A Year of Change

Alright, it doesn’t really bother me but a lot of people just can’t handle the cold. Right now here at the house, it’s 10 below zero. My theory is you can always warm up but you can’t always cool off! Anyhow I do like the beach too but right now, the cold is ok with me.

Lori is still upstairs all snuggled up in the covers at 7:20 which is about the latest she’s slept in in months. Ben spent the night so all three boys are sleeping too and Mojo is at my feet resting as well after his breakfast.

We made it down from the mountains with no trouble. It didn’t really snow on the way at all. Looks like we picked up an inch or two last night but that’s about it. I’m thinking of going pheasant hunting tomorrow but will probably wait until the weekend.

Lori insisted that I have a cake yesterday so after we picked it up we stopped by my Mom’s and Tom and Ali’s who generously had a few gifts for me. The boys went with Ben and his brother and dad to see the new Hobbit movie so Lori and I took advantage of the free time to go pick up some great Mexican food downtown.

I have a bunch of work to do today to get ready for the New Year and Lori is going in to her office for a few hours to get a jump on things as well.

The high today is going to be around zero here at the house and could be 20 below at our house tonight. Then a gradual warm up over the next few days to about 40 degrees. Hope that holds until a week from Sunday for the Bronco playoff game!

I’m baking the boys some cinnamon rolls so I’d better run and get ready to go to the gym. In about 40 hours from right now it’ll be 2015! Hard to believe as it sounds so futuristic. That’s it for the day, take care and God Bless.

Well I made it through another year. I’m a pretty lucky guy with a great wife and two great boys. On top of that the rest of my family is close and healthy and I have a job which is more than a lot of people can say these days. I’ll skip politics today (am trying to lay off for the rest of the year) but things aren’t as rosy as they’d have you believe. Anyhow I’m incredibly thankful for everything I have in my life and take nothing for granted. (you shouldn’t either!)

It’s snowy and cold in the mountains and I think in Denver as well starting today. The Bronco’s won and we have a first round bye, whoo hoo! Jagger has an 8:15 doctors appointment here in Vail this morning and I’m hoping/praying he can lose the cast.

After that Ty and I are going to hit the slopes. Yesterday I thought we were but Lori and I did an early morning 10K on cross country skis again as he didn’t want to go out in the blowing snow. We were much faster on our second day but I did have a funny fall. You know what they say, if you don’t fall, you’re not trying hard enough, so there.

I think we’re coming home tomorrow to beat the really cold temperatures as it’s supposed to be 10 below in Denver. I’d also like to get a jump on the New Year meaning clean up my office a bit.

Guess that’s it, time to run, hope all’s well, God Bless you all.

First off just let me say, it’s a lot harder than it looks. After a few minutes you want to start shedding layers of clothes as you’re dripping with sweat. Then you stop for a second as your heart is beating so fast that you need a break and you start to get cold! Throw in losing your balance once or twice (fortunately only once!) and then trying to get up with what seems like two 6 foot long, 2 inch wide sticks on your feet, and there you have it, the wonderful sport of cross country skiing!

Now believe it or not, we loved it! It was such a workout that I was sore during the workout! As soon as I got home I jumped right in the shower to cool down like a race horse that had just run the Kentucky Derby. Lori too liked it but didn’t break much of a sweat which really pissed me off as I workout every day and she hasn’t done any cardio in years! On top of that as we all know, she’s a perfect 10 meaning she can look great on even the worst of days. That’s what I get for marrying such a catch, a lifetime of being the second hottest person of the couple! Oh wait, quick update, it seems Lori’s lower back is soooo sore she can barely breathe! Woo Hoo! (just kidding, hope her back’s ok)

Today Ty and I are headed for the slopes early before the game. While I’m gone I think the boys and Lori are going to a movie. Sure hope the Bronco’s win.

Time to run so we can get on the slopes by 8am and done by 10. It’s snowing lightly up here so we’ll need to beat. The early bird gets the fresh powder! God Bless.

