Crazy Dog!

So for all of my friends out there that were just waiting for this to happen, it finally did. Here is the video of what the dog did.

Winter Storm

So it looks like it will be a white Christmas after all. Even though it won't be snowing, I don't think all this snow will go away any time soon. Enjoy the video of me watching my driveway. Don't forget you can watch in HD by clicking the link underneath.

Cold and Snow

Here are some pictures of the weather lately at our house and Jaden getting ready for Christmas by wearing his lights. He loves to play with the headlamps!

Winter 2008

In a rush

Well, I haven't posted much because things have just gotten crazy around here. By looking at this video you'll see why I haven't had any time, I've just been in too much of a hurry to get everywhere.

Summer's end

We are coming to the end of another summer. We didn't really take a vacation this year but we are planning to maybe do some camping before school starts again. Probably Labor day weekend. Yesterday we finally got our garage sale going. Instead of paying $25 for the Columbian advertising, we just used Craigslist. It worked well, I was able to sell my ping-pong table that I never use to some guy who wanted to play beer-pong. Go figure. I also sold several other items. There were a lot of garage sales in this area, but we were still able to make about $75 so not bad for a first day. Hopefully we do better on Sunday. The main thing is to get rid of some junk.

Babies and TV

Here is an interesting article that was recently published about France banning TV aimed at babies under 3.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/tv/20080820/France.Baby.TV.Ban/

Rainy day humor

Enjoy this video of the crazy ice cream truck guy. I wonder how well he did today. I felt a little sorry for him, he must get some sales on a day like today or he wouldn't be out.

Bridge Pedal 2008

Everyone had a good time. Jaden rode without complaint for over two hours thanks to his Chariot comfort seat. We will definitely do it again next year. Since we only did six bridges this year, maybe we'll do 8 bridges next year. Enjoy the pictures. We'll try to post some video soon.

Baseball

Yesterday we had a good time going to the baseball game. Portland Beavers lost 5-3. My Fantasy team did okay except for Derek Lowe. He was left in to give up 8 runs! There went my ERA. Oh well. Later I'll post some video of the game. Here are the pictures finally.

Grandpas

Here are some pictures from when I went to Walla Walla at the end of June 2008. I enjoyed hanging out with my two Grandpas. I will never remember it, but I had a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Family Reunion

For those of you eagerly awaiting the videos from the reunion, here they are. There will be more which will be posted later. I have tried to make them no more than about 30-40 minutes each for easier viewing.
Video #1

Video #2

Video #3


Video #4

Video #5

Video #6

Video #7

Video #8

That's all of the videos for now. If you would like to see more, or get the DVDs of the reunion, please email me at the email address which was given to you at the reunion.

Family Reunion

Well, we made it to another family reunion. I'll post some video of Jaden having fun at the water park later. I didn't really have three days to spend having fun in Walla Walla, but we did have a good time. They have a nice water park in Milton-Freewater that the kids enjoyed. Janel also sampled an Iceburg milkshake. We were able to visit with Janel's family also. All in all, it was a good time. Very hot the whole time, like in the high 90s to low 100s. I'm glad I live on this side of the State.

Professional Sports

I'm tired of the all the garbage in professional sports. The multi-million dollar deals, the players who act like spoiled brats, the doping. If you're like me, you want to give up on the whole thing. It's not that easy. I've tried. I enjoy watching athletes who are at the top of their game. I get sucked in every time because I just want to believe that no one is cheating. They're all good people right? Tired of hearing high priced athletes talk like spoiled children fighting with each other? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? Actually, nothing is wrong with them. They are motivated by one thing: . That's right, I don't even need to say it because we all know what it is. So, until we shut off the supply, nothing is going to change. Stop watching, stop reading, stop buying. I'm tired of wasting my time watching it only to be disappointed every time when the next scandal breaks. If you think your sport isn't free from problems, think again. Hockey, Baseball, Football, NBA, Cycling, Golf, NASCAR, IRL, all the big ones have problems. Now, I have to admit that doping is a little more annoying than other forms of cheating. However, they all stink. NO ONE PLAYS BY THE RULES ANYMORE! At least not the winners. I think I'll just have fun playing instead of sitting on my couch and watching. Now, you might catch me watching some highlights here and there, or playing in a fantasy league. You might wonder how I can rationalize this. I can't. Like you, I have been sucked in. However, here are the sports that I refuse to watch until they clean up their problems: Cycling, NBA, NFL, NASCAR, IRL. The two biggest ones in my book are Cycling and the NBA. The NFL follows a close second, and MLB probably still has problems, but at least they're trying to deal with them. If you're still reading this crazy rant and don't believe me, read this article. It explains how it pays more for the athletes to cheat than it does to stay clean.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-doping-dilemma

