All Things Phil

It's a Girl!

2009-11-30T07:22:00.003-06:00

Kimberly Ann Beyer - Birth - 21
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

Kimberly Ann Beyer was born at home at 10:15pm weighing 7 lbs 7 oz and measuring 20 in. Mom and baby are happy, healthy, and doing well. Delivery at home was a new experience for us and quite pleasant. Jean was in active labor for about 4 hours and handled it wonderfully.

I will continue to use Twitter and Facebook to regularly report the details of our experiences. Thanks so much for all the prayers and well wishes!

A Third on the Way!

2009-04-02T06:55:00.010-06:00

Joy Abigail Beyer - Eight Months Old - 4
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

We have more joyful news to celebrate this upcoming Easter season. Together with Jean, Michael, Joy, Bruno and Rufus, I am pleased to announce an additional family member growing in Jean! We received the good news last week. What a great gift from God! The new little one will probably arrive in late November or early December. All are healthy and adjusting well. Your prayers are of course appreciated. Thanks for rejoicing with us and praying with us. We’ll keep you posted on our family development.

Our Daughter's Debut Performance

2008-12-12T06:46:00.003-06:00

Our Daughter's Debut Performance - 3
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

Since my hiatus from blogging began with the arrival of lovely daughter, it is only fitting that the kickstart I needed to get me back was her acting debut. Joy performed the part of Jesus in our church's annual Christmas play this past weekend. St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church started The Christmas Event four or five years ago and from the very beginning, it was quite a professional production. Intricate costumes, elaborate sets (for a small church production), and musical talent are consistent hallmarks of the annual event. Many members of our church and their children have participated over the years, but the one part that can never be reprised is of course, the role of baby Jesus.

We got a call last week from a friend involved in the production offering Joy the part in both the Friday evening and Saturday evening performances. We decided that I would take her after work on Friday, and we would go as a family to the Saturday show. On Friday, we arrived just as the production began with Luke, the evangelist, setting the stage for his story. Joy did pretty well for the better part of the hour long play despite it being her bedtime. We made our way behind the stage in the latter half of the show, right around the wedding scene. We waited backstage as Mary and Joseph finished their scenes and made their way back to us. Joy was intrigued with the young woman playing Mary from the beginning and so, she didn't complain when I transferred her. The next scene involved the angel Gabriel announcing the birth of Jesus, and as he retreated the curtains closed. Whether because of the bright stage lights, natural acting talent, or the involvement of a higher power, Jesus Joy began a cry that was very reminiscent of a child being born. Then as the curtains opened to reveal the family, she calmed down and took in the audience.

After handing Joy over to Mary, I made my way to the front of the stage where I was concealed but could see the production. I was pretty amazed that Jesus Joy had managed to perform perfectly and equally glad I had remembered to bring my camera. I got a few shots of the final scene, and Joy did great the whole time.

The following evening went just as smoothly. We attended as a family and joined some friends we had invited. Our son was interested for about the first 10 minutes, but after that, we walked around and played. He enjoyed the costumes with bright colors or bells but mostly just wanted to get closer to the stage to see what was going on. Unfortunately, since Joy needed to eat and wanted to be comforted, Jean didn't get to see much of the play. Again though, Jesus Joy offered a masterful performance with perfectly timed cries and calm. Once Michael figured out where his sister was at the end of the performance, he really wanted to make sure she was safe, so we did just that and hung out together for the rest of the night.

We really enjoyed the experience and were glad to participate as a family. We've already been contacted by the Tony Awards. We'll let you know in June next year if Joy wins, but no matter what, it's an honor to be nominated, right?

It's a Girl!

2008-06-27T22:10:00.002-06:00

It's a Girl!
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

Joy Abigail Beyer was born at 12:07pm weighing 8 lbs 2 oz and measuring 20 in. Mom and baby are healthy and doing well. Delivery was a breeze compared to last time.

I will continue to use Twitter to regularly report the details of our experiences. Thanks so much for all the prayers and well wishes!

Getting Closer

2008-06-26T21:38:00.002-06:00

60 seconds of lower abdominal pain like a muscle tightening into a fist... followed by 10 minutes of anticipation... then 50 seconds of pain... followed by 7 minutes of blogging and playing Solitaire... now 60 more seconds of pain... that's Jean and I sitting in our study timing contractions, trying to figure out if Early Labor has begun. It started with more intense Braxton Hicks contractions earlier this afternoon. The contractions have slowly been getting more intense and closer together.

