Red Bull: Ride The Sky 2.

A buddy of mine who owns Spoke - n - Sport in Sioux Falls, was lucky enough to be one of 50 participants to race in the Red Bull: Ride The Sky 2. It is a mile long mountain bike race through the sky walks of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.

The race started on the north end of downtown in the Lowry Building and ended in the Union Depot at the south end of downtown. In between the two points were over a mile of twists, turns and obstacles.

The footage below is off of Chad's helmet cam.



The footage below is of some guy hucking himself off some stairs into a wall.



Midwesterners will find anything to break the boredom of winter!

Cabin Fever...

The boys (aka. Arctic Monkeys) will do anything and just about everything to keep themselves entertained and into mischief during this long winter.

The latest is Brecken bobsledding in one of Maxim's toy totes.

Brecken dumps out the toys and climbs in, and then waits for his "sled dog" Maxim to push him around on the wood floor.

Most moms would go insane seeing their precious wood floor being used as a psudo-Antartic playground, but in the picture you can see Steph is laughing right along with me.

It must be time for Spring, because we are all getting a little Cabin Fever, but with the big STORM OF THE YEAR on it's way, we will have a few more weeks before winter starts it's placid fading.

I'm glad I'm not the Spokesperson for Weatherford Electric.

Printing mistake -- blamed for billion dollar electric bills

WEATHERFORD, Texas — Some people in Weatherford got (B) billion-dollar scares this week when they opened their electric bills.
Richard Redden's bill said he owed more than 24 (B) billion dollars.
Pam Pearson with Weatherford Electric says the Reddens and nearly 14-hundred other customers this week received erroneous late notices.
Pearson told the Weatherford Democrat that a printing company made a mistake.
Pearson says customers who received the inaccurate bills will get the correct ones later this month -- and won't face any late fees.
Meanwhile, Redden says he guesses his family shouldn't have run the heater quite so much.
Weatherford is about 20 miles west of Fort Worth.


February 21, 2007 - 3:19 p.m. CSTCopyright 2007, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press

My Home In Montana

I spend quite a few days in Montana and the numbers will go up this year, because of a new project I am working on. When I am in Butte I stay at the Hampton Inn, and it is one of the reasons I almost always stay at Hampton Inn Hotels when I travel for business or pleasure.

Last night when I checked in, I got this feeling like...ohhhh yeah I'm home for the night. After a good workout, a buddy and I grabbed some food at a local pizza spot, was given some fresh baked cookies and milk at the front desk, and I laid down at around 9:30 pm MST, I woke up at 5:30 MST and had no idea where I was. Then I was worried that Brecken hadn't woke me up last night with his crying for "ba-ba...ma-ma, ba-ba". Then there was this noise that I was trying to figure out, which turned out to be the blower fan for the heater in my room.

Honestly, it took me a good 30 seconds to figure out I was in Butte, Montana in the Hampton!

Then I felt sorry for Steph, she most likely didn't sleep through the night and Maxim probably didn't go to bed until 11:30 pm. I felt so awake and rested this morning I didn't even go back to bed.

I promise you, Steph...when I get home I will get up with Brecken all night on Thursday night. That way you can enjoy one night of full sleep, a mommy deserves that.

Last night I ran 3 miles before I lifted...I forget how much the altitude affects your ability to process oxygen! The 65+ year old guy next to me must have thought I was going to die...right there on the treadmill. I was begging for more air...and actually had to walk for about 2 minutes to get my legs back under me.

Hopefully tonight I will have acclimated a little bit.

The Lego Translation

What would life be like if little boys didn't have Legos to play with?

I'm quite sure that every mom in America has vacuumed up a few Lego pieces. I loved and still do love playing with Legos. The little bricks might be the best toy of the modern era. I have yet to hear of any negative report that playing with Legos has some crazy side effect.

We have several sets of the blocks at our house...one is a set of "big" blocks, and surprisingly enough, Brecken can put a few together and then tear them apart quite well. Our other sets are of the Star Wars variety.

At least once a week Maxim grabs his tote that is full to the brim with Star Wars Legos and we build "awesome ships" and "super big forts". He hasn't quite figured out the whole direction following concept, so I am the one he looks to to build the things that he sees on the directions. He is a great "free builder" and on occasion he builds some super cool stuff.

