7/10/2009: Coldplay concert

Melissa and I had been looking forward to the Coldplay concert since purchasing the tickets back in February. And the show was no disappointment. These guys really know how to put on a concert. We were in the rear of the “covered area” (lawn seating behind us), and had a decent view. But, after a few songs, the whole band made their way up to a mid-crowd stage right next to our section. So, we got to see them perform a few songs right in front of us. Later, they made their way all the way up to a small stage in the lawn area. It was really cool. While up there, as a tribute to Michael Jackson, they busted out their cover of “Billy Jean”. The show was a blast. Melissa and I have similar music tastes (well, okay, she’s not into some of the hip-hop, I’m not so in to the country and what not), so going to concerts for groups that we both like is a real treat. Every time we do it, I’m reminded that we really should go more often.

7/4/2009: Champoeg camping & fireworks at home

On July 3rd, we went camping in a Yurt at Champoeg state park. It was cool because we went with some friends and just had a nice, laid-back time. We set up a badminton net and had some fun with that, too. Family biking is definitely the focal point for us when we go to Champoeg. So, on Saturday morning we headed out on a family ride. We did the 4-mile loop to “Butteville” (an original settler town) and back. The kids are growing up and able to ride better and better each time we go for a ride. It’s fun to track their progress.

For the 4th of July celebration, we headed home and enjoyed fireworks with neighbors in our street. Man, legal fireworks are just so boring. So we started lighting multiple fireworks at a time. It actually became entertaining. At one point, my neighbor and I decided we would try to light 6 big ones together – at once. As they were all going, I ran around the inferno with both fists in the air. Now that’s what the patriots and founding fathers were talking about!

6/27/2009: Trip to Sisters, OR

We had the opportunity to head to the town of Sisters in central Oregon for the weekend. Melissa’s cousin invited us to join them in a family-owned vacation home there. On Saturday morning we ventured out for a short hike to see the “riverhead” of a local river (natural spring). Then we headed down to the fish hatchery. There are so many fish in this little place. Fun to throw food to them and watch ‘em swarm. After a nice picnic and walk around the pond, we re-loaded the cars and headed to “Scout Lake” for some swimming fun. It is a nice little lake for summer swimming like this. However…yikes there were a lot of rocks on the bottom. Sheesh. Walking without water shoes was a bad idea. I was also able to do some open-water swimming training for the triathlon coming up. It was nice to do so in such a pristine place. Oregon has lots of hidden treasures. Thanks, Pearsons, for a great weekend!

6/16/2009: Emery turns 9!

Emery had an “un-birthday” this year. This means that every other year she has a regular, big party. On the odd years, it’s a more informal, small celebration with family and maybe a friend or two. So, this year, she decided she would take her sisters and a couple friends to a movie. We also went to Red Robin after. It was fun to have a simple little celebration. She was happy and we all had a fun time. I can’t believe she is NINE!

6/10/2009: Moriah’s Kindergarten graduation

Hard to believe our kids are growing up. Moriah’s kindergarten graduation/celebration was another reminder for me that we only have finite time with them as youngsters in our home. They are changing every time I turn around. Congratulations, MoMo. Now, stay small…at least for a while! It feels like it’s going so fast.

6/4/2009: My 32nd birthday

Yup, I got just a little bit older on June 4th. Of course, we all get “just a little older” every day. But birthdays just compound it by acknowledging the process. The family was good to me. The plan was to take me to “Bullwinkles” in Wilsonville and enjoy some batting cages, bumper boats, etc. However, as we pulled into Wilsonville, a bizarre, freak storm was forming an ominous wall in the sky. All kinds of strange wind and raining started pelting the area. So, they closed the outdoor activities and we decided to go bowling. It was actually a lot of fun. We bowled, then headed to a new BBQ restaurant to try out the grub. Did I mention I love BBQ!?! Overall, it was a perfect birthday experience for me. Hanging with the family and eating some great grub. Not bad…for an old guy!

5/25/2009: Memorial day: Lake Run with Abbie (and hoop up!)

My sister Abbie and I have begun what we hope is a long tradition of running the Lake Run every year. The official date for it this year was May 9th. Since that was the same date we needed to be in Texas for our sister’s wedding, we decided to do the run ourselves on a different date. So, their family made it down to town on Memorial Day weekend and Abbie and I went and ran the lake course together. I tell you what, that sister of mine is a warrior. She had some foot cramping problems, but persevered and got it done. I was impressed. I was also able to secure the t-shirts from the official run, so we each got a shirt from our tradition. Hopefully we’ll continue the tradition each year. It’s a very hilly course and pretty tough for a 12k. A good challenge.

Also, their family was super-kind and helped me install my new hoop in the driveway. I mentioned that the mailman knocked the previous one down in January. It was a long, frustrating process to fight getting the post office to assist in making it right. The battle bore no fruit. However, I was able to secure a much nicer hoop at a rock-bottom price due to a local sporting goods retailer (“G.I. Joes”, rest their soul…I loved that place) going out of business. I bought it a few weeks earlier, but hadn’t figured out how I would actually install the thing. I was able to borrow the heavy-duty cement drill from a kind neighbor. When the Finks came to town, I lucked out with them (with their strong teenage boys) being willing to help put the hoop up. Long story short, they took the time to help and we got to play a great inaugural game of hoops on the new system. We played old dudes (myself and Jonathan) vs. the young guys (teenage nephews Jake and Adam). These guys can ball, man. It looked like they were gonna put us away, but I think our old-dude pride kicked in and we came back from “a bunch” behind and won the game by 1 point. It was really fun for that to be my first memory with the new hoop. It was really cool of them to spend some of their vacation time helping me with a not-so-fun project like that. Family. Gotta love it.