11/25/2010 – Thanksgiving in Seattle

We spent thanksgiving with the grandparents in the Seattle area this year. I sure move me some turkey and trimmings. Let’s see, we did so many things, here is a short list: avoided a big ice storm by travelling on Thursday morning instead; enjoyed a great thanksgiving feast (thanks to g’ma and gm’pa); had a snowball fight with the kids; Melissa did some early-morning black Friday shopping (got some great deals); saw the new “Megamind” movie (I liked it); attended my nephews’ High School basketball games (both of them also participated in the 3-point contest…great shooting runs in the blood); drove the icy streets to the gym for an early morning workout (walking from the car to the gym’s front door was the trickiest part); got haircuts at aunt Iris’ salon (she does a great job); and had a great lunch at the Seattle waterfront. We got a great picture of a seagull with a starfish in it’s mouth. It was a great thanksgiving. Looking forward to a memorable Christmas season.

Oh yeah, did I mention the Boise State at Nevada game? Now that was worth staying up late to watch!

11/20/2010 – Blazers vs. Jazz

First off. The shot by Nic Batum shown here was sicktacular. Wow. That was worth the effort to go to the game in itself.

My bro-in-law and nephews made the annual pilgrimage down to see the Blazers and Jazz play. With all the news about key injuries (Oden, Roy), it’s been downright depressing to watch them lately. This game was actually a fun one as it stayed very competitive and the Blazers leading through most of the game (I also really like to watch Deron Williams play). But, then the Jazz were shooting red-hot in the 4th quarter, sealing the deal for a Jazz come-from-behind win. CJ Miles just could not miss from downtown at the end. It was actually pretty amazing to see. I think most Blazer fans are feeling similar to how I am right now. We are in a bit of shock, not wanting to believe that our two primary sources of hope (Oden and Roy) are damaged and are likely to never achieve what we’d hoped for them/us – primarily due to injuries. Bummer. But we have to get past it. Losing key games is no fun, either. Man, am I glad the Ducks are playing so well (ranked number 1 in the BCS standings for the first time ever). It distracts me from reality.

11/19/2010 – Clara’s birthday

It’s hard to believe, but wow…Clara has turned 3! She had a fun, small party at our house with a few friends. We also had a little family cake time with her as well. She is really becoming a very opinionated little girls. And man, is she good at articulating her opinion! You know right away if Clara approves or disapproves! This can be good or bad, depending on the situation and the personalities involved. Sor the most part, it often makes us laugh (well, not always). Happy birthday, Clara!

11/14/2010 - William’s blessing

It was really special to see all the family members gather to celebrate our son’s entrance into the family and give him a name and a blessing as he enters mortality. I take these blessing very seriously and think long and hard about what a new child in today’s world would need to hear in a blessing (I recorded it and plan to transcribe it so he will have it when he is old enough to understand). However, a peculiar thing happens when the blessing actually begins. My mind goes blank and I simply speak from the heart and by the spirit. I don’t think I said much, if anything, of what I had thought would be “good”. I just say it as I fell it. Honestly, I’m glad this happens, because I feel like it’s coming from a more pure place, rather than my rational brain.

Anyway, I was so pleased to see the family gather and hang out for a while at our place. My sister even made a special additional trip from Seattle so we could swap a couple kids and allow them to have additional cousin time. Family is everything.

11/9/2010 – Blazers vs. Pistons

Moriah and I went to the Portland vs. Detroit game. It amazes me that this Detroit team is almost the same team that won the championship a few short years ago, but with just a few tweaks in the roster and a different coach, it really is an entirely different team. Interesting how that works. Moriah had fun and we split a frozen lemonade, as is our tradition at games. But they switched from the Minute-Maid brand to Nestle, which is not as good…and man did Moriah notice. She was really disappointed that her frozen treat was not as good as she remembers. Kids at sporting events: It’s all about the food!

10/30/2010 – Halloween

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, the trunk-or-treat at the church was a major event. Even though it was raining, people turned out by the droves, man! We went through $40 worth of candy in just a few minutes. We had to close up shop! The girls dressed as: a vampire rocker, a “good witch”, a cheerleader and a fairy. Even William got in on the action, wearing his little skeleton outfit. Me, I was not in costume, but friends called me “guy in denial”, since I was walking around in shorts/t-shirt in the cold/dark rain. But hey, I felt great! I must be from Oregon.

10/30/2010 - Soccer season party

I had a blast coaching 1st grade girls soccer this year. It was challenging for me simply because I’d never really experienced it from any perspective really. The girls had fun and I got some very nice compliments from parents after the season. Most importantly, some very helpful parents stepped up in a big way. It made the experience really fun for me. And the coaches gift at the end of the season was unbelievable. Myself and all 3 asst. coaches received some very nice (and expensive) Nike-Livestrong Air Max shoes. I couldn’t believe how generous that was. I love the shoes. Coaching also made me realize that getting some good coach training/certification would make me a much better coach. Lots of learning and lots of fun. But whew…I’m glad it’s over (for this fall anyway).

Dad, are we upside-down?

I’m driving with our kids after sundown one day last week when a thoughtful question comes from the back seat. “Dad, are we upside down?” said Moriah. I respond: “Not that I know of. The car is driving on the road like normal. What do you mean, sweetie?” She takes a moment to put her thoughts into words, then says, “Well, during the day time, we are closer to the sun and on the top of the world. But when it gets dark, that means we are on the other side of the world and we are upside-down, right?” My first reaction was to explain gravity, etc. But then I got to thinking about it, and maybe she’s right. Hhhmm. One of those imponderables.

And you thought this was a question about the LTV ratio on our mortgage.

October 14, 2010 - Low Carnitine in the blood

After the previous post, the next day we got a call regarding baby's carnitine level. Normal is "25". His level is a "4". So, there may be some issues we will have to deal with. Thankfully there is a supplement for boosting the carnitine in a child, so we'll be giving him that 4x/day for a while. Hopefully this does the trick and the 3MCC will not have much affect on him. It's tough to bring one of these little spirits to earth without "some" issues. He really is such a cute little fella.

October 12, 2010 - Baby Health Issues

Our baby boy has had some issues to work through in his first few weeks of life. First, he was a bit jaundice. We had a jaundice child 10 yrs ago and the primary treatment was placing her under a special UV light to allow her to absorb the rays and eliminate the elevated bilirubin count in her blood. This time, the docs had us wrap him in a special fiber-optic blanket that has a neon-looking green glow to it. He could not take it off except for diaper changes and the like. It is plugged into a special light production box that resembles a computer, so he was not very mobile. It was expected that he would only be on this blanket for 24 hours, but it turned out he was in it for nearly an entire week. It appears the jaundice is mostly behind us.

The more significant issue he’s dealing with was suspected to be a rare form of a metabolic deficiency commonly called “3-MCC” (3-methylcrotonyl CoA carboxylase). This basically means that he is missing an enzyme that does not break down leucine (found in foods with protein). This enzyme essentially filters out harmful substances from the bloodstream. The potential effects on the child is that he may not process proteins correctly, thus not get specific types of energy that his body needs to thrive. 3MCC children are known to get very sick from simple, regular sicknesses like a cold or fever. It is likely that we will have to learn a whole new world of dietary needs. These were some of the many concerns floating around our heads as we tried to figure out what is going on with this deficiency.

HOWEVER, after a bit of research and getting more and more worried about the situation, our time to meet with a metabolic specialist came on October 12th…and we were basically told not to worry about it. Apparently most 3MCC children never have any significant symptoms and that we will simply need to monitor the carnitine levels in his blood. That’s a key indicator, which even if it does get low (not likely), it is easily treatable. So, it’s a big ... wheeew, that’s a relief! We were very happy to discover it may not be a big deal at all. If it does happen, we’ll be prepared. But it is great to know we’ll probably have a happy, healthy little guy. Sometimes these newborn screenings can uncover issues which can make parents worry more than necessary. I am glad we were able to gain some perspective by meeting with a specialist. Because the online reading I did about it made it sound like a “big” deal. Rare, yes. “Big deal”, probably not. But I am glad we’re aware of it and know it’s there in case it becomes an issue.

October 3 2010 - Pride and the Nutcracker

General Conference weekend was last week and our family enjoyed most of the proceedings together. Some of the talks really struck a chord with me. Particularly President Uchtdorf’s talk about pride. He was reiterating the sentiment of Pres. Benson’s talk in 1989, but with his own signature on it. It really hit me hard that pride is a constant threat to my well being. He specified that “taking pride” in something, like your work, is different from the pride of comparison and “one-upping” pride that can be so destructive. It can be self-glorification or it can be jealousy. It can be seeing weakness in others and comparing it to yourself; then the leap of “therefore, I am better than you.” This topic really affected me and is causing me to reevaluate some of the things in my life. He said “We have no time to become absorbed in ourselves”. I’m grateful to have inspired men leading us today.

On that note, there was funny moment when I paused the conference for something while one of the speakers was delivering his address. Our 8-yr old daughter looked at him and said, “Dad, why does he look like the nutcracker?” I looked at the screen and the double-chin action and overall look. She was exactly right. Now I can never look at that person again without thinking about the “nutcracker”. Kids speak the truth, my friend.

William is born

Our baby boy, William Michael, was born yesterday, Tuesday, September 21, 2010. We've been through baby births a few times, and I tell you, it is special every time. William was born at 1:53 pm weighing 7 pounds, 8 oz and measuring 19 inches long. Mommy was cool, calm and collected through the process. She is amazing...probably in a lot more pain and discomfort than she lets on. We really struggled settling on this little guy's name(s). Lots of ideas, but in the end we knew he was William Michael. Both 'William' and 'Michael' are family names. His sisters have already started to refer to him as "Will".

William seems to be a very 'relaxed' baby, although it is only day one. I also got to witness the circumcision today, which was a new experience for me. It is a really simple procedure. It was kinda sad to see him in pain, but it really wasn't as bad as I imagined.

The girls are really excited to have a baby brother. They all want to hold him and see his little hands, feet, etc. Yup, this guy is going to be spoiled by his older sisters.

Any day now...

Melissa has been REALLY ready to have a baby lately. Due date is this week and man, she has been enduring all kinds of discomfort. I’m so grateful for women and the stuff they go through to bring a life into this world. Man, it can be downright miserable at times. She has been induced for every baby birth, but this time she’s really been feeling like labor was coming naturally in the last week or so. But, now that we’re the day before scheduled induction, it does not look like naturally induced labor is in the cards. Late last week she kept telling me “today is the day” and to be ready to rush to the hospital on a moment’s notice. Well, that emergency didn’t come and it looks like we’ll have to wake the little fella up to get him to come out and play.

We’re really excited for baby boy to join us. I’m just so grateful that it appears everything is “normal” and no reason to be concerned for health issues, etc. Life is good. Tough times, but truly, sincerely good.