Last night we loaded up the kids and dog and headed for the hills. It was snowing hard in Denver and we actually had a brief break while driving up to the mountains. However by the time we hit Frisco it was coming down hard again and continued all the way into Vail.

Early in the morning Lori and I ran to the mall to exchange and return a few gifts. Thanks to the snow in Denver, that was still coming down strong, we beat the crowds. We arrived by 8:30 or so and were on our way home within an hour.

Ty went to Vinny’s at 2pm while we packed what we needed to take along. We picked him up a bit after 3 and were off.

Today I think Lori and I are going cross country skiing and then will get the boys up and moving for a hike or something. It’s cold up here, like 2 degrees or something and the highs will be in the teens and the lows a few degrees below zero for the next few days.

Tomorrow I’m leaving everyone up here and going to the football game with some friends from Vail and then driving back up after the game. I have lots of friends that drive down every week so it’s nothing for them and I’m just going to let them drive so Lori has the car.

Jagger has a doctor appointment up here at 8:15 Monday and hopefully he’ll be losing his cast soon.

Eleanor commented yesterday, thanks! Regarding Bob’s obituary, it’ll be up probably next week. Lori searched through a bunch of pictures and then had to mail them to Dixie as we couldn’t get the right resolution on the computer as they were so old. I think in March we’re flying out as a family and will have a memorial service. We’ll let everyone know as soon as we set a date. Lori joked that if there’s no obituary, her dad’s not really gone! That’s one way to deal with it. Anyhow we hope you (Eleanor) are doing ok. I’m sure this is not easy on you either as the holidays are an especially tough time for this sort of thing.

Time to run, Mojo wants to go chase some deer or something. Hope everyone is well, take care and God Bless.

Well, you guessed it, our kids are spoiled. That’s ok though, with all that’s going on in this World, we’re ok with that. Besides they’re really not that spoiled and overall are really great young men. Plus it’s enjoyable as parents to see your kids so happy.

After we finished up at home we all headed up to my Mom’s for some more fun. 3 or 4 hours later we loaded up and headed home. It was a nice time but I feel bad as everyone blows in like a storm and then leaves just as quickly leaving my Mom all alone. We cooked a prime rib roast and I took some dinner back up to her around 6pm. It was starting to snow around 3 or so, so after leaving her house, I ran to the car wash to fill up the car and wash the suburban. I finished just in time as it snowed hard until about 9:30 when I decided to go out and shovel the driveway and walk.

This morning Lori and I are headed to the mall for the 8am opening. We hope to get in and out and be back home by a bit after 9am. I think, weather permitting, we’ll head for the mountains then to go skiing. I have some work to do which I must get done so that’s on the agenda as well.

So it was a great Christmas as usual. Everyone had a great time and now it’s time to start gearing up for the new year. Hard to believe 2015 is right around the corner. I remember sitting on a beach with my beautiful wife on December 31st, 1999 in Seattle. Wow how time flies.

That’s it people, get out and take a brisk walk today to work off some of those cookies and egg nog! Until tomorrow, God Bless.

It’s here, Christmas Day 2014. And yes, Santa Claus had come! Now before we get to the morning festivities, let’s visit the night before Christmas.

After a day full of rushing here and there, we finally were home together and began to get ready for our dinner. It was around 5:30 or so when Tom, Ali and Grandma showed up. Lori had been slaving away in the kitchen for what seemed like days, putting the finishing touches on dinner a dinner worthy of the finest restaurant. First up was lobster bisque followed by filet mignon with jumbo shrimp, accompanied by asparagus in lemon and butter with a great salad salad full of fresh baby lettuces with goat cheese and apples. Toss in some bread and my Mom’s 3 bean salad and we were set. We all ate so much we didn’t even get to the cherry pie.

Meanwhile our street outside was lined with luminaries or paper bags with sand and a lit candle. This has been an annual tradition on our street for over 10 years with every house taking part. I had started a campfire in the fire pit to keep us warm when outside and after dinner stoked it up again. We managed to get my Mom to come out front to enjoy the fire and then her and Lori and Jagger walked over to our neighbors of 50 years, the Rossi’s, who live across the street. They must have visited for an hour or so which was really nice while Tom, Ali, Ty and I were at the fire. Finally around midnight, err I mean 8:50pm, it was time to wind it down. But trust me, it felt like midnight.

