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Thursday, June 18, 2009, 10:27 P.M.
The BNL Stars Golf Team finished the 2009 season tied for 12th in the State! At Tuesday’s tournament, the boys didn’t play as well as they would’ve liked, but I think 12th in the State is very respectable. They had a great season—one I especially enjoyed since both Sam and Mac were on the team. I finally posted some of the pics taken at this year’s matches and tournaments. There are tons of good pics of Mac and Sam together that are some of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. In other news, the Hawaii trip is rapidly approaching! I don’t know how much I’ll be updating this site during that time. My computer will be with me, but I don’t know what kind of Internet connection will be available, or what kind of time I’ll have to post. I will most likely post to my Facebook page first since that requires no editing. If we’re not friends on Facebook, add me! Kona Marathon = TEN DAYS!


What's Up Picture Brotherly advice
What's Up Picture On the 8th tee

What's Up Picture At the BNL invite

What's Up Picture Read it, roll it, hole it!

What's Up Picture Sand shot

What's Up Picture After Regional

Monday, June 15, 2009, 7:59 A.M.
Things have certainly been exciting around the Cobb house lately. Sam and the Stars golf team won the Regional on Friday, and thus are State Finals bound tomorrow! We are thrilled that Sam is getting to cap his Senior year in such an exciting way. I have plenty of pics to post, but I'm waiting to post all of them at once in a slideshow. I'm hoping to get that done before Ed and I leave for Hawaii on Sunday. I can't believe the Hawaii trip is almost here, and that the Kona Marathon is in just 13 days! Where does the time go? Ed and I have lots of adventures planned for our time on the Big Island. Thank you, Lilly Endowment, for the opportunity! In other news, summer has been lots of fun so far with running, singing, and enjoying time with friends. Mom, Lisa, Deb, and I had a particularly fun luncheon last week at Bedford's Chandler House. Happy Belated 60th Birthday, Mom!

What's Up Picture Chandler House Fun
(Deb was taking the pic.)
What's Up Picture Singing in Corydon
Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 8:44 P.M.
Last Saturday, Ed, Mom, Dad, and I attended a CCFA event called Take Steps. The Take Steps events are 2-mile walks held around the country to raise awareness of Crohn’s and colitis and funds for CCFA. At the Indianapolis walk, I acted as the emcee and was named an “Honored Hero.” Each walk has both an adult and child with Crohn’s or colitis as Honored Heroes. The child was a three-year-old boy with Crohn’s. My family and I enjoyed the festive atmosphere and the beautiful walk through White River State Park. I think Mom had the most fun of all, though. Just check out the slideshow! In golfing news, Sam qualified for the State Am. by shooting 72. He and the BNL Stars Golf Team will be at Shadowood in Seymour for the Regional on Friday. I’m already getting nervous! In running news, I was having a bit of trouble with my right hamstring, but it is much better. I’m enjoying training once again. The Kona Marathon is in only 18 days!

What's Up Picture Exhausted Ed
What's Up Picture Joyful Jo
What's Up Picture Musical Mom
Sunday, June 7, 2009, 10:27 P.M.
I feel like I’ve been neglecting JoKai.net lately. One would think that with it being summer break, I would have more time for posting. I’ve been busy, but I’ve also been taking time to do things like read books and enjoy the sunshine. I spent some time today posting some slideshows to share. First, check out Sam’s Graduation slideshow. His Aunt Stephenie took some amazing photos of his big night. Next, I created a slideshow of my most recent Indians Anthem. I was scheduled to sing twice last week, but only sang once due to a rained-out game. Finally, I posted pics from my awesome 30th Birthday party. Ed planned the entire evening. Forever Gold played, many friends were there, and we ate CAKE! In the midst of all this, I’m still training, singing, and watching the boys golf. Sam and the Stars are headed to the Regional on Friday, and hopefully to State next week. I’ll post pics of their season after its over. Yay, Summer!


What's Up Picture The Valedictorian Graduate
What's Up Picture Scary-eyed singing




What's Up Picture With Rowdie

What's Up Picture Jo & Sammy

What's Up Picture 30th Birthday cake

What's Up Picture Riding home in the rain

Sunday, May 31, 2009, 8:13 A.M.
Life has been busy lately! Graduations, golf, and marathon training have kept us crazy... I mean busy. However, I wanted to make sure I made an update today, the last day of my twenties. Mom and I are going to an Indians game today, where I'll be singing the Anthem. Then Steve and Selma are having a dinner party to celebrate my 30th. Soon, I'll post graduation and golf pics!

