My wife likes corn on the cob.

Well, let me start off by saying that we are absolutely thrilled about our future son. He has been keeping his mama happy by kicking her in the stomach consistently throughout the day.

Last weekend was incredible. I was already riding a high from seeing our little guy move around during the ultrasound. On Friday, I went to Mt. Hood Meadows with Mike and had the best powder-skiing experience of my life. On Saturday, Eric and I went on a really not funless hike in the snow (see Eric's blog for a great trip report). On Sunday morning, Trent and I ran from church to Sherwood under a brilliant blue sky. On Sunday afternoon, Trent, Mike, and I went golfing in Wilsonville. And on Sunday evening, I rested.

I love Oregon!

Ok, so you might remember from a post last year that I have a little bit of Hollywood experience (see blog entry on 10/6/05). I'd like to put this experience to use and offer a location suggestion to the producers of Rocky VI.

Astoria, Oregon

It's got everything you need to make the perfect movie backdrop, from a quaint underappreciated downtown area to a dock along the river that is a resting place for incredibly loud sea lions. Can't you see them cheering (barking) for Rocky Balboa as he runs along the river during a montage scene? If you think about it, the sound of a barking sea lion is very similar to Rocky yelling "Adrian!" in the earlier Rocky movies.

I decided to go to a slightly different part of town this morning on my jog and I had a close encounter with these sea lions. They're considerably larger than I remembered from the zoo. I stopped at the edge of the dock (about 10 feet away from the nearest sea lion) to watch them bark at me and apparently they were a little spooked by my presence, so they slowly (and quite comically) tried to reverse direction and make their way to the water. I shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Well, that's probably the most interesting thing that is going to happen to me today" and then I continued on my run.

Uh oh. I just remembered that Astoria has already served as the backdrop for a movie. Goonies. Man, now there's a funny movie. Scrap the Rocky VI idea.

Here is a picture of the new kid on the block and my lovely wife...

It's been an eventful week! Sarah Thompson gave birth to a healthy baby boy!

Here is Ethan David Thompson...



Here are Ethan's proud parents...



We're all having fun getting to know the little (big) guy...



...Carson included...



In other news, Mike and I went on an impromptu trip to Pacific City yesterday evening...

I'm looking forward to some delicious chocolate fonduezzle this evening!

So lately you might have noticed that a certain group of sporting events are getting a fair amount of television air-time. Some refer to said events as the "Winter Olympics."

I was jogging yesterday and I was trying to think of the greatest athlete of all time. I came to the following conclusion...

The greatest athlete of all time is my dog, Maddie. Seriously. She can play in the snow, play with Jaci (Stephanie's little sister), run 4 miles with me, and still be ready for more. It simply defies logic. I'm considering allowing her to run with my number in the Newport Marathon. She would dominate the field. I would be waiting for her at the finish line with a treat.

I need to get this off my chest...

If you want to see the most depressing movie ever made, you should rent "Angela's Ashes." Seriously, it was so sad it wasn't even fun to make fun of the sadness I was feeling while watching it.

I'm slipping into depression simply writing a blog about this sad sad sad movie.

Stay away from the movie. It will make you feel bad about life.

I do appreciate all of the recent precipitation we've had in Oregon, mostly because it has brought a ton of snow to the mountains. I've had an amazing time skiing this winter.

However, I can't even begin to express to you how grateful I am for the recent sunshine. I'm a totally different person when the sun is out. I hold the elevator door open for latecomers, I hug complete strangers, and I even smile a couple of times a day.

I LOVE THE SUN!!!

When Stephanie and I lived in West Seattle, we would have a date night every Tuesday at Tully's Coffee by Thriftway (at the intersection of California Street and Fauntleroy). Last night, we decided it was time to bring back the tradition (at a local coffee shop). We drove through Old Town, which is in the middle of a massive road construction project, only to find that there wasn't a single locally-owned coffee shop open during the evening. We then drove to the strip mall by Shari's, but of course the little coffee shop there was also closed. We eventually decided that we would head across Highway 99 to the Starbucks by Safeway. The coffee was tasty and the conversation was stimulating, but the surroundings were certainly lacking. I hope that once the construction project is finished in Old Town we'll be able to frequent one of the locally-owned coffee shops that have considerably more personality than the common strip-mall Starbucks.

I find myself in the proverbial rut. But what a beautiful rut it is.

This weekend will be my 5th trip to the mountain in a row! I'm going skiing with Mike on Friday (free lift ticket at SkiBowl if you bring 4 cans of food), followed by camping somewhere around the mountain on Friday night, and then climbing the Palmer Glacier on Saturday with a ski return to the lodge.

Last weekend was incredible. Eric and I attempted to build an igloo, but after realizing the ceiling would be about 12 feet high by the time we were finished, we decided to sleep in the pre-existing 3-sided wood shelter instead. The air temperature got pretty chilly at night, but we both stayed warm with our nice assortment of gear & apparel. Just because these short trips don't require the extensive planning that they used to, it doesn't make them any less memorable.

Hi everybody!

This weekend (on a trip with Eric) will make 4 weekends in a row that I've gone to Mt. Hood to play in the snow. Life doesn't get much better than that.

Here are some pictures from when my Grandma Marr & parents came to visit for Thanksgiving and also some pictures from our White River sledding trip with Jen & Trent Thompkins...

My Grandma...


