We're back (at least for the moment)

To be honest, I wanted this blog to drift away into total oblivion, until we heard word that many family members in Hawai'i enjoyed knowing what we were up to. I know, who knew? So, Grandma Bird, our next attempt at keeping this updated is for you....

Via Chicago

So we're alive, barely. Not much going on around here, just a lot of work and wishing the Cougars were better than they are. A couple of months ago we went to Chicago, where the Ahlstrom clan was nice enough to let us crash with them for a few days. We had a great time and checked out the Sears tower (the glass boxes on the observation deck were quite the experience), Wrigley Field and Wrigleyville (pretty much the greatest neighborhood on earth), Frontera Grill (a Rick Bayless restaurant I've been wanting to go to for a long time), and for some reason watched them shoot Transformers 3 downtown (I still have no idea why we did that), among other things. Anyway, blah, blah, blah, pictures.

You Gotta Love It Baby!

We took a quick trip to Utah a couple weekends ago to hang out for a few days. While there, KC was kind enough to hook us up with some tickets to a Jazz game he wasn't going to be attending. Stacy had never been to a playoff game, so she was pretty stoked to go, and I have to give her credit, she remained completely engaged in the game for a full three quarters (a record). But in the 4th quarter she noticed Apollo Anton Ohno was there, and at that point I think she forgot about the fact the game was still going on and went on full-time Apollo watch. With the game still hanging in the balance and the Jazz clinging to a narrow lead, I fielded the following questions: "do you think he lives here?"; "who do you think he is cheering for?"; "do you think the girl sitting next to him is his girlfriend?"; "why won't security let him into the tunnel?"; "do you think I could get a decent picture from here?"; etc.

Seriously? Who gets excited by Apollo Anton Ohno when you're in the same building as Deron Williams? Deron has won a gold medal more recently than that guy! I'll never understand women.







PS: We also attended Tawni's graduation from Weber State -- proud of you, little sis!

Daycation

Washington grows a lot of tulips and there is an annual festival that takes place in the fields north of Seattle. We have never been, so we decided to get together with some friends and go on a little day long adventure. We hit the tulip fields, and then made our way to the town of La Conner, which is sort of this small artists community. From there we went up to Anacortes to see the famous Deception Pass, and then drove down Whidbey Island to catch the ferry back to Mukilteo and the Seattle area. Here are some random photos.

summer fun

ok, to make up for another boring list, i'm posting pictures from some summer activities. because everyone loves pictures and wishes it was summer, right?

A WARNING: some of these photos involve me and direct contact with sunlight. i wish said scenario produced beautiful glistening skin a la edward, but unfortunately the extreme whiteness involved in such images has been known to cause irreversible blindness. proceed at your own caution, as i am hereby disclaiming liability for any potential harm.

so our summer kicked off the same way it has the last few years: at the Fremont Summer Solstice Parade. you may recall that we moved to a new neighborhood a handful of months ago, we'll our new 'hood hosts this awesome parade on the first official day of summer that begins with a naked bike ride (pictures not posted as this is a family friendly blog) and morphs into...well, i'm not sure, judge for yourself...

(side story - my dad and travis were up here about the same time, and we're floored when they saw people go riding through Pike's Place Market completely nude. the big unit told trav "well, nobody else is going to be able to say they saw that on their summer vacation." i think it was the third time i had seen naked bike riders that month.)





the middle portion of our summer consisted of an awesome trip to the San Juan Islands. i had wanted to go there for years, and it was everything i hoped it would be: beautiful, serene, and just a lot of fun. we rode bikes, picked blackberries, made s'mores, cruised the farmer's market and had a great time in general.







our summer concluded with a long overdue trip to hawai'i (we hadn't been since i started school) to visit family. we had a great time hanging out with grandparents, cousins, and aunties and uncles. as always, uncle kimo's "north shore food tour" was a major highlight.







hopefully next summer is just as fun...

music 2009

stacy is off participating in her favorite pastime (watching period piece movies with Brittney and Tawney) so i decided to finish my 2009 music list. actually, stacy just got home and said, "another list? you just did one and it was dumb). so yes, another list (i promised there would be two) that i hope you enjoy more than my wife. i was hoping to hear some more stuff before i posted this, but i started studying for the bar this week (sucks, btw) so this will have to do.

