To start, what an absolute whirlwind of a couple of months (and especially the last couple of weeks). Life is being life, more-so recently than ever. To get through the worst news first -- We have had a huge family loss with the passing of our sister from Italy, who left us completely devastated and confused. Agnese was a beautiful soul and we will miss her tremendously. There are really no words to express our feelings of loss. But I can say for all of us who knew her, I am tremendously grateful for getting the chance to meet her and have her as part of our family.  

At the complete opposite end of the happiness spectrum, Ellie and I are ecstatic to announce that we have a beautiful new niece in Boston, who is doing well. She did arrive a little earlier than expected, but we figure it is because she didn't want to miss out on the NFL draft and see the Sabres get the number one draft pick. We are so excited to head to Boston soon to meet her!

And finally, I am now thirty fricken years old. I'm not sure why this is bothering me as much as it actually is, because really it makes no difference. But the idea that I am now in the 30-35 year old bracket is horrible. Ellie and my family threw a crazy weekend, full of beer-pedal-tours, taco lineups, escape rooms, and a whole lot of fun. Thank you all for making the weekend awesome, and thank you to Mike who although wasn't able to make the trip was there in spirit.

On a more blog-related-topic, I am ratcheting up my training for a sprint-triathlon in July. After a couple of years since my last triathlon, it was time to come back to the sport. I was able to con my friend Mike (pictured at right) to sign up for the MiniMussel in Seneca Lake. We've been hitting the pool quite a lot getting our sea legs ready, and now that the weather is finally changing, Ellie and I hit our first outdoor run in what has seemed like months. Although we didn't feel particularly good about it, we were able to hit a 5k without walking, so I feel good about that. Much work to be done though, and I plan on getting back to regular posts to chronicle this training cycle. On tomorrow's docket I will either run or swim, depending on the weather.