it's been so long since i've actually written anything substantial here. i've been finding myself hungering for deeper thoughts than pictures of our house and details of our lives. the blog phenomenon continues to leave me in a bit of conflict - i know that our families like to hear the details, and it makes it easier to keep in touch on a regular basis. but i also started blogging originally to provide discipline for writing. so. i guess i have little choice but to keep trying to strike a balance. ;-) daniel and i finished a 5K today - the jingle bell run. it isn't nearly as impressive as it sounds - we walked most of the way and finished in 48 minutes. but we did have a chance to brainstorm ways to improve our health and general fitness, which we've pretty much been neglecting for months. so, we are officially attempting to cut most refined sugar out of our diet, and are beginning what i will call "the great pack your own lunch experiment." as for our mental health, we're also putting into motion the "we will only watch non-fiction and foreign films dvd's for the next month and see how many more brain cells we can kick into action," experiment, right after we finish watching the movies we got from the library yesterday. one of those is the original "alfie" with michael caine. i highly recommend it, but be forewarned that it will most likely leave you analyzing the impact of ultimate selfishness on one and everyone in one's world... in the name of stepping out of selfishness, let me introduce you to write for rights, amnesty international's annual letter writing marathon. it takes place next week, so please take a few minutes to at least educate yourself on what's happening around the world right now, and just maybe take a few minutes more to send an appeal. well, it's time to shower and then take off for advent with our lovely columbus family. happy sunday!