At this point, we could be leaving the house any minute or in another day or two. My wife would certainly appreciate sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we're packed and ready to go with contingency plans in place and Michael-drop-off locations established.

Keep a close eye on Twitter. From here on out, that will be the most reliable way to track what is happening with us since it is so easy for me to post short updates. I will also try to make a few blog posts like last time, make some phone calls, and send an email or two if I can find the time.

Almost There

2008-06-20T07:40:00.003-06:00

Father's Day 2008 - 1
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

This morning, my wife and I will visit her doctor for our standing weekly appointment to get a pregnancy progress report. So far, the baby appears to just want to sit tight like its big brother did, but I wonder if we'll get different news this morning.

Despite not being able to coax our child out of the womb in time to celebrate with us, we had a great Father's Day. My mom was in town to deliver some baby furniture inherited from friends, a second crib and a large changing table. She had a crazy fun time playing with her grandson while Jean and I slipped away for dinner and a movie.

Our family is in a sort of holding pattern right now. We're eagerly anticipating Michael's sibling as well as bracing for impact. As before, I will post details and photos as I am able, but this time around it will be easier for me to send quick updates via Twitter and maybe a video or two via Seesmic, so follow me there as well. We should be in the hospital any day now since the baby's official due date is a week from today.

Starting to Edit and Upload Video

2008-06-13T06:28:00.002-06:00

Jean and Michael Explore the Ballpark
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

From Beyer Family Award nominated director Phil Beyer... in a world, with grass, and bugs, and dirt, one toddler and his mother dare to walk, hand in hand, on the concrete!

You may not have seen this if you don't regularly follow my tweets. A couple weeks ago I was able to spend more time on video editing with iMovie '08. I haven't taken a lot of video up to the this point primarily because the only gadget I have to do that is my aging camera, and as you can see, the quality is lacking. And with the extra editing time required to post-process video instead of stills, I just haven't expended much effort until now.

I am starting to make the time now though, because to really be able to share my fascination with our son's development, I need to be able to show you more than just how he looks, but how he moves and expresses himself. So here you go, the first of hopefully many short videos of our family.

The Best Things about being a Runner

2008-05-10T23:09:00.002-06:00

A few months ago, the Inside Nike Running blog posted their Top 10 Best Things About Being A Runner. I filed away the link for a time when I wanted to talk about the Nike+iPod system again. Well, today my brother challenged me through the Nike running community to see which one of us can log the most miles in 30 days. See, Nike built their system to not only keep track of user statistics but to draw visitors in to the community of runners at large. One of the ways they try to do that is with their Challenge mechanism.

I've been pretty happy with my consistency in running over the past few months. Earlier this year I increased the frequency of my runs from twice a week to three times, and that has had a positive impact on how fit I feel and how far I can run. Little does my brother know that I was just looking for a reason to increase again to four times a week. You're going DOWN bro!

So, with that brief fitness update, here are the Top 10 Best Things About Being A Runner from Nike:

10 - Developing washboard abs, so you can do your laundry on your stomach and save a lot of money. I’m not there yet but I can imagine it’s going to be really convenient.

9 - Being confident that you could race your friends around the block and win. (This really only applies to eight year olds reading this article. I don’t think adults really race each other around the block anymore, which is unfortunate.)

8 - So you can wear running shorts everywhere, and be the guy that wears running shorts everywhere.

7 - So if another animal of similar speed chases you, you can outrun it. Like maybe a goose…? I actually don’t really know how fast geese are. I guess if the goose was smart enough it would start flying, then you’d probably be in trouble. Have you ever been chased by a goose? It’s terrifying.

6 - The rockstar lifestyle.

5 - Paying 30 dollars for a local road race, then having to swerve in and out of a bunch of six year olds, baby-strollers, and people in chicken suits for the first mile.

4 - When all of your clothes stop fitting and you have to buy a whole new wardrobe…Or at least new clothes to put in your wardrobe. Who has a wardrobe these days? I don’t know that I’ve ever even seen a wardrobe in person. It does sound better than “buying a whole new closet” though. That sounds like you’re replacing the actual closet. Which is sort of pointless. Unless there’s structural damage to the closet, I guess…

3 – So that smokers can become even more annoying. Sorry, smokers…but you’re really annoying. Just kidding. Kind of.

2 – So that you can go to your ten year high school reunion and no one even recognizes you because you look so thin! And so bald.

1 – Nike+.

Do you use the Nike+ system? If so, challenge me!