Luckily I managed to get all the dishes pretty much done last night so we don’t have to deal with that mess this morning. It’s almost 8am and the fire is on and the kids have opened their stockings and Mojo is walking around all proud with his new squeaky stuffed elephant in his mouth. Our favorite movie, The Christmas Story, about a dysfunctional but loving family with two boys (hmm) in the late 50’s or early 60’s is on tv as it is every Christmas. It plays over and over from 6pm Christmas Eve until 6pm Christmas Day every year. I used to make my dad watch it and would point out the funny parts as I could repeat every single word verbatim.

Well time to run as the kids are getting restless and I need to get a cup of coffee and some breakfast down before the action begins. It was a great night with the family and could only be bested by having the rest of you here. So Merry Christmas to you all, we love and miss you all. It was a good night and I’m sure will be a good day. It’s a special time of year as it seems all people have that certain glow and kindness you don’t normally see. I think all people have these qualities inside but it takes Christmas to bring it out in everyone at the same time which is a special thing!

God Bless and Happy Birthday to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we’ll call later today.

Well it’s here, arrived pretty fast didn’t it. This time tomorrow, (depending on what time you’re reading this) we’ll be knee deep in wrapping paper and gifts. My greatest pleasure is making everyone else happy and seeing them open their presents. I’m at the point in my life where it really is better to give than to receive. Lori is always so worried about me not getting anything and there’s nothing I can do to convince her that I really don’t care.

Sure I’d like a few things,(new car, million bucks, expensive binoculars, new suit, etc.) who doesn’t, but the real joy is getting her and the boys things they would never ever expect to get. The greater the surprise, the more fun for me and the more I want to get it. Pretty sick huh?

Lori works until about noon and I’ll run a few errands and then we’re all going to church at 5. After that we’ll get to cooking as my Mom, Tom and Ali are coming over. I need to check my timing to make sure I can do everything and still go to church. They have an 11pm service but we’re hopefully asleep by then.

Yesterday was busy busy busy. The house is clean awaiting our guests tomorrow and yes the stockings are hung by the chimney, or fireplace, with care, so we’re pretty much ready.

Time to get to the gym, hope you all are well, take care and God Bless, ho ho ho!

Well, here we go, Christmas is coming. We’re now down to counting hours, not days. This morning I’m off at 6:45 to the distributor and then will be at the grocery store at 7:30 when it opens. Hopefully I’ll be home by 8:30 or so and have all put away by 9. Then I’m off up north to Cabela’s and an appointment which should put me home sometime around 11am.

By then Elvia will be here cleaning the house, which really doesn’t make much sense as I always have to clean the house to get ready for Elvia to clean our house, hmmm. Anyhow she does a great job on the kitchen, bathrooms and other stuff I don’t really get to. It’s more of a deep cleaning.

Yesterday Jag woke up with a fever and by the time Mom arrived home she had a sore throat herself. We all took Mom lunch at her office yesterday to give her a lift. After that I left the boys at home and ran out for some wrapping paper. That took about 45 minutes! This afternoon I’ll need to put that to use and wrap some stuff still waiting to be put under the tree.

Tomorrow Lori will work until noon and I’ll start getting the dinner going. It should be a good meal. Of course we have church at 5pm I think, before the festivities begin. Throw in some logistical issues I’m dealing with in Italy and a patient or two at Lori’s work who ignored Dr. Rodgers instructions (probably requiring emergency surgery today) and we’re just trying to get through the next 36 hours ourselves.

So hope you all are ready, it’ll come and go fast, take care and remember, God Bless!

Yesterday Lori and I headed out for some Christmas shopping and during the course of the day we didn’t realize that we would encounter would seem like two different Worlds. First off we drove down to Cherry Creek which is an affluent shopping center of sorts with Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and so on. We valet parked and headed in to a crowded but orderly and polite mass of people. Everyone was so nice, even though you could tell people were rushed. After a good hour plus we loaded up and headed out for some lunch.

