It wasn't that long ago when Dylan's hand was this size against mine, palm to palm. Now, only little Katie, my youngest, has a truly tiny hand when compared to mine. Looking at this image fills me with a certain sentimentality that's both melancholic and happy. It reminds me of how quickly time goes by.Looking back on 2006, I have mixed emotions of incredible intensity. I'm reminded of how quickly a stable-seeming world can turn completely on its head and how everything important to you can be lost in a moment. On the other hand, I know that you can endure. And through enduring you can rise … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2006
Ol’ Faithful
December 19, 2006 by 1 Comment
Well, the old Pontiac Bonnaville turned 100k miles last week. It's been a great car and has had less than $2000 of repairs on it over the years. Although I never think of cars as investments, since investments don't lose money by default, this car has been a good use of my dollars. I'm glad to be able to hand if down to Dylan when he turns 16.-Kev … [Read more...]
‘Tis the season for singing
December 15, 2006 by 1 Comment
Dylan and Emily are both very good singers. (They get that from their mom. I have a decent voice, but nothing compared to hers.) They're also both in their school choirs. Dylan is not only in the choir, but is also in the top men's vocal group at the high school - MOVE (Men Of Vocal Excellence). Emily's middle school also has an advanced vocal group and she's a member of it. It's called the competition choir.You can just make out Dylan to the left of the leftmost microphone stand on the back row of the first picture. (Sorry about the picture quality...) This picture was taken at the High … [Read more...]
Shoppin’ Spree
December 14, 2006 by Leave a Comment
December is when I usually get serious about what's under the Christmas tree for the kids. Finding the time to shop is tough unless you're willing and able to drag the kids along with you. My choice is to make the shopping trips as fun as possible rather than a bummer for both me and the kids.The hat and sunglasses department was a natural place to play and have some fun. Here's Emily doing a little posing for the camera. You may just be able to make out the crumpled wad of coats in the shopping cart behind her. Well, not everyone is energized by shopping. Those coats actually conceal … [Read more...]
…Ain’t my job…
December 13, 2006 by Leave a Comment
This one definitely falls under the "I'm so lazy that I'm not gonna do the right thing"...And just to mouth off a little on doing the right thing, I have to ask - why, when it's completely obvious that I'm staying in the hotel at least one more day, would the cleaning people take all of the soap, shampoo, etc out of the tub??? This morning I got the shower nice and hot and got into the tub only to find that there was no shampoo or soap. The cleaning lady had left a brand new one on the counter. Great... That doesn't help me while I'm in the shower. And I'm already soaked. And it's one of those … [Read more...]
I’ve been tagged!
December 9, 2006 by 1 Comment
My daughter Emily tagged me on her blog. Now, I have to respond to her tagging me and then tag 6 other people. And since she got tagged by her mom, I'm sure that her mom and all of her mom's blogging friends aren't available for me to tag. Ugh!Alright- the rules are we must list 6 weird things about ourselves, then tag 6 more people. Each player has to clearly state the rules and then leave a comment on each person's blog, telling them that they've been tagged and to read your blog. Here are my 6 weird things:1. I used to be able to blow air out of my tear ducts. When underwater, I could blow … [Read more...]
Fall Fun 2006
December 8, 2006 by 2 Comments
I can't believe it, but somehow I forgot to post pictures of things that the kids and I have been up to during October. So here are some pictures of things we've been up to.It was another beautiful fall day in late October when Lakeview Elementary hosted their annual fall festival. We did the usual festival stuff, such as jumping in all of the inflatable play areas and eating lots of fair food. There were lots of games to play and friends to hang out with. I even managed to talk Katie into doing the cake walk. She's normally very shy about that sort of thing. (Of course, I didn't have to talk … [Read more...]
Keynotin’
December 7, 2006 by Leave a Comment
I gave the keynote address at the PASS 2006 Community Summit a couple weeks ago and a colleague took pictures in which I actually look sane and non-dorky. Wow! He's a miracle worker!The first picture (left) was taken on Wednesday. It was on that day that I welcomed the crowd of about 2500, prepped them with an overview of the event to come, and rallied them to support the organization with their time, talent, and presence.I also had a much shorter talk on Thursday morning where I introduced Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft. As an FYI, there are even more great pictures of the PASS … [Read more...]
Amazing Pictures
December 6, 2006 by 1 Comment
I don't usually post this sort of thing, but these pictures are truly amazing. http://home.att.net/~hideaway_fun/442/planet.htmTake a look and let me know what you think.-Kev … [Read more...]
Membrance Monday – Amsterdam
December 4, 2006 by Leave a Comment
I've been to Amsterdam a couple times now and I have to say that it's one of my favorite cities in Europe. The weather isn't particularly cooperative much of the time. But both times I've been, the weather has been really nice.The city is surprisingly small and navigable by foot without any problems. The famous canals were mostly just landmarks for me, but many people in Amsterdam use water taxis and even own boats.The city is full of beautiful old churches. However, it's ironic that in a city full of churches AND where there is a national, sanctioned church that very few people actually go to … [Read more...]