Join the Conversation (Part 1) - What is Going On?

2008-05-08T22:32:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I was talking with a good friend about the difficulty of keeping track of people like me who switch to a different thing every week to publish pieces of their lives. With all of the social web services available today, you would think it would be easier to keep track of your friends and what they are doing. Instead, the gap between early adopters of web technologies and the average Internet user continues to grow, looking more like the difference between upper and middle class America.

I posted before about setting something up to alleviate the problem. I used Tumblr to aggregate everything I was doing online at the time. Tumblr was the first service I knew of that made that kind of aggregation easy, but the whole point of a tumblelog is to post little bits of information independently as you tumble across them. I began to see how others were using it to share entertaining and interesting content without spending time to explain every last detail in a lengthy blog post.

Around that same time, I started using Twitter, and again, I began using it in a very simple way. Eventually, I saw what was happening in the community around that service. A conversation was going on that I was able to listen to and participate in, and I have been hooked ever since. Twitter is micro-blogging... informally sharing little bits of information about what is going on as it happens to you or around you. The best analogy I have heard is that Twitter is like the water cooler for the Internet... people just congregate and talk about whatever is going on. Sometimes the conversations are meaningful; sometimes they are inane; but they are always relevant since you can choose who you listen to, unlike an actual water cooler!

Fast forward back to the present. I heard about a new way Internet people were carrying on the conversation, so I signed up and got my invite to Seesmic a couple weeks ago. Seesmic is still a very new (alpha) video sharing site. While you are probably familiar with watching user-generated video on the web via YouTube and other sites like it, Seesmic is a different take on video. While keeping up with the conversation today, I found this reference to be an accurate description:

And don’t mistake Seesmic for another YouTube. Seesmic is to YouTube what Twitter is to blogging.

So now you know what is going on. There is a conversation happening 24 hours a day that you are welcome to listen in on or participate in. The conversation can be as small/intimate or as large/open as you want it to be. Next up in the series... trying to keep up.

Dinner Party

2008-04-30T22:45:00.001-06:00

Dinner Party with Andrea - 12
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

Last night, my lovely wife and I hosted friends in our home for a wonderful dinner party. We celebrated the arrival of a friend who attended Trinity University with me. Andrea recently accepted a position with my employer, which brought her in to San Antonio, though only temporarily. She will be pursuing business opportunities for our company in the Dallas area.

Jean and I invited other friends who know Andrea to join us for dinner to make a party out of it. Jean made some fabulous lasagna and lemon cream pie for dessert. She really outdid herself on this one. Everyone commented about how great the food was. There was even enough dessert left for me to finish off tonight!

I posted my pictures of our party. I don't have many of our friends' kids and our son because they had too much fun running around with each other! I just wasn't able to step away to grab the camera. As you can see from the photo set, we all had a great time!

I am an Uncle, Let the Spoiling Begin

2008-04-20T09:09:00.000-06:00

With their due date passing uneventfully two weeks ago, my brother and sister-in-law were very eager for the arrival of their baby. They were scheduled to induce on Tax Day, but my niece had other plans.

Brianna was born last Sunday afternoon and weighed in at 9.5 lbs. She and her mother are healthy, and my brother has recovered from the difficult job of birthing coach. You can see all the photos my brother took in his .Mac Web Gallery.

We weren't able to travel this week to see the newest member of our family. We've been busy here in San Antonio. But we are looking forward to traveling a week from now to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday and Brianna's arrival at the same time. It should be a pretty exciting weekend!

It's Not A Hoax!

2008-04-01T22:18:00.000-06:00

April Fool's Day is an appropriate occasion for me to stage an elaborate return to the blogosphere. You'll never believe me when I say that I'm making more of an effort to update the world with what is happening. So, there's no pressure at all!

Make sure to check out Wikipedia's list of hoaxes for today. My favorites were the Mahalo Daily interview with Steve Jobs and YouTube's "Rick Roll" featured videos.

And finally, here's my prank for the day. I sent the following message to the Denim Group staff when I arrived at the office this morning:

1 April 2008 - SECURITY UPDATE
As part of an ongoing effort to secure external communication, the IT Team is immediately implementing a new method of secure data transmission, IP over Avian Carriers. Since the Internet can no longer be trusted to transport corporate information, the VPN will be deactivated within the hour. Any internal communication with remote workers must occur by homing pigeon. The birds will be available today, April 1, in the IT office.
We will strictly adhere to the standard laid out in RFC 2549.
The IT Team has compiled a visual aid to ease the transition for all employees, especially our remote workers. Please refer to it as we implement this critical improvement to our infrastructure.

