Bear Takes It to the Hole

Oh yeah we’re grooming the Bear for the hardwood court. It’s Kentucky after all.

Beating Guitar Hero 1 Is the Next Best Thing

Determination is a fine thing. Well, unless it’s combined with psychosis. You see, all the determination in the world will not help a human being fly without help, punch through a solid brick wall or, in my case, complete a certain song on Guitar Hero 2 in the Expert difficulty setting.

To set the stage, during my early days of playing this mind-wrenchingly addictive game, I never thought I’d even arrive in the golden halls of Xanadu—that is Expert-level songs. But I stuck with it. And what did it get me?!? Stuck! That’s what. As of today, I’ve tried to complete Freya about eleventy-kazillion times. Failure upon failure.

So, then I tried another tact. I borrowed Guitar Hero 1 from our friends and beat that.

Everyone knows that Expert on GH1 rarely approaches the ballistic speed of GH2 songs on Expert, but even still, it’s an accomplishment that I’m proud of. The image you see above it a poster for Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell album. (Such high minded pursuits, right?) This was the last song I had to beat in order to complete the game. If it weren’t for Star Power, I’d never been able to complete the feat, but I’m not complaining.

What comes next? Guitar Hero 2, of course! And… I need to learn whether my psychosis is real or imagined. Wish me luck.

Jenny Smith Hits the Big Apple

One of our good friends, Jenny Smith, has been chosen to take part in the “Rolling with Style” event in New York City.

We’re so proud of her and all the work she’s done with The Mobility Project. She’s an amazing person with a huge heart. Congrats Jenny!

Ski Trip: Day 6

No pictures this time out. (I stole the one above.) Reason being it snowed the entire day. We awoke to about 6″ of new snow but by day’s end, there was well over a foot of the cold, white stuff… and we reveled in it.

After completing our goal of riding every lift and hitting every major area, we struck out for the Big Burn. We spent about 3 hours dodging trees and moguls in knee-deep powder. It was glorious. Even the wipeouts were fun. What a great day!

Today is another work day, no skiing, so Friday is our last day on the mountain. Looks like more snow could be on the way so we’ve got our fingers crossed.

Ski Trip: Day 4

It’s looks to be a beautiful day. Ahh… the smell of chapstick and ski wax in the morning.

Right here at the base of the mountain, they’re working on a giant new project. Should be completed in 09.

Wanted to make sure and get a shot of the Max Park sign, just for you Dad. 8^)

In order to reach the glory that is Long Shot—8.5 kilometers of pure joy—you must climb up several hundred feet of steep trail. These helpful signs point out the dangers of the failure to remain “in bounds”…

…such as dropping off a cliff such as this.

Upon reaching the summit, you’re greeted with views such as this.

Here’s a shot of our view of the Two Creeks lift while we ate lunch today.

Last photo today shows what it looks like standing 11,715 ft. above sea level at the top of the High Alpine lift. What a view!

Ski Trip: Day 2

Now we’re talking. It’s our first morning and excitement is in the air. This shot is looking down at Snowmass’ bunny hill, aptly called Fanny Hill.

Here we are looking up the Burlingame Lift.

Now we’ve arrived at the top of Big Burn, looking out to the southeast at a gorgeous mountain.

Another shot from 12,510 feet, the topmost point of the Snowmass Resort.

The final shot of the day, is of our friends Heath and Julie in the midst of a million aspen trees on a trail called Eddy Out. The experience is truly magical; best run of the day.

Ski Trip: Day 1

Not a great deal to show off. Our flights were fine. Here’s a first look of the Rockies from the rental car store.

and here’s a shot of the Denver airport. Pretty festive looking place, huh?

More to come!

Centennial State, Here We Come

“I’m leaving, on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again.” -John Denver

Actually, I do. I’ll be back from Colorado next Saturday. Until then, I’ll be taking shots of beautiful ski country and posting them when I get the chance. Have a great week!

Snowmass, Here I Come!

If I were a different person, a person who only cared about myself and no one else, I’d be a ski bum in Rockies. As it is, I don’t get to ski very because it’s so expensive and I have other, more important things to spend my money on. (For example, my children. *grin*) But some of my fondest memories as a kid was on the slopes. I used to tape trail maps to the underside of my bunk bed so that I could stare at them while I drifted off to dreamland.

One of my best friends is fortunate enough to have the kind of job that takes him on business to several wild and exotic locations and next week, it’s Snowmass! He’s invited me to tag-a-long and I couldn’t be more grateful.

I’ll be posting on location starting this weekend. To get us started, who’d like to share one of their ski memories? Ten bucks says my brother, Andrew, can’t recall the name of his favorite ski school instructor from our last vacation to Snowmass.

Bear Turns One

Bear turned 1 on Saturday. Of course, that means photos! Here he is showing off his mad balancing skillz.

Guitar Hero 2 Tips

Before we begin, you should know I’m a compulsive freak. Why? Because… even though I absolutely revel in the joy that is Guitar Hero, part of me can’t fully enjoy it knowing that I’m nowhere near completing the game. And maybe never will be! Aaahhhh, the agony.

With that in mind, I set off to scour the Internet in search of the best of the best Guitar Hero 2 tips.

• Master an easier difficulty setting before jaunting off to up your game, otherwise you’ll be frustrated at HOW FREAKIN’ HARD it is.
• Whammie the crap out of any long star notes/chords. That keeps refilling your Star Power meter.
• The sooner you learn how to up-strum the better because on Hard & Expert those notes are comin’ fast and furious.
• Practice holding down lower notes and “tapping” the higher note when it comes along. This technique will make songs like “Rock This Town” much easier.
• Reduce “Sound Effects” and “Band” volumes to better focus on your own performance. If you’ve got a headphone jack on your TV, use it. Who needs background noise?
• Real Guitar Heroes don’t use cheats, so just don’t go there.

Now rock on, people, rock on!

Happy New Year Bear!

“Happy New Year people, now let’s play some football,” says Bear.

Merry Christmas

May each of you find that which your soul needs most. Merry Christmas!

I’m a Christ Follower

Above is the first in a series of parodies comparing a Christ Follower and a Christian. It all comes down to behaving like Christ; do we or don’t we? At this time if year, it’s especially notable to consider the type of life Jesus led and what that means to all of us. [via Negative99]

Merry Christmas!

Elf Yourself Like We Did

I’ve got a feeling that this won’t be the last time I post one of these. You’re in for a rare treat seeing our boy Ben do the macarena for the whole world to see. Enjoy!

Update: And now Barret too!

Update 2: Third times the charm for the C-Man.