Summer's birthday, blown weed eater, weekend forecast...

Hard to believe that Summer was born 4 years ago.  We had a pretty good day with going to the movies to see Secret Life of Pets 2 then summer wanted cupcakes from the store so we got her that and some new books.

When we bought the house we paid an extra $50 for the mower and weed wacker (eater).  The mower lasted 4 years and this week the weed wacker bit the dust after 4.5 years.  I like those odds!  But my father's day gift was a new weed wacker.  

I love this photo so much.  It wraps up my life right now.  Anything Summer does, Evan is right there to watch.  He is becoming so mobile now and such a fun age.  He also has several teeth coming through so he has been a little opinionated with what he wants to eat.

Nice morning for a run.  I do enjoy the early morning runs before work, but waking up so early is a bit difficult.  Thankfully I have been offsetting the lack of sleep with naps while the kids take naps.

Leave the rain gear at home for one day and grab the sunglasses instead. Clouds have cleared out so we will see plenty of sunshine today with cool morning temps in the lower 50s then warming into the mid 70s. Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and if you need to work in the yard then today will be the best day to tackle that for a while. Clouds start moving back in overnight and temps cool down to the upper 50s.

 Mostly cloudy for Saturday and Sunday with showers and storms returning.  The chance of rain will increase through the day on Saturday, so spotty rain possible early in the day and more rain later, but still scattered.  More on and off showers and storms on Sunday thanks to a stationary front parked over Ohio.  Sunday will be the wettest day for us this weekend with the scattered showers and storms. 

Chance of severe weather is very low Saturday and then the Storm Prediction Center has almost all of Ohio in the Marginal Risk on Sunday for a couple isolated cells to become severe.  By Monday we will still have on and off showers and storms, but the rain starts to shift into Southern Ohio as the stationary front starts to shift south.

For any of my running peeps running the Mohican 100, 50, or marathon distance this weekend... Good Luck!  Might be some isolated and scattered storms especially later on Saturday. Tuesday and Wednesday will have some isolated rain, mainly south, as that stationary front shifts into Kentucky and to our south. A low pressure system swings through the Great Lakes on Thursday with an increased chance of rain.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Saying goodbye to Marcus, running with the kids

We went back to my parents this weekend to say goodbye to Marcus.  He was back home for about 10 days for Clark's wedding and see his friends.  It was a pretty good get-together with good food and good laughs. Back to Hong Kong for him!

Our spring has been FANTASTIC!  It started wet, but the last few weeks have been amazing to be outside and go the park or just enjoy the outdoors.

So that is where I have been a lot with the kids... outside.

Had a little situation Friday night and early Saturday so I was not able to go running with the run club.  Instead I took Summer out and we ran around the neighborhood then I took Evan out and he joined in on the early morning neighborhood watch.  They smashed their cereal while I was pushing them around. 

Yesterday was Summer's fourth birthday.  Hard to fathom that. We had a pretty good day.  I had to work longer than normal, but made it home to go to the movies to see Secret Life of Pets 2 with her preschool friends.  Then we took naps and went out for noodles (her favorite).  She also wanted cupcakes from the store so we picked those up last night. Fun day all around. She also got a new sprinkler for the backyard and some new books.  We read a lot of books at our house.

Grab the shades!  Today we will have plenty of sunshine with mostly clear skies and high temps in the mid 70s. We will stay mostly clear tonight and then more clouds moving in during the day Wednesday with highs in the upper 70s.  A few spotty showers will start moving in Wednesday evening.  More scattered showers and storms on Thursday with highs in the mid-upper 60s. A break from the rain on Friday with partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid 70s.  More scattered rain returning for the weekend.  It is looking like Saturday will start dry then some isolated rain later in the day and then on and off isolated rain during the day on Sunday with highs near or in the lower 80s.  So warmer this weekend with the chance for some hit or miss rain. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Hello from a crazy week and weekend!

We have gotten a LOT of family time lately.  Last weekend was a good weekend for us around the area.  We had a graduation party in Dayton and then we had some good friends visiting for parts of the weekend.

Memorial Day brought warm temps, cool drinks, and good eats.  I went to bed early because I anticipated some storms and possibly needed to go into work early.

My wife woke me up to show me the radar and all the tornado warnings and I was out the door, FAST!  At any given time we had about 4 to 5 tornado warnings with each warning containing rotation. 

We were even able to pick up a couple debris balls on the radar.  You need a long-lived tornado to have the ability to pick up the debris flying through the air.  

