2008 in review...

january

owen turns 5 - happy birthday owen!

our 15 year wedding anniversary

first lcd hdtv aquired

wife and i see "joseph and the amazing technicolor

dreamcoat" at the chanhassen

february

cabin fever

sister kelly's birthday

my "call of duty 4" life begins

march

my birthday

alaina get's "high honors", noelle gets braces

snowy easter

skiing at afton

april

i feign the demise of "thirdthoughts". shockwaves felt throughout blogging community

brought the girls to work

dad's birthday

i simplified the website

may

installed ceiling fan

alaina's birthday

got digital receiver's for tv's

mom's birthday

june

noelle's birthday!


girls piano recitals

girls soccer starts

company outing at valleyfair

project "basement finish" begins

july

owen starts t-ball

independence day in eagan

r.i.p. marcy the guinea pig

twitter and facebook life begins

august

vacation to boston

kids garage sale

minnesota state fair

september

school starts

owen loses first tooth

annual golf outing with the guys

project "basement finish" ends

october

annual bike marathon

defending the blog

halloween

november

wife and i meet mn governor tim pawlenty and congresswoman michelle bachmann at breakfast

sisters birthday

first snow

special person for owen's kindergarten class

thanksgiving

december

annual snowball

christmas

happy new year!

christmas wrap 08...

though christmas is not yet officially over according to a; my wife, and b; the legendary 12 days of christmas song, which coincidentally would make today the 5th day of christmas, or the day of giving the five golden rings, it is close enough for me to attempt to tie it up in a nice tidy bow. christmas was a little different for us this year, but equally as good, if not better in some ways than all of the others. we got to spend some time with relatives that we only see once or twice a year, do the annual snow-tubing, skating, the annual movie with my dad and bro in law, and miscellaneous other activities as well as get together on christmas day as an extended family for the first time in ages and again a couple of days later with my folks and the rest of our family. we had to say goodbye to a good friend and had to go to a wake and funeral the weekend after christmas which was obviously very difficult. it did help me realize the importance of friends and relationships inside of family and out that we are so grateful and fortunate to have. i hope everyone was able to enjoy christmas and was able to recognize and acknowledge the true meaning and spirit.
here are my pics.

a christmas message from the price kids...

because it's too late to throw anything together this year, i've opted to dust off this gem from christmas past, 2007 to be exact. besides, their contract states they only have to do a holiday album every other year.
it's the third track from "christmas 2007", with the kids on lead vocals and yours truly on guitar.

merry christmas!

Sue Dickhausen Otteson

We are mourning the loss of our dear friend, Sue Dickhausen Otteson, who passed away on Saturday, December 20 after her long and courageous battle with breast cancer. She was a truly beautiful person inside and out and was loved by many. We are holding close in our prayers her husband Kirk and her two sons, Alec and Grant, and all her family.

it's a wonderful life, alternate ending

snoball 08...

last night was the annual snoball, an event which i think i've attended nearly 20 years running. it's the social event of the year for us and is always a great time, a festive occasion, and a perfect opportunity to hook up with friends that we don't see often enough throughout the year. we hooked up with jeff and holly at w.a. frost beforehand, and then headed to the st. paul hotel for the ball. the photo's above are all courtesy of jeff's (borrowed with permission) digital camera. some day i'll learn that that the cell cam just doesn't cut it.

start of hoops season

alaina is playing girls cub basketball for her school (st. charles) this year. after many practices today was the first real game. it was a hotly contested matchup but in the end the green team fell short 24-16. a couple favorable bounces on the rim and it's a different story.
above is my digital documentation, such as it is. alaina is #24

may your days be merry and bright and...