Paul's second attempt at a blog post

The first attempt is out in the cloud somewhere, which is frustrating because I love to talk but hate to write. That being said, I hope this makes it to your blog. I don't know that I'm lysdexic, but interesting things happen when I type.

Mary and I have been more or less happily married for over twenty years. We managed to raise children without resorting to shock collars, duct tape, or threats of homicide, and we are reasonably satisfied with the results. They are all grown and gone, and are getting on in world. They have a useful purpose; they give Mary something to worry about. I expect that to continue for a long time.

As for my background, I'm a prime example of what happens when you don't know where you're going, and just start taking roads to see where they might take you. Jay likes to say that I have a degree; I just got my diploma from the school of hard knocks. I have more skills than Carter has little liver pills. I spent nine years in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, served as a medic with the Marines, trained as a diver, Became a Special Operations Technician, and a Marine Mammal Technician. I've worked as a logger, a sawmill operator, an oilfield roustabout, a pumper, and a water and wastewater treatment plant operator, to list a few. I have a head stuffed full to overflowing with useless but interesting trivia. I read constantly, anything and everything.

Mary is more modest about her accomplishments, preferring to hide her light under that bushel somewhere. I'll list some of the ones I consider stellar; she can discount them all later. She's an excellent mother, a great cook, and best of all, she can put up with me. Mary has been a high school math teacher (a damn good one), a loan officer, a realtor, and currently, a corporate controller. She's also worked as a Forest Service firefighter, run a marathon (with a bad hip), and several 30K runs (the most recent with her new artificial hip). Mary talked me into running another 30K with her, thus proving once again that I'm a slow learner with a poor memory. She is coming off of surgery for a torn rotator cuff, and was just pronounced as fit to return to her more strenuous activities like Yoga and Pilates. We'll hold off on the mud and jello wrestling until later. Mary also eats Lutefisk and professes to like it.

Jay and I have known each other for almost thirty years. We met on a volleyball court in Glendive, Montana, and have been sharing adventures and projects ever since. Mary and I are looking forward to meeting everyone, and to our first cruise. I don't count the two days I spent on an LST with the Marines in the Molokai Channel (memorable, but not to be repeated).

For the scorekeepers out there, I'm sixty. I'll let Mary divulge her age at the time and place of her choosing.

I had to laugh, Jim, when I saw the photo of you on your recumbent; I have a TerraTrike myself. Mary doesn't say it, but I think she finds it somewhat embarrassing to be seen with an adult on a tricycle.

I'm sure I've left out most of what people really want to know about us; I'll invent the rest of it later.