Oh man, The spring is here!! No more snow? we will see. I have been spending the weekends outside getting everything in order. Its funny how much the snow moves things around. Aiden and I built a snowman in the fall and I found the eyes on the other side of the yard. How did that happen? things are good. No real complaints. As I said before the spring is here we have the birds chirping and the grass is turning green.

Our next order of business is to install hardwood flooring in the house. I am suprised at the price. I could tile 2 houses for 1 wood house. Oh well. I tried lumber liquidators and they are a little cheaper but after I get it back here not really.

well its been about 8 months since the last post. Man I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to reset my password. Lets see since last april what has happened? Well the job is going well I have now been promoted a few times. I went from a service manager 1 to a service manager 2 and now I took a store manager roll. Pretty excited about the possibilities. Aiden is doing well he is almost 3. He has changed so much. Everyday he seems to pick something new up. He is very energetic. Always in motion. He is still pretty skinny but thats ok I guess. Michelle took a new job in the spring. She seems pretty happy with the move. we keep making improvements on the house. We pulled the shower out and put in a tile surrond. We also put down tile on the floor. Painted the whole interior of the house ect...

Alright its been a while since the last post but here we go. With the NFL draft coming up I thought I could change the old blog template and go a little more of a jets theme. What do ya think?

Michelle and I both have strep. Needless to say this weekend has not been a good one. Kinda wierd I went to the DR. on Thursday and was given a clean bill of health and noe 2 days later I am sick. Im never going to the Dr again.

All the family is gone and we now have some recovery time. Aiden has been a bit cranky lately and all of us are not feeling 100%. We should kick this little bug soon enough though. Michelle and I tried to go to a movie but there really was not anything we wanted to see or at least nothing we were willing to pay for. Next on the agenda is doing up the down stairs living room. and then maybe in the winter we will do a new counter top. we will see.

Alot has happened since the last post. The most recent was the visit of my brother and his family. We did all the fun stuff from the Mall of America to Big Falls. We might have worn them out but I think they had a good time. They are leaving early in the AM. Then Michelles mom comes in tommorow night. thats all for now.

Not much new up here at the old north pole. The weather has been great to me although all the natives are complaining that its too hot. They should visit AZ right now. I went to menards and purchased the wood flooring for the bathroom down stairs and should get that in tommorow.

Michelle Aiden and I are going to the MN zoo on monday. That should be a good way to get out of the house and get Aiden some exposure.Also I put in for The personal banker position @ Wells Fargo. We will see if they think I am ready. It might be to soon. I figure it wont hurt to try.

All is going well. The past week has been really nice. The weather has been great. This is why people suffer through the winters here I guess. I have been on the bike two of the past three days and I feel pretty out of shape. Oh well I guess I have a while to get in back together. There is a 12 hour race June 23rd in Lacross ( about an hour away) that would be fun to do. We will see how my conditioning comes around.

In other news Michelle and aiden are doing well. Aiden is walking and blabbering. No real words yet. Michelle is planning on doing a 1/2 marathon in the fall. Her mom will be coming out to do it with her.

The house is coming together and I am learning how to take care of a lawn ( no grass in AZ). I am off to wash the car and do some other stuff.

Its been a while since my last post. I been rather busy with the new job and general life stuff. The job is going well and I am doing well in it. Aiden had his first b-day and you can see the videos here . The weather is turning for the better and we should loose all the snow on the ground in a few days. The downstairs bathroom is almost done. we started doing it up right b-4 Bill and Karen came out. Pictures to come. Michelle and I had our 5 year anniversary yesterday. Where did that 5 years go? Time sure is flying. We are in hopes of making a trip down to the southeast region in the fall or early winter. Thats it for now.

Below is what we have to look forward to this weekend. It is the Weather Channels Warning I get when the weather is going to hit the fan. Bill and Karen should be scared very scared.

In other news today I tought myself how to soder copper water lines ( O the joy of home ownership). Also I was able to get out for a few rides this week since the temps were rather warm and sunny. I wonder what airline Bill and Karen are coming in on? I should proberly find out so I know where to meet them.