What's Up Picture Jo going crazy
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 9:14 P.M.
Sam is graduating tomorrow. I can't stop hugging him. We are all so proud of his accomplishments! This week, he learned that he won the Indiana Golf Foundation Scholarship. What an honor! We had a great time at Sam's graduation open house on Sunday. It was nice to see friends and family coming to wish Sam well. Sam's grandma made him the most beautiful quilt using some of his T-shirts and transfers of photos, newspaper articles, and awards. It's such a great way of telling the story of Sam. Click on the pic to the right to see the entire quilt. Ed made a 45-minute slideshow of pics of Sam from birth to present. I, of course, cried when I saw it. The last photo in the slideshow is of Sam and Mac hugging. I couldn't help crying when I saw it, even though I knew they had just been pummeling each other in the pic taken immediately before that one. Ha! In other news, marathon training is going well! Running several new courses is keeping the training interesting. One day, Ed drove me to Mitchell, and I ran home. That was fun!

What's Up Picture Sam with his quilt
What's Up Picture Sammy & Mackey
What's Up Picture I ♥ Marathon Training!

Saturday, May 16, 2009, 11:38 P.M.
I haven't posted on this site in more than a week. May has been a very busy month, full of golfing, teaching, running, and singing. I have some fun pictures to share from the BMS 5K that took place last Friday. BMS 5K Day is always one of the most amazing days of the year. I can't describe how cool it is to see nearly 700 students, faculty, and staff running and walking through Bedford. Everywhere I ran, I saw smiles and encouragement. I finished in 27:48, obliterating my goal of finishing in under 30:00, and I felt great the entire time. (Since I've been strictly working on distance training for the marathon, no speed training, I didn't know how a 5K would go.) More importantly, the best part was seeing how much fun the kids had, how proud they were of themselves, and how encouraging they were to each other. Kids were high-fiving as they passed each other on the course. I took some cool-down laps with some of the students, and it made me proud to hear them cheer for the students who were finishing. I wish I could post all the pics of the students; but I don't have permission, so it wouldn't be appropriate. In other news, tomorrow is Sam's graduation open house. I can't believe he's graduating on Friday. He'll be giving the valedictorian speech. We're so proud of him!

What's Up Picture Students' runnin' legs
What's Up Picture Jo on Mile 1
What's Up Picture Cool-down lap
What's Up Picture Jo & Ed
Thursday, May 7, 2009, 11:07 P.M.
Happy Odd Day, 05-07-09! The brightroom pictures from the Mini are available! I downloaded mine and added them to the slideshow on my running site. They make good mementos of the race, even though I'm doing cheesy things in most of them. Ha! I recovered well from the Mini. The soreness has left my muscles, and I've only lost one toenail. Normally, the Mini is my big event for the year; but this year, I have the Kona Marathon to think about. Therefore, the training continues! In other news, tomorrow, Ed is joining the BMS eighth graders on their class trip, and I have the day off for a gig in Kentucky! Only 12 days of school to go!

What's Up Picture Two-thumbs up at Mile 8
What's Up Picture Crossing the bricks

Sunday, May 3, 2009, 9:01 P.M.
The weekend was one of the best I've had in months! After a great gig in Nashville on Friday night, I ran my favorite race, the 500 Festival Mini Marathon. My plan was to run 10 min. / walk 2 min. over and over, and I stuck to that plan. The first six miles were awesome. I was high-fiving spectators and cheering. There was a hot air balloon race running concurrently with the Mini, so it was cool to watch the balloons, as well. Mile Markers 6-8 are on the Indianapolis Speedway, and that's always a difficult spot for me. The track is quiet (no fans allowed), hotter than the street, banked, and seemingly unending. Two cool things did happen on the track though: I ran into a friend, and I saw Al Unser, Jr., and blew him a kiss! When I exited the track and hit the 10 mile marker a little later, things started to get tough for me. I took a double walk (4 min.) before Mile 12 in order to finish strong; and that I did, in 2:15:39. The odd thing is that in 2007, when I ran the entire race without walk breaks, I finished in 2:18:22. It looks like walk breaks are the key for me! I recovered within two or three minutes, and I had no harmful pain. My muscles were just long-run sore from working hard to get a PR. Many of my Let's Go training friends had PRs as well, and my sister-in-law Stephenie ran her first Mini in 2:23. It was an awesome race! Check out the pictures I posted at Gotta Run.... I'll post more pictures there when the brightroom pictures are online. Oh, and let's not forget tomorrow: May the Fourth be with you!