Ohio ended up with 21 tornadoes that night, which is more than Ohio normally averages for the entire year.  There was one fatality in Celina where an EF3 picked up a car and tossed it into a home.  This situation could have been much worse due to the overnight storms.  Back to family time...

I have been working with Summer more and more on riding her bike.  She is getting better and better and I am excited for her new freedom and skill.  

This weekend my brother got married, so we all got together for that.  My sister was in the girls room getting ready, but here is a photo of my parents, brothers, and Summer.

Evan was back getting ready with Dawn.

Summer was a FANTASTIC flower girl.

My grandfather made the 5 hour trip and it was great seeing him.  We had such a great time.

Excited for the new couple!

Back to the grind now.  I woke up early to get a 5k in, before work.  I need to get back into the habit of more morning runs.  It gives me more time with the family during the day... to do stuff or nap when the kids nap.

We have some fantastic weather to start the workweek.  Comfortable temps today with plenty of sunshine and low humidity.  Highs in the upper 60s and about ten degrees cooler than normal.  We stay cool and mostly clear tonight with low temps in the lower 50s.  So open up the windows and enjoy the cool weather before you need to kick on the air conditioner later this week.

More sunshine to start Tuesday then more clouds through the afternoon. We have a slight chance to see some isolated rain later in the day with high temps in the mid 70s. Scattered showers and storms looking likely Wednesday with highs in the upper 70s and humidity rising. The newest forecast models are trending toward the rain staying more south on Thursday, so let's drop the chance of rain a little and also increase the temps to a high in the mid 80s. So a 70% chance of rain Wednesday and then a 40% chance of rain Thursday. More isolated and scattered showers and storms Friday and the weekend with highs near 80. Enjoy the sunshine and mild temps while they are here today and tomorrow! Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Enjoying some great spring weather!

The weather has been FANTASTIC lately!  Comfortable temps in between the rain.  I have been spending as much time as possible with the kids outside. We walked to the nearby park and had a blast last week.

Saturday morning I went for a trail run.  It was raining the whole time, but I had a blast.  Running helps clear my mind and trails help me feel peace with the world.  So running trails is so great for me.  Despite me acting like a kid.

Speaking of kids... They are melting my heart more everyday.  We went to the zoo yesterday and Summer finally built up the courage to climb to the second level of the playset! She is not a fan of heights. 

One more cool day before the heat returns. Today we will have partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 60s. There is a slight chance of rain today. A huge area of rain to the west will try sneaking into our dry air. Our dry air will help diminish the showers, but some of the rain may sneak into Ohio, mainly west. Most of the area will likely stay dry today, but not a bad idea to have the rain gear handy and ready to go. Partly cloudy and cool tonight. The winds switch to the south tomorrow and that will push in warmer air for the rest of the workweek. Highs near 80 Wednesday with humidity climbing. Some spotty showers are possible during the first half of the day tomorrow then some scattered showers and storms in the afternoon/evening. It is only a 40% chance of rain tomorrow, so most of the area will stay dry most of the day. Mid 80s and humid on Thursday with more scattered showers and storms possible, mainly during the afternoon and evening. We stay very warm and muggy Friday with a ridge of high pressure that should do a good job from allowing rain to start popping up. I would say a 10% chance of rain would be appropriate for Friday. We become a little more unsettled by Saturday and Sunday with a 40% chance of rain and high temps in the low-mid 80s. More isolated storms possible for Memorial Day with the heat and humidity sticking around. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Great Mother's Day Weekend

Sure, the weather wasn't perfect this weekend, but we made the best of it for Mother's Day.  It was a fun weekend and we did everything that Dawn loves to do.  Including going to the park yesterday in between the rain.

I got in a 4 mile run on Friday and my foot continues to feel better.  Icing after the run really helps do the trick.  I always get annoyed about icing and then forget to ice injuries, but it does make such a difference.  Anyway, that was the longest run in about a month.  I am planning a slow and steady rebuild, but getting back into the running game.  I am also changing up my shoes to allow for more room in the toe-box since that seems to be the trigger point for some of the issues.  Going with New Balance and Altra shoes.  It will be my first time wearing Altras.

Friday was a pretty low key day with naps then dinner and grocery shopping.  Saturday I got the kids up and let Dawn sleep in.  Then we got breakfast and I came back to mow and get the yard cleaned up before more rain Saturday night and Sunday. After naps Saturday we traveled north and met Dawn's family at the Buckeye Express Diner off of I-71.  Great burgers and you get to eat in the train!