9/18/2010 - Bridal Veil Falls hike

Saturday morning we had a few hours before the 1:00 soccer game, so I grabbed 3 little ones and headed up to the Columbia River gorge for an “easy” family hike to bridal veil falls. We stopped in downtown Portland at Voodoo doughnuts, just to see what all the fuss was about. As advertised, the line to buy a donut was wrapped around the front of the building. Then it was confirmed: a $1 donut, hyped into a $2 donut. Now I know. But the kids sure liked the monster-shaped donut they picked.

Bridal Veil falls is a nice, short little hike. The thing that surprised me was the elevation loss/gain. It’s a short hike, but you descend quickly, then climb back up on your way out. We took some great pictures at the bottom of the falls, then started back up the trail. But…then I noticed…darn, where are my glasses? I know I took them off briefly to take a picture, but they’re not in my pocket now. Where did they end up? I dropped them somewhere.

Long story short, I looked for 30 minutes or so, bummed about the situation. Then I said a prayer. After the prayer, I tried my step-by-step logic again, but added a twist: what if they fell off my head while adjusting the kids for a picture? Well, I had been searching around quite a bit in the area, then it struck me…it’s possible they could be in the big 18-inch pile of gooey-green sea-foam here. Maybe. I extended my arm into the goo and started feeling around. Something felt like a twig, and I felt around to find it again and pulled it out: My glasses! As simple as it sounds, I really felt this was an answer to my simple prayer. It was also cool that my 3 youngest girls were able to see it unfold. They saw daddy get an answer to his prayer. I don’t know if they’ll remember it for long, but even Clara understood. She re-told the story again the next day and it shocked me how detailed her version was. Even the 2-yr old knew what was going on. That was really cool. Oh, and the falls were really cool, too.

Speed workout (track training)

I am now starting to add speed training to my workout routine. I know I should be doing more of this, but I've basically been cheating and counting basketball as my interval training. I also will often run suicides and time myself after playing, etc. But I know dedicated speed training will be good for my overall fitness and race performance. So, I went to the track yesterday and here are the times I came up with:

40-yrd dash: 5.56 seconds*
200m: 0:32.4
400m: 1:08
800m: 2:41

*Note: I was wearing long distance running shoes for my 40-yd time. I will try again in cleats to see if it affects my time.

This was a good start for getting a feel for my speed. I found myself noticing whether or not I am up on my toes or rocking on my heels, things like that. It also teaches my muscles to give more output when they are feeling maxed out, full of lactic acid and screaming to quit. I think I'm going to enjoy this aspect of training, at least a couple times a week. I'll find ways to improve on the times above. My body had some similar "post-race" symptoms of back pain and the like, so I can tell it pushes me to the limit when I am racing against the stopwatch.

September 5 2010 – Labor day hike – Little Zig Zag Falls

We spent a great deal of labor day just prepping our house for the new baby coming. After two soccer games and a number of tasks, I decided I wanted to take my little ladies on a hike. So we hopped in the car and hustled up to Mt. Hood for a quick hike. It was worth the effort. Although a short hike (perfect for young kids and a pregnant wife who decided at the last minute she wanted to come), the falls are really a stunning site when you fist walk up to them. We went a little while there, Moriah and I hiked up above the falls for a few minutes, then I shared a short message from the scriptures with the girls. Basically, the thought was about Moroni and when he was wandering alone for so many years, he probably found some beautiful places like this near water and pondered the important things of life (pride cycle, becoming more Christlike, etc). I also mentioned Alma teaching and baptizing at the Waters of Mormon. It was a fun day hike and a great way to cap off an eventful summer.

September 4 2010 – Moriah’s baptism

Moriah’s baptism was special occasion. Both grandpa’s spoke and both grandma’s helped with the music. Aunt Heather Witnesses were bro. Fink and bro. Jensen. She was welcomed into the ward by bro. Risenmay. In her typical somewhat-shy way, Moriah really just took it all in without saying much. I was able to perform the baptism ordinance and was touched as we embraced after she came out of the water. She’s a good kid trying to do the right thing. It was a special day for our family.

Also, we took some outdoor family pictures just before going to the baptism. That’s becoming a tradition for us, as we took family pictures on Emery’s baptism day as well.

September 3 2010 – Moriah’s birthday

Wow. Moriah is 8. Time is flying. I am so proud of the little woman she is becoming. Her big hope for this birthday was to get a pet, preferably a frog or a lizard. Due to some particular issues that might make that a bad decision, we decided to surprise her with 2 hermit crabs. I am surprised at how cool I think they are. When I bought them, I was surprised at how they look and act. They are actually pretty interesting little creatures. They like to climb, change shells, etc. She’s having fun bringing them out of their cage daily and playing with them. Her party was a success, although not exactly what we had hoped. She wanted to use the pop-up pool in the backyard, so Melissa planned a big “luau” themed party. Unfortunately, my pool maintenance skills are not up to snuff. I keep trying to add chemicals, shock it, etc…but it keeps getting algae growth and I have to replace the water. Aarrgghh. That comes along with another set of issues, so we decided to skip the pol and have a slip-n-slide party in the back yard. Still did the luau action with games, Hawaiian music, etc. Tried to teach the group of friends how to hula dance with a DVD, and it was funny to watch, but I’m not sure they were totally in to the idea.

Later, my parents and I headed down to the aviation museum and were able to spend 10 minutes or so just looking at the Spruce Goose and quickly walked around the floor before they closed. They got a feel for what a quality museum it is and plan to spend a full day or two in the near future.

