lief like you

we bought a house!

2009-06-19T10:58:00.001-06:00

kristen is keeping up with the goings-on at her blog--check it: http://kristenheil.blogspot.com

a couple pics

2009-06-07T00:17:00.009-06:00

to note--we may be closing on a house in the next week or two. it was originally scheduled for the 19th, but it may be moving up to this coming friday which is completely thrilling. if you have any kind of google account (gmail, etc.) you can see pics at my picasa album here.

going backwards in time...

brian and i went to game 6 of the western conference finals--maybe the nuggets would've won if our seats were a little closer:

memorial weekend:
luke and sarah were out from kansas and we did a multitude of things with them--highlighted by staying overnight in estes park at their parents' timeshare. we did a lot of hiking both around dnever and in rocky mountain national park. for way way better pictures that my own, take a look at luke's gallery here. here's a steller's jay:

me and kristen:

here's kristen--not hiking so much, but still having a good time:

a broad-tailed hummingbird:

luke's parents took us all out for dinner--good times with good folks. i wish my life consisted of more of these "reunion" types of activities:

hiking on sunday in rocky mountain national park:

saturday night--grilling at brad and jess's place:

saturday afternoon--hiking and playing at red rocks:

a baby with a mohawk:

luke and sarah--hiking saturday morning:

the weekend before memorial weekend, kristen and i did all sorts of gallavanting around--here's buffalo bill cody's grave:

hiking in golden gate park:

my girls:

easter weekend kristen and i went home for her sister's baby shower and to spend time with family in general--here we are at dad's place with my bro, cousin, and mom:

andrew and annelise introduced us to the newest member of the family--logan--quite the chunk, but man he's one cool dude:

back at the beginning of march madness (around the peak of my modeling career) we had a bunch of folks over for some fun and games and basketball--kristen was all about the bean bag toss, despite it being a ku board:

at the end of february--the weekend after we were engaged--kristen's dad was out for a weekend on the slopes--good times indeed:

and that's a couple pics from the last couple months. the next couple months promise to be plentiful in adventures--between the possibility of a our first house on the very near horizon and 3 months leading up to the wedding, we are going to be some busy kids--but man, when we get through all this and can sit down and have a lemonade, won't life be grand? i say yes.

it's been too long

2009-05-12T17:16:00.004-06:00

[warning: way longer post than it should be]

when was my last post? march? unacceptable. really. and it's not like there's nothing going on--there's wedding planning, house hunting, massive work projects, sporting events, travels and much more. it's because of all those things that i haven't been posting anything. i'm not gonna lie--i'm exhausted. but i'm starting to come out of it a bit. all that stuff is still going on, but i think i'm just starting to get used to it. so let's talk about what's been going on:

wedding planning: all is well on that front--we've nailed down location (we actually did that the morning i proposed--jumped the gun a little bit, but hey, places were getting snatched up!). we've got rehearsal dinner and reception caterers lined up. we've got a photographer. we've got a website: http://bradandkristen.wordpress.com. we've got a bunch of the decorations in. so now we're getting into some nitty gritty details, like, oh yeah, planning the ceremony. we haven't started that yet, but at least there's been mention. so. i'm pleased with how it's all progressing, but i know there's still a ton of decisions to make. in the end, if kristen's happy, i'm happy.

house hunting: we've been under contract (!) for two months now. yeah. that's too long. we found a house in a great neighborhood in our price range that could be a fantastic home over the long run. unfortunately, it's a short sale, and we think the owner just declared bankruptcy, so the house gets wrapped up in all that mess--meaning we could wait months or years to find out if we could still get it. so we've been actively looking again and may have come across another that would fit us well. i'll update on that as it develops. part of the reason i never felt the need to update on the house we're under contract for is because as we progressed through the process, it became less and less likely that we would actually get it. so, we may start the whole thing again and we'll see where it takes us.

massive work projects: really, it's just one project, but it's engulfed 100% of my time at work. i'm responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of a new product that companies will use as a test during the hiring process. much of my time has been devoted to the development of the program itself--i've actually spent much of the last 3-4 weeks working out of our developer's office. it's come a long way, but it feels good to be getting that portion of it wrapped up and start beta testing with it in companies.

sporting events: these have just been nuggets games--but i've had phenomenal seats--best was 2nd row behind the nuggets bench for free. yes. mmm. love me some connections. we were on tv for half of the game--every time the ball was at our end. pretty cool to be that close. and now the nuggies are in the western conference finals which means the city is electric with excitement. kristen and i are still playing a lot of soccer--she's in 3 leagues and i'm in 2. the 2 that she and i are on together are both outdoors at this point in the year and it's been great to get out of the warehouses and play on grass in the sunshine. the bad luck is that we've had a bunch of games canceled so far due to rain and snow. here's to hoping the weather bucks up soon.

travels: kristen and i went home over easter weekend where i got to introduce her as my bride in my home church--definitely a highlight. the main impetus for going was her sister jen's baby shower. the 3 boys (me, kristen's bro-in-law, and her dad) were all asked to serve drinks to the ladies at the party and once our duties were done, we were allowed to leave. we promptly did several manly things--ate gyros and then, with the help of some brews, cut down tree branches with chainsaws. good times. kristen and i spent saturday night through monday afternoon in elkhart which was fantastic--it was good to spend time with family over easter--and we got to meet landon--my cousin andrew and his wife annelise's baby chunk. we celebrated my birthday on monday both with my family and then with kristen's when we went back to chicago--had a great meal out, despite some issues with flights being canceled and delayed and things of this nature. but we made it back safe and sound and are looking forward to a trip next weekend down to the sand dunes.

much more: a great hike in golden gate canyon state park last weekend, helped tear up and re-floor a bathroom (friends just bought a house--may as well work on someone's if we can't work on our own), march madness partaaayyy, and more things that i just can't remember because it's been so long since i've written anything down. i'll try not to let it happen again.

hopefully more updates and some pics to come soon.

and...i'm a model

2009-03-14T19:52:00.005-06:00

i'm in the stripes on the left and my good buddy zach is painted on the right.

visit espn's men's college basketball page and scroll down about halfway on the right. if it's a guy in blue and white, just hit refresh till you get me and zach COMIN ATCHA! from what we understand, there will be more to come. goodness.

UPDATE: so, i guess this banner ad isn't always on the page--so it'll be a matter of keeping the ole eyes open to see where it pops up next.

she said 'yes'!

2009-02-23T10:39:00.005-06:00

kristen and i ran up to the top of table mesa and as it turns out, i had a little more planned than just an afternoon jog. as we looked out on the colorado foothills with the town of golden nestled at the foot, i asked her to be my wife.

and she said 'yes'.

and we are both very pleased. :)

national western stock show and rodeo! ...y'all!

2009-01-26T21:35:00.004-06:00

yeah. a bunch of us went to this. it was awesome. it was everything a rodeo should be: saddle bronc, tie-down roping, team roping, barrel racing, steer wrestling, mutton bustin', bull riding, and the special event: free-style bullfighting. all in all? awesome.

nuggies v magic

2009-01-26T21:26:00.005-06:00

mo, mark, zach and i were fortunate to take in a nuggets game from the 8th row behind the nuggets bench a week and a half ago. too bad their play wasn't as good as our seats--despite having a great season so far (2nd in the west), they let orlando walk all over them. still provided for a great night and some solid pics:

chauncey et al. in motion:

chauncey out of motion. sweet kicks:

i gotta admit--seeing dwight howard up close as a highlight, although he didn't throw down any ridiculous dunks like we were all hoping. he is still a large, large man though:

we met this kid out in the hall after the game--i asked him if that was dwight howard's shoe--"yeah, he just threw it into the crowd and i got it!" size 17. good lord.

winter park

2009-01-26T21:19:00.004-06:00

a bunch of us rolled up to winter park to stay at brian and angie's cabin the week of new years for some slopes and slop. we made some marinated chicken and steak tacos--and goodness--that warms the soul on a cold night. we hit up the powder the next day and the hot tub the next night. brilliant combo that.

one year

2009-01-26T20:51:00.005-06:00

sooooo...kristen and i have been dating for a little over a year now and i thought she/we deserved her/our own post.

i took her out to "the best sushi in denver" for a little celebration the weekend after new years--a place called banzai sushi. if you don't know, kristen LOVES sushi--kinda makes for easy special occasions because i don't have to decide what restaurant will please her best--as long as it's sushi, it's a winner.

but sushi isn't the point. the point is that i'm pretty pleased that after a year we're still beaming brightly in pictures together. she's a good catch--even better than the catches they had at banzai--which, i might add, were fantastic.

k: i Y u.

mo & annie's wedding

2009-01-26T20:33:00.002-06:00

so mo and annie got married. it was a lovely time. for those of you who don't know, mo was one of my roommates the first year i lived out here in denver and annie and i went to emu together. connections galore.

my lovely date:

tough guys:

dancing brads. b squared. b 'n b:

after mucho dancing--with much more dancing to go:

a holladay photoshoot

2009-01-26T20:25:00.003-06:00

manitou springs

2008-12-08T13:35:00.001-06:00

yeehaw! manitou springs!

i took kristen down to manitou springs for the weekend to celebrate her birthday which was last monday. we stayed in a brilliant bed & breakfast and there was plenty to do in the area. plus, we completely lucked out and had amazing weather--60's the whole first weekend of december? sweet.

our first outing on saturday took us to the manitou springs cliff dwellers museum and preserve. i question the "preserve" part of it as exemplified by the next picture:

those were some skinny dwellers...kristen insisted on going through all the passages:

all of them:

after the cliff dwellers we went into downtown manitou and just ambled around awhile. pretty cool little town. they have a candy store. they sell gummy teeth. we pose:

then we headed out to the garden of the gods. pretty dang cool:

then it was off to old colorado city--the old capital:

we ate out at a really nice place on friday night, so saturday night we hit up amanda's fonda--a mexican restaurant/bar/log cabin. good times. here we are sunday morning in front of our b&b--it's called rockledge inn for any of you looking to go to a pimp bed and breakfast on a thin wallet. it was fantastic.

this piano is worth more than the 6 acres of land the property sits on. it's from the early 1900's and is a steinway (read: harvard of pianos). it doesn't hurt the value that it's made of an extinct african wood that no one can identify.

kristen cheesing off the back patio of the property--that's pikes peak in the background.

on our way out of town we went back for another viewing of the garden of the gods. i think if we went again, i'd want to go earlier in the morning, or later in the afternoon than we went so the lighting is better, but we still managed to take away a pretty staggering impression--and some great pics.

all in all, great weekend. i'm excited for our next trip down to explore all that we didn't see. oh and...

happy birthday kristen!

it's been awhile

2008-12-07T13:09:00.000-06:00

US vs Guatemala

the guatemalan soccer team came to town to play the u.s. men's national team--pretty exciting for me what with the living there and all. below is little freddie adu. it's the first time i've gotten to see him in person, and as much as i don't think he'll make it very far, he certainly did impress. the second picture is him taking a free kick from just outside the box--yeah, he scored. it was fantastic.

i dressed in red, white and blue, but if you look closely, you'll note that it's all chivos gear--the club team from xela. the guatemalans behind me loved it.