Afterward we went outside to play on the huge grassy hills.  Dawn's mom bought some really sweet foam glider planes so we had fun with those and Summer played with bubbles.  We probably looked silly, but we were having a blast before we parted ways and went back to our respective homes.  I got a babysitter and Dawn and I went out Saturday evening.  

Sunday was more sleeping in for Dawn while we made breakfast.  We hung out around the house and then went to a park for sun followed by family nap time then dinner with the family. It was a gray day, but we did manage to squeeze in the park before the rain returned.

More rain today! That rain in Northern Indiana will be sliding into Central Ohio for the day ahead.

So another cloudy, damp, and cool day today with on and off drizzle and light rain showers and highs in the 50s. You will probably want to take a jacket for today and possibly Tuesday. We will slowly warm up this week and we will likely be in the 80s by next weekend. Tuesday morning will have temps in the lower 40s with mostly/partly cloudy skies. The disturbance bringing us our Monday rain will move east, so Eastern Ohio could see some spotty rain on Tuesday and Western Ohio will get into more sun Tuesday with highs in the mid-lower 60s. We will see a weak system Wednesday into Thursday so there is a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 60s Wednesday and then lower 70s on Thursday. Friday will bring a better chance for scattered showers and storms. Our temps will warm into the upper 70s on Friday and then into the lower 80s by next weekend. Higher humidity will also return next weekend. The forecast models are split on rain for next weekend, so let's keep a low chance of rain in the forecast and stay tuned as we fine-tune the weekend details as new data is available. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

My jam-packed weekend with Summer...

Summer and I had a BLAST this weekend!

Dawn went to Cleveland for the weekend for a concert with her high school friends on Saturday then a bridal shower on Sunday.  So I had Summer all to myself while Evan went with Dawn.

Summer and I first ran errands to buy groceries and some other stuff for all the fun we had planned. The grass was wet from the rain earlier on Friday, so we fired up a campfire on the patio and made some s'mores.  Summer preferred to eat the pieces without cooking the marshmallow. 

Then we set up our tents in the living room and camped out inside.

Saturday morning meant more errands like getting flowers and plants for the garden.

We watched some Star Wars while eating lunch, since it was May the 4th, then took naps.  After the naps we went down to Nationwide Arena for the Columbus Blue Jackets watch party.

13,000 people came out to watch the Blue Jackets on the big screen. 

We sat with some current and former coworkers for the game. Summer had a blast, but by the middle of the third period she was getting ready to head out.

We went down to see the cannon and the Blue Jackets scored twice.  Summer did NOT like the loud noises and cannon when we scored.  I knew this so I ducked around the corner when I saw we scored, but she knew where the cannon was so she was nervous.   Time to go home and crash for a few hours. 

Sunday morning we woke up at 6AM because I was the Grand Marshal for the Let Me Run 5k.  Great program for young boys to learn about staying active and using running to cope with growing up and the stresses of life.

Summer loved their "necklaces" so she wanted to try one on for size.  Quick walk to a playground because she was eyeing it the whole race then back home for lots of work. 

We had LOTS of planting to do.  We planted the rest of the garden and about 200 flowers around the house.

Here is how the garden is shaping up this year. I am focusing only on things to make salsa and a couple other things that the family loves like peas, fresh lettuce, and strawberries.

Last year was my first year using landscaping fabric for the peppers and tomatoes.  It worked GREAT to avoid time from pulling weeds.  It gave me more time to spend with the kids.  The grass clippings will help hold down the fabric and lock in soil moisture longer. All that is left to do is get the patio furniture out of the attic and we are 100% ready for the warmer weather ahead!

Have the rain gear handy the next couple of days, but most of us will not need it until Thursday. Today and tomorrow will be warm with temps in the mid 70s with a mix of sun & clouds. There is a slight chance for spotty rain popping up today and tomorrow, but most of Central Ohio will likely stay dry until Thursday. Showers and storms are likely Thursday, especially later into the day and Thursday night as a cold front pushes through the area. Highs in the lower 70s Thursday with rain likely and brisk winds. Some lingering rain early Friday with highs in the upper 60s then clearing skies. We will start the weekend dry and partly cloudy on Saturday, but another low pressure system will pass by to the south (similar to last weekend) and bring more rain for Saturday night into early Sunday. Highs in the upper 60s for the weekend. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael