More than halfway....

Through my first season as asst. coach of Winslow Cross Country--the finest team in the school. I love coaching XC and the kids are first rate....and so are the parents. I think this is the only sport I would coach...I particularly love the one on one you can have with the kids as you coach them. Lots of people wonder what a cross country coach DOES (hey...go for a run.......umm....great job.....but try to go farther next time....or something....). Actually, we do a lot. First of all, I run with the kids EACH and every day. THis has greatly improved my own personal running times and the shape I am in. We bust our butts each afternoon from 230 to 4 or later. Monday is always our long day. Tuesday is hills. Wednesday is mile or half mile repeats. Thursday is an easy day. Fridays are meets. We have some great runners, athletes, and all around people on the team. If you are on FB, check out and become a fan of Winslow Cross Country. If you want. This Saturday is the annual FESTIVAL OF CHAMPIONS in Belfast. This is a HUGGGGEEEE meet; teams come up from RI, MA, and NH....they come down from Canada! There will be--by my estimation--close to 800 runners from about 70 different schools. A crazy day for sure. After that we begin the regional races....KVACs (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships) and then the state meet. The courses are awesome--through the woods, mud, and swamps....up steep hills.....through quiet forests. Chris (my co coach) and I run the course with the kids wherever we are, as we sprint to different checkpoints in order to get the kids' "splits" (how fast they run each mile of the 3.1 mile course.....

And now the kids....

Getting interested in stairs.....

Still only those two little bottom teeth....WHEN will she get more?????
ALWAYS so happy (and drooling)
Loves playing with the Thomas Train table in the playroom....here she is wondering to herself if she can eat this crane....
Amanda took this one. I asked her: WHat. The heck. Was our son doing when you took this??? She cannot remember. I think this would be a great caption contest.....
We're addicted. But we got a great deal....at B&F Vegetables the other day I asked if he had any utility tomatoes, as the season is winding down. he gave us a DEAL--a bushel (what you see here) for 15 bucks. That is half off! Viva la cyanning....

The Canning Season

This has been the summer (and early fall) of the book in the Goldsmith household. A reading renaissance, even. If you were to come to our house--which no one ever does--you would see, on our coffee table, a stack two feed high of "in rotation" books of Callum and Maira. We keep them there since we usually read on the couch. Our living room is TRULY a living room....we play in there, we watch shows, we color, we read books. Callum ultimate favorite book(s) right now are Arthur stories...each week we go to the library to select a new one. He has almost read them all.

We have been so into our reading that we have even downgraded our Netflix subscription....we used to get three at a time (like Tim in college) but now we only get one--and even that ONE we never seem to watch (Inspector Linley has been on our coffee table for over a month)

I'd love to set up a GOOD READS account on line--my friend Brad told me about this (he has one) as a place to post QUICK reviews of books and keep track of what you have read. Maybe Brad can inspire me to actually start this.....

I have read so many books over the summer, but the one that stands out (not only for this summer, but also for my LIFE) is Polly Horvath's THE CANNING SEASON. Rarely does a book affect me this much. And the mystery of the effect it has on me is that I DONT KNOW why it affects me so much; it is one of those books that, although I finished it two months ago, I still think about as I fall asleep at night...or while I am on a long run....or while I read my current book and lament over the fact that it just ain't as good as THE CANNING SEASON. This is what great books do, right? They confuse us and baffle us and lead us on and intrigue us--like a shifty crush (male or female) and cause us to constantly reexamine what it is we love about the anyway (?) No? You should read it. It isnt that long. And it takes place in Maine. The story involves a girl named Ratchet whose mom is a an awful human being (or is she?) Ratchet is sent to live with her nearly one hundred year old GREAT aunts in the remote Maine woods/coast. I dont know if it is comedy, but it is sure funny. Little adventures ensue. The most amazing thing for me is that, after over two hundred pages (and the final page of the book) you know abso. lutely. NOTHING about the main character Ratchet. Yet you know everything. It is weird. It is an unusual book for sure--the premise of a young, quiet girl going to live with old, stuck-in-their-ways opinionated old spinsters. Lynne and I read it at the same time, and talked BRIEFLY about it....but I need to do more with this book. Our good friend Muriel read it, and I look forward to talking to her. It is a book I need to talk about. You should read it. It won the National Book Award, even.

Currently, I am reading (40 pages from done) THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown. Awesome story (kind of). You could tell he just wanted to end this and didnt know how. Kind of. I dont know

Summer of the book.

just maira

The other day I left for school and kissed Maira goodbye. When I came home, I wondered where someone took the little girl I left that morning--she looked COMPLETELY different...in the span of like ten hours! She has the most wonderfully fat neck on earth, and she laughs whenever I kiss it. It is so fat and sweaty that it naturally collects soft shards of black lint--this is at the same time gross and cute. She loves her dada, but she seems to love Lupine even more...she says kitty whenever Lupine comes onto the scene. When Amanda raises her arms above her head, Maira will sometimes mimic what Amanda is doing. And, also just recently occurring, is the fact that Maira is starting to get pissed when people take her away from things she wants to be near OR take things away from her. She will stare at you and scream. This is not the mellow, laid back Callum-as-a-baby model we are used to....haha

With Emma at the pub at Sebasco. This place is in the Guinness Book of World Records for "World's most expensive children's menu." Callum got chicken fingers that I think were nine bucks or something. Fantastic fries though. Surprisingly, Giay has not been there....

