Warning...it's a two-post day, so keep scrolling for more blog excitement.

First of all (well, actually, secondly if you're talking chronological order), Trent and I went to Hoodoo on Saturday for a great day of fun in the snow.

Here's a vid of Trent showing how to get it done on a snowboard...

Here's a vid of me on skis. Woot!

I'd say roughly 25% of these tracks were courtesy of Trent and me.

Last weekend, we went to visit my parents in Lynden.

Henry wanted to show Grandma his piano skills.



Saturday gave us perfect weather, so we went to the local park.
Lynden knows how to build a park.

Maybe you already know this about me.

I have a guilty pleasure.

Jack in the Box tacos.

2 for $1.

Delicious.

Yesterday was a great day on the mountain!

Here is a clip of Mike & Eric going huge...

And Sam splitting the uprights...

And here's a picture of me...

This morning, Mike and I participated in the 2008 Shamrock Run (8k) in downtown Portland...

This afternoon we had family fun time at Shute Park. Henry loves him some slides!

Yippee! It's Ethan's 2nd Birthday Party!



Presents always put a smile on my face.

Hey candles. Your time on earth is coming to a close.

Every birthday boy needs a birthday hat!

Today I hung out with the Bunch family in Northwest Portland.

Jack didn't get a cupcake, but he seemed to enjoy his formula...

The sun was nice enough to come out for a few minutes...

And I just wanted to post this picture of Henry because it makes me smile!

Last night, Henry & I went with Jack & Mike to Cannon Beach...

Henry loved this little white "kitty"...

Henry made his decision on what to eat at Mo's...

Jack loves him some Pacific Ocean sunsets...

Good times!

Happy Valentine's Day to my lovely wife...

Henry says, "I love you, Mom!"

Hello there. No pictures or videos this time. Instead, I've got some knowledge to share with you.

CoinStar is not a scam!

For many years, I assumed that CoinStar charged you for counting up your loose change and converting it to real money. This is not (always) the case! You can choose to receive a gift certificate from a list of retailers and you get back $1 for $1. No "counting" or "processing" fee! We selected a gift certificate to Amazon.com. Other options were Eddie Bauer, Borders, Cabela's, Hollywood Video, Disney Store, and some others I can't think of right now.

If you want to exchange your change for cash, CoinStar does charge you for the service.

I have a feeling I learned about this from someone else's blog, so if I did, then thank you! And I didn't mean to plagiarize.

Playing blocks with Grandpa. Hysterical!

Trent and I took the boys for some fun in the snow today. Sledding was a big hit...

In a fit of nostalgia, I once again read through all of my previous blog postings. I realized that many of my postings were absolutely pointless. So, in the interest of returning to my blogging roots, I present you with...

An Ode to the Guy in Starbucks with a Bluetooth Earpiece and Velcro Shoes

You are more important than most.
Why else would you need
The time-saving double whammy of
Hands-free cellphone and
No shoelaces?

That is all.

Here is a selection of some photos we took over the Thanksgiving weekend at Cannon Beach.

The seasons are changing.

One of my traditions (that's not really the right word, but whatever) is to put a shovel, tire chains, and ice scraper into the car once the weather turns cold. That way I'm prepared to head to the mountain on a minute's notice. This is a useful ability when you have a friend like Mike Bunch, who more than once has called me in the afternoon and said, "Hey, what are you doing tonight?" and about two hours later we are skiing at SkiBowl.

That's all for now.

I noticed that my blog header says something about pictures and I've been really bad about posting anything visual lately. I'll try to do better on that end. Keep visiting.

Wow. This is pretty cool...

Have you checked out the "Street View" option on Google Maps? Portland is now available, along with a small sliver of Hillsboro.

Enjoy!

Henry helped Stephanie and I with some yard work yesterday evening. My golf clubs were sitting in the driveway (I was going to be moving them into the house) and I decided to take a few practice swings in the front yard. Henry watched me take one swing and started busting up laughing. Not the hee hee kind of laugh which is his specialty, but the kind that comes from the gut. Swing after swing, he couldn't help himself. Mom and I were caught up in the moment and started laughing right along with him.

Two questions...Is my golf swing that funny-looking? and What is it about watching someone else laughing that makes you want to laugh?

We'll try to reenact the moment and capture some video. Stay tuned...

Last night the family went to the North Park blocks in downtown Portland to watch the Twilight Criterium.

Holy cow, pro bicyclists ride a whole lot faster than I do.

Henry and Ducky encouraged the racers with their cowbell.

Henry expresses the "Agony of Defeat."

We witnessed a crash take place right in front of us. The sound of metal on metal, with a guy rolling around on the ground covering his head was not pretty. Somehow, the rider was okay, and after a couple of minutes he was back in the mix (although a lap behind everyone else).

Time spent together with the family on a warm summer evening is what life is all about.

meme

There will be no rules posted here, nor will I "tag" anyone, but here are a few random facts about me.

(Jen, you do realize that the group has collectively lost about 3 hours of quality campfire talk time with all of this blog disclosure. :-| )

1. I love looking at maps.
2. My left leg is longer and stronger than my right leg.
3. I cannot stand the sound of a butter knife coming into contact with a plate while cutting up food.
4. I listened to techno/rave (almost exclusively) during two years of high school.
5. I once caught a salmon with my bare hands.
6. I went to second grade in a town named "Niceville."
7. My former favorite food (as memorialized in my 8th grade yearbook) was Fried Rice.
8. I know how to fold a piece of paper into the shape of an airplane, tear off the wings to make a rocket, and unfold it to make a cross.

How many of you can say, "I nearly caused the death of an elderly woman on Sunday morning."?

I'm hoping it's a short list...

So, I nearly caused the death of an elderly woman on Sunday morning. I was riding my bike along the Banks-Vernonia multi-use trail when I encountered a couple of horseback riders that were just about to embark on their journey. Apparently, one of the horses (her name, I would later learn, was Misty), was not familiar with bicycles. When the horse saw me it totally freaked out, bucking bronco style. The nice old lady on the horse was caught off guard and got tossed just before the horse made it to the paved portion of the path. I stopped riding and stood there in stunned silence. The woman on the ground slowly rolled over and lifted herself to a seated position. The only thing I could think to say was, "I am SO sorry." And so that's what I said. About thirty times over.

Meanwhile, the other horseback rider dismounted and started chasing Misty down the path. Once Misty was under control, the woman who was tossed got to her feet and appeared to be okay, although she was pretty shaken up. I was pretty sure she was okay, because when I asked if she was okay, she said yes.

She walked over to Misty to whisper calming words in her ear. I just stood there like an idiot. The lady asked me if she could bring Misty over to introduce her to the bike. I agreed, although I am basically terrified of horses. Misty and I stood at a comfortable distance from each other for a couple of minutes as I sized her up (I'm thinking, I can take her in a fight) and she sized me up (she's thinking, with one kick I can end him). She slowly made her way over to me and sniffed my bike handle. Apparently, I hadn't said a single word out loud after the horse had approached me. The woman asked me if I could talk to the horse so that she knew I was a human. I was a little embarrassed, because I'm sure it was completely obvious that I was scared like a little school girl. (Okay, maybe that's not the best comparison, because little school girls love horses.) I asked her what the horse's name was...Misty...and then said "Hi Misty. It's okay, girl. That's a good girl." From that point on, Misty and I were the best of friends.

The women decided that it was probably a bad day for a horseback ride and I told them they were probably right, because there were tons of other bicyclists out riding that morning.

As I rode off, the other woman (not the one who was tossed) said, "Thanks, Hon."

I said, "My pleasure."