He has worn out and lost several direction booklets, and a buddy of mine told me you could download the directions from the Lego Website. So I googled something like "Lego directions" and The Brick Testament was one of the things that came up.

Amazing is one of the words that would describe what Brendan Smith has put together on his website. Smith is the son of a minister and an atheist. He said he wanted to let people know about all of the violence and sex in the Bible that is left out of most pictorial versions of the Bible.

Smith didn't cut any corners on his verse for verse pictorial translation...Goliath's severed head, a nice puddle of blood when a Sabbath breaker got stoned, and a couple of bedroom scenes, one involving an animal.

One forgets how raw the Bible is in parts...even by today's standards, and even when told by a still camera, Lego people and an atheist Lego free-styler with tons of time on his hands.

The Gong Show.

Remember the Gong Show?

I was sick again yesterday afternoon, but I was stuck in a hotel in Pierre, SD. Nothing sucks more than being sick away from your own bed, except for the fact that you get the remote control and cable TV.

Anyway I start watching AMC and there is this movie about Chuck Barris who invented some game shows like The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show. The movie is called Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind.

The movie is based on Barris' autobiography of the same name. He claims that during the time of the Gong Show he was also a secret CIA agent...basically a hit man. Who knew? Even if it was true or not it made a great double life.

I remember watching the Gong Show as a kid and thinking he was soooo cool, with his hats and jokes, how he joked with the Unknown Comic and thinking that he was super funny as well.

Good movie, made you think about that time in American culture, and what was going on in my life...I was like 7 or so. Also made me think of TV today...I think American Idol should be cutting Mr. Barris a check every time their show airs, because that is exactly what their show is with a little different twist.

Crazy the amount of time we spend watching TV and how it shapes our lives. I'm kind of glad we got rid of cable when we moved to the lake...if it wasn't for yesterday's "all day TV bender" I wouldn't know anything of Anna Nicole Smith's death...I'm glad that I am starting to lose touch with what's on TV.

For the record, I did watch Conan The Barbarian as well...forgot how good of a movie that was.

Cable was nice to waste the day, even if I had to be sick to watch a full day of nothing.

Lake Sanford???

T. Denny Sanford dropped $400 million over the weekend to Sioux Valley Hospital....I mean Sanford Health Systems. While in Sioux Falls, Steph worked for the bank TDS owns, it is a great company and there is no wonder why he is successful.

But anyway, since Sioux Valley "requested" the gift, I thought I would give it a shot as well...

T. Denny if you can drop $4 million to me (in our First Premier Bank account) I can see about getting Lake Byron renamed Sanford Lake or Lake Sanford....After all, if Sioux Falls can try to rename Skunk Creek, I'm $ure I could influence $ome local politician$ and county government folk$ to con$ider the change.

We could even somehow incorporate Sanford Health Systems into the mix, like, by claiming that the murky, algae filled waters of the formerly known Lake Byron have some sort of healing powers that fight the evil Herpes Gladiatorum.

We could put your logo in lights in the lake East of Hogsback (which would be renamed to Sanford Ridge), and would make the logo big enough to see from any Google Earth satellite picture.

Let me know what you think Mr. T. Denny...if you aren't interested, that's o.k. I've got a rich uncle in Garden City, Kansas who should be starting his philanthropic efforts in the near future.

Mom...60??? No Way!

My mom turns 60 today. The groundhog shares a special day with my mom!

I'm not feeling very typish today, so I'll keep it short.

My mom is the most incredible person, and if I am half the person she is, I'll be happy.

She raised Sally and I with love, honesty, hard work and a strong faith.

She prays for her children and grandchildren without ceasing.

She beat cancer.

She makes the best O'Henry bars.

She let me and my sister keep our dog in the house...and she doesn't charge for babysitting!

60 seemed old when I was 20...now it's the age of young, beautiful and fun grandmas.

I completely love this picture by the way.

The Sickness.

I am sick. Nothing Earth shattering, little fever, achy, cough and sore throat. I missed my first day of work due to me being sick in over 2 years.

In fact, we were looking for some cough syrup and found some penicillin from Jan. 2004 that was prescribed to me. I had Influenza A&B and Strep Throat that time...only out for 2 days...a lesser man would have died.

Speaking of sicknesses, today a tight friend of mine is enjoying his first day of "health" after deciding to resign from his post as a youth pastor. Don't get me wrong, the position he left behind itself wasn't bad, it was the office situation surrounding him. A bad virus of non-communication, and from my view, poor choices by people in leadership positions.