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED OVER CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN DURING THIS WEEKEND. THE SNOW IS ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN BY LATE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING ON FRIDAY...BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES BY MID EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION MAY BRIEFLY TRANSITION TO SLEET...THOUGH PRIMARILY SNOW IS EXPECTED. ACCUMULATIONS BY SATURDAY MORNING ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE FOUR TO SEVEN INCHES.
THERE MAY BE A BRIEF RESPITE IN THE SNOWFALL DURING THE DAY SATURDAY... BEFORE MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW RESUMES DURING SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW WILL LAST INTO THE DAY SUNDAY WITH AN ADDITIONAL FOUR TO EIGHT INCHES POSSIBLE. BLOWING SNOW MAY ALSO OCCUR DURING THIS TIME. TOTAL WEEKEND ACCUMULATIONS OF EIGHT OR MORE INCHES ARE BECOMING MORE LIKELY...WITH A FOOT OR MORE POSSIBLE OVER WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...INCLUDING THE TWIN CITIES. THIS MEANS DRIVE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AND TO HELL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. THIS INCLUDES ALONG I- 94 (FROM MINNEAPOLIS TO EAU CLAIRE) AND I-35...AS WELL AS IN AND AROUND THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

It's official. I am now an employee of Wells Fargo. I will start on the 26th. The first week will be training. I will also need to go to Minneapolis for training eventually. This is a good opportunity for me. The company offers great benefits and a chance for growth.

Good news!! My most desired job that I interviewed with has made me an offer. It all rides on a background check that should not be a problem. I should start next Monday. After I start I will reveal the company.

The weather channel is Predicting the high this weekend to not even hit the 0 degree mark. Yup thats right we will be below o for a few days. Oh yea and I almost forgot the wind chill can be as low as -40. Yup thats a minus in front of that #. If you want to check it out you can click the link on the sidebar. I think I should go for a bike ride to crash course the adapting phase.

The interviews went well. I have learnt I am in the final running for the one I preffer. I should here something by next Wendnesday. I also have another Interview next Tuesday.

As I type it is a balmy 7 degrees out. The snow was short lived and I have not been able to use the snow blower yet although I am ready. Maybe we will get some more soon.

It started snowing last night and is still snowing right know. Weather.com said it should keep coming for a day or so. It other news I have two second interviews this week. That is a good sign. Also we will be having Aidens 1st birthday on the 25th of Febuary. You can rsvp by E-mail @ hh2az@yahoo.com .

We recieved more snow today. not enough to shovel the old driveway but enough to have to use the scraper. I think it was around 2". I am watching the playoffs and am sick of seeing the Patriots. Not because I am a jets fan but just because its getting old. Also if anyone knows how to put a video on Blogger let me know please.

Snow!! we finaly got some. About 6 inches or so. Enough to make the roads interesting. i am also now a proffesional driveway shoveler. The house did come with a snow blower but I have not tried it out yet. I kept Aiden home from daycare today and we had all kinds of fun. He should sleep good tonight.

Due to popular demand I have changed the blog format again. I figured how can you go wrong with the luck of the Irish? In other news I have a few interviews coming up. The last one was a bust. The job was rather undesirable. Aiden has started daycare part time. The lady who does it is certified and works out of her house with a small # of kids. The best part is that we could walk to her house in less than 10 minutes.

The weather has not been bad at all. When we moved here I was expecting a blizzard everyday with temps in the single digits. So far I think it has snowed twice and the highs have been near 40. That all will change soon according to the weather man. I think there are a few days next week that wont get out of the teens. Below is the link to the weather.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USWI0204?from=36hr_topnav_undeclared

Not a whole lot happen around here. I do have a job interview tommorow. I dont think this is a job that will work for me but the interview process should give me some practice since I have not had an interview in a long time. ya never know though this could be a good opertunity.

Also I have been playing with the blog formats. Its rather amusing all the funky things you can do with the colors and what not. Ann and Loran should be here tommorow. That should be nice. We are still having really unseasonal weather.Its been 15-20 degrees above the norm. Still feels cold to me.

Happy New Years everyone! Whats your New Years resolution? The most popular is loose weight. I think that will be mine. Since Aiden has arrived I have been lazy and have managed to pack on a few. Even though it is cold outside I can go for a run outside and do some weight training indoors. Since I want this to actually happed I will start with a light schedual. If I go to heavy at first I wont stick with it very long. Maybe 2 runs a week of 30 minutes including warm up and cool down. And once a week with the weights. I figure if it does get to cold or snowy I can jump on the spin bike.