20. Bonfires On the Heath by The Clientele – quintessentially British in the best way (you know, sullen, morose and moody)
Hear this: I Wonder Who We Are

19. I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers – Roots/Americana played with punk zeal
Hear this: Laundry Room

18. Real Estate by Real Estate- as comforting as a nap on warm summer’s day
Hear this: Beach Comber

17. These Four Walls by We Were Promised Jetpacks – help cure my need for energetic guitar rock when Pela disbanded
Hear this: Roll Up Your Sleeves

16. My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura – my wife made me listen to this one a lot and I liked it
Hear this: French Navy

15. Begone Dull Car by Junior Boys – sounded bloated at first, grew on me in a major way
Hear this: Hazel

14. The Eternal by Sonic Youth – lots of out-of-tune guitars and singing, and a constant reminder of how I never thought I was going to hear again after their show
Hear this: Anti-Orgasm

13. Conditions by The Temper Trap – their sound is a bit derivative on this debut (The Edge could have played the intro on the song I chose and the vocals are very post-Buckley/Yorke style falsetto), but overall a strong effort and certainly a band to watch
Hear this: Sweet Disposition

12. Bromst by Dan Deacon – more restrained in some areas than his last album, though still as zany as ever; if you don’t like the sound of cartoons making electronica, this will be an assault on your ears
Hear this: Snookered

11. Manners by Passion Pit – there are a ton of electro-pop acts out there at this point, this is a good one
Hear this: Folds In Your Hands

10. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix – lots of great pop songs that sound terrific set to car commercials
Hear this: 1901

9. It’s Blitz by Yeah Yeah Yeahs – several towering singles, and everything in between is just as good
Hear this: Heads Will Roll

8. Fever Ray by Fever Ray – dark and beat heavy sound from one half of The Knife (the sister half)
Hear this: Seven

7. Wilco (the album) by Wilco – a lot of what you expect from Wilco at this point (some great pop tunes and some experimental gems)
Hear this: Bull Black Nova

6. Actor by St. Vincent – best album ever inspired by Disney soundtracks
Hear this: Marrow

5. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors – like Animal Collective, these guys finally let us into their bizarre pop world
Hear this: Stillness is the Move

4. xx by The xx – highly stylistic and accomplished debut album
Hear this: Heart Skipped a Beat

3. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear – cut a couple songs in the middle that are bit flat and this could have been among the best albums in the decade
Hear this: While You Wait For The Others

2. Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective – crazy kaleidoscope of sound and texture
Hear this: Guys Eyes

1. One Small Boy by Cori Connors - Cori has a reserved spot at the top of my list any year she makes an album; we just wish she'd do it more often! :)

Some other stuff I liked: See Mystery Lights by Yacht, Humbug by Arctic Monkeys, Welcome Joy by The Cave Singers, Moderat by Moderat, Born on Flag Day by Deer Tick, Know Better Learn Faster by Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, It’s Frightening by White Rabbits, Logos by Atlas Sound, Drift by Nosaj Thing, Born Like This by DOOM

it feels strange cheering for utah state

Stacy, Auntie Tanya (if she looks familiar, she's my mom's twin), me, Pualei, Uncle Dave

Pualei and Utah State during a timeout

My little cousin just started playing basketball at Utah State, and a couple of weeks ago the team was in Portland to play the University of Portland. Since my auntie and uncle were flying up from Hawai'i for the game, we figured we'd drive down there to cheer on the Aggies. We had a great time checking out Portland for the first time, visiting with family and some friends that recently moved there, and watching basketball.

Pualei is the first division I athlete in our family and we are extremely proud of her. She's just a freshmen so she's working hard for playing opportunities and trying to make the most of them when they arise. We hope she keeps up the good work both on the court and in the classroom!