I apologize. I’ve been AWOL. And, as my form of apology, I have this picture to offer.
Taken on a Colorado River trip, in June of 1997. For those of you know me now, without hair, it probably looks like some wings have been affixed to my head.
Welcome to flamingobear. We're the Martin family. Jenn cooks a lot. Tim eats it. And the trees are awesome.
I’ve actually written a fair amount this over on the work blog, but I thought I’d share it here as well. Today at work, we rocked the Albert Haynesworth Fitness Challenge. If you’d care to watch me suffer, feel free:
My wife is an exceptionally committed mother. In the 3409 nights that have passed since Aspen’s birth, Jenn has spent but a handful of nights away from her girls.
Seriously, Jenn is hardcore. (Mind you, I don’t believe go away from your kids for a night is a failing on the part of a mother or a father… I’ve been away for the last 8 nights, and I’m sitting in an airport now, but it does show a certain level of commitment on Jenn’s part.)
Finally, though, circumstances presented themselves in such a way that Jenn chose to join me for a long weekend in New York City! How cool is that? So, I thought I’d share with you, our loyal readers, some of my favorite memories from the trip…
Today was a good day, a memorable one. Like most Saturdays, it started at the market, where we bought some 32 quarts of strawberries… But that’s another post.
From there, to the soccer fields, where the Purple Pandas (Aspen’s team) managed a 1-1 draw against a team that had beaten them 7-1 weeks ago. Yes, the Pandas ended the season on a hot streak.
Next up? Oakley’s team ran into a wall… perhaps the most physical team I’ve seen in U7 soccer. Some of the girls did physical right, clean, others, well, not so much. But Oakley’s team, the Smashing Dolphins played it just right. They didn’t back down from anyone, they went after them, and they dealt with the checking in just the right way… They put the ball in the back of the net 5 times…
From there, we all caravanned to the Martin house for a soccer celebration… I’ve had a great season with two fun teams of girls… some of whom we’re getting to know really well. I’m thankful for that… even in a season where the Panda’s won but one game, the group of girls is growing closer, and that’s pretty awesome to see.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Jenn was featured in featured in Saveur, which was very cool.
Today, thanks to a tweet from Angie Six, I learned that something I wrote was quoted in The Washington Post. How cool is that? If you’d care to read the article, feel free. My words are in the second to last paragraph…. (And I’ve linked directly to page 2…)
One thing I love about Oakley is that she just decides to do stuff. It’s not because she’s asked, or she feels she has to, she just decides to do something. This birthday card is a perfect example.
Over the summer, I boxed up a number of pictures at my parents’ house, shipped them home, and then did nothing with them upon arrival. Well, last night I decided they needed to get out of my closet, so I took pictures of them. And now, I’ll start sharing them with you. The best part? I showed them to the girls and they offered perfect commentary.
I’ve mentioned it before, but Camp Chippewa holds an incredibly special place in my heart.
People have asked me on occasion if we’re ever gonna “try for a boy”. I say unequivocally, “Why would we?” I adore my three girls and wouldn’t trade them for anything. The same people wonder about sports, or whatever, and that’s never an issue, because girls play sports too.
Yesterday, I shared with you the tree, er, three broomsticks…
Today, I share with you… their parents!
When examining the graham cracker box the other day as we were making s’mores, the girls asked why they aren’t spelled “gram” crackers. We explained that things are often named after the person who invented or popularized them (in this case, by Sylvester Graham in 1829). Following this logic, Tim then made the leap that his current ice cream “flavor of the month” should be called Tim Ice Cream. Curiously, he doesn’t want the wet nuts to be called “Tim’s Nuts” – go figure!