In other news Michelles mom and Loran will be here on Friday for a visit. That will be nice for Aiden to see them. Also I did put a new video on his video site. The house is unpacked and feels like a home now.

The Jets are in the playoffs!!!!

I hope we all had a good Christmas. We went to Michelles grandmas for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. That was nice to see Michelle with all her family. Aiden also had some fun with all the other kids. Now it is time to get back to biz. Time to find a job. I also put a bunch of videos of him opening presents on the video site. http://www.dropshots.com/hh2az

Well all is well up here at the north pole. The weather has been rather warm for this time of the year ( so i am told). All is well and the house is setting up nicely. As soon as we are done we will get some pics up.

We found daycare that we really like and it is less than 5 minutes from the house. That was proberly the most stressfull part of the move. Watching the little rugrat all day is rather tiring. I am ready to work.

Also I have started a video blog of Aiden. If you have high speed its pretty quik otherwise you may as well plan on giving it a while. There are pics first and then the last thing will be the videos. Here is the site. www.dropshots.com/hh2az


I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

We are here. The new house is nice and alot of our stuff is in boxes still ,but all the important stuff is unpacked. Michelle has started her new job and is pretty happy. Aiden is doing well and the dogs are adjusting fine. I will try to get some pics up after we are unpacked a little more.

Sunday I leave for Wisconsin. Here is the plan. Michelle, Aiden, Ann And Loran are getting on a plane Tuesday. I am driving out this sunday with the dogs. The movers should be there on friday to give us our stuff. The house is all signed for. We will get the keys when we arive from the real estate agent.

The big news of the week is that we are moving to Wisconsin. Eau Claire to be exact. Michelle was made an offer from her company that was worth the move and we are ready to get out of Tucson. We will be making the move in the middle of November. All hands on deck to help us move please ( just kidding). In other news Aiden is doing well and my Jets are doing better than I thought they would this year.

Tour of the White Mountains

It rained two days before we got there and one after. Needless to say the course was soupy. It was bad enough that the event promoter had to make course changes to get all the bikes off the singletrack. So instead of 41 miles off trail rideing bliss it was more of a jeep road gravel grind.

The actual trip was nice. The weather was not as cold as what was expected. The high was around 65 with a low of 40. The weather channel had predicted lows in the low 30s and highs in the 50s. Aiden has posted some pics on his site.

Also in Aidens world he has an ear infection and is on drugs. He slept most of the day yesterday and so far today he has been a pain. I have him locked in the closet right now.

Whew!! its beena while since I have been here. The little brat keeps me busy. Michelles mom and Loran have the kid this weekend. We are supposed to pick him up tommorow. We are also going to Pinetop next weekend for the tour of the white mountains a 66 mile mountain bike ride threw the Mountains in northern Arizona. After that it should start to cool down a little. The high today is 98 degrees.

In other news We have signed a lease to expand our #2 store to 5000 sqf. That will be nice to be able to carry more product without all the clutter of a small store. That should happen within the next month or so.

Aiden is sitting on his own and loves to make noise. Not only with his big mouth but with whatever he can bang on or with. He is also on the verge of crawling. He can get up on all 4s and then fall down. He had a flu shot and also has had all of his shots. He is officially up to date. He is also eating baby food off a spoon.

We sold my car and bought Michelle the Civic she has always wanted and I took over her car. I am not riding much lately but thats ok I am plenty busy without having to worry about missing a traing ride. Thats it for now.

We are back from Wi. The Trip went well. Aiden does pretty good on the plane, He only had one real episode for about 10 minutes. The people around us were rather supportive. I was surprised. We also went to the 2007 Trek bicycle show in Madison. I think I could live in Madison It is a pretty cool little town.

Been busy as we can all tell by the lack of posts. We are off to a Gamoke (Michelles mothers side) Family reunion this weekend in Wi. Not much else going on. I will try to give a more complete post later. Also Aiden has put up some new pics.

58.5 miles 19.5 mile per hour average, 104 degrees at time of finish, 165 average heart rate and sprint winner. Pretty good for a first group ride since Aiden showed up. Now I am toast and having a hard time getting rehydrated. I took a nap and then went out doing our normal stuff.

