I am officially registered for the Eugene Marathon on May 4th, 2008…well at least the half marathon. I started reading a marathon training book today too, as I mentally prepare for the weeks of training ahead. So it’s official now! 128 days to go…

So I am back in Eugene after a brief trip home to Beaverton with the family. The trip was short, but it was great to spend time with my family. Christmas Eve was spent finishing wrapping my presents, and a nice homemade dinner. Of course, this was not a ‘typical’ meal, as my dad is an amazing chef. We had petit fillet migon with lobster tail and steamed asparagus with a shrimp, prawn and crab cocktail to precede the meal. Needless to say, I don’t cook like this at home, so it was a treat. After we stuffed ourselves, we headed to midnight mass as a family…that was actually at 10:00pm as the priests have a hard time staying up late in their old age. I am not a church going person, but sometimes family obligations are more important.

Christmas morning, I was woken up by my singing sister who chastised me for sleeping too long…it was 8:40am. We headed down stairs and opened our stockings, paused to make breakfast with my grandma and aunt, then started our Christmas presents. As we were sitting down to start opening, we had the best Christmas present ever…snow on Christmas.! Nothing could be better than that surprise! We leisurely continued to open presents and enjoyed spending time together. After my traditional Christmas day nap, we had a nice Christmas dinner, then watched Shrek the Third as a family.

It was a short trip, but it was good to spend time with my family. I don’t get a chance to make it up to see my parents that much, and my sister is quite busy at UO, so it was nice to spend some good family time.

Now, I am back in Eugene and am doing a lot of nothing…which I am really enjoying! I have a few days to relax before I head back up to another family gathering of 20+ people. Nothing like family during the holidays!

So every year, my oh-so creative sister likes to write her own Christmas cards. In the past, she has written poems, limericks, haikus, traditional rhymed verse and now she wrote acrostics. Wikipedia defines an acrostic as “a poem or other writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message. A form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aide memory retrieval.”

Here are the acrostics she wrote one for my mother, my father and I.

My Mom:
Many a dog
Enjoys a treat now and then
Grumbly Bubs, however, enjoys L. acidoohilus
And L. bulgaricus. Big words result in sticky
Nose.

Merry Smarchits!
Arranging letters makes for a
Very creative holiday tradition–BUT
Ever notice the
Snail at the pretzel stand?

My Dad:
Disappointment ensues
After a major your daughter does choose.
Versatile business degree? Pfft! What
In the world do you do with Romance Languages?
Duh! Write romance novels.

Airline dysfunction and
Lag des jets
Are not remedied with
Nuts and hot towelettes.

Mine:
Every good boy deserves
Restraint-trained teachers.
In every disciplinary wedgie lies a
Nurturing sentiment.

Marathon, ho!
After the ancient Battle of Marathon,
Runner Pheidippides would never have
Expected goddess Nike’s name
Embossed on leather sandals everywhere.

Next year, I am putting my sister’s creativity on my Christmas list!

While it is easy to get wrapped up in the materialistic side of Christmas, it is important to think of all the people in our lives who have been there for us. I want to thank all my family and friends for all their love and support. You are all in my thoughts and I am so thankful to have you in my life! I would name all of you individually, but if you are reading this blog, then you are an important person in my life. So here’s to you! Cheers!

Today was the last day of school before winter break. I am looking forward to a relaxing two weeks full of friends, family and laziness. I have worked really hard over the past month and I deserve a break. So here’s to a good two week vacation!

So this past week has ‘gone to the dogs’. Last week, Ginger became quite sick with intestinal problems…I will spare you details. Although let’s just say I am asking for a carpet cleaner for Christmas! I ended up taking her to the vet last week, after some scary symptoms and my emotional break down of if Ginger was going to make it through this. Now I’m scared to have children one day, as I can’t imagine what I will be like when my future kids get sick. Luckily, it was nothing that medicine could not fix. After receiving the bill, I realized that I just spent more on her vet bill, than I did to buy her in the first place. Oh the things we do for our pets! And the strange thing is, I just joking around last week with Micah and Rachel and their vet bills this month. Karma’s a bitch!

Now that Ginger is back to tipping over garbage cans and jumping up on furniture, she has two other dogs to play with…well more like run away from. Currently, Harrison and Mia, Heidi’s dog and her friend’s dog are living with us. So between 3 dogs, Heidi and I, our house is pretty active. With two active Boxers, Ginger mainly swings wide circles around them and just keeps to her self. She is not too social, but she is quick to steal one of their bones when they are not looking. She’s my little stinker!

