Snow fort again

Went out and played on the deck again today... We made a little tunnel in it, and for about 10 minutes it was the most amazing fun thing Sydney had ever seen! Oh the squeals...

Even before it was big enough for her she dove in face-first (and got snow everywhere) and tried to burrow through.

No fear... and loves the outside, that little girl.

Mornings in Colorado

This picture (as always) completely does not do this justice... but the sunrises here in Colorado take my breath away almost every morning.

It actually looks about 10,000x times better than this in person. Breathtaking.

Beethoven's 9th playing in my head... arms raise and spirit lifts... I feel so alive here. Every single sunrise feels like the opportunity to start anew... to create... to breathe... and to be a part of something more vast and more purposeful.

I wish I could get a picture that really captures what this is like.

Pura Vida ... pure life.

iTV

This is why I believe Apple could be developing a TV.

Mess o' cables... Setting thus up? PITA Adding a new device? PITA. Moving, etc? PITA.

Refilled the well

Woo hoo! Finally got out and had some fun in the Colorado mountains!

It's been an unusually non-snowy winter so far; that's been great for easing Melissa into Colorado, but of course not the best for snow-play.

Still, the in-laws are here for a visit, so it was time to get out and give it a go, lack of powder be damned... and it was a friggin' blast!

Bonus: since it was a weekday (nice to have a flexible "job"), and since there was no recent snow (just a decent groomed base) we pretty much had the place to ourselves. No lines at all, and wide open slopes.

The views from the top of the mountain (10,800 feet) were positively stunning. Every time we got up to the top you would hear the "hallelujah" chorus playing in your head and feel a tear coming on... there is just so much beauty here.

Of course I was unbelievably rusty after 5 years off (damn you, Raleigh)... in fact I crashed at least once on every single run except for the last one, so of course today I'm sore all over. Still, by the end of the day it was all coming back to me. I stopped having to think about every little move I was making, it's an awesome feeling when you can feel the mountain through your toes and somehow your thoughts take you whichever way you want to go.

Getting out and doing things like this makes me feel alive again. I always forget how much of a difference adventure makes to my soul. Today I feel like a whole new person -- I can take on the world.

It's not a "new year's resolution" but you better believe I'm gonna be getting outside and climbing/hiking/boarding/snowshoeing/cross-country-skiing a lot more this year. Nothing like a day off my ass to remind me what's important.

So long 2011, 2012 is gonna rock!

So like everyone, it seems, I'm thinking back on 2011, and trying to create my vision for an amazing 2012.

And for those of you who feel that marking some arbitrary place in the orbit of the planet as a time to reflect, celebrate, and start anew is silly... I say to you with all due respect: suck it.



2011 brought a few big changes...

• We now have a 15-month old running around. There's a world of difference between the 3-month old baby that we started the year with and the rambunctious, opinionated, stubborn, sweet, inquisitive, smart, and thoroughly enjoyable toddler that currently owns our household. But wow.

• Left my job of 11 years. While it was time to move on, starting from absolute zero again is tough. It's been a crazy six months of "post-WebAssign" life... and I think there has been some great growth and self-discovery. I got the chance to really sit down and mull: What do I want to do when I grow up? What am I good at? What am I passionate about? Still a journey, but it's something I don't think I would have done if I was still at WebAssign.

• Moved the family to Colorado. I love it here, but again this ain't easy. Moving is truly a pain in the a$$; moving cross-country is slightly worse; and moving with a child just adds to the fun and games. We miss things from Raleigh... mostly the people, but also some of our favorite hangouts and activities. The possibilities here are tantalizing, but just like with the new career we're starting out from zero and need to figure out a whole new world. Really, though, the opportunity for adventure and crafting new memories far outweighs the downside.

So what does 2012 look like in my mind?

• Another little girl heading our way around May 4. Just when we thought we had things under control... and this time we'll have Sydney around as well. I'll be outnumbered 3-1 here, and may have to take emergency steps to stay sane. ;)

• Building a business! At least giving it a serious whack. More to come on that.

• Exploring Colorado. I want to try to get out at least once every 2 weeks; whether that's snowboarding, hiking, climbing... we're living in the shadow of some amazing mountains and it's time to go enjoy them.

• Sound Body = Happier. Holy crap I need to get back in shape. Seriously; I've taken a couple of steps backwards in the fitness section of my "impossible list". Will phase back into it, but the goal is 5 days per week of doing something for the body; hopefully most of those will be fun activities. Have some ideas on how to eat a bit healthier and still enjoy it, too...

• Building Skillz. Hoping to dedicate one evening per week to improving my graphic design, UX, and programming abilities. Because I want to.

• More art. Want to create much more often... writing, sketching, building... no reason I shouldn't write something every single day.

• Staying Connected. Couple of trips to Raleigh... and more thoughtful use of Skype, Facebook, and other ways of remaining in touch with the people we care about.

• One Big New Adventure. Don't know what it is yet... but I intend to give it some serious thought. Life's too short to not build amazing memories every year.

So what about you? What are you going to do in 2012 that you're excited about?

"My Seat!"

So this is now where Sydney likes to have her bottles. Every time.

I feel like she's going to be heartbroken when we take the seat away to install it in the car.

Cardboard box FTW!

Because when you get a box like this, *not* making a fort would be criminal.