In other news it has been the hottest I can ever remember. The high temps are not all that bad but the humidity has been really high. It was 104 at 9:30 when the ride finished. The high will be around 115 or so. When it does rain it will be one heck of a storm.

Here is george. He eats all the bugs on the porch, Also Aiden has updated his blog.

Baptism complete. Aiden is now "of the people".All went well and I am sure he will post pictures soon on his site. In other news the night after the baptism Aiden was running a fever and he had an ear infection. Michelle took him in and he got a shot and all kinds of antibiotics. He is feeling well now. The monsoons are here and we are getting all kind of rain. It is rather nice to see some rain since we have not really had a good rain in about a year.

This is going to be a busy weekend. Friday night we have a wedding . Saturday Aidens Godparents come into town. Sunday is the baptism. By the time monday comes I will be happy to return to work. All is well here in the Sonoran Desert. Other than the heat there is nothing to complain about. That is always a good sign. Aiden is getting bigger by the day and is also more able to move his hands and head. He is also eating more than ever. I am starting to get back on the bike when possible. I am tring to ride three times a week and do a home weight workout twice a week. Michelle is fine and the dogs are the dogs.

Yesterday was an interesting day. A woman who works next door comes running in the back door and asks "who's honda is parked out back?"( I can tell something is going on since she is really worked up. The first thing that comes into my mind is she backed into my car. ) She procedes to tell me she caught to guys breaking into my cay and she has there plate # written down. I walk outside and see my window is broken the lock is busted out of the door and my satelite radio is M.I.A. I called the police and about a hour and a half later they show up and say there is not much he can do. His job is to take the info and give it to the detective and he will do the work to find out what happened. So as of right now I am in a holding pattern. the problem with waiting is the people who did this will relize the sterio is no good anymore and get rid of it. I am going to call the detective everyday until this is resolved.

Nothing really new happining here. It has been really hot and fairly humid. The other day on my porch it was 117 degrees. The humidity is rather high for us as well which makes it even worse. It is supposed to cool down this week to be around 100 or so. Aiden is well and I believe he put some new pics up the other day. Thats it for now .

Woke up this am at 3:00 am. The brat was hungry. Once I was up I could not go back to sleep. I cleaned the kitchen and goofed off for about a hour and a half and then I WENT FOR A BIKE RIDE!! It was pretty nice out at 5am. About 60 degrees and a light wind out of the east.

Michelle and I went to see United 93 Sunday. It was pretty entertaining although I thought it would be more of a documentary than a reinactment. I would wait until video if you have not seen it yet.

All right this is try # 2 to make a post today. The first one somehow did not post.

Today was Aidens official day of being enrolled to be baptised. Basicly we had to stand up in front of the whole congregation and show off the little brat. I thought I would be nervous but I really didn't care. Rather surprising.

In other news I am going to start riding on a plan again and tommorow night will be the first real ride in over a month. Since that is the case I will take it easy, proberly around a hour and a half at an easy pace.

Woke up this morning to about 10 gallons of water al over the laundry room and living room floor. The load of laundry Michelle started this morning some how leaked all over the floor. So that is my morning (once again no time for a ride).

In other news Aiden is doing really well and he is getting fat. From what I hear that is a good thing. He also is starting to sleep through the night better.

Shop is doing well. We are still pretty busy considering we have been near record highs for the past week and a half. Pretty hot actually. The funny thing is that we have had cloud cover at night and that doesnt let it cool down and creates humidity. Not much like 100+ degres and humid ( what we call humid anyways, nothing like S.C.).

Dogs are good. They have 100% adapted to Aiden and vice versa. That is a relief.

Well I have had one of those days where I am a clutz and poor Aiden is getting the brunt of it. So far today I have hit his head on a door and on his car seat hood. Even after all that I was able to get him to smile. Michelle snapped a picture and he will post it soon.

In other news Mom is here for a visit and she will be worked hard with baby sitting duties.

We went to the Doctors office today for Aidens first shots ( 4 total ). Needless to say he is not happy! Right now he is taking a nap and getting in some good recovery time. He is wieghing in at a whopping 10 lbs 7 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long. He is starting to sleep rather well through the night he only wakes up once or twice for the most part.