Albuquerque

mark and i hitched a plane down to albuquerque to visit our friends rus and javi. it was great to see those guys, and cool to check out albuquerque. there was much wii, walking, and watering holes. before we left on sunday we did a little hiking in the foothills. it's definitely different scenery there than the colorado foothills--but really enjoyable all the same. rus and mark can't resist the camera when it shines their way:

Thanksgiving in Kansas

kristen and i (and maya, of course) spent thanksgiving at my cousin kris' place. we had a blast the whole weekend, and like everyone else, ate way too much. one thing that made this a unique thanksgiving was going with my aunt and uncle to a truckstop for thanksgiving dinner--nothing was open! ivan called every restaurant in the phone book before we settled on newell's truckstop--a hesston college favorite.

kris and megan got a new camera while we were there so they wanted to take a couple of family pics before we left. you can buy a new fancy camera, but sometimes, just sometimes, the perfect picture is out of your control:

At the Office

you'd think working in an office park that's not particularly close to a forest would prevent this kind of thing, but i guess not:

aslan (not the lion)

2008-11-14T16:15:00.002-06:00

mark and i got to see reza aslan in this month's installment of the insight speaker series. and while desmond tutu was cool, reza's speech was unbelievably informative and educational. he is a cbs news analyst for the middle east--read: islam. has one book published, another due out in april. ridiculously smart guy. obviously you're going to be well-informed when you spend your life (albeit a short one--he's like 36) studying one subject, but still, massively enjoyable and thoughtful.

here's a clip of him on with guests on bill maher:

there are plenty of other clips of reza on youtube that you can check out if you're interested--i think there's even a speech of his split into 4 parts that would be quite like the one he gave on wednesday night.

i'm excited to either pick up his published book, or get his new one when it comes out. maybe both. we'll see. it's just guys like him that make me want to be smarter. make me want to learn more. about everything.

somethin like an obamanon

2008-11-08T20:25:00.002-06:00

welp. i got to go. we got to go. it was amazing. kristen and i booked flights sunday and monday, respectively, to see barack obama become the 44th president of the united states in grant park, chicago. we flew out tuesday morning and met up with her parents who were lucky enough to get 6 tickets to the event. our hotel was on michigan ave at grant park. we ate dinner on state st just north and west of grant park. what i'm trying to say is that we were in the middle of the universe for everything we did. at least it felt that way.

the buildings in chicago were even in one the inescapable mania of the election. below is the art institute of chicago.

there were about 6 security checkpoints to get into the park--it was like being led through a cattle run. it was during the checkpoints that we started to feel the sheer number of people pressing in on us.

once inside, we found a spot quite far from the stage, but with a good view of the jumbotron, which showed cnn as pole results came in and played music when it went to commercial.

as i look through my pictures, i realize that none convey the awe i had in looking in all directions at the tops of heads. looking back towards the skyline, it was so much more immense than this picture shows. oh well.

there were mountains of cheers as barack took the stage.

looking back as we were leaving grant park--maybe this one shows the incredible number of people a little better.

here's 128 amazing pictures from the chicago tribune: link
here's a pretty cool time lapse video of the rally: link
and an unbelievable behind-the-scenes gallery of obama watching pole results come in and prepare for his speech: link

and don't forget to check out kristen's blog: link

baracktober (so original)

2008-10-26T21:46:00.001-06:00

obama was in denver today, so kristen and i went down to the rally--same spot as yesterday, though quite a few more people--over 100,000 in fact. we got there when he was already speaking, so we never got much a view, but it was great to walk around all the people and listen to the speech and be a part of it all.

obama was speaking from up where that bright light is. yeah. not much of a view.

this was our only true access to barack--some signs and huge speakers hanging from boom forklifts.

leaving the rally, we were thrilled to be cruising down a closed broadway--it's a 5-lane one-way--so yeah, not a common opportunity.

we took advantage and enjoyed our rides. we finished with brunch at the hornet--any of you reading this who may be considering a visit to colorado should probably go to brunch at the hornet. it's gooooooood.

ben harper and my ladies

2008-10-25T13:45:00.001-06:00

went to an obama rally in denver on saturday--big attraction was ben harper. he only played 2 songs, but hey, it was a beautiful day--and free. can't complain about that. obama will be speaking tomorrow on the same stage--gonna cruise on down to that one too.

my ladies.

a bit of a nerd

2008-10-24T13:23:00.005-06:00

my new web baby is at http://guatemalagallery.awardspace.com

most people who know me know that i'm a bit of a nerd. and it's in that nerdy vain that i have created websites over the years. not for any fiscal benefit--not by any means--but rather, just as something to do and accomplish. i'd liken it to a hobby. i coded my first site back in 1999 before blogs were an option. of course, i didn't really want a web log at that point--i wanted a website. why? for something to do. in relation to what? my sweet sweet college band decoy. i even designed a logo for the band--purely because i wanted to see it on a website. and where is that site? HERE

you can see some fantastic pics, and there's even a link to download one of our songs. ahhh, glory days.

so there was a considerable hiatus until my next online adventure--which came shortly after a visit to my friend luke in guatemala. the year was 2005. i wanted somewhere to put pictures of my trip, and i didn't really understand blogs yet, so i designed THIS website for folks to view.

shortly after that forray into web design, i figured out that blogs are way easier to deal with than actually coding html. it was initially intended solely as a photo blog--as evidenced by my VERY FIRST POST. (i back-dated posts that actually appear to be older posts, but that was simply in the interest of a relative timeline.) but i soon found out i had more to say than pictures could tell so i began writing as well. a year-long trip to guatemala meant that a blog was a great way for people to stay connected with me.

so that brings me to today. i'm on facebook, myspace, friendster (don't remember the login though), mennomeet, have created several blogs and websites and am now the proud owner of a very new website. some may remember THIS post when i began collecting guatemalan currency as a hobby while i lived there. it brought me back to childhood and it felt great. i've kept it up since returning, and i've finally put a site together to showcase my small collection.

i looked at a lot of other collectors' galleries as my interest grew and wanted to show of my own collection for others to see. i realize that most people could care less about this sort of thing, but that's what's so great about blogs--nobody has to care as long as i do. and i do. i'm quite proud of the new site--can't you tell?

so if you've made it this far without already clicking on the link at the top of the post, here's another chance--just click the 1 quetzal bill below or go to http://guatemalagallery.awardspace.com and have at it.

desmond tutu

2008-10-23T16:06:00.003-06:00

mark and i had the priveledge of seeing desmond tutu speak last night through the impressive insight speaker series at the convention center here in denver. turns out we had 2nd row, dead center tickets. not bad at all.

it was certainly an enjoyable speech with the tone being very positive and hopeful for the good of humanity. some of the topics covered seemed a bit grandiose and idealistic, though in the end, it's nice to hear someone who has been through so much maintain his passion for the brotherhood of man.

some topics covered (in an hour):
apartheid
poverty
war
peace
sickness
global unity
the power of the individual
we are a global family
god
god's family

it was a good time overall. glad to see the little man with big plans in action.

a quick bit of editing

2008-10-20T16:13:00.002-06:00

things of this nature

2008-10-19T18:51:00.006-06:00

what a difference 30 minutes makes

hiking kenosha pass

kristen, maya and i took a roadtrip up to the top of kenosha pass in the hopes of seeing some aspens still yellow and vibrant--unfortunately, all we found was this...

and this...

the new place

mark, my sister nicki, and i moved into a new house at the beginning of october. it's small. but nice.

and it's filled with vegetables...

sigur ros

kristen and i went to a sigur ros concert at red rocks. it was good.

$700 billion

2008-09-25T09:54:00.000-06:00

"I have great, great confidence in our capital markets and in our financial institutions. Our financial institutions, banks and investment banks, are strong. Our capital markets are resilient. They're efficient. They're flexible."

-- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, March 16, 2008

"Our policy in this administration -- laws shouldn't bail out lenders, laws shouldn't help speculators."

-- President Bush, May 19, 2008

"Our economy has continued growing, consumers are spending, business are investing, exports continue increasing and American productivity remains strong. We can have confidence in the long-term foundation of our economy...I think the system basically is sound. I truly do."

-- President Bush, July 15, 2008

let's see--you could give $700 billion to these guys, or you could split it up and give every person in the united states over $2300. or you could split that in half and give every person $1150--which i'm sure they'd be happy to receive--and use the other half--THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS--to, oh, let's say: improve the education system, research alternative fuels, nationalize health care, or a bevy of other things.

just think about one billion dollars for a second. what could that do? a lot. now think of 700 of those.

split it up however you want, just don't give it to companies that have been so ridiculously mismanaged to get us to this situation in the first place. don't bail out top execs who make more in a year than i'll make in my life. don't keep taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

and DO have debates tomorrow. JOHN MCCAIN: YOU AREN'T GOING TO HELP ANYONE BY BEING IN WASHINGTON. if you're going to be in the running for the next president, you should probably go ahead and face your opponent. there are plenty of people who believe the same thing you do and their voices will be heard in washington. your voice, however, only matters in the form of a debate at this point, because i want to hear you say why 4 more years of this type of administration is good for the people, economy, businesses, etc.

this is just plain ridiculous.

go cubs go!

2008-09-22T12:15:00.008-06:00

we had a weekend in chicago with the boys--and by boys i mean about 20 guys. we were out for mo's bachelor party and the main event was the cubs v cardinals game--we reserved a rooftop outside of wrigley and had a blast as the cubs clinched the first national league playoff spot by winning the n.l. central. and we saw these guys:

the rooftop afforded a great view of the field and there was all you can eat and drink included in the price:

this is the inside of the building--obviously everyone was outside--plus no one really cared that the irish were hiccupping all over the field. (2-1 now. boo.)

after the last out, the players rushed the field, as per any celebration in any sport:

people flooded out of the stadium and into the streets. it was pretty cool to see from our vantage point--and it reminded me of being in denver last year for the rockies incredible run to and through the playoffs.

the police were soon out in force to make sure there weren't too many shenanigans going on. i'm not going to say there weren't ANY, but it wasn't too bad.

naturally we sang the cubs anthem a number of times in a number of locations:

here's a large majority of the crew--good times guys. good times.

paging mr. roll

2008-09-22T09:54:00.001-06:00

it should be noted that when mark and i returned from chicago this weekend we heard the following page in the denver international airport:

"paging mr. roll, mr. rick roll. please pick up the nearest courtesy phone. mr. roll, paging mr. rick roll."

brilliant.

pics from the weekend to follow.

kansas again

2008-09-18T09:22:00.004-06:00

nicki and i went to kansas last weekend. we were there because 1) it's fun, and 2) mom was bringing a bunch of stuff out for nicki and i, so we had to pick it up. we definitely had a good time and hopefully we can get back around thanksgiving. unfortunately, my camera was about dead the whole time so i didn't take any pictures. i did get this one though, which pretty much sums it up:

and notre dame is 2-0!

leadville

2008-09-10T09:22:00.000-06:00

we took a combo trip last sunday to mountain bike on the colorado trail in the morning and spend some time in leadville in the afternoon--the highest incorporated town in the u.s. and a. first, some mad bike pics:

so fast!

jumping through the roof!

