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Abbie and Jack's Field Days

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my kids' field days. For those who aren't familiar with field days, it's basically a sports day for elementary schools. The best part of this year's field days was seeing my kids have so much fun with their classmates. Of course, it didn't hurt that their teachers were also smitten with the thought of the school year coming to a close.

I took a few pictures and shot a bunch of video to remember how much fun they had. I know most readers won't enjoy these as much as I do, but I always like posting fond memories on this blog. Below are a couple videos I compiled and enhanced with appropriate music.

I especially like Jack's friend's dance moves at the end of the video below.

If you have trouble viewing either video here, check them out on my YouTube channel.

Thanks to Seattle for a Great Weekend

One of the things I like the most about my current gig is I get to travel to Seattle every-so-often. I've had a fondness for the Pacific Northwest since I went to high school in Salem, Oregon. That fondness has grown over the years from many visits to family, friends and conferences in the area. A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Seattle once again. While I've been there a few times with colleagues this year, it's been 6 months since I hung out in Washington with my sister.

This trip was mostly work, flying in Wednesday and leaving on Sunday. The work week was very enjoyable: sunny skies everyday, nice running routes and we accomplished our goal. Friday afternoon, we finished a bit early and I enjoyed a scenic Friday Afternoon Office at Edgewater Hotel while waiting for my sister, Kalin, and her wife, Mya.

Spending the weekend with Kalin and Mya was a blast. They have good friends that live in Ballard (North/Hipster Seattle). They were out of town, so we got to enjoy free, hip accommodations for the weekend. On Saturday, we took a long stroll down to the Mariners game at Safeco Field. A relaxing afternoon of baseball ensued, as well as a very fun evening in downtown Ballard. As evidenced by the pictures in this post, many smiles happened as we reminisced, caught up and had fun like good friends do.

I left Seattle on Sunday with the feeling that it's quickly becoming one of my favorite cities. That feeling was likely nurtured by the combination of great weather, an accomplished mission and hanging out with my super-fun family. Regardless, thanks to Seattle and "the girls" for a great weekend!

For more pictures from this weekend, see Seattle 2010 on Flickr.

Celebrating My Mom's Retirement

A couple of weeks ago, after attending Abbie's Talent Show, the kids and I packed up and headed to Oregon for a weekend. This weekend marked a special weekend for my parents. When we arrived, my Mom had a week left of work before she retired from the Bureau of Land Management. You might've read about my Mom in the past. And you might know that my Dad retired last year.

My Mom has always enjoyed her career and I like to think I get a lot of enthusiasm for my own career from her. She taught me to love what you do for a living. When we lived at The Cabin, she had the drive and ambition to go back to school to get her degree in Forestry. Upon graduation, she got a job with the BLM and we moved to Oregon. My parents have lived there since 1990.

The weekend we spent in Oregon was somewhat magical. My parent's house sold in March after being on the market for only two weeks. They had a week left before they packed up and moved back to The Cabin. This meant the outside was pristine (because they fixed it up for the new buyers) and the inside was mostly packed. It was a sunny 3 days that weekend (which is rare in Oregon) and we had a blast at the Oregon Garden Brewfest, enjoyed a sunny BBQ with old friends and shared many memories derived from their 20 years in Oregon.

It was a somewhat bittersweet experience, meeting with all their friends and talking about their move to Montana. Many expressed sadness that they were leaving, but that didn't stop my parents from grinning ear-to-ear. You could see the excitement of moving back home sparkle in their eyes.

They have a huge challenge ahead of them and it seems they couldn't be happier. They'll be working on The New Cabin many long days and expect it to take a year or two.

I think my Mom said it best in an email she sent my sister and I a few days ago:

It's 9:30 and we are at Quinn's Hot Springs. Your father is snoring, he didn't last long when his head hit the pillow. We got here about 3, had a glass of wine and then soaked in the pools for an hour. Had a good dinner (I had buffalo short ribs -- mmm delicious) . They have a network, so I'm using my ipod for email.

I was crying when I drove across the state line because it felt so good to be home!

We are having a very nice drive home!! We love you!!!

Congratulations on Retiring Mom! You deserve it more than anyone else I know.

Enhanced Version » My Mothers Day Card