In other news I went for a ride the othe day and I am out of shape.Good thing I have no events planned. Michelle and I are having a competition of post pardon wieght loss. Who ever looses the highest % of wieght per week wins. We have a list of "chores " that the looser has to do.

Thats all for today. D

Well its Friday. That means the begining of the weekend. We should be busy at the shop since its been busy all week. Aiden Recieved a little something from Great Grandma H. for easter. He is very gratefull. I would think he will post a picture soon on his blog .

Well we are back from the White Mountains and it allready getting a little warm. I think the high is around 92 today and there is no real breeze. This is a far cry from the 50s and 60s in Pine top.

Aiden and Michelle are doing well. We are a little sleep deprived but that is expected. He does really well in the car he just sleeps. I was able to get in two rides this weekend which was nice and I felt as expected (tired and out of shape), Although the ride was fun.

We are off to pine top this weekend to see some cold weather and I can do some riding (whats that). We will leave Saturday am and come back late on Monday. Dont forget Aiden has his new Picturee site up and he is awaiting some comments from his peeps. The link is on the side bar.

I have created Aidens own site so he can put some pictures on it and tell everyone how he is doing. The web site is www.aidenspictures.blogspot.com . He will be posting there very soon. There is also a link on the sidebar when this post is gone.

We all went down to the 4th ave. street fair yesterday and looked at all the crazy vendors merchandise. There was all kinds of people selling all of there with homemade odds and ends. Some were good and some were really bad. Fun experience overall. After about 90 minutes I was ready to go home.

Michelle's Dad and step mom are coming out this weekend to see the new brat. And some of Michelle's aunts and Uncles are rolling through town as well this week. I think I will take the Family (kinda wierd to say Family) to Pinetop the second week of April.

Saturday

The usual going on just at work and selling stuff. I am on lunch break and thought I would give an update on the happinings around here.

I did a workout yesterday at home that consisted of 20 minutes on the trainer, 3 sets of bench press, 3 sets of crunches, 3 sets of curls, 3 sets of bent over rows and 3 sets of tricep extentions.

Aiden is good he is sleeping more at night which means we sleep more. Last night he woke up at 11:00, 1:30 and 5:30. Way better than every two hours. The plan Michelle and I have layed out is I take the first shift until 2:00 and she takes the rest of the night. Since I am working and she is not She gets the later shift, Although we both only get up once.

On the home front Michelle has some family down from Wisconsin and we are supposed to go down to the street fair tommorow. This will be Aidens first major outdoor experience. Back to work.

Aiden is weighing in at a whopping 7 lbs 9 oz. He has gained 1lb 7 oz in two weeks. Not badI would like to see us try to gain 25% of our weight in two weeks. No news on the blood work as of yet although we will see on the next appointment. I am actually going to try to get a ride in this afternoon.

We are off to the Dr. we will see how the blood work came out and see how fat Aiden is getting.

Some snow on the mountain tops. We had a pretty good storm come threw here a week ago.

I AM TYPING THIS WITH ONE HAND SO I WILL USE ALL CAPS. AIDEN AND I ARE HANGING OUT TODAY AN WE HAD A DROOLING CONTEST. I WON OF COURSE ALTHOUGH HE HAD THE LONGEST BURP BY FAR. WE ALL WENT TO CHURCH TODAY AND HE JUST SLEPT THE WHOLE TIME AS WELL AS I ALMOST DID. WE HAVE A DR APPOINTMENT THURSDAY. JUST A FOLLOW UP. HE IS ALSO GETTING FAT HIS LITTLE CHEEKS ARE NO LONGER LITTLE. HE ALMOST HAS THAT CHIPMUNK LOOK.

There is a 180 mile ride in Death Valley in May but it doesnt sound appealing so I am out. Since I cant seem to ride much anyway it is proberly for the best. Maybe I could do the Brian Head 100 instead.

I am at work today and it is spring break here in Tucson so everyone is out of town and we are slow. So I will catch up on some behind the scene stuff around here.

Aiden sure does like peanut butter. I gave him a teaspoon last night and he licked his lips for hours. He is also becoming alot more aware of his surroundings and eating almost double the oreo cookies we were giving him two weeks ago. We took him allover Tucson yesterday and showed him off.

