A Year in Absence (Unfortunately Not Provence)

I'd like to strike up the blog again, never mind going back and recovering those lost bits in the past year because if I hang that over my head I'll never get this going.  However, I will say that I'd hope to be able to at least paraphrase the past year in pics and few words.  But no commitment s, I'm just saying that the possibility and the desire exist.

One problem that I always seem to have while journaling, especially when I'm typing like mad into my "smart" gadget, is all the thought provoking distractions that arise while hashing up the past and reviewing/previewing because my mind goes every which way and the urge to plan this or jot down that or, oh yeah, contact that person interrupts me.  Yes, feeling some of those now so do I plunge on with my next item on the agenda or dangerously decide to save it for next time.

Uuup, gotta go, bus stops.

What's up, you ask?  Pretty much lots, but who wouldn't say that except the kind of person who, no matter what, always answers that question with "not much". Yeah, definitely lots.

My new job running the bike store keeps me busy and on my toes and its been really fun too, something I forgot could exist after too long at my prior gig (waiting for A to graduate from her nursing program). 

Kian is killing it in 1st grade and he's growing like a weed.  Just this morning I thought to myself how tall he looks and how I need to measure and weigh that boy for his wall chart.  He's missing his two front teeth right now too which is pretty damn priceless and I want to get some pro pics taken to document.

Kiki Potter

I walked in the door to my own home and came across a small stranger standing there blinking up at me.  Excuse me, but do I know you? I asked, you look somehow familiar. 

Daddy its me!

His glasses that were fit and ordered like 4 months prior finally arrived.  The story is that...

Superbowl

Pre-superbowl we were doing our part for the win:

The football shrine: the 3 cousins in their football finest.

Getting some of the hand gestures down: hanging loose til the big game.

 

 Getting our Seahawk haircuts!  Whatyathink, should daddy go into business?

 Got the mascots together for a little pre-game sparring.

 Hoisted the 12 man flag high.

Then came the game and we started celebrating at the very first snap.

Snap!

Seahawks win!  Seahawks win!

Later that week Kian and I took the day off for the big parade!

 

 Kian was looking all Sherman and we had the chariot all gussied up.

 It was super cold and the down bag in there sure helped.

We got to watch the parade from end to end.  What a week!

Happy Valentines Day!

Kian and all his classmates Valentine's Day cards, hand made 

with lotsa love!  Here's hoping you had a day with lotsa love.  

And Happy Birthday, cousin Juju!

A Season's Payoff: We're Superbowl Bound!

Well, the Seahawks and my sister are Superbowl bound, not Kian or I.  But we're ecstatic just the same and we will be close to home when the Seahawks win.  We're making up our contingency plans now for how we'll celebrate if... WHEN they win!  Maybe we'll storm the field... Centurylink Field.

Last weekend, errr, two weekends ago (49ers weekend) we watched the game with friends after downhill skiing at The Pass all morning. Wow, what a day up there, I'd forgotten how nice and sunny it was. 

 Geared up and ready to get after it.

Great day: a little thin on the snow side of things but on 

football days the lines are short and runs are ours!

 Post-game we stopped by the stadium on our way home since it was en route.

All was quiet right here at the stadium, but just around the corner on 1st Ave things were going off, it was crazy.  Kian wanted to check it out and after about 500 high fives to drunk Seahawks fans he was ready to call the celebrations a night.

Go Hawks!

Up Early, Late To Work

One Friday morning very very early/late I lay awake and hatched a brilliant plan: move my alarm forward to 545am and hit Snoqualmie Nordic on opening day and still have time to be at work by midday.  Well, thats one way to assure that I wasn't going to get back to sleep, but I otherwise pulled off my plan as I'd dreamed up.  And not only that, I skied well above the fogline which had kept Seattle socked-in for days.  Here's a bit of proof!

 Perfect tracks... there are fewer than ever imagined for this time of year

but the first ones across that corduroy were mine!

Another Weekend of Skiing and Football

On Saints weekend we did the same thing except we stayed up on the mountain to watch the game there at a restaurant/pub.  Skiing was fun, Kian rocked it, and the runs and lifts were all wide open. 

 

 Oh yeah, bring on the 9ers!

End of Christmas Vaca but Start of NW Ski Season

 Finally, winter is here!

Well, sorta.  There is just enough snow right now to ski but if the weather goes the wrong way we'll be back on bike way sooner than expected.  Alas, the winter storms are here now and in the city that means rain, but its worth it because 45 and rainy means more puffy white stuff just up the pass.  

Kian was excited to be back at it: day #1 this season. Although he was hoping for downhill skiing.

 And sledding on the final day of Christmas vacation made it easier to swallow.

Kiki's heritage project that we'd had all vacation to get done but waited until Sunday to assemble the finishing touches.  The kilt is based upon our Scottish clan's hunting tartan, the belt buckle is the Royal Scottish Emblem (Lion Rampart), and the face is of royal Scottish lineage: Kian Conrad Reid, afterall!
 

Trying on the new ski kit: helmet, boots and mittens match, check. 

Jacket and pants ensembles all match, check!  

 POW!

Woh, Belated Post (Sometime September)

A day at the zoo with a couple of Kian's old buddies from the pre-school days, Justin and Adrian.

A fearsome threesome. 

  

 Games and hijinks.

 

Touching the weasel.   

 

Kian won the bet.  Of course. 

The beautiful moms!

Macaroni and cheese fingers, yum!