and here's the result of that last jump:

turns out, kristen didn't have a spare, and the spare i thought i had was actually kristen's last blown tire. so...time to walk it out:

luckily for us, our afternoon was filled with the delights of leadville--including all the delectable goodies in this converted pretzel turnstyle. yes. hotdog. with mustard. spinning. there's a corndog in there as well:

leadville actually has a really cool main street with a bunch of cleaned up old buildings:

our main purpose for being there was to catch the last day of the independence film fest--we saw a documentary on the colorado 10th infantry (the mountain soldiers)--pretty cool. what's cooler is that the opera house we saw it in used to have it's sidewalk out front paved in solid bricks of silver--that's how wealthy the town was.

one shop we wandered into was melanzana. they make outdoor and performance clothing--in the store. there were a bunch of sewing machines and rolls of fabric behind the counter and one woman working on a sweatshirt. pretty cool idea to rival the big outdoor outfitters like rei, ems, etc.

kristen decided to try some items on:

back outside for some more main st action:

yeah, we're famous:

on the way back to denver the moon was just peeking up over the mountains--i took about a thousand pictures from the car--this was one of the only ones without a telephone pole, another car, or the guardrail in the picture:

herman gulch

2008-09-06T12:54:00.000-06:00

kristen, maya and i took to the trails a week and a half ago to explore the herman gulch trail. it was an absolutely beautiful day. unfortunately, as more and more trees succumb to pine beetles, trails are increasingly looking like this:

happy girl. happy dog.

one of the big attractions on this trail is the wildflowers--of course that's if you're hiking in july. there are over 100 types of colorado wildflowers along the trail during peak season, but i think we only saw about 10.

here's the end of the line. the trail started at 10,400' and finished at 12,000'--pretty steep at the beginning and end. but we were rewarded with a quiet lunch at herman lake surrounded by clear blue skies and peaks.

maya would have preferred to chase the marmots we saw, but she did pretty well and stayed close by.

we were the only ones there for awhile--once other people started showing up we decided to pack it up and head back. it was certainly an easier trek on the way down, but we still took time to enjoy the views.

we made it back to watch notre dame go 1-0 on the season! undefeated baby!

weekending in kansas

2008-09-05T16:13:00.004-06:00

kristen and i spent the holiday weekend in kansas--it was her first trip there and for all the family she had to meet, she did very well. we stayed at my cousin kris' house with his wife megan and their 2 kids will and wade. we brought maya along, who thoroughly enjoyed meeting and playing with their dog daisy. she also loved the fact that she could run around in a huge field.

we spent a good portion of our time there on kris' small 4x4--goodness that's a fun time. they've got a trail through the trees behind their house--we almost got around to timing our laps. here's kristen with maya and daisy in hot pursuit:

somehow it ended up being a time for me to catch a bunch of crazy bugs and animals--here's a cicada:

here's a turtle--i didn't catch him, but i was close:

and here is miranda. my friends luke and sarah imported her. she lays eggs. she has a blue face and legs. she has feathers on her feet. she's hilarious:

here's a katydid:

i don't know why i'm so obsessed with catching strange and unusual creatures, but oh well. here we are in luke and sarah's back yard enjoying fresh kolroby--a kind of raddish broccoli potato that they were growing in their garden. delicious--and very nutricious:

aunt diane, will, and wade takin it for a cruise:

sunday night kris, kristen and i went to the famed (for hesston college kids) newell's truck stop for some midnight eggs and cheesey fries. mmm mmm mmm. we undid any and all healthiness of kolroby in one bite of newell's food. luckily, to work off those calories, they have an arcade in the back. kris managed to make it to about level 57 of RAYDEN JET FIGHTERS!!!! it was hilarious because you couldn't see what was happening on the screen for all the bullets, missles, planes, lazers, tazers, and things of this nature:

on monday we swung by uncle virgil's where he sharpened the pocketknife i keep in my car--it's way too sharp to be safe now. way too sharp. and while we're on the subject of uncle virg, all 5 of you who occasionally read this blog should check out http://www.roastingsticks.com/ --it's his site and he handcrafts and sells custom roasting sticks--like for campfires and poking people. that's what the title pic is up top--kristen and i each got one with our names on.

as we were getting ready to head out of town, we found a couple friends who wanted to tag along:

and heeeeeeeerrrrrrrreeeee'ssssss will:

but of course we couldn't leave town without one more lap on the 4x4--i'm driving, kristen is shotgun and maya is the lagging sidecar:

so we packed up and headed back uphill to colorado. we had a great time and i'm glad kristen finally got the chance to meet a bunch of my family. i'm heading back out next weekend, so i'll hopefully get to do it all over again.

and on a side note, i'm harvesting my corn! except there must be a disconnect somewhere because i thought corn were generally considerably larger than tomatoes. guess not:

dnc: day 4

2008-08-29T13:47:00.007-06:00

what a pinnacle. what a brilliant end to a fantastic week. what a journey. it's been great having the dnc in denver--it seems to have shed a very positive light on the city and was obviously good for its economy. it was so fun to be in the mix of something this monumental.

i'll thank kristen and mo right now for their photographic contributions to this post--they have way better cameras than me. i'll denote with an (m), (k), or (b)--for me--to denote who took the pics--they both deserve the recognition. the title pic up top is an (m).

last night was easily the highlight--despite the stark contrast when compared to day 3 of my proximity to the stage. of course it was the highlight--but it didn't start that way. we'd heard rumors before leaving the house yesterday afternoon that the line was over a mile long to get in and taking at least 2 hours. we kind of believed it, but kind of not. we should have.

this was the "line":
(k)

we got a lovely ratio of standing in line to being inside: 1 to 1. 3 hours in the line, 3 hours in the convention. this left plenty of time to peruse the wares being sold all around the perimeter:
(b)

unfortunately, the mix of standing perfectly still for 30 minutes in a line that you've already been in for an hour and half, plus no shade, plus people deciding they're just going to get into any part of the line the feel like, is not a good one. there was some yelling, some avid booing to the cutters, and some yelling back. no physical violence though. but that meant the force showed up--and they showed up strong. it really was getting close to a riotous atmosphere--and they got there just in time to settle things down:
(b)
(b)

snipers on the roof of invesco:
(b)

kristen and hillary trying to figure out the madness that was the line--at this point we'd been in the line over 2 hours and were told it was another 2 before we got in:
(b)

finally the line started to move--see all those people in the stadium? see how close we are to the stadium? and yes--this felt like we were almost there:

(b)

security didn't seem near as tough as we thought--it was basically airport security--i was expecting greater thoroughness--especially with bags and cameras--nope. but it still took a massively long time to get in.

the first shot i took once we finally got in--stevie wonder on stage:

(b)

we all got split up--thinking we could sit anywhere--however, we were told that you had to sit in your own section--so mo, annie, mark and hillary all had this view of the evening:

(m)

stevie wonder:

(b)

al gore:

(b)

michael mcdonald:

(m)

the great thing about that mike mcd pic above is that if you zoom in on the right spot, you can find some familiar faces. if you click on the below pic, take a look at the red circle--kristen is in the red shirt and i'm there to her left--though mostly blocked by the flag. pretty sweet:

(m)

lotsaflags:

(b)

someone was keen on getting one of her own and certainly wasn't too bashful to ask someone sitting near us for theirs--here she is with her prize:

(b)

even when joe biden came out to speak, there were plenty of seats in the stands--you could look back at still see tons of people slowly...slowly...slowly filing in:

(b)

here we are getting ready for barack to come out:

(credited to the woman behind us)

and finally, 5 hours after we arrived, barack takes the stage to cheers and cheers and cheers:

(b)

here's a video of his entrance:

(b)

kristen's zoom is way better than mine:

(k)

8 is enough:

(b)

and here's maybe my favorite shot of the night. props to mo for this one:

(m)

cruising it back home, free souvenirs and smiles to be had:

(b)

all in all, great time. i'm so glad i was able to be a part of all this action. i'm excited for the next couple of months in politics--watching the rnc, the debates, the election, and all that comes with it. after this week, i feel like it's nearly a lock for obama--especially with his pick of palin as his vp--just doesn't seem like a strong choice.

but who knows? no one. that's why we get to watch and find out.

(i may post additional pics from kristen when i have the time--hopefully some that are zoomed in a lot further--so keep an eye)

dnc: day 3

2008-08-28T00:10:00.002-06:00

awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome

you get the idea.

dnc day 3 began with a solo bike ride downtown to an open-air free concert called unconventional08. those of you who know me well will know that music kind of trumps a lot of other things in my life, and tonight was no exception. i was planning on listening to the bands and then heading somewhere to watch the speeches. welp, the bands played a little longer than i thought--and you better believe i didn't leave.

now, i already knew several of the bands playing, and knew i liked them, but i wasn't totally convinced that i could get in because there was a vip portion that required a ticket. well, i arrived to the sounds of sweet sweet music and walked right in. not only did i walk right in, but i walked right up to the stage. most of the concert i had all of one person between myself and the stage. fantastic. so, without further ado, some pics:

the solo ride on the way down--still allowed for a photo op:

nada surf:

they played an acoustic set of: happy kid, blankest year, fruit fly, blizzard of '77, always love, what is your secret?, see these bones, ice on the wing, and maybe another one or two.

notice the obama/lincoln posters in the background and part of the word hope spelled in bicycle wheels. sweet.

cold war kids:

i didn't know them as well but they were brilliant all the same. i know they played: hang me up to dry, saint john, + several more.

and if you turned around during their set, this is what you saw:

clap your hands say yeah:

played: emily jean stock, details of the war, satan said dance, the skin of my yellow country teeth, in this home on ice, upon this tidal wave of blood and maybe one more--though they only made it through about half of that last one until giving up. the lead singer tends to do that. it's pretty off-putting. you're famous musicians. if you don't want that, don't play live concerts. if you're gonna play live, finish your set. i've heard he has a pretty strong tendency to not care at all that he's on stage and doesn't try at all. sweet reputation guys. if i didn't like their albums so much, i probably would've left then.

silversun pickups:

played: melatonin, well out of twinkles, little lover's so polite, lazy eye, common reactor and maybe another one. they are a high energy show that just plain rocks. my ears are still ringing. i might not have paid to see them before tonight, but i'd certainly pay to see them again.

so, because i was at this show for so long, i didn't end up seeing any of the speeches--that is, until now. thanks to the miracle of tivo, as i finish this post, joe biden is just now finishing his speech--nice job by the way. bill dominated though. are we absolutely sure we can't elect him again? oh look--and obama just showed up. sweet. so i'd say i had a very successful night. tomorrow's the big day--we have 500 level seats--which means we'll actually be out on mt. evans for the speech, but i'll take some pics of the big screen and it'll be fine.

dnc: day 2

2008-08-27T09:21:00.004-06:00

day 2 of the dnc is now behind us and i have plenty more pics to prove it. kristen, mark and i all rode downtown to experience the splendor and rub shoulders with people in suits and people in, well, you'll see a couple pics down. yesterday morning on the way to work i snapped the following picture of workers setting up barriers. depending on the street and time of day, they completely block them off. i wish i had a shot of the jackknifed dumptrucks they use on the on ramps from the interstate--who needs concrete barriers when you can just park a huge truck in the middle of the road?

once we were downtown last night, we saw tons of iconic displays--and since there was still plenty of daylight, i tried to capture some of them.