In other news I was able to go for a short ride yesterday and it felt great. The first time I have ridden in almost three weeks.

Last night went well and I am off tommorow. Michelle has an appointment in the am with her dr. Aiden has an appointment with his dr. also. I hope to get to ride in the afternoon since the weather has been so nice. The original name Nasal Drip was vetoed by Michelle. So we went with Aiden instead.

This pic shows the night we had last night. I think I had around 2 1/2 hours of sleep or so. I dont know why he was so cranky but I am hopeing to get more sleep tonight.

Here are a few random pics.

After you climb to the top of Gates Pass this is the eye watering desent you have in front of you. 50+ mph. Yea baby!!

Nice sunset from the shop.

50 year trail

Stay in inside today. The weather is very windy and there have already been two dust storms outside the shop. With the poor weather we are slow at the shop, maybe if I stand outside naked it will bring in some biz.

In other news mom is coming out Monday and she is staying until friday. Aiden is doing fine. He was a bit cranky last night so we were up late.

New format for the old blog. I figured with a new boy Blue was the only way to go. One day I will figure out how to create my own.

Last night went well. Aiden slept most of the night. We only woke up twice once at 2 and once at 5. Not bad considering we were up most of the night a few nights ago. I am back at work today and the weather has turned south pretty windy and cool temps.

This is my favorite picture yet. This seems to be his most used facial expression (i'm hungry)

This is us at the Dr.

Nothing really new here Michelle is still recovering from the big day and Aiden is eating like crazy. Last night we were able to sleep the most since the birth. Yesterday we took him out on the town. We went to the pediatricians office and took him to see Michelles co-workers. I might start a seperate blog for pics of the little guy.

Ya know whats funny is that Aiden will sleep from sun up to sundown without a noise, but as soon as it is our bed time he is like a heavy metal concert. I wonder why? Last night I thought he did not like the dark so I left a light on and tried some other things. Nope! The only thing else I can think of is is to crank the heat we will see tonight.

Michelle is doing much better and is able to move around fairly well. We have a pediatrition apt on Wendsday for His first check up.

Well were do I start? I guess at the beginning.

Sunday Febuary 26th, late pm
Michelle was feeling "wierd". The baby was moving around a whole lot and we were not sleeping.

Monday Febuary 27th
Around 2:30am Michelle's water broke and we knew it was time. We drove to the hospital and were checked in immediatly. Around 3:30am she was all hooked up to all the machines and we could hear his heart going like crazy. 152 bpm to be exact. At this point I thought he would be here in 8 hours or so. Man was I wrong! 8 hours came and went as well as 9, 10 , 11 12 , 13, 14 and the 15th hour. Finally on the 16th hour the nurse comes in and tells us we will have to have a C-section. Not the news we were hoping for but by this time Michelle was getting pretty tired and we were running out of time. I guess after the water breaks you have 24 hours to give birth b-4 infections can start. We had about an hour to get mentaly prepared for all this and I also had to change into scrubs that were made for a 5' 8" person (yea kinda tight). We went into the O.R. and did the deed.

After Aiden wad delivered I was the first to hold him. I looked into his eyes and knew right away he was mine. I was kinda scared and nervous at the same time but more happy than any thing. He has all his fingers and toes and is 100% healthy. We had to stay in the hospital for 4 days and that was no fun at all and I will spare you all the details of that. We were released Friday late afternoon and man were we happy.

We are happy to be home and all is well. Aiden is doing what all Babys do, ya know poop, pee and eat. and after the first night home we slept a total of 4 hours on and off. This is supposed to last a few weeks and then he will sleep more and more in the night. Thats all for now as I am going to take a nap b-4 the tonights debacle.

A few pics of the new brat.

He is here. 6 lbs 5.9 oz 19" long. What an experience. Wow. All is well and everyone is healthy. Pics to come.

and another.
http://www.partypics.com/ver2/ViewImage.aspx?OrderNo=26133372&Roll=00015&Frame=0828

some more pics


http://www.partypics.com/ver2/ViewImage.aspx?OrderNo=26133372&Roll=00004&Frame=0654

http://www.partypics.com/ver2/ViewImage.aspx?OrderNo=26133372&Roll=00004&Frame=0655

Here is the picture links for the 24 hour race.