For Moriah’s birthday dinner, we went out to Red Robin. That was fun. When the staff sang to her, she stood up on the table and beamed out at the people in the restaurant. She was so happy and proud of her birthday. Another funny thing was what my dad ordered. He said he wasn’t very hungry, so he just ordered an oreo milkshake (ice cream) and french fries. He said he didn’t realize that the fries would be so big, but he downed the whole thing. Since they don’t have fry sauce there, I showed him the old bbq sauce/mayo/ketchup combo and he was hooked. I told him he ordered his food like a teenager! And he loved the meal. You just never know.

Happy Birthday, Moriah! It's hard to believe...where has the time gone!?!

August 13 2010 – Ball visit

My sister and family visited for a few days to attend her 20th high school reunion. It was a blast having them in town – they have children with similar ages to ours, so it was an instant party! We spent one day at the beach (Pacific City). It was a rare day that the temperature got above 80 at the beach, and there were a TON of people there, considering the usual size of the crowds. We climbed the sand dune at Cape Kiwanda. I’ve climbed at least 6 or 7 times now…but wow, now that was some HOT sand on a hot day. It felt like my feet were going to burn right off. On the top, Emery had a defining moment. She was whispering to me “I did it!” She was so proud that she got up that dune. It was a tough climb, and the hot sand made it miserable for all of us. But we persevered, and especially Emery. It was a very cool moment for me. I was so happy for her and was so glad she was feeling so strongly about it. On the way back down, I’ll never forget Dovie and Andy whooping and hollering as they raced down the dune. Good times. Then we went over to Tillamook and toured the cheese factory. Cool stuff.

After arriving home that night, Dovie went to her reunion activities while Andy and I took the kids to an outdoor movie. A friend of mine has rigged a big screen in his cul-de-sac and showing movies on summer nights. So we saw “Honey, I shrunk the kids” outside. Fun times.

On Saturday, we got to head down to the aviation museum in McMinnville where the Spruce Goose is on display. The kids had fun. I was most really impressed with the quality of the museum and all of the amazing things they had inside and outside the place. The IMAX movie they show as really cool, too. It was a fun weekend with family.

August 9 2010 – Coaching soccer

Now I’m in for it. The rec. club said they needed a few more coaches to volunteer or they would have 24 1st grade girls they’ll have to turn away from playing. So, since I have a girl in the system, I agreed to give it a shot and coach her team…even though I have never played a lick of soccer in my life! I figure since the players are only 6 yrs old, they might not notice if I mess up a few rules here and there. The point at this age really is to make sure they have fun. And I am also blessed that I have 3, count them 3! Asst coach/parents helping me out. So, I’m figuring the sport out and actually having a blast. Since basketball is “my” sport, I have some basic concepts of soccer. But man, now that I’m giving it a shot, I realize hey, maybe I should have done this as a kid! Short people like me can be pretty good players! What was I thinking, falling in love with basketball, a tall-man’s sport? Well, ok, so soccer isn’t as cool as basketball, but I am learning to appreciate the game and having a good time coaching my daughter and her new friends. I hope I don’t mess up too bad!

August 6 2010 – Brother’s 40th

My big bro turned 40. Wow. Time is flying. Guess I’ll be there soon enough. So his wife surprised him with an unexpected trip here to Portland, so we got to celebrate with them. Funny thing: when they came into town, he needed a haircut, so I recommended my barber. Right after he left there, I get a call, saying; “dude, that was the most disturbing barber experience of my life.” So I’m thinking: “oh no, what…bad haircut?” Then he tells me that the haircut was great, but the disturbing part came at the end. Just before finishing the barber give him a final look from the front and decides to do some finish work…and starts snipping his eyebrows. He was mortified because they will usually at least ask if he wants them to do this, but this time, right on his 40th celebration trip, the barber sees it needs to be done and just goes for it. We gotta get used to it sometime, I guess.

So they went and enjoyed a few days at the Oregon coast. Upon their return to town, my two sisters from Seattle made the trip down and we had all 4 of us siblings, a couple spouses and our kids to throw him a little fiesta party. Mexican themed because we LOVE Mexican food in our family...he and I have a special affinity for Burritos. Just one of those little joys in life when you down a satisfying, delicious Burrito. It was a fun party.

Next day, we headed over to our favorite day-rafting spot on the Clackamas river. He and I inner-tubed the 40-minute route once just to make sure it wasn’t too bad, then took my little girls down in small rafts the second time. Barlow took Moriah and Brooke in his raft while Clara sat with me. In retro spect, it was a bit sketchy to have Clara in there with me. The water was very cold and I couldn’t seem to keep the water out of the raft (even got out and dumped it a couple times). So, she was cold, but having a great time. At one point it started to rain on us while we were on a smooth section and the drops on the water looked really cool hitting the river surface. Clara looked at that and said: “Look dad, it’s sparkling!” What a cool way to describe it. You never know what’s gonna come out of the mouth of a 2 yr old. It’s so fun to see her wonder at the world around her.

On the way home, we had a big fat bummer. The minivan loaded with 8 people broke down. Turned out to be the water pump, but at the time, all I could see was gushing antifreeze and hear a terrible grinding noise. We tried to get at least somewhat close to civilization. We ended up being able to limp along and park at a pizza joint. The family ate while I did the tow truck dance. Had a cool conversation with the truck driver about religion on the way to Sherwood. He had been rehabbing for over a year from a terrible accident (he was a pedestrian run over by a truck) and we talked about the existence of God, and the conversation steered toward the Book of Mormon and its significance to the human race. It was a really cool conversation. You never know when an opportunity like that is going to arise. We dropped off the vehicle and I raced back to pick them up with my other car. Again, another reason I’m grateful to have the new vehicle with additional seats.