Building a Personal Backup Strategy - The Basics

2008-01-20T22:03:00.000-06:00

This will be the first in a series of posts that I have been putting together in my head for a long time. Many things have prompted me to think about what makes a good backup strategy for a home user; professional situations I have been in, catastrophes we have all witnessed, and my own data losses. Most recently, I was listening to MacBreak Tech episode 20 which was a discussion about backup. The hosts did a thorough review of everything that makes a good backup, but I did have a problem when they were done... I was reminded again that our important data is not completely safe! In order to completely think through the protection of my own family's data, I figured I could make the discussion public to consolidate my thoughts, give people ideas of how to do backup well, and solicit opinions from other knowledgeable folks.

First of all, we need to describe what constitutes a good backup. In the digital world, a backup is not just a copy of your data. A copy can be misplaced, found to be unusable, or can fail at the same time as your live data. A backup is an available, verified copy of your data that is stored on reliable media in a geographically separate location. Let's take those one at a time:

Data has to be available when you need it or else it is useless to you. The extra copy of your data shipped off halfway across the world to your cousin in Timbuktu who has no Internet access is not really a backup.
Data may not arrive perfectly at the backup destination, whether it be an external hard drive or another server across the Internet. The five extra copies of your data that you made without verifying that your software was working properly are not really a backup.
Not all media is suitable for long term storage. The extra copy of your data stored on 3.5" floppy disk (which have a high failure rate) is not really a backup.
Data needs to be stored in more than one location before it can be considered backed up. If your house burns down, the extra copy of your data that you made on an external drive that is also at the bottom of the rubble was not really a backup.

Now that we understand the basics, we can take a deeper dive and discuss some solutions I consider viable for our own family needs. The context for our discussion will be a family with a growing collection of digital photos, music, and movies, but with a limited budget. So, if you are also wondering about what you should be doing to produce a true backup of your digital data, and like us, you don't have a bottomless pit of money with which to do it, check back for the rest of the posts in this series.

Been Busy

2008-01-18T15:01:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to post and that is partly because my employer has been keeping me busy. I wear two hats on a daily basis at Denim Group. The first takes me around San Antonio and across the country to consult on information security. The second keeps my team and me on our toes as we support our colleagues and manage the corporate computing infrastructure.

Recently, we were challenged to complete the design and deployment of our new company intranet portal. For a few years now, our company has been using SharePoint Portal Server 2003 from Microsoft. Our original implementation has needed a replacement for quite some time now, but we have had trouble carving out time for it between other projects.

However, through a concerted effort with other key personnel, my team and I were able to complete the deployment of the new portal one week ago! It is based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and has been designed to integrate tightly with our company's business process and work flow. We took advantage of many of the features this time around, especially automation through custom workflows. We continue to make use of InfoPath for intelligent forms, and just like we do for our clients, we have built a solution that is both highly functional and very secure.

So, that's what I have been doing for the last couple of months. If you want to track more of what I am working on and how the company is doing, check out our company blog where I post from time to time.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T00:57:00.000-06:00

As I type this post on a tiny new Apple Wireless Keyboard and upload photos to the Kodak Gallery to share with our new Kodak EASYSHARE EX811 digital photo frame, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of material wealth... so many wonderful toys! I was also pretty overwhelmed by the amount of visual and auditory distractions my son received from family this Christmas... playtime will never end!

But as I reflect this evening, before I go to sleep and end another wonderful Christmas, I am amazed at the blessings with which God has showered my family. I cannot begin to share how generous and caring my family has been to my wife, son, and I. We feel so loved during these times. The joy of celebrating the greatest gift we will ever receive, Jesus, is made new every year in the laughs and smiles of all my family members. That blessing will last longer than any material gift.

One final note. For those of you wondering, my uncle, Jimmy Beyer, won the family award this year. He is a first time award winner. I will try to tell the story later, but for now, I need to get to bed!

My Martial Arts Experience

2007-12-24T10:36:00.000-06:00

Aikido Shoanjuku logo
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

Last night, I posted a big update over on our dojo site that may interest you. I should take a step back though. Some of you may not know my history with the martial arts.