.....................I just deleted like 4 paragraphs of typing...............................not sure if I wanted to publish my exact feelings on the matter, even though only about 4 people will read this, but I am reminded that as a human we all make mistakes...even humans who are in leadership positions of "regional impact churches".
Some lyrics from Roper's "Brace Yourself for the Mediocre" album come to my mind.

This wooden soul is old
It's lies are growing cold
Its knotted trunk is straightening
Its roots are loosening their hold
So cluttered with debris this inefficient melody
I'll keep waiting patiently
If this world will ever release me
You love me even though I am untrue
If I was perfect, I wouldn't need you
I'm the object of your affection
You loved me still in my imperfection

Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Not so far, not so far to go







PS-Nothing but love for you Decker...ride on.

Birthday Girl.

Today is Steph's birthday...I screwed up the past few years, and either missed it completely or when she said she didn't want any big celebration I listened. NOTE TO SELF: when wife says no party needed...it means at least do something special.

Tonight, we are going to eat at the Hangar, its a restraunt at the Huron Regional Airport...they have a limo and they will pick you up and drop you off for free. So neither of us have ever ridden in a limo, but tonight is the night.

Crazy, I had to move back to Huron to get in a limo?

Anyway, I think from past blogs you know how much I adore my bride, and without her our family would be a mess. She is the Liquid Nails that holds the Glanzer Universe together.

I got waaaaaaay lucky when I snatched this Kansas City girl. I often wonder what I would be doing now if Dana would not have "set us up". I would not be the person I am, and would not have the joy in this world that I have.

I found someone that I love to share life with. Not many people in the world get that anymore...like 50% maybe from the stats. Even then, how many people do you know that are not exactly happy about the situation they are in?

I am the luckiest man alive...JayMo who I work with constantly says that I "over-married" when I landed Steph. I agree, totally.

Happy Birthday, Steph.

PS-this picture is the look I get a lot...it means a lot of things...for the most part it means...would you give me some help around here and with the boys...other days it just says, "I'm sassy", and she is.

Fruit Stripe Gum

Brecken got some new PJ's for Christmas, and we laugh at them because he looks like a pack of Fruit Stripe Gum!

Do you remember this stuff...it was my favorite.

Tasted super good right away then like 3 minutes later it tasted like you were eating an eraser.

They had the market on cool gum for 10 year old kids.






I still love the Fruit Stripe Gum.

Visitor #1,000....Uncle Skipper?

If you visit the Living On Liquid website often you might have noticed the "hit counter" at the bottom of the page. On some computers it won't show up, but on some it will...anyway, on Jan. 21, 2007 it rolled over to 1,000.

Part of the program that logs the hits also keeps a record of the location of the server from which computer generated the hit. Meaning...I can pretty much see where people who visit my website are from. There are a handful of pretty regular visitors to the LOL blog, 2 from California, my father-in-law from Indiana who's server lists him as a visitor from MLPS, and about 3 regulars from Kansas...one of those in the Garden City area...that would be Uncle Skip.

I think he hits the site almost every day. When I checked the counter and found out that number 1,000 was from Garden City I was pretty sure that either it was Skipper or my cousin Kent that was visitor number 1,000...I gotta believe that during the time of day that it was hit it was Skipper, because most people with lives don't surf the Internet at 3:41 pm...only retired dudes who wear sweatpants all day long have the ability to hold Internet surfing hours like that!

I am pretty hard on Skipper, cause he raised me that way. You see, Uncle Skipper was the inventor of the BARN BURNER. Every birthday Uncle Skip would journey to your house to deliver your birthday spankings...the last one was the Barn Burner. Don't remember if they hurt, but I think we all remember fearing the Skipper.

He terrorized us as kids, teenagers and now as grown adults! Any visit of his to this day, I have to stay on my toes.

I have got him good a couple times, once on a camping trip I put a whole bunch of big pine cones under his sleeping bag, and the other was the best...he was a foreman at a plant in Huron and got to park his new Chevy pick-up right by the door. One morning I snuck out to the plant and put a For Sale sign on it that said, "$5,500 or best offer call Skip at ....". It worked out pretty good too, because several people came into the plant asking why he was selling his pick-up for so little.

A few years ago, Skipper turned 60, and I was going to place an ad in the Garden City newspaper to sell his truck once again, but Skipper got sick and ended up in the hospital for a few months. He is a fighter and is still alive and kicking. Lesser men would have died.