Happy birthday, bro! Sorry about the breakdown on your last night in town, guys! It was a bummer, but at least we got in some tubing/rafting and some good pizza! It wasn’t a total loss. In fact, it worked out pretty well, all things considered. It’s kinda amazing how things work out sometimes.

August 4 2010 – Hagg Lake Sprint Series Triathlon

Athlete’s lounge has been organizing a Sprint Series of casual training races at Hagg Lake this summer. I was able to go this final one on August 4th. It was a very short 300-yd swim in the lake, then bike the roads around the lake, and finish with a 2 mile trail run. I was on my mtn bike again, and had only a rough idea of how long it should take. But I figured I should be able to finish in less than an hour. I came in at 56:09-ish, so I can’t complain too much. It was not officially timed, but I think I got 9th place out of 66 people. Of course, I got lots of “you’re insane” type comments about competing like this on a mtn bike. I have to admit, I like it when guys on fast road bikes get frustrated that they can’t quite shake me on my mtn bike. When they comment, I just say: “Hey, anything I can do to level the playing field, man.” A little harmless banter is always fun. It felt good to get out and “try” to compete, even if it wasn’t a real race. I wonder how I’d do on a “real” bike? Hope to find out someday, but for now the trusty old (and I mean old) Kona Cinder Cone suits me just fine. This is a really cool event. Glad to hear they’ll be doing a few more again next year.

July 31 2010 – Timothy Lake triathlon (sort-of)

Since I’ve grown to love the addicting sport of triathlon, it’s been a bummer that my schedule has conflicted with pretty much any relatively local race I could compete in this summer. So, what was my solution? Why not put together a casual version with friends? So that’s what we did. 7 of us guys gathered at Timothy Lake to have some fun. Most were just there for the bike ride, but 3 of us swam a half-mile or so first in the lake, then rode the 19-mile mtn bike trail around the lake. It was beautiful for sure, and tough too. I’m impressed at a few of these guys who haven’t been riding at all. Their rear ends must have been sore after! I also went for a short run at the end, just to feel like I did all three events. The main gig? BBQ, baby! We had a feast at the end. Wives & kids were waiting/swimming/playing while we rode around the lake, so we had a hungry crew at the end. We grilled up some awesome hamburgers, etc right there next to the lake. It was a fun day. Needless to say, we slept well that night…and early morning church the next morning was a bit brutal.

July 26 2010 – pop-up pool

Now we gone done and did it. Got ourselves a pop-up pool for the backyard. Thought I’d never do such a weird thing, but man, the kids really love this thing. It’s not big, 12ft across and approx. 3 feet deep. Just right for our size little ones. They had cousins in town for a week or so and it was key to keep them entertained in the heat of summer. Even with all the headache of up-keep, I’m glad we did it.

July 22 2010 – Cooking camp

Melissa has been running a “cooking camp” for each of our girls and a few of their friends. I thought this was a cool idea. The local community ones seemed a bit too spendy, so they created their own. The girls learned to make homemade pizza, jam, cookies, etc. I think everyone had a good time. Nice job, Mel!

July 21 2010 – Scout camp

Got to spend a few days at scout camp with the troop. We went to “Camp Pioneer” in central Oregon this time. Cool place, much smaller than the other summer camps in the council. But it was great. The lake was nice. Eric and I won a scoutmaster canoe race where we had to keep jumping out of the canoe, switch ends and climb back in every time the official blew his whistle. He probably did this to us 7 or 8 times during the race. We got pretty efficient at jumping out, swimming to the other side and climbing in simultaneously. Good times. Then the next morning we had the “Polar Bear Swim” at 6:00 am. Brave scouts and a few of us crazy scoutmasters went to the dock and jumped in. We had to come up, scream “Good morning camp Pioneer!” as loud as possible, then sing the “Fuzzy Wuzzy” song. Funny thing was, I thought the water was much more bearable than standing on the dock in the cold morning. I didn’t want to get out of the water! It’s fun to go to camp and re-live some scout memories with the boys. The scouting program really did make a profound difference in my life as a young person. It’s nice to at least give ‘something’ back by helping out.

July 6-12 2010 – Idaho/Utah trip

Took a special trip to Utah for a baptism. Because mommy is pregnant and Emery had other commitments, it was just myself, Moriah and Brooke. We had a great time. We veered a couple hundred miles out of the way to visit Sun Valley, Idaho on the way down. I had some business to tend to. It was cool to see the place, as the last (and only) time I was there was 1987. It looks pretty different during summer! But I tell you what else, it made the trip feel SO LONG. I don’t know what it was, but man that highway seemed like it was never gonna end. The kids were troopers about the whole detour thing, and actually asked when we’ll be heading back there. I guess they really liked the hotel pool or something because man, that was a haul.

Then we headed down to Utah and were able to celebrate my father’s 76th birthday with family. We got to stay with my brother’s family for a couple nights. Man, those cousins had a blast together. I also got to see my bro’s office in downtown SLC and go to the “legacy center” for a swim with the kids. Fun times, man. Fun times.

The highlight of the trip, of course, was my niece’s baptism. It was particularly special for me because I was able to perform both ordinances. She asked me a few months before, and man what a special thing that was. I told her that I hope she writes it down in her journal and never forgets what this day was like for her. I really felt blessed to be able to a small part of that. She has a bright future ahead of her.