What's Up Picture Fun with Jean Ann
What's Up Picture See you in 13.1 miles!
What's Up Picture Finishing in 2:15:39
What's Up Picture A hug from "coach"
Friday, May 1, 2009, 10:01 A.M.
Happy May Day! I have an exciting weekend planned to kick-off May. Tonight, I have a gig at the Little Nashville Opry, then tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year: Mini Marathon Saturday! Last night, my family and I attended the Let's Go Pasta Party, where I received my Mini bib. I'm #1329 in Corral G. Running this year's Mini is such a blessing since I was unable to do so last year because my leg was broken. Just check out last year's picture of me with my bib (that I gave away), and you'll see the difference in my emotions. I have not been training with my usual fervor in order to make sure I stay healthy for the Kona Marathon. Therefore, my goal is just to have a lot of fun tomorrow. I'd like to finish in under 2:30, or even under my previous best of 2:18:22, but I won't risk injury to get a time. In other news, I had a ball at the Ross Country Jamboree last Saturday! Kim and I even got our picture on a motorcycle. She called us, "Teachers Gone Wild!" Ha!

What's Up Picture Bib euphoria
What's Up Picture Jo & Kim rockin' out
What's Up Picture "Teachers Gone Wild"
Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 7:56 P.M.
I have finally made a video of all the little clips I shot at C4C! I'm calling it Croonin' for Crohn's — Backstage Pass. It's mostly silliness, but you should definitely check it out to see the awesome bands that played the show. In other news, we've been flamingoed! I'm told the correct term is "flocked," but I like flamingoed better. It's part of a Fire Department fundraiser. We're debating who to have flocked in return! In other news, here are two links to share. First, check out my column that appeared in the paper a few weeks ago. Also, take a look at my new favorite math site: Conceptis Puzzles! These will bring lots of summer fun!

What's Up Picture C4C — Backstage Pass
What's Up Picture Flamingoed
Friday, April 24, 2009, 7:47 P.M.
Croonin' for Crohn's was AWESOME! We ended up raising over $3,500 for CCFA. We had such a great mix of music this year—rock, country, oldies, gospel, etc.! Ed and I were particularly excited about performing with Sam and Mac, and with our out-of-town musician friends. Check out the article that was in the Times-Mail on Monday to read more about the show. Also, check out the sildeshows of C4C pics to share the fun. I took some videos, too, but haven't edited them yet. I'll get that done sometime this... month? We'll see! Between singing, the half marathon, the marathon, golf, and school, things are pretty busy!


What's Up Picture BMS marquee

What's Up Picture The Cobb Squad + Lisa

What's Up Picture Craig, Mike, & Gordon

What's Up Picture The Cobbs backstage

What's Up Picture Jo & Lisa

What's Up Picture Ed & Jo after the show

Saturday, April 18, 2009, 9:45 A.M.
Tonight is THE night! Croonin' for Crohn's is in only 10¼ hours! Most of the hard work is over, and now it's time to have some FUN! I am especially excited about the song "Be OK" that I'm doing with Ed, Sam, and Mac. We're calling ourselves "The Cobb Squad." Lisa (an honorary Cobb), is going to join us. As is tradition, I started Croonin' for Crohn's Day with a long run. I began my 8-mile run in the dark, watched the sunrise, and finished in the light. Now I'm ready for a great show! In other news, Mac rode in the BNL Bike Rally yesterday. Before school, he and hundreds of the high school students rode their bikes from the old Wal-Mart parking lot to BNL to raise money for Glory Days. It was a chilly but sunny morning for their ride. It was nice to hear the students wave and call out to Ed and me as they rode by us.

