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).