I had a moment of triumph on this trip. I bought an SUV a few months ago and wanted to give it a good test. I knew of a spot up on one of the mountains near Springville where you veer off the main trail and can climb a wall-like steep spot that feels straight up, then pop out on a tiny mountain top, just big enough for your vehicle. They call it the “Camels back” and has an incredible view of Mapleton and Springville. I had to try, so I grabbed my dad and my bro-in-law and we headed up the canyon. The road is very bumpy and has some rough terrain, but nothing too bad. Then you get to the turn-off spot and see the “wall” you’re about to climb. Two 4x4’s were at the bottom, drivers talking to each other, seemingly lamenting that they couldn’t get up the hill. But I was not deterred. I had come this far, I had to try. We got up half-way just flooring it in AWD. But then it literally stopped moving because the power was totally sapped. Not because it lost traction, but because the engine couldn’t push us up that steep of an incline. Wow. You look out the windshield and all you see is sky. It feels like you’re pointed straight up. I knew if I tried to go backwards it might get even uglier, so I had a moment of adrenaline. I could tell that even my even-keeled dad was looking at me with wide-eyes, internally cursing the predicament. Later, he said he thought we were gonna fall off the side of the hill. I also learned that many a vehicle has rolled off from that spot. Yikes. But I was not doubting. I threw the transmission in first gear and locked it in 4WD (has to be in 1st to lock, otherwise it’s in AWD). Gave it some gas. We rocked a bit, and with some real engine-revving effort, we hopped right out of the spot and climbed the remaining 100 feet or so. When we got to the top, I was in awe. Jumped out, ran to the front of the rig and saw what would have been a great advertisement photo. Sitting there, on top of the rocky mountains, having just conquered a tough climb. I was impressed. We spent the next 15 minutes or so looking over the view of the towns below. Really cool moment. And we made it down the mountain without tumbling. That was a bonus, too.

We also got to spend a couple nights at grandma and grandpa’s house. Got to play some hoops with my bro-in-law. Introduced the game “Tip 21” to him. Pretty fun game…I can play that game for hours and hours and not get tired of it. (In fact, that’s just what I did during many of my teenage years. But I digress.) This trip reminded me again how cool our family is and that there’s a reason we make all the effort to maintain family relationships, even (or especially) from afar.

A last note: The return trip from Utah to Portland always seems so much shorter to me. Of course, you gain an hour coming back, so during the summer you can do the whole trip during daylight. And the Idaho detour made the trip there seem much longer. But there’s something else. It just seems so much shorter heading home than it does going there. Lots of reasons, I suppose, but I still always am amazed at the phenomenon. Time for some forensics!

June 16 2010 – Emery’s birthday

Wow. Emery is 10. She had a fun “Friends only” party, which meant I had to keep the other sisters contained while they par-tay. Her big gift this year? Two holes in her head. That’s right, she got her ears pierced. Growing up. Wow. Sometimes I look at her, see how big she’s getting and can’t believe it’s been that long since she was little. Gotta enjoy it while they’re around, ‘cause something tells me the next decade will speed by as well.

My buns get scared

We're horsing around with the kids yesterday and 6-yr old Brooke looks at a scratch on my hand. She gets a concerned look on her face and says: "Daddy, whenever I look at someone's ouwy, my buns get scared." I respond: "Your buns get scared?" (glancing at Melissa with a smirk) "What do you mean, sweetie?" "Well, I look at someone's ouwy and I don't like it, so my buns go "ccghtt" (gesturing with both hands clinching) "You mean your buns tighten up?" "Yeah, they get real tight."

Couldn't contain the laughter at that point. So we concluded that she sees someone hurt and feels compassion on their pain and her physiological reaction is to tighten her cheeks. Now that's something I'd not heard before. What a sweetheart.

6/5/2010 - Run for the Roses

Ran the Sherwood 10k Saturday morning. Absolutely perfect weather for a race. Sunny and cool. 8:00 am start time. No excuses. Since I haven't run the 10k distance in the past, I didn't know what to expect, but hoped to beat my previous PR of 6:52 mile splits, which would put me somewhere under 43 minutes overall. I reached those goals, as I finished with 41:21 overall time, running 6:40 mile splits. I'm happy with that. Turns out I was 9th place overall out of 139 participants. But boy, every time I run one of these, I think to myself: "why am I doing this? This is so unpoleasant!" I think, for me, it's the build-up, training, performance and feeling of accomplishment. The overall challenge to see what this body can do. There just seems to be some competitive dude inside me that likes to get out there, push hard through the pain to see what the outcome can be. And hey, I got 3rd in my age division (males 30-39), which was good enough to win a glass and a ribbon. What's better than that?
A really cool thing about this event was that the route ran right behind our house, so Melissa was able to snap these photos while I passed them. You can see Moriah's outstretched hand giving me a high-five in the first shot above. That was a cool moment. Ironically, this was also the moment the guy behind me (who I was trying to KEEP behind me) was able to pass me (you can see him on the road on the right side of the first picture above). C'mon, bro! In front of the family?!? Have you no respect!? I'm celebrating with my kid! I spent the rest of the race trying to catch up to him, but wasn't able to catch 'em. Punk. (kidding)

6/4/2010 - 33rd Birthday

Wow. I'm 33 now. Well...could be worse...guess I could be 34! (kidding, future self reading this wishing I was still 34) The family made a special breakfast complete with Melissa's famous high-protein pancakes and homemade fresh blueberry syrup (awesome). The picture here says it all. They gave me a basketball rebounder I've been wanting (so I can stand there and shoot for hours with minimal ball retrieval). They also got me some clothes and to top it all off, we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. Birthdays are cool, but families are cooler.