This is me about 3 1/2 feet up at 25+ MPH.
http://www.partypics.com/ver2/ViewImage.aspx?OrderNo=26133372&Roll=00009&Frame=0427

The rest I have found so far are on this page.
http://www.partypics.com/ver2/EventImages.aspx?Page=542

Lap 1

Well the race started out badly. Rey our first guy out Flatted twice and had to run all the way back to camp. That put us in dead last place. At 7:00 pm we were still in last place but over the course of 24 hours alot can happen and furtunatly nothing else happened to us. We were able to come from 20th place all the way into 4th overall for the finish. I did well My lap times were my best ever. I little sore today although Not in my legs. Most of the soreness is in my lower back or abs. I need to work on that.

I recieved a package from G-ma last night for Nazal. Thanks G-ma and Pa.

March 1st is the 1st anniversary of this blog. Never thought I would do it this long. I am on my out to the 24 hours in the old pueblo. I will try to take som pics. The weather is perfect high just under 70 lows in the 30s.

Good shot!!

WAHOOOOO. Over 2000 hits on the old blog and 2 days till the 24 hour event. Michelle made me go to the breast feeding class last night. I know I am supposed to be part of this but how can I help. Well I actually can. Not physicly of course but in other ways. I will spare the details. We are in the last leg of the most important endurance event of our lives. T- 24 days and counting. Tonight is the last birthing class and we have an appointment with the doc as we see her every week now.

The weather man just said it has rained one day since December 12th.The amount was a whopping .01". I dont remember any rain although there where a few clouds in the sky a week ago. We do need some rain though maybe I should go do a rain dance.

Anyone want to buy a road bike? A fellow worker has this for sale.Bid at will.

MOTIVATION ! Where do I find it? I looked under my bed and in the depths of my closet to no avail.I just need to sleep less and do more.The problem is that Michelle is not sleeping well so neither am I. That means I get 10 hours of poor sleep instead of 7 of quality sleep.So I am always tired and am not motivated.

We have an appointment thursday for nasal and a birth class in the eve.

The shower is today. I said it would be next week since Michelle reads this blog and we told her it would be a surprise. with T-7 hours to go I figure we are in the clear.

Super Bowl sunday I have only heard one prediction, any more?

Tommorow will be a long ride in the morning on the road bike. Easy but long. How long you ask? Until either I bonk on run out of time.

Today is just another day at the shop and we are pretty busy but not slammed. The weather has been really nice (upper 70s- low 80s) and I actually have a little sun burn goin on from Thursdays 24 course ride.

I woke up aliittle late this am. I guess my body needed some rest after yesterdays long day. Needless to say I did nothing productive. I was able to do my big gear hill repeats on my lunch break. It is nice to take a break in the middle of the day and get some saddle time.

A package arrived from Aunt Chris and Uncle Steve for the shower today. Thank you! It is appreciated.

Updated list on the dob guessing game. It is getting down to the nitty gritty now.

G-ma March 17th

Mom March 16th 8lbs 5oz

Paul March 18

Greg March 5th

Michelle March 6th 7lbs8oz

Dennis March 10th 8lbs 4 oz 10:30am

WFH II March 14th 8lbs 8 oz

Ride complete. I was a little slower than I thought I would be, but not by much. By the time the race gets here I will be ready to hit my goal. My new computer tells me elevation and grade. There are steeper climbs out there than I thought. One is 18% and the following is 15%. Good thing there only 100 yardsish long.

Well I am on my out to the 24 hour course to see how I will do under load for two laps. I am hoping to get into a groove and pull two 1:15 laps. we will see how it goes.

Well I skipped the ride this for a trip to the grocerie store this a.m. With Michelle being tired and me being lazy we have let the fridge get empty. Not to fear though the store is 200 yards away. I was in and out in less that 40 minutes with the whole weeks worth of food! I will make up the big gear hill repeats tonight on the way home.

The 24 hour course is getting pretty sandy in some spots and there are little 1 ' drops into a few of the washes. Thats ok though since crashing into sand at 3 am in better than cacti. Its been really nice weather the past few days and hopefully it will hold out till Thursday so I can get in a long ride.