We are extremely happy to have The Skipper around every now and then in the Beadle County area, and he eats our food, messes with my boys and heads back to G.City.

If Skipper was number 1,000 it is fitting that he be honored on this website with a posting all about his influence in my life.

By the way Skip, the 4th of July is fast approaching, and I have big plans for you! You need to be on your toes!

Learning To Walk...

Our boys are almost exactly 4 years apart, and both of them are dealing with the same problem...staying on their feet.

Brecken has taken those "first steps", the ones that look like what Andy Capp might have, after another long night at the pub.

It happened a few days ago, Steph helped him stand...and weeble, wobble...gravity. He has been trying a lot lately, but yesterday we were playing on the floor while watching Da Bears, and Brecken pulled himself up next to the coffee table and took 3 solid steps to me...it didn't even dawn on me that he walked until he got to my arms.

Maxim has been picking himself up a lot more as well, but picking yourself up off the ice is way more work.

Mini-mite hockey is winding down, and I am so proud of my team...they went from not knowing how to skate, to all being able to skate forward and backwards, and some can even stop.

Maxim is one of the youngest on the ice, but is doing great. Some days he isn't as excited about going to the rink as I am, but that goes away when he gets into the locker room with his buddies. After his skating progression took away the need to skate with a chair, it was time to introduce the hockey stick/cane.

Mini-mites have a tendency to use the stick as a crutch, which is fine, but when they fall the yard sale ensues. If they only loose their stick it takes about 2 minutes for them to pick it back up, but if they loose a glove or 2, or a mouthpiece (I've even had a kid loose a shin pad!) it could take the remainder of practice to gather all the equipment and get the kid back on their feet.

Maxim was one of those kids for about 3 practices. Then last week something clicked and he started jumping back up and usually held on to his stick. It is fun to see progression in your children.

I know both of them are frustrated right now at times while learning their new skills, but to tell you the truth, I don't remember not knowing how to walk, and all I remember about skating, is that we only did it during winter, I loved it back then, and still do.

I did some quick math and I bet on average I spend between 12 to 18 hours a week at the rink or on the ice.

I guess that's why Steph is looking forward to spring...Brecken should be walking by then...she will need some help.

Superheroes.

The Superheros...we were in Sioux Falls on Sunday, and hung with the crew. Here are the Superheroes.

SuperDavy.
BatMaxim.
SpiderMeyer.

Good times...the best times. The only real thing we miss about Sioux Falls, besides Caribou Coffee, Qudoba, Johnny Carino's, Target and I-29 construction.

Friends like this only come around once in life...we were blessed, and still are blessed by them.

My 2006 Music Review.

If you have ever clicked on the red rectangles on the sidebar you have been taken to my last.fm account. The program "scrobbles" all the music I listen to while I am logged on to my computers.

A buddy of mine and fellow blogger was using it as well, and as a gatherer of statistics I wanted to know MY top 10 of musical tastes for 2006.

I understand and fully embrace that my choice of music is a bit skewed, but that's what makes me, me. Chris LeDoux right next to Blink-182 on a playlist!

So here is the top 10 artists I have played since September of 2006...

1. Nodes of Ranvier (232 songs played)
-Screamy, hard core group from Sioux Falls, super talented if you like your music this loud. they played a show at our church that was the most real (musically speaking) concert I have been to in a while. The coolest thing was that most of the band member's parents were in attendance and they introduced each of them. Great guys on top of it.

2. mewithoutYou (194 songs played)
-My best musical find of 2006, the lyrics are deep, and the style is like nothing else you have ever heard.

3. Rise Against (165 songs played)
-Straight punk one of the best to come out in the last 3 years.

4. Taking Back Sunday (115 songs played)
-It suprised me to find I listened to them as much as I do.

5. Arctic Monkeys (114 songs played)
-Brilliant new raw band from England...Good stuff.

6. Jack Johnson (109 songs played + 40 more plays from the Curious George Soundtrack that scrobbled wrong)
-Jack as we call him at our house is a family and crew favorite...any road trip or session in a boat must include Jack. Singer, songwriter, guitar player and world champion surfer. My mom even likes Jack!

7. MxPx (103 songs played)
-If my MP3 player scrobbled to the site, MxPx would be my number one band by far. Left Coast Punk. Everyone should know these guys, except my Uncle Skipper, he still thinks Roger Miller is "new" music.