Maddie loved Grandma and Grandma loved Maddie...


Steph & Jen hiking to the sled hill...


Apparently I'm afraid of the snow...


Jen & Trent...


Introducing the Calvin Klein winter collection...


Jen & Steph...


Good times with friends...

There are certain times when I wish we didn't have a dog. And then there are other times when I couldn't imagine life without Maddie.

On Sunday morning, I had every intention of going to church with Stephanie. But as I was laying in bed waiting for the shower, Maddie jumped up and started to get her snuggle on with me. I looked out the window and saw that the sky was perfectly blue, so I decided that Maddie and I would play hooky. I gathered up my new cross-country ski equipment and we were soon heading down the road to Mt. Hood.

It was an absolutely perfect day. There was plenty of snow, it was incredibly warm, my new gear worked great and Maddie had the time of her life.

By the time we made it back to the car, there were tons of people at the Sno-Park. Maddie said hello to all of the little kids with their sleds and as they were petting her, you could almost see them asking their parents with their eyes, "Can I get one?" Maddie spread her love around to everybody nearby (she's not picky) and soon we were loaded up and heading home.

Not 30 seconds after I started driving, I looked in the rearview mirror to see Maddie's head drop to the floor. She slept without stirring until we got home.

Read the previous post before looking at this one.


Jim with Paul Revere in the courtyard of the Old North Church.


Alex (Stephanie's cousin) at Sturbridge Village.


Stephanie, Alex, Delissa, & Samantha at Sturbridge Village.


Jim and Samantha share a moment.


Yes, that is John Ashcroft in the background.

Hello. Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Stephanie and I had a great time on our trip to New England. Below is a picture essay of our adventures (more to follow in second post)...

And for those who might be interested, we can further discuss (in person) my insights gained regarding self-realization in the formative years of childhood, or what makes a memory a good memory.



Where my house previously stood.


Stephanie enjoying the view of Bar Harbor, Maine.


Boats in Bar Harbor.


Stephanie excited about finding Portland Head Lighthouse.


Stephanie climbing a rock.


Stephanie on guard duty.


Samantha (Stephanie's cousin).

Do you ever have those days that are so full of good times that you almost can't believe it? Our weekend was like that. Totally crammed with fun. Here are a few pictures...

Stephanie loves her some elephant ears...



Stephanie loves her some candy apples...



One of my all-time favorite Steph pictures...



Mike and Becky looking for the perfect pumpkin...



Mt. Hood from a hillside near Forest Road 48...

It's official!

I'm a CPA! Washington State License #25327.

The saga that started six years ago is finally complete. Based on my rough calculation, I've spent approximately $387,000 on exam fees, review courses, and study guides.

Please don't ask me for tax advice. If you talk to my wife, she will attest (how's that for a CPA word?) to the fact that I nearly have a brain hernia when I prepare our own tax return. And that is with the help of software.

Let's keep my lack of tax knowledge between us. Anyone who sees my fancy CPA license on the wall won't know any better.

Oh sweet! Beans!

I believe I will call this summer the "Season of Completed Endeavors." On my run last night, I was thinking about all of the fun trips I've taken and all of the long-overdue home improvements that are nearly complete. And to top it off, I finally completed the Ethics Exam and the only thing stopping me from becoming a CPA is the paperwork being lost in the mail.

Ever since I lived in Seattle and saw a picture of the Three Fingers Lookout in a book at Barnes & Noble I was anxious to go there. And this summer I did.

Ever since Eric and I did a loop hike in the Wallowas, I wanted to go back and spend more time relaxing at Moccasin Lake and peak Eagle Cap. And this summer I did.

Ever since I heard Eric and Mike tell their stories about climbing Middle Sister, I wanted to see the view from the top. And this summer I did.

Ever since I looked out my back window and saw nothing but ugly brown barkdust, I wanted to get a sod lawn installed. And this summer I did.

Ever since I realized that I could push over our fence with my pinky finger, I wanted to get the fence replaced. And this summer I did.

Ever since I sat in a large building in the Oregon State Fairgrounds for my first CPA exam (in 1999), I wanted to pass the test and become a CPA. And this summer I did.

I can't say that I ever had a desire to become a runner, but because this is the summer that all things come to completion, I did that, too.

And it looks like it will continue for the rest of the year. Stephanie and I have always talked about going to the Northeast and we're finally taking the trip in November.

I am satisfied. I haven't experienced that feeling very often in my life.

And it must be time for me to set some new goals...

Steph and I took a long weekend and went to visit my parents in Lynden, WA. We had a great time and our itinerary went something like this...Wake up, eat, talk, eat, talk, walk, eat, play cards, talk, go to bed, repeat. Could a weekend get any better than that?

My mom grew up on a dairy farm in Lynden and my parents live in a beautiful house on the border of town. This is the view out their back window...



I've been lucky enough to see a lot of beautiful places in my life and you can't beat Lynden on a clear day. There is something idyllic about the red barns against the green pastures with the rugged mountains in the background. The view is even beautiful enough to make you forget about the ever-present sweet smell of cow manure in the air.

My mom is a great cook and we took full advantage of her kitchen skills during our short visit...



She also serenaded us on their new baby grand piano...



My dad keeps himself busy with his wood-working hobby. He's added a number of pieces of furniture to the house and they are all good-looking and functional...


All pictures taken by JEM.