So it has been a tradition in my family that we write a holiday letter in our Christmas cards. My newly 19 year old sister has taken over the reins of this letter. My sister is an excellent writer and I thought I would share her letter. However, she did not check with me on the accuracy of my paragraph…but I think I will forgive her. Enjoy!

Season’s greetings to all! Since Mom bestowed the title of holiday newsletter scribe to the youngest Muessle daughter last year, I hope I have lived up to everyone’s expectations of an informative summary of family endeavors during 2007. Let’s have a look, shall we?

Between treks to Eugene for his Duck football fix and FLIR business trips, Dave cherished whatever glimpses of domestic life he could catch this year. Any way you calculate it, I’d bet an ample bag of peanuts that Dad spent more time this year sitting in airplanes and airports than he spent in conferences with his Swedish, French, Bostonian and Californian colleagues. Somehow, though, he summoned enough gall to plan (in his ever-so-meticulous fashion) a month-long summer trip for his family to Italy and Spain, plus one night in Belgium. Fate repaid his fortitude with an overnight stay on the Dulles Airport carpet due to an emergency flight change, but once in Rome, Dave led us in a historical and cultural marathon. A viticultural marathon ensued in the Tuscan wine country.

After the departure of her last daughter from home, Megan has coped with empty nest syndrome by means of her two other babies—scrapbooking and Darwin, the bat-eared sausage of a Corgi. The absence of the latter stringing along at her side across Europe was likely more traumatizing than the departure of her last daughter, but Megan nevertheless enjoyed the sights and sounds of Europe, especially those in Spain. However, she should reconsider returning to España if she does not want aforementioned daughter stringing along. Photos from the trip, numbering over a thousand, now sit neatly arranged in albums—one would expect nothing less from a member of the Life’s a Scrapbook© staff in Sherwood, rumored to be the preferred scrapbook store of the rich and famous (or so Mom’s posse of “scrapping ladies” reports).

Erin has a new home of her own in Eugene, close enough to work to avoid a long commute, and far enough from the university to discourage her sister from pillaging her refrigerator for “real” food. After a long day of corralling—I mean teaching—her nine “behaviorally-challenged” students (her “dream job,” let me remind you), Erin releases her pent-up aggression by kickboxing and playing defense on a recreational soccer team called the Raging Llamas. She has even committed to running a half marathon next May. “A half marathon—that’s thirteen miles, right?” I inquired. “THIRTEEN POINT ONE!” She snapped. Oh yes, she’s committed. Nevertheless, heckling shall be encouraged should she balk.

Judging from the nostalgic stories and descriptions I hear of Eugene from University of Oregon alumni from the 1960s, I suspect I am accurate in reporting that absolutely nothing has changed. I suspect this because when an out-of-stater says on a chilly evening, “Look! A barefoot hippie on a scooter!” nobody turns to look. While my affinity for tofu and fair trade products has steadily grown, my intended major remains the same: Romance languages, plus a minor in art. The summer trip to Europe was an incomparable opportunity to explore both subjects firsthand, often to an overwhelming degree (hence, “cultural marathon”). The Musei Vaticani, Uffizi, Alhambra, and Alcázar had me gazing in aesthetic wonder—not to mention a particular breakfast waiter at our hotel in Venice, a rival to Michelangelo’s David himself.
I begin Intensive Italian 104 in January.

May the season bless you and your loved ones with joy and serenity to last the whole year and always!

I have a new love in my life…kick boxing. Since moving into my new place, I joined Gold’s Gym and have started a regular workout routine. I like to go to classes because people tell me what to do and I do it. Lately, I have been attending every kick boxing class I can and I love it more and more each time I go. I find it is a healthy way to wind down after a busy day and a safe way to get my aggression and stress out. Between the punches, kicks and grunts, I work myself into a good sweat, and give myself a good work out. I come back from kick boxing feeling strong, confident, and ready to take on the world.

Oh, kick boxing…how I love thee!

So I have decided to set a new goal in my life. I have hesitated posting this, because if I say I am going to do it, then I have to follow through. So here it goes…I am planning to run a half marathon at the Eugene Marathon. 13.1 miles is my new goal!

I have never been a runner, but lately, I have gotten back into running (most likely thanks to Heidi). I have never dreamed of running a marathon, but I am up for the challenge of a half marathon. Heidi and Susan are going to run the half marathon too…maybe we can convince a few others to join us. With two great friends wanting to run with me, I have a great support system with me to help me succeed.

To be honest, I am nervous about running 13 miles; wondering if my ankles will hold up, if my body can handle the training and if soccer injuries will get in my way. But regardless, this is something that is challenging, and I need a new challenge in my life.

So let the running begin…