What I've been up to lately

Since I've been back in Texas I've been very busy. First and foremost I moved out of the two-bedroom house Lauren and I were living into a smaller two-bedroom garage apartment. I like the new place quite a bit, it's much more my size since it's just going to be me there but there is still plenty of room for Lauren and Seu. I have my own little yard that is all fenced in and a spot to park inside the fence. I will post pictures sooner or later. The inside of the house is pretty sweet too. There are two bedrooms, a decent sized bathroom, a decent sized kitchen attached to the living area, and a utility room with washer and dryer.

I've also been trying to get back into cycling shape. After almost a month of little to no riding my conditioning was noticeably down. I am coming around though, I went for a 75 mile ride this morning. I've also been learning to train with a PowerTap. It's pretty cool so far, it feels like I've been getting more out of the rides.

Last weekend Lauren and I travelled to Seattle (or near Seattle) for Lauren's sister's wedding. We weren't sure what to expect as the weather in Seattle can be questionable at any time and neither of us had been to a Jewish wedding with a large contingent of Russian people. It was a great experience. The weather was great, everybody we met was really cool, and the ceremony was awesome. It was great to see a different style of wedding and to see the associated traditions. On Saturday, the day before the wedding, we took a large group hike of family and friends from Cougar Falls to Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park. The hike was great. We gained 2,700 vertical feet in approximately 3 - 3.5 miles. Then we headed back to Houston on Monday to go back to work and school.

Work has been super busy getting all caught up on what I missed while I was out and getting ready to go to a training class for the next three weeks.

My Dad

So I haven't written a blog in quite a while and a large part of that reason is because I've been in Wisconsin spending time with my Dad. Last year my Dad was diagnosed with cancer and after a tough round of chemo we thought he had beat it. In February he returned to Wisconsin with some medical issues to leard that the cancer had returned. He went through another round of chemo but this time things weren't as promising. He did respond to chemo the second time around. My Dad passed away on July 8th.

I'll never forget all of the things my Dad did for me and taught me through the years. He was a great guy who was always willing to help someone out and had the ability to make anyone laugh. I'm glad I had the opportunity to spend as much time with him as I did. I will always remember the positive person he was and I wish I had more time with him.

My Dad and I at the race in Ruston, La on October 25th, 2009.