With George's step sister Lydia, who came up for the wedding. Lydia had (obviously) met George and Lynne before....but she had never met the rest of the family. I think she had a fantastic time. Lydia and George just recently became "re-connected" after MANY years of...well....not being connected....
Still waiting for George to give us the 1500 photos he took at the wedding....but here is one of Maira in her cute dress. I still havent seen what I even looked like that day. Usually sunny. What?
With Emma again....
And this is special, because this is Maira's FIRST ever New England Patriots game....so, naturally, mommy put her in her Packer's shirt (my second favorite team, as many know) since she does not have her own Pats shirt yet....notice I am sporting my vintage John Hannah game shirt.....

More pictures (taken by George)

right after the wedding, we had a family portrait taken......Callum and I had already changed and had two beers by then....haha
looking out fearlessly toward the horizon (actually, we were watching Kelsey march down the aisle). Callum remarked to Aunt Kelsey later: "when I saw you I thought you were a princess"

Proceeding down the aisle with parents Sue and Geoff.....(notice Aunt June in the background keeping watch over a sleeping, stroller laden Maira!)

Looking beautiful as always!

We were so proud of our little boy Callum for being SO AWESOME during the whole wedding! He walked his MeeMee down the aisle....and he stood up in front with the wedding part during the whole service. What a big boy!

The wedding of Jon and Kelsey Willard

Before anyone complains about how they werent in any pictures...or there arent enough of the kids....blah blah blah....consider two things: One, Amanda is going to post ALL of these on stalkbook. And, two, Amanda and I were very very busy on the day of the wedding; not only were we IN the wedding party, but also we had two very tired, very out-of-their- element kids. There isnt even a picture of Amanda or I (nevermind one TOGETHER) in this whole mix. A busy busy day. For now, here are some pics...and I will narrate more later. Mkay?

The rehearsal dinner on Friday night at the Kennebec Cafe in downtown Bath. A really beautiful place. I had the honor of toasting Jon and Kelsey that evening at the dinner.....

Jon and I sharing a beverage......
At the wedding reception: Steve, Michelle, and Emma, who is suddenly ALL grown up. Now she cheers instead of quoting high school crapsical. She LOVED Maira. And Maira loved her.....
These two guys were buddies all weekend. It was very cute to watch. Second cousins Brandon and Callum. Brandon is Keith and Donna's boy. He is two months older than Callum...but like four times bigger...haha. All weekend these two shared toys and played and hung out and enjoyed one of the four iPads that Aunt June brought along....
Look for George to post or send some pics of Callum, me, and Amanda in our FORMAL attire. But Callum was a VERY handsome boy. A true lady killer. All the Bates alum were all over him....
Callum and mommy dancing to "Party Rock Anthem." Youtube the song. Cute. Also, notice one of the several pretty views from the great room....
Right in back of our table was this view of (I think) Casco Bay. Sebasco Bay resort was east (I think) of Bath...by the town of Phippsburg. In Northern Massachusetts (inside joke).

Early Autumn visits....

The first thing that "visited" Callum and Maira came in the mail, in the form of a fall gift box from Nannie--there was a "ghoul bus" t shirt for CS, a Halloween outfit for MairaBeth, some window clingy stickers, and some wooden bats complete with glitter pens and crayons in order to decorate. Callum wasted NO time getting right over to his seat and beginning the process of decorating the bats for the season ahead; he hadn't even checked the rest of the contents of the box! (blow up the pic for a better view!)

Our second visit last week came from Timmy the Greek and his lovely Eleni--can you believe Amanda and Eleni had never MET before this past weekend?? A wonderful, spontaneous visit...thanks so much for coming up!!! The got to Maine last Friday afternoon....they came to my Cross Country meet at Waterville....they came back to the house and we enjoyed some ice beers while we put the kids to bed....and then, in true Central Maine fashion, we got takeout from Asian Cafe!

On Saturday morning, Callum and Maira got right to work with Eleni, playing "Thomas's Birthday Surprise," this game that the Fitzpatrick's got him for his birthday earlier in June....

While I snapped this picture, Tim was out with Star, their dog, showing her the 'finer points' of our town (they hit the trail across the street....had a conversation with 'Mr Marcoux'....hiked a bit through the woods....saw some scurrying beaver....and Star swam in a stream or a pond or something....)
Amanda and Eleni just really hit it off. Excellent stuff. Eleni is a terrific person.
Maira really loved her too, offering a rare smile......
We went over to the Apple Farm in Fairfield later that morning (after introducing Eleni to HILLMAN'S BAKERY, of course!). At the farm, Callum and I walked Star in the orchard and Tim, Eleni, Amanda, and Maira stocked up on Macs. Amanda and I bought twenty more pounds of tomatoes, which have now all been canned. And, finally, after visiting with MISTER Z (a five year old horse) we took a delightful horse pulled wagon ride through the orchard and land surrounding the park. The same folks do SLEIGH RIDES in the winter....can't wait!

