Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hey Dad~

I know the custom is for the birthday honoree to receive gifts on his/her special day.  But you know me pretty well, and sometimes I don't always follow custom.  So, as you tick off another birthday, I want to thank *you* for some incredible gifts you've given me over the years.

Sure, there were...
 - the times you, Eric and I had our friendly claybird shooting competitions in the State Game Lands.

 - the baseball gloves and bats (and sticking with me and my 0.119 batting average in Little League), and countless trips to soccer, band and track practices and games/meets.
 - the various family get-togethers where you kid around with Chloe (I love that.)
 - the little moments, like 1) the "thrill ride" we took in your (I believe old Red F-150) pickup down that hill North of Claussville on Route 100, to see if we could hit 100 mph before turning onto Lyons Valley Road, and 2) not being upset with me when you took me deer hunting and I (repeatedly) fell asleep in the sun, leaning up against trees.  (You had your giggles one time when you found me this way and took my rifle.)
 - the many family summer vacations.
The list of tangible things and memories could go on and on.


But, as I look back on things, I think these are the two greatest gifts you've given me.
1)  The example, and importance of, being oneself.  What I mean is, you are you no matter where you are, or who is around you.  And I really admire that, and have tried to live that way and set that example for Chloe as well. 
2)  Unconditional support.  Sure, we had our wobbles here and there (remember AFROTC?) but by and large, and through my many moves and events, you stuck with and by me.  And never stopped being my Dad.

So, from a very appreciative and loving son, Thank you, and Happy Birthday!

The Birthday Boy

Another Season Kicks Off

... then wait 15 minutes

A headline in the local paper today...

Boulder weather: Sunny, warm today; freezing rain, snow possible Wednesday

Crazy weather here... highs in the mid- to upper-60s today and plenty of sun; tomorrow the high isn't expect to get out of the 30s and some wintry precipitation is expected.

A Telluride Weekend

With it being both (close to) Peg's birthday and a 4-day weekend for Chloe, we loaded up the car and traveled to the southwest part of the State, a part we've always wanted to check out since we moved out here as we had heard the San Juan Mountains were absolutely spectacular, and the skiing could be pretty good, too.  A trip to this part of the State is no small undertaking... we luckily had great driving conditions, and it still took us over 7 hours of moving time to get there.  We knew within moments of arriving, though, that those 7 hours in a car seat were well worth it (and he hadn't even put on our skis yet.)

I could sit here and give you a detailed day-by-day recap, but each day was pretty much the same:  wake up, eat breakfast, take the funicular down to the slopes, ski until the lifts close, grab a drink and/or bite to eat, head back to the condo and its hot tub, then either eat dinner in or go out.  Sure, there are subtle differences on some days, but that was basically the (glorious) routine.  We had 2 perfect days of skiing weather-wise on Saturday and Monday (with the latter being a blue bird day), whereas the weather on Sunday was cold and windy -- highs in the low 20s and 25+ mph winds.  The warming huts were very popular that day, and the gloves stayed on a lot that day, too, so few pictures were taken.

We didn't stay in the town of Telluride itself, rather, in the nearby Mountain Village (the newer part of the ski area) with it's often-times huge single family homes, and larger hotels and condo complexes.  The two areas, though, are connected by a free, public gondola system that allowed us to get into town in about 20 minutes time without having to get in our car or worry about parking.

And last, but not least, HAPPY 29TH PEGGY!

Here's a slideshow of pictures from the weekend.

Here's another cool picture I found while writing this post and researching some of the details of the town, mountain, etc.  It annotates the visible peaks and their elevations.  (Click on the image to enlarge/magnify it.)  It was taken near the same spot where Chloe and I had our picture taken atop Chair 14.

Going GaGa

It took several weeks for me to get around to this one, but here's a video clip of Chloe's recent performance at her school's talent show.

What Did I Get Myself Into?

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I just registered for a Tough Mudder event here in Colorado in June.  Basically it's a 10-ish mile run through the woods that requires navigating several obstacles, designed by British Special Forces.  The proceeds from the event benefits the Wounded Warriors Project, a nonprofit that provides programs and services to injured service members.

If you would like to donate, click on the picture below... thanks!

Girl. Friend.

And Valentine.

The Face Looks Familiar...

I recently received an email from a nonprofit that we help out on occasion.  It's the one where Chloe and I get our hair cut short (Chloe) or shaved off completely (me) to raise funds for families in medical crises.  In this email was a promotional flier for this year's event, and one of the photos caught my eye...

Unfortunately, it looks like Chloe and I won't be participating in this years event.  But if you're still interested in making a donation, follow this link.

31" + 48 hours = Smiles

Skiing at the local mountain today and there is gobs of snow... and many happy skiers (Peggy included)

9 Years Already?

 

This little gem entered our world and changed our lives 9 years ago today.

Here she is fully enjoying cake at her first birthday party.