5/31/2010 - Oregon Coast trip

We took the family out to the coast for the memorial day weekend. Stayed in a condo at “Otter Crest” (in between Depoe Bay and Newport) for 3 nights and really enjoyed the Oregon coast in a different way than I ever have. It’s usually a quick day trip or an overnight campout when I head to the coast, so it was cool to spend a fair amount of time there, especially with the family together. The resort had a pool on a cliff overlooking the ocean, so that made it pretty cool.

We swam in the pool, spent time on the beach, went to church in Lincoln City, drove my new SUV out on the beach near Pacific City and even got to try out my new wetsuit in the ocean water. WOW. The wetsuit makes the Oregon beach experience so much more enjoyable. Even though the water is 55 degrees or so, it felt totally comfortable in the wetsuit. Only one problem, though. There was a shark lurking not too far away from me. Literally, you look out and the fin kept circling just a hundred feet or so away. The picture shown here is for real, there was a shark right there! I couldn’t believe it. So, needless to say, I didn’t go out very far and I got out of the water pretty quickly. But I was in just enough to know that having a wetsuit at the Oregon coast is pretty darned cool.
We also got to experience the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. I’ve heard of this place all my life, but had never actually been there. They have done a great job, allowing the public to see sea lions, otters, sharks, etc. Probably the coolest thing there is the shark tunnels. There are 3 of them in the attraction and they do not disappoint. Some of the coolest looking sharks are literally swimming right over your head while you walk through. Really cool. The kids also got to touch some live starfish and other sea creatures. Moriah really wanted to see an alligator, and they had a few, and even one to touch/pet. They had a huge display of reptiles this time, so we saw so many different kinds of snakes that they all started looking similar! I would say the most peculiar creature there (to me, of course) is the jellyfish. What an odd creature. No eyes, no brain, and no central nervous system. But really cool to look at. Just don’t touch!

We had a blast at the coast this weekend. 3 days was just about right. It also reminded how cool the place where we live truly is.

5/22/2010 - Vancouver Lake Mock Triathlon

I was able to run in the 2008 Vancouver Lake mock triathlon put on by the PTC (Portland Triathlon Club). Weather conditions were not encouraging as I drove up to the ‘couv at 6:30 in the morning. Temperature gage stayed right around 44 degrees, meaning hopping into a cold lake (fed by the Columbia River) might not be very pleasant. They did some clinics on each general phase of triathlon (swim, transition, bike, run, nutrition). Well done and well worth the time. So, then it was time to dawn the wetsuit and hop in the water. The skies were threatening rain, but not much had really fallen yet. Did a mini warm-up in the water and it was time to rock.

SWIM: As we began, I was reminded how different race day is from training doing laps in the pool at the gym. I was toward the front of the pack, so there was a lot of body contact (arms and legs hitting each other, people swimming over other swimmers, etc). I was glad it wasn’t a real race, and I was also glad I did it because it reminded me of what to prepare for on race day. In the water, I also had some minor ‘panic’ type moments. Not severe enough to actually stop swimming, but I definitely found myself constantly popping my head out of the water to take in my bearings and assess the best path where I would not be hitting other swimmers’ bodies. I really never found that path until the end, so I ended up very uncomfortable and really felt like I was in ‘survival mode’ most of the time. Even though this was a very short swim (600 yard or so), I just didn’t want to imagine going on for a longer distance. I don’t think the panic was due to cold temperature, although that must have had some affect on me. I think it was just the overall banging into other swimmers and trying to sight where I was trying to go. Basically, all of the technique stuff I’ve been working on: out the window. It was survival time. It made me very inefficient, but I stayed alive and got out of the water ready to tackle the bike. All-in-all, the swim was rough, but very good to have experienced to prep me for future races.

BIKE: As we got out of the water and transitioned to bike gear, I found myself dizzy, which is very unusual for me. Interesting, even in a mock situation, the adrenaline is pumping and the body is trying to adjust after being in the water. Once I was on the bike, the rain began…and I mean it started to pour. One great thing: I was borrowing a friends road bike (not my mtn. bike), so I felt lightning fast. Since this was not a timed event, I had one simple way of gauging my progress: how many people passed me, and how many people I pass. I can happily say not one person passed me, but I passed many folks on the bike. I think the rain conditions made people a little more tentative, so I was able to make up some ground. I really enjoyed the bike leg, as it was a beautiful setting on a country road next to the Columbia river. Very flat, and I felt like I was flying since I was on a bike much faster than my mtn. bike (which I love, btw – but is not made for road racing).

RUN: The run was a nice combo of trail and country road setting, and relatively uneventful for me. I tried to count the folks ahead of me and I believe I finished around ninth or so overall in the sprint distance. My stopwatch read 1 hour, 26 minutes at the finish. Nice thing was, after the bike leg, the sun came out, so the group had a nice BBQ lunch set up for us at the finish. The photo shown here is one of the BBQ’ers cursing the rain during the event, but it turned out to be pretty nice in the end. Unfortunately, they had to set up during the worst weather. Interestingly, the rain hit hard again as I drove home, so it would seem the clouds parted for some nice sun just for us.

This was a really cool event and I look forward to participating in the future. A great way to start out the triathlon season.