larimer street is usually lined with strings of lights, but this week it's lined with strings of state flags.

and then there were these girls. well--"girls". we didn't do any shoulder rubbing with them.

we went down to the open-air broadcast center for msnbc that was outside union station. pat buchanon, eugene robinson, and some others were sitting up there getting ready to dissect speeches and words and implications. i would've liked to see chris matthews or keith olberman, but they were all inside the convention center at that point.

again we ended up in a sports bar where all the tvs were turned to the convention. the whole bar shouted when the feed went out for literally a tenth of a second. it was the same sense you get when the tv gets fuzzy just as the receiver is about to make the catch on the sideline--read: notre dame football is a week and a half away.

and i do mean ALL the tvs.

we've been seeing this a lot lately, but it's still kind of amusing--motorcades--really important people in really important cars with really important license plates. we saw a huge police motorcade yesterday morning on the way to work--black cars, black suvs, black buses. still never fails to intrigue.

so that's day 2. tonight we'll be trying to get into free concerts and more ruckus. pictures to follow.

dnc: day 1

2008-08-26T13:02:00.003-06:00

so day 1 of the democratic national convention has come and gone in denver--some good times, some bad times (those aren't really being picked up by national media), and some fun times. mark and i took our cruisers downtown to be in the mix as the evening speeches were getting underway. we spent most of our time in the pourhouse--a pub that offers a burger, fries and drink for under 5 bucks--add a beer for a dollar. sweet. supersize me.

mark made the comment and i have to agree that it was pretty cool to see a bar full of people transfixed on a television that wasn't showing a sporting event. there were tons of people in the streets who were both coming from and going to the convention. it made for a great night of people watching: a girl was crying in the bar (tears of joy. really.), james cargill walked by the front of the bar, and there were just plain loads of people everywhere. i'll try to do better tonight with taking pics.

when the night ended, we found our bikes had been gifted a small american flag. naturally we put it to good use...

...as we proceeded to bike nearly the whole way home with flag held high--just like you would do if you'd spent an entire night being flooded with america usa america. plus, it was a good distraction to take our minds off the fact that homeward bound is just about entirely uphill.

all in all, fun first night. i'm hoping to get downtown a little earlier tonight to take some daylight pics of day 2. good times a'comin.

mt bierstadt

2008-08-25T08:49:00.005-06:00

kristen, brad miller, maya the collie and i climbed our first 14er this weekend. mt bierstadt was the 14er of choice. we had a fantastic time--although certainly tiring as well. we left around 5:45am and arrived to the trailhead just as the sun was coming over the peaks. mt bierstadt is on the right in the following pic.

brad, kristen and maya all ready to go.

we actually had to descend along the trail into a marsh land before beginning the climb, but were continually impressed with the views throughout the day.

here's a view that i'm continually impressed with. CHEESY.

we had to cross a small creek, which, with a tentative dog can be trickier than you think.

piles of stones marked the trail when it was difficult to know where to go.

a little recharge.

brad and i--slowly but surely. kristen and maya were generally way ahead of us.

there were large sections of rock that we had to cross--the trail was what you made it.

the zigzag dirt road is where my car was parked. yeah. we walked from there. the two highest peaks in the distance are grey's and torres--14ers that are close together and many people do both in one day.

brad high-stepping it--almost there.

and finally the top. an exhausting climb, but we were all glad for the rest, food, water and views that we took in once we were there.

here's a video i took of the panoramic from the top--the first time i zoom in shows the winding road below where the car was parked (and a nice view of grey's and torres) and the second time i zoom in you're looking at the observatory (barely right of center in the frame) on top of mt evans--a neighboring 14er only 2 miles away.

coming back down, i turned around to take this pic of the top--those rocks made for a tough final go of it, but it was impressive to know that we'd made it up there.

looking to the east you can see a misty rainfall. we were glad it didn't decide to drop any of its contents on us. below is abyss lake, and just to the right of the rain in the far off distance is pike's peak.

these little flower plants were growing in crevices and under stones.

maya did a little mountaineering of her own.

this last pic was taken from the parking lot after we were back at the car. now you see why it's important to do 14ers early in the morning and to get off the mountain before the afternoon storms roll in.

it's great to have my first 14er under my belt. it's certainly hard work--both the getting up at 5am and the climbing, but makes for a remarkable journey that you're glad for in the end (after a shower and nap). 1 down, 53 to go. goodness.

tidbit of an update

2008-08-24T22:35:00.000-06:00

so, a couple pics to catch up. my sister nicki visited for about a week and a half and naturally that led to this shot of kristen playing guitar hero. brilliant.

nicki, kristen and i went to the denver art museum and wouldn't you know it--there was a display of mennonite and amish quilts that the museum had purchased for their collection.

we walked around capital hill a bit afterwards and caught a nice view of the flowers in bloom and the gold dome (by the way, notre dame football starts in 2 weeks).

nicki and i went to el dorado canyon for a hike--turned out it was a bit harder and longer than expected, but it's always good to get out and get your lungs pumping anyway. while she was here she had a couple of job interviews and as i write this, she is completing her second day of life as a denver "resident". she's crashing with us until we figure out the future housing situation. she starts work at the colorado youth corps tomorrow morning bright and early at 7:30. exciting times for sure--i'm glad she made it out here--hopefully all goes well tomorrow.

and lastly, i was lucky enough to score tickets to see obama speak (accept the presidential nomination) at mile high stadium this coming thursday. the dnc is going to just about shut down downtown denver this coming week. it's fun to be in the midst of all this fiasco, but it's also going to be reasonably inconvenient.

the tickets are like sportflix baseball cards--you move them and they change pictures. sweet.

mmm...air conditioning

2008-08-01T14:48:00.001-06:00

how long does it take?

2008-07-31T21:49:00.000-06:00

well. my phone was reported lost on a united flight on july 11th. my mom received a call that the phone had been found early morning july 13th and that i would receive it in about 10 days. today is july 31 and now i have it. how many days does it take between finding a phone and mailing said phone? you do the math:

because apparently once you have the phone in your hand it takes at least 12 days to put it in an envelope and mail it. oh, and united airlines has the worst customer service. ever.

bitter much?

another wedding

2008-07-28T10:51:00.000-06:00

this time it was here in colorado and it was on a sunday...oooooo. kristen's family was (and still is) out for it and we had a great time. i'm not gonna lie--we're pretty nasty at air guitar.

aguas rápidas

2008-07-28T10:07:00.001-06:00

so i went white water rafting on saturday with my roommate mo and his fiance annie. but i'm too cheap to pay 20 bucks per photo to download them, so that's why you get to see a precious watermark in each shot. it was a fun time for sure.

rollin into chi-town

2008-07-15T11:48:00.002-06:00

holler at me midwest. kristen and i spent the weekend in chicago as one of her good friends from high school was getting married. it turned out to be a fantastic weekend despite leaving my cell phone on the plane when we landed--they found it and i should have it hopefully by next week--but don't call me till then.

the big attraction for me this weekend was that i finally got a chance to meet kristen's family. she's already met my mom, sister, an aunt and a cousin, so it was about time that the favor was returned. we stayed with her twin sister jennifer and her husband jonathan and we had a blast. we also spent a good amount of time with her parents as well as her grandma and uncle.

so, friday we met kristen's parents for lunch at their house (where she grew up). i got to see lots of old pictures and trophies and hear a couple good stories from her mom. then the wedding was friday evening, so we got all gussied up and headed over. here's jen, jonathan, kristen and me at our table:

and here's kristen looking for our name tag which said where we were supposed to sit. she swore we were invited to the wedding, but i think we may have just been squatting for some free food and drink. we picked a good one to sneak in to if that was the case.

after the wedding we dominated some hot guitar hero 3 action. it should be noted that i have now purchased said game and am hoping to receive it in the mail about the same time as my phone. i'm gonna be so unproductive.

saturday we spent a lot of time lounging around until dinner, which was delicious delicious sushi at the first sushi bar in chicago.

sisters? check. twins? check. they even hold their chopsticks the same way. well, actually, i guess everyone holds their chopsticks the same way.

after dinner we went to the famed second city comedy club. tons and tons and tons of famous people have performed here. it's where a lot of saturday night livers have had their start over the years.

it was a pretty hilarious show, and jen even got pulled up on stage to help with a skit. and by help i mean be the brunt of the jokes.

on sunday we went to church and then visited kristen's grandma and uncle for lunch. afterwards it was time to head back to the dry heat of denver--way better than the humidity of chicago. i definitely had a blast meeting everyone and hanging out in chi-town. hopefully they'll have me back soon.

palisade - grand junction - fruita - loma

2008-07-07T14:58:00.001-06:00

kristen and i spent the long holiday weekend in the palisade - grand juction - fruita - loma area of colorado for some excellent mountain biking, wine tasting, and napping.

here we are on friday mountain biking at fruita:

and then...we gave maya a bath--oh, you don't know maya? that's because kristen just adopted her on thursday and we promptly had her hop into the back seat of the camry and come with us. she's a border collie mix (w/maybe some lab) and she's a great dog--pretty shy, but that's ok. she's even more shy when she's sopping wet.

we went into grand juction for the fourth of july fireworks festivities, though ended up leaving right before the fireworks--maya was just getting a bit too nervous. but we hung out for a good two hours in our sweet america t's on the lawn outside the high school where they were going to do the fireworks. america! yeah!

notice kristen's freedom flyer:

on saturday we went wine tasting--western colorado has a number of pretty nice vineyards. one thing i learned was that apparently indiana has an international wine competition hosted at purdue university. what? that seems odd.

i didn't win a prize:

for dinner saturday we went to downtown juntion--its main street was almost a pedestrian mall--pretty nice little area actually.

sunday morning we headed to loma (across the highway from fruita) for some more mountain biking.

and then right before we left we visited the palisade farmers market.

i have a good friend who would have loved the wares (or should i say wears) at this tent.

kristen bought some cherries for the way back--red ones, and the ever elusive yellow cherries.

and that's about it. we had a great weekend--a good mix of activity and passivity. thanks to my cousin bruce and his family mel, sarah and zeb who opened up their house and let us stay there while they were out of town.

this weekend we're heading to chicago as one of kristen's friends is getting married.