Next stop was Colorado Mills, a mega mall out by us, for some wrapping paper at Target and a few last minute toys for the boys. We turned into the mall and bam, it was gridlock. We’d never seen so many cars clogging up every single road within the mall. We knew right away we had to get out of there. There was a noticeable difference between the people, both in cars and on foot. In cars, no one would let anyone else in. It’s as if they were all purposely nudging their car ahead in the roundabouts and not making eye contact so other cars could’t get in. The people walking in and out of the mall looked like they were all on welfare or just came out of the DMV. It took us a good 15 minutes just to work our way in so we could turn around and then another 15 plus to try to get out. Mind you, we didn’t even get out of our car. This was just us trying to get out of the mess in the parking lot. I made a few advanced moves and worked my way up to the movie theater and using my best italian driving skills, cut in here and there to get out or we might still be there! When we finally were making our way down the street we drove in on we looked up and saw a truck we were behind (before I took charge) that hadn’t moved an inch.

Now some might say that this mall was just more crowded but proportionally for the number of stores, the number of cars and people seemed the same. What was different was the behavior of the people and surely this directly coincided with the income level of the people. No two ways about it. The more affluent were more polite, nicer and more orderly while the welfare crowd was (and sorry to stereotype but stereotypes come from somewhere) was rude, out of shape, (yes there were lots of fat people), poorly dressed (you can still be poor and take pride in what you wear!) and overall seemed angry. You could definitely tell there was also a difference in the education of each group of people.

So this was like a big sociology study on people. I know there were educated people in the Mills crowd and uneducated in the affluent but the majority of each was as described. We’ve always had this in society but what was noticeable this year was just how much more the divide was. I’m not one for socialism or income equality (forced or distributed by the govt) but it was right there in front of your face and undeniable. The second crowd was also more of a dangerous place to be, you could just feel it. Anyhow rather than focusing on the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer, I think we need to focus on the root of why, which seems on the surface to be education and second but not as obvious, having a strong 2 parent family unit. It was sad to see but from a parents standpoint, you want to make sure your kids are in the first group! This means a good education and trying to hang with the right people. Too many kids these days (and you can even see it now in the boys schools) are already going one way or another, mostly based on the environment or family unit that they come from. That’s why being a good parent is so important.

Today, we’re going to spend a little money we don’t really have, and make sandwiches for the homeless people and take them downtown and hand them out. Up first is some phone calls for me and work for Lori. Ty spent the night at the infamous Vinny’s, and Lori and I wrapped some presents. Aunt Robi, you need to watch for a couple of things arriving Wednesday and so do Dixie and Don. Annette, yours is coming after Christmas as Lori says you’re in Seattle.

Time to run, hope all’s well, take care and God Bless.

Oh my God, 4 days until Christmas, Whoa Nelly. (that’s an old expression to make a horse stop in case you don’t know, not sure it ever really worked unless the horses name was Nelly) Today we’re off to church and then we need to try, somehow, to get some shopping done.

We drove down from the mountains last night to beat the storm. Before we left I noticed water leaking on the inside wall in the garage, super. It was from all the snow on the roof. Oh well, I’ll get the homeowners association over their on Monday. Thankfully the snow and cold temps will freeze it today, hopefully.

Ty and I made it to the top of the mountain yesterday. It was cold and snowy and a long long way down the mountain. After the 2 hour trip we decided to have lunch and called Lori and Jag to join us. A glass of wine and a few hot chocolates later and everyone was warmed up.

Last night Lori and I watched a movie while the boys played together well upstairs. I’m glad we came down last night so Lori can have one more day of rest. She sure deserves it and trust me, she can use it! She’s been so busy that she really hasn’t had time to get in the Christmas spirit and when I think about it, neither have we. We’ll need to dive all in now that the boys are out of school. Lori has work Monday, Tuesday and a half day Wednesday so there you have it, time to get busy.

Hope you all are well, enjoy the next 4 days as it’ll be gone before you know it, take care and God Bless.