Farewell

Lindsey has been bugging me to write a new blog post for a while now because we have some major changes coming up in our lives. She said, “Please write a blog about what is going on with us.” Well, here is my blog post. LOST has ended.

The last show that I watched with as much enthusiasm as LOST was Seinfeld. I was 14 when the final episode of Seinfeld aired, and I remember being teary eyed during the pre-show montage of the series with Green Day’s Good Riddance playing in the background. More than a decade later, another show has come to an end, again leaving me wanting more. It was a sad occasion watching the 270 minute finale event but one that was ultimately extremely satisfying.

For the past 6 years, LOST has been the best show on television, consistent in engrossing plot and superb acting. No, every week has not been perfect, but as a whole, the 6 seasons are nothing short of phenomenal. Ok, enough praise without explanation.

If I had been told that the finale would leave so many questions unanswered, I would have expected about a 90% chance of disappointment. However, it turns out that most of the questions did not need to be answered. In fact, even with how the show ended, the main question that had been asked from the beginning, “What exactly is the island,” remained debatable. From what I have read and heard since the airing, a mere 24 hours gone, my thoughts on the message that the ending was trying to convey have for the most part been confirmed. I’ll not go into any details for those who have yet to watch. Shame on you though if you fall into that category.

What the fans got was a LOST movie event to bring to a close the stories about the these wonderful characters. Because in the end, amid all the mysteries, subplots, love triangles and quantum physics, LOST was ever about the characters. People do not support a show the way LOST has been supported without becoming attached to the characters. Jack, Sawyer, Locke, Kate, Hurly, Sayid, Charlie (always was my favorite) Ben and everyone else became our friends. They became our enemies and our companions.

We loved them far more than we ever loved the show, so it is fitting that the writers found a way to bring back all the characters, even the ones we had already said goodbye to, without some laughable gimmick. For those of you that are television fans, you know what I mean here too. Many finales find some sort of ploy to bring back all the familiar faces whether it be small group reminiscing or some lame trial with everyone who has ever been on the show serving as witnesses. For those shows that were great, like Seinfeld, we forgive the ending because of the road that brought us there.

LOST requires no forgiveness, just our praise for 6 wonderful years of exceptional television right up until the final fade out. I will miss the show, and though I will watch it again in full with my wife my brother and probably any friend I ever make who has not seen the show including the children I will eventually have, nothing will ever be able to replace the moments each week of watching the latest episode, hoping for some answers. Thank you, LOST. That is all I can say. Thank you.

Connor is Here!

We are so excited for Matt, Jenny, and Jack as they welcome a new addition to the family. We wish we could be there, but we send our love to the whole family. We are looking forward to a trip home to meet Connor in July.

Stats:
7 lbs 7 oz
19.75 in.

Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

Well, it has taken 2 months, but my wife has caught up to me. Lindsey turns 26 today. If I recall correctly, Lindsey made a comment recently about how this birthday is “no biggie.” She concluded that her birthdays now are only important by the decade: 30, 40, 50 and so on. However, 26 is a pretty unique number, enough so for me to elaborate further.

For instance, did you know that 26 is the only single number between a square and a cube? Yeah, I know, mind boggling. 25 is the square of 5 and 27 is the cube of 3. 26 sits right in between, by itself! No other numbers are with it in there. Pierre de Fermat proved that, according to Wikipedia. Also according to Wikipedia, 26 is the gematric number of the true name of god: YHWH. Again, impressive.

There is more, but the rest gets a little complex. I think the point is well made that 26 is no birthday at which to scoff. In addition, Lindsey’s birthday falls on April 10th, which is a notable day, thus making every birthday important. How is April 10th notable, you ask? Well, back in 1974, it was the day Penn and Teller met one another. I mean, that was big, right? It was also the day the U.S. patent system was formed in 1790. And way back in 837, it was the day Halley’s Comet approached to within 0.0334 AUs of Earth.

Oh, and I almost forgot, a number of celebrities share this special day of birth with my lovely wife. Who? Well, Mandy Moore and Haley Joel Osment for starters. How about Ken Griffey Sr. of Major League Baseball fame and John Madden, former coach in the NFL? Yes, they were born on April 10th. And this brings me to the cream of the birthday sharing crop, drum roll please . . . that’s right, Steven Seagal. Need I say more?

So, though it may not seem like it, today is a very important day for many reasons, but top on that list is that Lindsey was born. I may be very thankful for that event, but I am certainly not the only one. You are very loved, Lindsey, and not just by me. Happy Birthday.

Family Visit #2

Jess & Jeremiah's Visit!!!

Well, my sister, Jessica, and her oldest son, my nephew, Jeremiah, became the first members of my family to visit us here in Denver. We have been here a year and a half now. Lindsey's sister has visited twice and is returning once more next month, but I digress. I love my family.

The visit was too quick but fun nonetheless. Jeremiah was so excited just to be traveling. It was his first time on an airplane. They arrived on Saturday, and after we dropped their stuff off at the apartment, we headed downtown to the 16th Street Mall. We walked around Coors Field and did some shopping. Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe was nice, after which, Jeremiah burned off his newly acquired calories by riding the bull (picture below).

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. We returned home to watch some of the NBA All*Star festivities. I must admit, the Dunk Contest was a little disappointing. We also spent some time playing 4 player Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Day two brought a few inches of snow and saw us downtown once more, this time touring the Denver Aquarium. I was impressed with the array of aquatic life, including tigers. I had not expected to see tigers at the aquarium, but they were a welcome part of the tour. Jeremiah is pictured below in a diver suit.

Following the Aquarium visit, we had a quick lunch at The Spicy Pickle then took a stroll through the University of Denver campus. Jeremiah very much enjoyed the snow, although, I think he ate a bit more of it than Jess would have preferred.

Finally, we ended up back at the apartment making our own personal pizzas, even the dough. Jeremiah had never made his own pizza before, but he commented later that his tasted almost like a real pizza. That is pretty impressive.

The night ended late, and the next day began early with a trip back to the airport. Jeremiah was excited for his second ever flight on an airplane, but Lindsey and I were sad to see Jess and him leave. Thanks, both of you, for your visit. You are both welcome any time. As for the rest of my family, you are still welcome to visit too, but you better make it soon as graduation is fast approaching along with potential relocation efforts. Take care.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Today Scott is turning 26! He is over the halfway mark to 30. I am thrilled to celebrate his first birthday as my husband and I am so thankful to have his love in my life.

Here are a few pictures of Scott . . .


Happy Birthday Scott - I love you!

Blogging exercise & 6 day countdown

So, the real reason I have been back to the blog is that Jolee asked me to look into creating a blog for Del Rio. I think it is a great idea, we just need to make sure we keep it going. You can check it out - http://delriovineyards.blogspot.com/

Del Rio is doing great and I am grateful that I still get to be a part of the experience even from a distance. So in celebration of the new blog Scott and decided to open up a bottle of some delicious Del Rio Syrah. The 2006 is a very smooth and velvety wine. The flavor is marvelous. It was paired well with our mozzarella pizza.

6 days and counting until Dad, Mom, Kayla and Kellan fly into Denver! I am thrilled to have them visit. It is going to be great. I look forward to seeing more of the city with them here. We are planning on visiting the aquarium, ESPN zone, and playing lots of Wii games. I think as the year progresses and June is getting closer and closer we are realizing how much we still need to see and do in Denver. This spring is going to be filled with camping and hiking, along with quick day trips to the surrounding cities.