a couple additional pics here: http://kristenheil.blogspot.com

maria taylor and jonathan rice at hi-dive

2008-07-03T09:32:00.002-06:00

kristen, mark and i went to hi-dive last night to check out maria taylor and jonathan rice--i've wanted to see her in concert for quite a while and i've seen him, but he's always fun, so i was happy to see him again. she's way tinier than i would have imagined. here's some pics:

backpacking in lost creek

2008-07-01T07:50:00.003-06:00

kristen and i went backpacking in an area southwest of denver called the lost creek wilderness this past weekend. it was bright:

here's a tractor in a field:

as we were driving to the trailhead, we saw the remains of a massive fire. turns out that the first quarter mile of trail had been affected as well. we did some research when we got back home and learned that it was a result of the hayman fire of 2002 which covered 138,000 acres in a month's time. it was the largest fire in colorado history--and unfortunately, was started by one lone person:

once we got past the portion affected by the fire, the rest of our 4 mile hike looked like this--plenty of aspens and evergreens--it's a beautiful area for sure:

here's where we took our lunch break. the rock formations are much more akin to those in utah, making this a unique area for colorado:

kristen pretending to be rainwater runoff. she was so proud. notice the pointed fingertips and toes:

the area is famous for being a failed mining area. all that remains of the shafthouse is some old machinery. there are some old cabins that still stand further down the trail:

here's the end of our trail--a pretty fantastic view, but also pretty tough to navigate with packs on:

we set up camp down next to goose creek--there were a fair number of other people around considering the difficulty of the hike, but we managed to find a nice spot of our own. we cooked hamburgers on the fire and i tried to fish in the creek. we could see 'em--they were even jumping--and kristen had an emergency kit with fishing line and a hook, so i rigged it up with a small nibble of beef jerky. the fish weren't having it, but it was fun to try:

and that's about it. our hike in was about 5 miles in 5 hours with all the excursions we took--the way out was only 2 hours for 4 miles. it was definitely a good trip, but i'm still sore from the hike. this weekend we're heading out to palisade/grand junction/fruita to do some mountain biking, hiking and wine tasting--should be another good one!

for a couple different pics and her story, you can check out kristen's blog at http://kristenheil.blogspot.com/

apr may jun pics

2008-06-27T11:46:00.002-06:00

i figured it was time to toss a couple pics up from the last several months. the first is from the cubs v rockies game that bruce, mel, sarah, and zeb brought me to--definite good times except for that the cubs lost. of course that also meant the rockies won, which isn't terrible.

kristen was housesitting for a week so we took their dogs out for a hike (which was actual several mini hikes--you can't really do much above 9,000 feet in april without snowshoes)

mom, nicki and my aunt diane came through town on the way back from nicki's graduation in portland (congrats sis!). here we are on a bright afternoon walking around downtown.

zach had a big birthday bash before (and after) a rapids soccer game. here's paolo (or: brian) tending the grill.

kristen is so cool.

the man of the hour(s). 30 is the new 21. and 21 is the new 14.

me, zach, brian and mark.

kristen and i at the game.

after the game we all went to a bar where we were given permission to provide the music. in this sweet sweet picture i'm dj-ing with brian's idj equipment--you just need two ipods, some good tunes and mixing skills. it was a blast.

looking away from the sunset at a huge storm--golden is at the foot of those mesas. this pic was taken outside of town--the highest mesa in this pic is the first thing you see outside kristen's door.

more baseball--this time rockies v mets--rocks win!

and this a pic kristen took of sienna--the 11 month old she nannies for. she's quite darling really.

bike to work day

2008-06-25T09:15:00.008-06:00

it's national bike to work day today, so mark and i made the 25 mile trek from northwest denver to centennial--we left about 6:45 and got to work about 8:45, which i thought was pretty good, considering that i never ride a bike for any meaningful distance. we each had one minor crash--mark ran into a biker who didn't signal his ridiculous u-turn and i hit the curb a little to aggressively, but other than that, it was a tiring but good ride. we'll be taking the light rail home.

a new workflow

2008-05-22T16:54:00.000-06:00

welp, now i work at a company called emergenetics. my last day at the du bookstore was over a week ago and i started this new gig on monday. i'm well pleased for the change and am certainly looking forward to getting settled in.

i am the project coordinator and will likely be working on a wide range of endeavors for the company. my first will be working on a hiring tool for organizations to use as a compliment to the traditional hiring process.

i suppose a little background on emergenetics is necessary. they have developed a personality and behavioral profile assessment (much like the myers-briggs test that everyone's taken about 7 times). it measures your innate preferences towards structure, analytical thinking, social behavior and the way you conceptualize ideas. the benefit is that organizations that use this tool are better equiped to understand their employees, co-workers, managers and perhaps most importantly, themselves. the goal is to increase worker satisfaction, decrease turnover, and essentially have a better understanding of everyone that you spend a majority of your day with.

so my first project--the hiring tool--is designed to match personality and behavioral preferences with what a job demands of a worker. you may have a great deal of skill in some aspect of work, but no interest in using that skill. or you may be particularly interested in a certain type of work, but possess little to no skill for that job. the tool is design to match both interest and skill with what the employer deems are necessary levels of both.

there's a lot of psychology in all of it--which despite always claiming i'll never be a psychologist--certainly fits my interests and skills. i think it's going to be a great job for me and i'm so happy to have been in the right place at the right time. oh yeah, my roommates work there. one of them is the president. and now he's my boss. ha.

visit http://www.emergenetics.com/ for more info.

the united states of mexico

2008-04-19T17:01:00.003-06:00

kristen and i went to mexico for nine days. it was great. here's how it all went down.

the alarm went off at 4:13am--which represented the day we would return--4/13, and boy was it early. here we are lounging in the denver int'l airport--eagerly awaiting all the uncertainties that lie ahead of us.

3 flights and a 2-hour bus ride later, we found ourselves in san cristóbal de las casas in the southernmost state in mexico: chiapas. chiapas borders guatemala and is also the poorest state in mexico--it actually felt wonderfully comfortable--like i was right back in guatemala. we reveled in walking the brightly colored streets of the spanish colonial town.

we took a boat tour on sunday of the cañon de sumidero about an hour away and it treated us to incredible views and wildlife. this croc was quietly sunning himself as we pulled up. we saw several others along with monkeys, bats and a huge black iguana.

this natural formation is called the christmas tree for obvious reasons.
back in town we enjoyed mexican cappuccinos (no different than any other cappuccino) at a restaurant on the pedestrian mall.
monday took us to the mayan ruins at palenque. the pyramids were spectacular and kristen took the pic below of the toucan--seeing him up close before he flew into the branches was definitely one of my highlights of the trip. what? i like birds, ok?

after several days based in the south of mexico, we flew back up to spend the rest of our time in and around mexico city. no one could have convinced me as to how overwhelmingly huge it is--you just have to see it. flying in makes for a sight beyond compare. below is in the zocalo--the city's central plaza.
in mexico city we stayed with kristen's friend sandra who's boyfriend martyn was visiting from england. here they are on thursday at some ruins south of the city.
we visited taxco for an afternoon--it's a cobblestoned town on a hill and the streets are so tight that the only taxis were old vw beetles.
friday afternoon we went just west of the city proper for some 4 wheelin and dealin.
after getting well dirty, we enjoyed traditional mexican cuisine.
martyn was exceedingly sick the morning of the atv excursion. guess which plate was his at lunch.
friday night we celebrated my 28th birthday in style--lots and lots of meat and tortillas. another 'round-the-world friend mel joined us before heading back to the british isles the next morning.
it did mean that i got my name on a big screen tv in the restaurant.
and that i got to wear a chicken on my head for a portion of the evening.
saturday we went to xochimilco--it used to be a lake until they filled in huge islands so now it's a series of canals--and it's still within greater mexico city. there are hundreds of these brightly colored boats--i believe ours was named 'jacqueline'. mariachi bands pull up beside you as do people selling drinks and food. it's quite the occasion.
saturday evening we went to a pumas v cruz azul soccer game despite quite a bit of rain at the outset. it was a blast with pumas fans singing, chanting and cheering throughout the match.
the sun managed to come out in the second have and provide us the opportunity for one last party pic. we came home on sunday, exhausted, but well-pleased with the time we'd been able to spend in foreign places and with good friends. for those of you that have made it this far, you can check out more of kristen's pics at her blog: http://kristenheil.blogspot.com

nd v george mason

2008-03-21T20:20:00.001-06:00

i had the extreme pleasure of going to the game to see my irish play in the ncaa tournament versus george mason. the game was well in hand for the boys from south bend and i'm excited to see them play washington state tomorrow. here's some pics courtesy of my girlfriend (she has a better camera and patience than i do).

news and notes

2008-02-07T23:35:00.000-06:00

1. it's 10:35 in the pm on a thursday night
2. i'm eating shrimp cocktail and watching countdown with keith olberman
3. sometimes i walk long distances late at night to avoid paying for a taxi
4. i only fell down once in the exact middle of a major intersection this week
5. i bought a ticket to go to mexico for 9 days in april
6. with my girlfriend.

pretty sweet, huh?

this is what happens when...

2008-01-30T23:25:00.000-06:00

...you shovel the sidewalk while it's still snowing really really a lot. by the time i'd finished our steps and sidewalk there was a quarter inch that had accumulated where i started. we got about 6" in an hour. sweet.

yep

2008-01-28T23:09:00.000-06:00

more boardin

2008-01-28T22:08:00.000-06:00

we had a huge crew of people from the east come out and hang with us denverites over mlk weekend which included plenty of fun times in breckenridge. we rented a house and had a couple great days of skiing and snowboarding to pass the time away.

welcome to michiana, here's your bling

2007-12-30T16:07:00.000-06:00

i went home for christmas for about a week and it was lovely. home is in a place called elkhart, but it's part of a larger region called michiana. what is michiana you ask? it's southern michigan (mich-) and northern indiana (-iana). see--isn't that easy? most people outside that area think it's kind of a ridiculous name, but i think it's brilliant. i will say that the idea of "kentuckiana" is just ludicrous, though.

i took these pictures while walking around a popular mall in michiana. apparently we like our bling. they're all about the size of your hand and i find them to be hilarious. also, there's faux-diamonds/rhinestones/bits of glass imbedded in them. i just thought they were worth sharing.

happy christmas and new year to everybody!

it's been awhile

2007-12-16T23:09:00.000-06:00

hello friends. i realize that it's coming up on two months that i haven't posted anything. sorry. several people have mentioned this and now it's i suppose it's finally time for an official update.

job: yes. i work at denver university in their bookstore. coincidentally, i've been there about 6 weeks--almost when i stopped getting new posts up. it's just a job, but it will get me free tuition to a du grad school program of my choice and i get all the free transportation that i want. i just joined a group at du where you agree to ride public transportation to and from work at least once a week--which i think is pretty cool. it means i have to get up 30 minutes earlier than i would if i were driving, but i really like taking advantage of that benefit as much as possible. as for grad school, i'm still trying to figure out what i want to pursue.

everything else: i just got back from a weekend of snowboarding at crested butte with a bunch of friends. this was my first time on a snowboard and the soreness of my body should be more than enough proof. i did manage to get a good case of whiplash on a fall yesterday, which kind of wrapped up the day for me, all in all, well worth it. i went to my first professional hockey game a month or so ago and also went to a couple nuggets games (tone loc performed at halftime of one of the games--it was hilarious). i have been playing for an indoor soccer team for about 6 weeks and am joining another team right after christmas. there's also been some hiking, friends in from out of town, and thanksgiving dinner at my roommate's house.

it just seems like i have plenty going on--and i love it. i'm still making new friends and solidifying those that i've met since being out here. i'm currently reading "what is the what" by dave eggers and have been thoroughly enjoying the new iron & wine and stars albums. i'll be heading home for the week of christmas and look forward to seeing family and friends there. here's some pics:

me at the top.

that's crested butte through the window.

dinosaur tracks just outside of denver.

at the avalanche hockey game.

rus and hiking are synonymous.

downtown statue

2007-10-22T16:14:00.000-06:00

ice at the botanical gardens

2007-10-22T16:07:00.000-06:00

sunday night football

2007-10-22T15:49:00.000-06:00

40 yard line. 18th row. free. i can't complain. it was definitely cold, but that didn't stop us from heading to mile high stadium to watch the broncos play pittsburgh. it turned out to be a great game with the broncos winning at the end after the steelers rallied to tie the score late.

one hilarious distraction to the game was the hard core nfl fans with whom i don't generally associate. it certainly made for some fun times--we took a bunch of pictures of outfits (or lack of) and hairstyles (or lack of), but most didn't turn out that well. i did manage to get a couple classics and have posted them for your viewing pleasure. the barrel man is actually a famous icon at broncos games, and though he announced that he was retiring the barrel at the end of this season after 30 years, denver fans still get to see him this year. enjoy.

it was 83 yesterday. really.