One class ends, One begins

So my class is over for the first summer session. On Tuesday, my first class of the second summer session will get started. Not much to say right now. Maybe I'll think of something exciting to share later. For now, you can just enjoy this video of some cute kids playing together. I think you'll have to cut and paste for it to work.

http://www.vimeo.com/1135251

Which Stroller to buy?

This is for the benefit of our many friends and family we know that have children or are expecting. Some of them have already "made the leap" so to speak, and purchased a good multi-function stroller. So, for those of you who aren't convinced, or you are unsure because of the price, here's a list of reasons why I think it's worth it to spend the money and get a good stroller, Chariot or otherwise.

1. You can do many more activities with a multi-function stroller
We have used this on many occasions. One example is if we are biking on a trail, and plans change. We already have the stroller wheels in place, so we just lock up our bikes and put the wheels in place, keep walking, and then come back to get the bikes. Another example of this is an event like the Portland Bridge Pedal. If you wanted to ride, and then go to the events afterward, including food and entertainment on the waterfront, a Chariot works nicely because just like before, you can easily switch the stroller from bike mode to stroller mode, and everything is stored right on the stroller.

2. You will get what you pay for
When we purchase our first Chariot Cougar 2 used, it was in decent condition. We were able to sell it for only $50 less than what we paid for it about 1 year later. If we were to sell our current stroller, which was purchased new, we would be able to sell it at a loss of only about $150-200 at most. This makes purchasing a higher end stroller like this worth the luxury because you are only spending about $150 to use a nice stroller/bike trailer for 4-5 years.

3. Ease of use
Most strollers I know are difficult to use depending on the terrain and other factors. With the Chariot, you are able to change the stroller to fit the terrain. We have found that stroller wheels fit most of our needs, including jogging and trail walking, but we still have the jogging kit for those bumpy trails. There are few other strollers out there that turn and brake as easily as ours with ONE hand. Everything is smooth, and the hand brake is located right on the handlebar, just like a bike would be. When I want to switch the jogging wheel, it takes just 45 seconds, and it's done. NO HASSLE and only one stroller to keep in the garage instead of two or three.

4. Comfort
Not many strollers out there have adjustable shocks on them. More companies are catching on now. I remember biking the Portland Bridge Pedal in 2007 and seeing so many trailers with kids in them who weren't happy. They are sitting right over the rear axle of the trailer, getting a pounding on their read ends(no more spanking necessary, just threaten to put them in the bike trailer). The padding and five point harness in the Chariot CX2 or Cougar 2 along with the shock/leaf spring system is much more comfortable for our 14 month son to ride in. He often sleeps in his stroller, unless he is to busy watching everything go by. Another great feature is the completely enclosed compartment for cold or rainy weather. With the CX2, you also get a nice sunshade and tinted side windows, which zip off in nicer weather for better air flow. The little things that Chariot thought of when they made this stroller add so much to the overall experience. They add up in a big way.

5. Convience
We often walk to the grocery store in town. The Chariot has a cargo rack on top, and a large storage bag in the back, more than enough space for whatever you're carrying. Also, check out this guy's brilliant idea, something you wouldn't be able to do with any of the other strollers I know: http://www.liquididea.com/2007/07/customizing_the_chariot_with_a.html
The ability of this stroller to be used for a variety of purposes makes it definitely worth the price. There are many good accessories for it also, even though we have decided not to purchase many of them.

