Rainy Weekend in Tampa

We're back in Gainesville tonight after spending a rainy weekend in Tampa! We had big plans to go to the beach that were thwarted with some pretty heavy thunder storms. We managed to have some fun inside instead!



Ashley & Greer--no need for a radio, these girls can sing (loud)!



Amy & Jeff--still in love after playing spoons!



Mom & Braden--Mom's a big cheater and apparently Braden wanted to show me his nostrils.



Ashley, striking a pose during spoons.



Harley had surgery last week to repair his doggy-knee. It was a sad sight to begin with but, as you'll see, things got worse.



Cone-head, Harley, he kept knawing at his cast--hence, the cone.



Poor little guy. I suppose somebody could've taken the sticker off the cone at least.



Happy Birthday, Greer!



Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Off to Tampa...

We're off to Tampa this weekend to celebrate Jeff and Greer's (my 'lil sister) birthdays. Greer is turning 14 and will be starting high school this fall...pretty hard to believe. Jeff is reluctantly turning 28 on Tuesday...where does the time go??

Jeff's Road Trip

About 3,000 miles, 4 seasons of The Office, and plenty of Mountain Dew! Jeff and Brent made it to Sunnyside, WA in record time. Here are a few pics!

Outside of Kansas City--greasy food, gross bathroom



Denver--close call



The only interesting thing in Kansas...



Sunnyside...the final destination



Little Charlie in Seattle. Jeff's buddy for a few days of home improvement projects!



Surprisingly, Jeff would do the cross-country drive again. I'm not so sure I would join him...even if I did get to hang out with Charlie at the end of it!

Finally!

Jeff is on his way home today! Yeah!

What to Do While Jeff's Away?

So, I've been wondering what to do with myself this week while Jeff is away. I decided two things: (1) catch up on my chick-flicks and (2) paint my kitchen. The last two nights I've watched "No Reservations" and one of my all-time favorites, "Pride & Prejudice." I did cheat a little on Monday night, getting sucked into the Stanley Cup game. Not exactly a chick-flick but, exciting nonetheless (triple over time!). Tonight I'm going to tape and prime my kitchen. It's been a really bright red for the last three years and I decided I'd like to see what it would look like with the same suede paint that we have in the rest of the main room. I think it might make me hate my white cabinets a little less but, we'll see! I think I'll top my evening off by watching another Jane Austen favorite, "Sense & Sensibility."

Jeff rolled into Sunnyside, WA late last night, marking the end of his big road trip. It sounds like it was all pretty enjoyable, except for Kansas, which he said was pretty boring. He's off to visit Kyle, Kim & Charlie for the next few days before he comes home on Tuesday. Less than a week left...I can't wait to have him home!

Home At Last...

I just made it back to Gainesville and I'm so thankful to be home! It's been a long week away and I'm happy to be able to sleep in my bed tonight.

San Fran was fun. Unfortunately, it was Friday before I really got to see the outside of my hotel. I did get my clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl (just as tasty as I remember), did a little shopping and had a great night out with my good friend, Carly, whom I really haven't seen in five years!

Jeff and Brent spent the night in Denver last night and will be pulling into SLC today. They've made unbelievable time (they left Gainesville late Friday afternoon). Jeff is looking forward to spending time with Kyle, Kim & Charlie this week. Still 9 days to go before we get to see each other again...

A final bit of good news...there is another Tobler in the world! Violet Tobler was born early this morning. Violet, Mommy Janet & Daddy Chad are all doing well. I imagine Chad is taking advantage of the hospital cafeteria today. Something I here he's been looking forward to, in addition to having a new baby girl of course. Welcome, Violet! Thank you for giving me hope that Toblers can, in deed, make girls!

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you are all enjoying your three day weekend! Ours have been fun, although we had to say "goodbye" to each other for 2 1/2 weeks on Friday!

I am in Orlando hanging out with my family and having a good time. Greer, my beautiful lil' sister, had a soccer tournament at Disney so we took the opportunity to watch her play and celebrate my mom's birthday. We've had a couple of marathon days packed with fun. We went to Disney Quest one day, have had several great meals, watched a few soccer games, and saw a really good movie, "The Son of Rambow." This film had great reviews at the Sundance film festival and is playing only at a few theaters but, it is definitely worth seeing. I definitely recommend this feel-good movie. Today, Ashley and I are going to do some shopping, which is always fun!

Jeff is at home in Gainesville this weekend and our friends the Copelands of Greenhalghs have been keeping him entertained (thanks, guys!). He is supposed to be studying today but, I have a feeling he could be easily distracted!