2007-10-21T15:10:00.000-06:00

el dorado canyon

2007-10-19T15:08:00.000-06:00

skyline

2007-10-16T15:05:00.000-06:00

calypso cascades

2007-10-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

mountain biker me

2007-10-11T14:31:00.000-06:00

so i am officially a mountain biker. kind of. it made me really tired, i got a couple sweet scratches on my legs and hands, and this was on a reasonably easy trail. but i had a great time and am looking forward to the next outing. now i just need to get a job and insurance and then i'll be set for colorado living!

go irish!

2007-10-07T15:48:00.000-06:00

notre dame won their first game of the season last night and what a blessing it is. problem was, it was only broadcast to about 14% of 'merica, and denver wasn't in that area. so i went to the colorado rockies playoff game where they completed the sweep of the phillies. the games went on almost simultaneously, which meant that i had to rely on nd score updates on my cell phone. i'm thrilled that nd finally won, and was expressing my joy last night at the baseball game by cheering for the irish while everyone else was cheering for the rockies.

my friend anne took this video of the crowd during the 9th inning while the phils were trying to get anything going (which they couldn't). you might note a familiar voice nearby yelling "go irish!" in the midst of all the other cheers. i could've uploaded a clip of the final out and subsequent pandemonium, but this video much more aptly displays where my interests were at. enjoy--and go irish!

this just walked across my front yard

2007-10-05T22:36:00.000-06:00

denver has foxes. urban foxes. it's pretty sweet to see them just wandering around--especially if you're anywhere near downtown. also when you're sitting on your front porch in a residential neighborhood and one just saunters across the yard, stops to look at you, and then carries on with business. it's always business time with foxes. i know it's always business time because they wear business socks.

from the top of mt. falcon

2007-10-04T19:17:00.000-06:00

i believe the highest of the peaks in this picture is mt. evans--over 14,000 feet. one of these days i plan to get my act together and climb it, though now that the first snows are showing on the peaks, i may have to wait till spring.

downtown denver--mmm, drink in the clean air.

the open area in the foreground is where a fire swept through years ago.

best $4. ev.er.

2007-10-02T16:35:00.000-06:00

i went to the rockies v. padres national league wild card play-in game last night. down 2 in the 13th, the rockies rallied to win and earn a spot to the playoffs. i don't watch a lot of baseball and have really only just started paying attention a bit this year, but this was one of the most exciting sporting events i've ever been to. oh, and the ticket cost $4.

there was plenty of controversy--colorado had a homerun called a double and the game-winning run was scored by a baserunner who most likely didn't even touch home plate. i have very little voice left today and my legs are sore from standing so long. it was a phenomenal atmosphere to be a part of--especially considering that it was a baseball game.

now i'm hoping that the rockies can handle the phillies and the cubs beat arizona allowing chicago to come to denver for a couple games.

garden harvest

2007-09-25T17:13:00.000-06:00

roxborough state park

2007-09-24T13:31:00.000-06:00

here i am

2007-09-12T10:56:00.000-06:00

i'm finally getting settled in denver. i've been here just shy of a week and am thoroughly enjoying all the things to do as well as new and old friends. i did a little hiking on monday up near boulder and that's what this picture is from. the job search continues, but i know i just need to give it time and keep exploring new options and suggestions.

aside from visiting and hiking around boulder on monday, i went to a concert last night--rilo kiley was fantastic, and there was a neighborhood music festival that mark and i biked to on saturday. the cruiser is already seeing a lot of good use. so i'm certainly finding much to do.

i suppose that's the news for now--starting saturday i'll be home alone as both mark and mo will be in southeast asia on business for 2 weeks--all calls and cards are welcome.

geez...

2007-09-01T19:10:00.000-06:00

man, that was disheartening.

it's a big day

2007-09-01T10:53:00.000-06:00

notre dame football begins today. many emotions weigh in on this day every year--exuberance, delight, anxiety, fear, relief, hostility (towards all other teams), joy, and many more.

in a couple of hours, i'll be one of the 80,000+ fans crammed into the house that rockne built to watch as my fighting irish of notre dame take on georgia tech. many questions will remain unanswered until the team takes the field: who will be the starting quarterback? how will the defense do under a new game plan? how will all the inexperienced youth plug in on the field? we're only hours away from finding out.

this really is a joyful day for me. i love notre dame football. the season is new and the possibilities are endless. here's to hoping that the outcomes favor the blue and gold.

go irish!

also: gelukkige verjaardag

diamond in the rust

2007-08-28T10:26:00.000-06:00

after many many hours of scrubbing and shining and washing and degreasing and greasing, i am the proud parent of a 1966 scwhinn typhoon. i would say that after cleaning up this bike, i have a pretty good base knowledge for bike repair--don't test me on anything with handbrakes or more than 3 speeds, though. it feels good to have gotten it done before i move out to denver (next week). i may end up taking out the rear hub to clean and grease it, but for now, i'm happy with the beauty of it all.

i took it out last night for a spin--it rides ever so sweetly. here's some before and after pics--i got a little camera happy, but i still can't believe how much better it looks--and that i was responsible for that improvement. so without further ado:

gone fishin'

2007-08-28T09:08:00.000-06:00

my dad, his cousin and i went fishing up in northern lower michigan this past weekend. as far as fish go, it was a little less eventful than we would have liked, but we still ended up having a fine time. here's pops enjoying the calm waters:

i ended up with the trophy--a 24-26" northern pike. you may wonder why i'm wearing leather gloves. or you may not. either way, it's because that inside a pike's mouth are rows and rows of teeth for shredding my skin. while i was taking the hook out he still managed to bite through the gloves--he didn't do any damage to me, but if you'd like to send a donation to the p.w.m.m.b.o.b.n.p. (people with missing members bitten off by northern pike) in my name, feel free.

my cousin did this:

2007-08-23T19:04:00.000-06:00

i think it's pretty sweet.

my latest project...

2007-08-20T11:21:00.000-06:00

...is a 1966 schwinn 2-speed kickback, though i don't know (yet) if it's the tiger, the typhoon, or the deluxe typhoon as the identifying paint/sticker on the chainguard looks to have worn off sometime during the bike's 40 year history.

it was my grandpa's bike and has been hanging in a garage untouched for probably 10 years--possibly more. it's quite dirty and rusty, but rides just fine. one key to note is that i've never done anything with a bike aside from putting the chain back on when i took my childhood bmx off some radical jumps. i also used my big wheel at age 3 to sharpen my pacifier--there's a picture somewhere. but other than that, i have acquired no bike knowledge or fixing skills, which makes this quite an adventure.

i worked most of the day yesterday on the front end--wheel, fender, handlebars, and fork. i'll get back to it at some point today, but for now i'm giving my hands a break--it's no walk in the park rubbing years of rust buildup off with steel wool. but so far, it has been extremely rewarding. the chrome still shines up nicely and it gives me a chance to listen to a couple of my favorite radio shows--this american life and radiolab. npr never ceases to amaze me.

i don't know if i'll get it done before i move out to denver (2 weeks and counting), but when i get it shined up to my liking, i'll put some before and after pics to show the contrast. till then, i'm still in elkhart toiling away, anxiously awaiting the mountains.

middle america

2007-07-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

just a quick note on my stopover in middle america, usa, on my brief journey out to denver: i am in smalltown, nebraska; population 400. the only skyscrapers are grain elevators. you say hi to everybody you see because in a town of 400, you know everybody you see. the only restaurant in town serves bac-o-bits in place of actual bacon on a hamburger. that same restaurant serves its beer almost exclusively in cans. i say almost because you can get draft beer if you really want it--out of a keg-o-rator.

i love it here. it's one part hilarious and one part pure americana, which, if you're just passing through and have been feeling particularly transient over the last while, is quite a comfort.

neutering my mirror

2007-07-22T20:51:00.000-06:00

i know there are literally tens of you waiting with baited breath--pining and aching--for an update on the fiasco that is my driver's side mirror, so here it is:

i fixed it.

me and my newly found electrical skills decided that there is no better way to learn than by experimentation. oftentimes experimenting follows a formula generally known as "common sense", which is exactly what i applied in this little project. to give you a brief summary on the current dilemma:

1) i replaced my driver's side mirror (that had been hit while parked)

2) the new mirror came with a male-end plug, while the original mirror had a female end, meaning i couldn't adjust the angle of the mirror. and while male-to-male relationships are becoming more prevalent in our increasingly liberal and accepting society, you won't see that movement anytime soon in the electronics world.

that meant i needed to perform a little operation, so to speak. i feel like i have spliced wires before in life (physics class? chemistry?), but it's not something in which i can claim advanced knowledge. it seemed simple enough, despite no colored wire from one plug (each cable had three) corresponding to a like color on its mate plug. so i made a best guess after lining up the plugs, clipped the wires and proceeded to splice the original female plug to the new (formerly male) mirror. it was kind of like neutering the mirror. and it worked!!! first time!!! i was so proud i took the following picture:

and now i know my car just a little bit better. it feels so great to fix something on your own. i know both sides of my extended family are fantastic fixers of things--and little by little i might be sneaking my name onto the plaque of handiness as well. so let this be a lesson--the next time something seems simple enough to fix, it probably is. you can save yourself money and give yourself a little pat on the back as well.

i'll leave you with this inspirational quote:

"please have all your pets spayed or neutered." -bob barker

the bean and the whale

2007-07-20T15:19:00.000-06:00

the bean:

in between the bean and the whale:

the whale (belly and all):

some explanation: i went to chicago wednesday to see the decemberists play with the grant park symphony. the bean is a sculpture next to the concert venue and the whale is my endearing name for pritzker pavillion where the concert was held. hopefully my review of the show will soon be up at cafe eclectica.

looking for a giant

2007-07-18T08:29:00.000-06:00

my brother had his bike stolen from the elkhart public library yesterday. who does that!? i feel like someone that 1) rides their bike 2) to the library should have an unspoken guarantee to not have said bike stolen. he's not using any of our precious precious gas and he's also not buying anything--very cost effective methods for reading books and watching movies. but here i sit, frustrated to no end that someone just happened to choose his bike for the taking. don't steal from the library! it's bad karma. now he has to use a car to get to the library--at least until he gets another bike. he might even turn into a run-of-the-mill consumer thanks to this--skirting the library to drive further to the nearest barnes & noble or best buy to get his book and movie fix (in a similar manner to that of his older brother--i still have a lot to learn).

i have a lot of friends who ride their bikes to and from a variety of activities, so let this be a warning to you. after a bit of "research" on youtube, i found that it's quite simple to steal a bike. now some of the places my friends live may not be as thuggish and white-trash-havoc-wreaked as elkhart, but it still doesn't take much.

