Westmoreland Asays

Year 2013 provided some of the biggest mood swings in my family's short history--perhaps the most difficult for us; however, Year 2014 feels like it will begin with a nice upswing.  I don't want to focus on the negative--or remember it frankly--so I will focus on the positive and document them here. 2013 Rewind Books read: 15 (favorite: The Tree House ) Favorite Movie: Mud Times my mother visited: 2 Camping Trips in the Great Outdoors: 4 (Meg also led two without me) Camping Trips to Hotels: 2 (Legoland, Thanksgiving @ Seaside) Trail Blazers' Games Attended: about 10 Blog Posts Written: 43 Videos Uploaded to YouTube: 10 Miles Rode my Bicycle: 2453 Miles Ran: 415 Miles Roller Skated: 45 (not enough)  Pounds Gained: 0 Pounds Lost: 0 Pictures Uploaded to Google: Too many New Grey Hairs: see above Business Trips: 1 (first in my current position) Predictions for 2014 I predict things will stay pretty much the same as 2013: I'll get up every mornin...

To balance the crazy, unorthodoxy of Thanksgiving, we observed a mostly traditional Christmas in 2013. We never seem to repeat the same traditions, so this season wasn't without its quirks: we failed to bring home a Christmas tree (not unprecedented), we put up very few decorations (inside and out), and the Tri-Cities failed to hire me and Penrose to shoot the Cable Bridge Run, thus my sense of the season was skewed somewhat. We stayed home for Christmas morning (as anyone with young kids should) and slept in until about 7:30 when we heard footsteps pounding the upstairs bedrooms. The kids still enjoy opening presents of all types, even if the gift is simply pajamas. After ingesting bacon and sausage and eggs and leftover Christmas treats for breakfast, the kids had a couple of hours to play with their new stuff before we loaded the car for a short drive to Dallas, where the the in-Oregon Boorens--including Nichole (on leave from Virginia) and her foster son and fiance--gathere...

Aaron's band teacher selected him to join a regional honor band that played in three different concerts in December: as the opening act at Jesuit High School, at the Lloyd Center, and at the Portland International Airport. I was able to attend the first two concerts, while Meg accompanied Aaron to the last (although not really able to watch, as it was beyond security). Ian accompanied me at the Lloyd Center and helped me make this awesome compilation video of the band. Even though I do not like the idea of running all over town taking my kids to practices, the impact was pretty minimal and Aaron thoroughly enjoyed the experience.