I'm off to San Francisco tomorrow for a conference. Jeff is leaving for his big man-road-trip on Friday and he'll be gone for a week and a half or so. I miss him all ready...it's gong to be a long two weeks!

Our five year anniversary is on Friday. I can't hardly believe it's been that long! It's been a wonderful five years and I'm looking forward to celebrating it a little late with Jeff when he gets back!

San Francisco, here I come! Can't wait for the sourdough bread-bowls and clam chowder! Yum!

Scary!

As we were pulling out of our neighborhood this morning, a woman stopped us to let us know the cops had set up a speed trap. We saw a bunch of police cars as we drove out of Haile and thought it was nice of her to let us know. Then I saw this story on the Gainesville Sun website. It wasn't a speed trap at all. Pretty scary! This is the trail we run and the attack occurred about a half-mile from our house. No more running alone...

The Alachua County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man who attacked a woman on a running trail in Haile Plantation at SW 94th Street and SW 46th Boulevard early Wednesday.

The man beat the woman extensively and sexually assaulted her, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Steve Maynard. The incident occurred between about 6:30 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. at the entrance to the Indigo Square subdivision.

The 36-year-old woman had been jogging and was about 40 feet from the back of a house when a man with a gun appeared on the trail, officers reported. He struck the woman at least once in the face with gun, Maynard said. He then hit her repeatedly before tearing her clothes. The man raped the woman.

The woman was badly injured and may have suffered a broken jaw, according to deputies.

Another jogger heard the woman's screams and came to her aid. The witness told investigators she saw a man walking away toward a four-door small sedan. “He nonchalantly drove away as if he wasn't in a hurry,” Maynard said.

Maynard said investigators are hoping that any motorists in the area who may have spotted the man or the car can provide information about the suspect's whereabouts. The suspect was described as a black male with short hair and a medium build who was “very clean cut” and wearing black shorts and a black shirt.

“This guy is extremely dangerous,” Maynard said.

Officers were at the scene of the attack Wednesday morning. A law enforcement helicopter also had been called out to circle the area and look for the suspect's vehicle.

Fun Weekend!

First, we must introduce to you "Big Phil," the newest edition to the Tobler home. We finally bought our be-lated Christmas gift to ourselves on Saturday, a 47" LCD tv. It really is a big TV. I can almost see it without my contacts in!



"Big Phil"



Jeff bonding with "Big Phil"

We were also able to celebrate a few our our friends' graduation from dental school. It was a lovely graduation ceremony and the after-party was fun too. Of course, this means they're all leaving soon too. I had to say goodbye to our best friend, Brent, yesterday which was sad, sad, sad!

I'm busy this week getting ready for my trip to San Francisco next week. I'm presenting at a conference and there is a lot to do to wrap things up. I'm also shooting to finish the draft of my second dissertation paper by Friday, which means I have a couple of long evenings ahead of me.

Jeff's dental school application is almost ready. We're still trying to decide on which schools to apply to. It's kind of crazy picking these places not knowing if you're going to end up living there...would we really want to move to Morgantown, West Virginia??

Have a good week!




Us with Erin, Tanner & Dr. Martin after the dental school graduation



Irene & Jeff at the post-graduation party



How I spend my evenings and Saturdays...fun, fun, fun!



How Jeff spends part of his Saturdays!

Bonjour!

It's time to brush up on my French!! Ashley and I are headed to Paris for a fabulous twin vacation in August! YIPEE!! We haven't set the exact date just yet but, I'm really excited. I'm sure it's going to be one of those experiences that I'll always cherish. Getting lost in Paris with my sister for a week...it's going to be great!



We've had a pretty busy week this week. I'm on the tail-end of a very long, tedious project at work and I'm very thankful that it's almost over. We've also been preparing Jeff's application for dental school...it's that time! We're not planning on moving but, it's kind of crazy to think that we might! (I hit my 10 year mark in Gainesville in August...the trend is against us leaving.)

I started my weekend a little early last night with a fun estrogen fest (girls night). We went to Bento (one of my favorites...try the Miami roll!) and watched 27 dresses. I don't get to watch chick-flicks very often...it was fun! I managed to avoid getting teary-eyed with the happy ending...can't say the same for Rachel though (you're too cute, Rachel!).

This weekend a few of our friends are graduating from dental school. We'll be attending graduation tomorrow and the after-party as well. Saturday we'll be picking up our new TV (if all goes as planned)!

It's going to be a fun weekend! I hope yours is as well!

P.S. On the diet-front...Jeff and I are staying strong. I'm down 2 lbs (which I'm hoping is not an anomaly) and Jeff's slimming down as well. Our competitors, the Copelands, bit the dust. Cassie right out of the gate and Craig earlier this week.