When I attended my high school, one of the available activities was an after school Taekwondo club. Like many young boys, I had a fascination with the kung fu movies on TV over the weekend, but never pursued any study or training other than the occasional book here and there. Thanks to a wonderful experience in the classroom with the club's head instructor in my sophomore year, I began an experience with the martial arts that has profoundly affected my life.

By now, I have been training for almost a decade at an Aikido dojo in San Antonio, Aikido Shoanjuku. I have assumed the position of sensei and am very much enjoying the progress of both my own training and that of my students. And that brings us up to the present... the post I made is about the seminar our dojo hosted in October. We invited our master instructor as we have done many times before, and everyone had a great time.

My training in the martial arts began as a drive to dominate my opponent. Now, fifteen years later, thanks to solid instruction and shining example, my life as a martial artist is marked by peace and balance. I would have it no other way.

My Truck is For Sale

2007-12-11T11:52:00.001-06:00

Nissan Frontier 2003 For Sale - 06
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

Our one car experiment was a success, so we are moving forward with the effort to sell my truck. It is a 2003 Nissan Frontier in excellent shape with just under 72000 miles on it. The sale price is $11,000.

It has served my family and I very well. Take a look at the photos, and let me know if you are interested. I will be posting the details in a few other places later this week, but until then, my blog readers have an exclusive!

Operation: One Car Initiative

2007-11-26T21:12:00.001-06:00

Our family has begun a new initiative. Today, I left my truck at home and struck out with just Jean's car to try to evaluate whether or not we can operate with just one car. So far, it's going well. We are going to continue the experiment this week and possibly consider carpooling and other options for next week.

Our primary goals are to cut costs and begin saving for the next new family car. Rather than take out a loan, we would like to be able to pay cash, and that is leading us to consider getting rid of my truck which still has another 18 months of payments left on it. The truck is in excellent shape and has relatively low mileage for a 2003 vehicle, so it should not be hard to sell. Keep an eye out here for first crack at it!

Do any other families out there have positive or negative experience with just one car?

listen ... powered by Jott

Holiday Gift Giving

2007-11-24T22:56:00.001-06:00

Engadget Holiday
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

I am very thankful this year for my family's rich blessings from God. We had a wonderful time over the last few days remembering just how bountiful they are. One of the many ways we are blessed is that we have friends and family who are able to share their joy with us through giving gifts.

Gifts are certainly not the most important things I will receive this holiday season, but they are the least straightforward. A good list tends to help. I have been keeping my Wishlistr list up to date, and just now I saw another great list that could be used for any gadget geek out there, including me if you are so inclined. The Engadget Holiday Gift Guide is not for the financially faint of heart, but then again, gadgets have never been cheap!

Spooky Photos

2007-11-19T23:54:00.001-06:00

Halloween 2007 - 02
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer

I finally got around to uploading our Halloween photos. My awesome employer once again approved and encouraged the annual creative event. As in years prior, some of my colleagues went to great lengths to prepare their costumes. We all had a great time.

The evening proved to be just as fun. Our neighborhood boasts quite an active Halloween crowd, so in an effort to spread the sugary love, I invited friends over to use our house as home base in their efforts to scour the countryside for every last remaining Milkdud. They were not disappointed.

Overall, I think Michael thoroughly enjoyed his first Halloween... mainly because he was fascinated by so many visitors and his Daddy gave him a piece of candy in its plastic wrapper on which to chew.

More on our Pregnancy

2007-11-17T19:58:00.001-06:00

Not long after we learned our big news, we also found out why the early weeks of pregnancy this time seemed different than during our previous experience. As it turns out, this time we were probably pregnant with twins. One of the babies is physically strong and healthy, while his or her sister or brother did not fully develop. In learning this news, we experienced a variety of emotions. We are so happy that both lives were conceived, and for the opportunity to have been with the twins for a time. We are delighted that one baby seems so strong and healthy. Yet, of course, we were sad to learn that we will never meet our other
little baby when it comes time to deliver. In processing these changes, we are moving to a place of trust and peace, knowing that Jesus is directly caring for one of our babies now. At the same time, we eagerly anticipate greeting the growing baby next summer.

Jean adds: In sharing our news regarding both new babies, I am reminded at how many of our friends have experienced miscarriage. I am also struck at how many women say, “I had no idea how common this is.” It seems important to talk about, even if at ﬁrst the natural grieving process requires quiet time and space. So, we have chosen to share the wonderful news of both new lives with you.

Beauty is Everywhere

2007-11-17T12:22:00.001-06:00

Beauty is Everywhere
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer.