5/11/2010 - Gender ultrasound

Baby’s gender ultrasound was today. With 4 older sisters, we’re gonna have a…BOY! Yup, we saw his business all up in there. We’re excited about the little fella on the way. We had all the girls with us at the ultrasound event and they were all happy talking about their little brother growing inside mommy. They’ve really wanted to have a brother. That’s why this caught me a bit off guard, too: I had the 3 oldest in the car with me and said; “Are you guys excited to have a little brother?!” They said yes, but Moriah had a scowl on her face. I asked what’s wrong and she says: “Your gonna love him more than all of us girls.” Woah…didn’t expect that one right away. I explained that I’ve been excited when we found out each of our little ones on the way. Girls are special to me, and especially because Heavenly Father has sent His special daughters to our home. Very special. I think she gets it, but she’s thinking, man. Always thinking. So, we’ll have to be sensitive about the excitement level. And it’s true: I’ve been psyched about all our girls. The boy news just means it’s a slightly different kind of journey for us.

So, they all have different opinions about boy names. Here’s how it shakes down:
Emery: Charles William
Moriah: Dylan
Brooke: Jeffery

Mommy and daddy have their own name ideas, too. I haven’t even revealed mine to anyone yet. Thought it would jinx the process, so I’ll probably hold out a bit longer. We thought this day wouldn’t come. Wow.

3/18/2010 - Hornings Hideout

Last March Grandma and Grandpa Pearson were in town, so we took a family trip to Horning's Hideout, a family-friendly joint located in the hills northwest of the Portland area. They have a lake with paddleboats and fishing as well as frisbee golf and mountain biking trails. The highlight of the day was catching a salamander. Moriah loved this thing so much she named it Sally... She's holding it in the picture here.

Now, put Sally back in the water, sweetheart.

Stinky fish

Emery made a great point yesterday. I'm fixing some tuna for the family and Moriah says: "Yuk. What stinks?" I explained it was tuna for lunch and she was cool with it. Then Emery pipes in: "Of course it's stinky. Tuna is from fish. Everything from fish is stinky." She has a point.

5/6/2010 - hangin with siblings

My sister and brother paid a visit to town Thursday afternoon. Since they don't live in the Portland area anymore, we wanted to get some views of the city. It was actually pretty cool to go all around downtown and look for cool views of the skyline. We ended up at the Merrick (photo above) as well as the Burnside bridge, Vista bridge, eastside esplanade (photo below) and the aerial tram. All were pretty cool, but just spending a few hours with my bro and sis was cool in itself.

5/8/2010 - Lake Run

It's amazing...the voices that visit your head when you're running a tough race. But that's for later in the post. The 34th annual Lake Run came 'round again this weekend. It's a 12k run around Oswego Lake and is known as a very hilly course (brutal). My sister Abbie and I have created a tradition of this event, and this year was great. We tend to run at our own pace(s), so this time we consciously did not run together at all and would just meet up at the end. Last time I ran it, I placed 72nd overall out of 751 runners with a time of 54:03, running 7:15 mile splits. My goal for this year's race was to place in the top 50 overall, finish under 53 minutes and even shoot for mile splits under 7:00. All attainable, I thought. However, I ran the exact course during training last week and was a little surprised that I came in at 58 minutes flat. I wasn't sure what to make of that. Can I really improve by 5 minutes just based on the adrenaline and competition of race day?

Well, as the horn sounded and the race began, I felt great and trotted right along. Then the first hill came... I pushed through it. A great part about the course is that it runs through many of the neighborhoods I roamed while growing up. Fun to see some of the old personal landmarks, etc.

However, it's amazing how many demons visit my head during competition. "You can't run this hard all the way." "Maybe you're not as good as you think you are." "This is really hard, you should probably take it easy." "This hill is steep...Walk for a bit." "What are you doing here? You're not a runner. You can't hang with these guys." All kinds of thoughts (negative and positive) roll through my mind as I'm going. I want the nay-sayers to go away, but it's so easy to start doubting...and even strong consideration of giving up. At least I would have an excuse, right? Just say I was pushing too hard and my body said "stop". Well, I know my body too well, and I know what I can handle, and I wasn't gonna to give in to the demons. Yeah, it'll hurt tomorrow...but I'll know I gave it my all. Nearing the finish line, I could see I was going to hit my targets. Should I ease up for the final stretch? No, of course not. I want to make my best time. So I started striding harder. Then I noticed a dude in a blue shirt passing me. I definitely didn't like that, especially since I was hitting it hard right then. So, I dug deep [...REAL deep] and sprinted as hard as possible. Man did it hurt. But somehow it strangely feels good. I just can't explain it. He saw me turn on the afterburners and it was on. We both sprinted as hard as possible all the way to the finish. After crossing (he did beat me, but barely), through the pain we managed to smile and high-five as we panted for any morsel of oxygen we could find.

My time? 51:12 with 6:53 splits. 32nd place out of 808 runners. I feel very good about that race. Abbie also acheived her goals and paced/placed better than last time. We were both happy with our performance. Could I do it again? Yeah, probably. Can I improve on that time? Maybe, but I'm not positive it'll be by much. I really hit it hard. I feel good that I gave it my all and beat my goals soundly. I also discovered that I'm an uphill guy. I like to push hard up the hills and end up passing some people. But then, down the hills and on the flats I'm getting passed by the same folks. Hhmm. Gotta work on my downhill/flat game.

A good start to the race season. As I write this the next day, my legs are SO sore. Walking down the stairs is particularly painful. It's primarily sore calf muscles, but I've also never had ankle pain like this after an event. New aches! Aging is a real drag, man. I have a few more races this year including a mock triathlon in 2 weeks, a 10k in June and I'll compete in my first olympic distance triathlon in July. Why do I do this? Well, I guess it keeps me motivated. The energy of raceday is great, too. I suppose the sense of accomplishment and overall competitive outlet are major factors. But when you're this sore after a race, it's hard to imagine competing again!