8. Hawthorne Heights (99 songs played)
-On my computer alone I listened to "Ohio is for Lovers" 21 times. HH is simply a great pop-punk-alt group.

9. Showbread (96 songs played)
-RAW MUSIC ROCKS is this bands motto, and they stick to it. Energy for your ears.

10. Fall Out Boy (93 songs played)
-Dance, Dance...Sugar, we're going down...ect. Chicago band with Indie roots.

Honorable Mentions...
11. Pedro The Lion - They broke up this year, but still are one of the best emo's of all time.
12. Roper - Bear + Skull and Crossbones = Roper. The best lyrics come from Roper, sarcastic or serious, this guy is solid. His other band Brave Saint Saturn comes in at #18 on my played list.
14. Nada Surf - Another band from my college days that I can't stop listening to.
15. Beck - Beck, enough said.
19. blink-182 - Travis Barker on the drums...let's just say I idolize his skills.
20. The Spill Canvas - Sioux Falls band that is one of my favorites of all times, if I would have started scrobbling earlier in the year, they would have hands down been the number one band.
25. Kanye West - Amazingly enough this is the first hip-hop artist on my list.
33. John Denver - Me and the mountain man share of love of nature and good country music.

Not on the list, but listened to on a regular basis:
Kenny Chesney: country music's Jack Johnson without the surfing ability.
Johnny Cash: The King (elvis who?)
Dixie Chicks: Pretty standard for me...if Nashville hates them, I love 'em.
Relient K: I need a new album from you
Spoken: The remake of Time After Time was perferct.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: The name says it all.
AC/DC: A guilty pleasure of mine...truth be told I listen to these guys all winter long in hockey rinks across the Midwest. Can't start a game without Thunderstruck or You Shook Me All Night Long.

So that is the list, most of you were confused after band number 1, that's ok.

Snowbound

So during a winter of warm weather and no snow, we get snowbound on our way home from Sioux Falls.

The 50 mph wind gusts and snow made it super sketchy, so we called it a night rented a hotel and watched the Gators dominate Ohio State.

Then Maxim wanted to watch the Steve Irwin's Super Gator special on Animal Planet.

We swam in the hotel pool, Maxim did so good, he is finally putting together all the swimming lessons instruction.

I haven't been home for 4 days...I wanted to drive through anything for my own bed, but your ideas on winter weather driving changes when you are with your family.

It was an unplanned fun night at the hotel that is if Brecken goes to bed!

Jesus Camp.

I was reading a story by a friend of mine who writes the entertainment portion of the Argus Leader, and he mentioned a few movies, one of them which I had never heard of called Jesus Camp.

So I googled it and found the movie's web page. It was the brain child of the co-director team of Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady who produced the Boys of Baraka, a brilliant PBS docu that I watched one night mostly out of boredom, but was engulfed by the end of it.

Anyway, I started reading about this Jesus Camp movie, and I watched the trailer only, but I think it is no wonder why the mainstream media, and most of the world is confused about Christianity and what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't seen the movie, and I think it's great these kids are on fire, I just hope and pray it is their faith, not that of parents or that it is something that is being brain-washed into formable minds.

Also note: Rev. Ted Haggard was involved with Jesus Camp.



I have to include John Stewart's knock on Haggard, because as much as some of it hurts the feelings of "evangelicals" it is funny, and is a good check yourself test of your own lifestyle.



I will be interested to see the movie, and hope you will as well. If nothing else it brings a good discussion for all people who fall under the label Christian.

Oh, Seven

2007

Thanks to Paul Coffey my life as a non-obsessive person changed forever. I have only one real OCD and that is a strange allegiance to the number 7.

When I looked at the calendar and realized that this would be the year of '07 I was super excited. You see, when I was a Pee-Wee in hockey, which is the first real time you get to pick out a number, I chose number 7.

At the time, the early '80s, the Edmonton Oilers were the NHL's dynasty franchise, and with players like Gretzky, Kurri, Moog, Fuhr, Messier, Lowe, Huddy, Anderson and Coffey to name a few, every aspiring hockey player watched the Oilers, and had a favorite on the team.

Gretz and Mess obviously had the most fans, but as a defensemen, I was drawn to Paul Coffey. Don't ask me why, I just liked him. He was number 7, so I was number 7. From that day on.

