A Look Back at 2013

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 morning, ride my bike to work, put in my time at the office, ride home, spend a few hours with the kids and hottie-wife, then go to bed. My body will ache a little more, my running pace will continue to slow, and I'll forget things at an even greater frequency. I'll write some stories here-and-there, I'll take some fun photos of my children and the places we go, and I'll discover a few books that I can't believe I put off reading for so long. I'll see my oldest child to middle school/junior high and my baby start elementary school. Even though this will be the last full year in my 30's, I don't feel the need to do anything special, nor do I feel that I'm getting old or regretting not doing more. The one real prediction I will make is that I will roller skate with Damian Lillard at Oaks Park.

Favorite Photos

I take a lot of photos and don't delete enough of them but here are my favorites for 2013, divided into people and landscape. Click the photo to enlarge it and see why I think the photo made the cut.

People

 Ian likes to dress up (or down) and dance and isn't shy about me capturing the moment.

One of the kids' most joyous experiences on our trip to Southern California was an impromptu frolic in a fountain in San Pedro (while dressed in street clothes, of course). Perhaps it was simply the excitement the first day of the trip provided.

Edward maintains a magical relationship with my camera. I'm biased, but I've never worked with someone who can express such emotion and tell such a story as Edward.

Edward has always shown love and respect and confidence when around animals--to a fault, perhaps, as a few months ago he got too close to a usually-friendly dog that he knows and was bitten

Aaron braved the warm waters of the Pacific at Oceanside, California, for some serious body-boarding--serious to the point where the lifeguard had to run from his post and warn him to stay away from the rocks. Fortunately, we hadn't watched Shark Week yet, so his courage was sky-high.

Amazing that a photo I didn't take made it here? I'm not . . . We traveled all of that distance and paid all of that money just to swing at the beach?

Meg is nearly as good a model as Edward, though her slight shyness detracts from her natural abilities. The light at the beach Thanksgiving weekend made for easy photography pickings.

Landscape

I made my first known trip to Portland's Japanese garden on President's Day. Meg was out of town, but I met up with my sister-in-law (and Meg look-alike) and she helped me parade the children around the garden without upsetting too many of the other guests.

We enjoyed remarkable weather at Seaside for our Thanksgiving excursion. I travel to Seaside every year to photograph Hood-to-Coast, but it was nice to take it slow and relax with the family and take photos of my choosing.

On our way home from yurt-camping at Nehalem Bay, we stopped briefly at the Tillamook Forest Center for a very colorful view of autumn.

 
This is the view from my Grandpa Hanna's grave site. I'd love to ride my bike here someday; read a nice book that takes me into a restful, nappy kind of place; and pay my respects to RWH.

I rarely catch the light of sunrise, but when I'm outside camping I usually am able to find some quality light as the sun drops for the day. This was along the White River near Mt. Hood.

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