The New Fence

We came home for a few minutes Christmas morning before heading down to Gig Harbor, and right when we walked in the door, the power went out. It was raining pretty hard and the wind was gusting like I had never seen before. As we got our bags ready for the second leg of our Christmas journey, I looked out one of our back windows to find this...

I had to do a double-take, as that isn't a view I was used to seeing. And I immediately thought, how am I going to approach fixing the fence if I've never met that neighbor (after 2 1/2 years).

Well, it turns out my neighbor was out inspecting the damage, so I went out to meet him and talk about how to fix the fence. He was great, talked about when we could start, how we could split the costs and a few other things.

I have never fixed or had anything to do with fencing before, so I knew this would be a challenge. The hardest part for me is just knowing what supplies you'll need, and having the confidence when you go into the hardware store to get the supplies.

My neighbor's son helped us dig out the old/rotted-out post and then we preceded to replace the two blown down sections of fence, and an additional two sections of fence that were probably next to fall victim to mother nature.

Here is a progression of the fence project and the final product. I aim to replace the additional old sections by this summer.

The finished product

My summer project

A truckload goes to the dump

Charlie's First Present

Since we'll be spending Christmas split between GH and MI, we decided to have Santa Claus stop by our house a little early for Charlie's first Christmas. It was really fun to see his eyes light up when we put the presents in front of him. Of course, in true Charlie fashion, he decided he wanted to try to eat the presents. What a special day to spend with K and C!

Charlie's First Christmas

I've been messing around with Picassa and Picnik, tring to figure out a better way to save photos of Charlie for the future. The collage feature in Picasa is pretty cool. This is what I came up with for pictures so far from Charlie's first Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Charlie Meets Santa

We had an awesome Holiday Party with our PEPS group last night, and Charlie got to meet Santa.

Charlie and his Grandpa Santa

Charlie liked tugging on Santa's beard

Family photo with Santa

Emerson and Charlie hanging out

Power Nap!

Why I Don't Bet

Besides the fact that I would never bet on sports due to my job, this is just a good reminder that any fantasy league or pick 'em league (involving an entry fee) is just a waste of my time.

My good friend and colleague Ryan Divish set up a College Bowl Game Pick'em league. It was free (which is the right price for me) and I thought it may make me more interested in the early bowl games that often go unnoticed. On Saturday the first three bowl games kicked off, and I tuned in sparingly to see how my picks went. Well, you guessed it. I was a miraculous 0-for-3 for the New Orleans Bowl (picked San Diego State, LA Lafayette won 32-30), Idaho Potato Bowl (picked Utah State, Ohio won 24-23) and the New Mexico Bowl (picked Wyoming, Temple won 37-15). I have 32 more bowl games to see how I did, but I am not holding my breath.

A Family Saturday

Originally today was supposed to be a stay-at-home and just relax day. But when you get clear blue skies and manageable temperatures in December in the Pacific Northwest, you have to take advantage. We decided to head North, get some stuff for our Holiday party tomorrow and visit one of our favorite Seattle spots, Lincoln Park. I got a decent run in through Lincoln Park, a route I used to run a lot when we lived in West Seattle, and enjoyed the family time with the great weather. The best part is didn't even have to take part in the Holiday shopping madness!

Charlie made his first visit to Georgetown Brewing

Charlie enjoying the views from Lincoln Park

The Bookshelf: The Hard Way by Lee Child

Before I get into my latest book review, I should explain why reading is a hobby of mine.

One of my hobbies is reading. My Mom and sister were both avid readers when I was growing up, and while I enjoyed reading, I would have rather been outside. Or for that matter, I am sure Super Mario Brothers also had a little bit more intrigue when I was growing up.

Two jobs and many years ago, I found myself working way too much, and I was getting really stressed out. Some reading this may ask, "what's changed!" In talking with people, it was decided that I needed an outlet from work and to find something to get me to relax. This was before I realized that running/exercise was the cure-all, so I started picking up more books, and it was like magic. I would (and still do) read on lunch breaks, when I get home from a long day of work and before I go to bed.

I seem to stick to the same genre when it comes to my literature picks, not ranging far from the CIA/Legal/FBI thriller. A few of my favorite authors are Vince Flynn, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, John Grisham and Michael Crichton. Basically, anything with character development gets me hooked, like Baldacci's Camel Club, Flynn's Mitch Rapp or Child's Jack Reacher.

I am currently working my way through Lee Child's extensive list of Jack Reacher novels, and I just finished The Hard Way (#10 in the Reacher series):

#1 Killing Floor
#2 Die Trying
#3 Tripwire
#4 Running Blind
#5 Echo Burning
#6 Without Fail
#7 Persuader
#8 The Enemy
#9 One Shot
#10 The Hard Way
#11 Bad Luck and Trouble
#12 Nothing to Lose
#13 Gone Tomorrow
#14 61 Hours
#15 Worth Dying For
#16 The Affair

A note on Child's website notes that you can read the series without reading in order, but I enjoy following them in the chronological order in which Child penned the series. Child also notes you can read them in the following chronological order:

The Enemy (prequel); The Affair (prequel); Killing Floor; Die Trying; Tripwire; Running Blind; Echo Burning; Without Fail; Persuader; One Shot; The Hard Way; Bad Luck and Trouble; Nothing to Lose; Gone Tomorrow; 61 Hours; Worth Dying For

For the latest review of The Hard Way, it was a fast-paced thriller that took Reacher from outside a cafe in New York City right into the middle of a possible kidnapping. He was hired for $1 million to find the wife and child of the leader of a military-for-hire operation. The twists and turns of this novel take him from being on the inside with the bad guys, to discovering the truths about the a military operation gone bad in Africa, and then finally all the way to rural England where Reacher becomes his usual one-man wrecking crew. And of course, along the way, Reacher meets a lady, and in the end disappears into the unknown with only the clothes on his back and a toothbrush in his pocket.