Now some 25+ years later, I am still number 7 in everything I can be. My closet is full of adult league hockey jerseys, co-ed soccer jerseys, and my old official playing uniforms all with the same number.

You might think, "Oh I have a buddy that is the same way." I have actually met a few people with the same obsession. Only one other with the 7 obsession, and he took it as far as I do. Everything...passwords, logins, pin numbers, my youngest son's name has 7 letters, Steph and I were married on March 7th, my oldest son was born on the 17th (it has a 7 in there!!! Thanks God), my snowboard and wakeboard are both marked with my number of ownership, the bill of hats, my tools, my next tattoo, my climbing gear, in fact, Steph has bought 3 shirts that have the number 7 on them not so much because they were cool, but because she knew I would love the number thing.

Obsessive you think? I haven't told you the crazy part of this 7 obesssion. During my sophomore year at SDSU while filling up with gas I needed just a litte bit to top off the tank. I just let it run and it shut off automatically at $7.77. Since then I would always try to have a 7 somewhere in the amount when I bought gas. Be it in the amount or in the volume of gallons, it didn't matter...just had to have a 7. I'm still doing that today! Every time, but now it has to be in the actual price. Steph loves the game and encourages me to keep the streak alive everytime we fill up with gas. No, not really.

So you can see this 7 thing is a problem, or a blessing whichever way you look at it. I'm just excited that the whole year is now the year of '07.

Happy New Year.

Spreading Some Holiday Cheer.

Ok...I "advertised" it. I put the address to the blog in our family Christmas letter.

This was originally supposed to be a little private blog for the parents, sister and the crew in Sioux Falls...but in the back of my mind I knew that if you put something on the web it was for the world to see. If I wanted it private I would have e-mailed it, right?

Well, it seems that the little link drop in the letter worked. I have a "hit counter" on the website and it has been rolling up like the national debt in the last 3 weeks.

We had a great Christmas...we were a bit depressed on Friday, it didn't seem like we had any big plans and none of our family was coming into town, but that mood changed quickly.

Saturday was a great laid back day. Maxim and I went out on the ice and it was perfect weather for making snowballs and snow angels. We had an epic battle that ended with me getting a snowball shoved down my sweatshirt! Maxim won. It was cool, last night you could still see our footprints on the snow covering the ice from that battle royale.

Sunday was the church play, Maxim and I both remember our lines...I was the Mayor. After we partied with Eric and the Gross crew for a while and closed the night out up the gravel road at Steph's family's party. The boys basically passed out that night from exhaustion.

Monday, we hung around the house in the AM and went into my folks for lunch and supper. Brent, Vicky, Aaron, Sheila, Lynn and Gloria came over to join us and Grandma for supper. Brent and Aaron are the party starters! Never at a loss for stories and they keep everyone laughing.

Jim, Linda and Scott (AKA - Waldo) came over later for dessert and some cowboy quickdraw shooting. My dad is a fastdraw cowboy gunfighter, and he has this range set up in the garage...the neighbors must have

been gone, because it was a loud night! Tons of fun with Scott...he might be the only cowboy gunfighter that holds his .45 pistol like a gangsta.
The boys had a great time opening presents from family, and once again were blessed beyond what we could ever imagine.

We have no plans for New Years, so that should turn into a Festival Con Vaquaros...or something epic like that.

2007...

Merry Christmas!

For those of you that didn't get the mailed version of the Christmas letter and photo...here is the picture. We are standing on the ice on the lake behind our home.

Steph's knee scope went great, the Doctor thought she should be perfect in a few weeks. She started PT yesterday, just easy stuff. I have been juggling work and helping with the boys. Did I ever mention that being a stay at home parent is more work than going to work? It is, and I am so thankful that my wife has given up a great banking career to stay at home with the 2 chipmunks.

Maxim and I have been skating on the lake lately...it is so surreal sometimes...the quiet, the openness, the bond of 2 hockey players enjoying the ice together. Maxim loves it when I chase him and hook him with my hockey stick and then pretend to check him. In 2 more years there will be 3 of us out there.

John Denver's "Country Roads" just came up on my playlist. I think that song sums up the year. With the exception of the West Virginia thing.

It's rain/sleet/snowing outside...things seem perfect in this world.

Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth.

Here is a couple of links to consider during this time.

www.heifer.org

www.buynothingchristmas.org