I love Jenni’s imaginative solutions to life’s curveballs. For as long as I’ve known her, she doesn’t let things hold her down from living. It’s one of her traits that I admire the most.
We daydreamed about what to do for Memorial Day weekend to keep the kids active and motivated. With recommendations to stay at home still active in our county, we took the approach to “camp” at home. And it had several advantages over real camping, namely, being able to sleep well in our own beds.
It’s been long overdue and been a long time coming.
My day job is working on Vernier’s website, so I didn’t want to burn out by doing web development on my own time. However, our blog has been a place for me to learn new things and experiment on ideas that I can’t at work.
WordPress, the open-source software for this blog, has changed dramatically since I first started using it in the early 2000s. And with its most biggest update to version 5.0, I’ve decided to leave behind my old-school web habits and embrace WordPress’ authoring tools.
It’s fun seeing my workplace through my kids’ eyes. They must imagine that I go in and play with toys all day. And in some respects, I do.
Vernier hosted their annual Bring Your Child to Work Day and my three kids look forward to it every year they’ve been able to attend. The scientists at Vernier orchestrate experiments, demos, and activities that are unparalleled. They have so much fun showing how much fun science can be. I’m always grateful for all planning, preparation, and enthusiasm poured into the young visitors.
I hate to admit it, but Jenni’s right (as she often is): I stress out about my birthdays. With it being my 40th, the expectations were higher than usual. Back in July, I already started a brainstorm of what I wanted to do. However, when it came around to January, I found myself lost.
My friend and mentor, Jake Hopkins, visited Costa Rica for a week to attend a biomimicry workshop. I asked if I could try an interview-style video of his presentation and he was gracious enough to accept.
Bruce played on the Aloha United Soccer Club this fall in the micro soccer league. I helped out as an assistant coach half-way through the season since the coach was managing three teams. We’re very thankful for the coaches who dedicated their time helping the boys learn soccer fundamentals and teamwork.
As a milestone present for Kadie’s 10th birthday, we traveled to Seattle so she could see the Space Needle for the first time. We explored the Seattle Center area all afternoon before staying a night at an AirBnb house. Before we enjoyed the view from the top of the Space Needle, we visited the Chihuly Glass and Garden and marveled at the glass artwork. Though both the Space Needle and the Chihuly Glass were amazing, I suspect that the playground at the Seattle Center was one of her highlights. One of my highlights was being able to chat and chill with her in the rental car, talking about anything at all. They do grow up so fast.
We took advantage of the warm weather yesterday to play in the Costco leaves one more time. The kids weren’t interested, so Jenni, Leah, and I got the pile to ourselves. Naturally, we had to record our adventure.
I purchased a Chinese knock-off action camera off a deal last week and it’s been ear-to-ear grinning for me playing with wide-angle and slow-motion video.
“Why do you do this?” asked an intoxicated classmate at the end of the reunion. Her question caught me off guard because I didn’t have an immediate answer.
Building LEGO Lakeside Lodge with my kids right before bedtime.
Music credit: Arcade Paradise by Scott Holmes from freemusicarchive.org