for both its instructional and entertainment value, i'm posting this video of the neistat brothers research into how easy it is to nab a bike. enjoy:

so if you see a red and silver giant sedona floating around your town's craigslist or on ebay, let me know and i'll look into it. until then, i guess my brother can just ride handlebars on my bike.

meeeechigan

2007-07-09T19:41:00.000-06:00

i had a fine, fine time across the border this past weekend. the michigan border. my plan took me up to grand rapids and then on to detroit for all sorts of a good time.

the first stop was to the grapids (as i like to call them/it) for some disc golfing (that means frisbee for you lay people) and bowling with my cousin andrew and his wife annelise. keep in mind this was my first time disc golfing, and thus, our first and only photo is of andrew fishing my disc out of a pond. i don't believe i made par on that hole.

i can't leave out that andrew bowled 4 consecutive strikes in one of our bowl-offs. lord. if i did that i'd probably get a little piddle in my pants. so anyway, after bowling and discing, we were off to detroit for the tigers night game against the red sox. we met up with some of annelise's family and college friends set our sites on comerica park. this was my first visit to detroit and my first baseball game in a fairly lengthy amount of time. it was good times all around. the game started at 7:00 and as you'll note in this next picture, it was about quarter past 9 in the top of the eighth inning--tied 2-2. little did we know that the game was only half over.

in the bottom of the 9th the tigers had bases loaded and 1 out. guess what? they couldn't manage to score. so we went into the 10th. and then the 11th. the tigers again had bases loaded and stranded them all. in the top of the 12th, the red sox loaded the bases only to leave them all standing. finally finally finally in the bottom of the 13th with 2 outs, the tigers managed to get runners on 1st and 2nd and there was a pop fly into deep center field that the field almost snagged--but didn't, and therefore:

game over, 11:30pm. we were treated to a delayed 4th of july fireworks display after the game--extra innings, great game, first tigers game, tigers win, AND fireworks? that is the recipe for a good time.

sunday was lake time. first we went out on a speedboat for a little tubing. we left wake all over lake st. clair. i'm not going to call myself a pro or anything--actually, i'm a pretty big wimp when it comes to large bodies of water--but at least there's photographic evidence of me dominating the activity:

then we traded in the speedboat for a sailboat (more 1sts for me). we essentially headed straight into the center of the lake and crossed into canadian waters--without passports!!! take that border patrol! face! we swam around awhile and then on the way back, i got to do a little steering--and i was considerably pleased. i know it looks like i'm wearing a t-shirt, but really i'm not. i know it's deceiving, but i wouldn't lie to you. also, i'm asking that everyone refer to me as captain from now on.

back on land we had a stellar brats and burgers bbq to round off a brilliant weekend. we headed back to the grapids and then andrew and i played one more round of disc golf before i crossed back over into the promised land of indiana. good times all around. cheers till next time.

my blind spot just got smaller

2007-06-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

i made my first foray into auto repair this week and it was thoroughly redeeming. i'm not claiming to have done anything particularly majestic, but i'm proud of my achievement. until this point, the only successful update i've managed to make on a car is installing a stereo (two different times!). but hear me out--i got myself into some body work.

for those of you (most of you) that don't know, my car was subject to a hit and run a couple weeks ago here in charlottesville. it was parallel parked in a row of cars along a reasonably busy street the whole day while i was at work. sometime between the hours of 7:30am and 8:30pm, someone slid a white car along the driver's side--denting the back and front doors, the front fender and bumper. no other cars were injured in the assault. somehow they picked only mine to rub all up on. the mirror was also broken. but really, you don't much notice the damage. the only keys are the mirror and the fact that the driver's door and fender rub together when opening.

after dealings with insurance people and estimates people, i decided that it was best not to have professionals do any repair work. despite the low visual impact of the damage, just about the whole side of the car was abused--meaning about $2000 worth. did you know that if you don't know the name of the person who hit you, you can't claim uninsured motorist coverage? which means the amount you owe is the whole of whatever deductible you have. let's just say i have a high enough deductible to make superficial repairs not worth fixing.

but a mirror isn't superficial. i couldn't help but look at the spot where it should be reflecting street life back at me. but replacing the whole unit in a shop was still going to cost upwards of $200-250 with parts, paint and labor. not my style. what is my style? ebay. that's right--the same place i bought the car itself. i found the entire mirror unit painted and shipped for under $50. after removing some casing on the door and unscrewing three screws, the old mirror was off and the new was ready to be put on.

it was relatively smooth sailing from there--the only hiccup is that the plug to operate the electric mirror was a male end--so is the end that is installed in the car. i'm not quite sure what i'm going to do about that--body work is one thing, electrical is another. but all said, i'm quite pleased with the fact that i fixed it. i'm a city boy with very little car knowledge--so even though it only involved a screwdriver, i feel like i'm one up on the man. and how sweet it is.

save your marriage

2007-06-25T17:58:00.000-06:00

do you want to save your marriage? listen to the john tesh radio show.

oh. really? because that's not what i would have guessed. i was flipping through the radio dial as i was coming home from a third wedding in four weeks and heard that statement. it made me smile--because i'm probably not ever going to listen to john tesh or any of his advice. i don't care if he put out a "live at red rocks" album. his thoughts just aren't going to carry much weight for me. i happened upon a commercial for the show where they were talking about wedding one-ups-manship and the cost of an average person's wedding. um. over $40,000. i guess i don't know that many average people. perhaps a lot of my friends are just sub-par americans. but we sure have a fantastic time.

it's definitely been a good run. i just got back from mark snyder/kristy shellenburger's wedding in lancaster, pa. both are friends from emu. we danced till midnight and then went to a friend's house to dance some more. last weekend i was out to virginia beach to see my friend (and former boss) barry richards marry his girlfriend of 7(!) years. and of course i've already mentioned the miller/yoder wedding back at the end of may. it's been great seen friends who've come in from all over.

so to update on the rest of the goings-on: this coming week will be my last in charlottesville. i've been working at my old office the whole time i've been down. last week i was able to move into the company's downtown condo--6th floor, corner apartment, and really nicely furnished. great success! very nice! i like! i kind of feel like the bees knees for getting to stay here--too bad it's only for one more week.

but i must say that i'm really looking forward to [finally] getting home next weekend. i'm really ready to not be living out of a bag for a little while. keep in mind i only packed for a week and by the time i get home it will be more than five weeks that i'll have been here. but i've got family and friends and fishing and baseball all to look forward to in the coming weeks and i'm eager to get started.

anyway, just wanted to give a little update. all seems to be going quite well. be sure to check out café eclectica (click here) sometime soon to see my most recent concert review of hezekiah jones, as well as a multitude of other album and concert reviews by kyle reinford (and the occasional by eric and myself).

i'll leave you with a couple of my favorite pics from brad and jessica's wedding back on may 26th. cheers all.

what are you doing?

2007-06-03T19:20:00.000-06:00

sitting, typing this. listening to amy millan's new album. which is incredible.

where? charlottesville, virginia.

why? because i came out for brad and jessica's wedding last weekend with the intention of staying until this weekend since i won't be in this area much once i move to denver in august. i figured that gave me a good amount of time to visit people here in the ville and in dc.

when did you plan to go home? today. sunday. now it's sunday night. i'm not home. and i'm not going home for probably 3 more weeks.

what?! why aren't you going home yet? because i decided to start working for snl again.

are you CRAZY!!!??? well. no. you see, snl asked if i'd like to work as an independent contractor in the department i used to manage. that means i can work as long or as short as i want and i'll be doing things i already know how to do and i won't have to make any decisions. so, since i was just going to find some random summer job at home, i figured i may as well work a couple weeks at snl, which would be the equivalent of working a summer job for 2 months or more at home.

well, i guess that sounds reasonable. yeah, i thought so. i'm having a great time catching up with friends that i wouldn't have had as much time to hang out with, plus i'll still be at home for 7-8 weeks before moving to denver--which leaves me plenty of time there as well. i'll get to go to 2 weddings that i wasn't going to be able to go to if i was at home.

man. seems like a pretty good gig. nice work pulling that one off. so where are you staying? with friends. i figure i'll bounce around from week to week so i don't become too much of a burden on any one apartment/house.

what will you do when you do finally get home? start seriously looking for jobs in denver--although i've already started scoping that out in spare time. i'll go fishing with my dad. i'll head up to grand rapids to visit my cousin andrew and his wife annelise. we'll probably play guitar hero. i'll hang out at home with my brother and sister. we'll probably play backgammon and maybe cook up some good dinners.

sounds like you've got a good buffer between coming home from living and working in guatemala to moving to the first metropolitan area that you've ever lived in. yeah--i didn't want to rush into something exciting and unknown like a new city without decompressing some of my thoughts from my first real experience living abroad. i've managed to fill it with friends, family and familiarity. and i'm pretty happy with that.

cheers to that. cheers.

the millers

2007-06-03T18:58:00.000-06:00

one of my best friends brad miller just married his high school swe...er...girlfriend he'd been dating for 7 yea..er...soulmate. this picture proves that he and jessica are going to be a solid pair. i couldn't be happier for them. how often do you find someone that will spontaneously burst into squirrel pose with you when a camera points your way? not very often friends. not very often at all.

i was one of a couple people asked to be a photographer at their wedding, so hopefully quite soon i'll get a bunch of shots up from that. until now, squirrel pose will have to suffice. or you could also check out shots that conrad erb took--after looking at some of his pictures, i know that i would trade 10 pictures of my own for any 1 that he took. seriously. he's incredible. Click here for Conrad's Pics

mom & sis

2007-06-03T18:38:00.000-06:00

my mom and sis visited me for the last week in guatemala and then we all flew back together. i brought them to xela for a couple days to get a feel for my day to day life there, then we travelled to lake atitlan and ended in antigua. it was great to have them there--i was so happy to use all my guatemala know-how one last time to show them around. it was my mom's first time out of the states (i don't count her trip into canada at age 16 as truly leaving the country) and she was bartering for belts and jewelry in no time.

"quality is here"

this picture is inspired by one my friend ariana took--it's in the xela cemetary. standing on tiptoes you can see the sign for the butcher across the street. HA! juxtoposition is AWEsome.

we went to natural hotsprings about 40 minutes from xela. so relaxing. so so very relaxing.

mom and nicki were both quite pleased with the size of the leaves up near the springs. i'm not going to lie, i'm always impressed as well.

nicki hanging out next to a giant leaf.

we went to a natural reserve near panajachel on lake atitlan--this is hiking across a swing bridge that provides a great view of a waterfall.

yeah--that waterfall.

nicki is suiting up for a zip line tour of the jungle canopy...