Although everyone is different and uses their strollers for different purposes, I would say that anyone who can get over the high price, realizing they will get most of it back when they sell it, will not regret that they purchased this stroller. Let me know what you think!(I can hear the Bob stroller people out there already saying that they have the best stroller)

The let down

If you haven't experienced it yet, you will. It's the realization that you have been sucked into the biggest scam ever. Well, you might think I'm taking about that used car you bought that turned out to be a piece of trash, or the vacuum cleaner you bought that didn't work as well as you wanted, or some other scheme you got involved in that turned out the be worthless. I'm not. I'm talking about the idea that the Northwest is one of the best places to live in the United States. It's good, but when El Nina hits, you get stuck with rain for about 7 months and it doesn't get above 60. We got snow in April for crying out loud! Hope you enjoyed every word of this senseless rant. I don't plan to leave anytime soon, I'm still hoping that it plays out to be all they say it can be(mild winters and cool summers). Enjoy the video of my friend learning how to fly his new toy.

Let the hiking begin!

Our first good weather finally hit us this weekend. I decided to take advantage of it, even if my gas bill takes a hit. Janel was at work, but we were able to pull it off with only some minor difficulties. Jaden didn't fuss too much and did real well in the backpack. We headed for Eagle Creek and arrived at the trailhead at around 3:30. It was packed with cars. We parked by the bridge and decided to go up the trail to the right across the bridge which would have less people on a nice day like this. It ended up being a good choice, although we got a little bit of redness in the cheeks due to our long visit at the top. Enjoy the pictures!

1 more $

Last night we went to a Bible Study group that we meet with on Friday about 4-5 times a year. It was wonderful to spend some time with fellow believers and to reflect on the death of Jesus. What an awesome sacrifice he made for us! I get tired of seeing all of the ways that our secular society attempts to find an alternative for these specials days. It's like all they want to do is make some money while hiding the true meaning of the celebration. Here's a clue people: I don't think the Easter Bunny can save you! Why do we allow this garbage to perpetuate in our society? Someone please give me a good reason why I would want to allow my child to participate in this nonsense. Yes, I do play a good Devil's advocate, don't I? I would be interested in hearing your response, I know there are a lot of opinions out there. Enjoy your Easter!

Super Freak

This is going to be somewhat of a rant, so if you can't stand it, avert your eyes now. I like to ride the bus. Yes, it has its downside. But, I can get a lot done that I would never be able to do otherwise and save a lot on gas in the process. I think sometimes my friends feel sorry for me because of my lack of brain cells and they give me rides. Mainly I ride the bus because it goes right by my house. I used to ride my bike a lot of places and I will probably go back to that, but there are a lot of idiots out there. They drive like they don't care about anyone else. If you haven't ridden on the road with cars that are traveling at around 50 mph, you have no idea what I'm talking about. What it all comes down to is this: I don't have much time for anything right now. By riding my bike, I get a little exercise. I am also a cheapskate. That's why the bus was kind of a no brainer right now. I am going to Graduate school at WSU Vancouver. That means I am able to get a bus pass for just $180 a year! Mostly, the bus only works well if I am riding in Vancouver, and even then it can be annoying. I do drive my Car sometimes. I am a little different than most people. If I can get something in town, I won't use the car if I don't have to. I can walk to work in 20 minutes and ride my bike in 10. The bus gets me there about 15 minutes after I leave my house for the bus stop. I am hoping more people will start riding the bus because it's not very convenient right now. Then they will add more service out here. With gas now at $3.50 at my local Chevron, I am using my car as little as possible, so I can still enjoy the weekend treks into the mountains that will now cost $20 or more depending on how far I go. My question to you is: How long can you go without using a car? This includes riding with someone else. If I had to, I could go quite a few months, since everything I need is right here in town. I could walk to work, church, and the store. Other places further away I could ride my bike. The farthest bike trip I have to take is to WSU campus, which takes about 30 minutes one way to ride my bike. So, tell me how long you think you could go without your car. Make believe that gas has reached $10 a gallon and you just can't take it anymore. The other question I want to know is how high would the price have to get in order for you to start considering other methods of transportation. Thanks for participating in my informal survey and I look forward to reading your comments.

Cyber Black hole

I don't think I'll ever be able to escape this time sucking machine called cyberspace. Not that I don't enjoy it. The reason I can't leave is not because it's so exciting, it's because my friends won't leave me alone. They just can't wait for the next exciting thing to be posted on my page and they keep harassing me. Cyber addicts, this post's for you. I don't have time for this stuff. I guess I'll keep doing it. You've got to be kidding me. I have a job to do and a life to live. It's fun, but I can't keep up with all the demand.