And Then There Were Four (plus our cat)

On June 11, 2010 at 2:59am, we welcomed Mikayla Ann Johnston into our wonderful family. She came out weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces and with a full head of dark hair and big blue eyes. Once again, Doctor Kamali and the entire staff at Sharp Chula Vista were incredible! Tracy was incredibly strong, almost making delivery look easy. In addition, Gabriel did a great job of keeping Grandpa Gary occupied while we were at the hospital.

Now almost two months later, I look back and think about all that we have done and how our lives have changed. We waited as long as we could (2 weeks) before taking Mikayla down to Bahia Asuncion. She was immediately welcomed by the community and we felt very comfortable getting used to our bigger family. Parenting two children within two years of each other is not twice the challenge....it's more like five times the challenge. So we took advantage of our vacation to practice and learn from our mistakes before returning to our busy lives back in San Diego.

We had a wonderful vacation. One of the biggest highlights of the trip was the purchase of a pillow-top bed for our room. It is so comfortable! We also started planning for the addition of a garage, a side wall to block the wind, and a new septic tank. This included getting quotes from our friend and builder Roberto, purchasing rocks for foundation, and walking the property many times envisioning what the future might look like. In doing so, we were also able to take in how the casita is developing, the plants are maturing, and how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful place for family fun and adventure.

Also high on the list from vacation were the nightly happy hours we had with our friends. Most nights, our neighbors Miguel and Angela would stop by. We would spend a few hours talking about life both north and south of the border, family, school, and some politics. We have really grown to admire and cherish our neighbors. We were also blessed with a visit from our friends Jack and Harriett who were headed down to their place in Elias Calles. Next summer, we plan to visit with them at their beautiful place.

Since returning to San Diego, I was hired on full time to teach Algebra and Math 8 (pre-Algebra) at Eastlake Middle School, one of the top schools in Sweetwater School District. It is a year round school and I started back on July 17th. I must say, I count my blessings each day to be at such an incredible school. So far, the year is unfolding better than planned and I love my job. Besides working with such a talented staff and group of students, some of my favorite trails in San Diego are a few blocks away allowing me easy access.

I am looking forward to another busy year of racing and adventure. I tend to focus the majority of my races around the winter and spring months. This year is no different. Originally, I had planned on running The Lost Boys 50 mile race in October but instead I am going to captain an aid station in the middle of the Anza Borrego desert. With a new job and bigger family, I do not want to over-commit just yet. Instead, I am going to focus on building up my strength and base running a number of 50k distance races, riding my bike more often, and continue my physical therapy for an old shoulder injury. Next spring, I plan on a return to Healdsburg and the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile race. I have toyed with the thought of doing a 100 mile race as well but nothing definite is in the plans.

Tracy is going to return to work after we return from a two week trip to Baja in October. Her return to work is going to up the ante for all of us but I know we'll adjust accordingly. In the meantime, I will continue to count my blessings, cherish the love and laughter we share, and continue living life as an adventure.

Until the next adventure....