The house is coming along for the new addition and Michelles mom is planning a shower for her on the 12th of march. We registered at Babys r us and Target . We have another berthing class thursday night and so far I have learnt more threw the book I read than the class. Oh well it keeps me busy.

The crib has arrived! Loran did a great job! Better than you can buy at any store.

Michelle and I were able to get the living room all set for the new addition. There was a few things we wanted to do one of which was to remove the old black couch and replace it with our solid wood futon.The media room will be next.

We had our biweekly Dr. appt. and all is good. Right on task. His heart rate is right in my zone 2 training rate.

Speaking of training i did a 1 1/2 hour easy ride this am in the frigid 33 degree weather we have here right now and I was frozen when done. I know I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather ( or what I call cold). Could you imagine if I lived in Wisconsin or something like that! I would never leave the house. I am planning on doing the group road ride tommorow am and It will be cold again.

Last nights ride went well. I felt pretty good and the pace was brisk but not super fast. That kinda gives me a gauge on my shape. I will need to buy a new battery for my cabeza since the burn time is getting kinda low. Maybe I should look at a new light since the battery is almost as much as the light. Well I have a lot to do today and I better get going.

Here are the latest guesses on the dob.

G-ma March 17th

Mom March 16th 8lbs 5oz

Paul March 18

Greg March 5th

Michelle March 6th 7lbs8oz

Dennis March 10th 8lbs 4 oz 10:30am

Night ride tommorow night planned

Michelle wont let me sleep at night (always moving)

Fed Ex ladie brought us doughnuts.

4 weeks till the 24 hour race.

Its been really windy all day.

done

Lets see, whats new? Not much really. Michelle had a baby shower at work and got some good loot. She is doing well overall and no real complaints. We had our first birthing class the other night and I did not learn anything new really. Proberly because I have read the whole book allready. We went to Ikea and purchased a dresser to put all the baby crap in. Loran should have the crib and changing table done by Febuary ish. That means all the furniture is taken care of.

As for my bike riding it hasnt been all that great. Its been cold and windy here which leaves me with no motivation. It will be nice tommorow and the wind is supposed to slow down so I should be able to get out there.

The dogs are fine as well as work.

Who will win the Super Bowl?? My guess is Pittsburg and Seattle will be in the game and the Seahawks will win 27- 24. Whats yours?

I am now taking dates and weight guesses for Nazal Drip. The closest guess will win nothing other than being right and be able to say I told you so. My prediction is March 10th and 8 lbs 4 oz. The due date is March 14th. Put your guess in the comment section and I will track them. The non award will be awarded 5 days after the birth.

Michelle and I purchased a camera the other night we found one on sale at best buy. The whole electronics market is kinda a scam, what made me come to this conclution is the conversation as follows,

me: I would like to buy this camera please.

sales: Ok umm do you want the memory card with this?

me: It does not come with one??

sales: umm It does but it only holds 10 pictures. The one you want is $39.99 and holds like 60 pics.

me : That sounds like a scam, but I need it.

sales: do you want the camera harness.

me: do I need it?

sales: If you want to hook it up to your computer.

me: Another way to get more money. Yup I will take one.

So I did some homework and discovered that alot of electronics are that way. It is just another way to get more money out of people.

In other news Michelle and I are starting burping classes Oh wait I mean birthing. Thursday night is the firt class and I am really excited (insert sarcasm here)

I am getting ready for the 24 hour race here and feel pretty good right now. I am planning a good long ride on thursday and will keep track of how I feel going into this weekend.

Pretty eventfull day.
1. I was thrown out of Circle K.

2. Two baby presents showed up on our door step.

3. We rocked at the shop and I sold three higher end bikes and a few others.

4. The playoffs started.

5. The New York Jets are now in need of a Head coach (we are in shambles).

6. I am officially sighned up for the 24 hours in the Old Pueblo.

7. Baby crap is way harder to assemble than ya think.(maybe I am over thinking it).

8. The dogs do not know what the heck this nursery center is.

All is good and Michelle is doing fine.

I hope everyone had a good New Years. Michelle and I went to the White Mountains for the weekend and just hung out. Very relaxing. I went for one ride and it was cold(brrrr). The lows were in the 20s and the said the high would be in the 50s although I never saw that.

2005 was good and I expect 2006 to be better.