As I ran this morning, I saw this little flower emerging from between two slats in a fence. I went back to get it after I was done because I was struck by the contrast between the long row of confining brown pieces and this defiant orange shoot growing out against all odds.

It seems to me that beautiful things can be found everywhere in our lives. On an overcast day in the San Antonio suburbs, a place most people including myself would not classify as picturesque, I was taken aback as I thought about all the beautiful things in my life.

Now by beauty, I do not just mean pretty. To appreciate beauty is to acknowledge the inherent worth in a created thing. Whether in nature or on a piece of drawing paper, a creator pours something of himself into the process, and that is beautiful. Even a seemingly ugly sidewalk was toiled over by someone who poured effort into it.

Jean and I had a rough time last night with Michael. We were both tired and frustrated, ready to take a break from parenting. It was kind of hard for me to take step back and remember how blessed we are. But as we woke up this morning with Michael crawling around in bed between us, playing, giggling, and being fascinated with even the simplest things around him like my pillow; and as I thought about the miracle happening right in front of me in my wife's womb, where a growing baby would soon begin to experience basic things I take for granted in my life like moving my fingers; and as I ran by this lone flower in the fence... I found myself quite speechless and in awe of the beauty around me.

Another One on the Way!

2007-11-13T07:54:00.002-06:00

Our Son - Eating Cheerios - 3
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer.

We have joyful news. Together with Jean, Michael, Bruno and Rufus, I am pleased to announce an additional family member growing in Jean! We received the good news on Jean’s birthday last week. What a great gift from God! The new little one will probably arrive in late June or early July. All are healthy and adjusting well. The pregnancy does have a slight complication requiring more frequent doctor visits than typical. Your prayers are of course appreciated. Thanks for rejoicing with us and praying with us. We’ll keep you posted on our family development.

Happy Birthday Jean!

2007-11-10T20:57:00.001-06:00

Jean Beyer - Birthday 2007 - 1
Originally uploaded by Philip J Beyer.

Last night, Jean and I went out to celebrate her birthday. We dropped our son off with friends and attended an event sponsored by our church. Titled An Evening of Classical Music, it was a formal recital of choral and instrumental music from a variety of time periods. The Texas Bach Choir and Nicole Cabello-Valadez, a woman who regularly plays the piano during our weekend church services, performed. We both especially enjoyed a distinctive, early American version of "Joy to the World" and a wonderfully melodic piece by Frederic Chopin.

Jean enjoyed the many flowers and cards sent by friends and family. She had a great day with our son and a fun evening out!

Busy

2007-11-04T16:39:00.000-06:00

I think it is safe to say, our family has been busy. Partying, gaming, training, vacationing, celebrating, wedding-ing... there have been many ing's for us lately. Though there has been a dearth of updates here, let me assure you it has not been for lack of activity.

We followed up a wonderful 30th birthday celebration for me with another joyful event. A college friend of mine, Andrea, was wedded to her loving groom in the Fort Worth area, and we were blessed to be able to celebrate with them. Michael suffered the long drive well and slept soundly in our hotel room thanks to some great advice from friends. When it was time for him to sleep, we rolled his portable crib into the bathroom and closed the door. It seems like the separation and darkness helped him get to sleep faster and easier (for him and us!).

About a week later, my parents graciously spent their weekend with their grandson so Jean and I could celebrate our 2nd anniversary! We decided to get away for a few days and went to McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. We stayed in Fort Davis and explored some of the history of the area while we were there. Both of us were fascinated with the whole experience.

Two weeks later, the dojo where I teach martial arts, Aikido Shoanjuku, hosted a very successful seminar that left me absolutely exhausted. It felt like we started training Friday night and didn't stop to take a break till Sunday afternoon.

Next stop... Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Jean's sister, Wendy, invited us to her wedding. It was both Michael and I's first time to meet Jean's family. We also had the opportunity to visit a few sites in the area while we were there. Michael experienced another first on the trip, his first airplane ride! Both Jean and I were thrilled that while the first three flights (we had midway stops in DFW) did not go as well as we had hoped, the fourth was quite pleasant thanks to Michael having a strong desire to nap undoubtedly brought on by the very loud jet engines.

That brings us up to the present, another much needed weekend at home eschewing any activity. With everything going on, I have not been able to process and upload all the photos from these events. I am working on them though, and I will post again when some of them are ready.

The near future holds for us many family holiday gatherings and possibly a sailing experience. All three of us are very happy that another busy Fall season is over and has left us fulfilled.