Chugging along

My wife is making a baby.
I am making my grades.
Something seems a little unbalance there. Maybe I should make something else too. Yah, I should make a pizza. That should even things out.

I have been feeling the pressure lately and for no particularly good reason. Best I can figure is some last minute travel for work was enough of a disruption that everything else in my life the last few weeks has felt like is held together with duct tape and bailing wire. This isn't very remarkable except for the fact that it hasn't been. Things have been under control and run pretty much according to schedule.

Yesterday was a great "break" day. We probably should have done it last week on our anniversary. We went to the Desert Botanical Gardens, met a friend for a long and entertaining lunch, hung out at the Harley shop down the street for a rally/car show, and finished it off by watching RED. By the way, RED is a great freaking movie. It is just a genuine, doesn't take itself seriously, good movie. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, and the explosions follow the quality not quantity rule (and then sneak in some more quantity).

If I was a little more motivated this early on a Sunday morning, I would upload a picture or two from the butterfly house at the Botanical Gardens. Its Monarch season.

Getting up the hill

My birthday has come and gone. This one was a milepost. A nice round number. It is a BINGO point in the flight of life.
My wife was determined to make this one special and she went all out. She kidnapped me and took me up to Sedona for a night. I got a helicopter tour while I was up there. We came back and I had a very chill party. I had a great time, I assume everyone else did also. I have found my circle of friends and acquaintances has grown to the point that my house does not hold them all, so we had the party at The Monastery.
She also got me a bunch of presents. I feel very loved. I would list them here but I don't want to sound like I am bragging (but I am).

In case you were wondering

I didn't die on the mountain.
I didn't summit either. If you are familiar with Long's Peak, I made it to the Keyhole, started up the backside and decided I probably had enough energy to summit, but not make it back down. I took some amazing pictures. According to the GPS I did about 14 miles, started at 9200 ft. and topped out at about 13,200 ft. Not bad for a day hike from a city boy living in the desert.
It was a great trip. There was lots of just hanging out and having a good time the rest of the weekend. I would like to do it again.

Countdown: T -7 days

I fly up to Colorado in 7 days for the big hike of doom. I am pretty excited. I see 3 big things happening on this trip.
1. I get away from work for about 5 days.
2. I climb a big mountain.
3. I get to hang out with my best friends and drink a bunch of beer.

Number 3 is definitely the part I am looking forward to the most, but number 1 is currently coming in a very close second.