What's Up Picture BNL Bike Rally
What's Up Picture Mac in the Bike Rally

Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 8:46 P.M.
On a run tonight, I took note of all the signs of Spring: there were colorful tulips, green grass, and flowering trees. When I finished my run, I went back outside to take a picture of a particularly beautiful bush (right). Click the thumbnail to see a better version. I wish I could capture the heavenly smell with my camera as well! By the way, that bush is the one I photographed during the winter storm; it was the one hosting the squirrel. In other news, Croonin' for Crohn's is in three days! We've been rehearsing, advertising, promoting, etc. Things are coming together well, and we can't wait for the show! Please come!

What's Up Picture Spring scene
What's Up Picture Lisa & Jo "rehearsing"

Sunday, April 12, 2009, 5:35 P.M.
Happy Easter! This is my last gig-less weekend until Ed and I leave for Hawaii in June. Therefore, my plan this weekend was to have no plan! I wanted to "chillax," as my students say. We've had wonderful weather for sunning, golf, and running. Don't forget to attend C4C next weekend!

What's Up Picture Sam at a match
Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 7:10 A.M.
Happy 18th Birthday, Sammy! Here are four sites for you to enjoy. First, check out Half Moon Limestone, a new JoKai CobbWebs site. Next, Mom sent me a fun site where you can make spring flowers. Finally, two articles appeared in the Times-Mail regarding C4C. Check them out here and here.

What's Up Picture Half Moon Limestone
Sunday, April 5, 2009, 3:58 P.M.
At the beginning of yesterday's 15K, I was not nervous. That is unusual for me, because I'm usually apprehensive before a race, either about a time goal I've set or the sheer distance ahead of me. However, without any goal other than finishing and having fun, I found myself totally without fear or apprehension. My plan was to run when I felt like it, and walk when I felt like it. When the race began, I purposely ran slower than that with which I felt comfortable. I didn't want to hurt my hip right at the beginning. I kept up that pace for half the race, pleased that my hip wasn't giving me any trouble at all. However, I started feeling a little "catch" in my knee that was uncomfortable. That development prompted the beginning of the walk breaks. At Mile Marker 6, it was starting to feel like I was harming my knee by continuing. With 3.3 miles to go, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to finish the race, but not at the expense of harming my knee and being unable to be in my best condition for the Kona Marathon. I didn't know what to do—stop, walk, wait, what? At that exact moment, I looked up, and I saw a church marquee that said, "GOD ANSWERS KNEE-MAIL." Wow. In that moment, I said aloud, "God, give me a plan." I immediately felt like I was OK to walk/run to the finish. I took several walk breaks, but I finished in 1:38:29, only 10 minutes slower than my fastest 15K time. This race gave me the assurance I needed to complete my upcoming big races—the Mini and the Kona Marathon!

What's Up Picture Ed & Jo before the 15K
What's Up Picture Sign that saved the race
What's Up Picture Jo finishing the 15K
What's Up Picture Dad & Jo cooling-down
Saturday, March 28, 2009, 12:17 P.M.
We've had a restful and adventurous Spring Break. On Monday, Mac led the way to Stack Rock, a Lawrence County site of interest. Stack Rock is just what is says it is: a stack of rocks. Actually, the rocks are large limestone slabs stacked about 40 feet high. The rocks are covered in graffiti, which gives them a neat, artistic feel deep in the woods. Mac and I climbed to the top. We've been told that we look like we are carrying one of the rocks in the pic to the right; but we were actually holding onto it for stability! Even the hike to and from Stack Rock was cool. I liked the rugged railroad tracks we followed. I hope everyone had as nice a vacation as we did! I get to finish Spring Break with a gig at the Ross Country Jamboree tonight. In web site news, I archived the Winter 2009 What's Up posts, and there is a link to them at the bottom of this page.


What's Up Picture Jo & Mac on Stack Rock
What's Up Picture Jo jumping for joy
Saturday, March 21, 2009, 12:36 P.M.
Happy second day of Spring, and happy 3-21! To help entertain you until the weather is warmer, check out some of these fun sites Dad sent to me, all added to the Fun Stuff page. Make a flash face, design a kaleidoscope, learn about numbers, or create a custom sign! My encouraging sign is to the left. Only 99 days until the Kona Marathon!

What's Up Picture Encouraging road sign
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