The THIRD and final visit this early fall came in the way of the CLINTON FAIR--our ULTIMATE favorite fair in Maine. Small. Simple. Rural. Shady. Perfect. Callum broke new ground and, for the first time, went on some rides (okay....ONE ride....) He rode his blue motorcycle!! He went on this ride two times in a row!!!
You can kind of tell how much he is beaming from ear to ear....I assure you he LOVED it!
One of the nicest weekends I had in a long time!

Wind and claws

So I can't believe I forgot to post pictures of Hurricane Irene!!! Here ya go:
That's all. The Goldsmiths didnt "sensationalize" the storm like a lot of other people did....in fact, until it got bad and we lost power, we were having a blast playing outside--Callum really enjoyed the wind. In fact, we wrote a song about running in a hurricane. Wannahearithereitgoes!!

We did lose power, but not to the severity that my sister and buddy Jay lost it. Kris, Anthony, and Jackson were without power for a week!! And Jay was nearly that long. That stinks. All in all we escaped relatively unscathed....just a few bushes blown over (I still need to fix them, actually!)

The canning continues! We are having a blast!! At the Apple Farm in Fairfield, we bought a "flat" of tomatoes for canning--14 pounds of them, for .60 per pound. What a deal. In fact, this past weekend we were there again, and we bought another twenty pounds for the same price. I love canning because a) it is good quality time Amanda and I can spend together listening to reggae or WERU b) we are able to eat fresh Maine produce all through the winter c) there is this 'primal' need to store things up for the winter (like firewood) d) we can give stuff to friends and family e) it ensures the founding fathers are getting their money's worth....
On Labor day (last week) I went over to stack some of BaBa's firewood--he has been having a rough time with her nerves, back, etc. So we made an afternoon out of it and he treated everyone to lobster! We usually do this once a summer with him. As usual, Callum had a blast running around, barefoot, going in the woods and gardens. Maira, too, was loving crawling around in the grass wicked fast!!
Callum was introduced to lobster by his Poppy, when we went out to Fresh Catch a couple of months ago. Callum has always been a fan of lobsters (alive ones in the tank at Hannaford that are his friends!). But we NEVER thought he would be interested in even watching OTHER people eat them....never mind eating them HIMSELF!! Lobsters are that rare food that you eat RIGHT out of the body itself, ya know? But he LOVES them. With Poppy, he ate practically two whole claws and some tail....this past summer, at Thurston's lobster pound, he ate a lobster....and, at BaBa's last week...well....see for yourself.....

Lots to write about in future posts: Cross Country, Tim and Eleni visit, more canning, etc etc.....

Maira tells it like it is....

We NEED to publish more of Maira's milestones. Poor 'second' child! Ha Ha. Maira is awesome. Such a happy, content, pleasant baby. She will go to anyone. She seems to fear nothing. She only cries at night because she is a NIGHTMARE of a sleeper. But that will pass. She is even content when Callum steals all her toys and yells at her to leave him alone. Good kid. She is very engaging in a conversation....she could trade 'na na nas' with you back and forth all day!

You comin'?

This has been my mantra over the last year or so, since I got SERIOUS about my health, fitness, and weight. I haven't really written a lot about my success with my weightloss, but I have decided to now. Because, for the first time since before I got cancer, I am below 200 pounds (194 to be exact...) My top weight, according to the doctor, peaked about the time little Callum was born--274 pounds. Disgusting.

How did I do it? The right way. The only way. Three simple things: Healthy choices, low sugar consumption, and PORTION CONTROL. I used to eat WAYYY too much. I still do love to eat though. And, when I treat myself to Chinese food, even now, all bets are off--I enjoy. But my eating has changed completely. I dont even say I am on a "diet," because I really am not. I have changed my whole lifestyle. The second thing I did was up the exercise--and, with the weight loss, one hand washes the other, so to speak; whereas before I would be totally wasted by running three miles, once I started getting lighter, I could run farther, burn more calories, etc etc I am the strongest I have ever been. I run, bicycle, do yoga, and lots of body weight exercises (combined with a 50 pound sandbag I bought at Agway...and some 15 pound dumbbells). Whenever I would get tired or unmotivated or aggravated, I would ask myself: "are you comin?" Was I going to let my mind and my heart and my soul keep up with my physical self? Was I going to rise to the challenge?

This was a picture Amanda took of me last week on the summit of Pleasant Pond Mtn.

This is me in June of 2008. What the hell was I thinking?
When I look at old pictures, I guess I failed to realize how heavy I really was......


In the film "Shawshank Redemption," 'Red,' the character played by Morgan Freeman, says of his life imprisonment sentence: "Get busy living or get busy dyin'....."

Life is going to move no matter what. Are you comin'?