. Poor Jack caught a cold, got a sore throat, and generally spent most nights coughing and crying. Not the best way to celebrate his 1st birthday, although he attacked his fantastic birthday cake with aplomb. Since then, Kelly, Mary, and I have all had colds, without the benefit of birthday cake.

Otherwise, the highlight of the week was watching Jack take his formative steps. He frequently stood up from a seated position and, on just a couple of occasions, took a step forward before tumbling over. It's amazing to see him grow up like this; next thing we know, he'll be kicking a soccer ball and cheering for Oldham.

On the following Sunday, I flew to Australia to join my colleagues at our annual conference. Sadly, my suitcase decided to spend an extra 2 nights in San Francisco, finally joining me 48 hours after I arrived. You forget how important clothes are until you dont have any.

The conference went well and I'll shortly be flying back to Michigan to meet up with the family. Attached is a photo of the beach and Pacific Ocean at 5:45am one morning (the jet-lag throws off your sleep like nobody's business).