...and there she goes!

i took them to several different ruins in antigua. this is on the roof of a 16th century convent looking at the nave of the adjoining cathedral.

here's looking down into the courtyard of the convent.

a good photo op in front of the fountain in central park.

we hiked pacaya--the most active volcano in guatemala. it's about an hour from antigua, but always well worth it. here we're hiking across the lava field to get closer to the lava flows.

lava. real hot lava.

my last night in guatemala afforded me a very pleasant sunset in central park.

guatemala was blushing as it bid me farewell.

caves & coatis

2007-06-03T18:06:00.000-06:00

my friend jason and i traveled for a week in central guatemala. this included an area south of coban where we saw quetzals (shown further below) as well as a couple hours north of coban for some serious caving in a pretty ridiculously hot climate. we stayed in a eco-reserve run by a mayan community of a couple hundred people. it was a very rural area and the community shared one phone which you rented by the minute if you ever needed to make a call. despite some logistical issues (the community were simply given responsibility to run this eco-reserve--something they have NO experience doing), we had a pretty great time.

these kids hung out with jason and i whenever we were playing backgammon or simply relaxing.

this is a coati. in spanish--pesote.

tubing through caves.

this particular cave had several natural windows where lush green sprouted up. it seriously felt like jurassic park. i swear there are dinosaurs in there.

there is a longer story about this scorpion, but all you need to know is that i was forced to kill it and if i hadn't we may not have been able to sleep that night.

jason and minga. i renamed it virginia because for some reason i had been thinking about the book "the hours"--which i would encourage anyone to read. virginia was the mayan community's only leashed pet.

bats were everywhere in the caves. this one was more of a diva than most.

looking out from the largest cave i've ever been in.

looking into the same cave--you could easily fit a 2-story house in it. it was just a hole that seemed like it went to the center of the earth.

one of the boys in the community inspecting the gringo taking his picture.

flora & foliage

2007-06-03T17:46:00.000-06:00

the quetzal

2007-06-03T16:33:00.000-06:00

from the time i visited guatemala in 2005, i'd wanted to see a quetzal. this is the guatemalan national bird and is very rare. my first week of free travel took me to the cloud forests in the center of the country. cloud forests are the quetzals only natural habitat and are defined as jungle at a high elevation. anyway, i had the overwhelming pleasure to see a bunch of quetzals at about 5:45 am. keep in mind that most people in quatemala have never seen one and get thoroughly excited upon hearing that someone else had. i'm glad i had been in the country long enough to really appreciate how special seeing one of these beautiful birds is. i didn't get the best pictures, but i will certainly remember the amazing display that i saw with my own eyes. here's a couple of the shots i did manage to get:

my last day

2007-05-04T08:11:00.000-06:00

today, friends, is my last day of work at ica. of course it is sad, but i am also thoroughly excited about my next steps in life. i have been constantly rewarded with my work here--both with students and teachers at the school. i've found that i really do enjoy working with people--a job description that said that i need to make sure students are comfortable and happy with their day-to-day seemed to fit me quite well. i know that i tend towards catering to people in general, so a job that requires me to do so has been a perfect fit.

i have learned a great deal about a country that was completely foreign to me two years ago. before i came to visit my friend luke for a week in the summer of 2005, i had to look at a map to see where guatemala actually was. i'm much more sure in my central american geography now. there are so many things that i have neglected to share about. not because i didn't want to--more so that i didn't think of them. things about coffee plantations and beaches and the mayan people. so so many things that, as i think back on my time in xela, i regard as innate to the culture here.

but my words and pictures can only do so much. i can look back to old blog posts and muse over how basic my observations are. there is always so much more to it. i wish i could share it with you. with everyone. but the only way to do it is to live it. so naturally, i would encourage any and everyone to visit this country. but that seems selfish--this just happens to be the country that i chose. so maybe i'll say that i'd encourage you to really know ANY other country that is not your own. i have friends who have done this and/or are doing it right now. holland, england, ireland, tanzania, uganda, china, peru, and spain all come immediately to mind. there is a whole world to explore and to challenge you.

that's not to say there haven't been frustrations. overly demanding and/or inconsiderate people come quickly to mind. but they exist in life anyway, it's just that here it has been my job to deal with them. i'm looking forward to a time when i'm less trapped and can walk away without it being my problem.

there are things i will regret--albeit mildly--that i haven't done yet. i'll be back home and it will be incredible not to be here. in both a good and a bad way. these are the streets i know. this is the language i use. these are the people in whom i confide. and it will all still be here when i go. it will all still be here without me.

next week i'll travel around central guatemala hoping to see some cool wildlife and tubing through caves. next saturday my mom and sister will arrive and i couldn't be happier. i'll bring them back to xela and then we'll slowly make our way back towards the capital with me acting as tour guide, translator and mind-calmer. it may be my last day at ica, but it's certainly not my last day of work.

so all this being said, the daily updates of my blog will come to a stop--at least for now. i'm sure that i'll have plenty of pictures and exciting stories from the next two weeks, but i don't want to force myself to spend time updating a blog when i really should be enjoying my last snippet of time in central america. i'll try to put some pics or something up at some point, but i can't guarantee that to happen. i guess just check back regularly and if there's something up, great, if not, trust that i'm using my time well.

and there you have it. and end and a beginning. indiana and then colorado await my arrival. guatemala readies it's handkerchief to wave goodbye. i am satisfied with my time here. it has been sufficient. the quich'e maya ask in greeting "are you happy in your heart?"

yes. i am.

ps--for those that are interested, here is my goodbye speech:
"Bueno, a mi no me gustan las despedidas, pero hoy, lamentablemente, tengo que decir adiós (formalmente) a ustedes (porque voy a regresar con mi mamá y mi hermana in una semana). Tampoco, a mi no me gusta hablar en frente de ustedes, entonces, no tengo mucho que decir. Fui estudiante en ICA el verano pasado por 8 semanas en total, no escribí un discurso. Pero me olvidé palabras y frases, y no dije mucho. Por eso ahora yo tengo un poco escrito.

Mi tiempo aquí en ICA ha sido realmente increíble. La única palabra que expresa mis sentimientos es—por supuesto—calidad. Mis jefes, los maestros, los estudiantes y otros amigos fuera de la escuela. Les agradezco por su confianza, sus historias, y lo más importante—su amistad.

A Enrique y July, gracias por darme la oportunidad de trabajar en esta escuela. Yo creo en esta escuela con mi corazón y espero que pueda recomendarla a muchos estudiantes en el futuro.

A los maestros, gracias por trabajar a mi lado—por sus conversaciones y chistes—por creer en mi.

A los estudiantes que están ahorita—gracias por su tiempo en cafés jugando backgammon, tabernas bebiendo “una más”—siempre una más, y por venir acá para conocer un país diferente. Fue mucho gusto darles ayuda, información, y consuelo. Yo se que tengo buenos amigos aquí en ICA—la gente que trabaja y también los estudiantes que estudian (a veces estudian). Yo se que puedo visitar muchos lugares en el mundo y encontrar amigos de mi vida en Xela.

Y es por todo eso, que tengo que decir, gracias—desde el fondo de mi corazón.

Bueno, cuando yo era estudiante, una parte de mi discurso fue decir palabras de una de mis canciones favoritas. Pero en mi tiempo en ICA, algunos maestros y estudiantes han escuchado que yo toco la guitarra. No muy bien, pero si, un poco. Entonces, yo quiero cantar las mismas palabras para ustedes, para decir 'que lástima! pero adiós.'"

and then i sang the pre-chorus and chorus to julieta venegas' me voy:

no voy a llorar y decir
que no merezco esto porque
es probable que
lo merezco pero no lo quiero por eso

me voy, que lástima pero adiós
me despido de ti me voy

que lástima pero adiós
me despido de ti...y me voy

random pics of laziness

2007-05-03T08:03:00.000-06:00

not my best work, but not my worst either. these are a bunch of photos that i don't think i've posted before. nothing to write home about, but i'm tired, i've only got today and tomorrow left of work and i didn't feel like expounding on anything intelligent. my mind is actively packing its bags in preparation to leave this place that i've been for some time. so here you go, in no particular order:

guatemala disney world [part 3]

2007-05-02T08:19:00.000-06:00

this was a HUGE discovery--you can throw your toilet paper into the toilet instead of into a trash can beside the toilet. guatemala's sewage system can't handle the paper waste, so you never throw your tp in the toilet. you never realize how great advances in modern technology are until you are sitting next to a can of used toilet paper.

this is part of the german plaza.

again, the girl/clown/mime/devil manifestation that never opened her eyes the whole day. and despite the sweltering heat, her makeup never cracked or ran. nice job i guess.

this is a close up of one of the buildings in the spanish plaza. i thought some of the buildings were pretty great, including this one. the biggest problem i had was that there were a lot of buildings, and little or nothing to do in them. just souvenir shops or restaurants. very little indoor activities.

this replica mayan pyramid is essentially the cover girl for the park. any brochure or internet site has this as it's front page. so tell me why you're allowed to climb the actual mayan pyramids, but not the fake ones? i thought it was pretty obvious that we should be able to go up this one, but there are guards eyeing anyone thinking of making a break for it...

unfortunately, the guards aren't always paying the closest attention. this is ingo, one of ica's students from germany. he had been petitioning me and other students all day to climb up the side of the pyramid. towards the end of the day, he just decided to do it himself. he only got up to the third level before coming back down. lots of people were waving him down and showing concern, but others were just laughing at the gringo doing something none of them dared to do. including me. he had already gotten down before a guard came storming over to tell him he's not allowed to go up there. ingo played up the dumb gringo that can't speak spanish very well. after the guard left his reason for going up was, "what are they going to do--shoot me down?"

so there you have a glimpse into the good times that awaits you in hot and steamy reu at xetulul. it was much smaller than i'd anticipated, and i felt like they had lots of room (outside and inside) to come up with many other entertainment ideas. but oh well, i was happy enough with my free entrance. i would never recommend it for anyone visiting guatemala unless you're going to be here for a long period of time and/or you can get in free. it's good times, but it's not guatemala.

guatemala disney world [part 2]

2007-05-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

more from xetulul...

happy students running to take their places in the bumper cars.

i was not among the portion of our group that got absolutely soaked on this ride. and i'm fine with that.

there's 6 very wet ica students down there.

i also did not partake of this ride--as everyone got off, they all congratulated me for being wise.

edwin is one of the teachers at ica. he seemed to be having a fine time.

the park is divided up into different country plazas--french plaza, swiss/german plaza, spanish plaza, etc. this is a restaurant in the italian plaza. every plaza had a restaurant that looked like this--huge and empty. the food was ok at best. but it was amazing to go into an enormous room that was completely empty--and air conditioned. this picture shows less than 1/6 of the room. the park makes a good attempt to have various facades coordinate with the country plazas, but i could have used a little less reggaeton and a little more country specific music. plus, in the moulin rouge, there was a swiss/german pop dispenser. uh oh.

this is something i promise you will never EVER find in a u.s. theme park: international soccer jerseys for sale. they didn't have any guatemalan jerseys--no central american jerseys at all for that matter. but italy? argentina? manchester united? no problem.

i think i had some of my happiest moments in the game room of the spanish plaza. i know i know, i could just go to chuck e cheese's, but i have to admit, old arcade games are still awesome.

here i am hoopin' it up--you'll notice the well-practiced palm one shoot the other style. yeah. still a hoosier and proud of it.

this was my bounty of tickets that i won from the basketball game. i promptly went to the counter and gave them to a family who was trying to decide what to get with their tickets. i didn't walk out with any prizes, rather, a happy heart. and what could be a better prize than that?

the last set of photos are on their way for tomorrow. y'all come on back now, y'hear?