Monday, January 31, 2011

for my dog and best friend...


Hey there... it's been a busy January thus far (well today is the last day of it actually) but I just wanted to take a few moments to make a special photo post in honor of my dog, Anna, as today I celebrate seven years together. She was actually born somewhere near October 31st, but it's just easier to celebrate it on her adoption day of January 31st rather than on Halloween.

On this day seven years ago, I left my friend Emily's birthday party down in Beaufort, South Carolina to drive out to Hunting Island for a walk. I had been thinking about getting a dog for a while, but the idea was cemented upon seeing everyone and their dogs walking along the beach. So... I decided on my way home to Savannah, to swing by the Beaufort County Humane Society Animal Shelter. There weren't many dogs in the shelter that sunday... but the majority of them (including a big basset hound) were more than excited to see a friendly human and barked with need of attention. All dogs that was, except a small black lab mix who just sat there looking at me with these big brown eyes. Touched by how the dog chose to interact with me.. I asked the attendant to see the puppy.

The four month old puppy and I went out to the yard and had a few minutes together. I looked into the dogs eyes and asked her if she wanted me to take me home, and if she thought that I was the appropriate human for her. She responded with longing and love and in her own little way, said that she was the dog for me. So, I promised to her that I would be the best dog owner I could be for her. I signed her papers, paid my fee and loaded my jeep up with this adorable black puppy. She laid out on the back bench seat and slept all the way home to Savannah while I called my mom to tell her their was a new addition to my household.

First thing upon arriving in Savannah, was to make a run out to PetSmart to get the much needed leash, water bowl, etc. On the way in everyone just made such a fuss over the puppy... but when asked what her name was... I never really gave them a straight answer as she didn't have a name yet. Then, while walking down one aisle to get puppy food, I came across this girl and her mom who also, made a fuss over the puppy. I told the little girl that I had just gotten the dog that afternoon and she didn't have a name yet. The little girl then informed me that she had gotten a doll that afternoon (and showed me the doll) and decided to name the doll Annabelle. I liked the name Annabelle (secretly I had been rolling over naming the dog Anna during the ride home and seeing that the girl had named her doll that, solidified the name for me) and so I asked the girl if it would be okay for me to name my dog Annabelle as well? The little girl's face just beamed with excitement and she went over to tell her mom.


And thusly, Anna became her name.
And thusly, Anna became my dog.

Later that evening I had plans to go to a Superbowl party... and I did go. But as I would do for several years later when the dates fall on the same days... depart early so that I can go home and fix my best friend a nice steak dinner.

Anna likes playing in the snow...

sticking her head out the window...

Going on hikes with me as long as I promise to not take her too high...

and loves looking emo...

Monday, January 3, 2011

2010 in Review in Photos

Because pictures tell the best stories....

JANUARY: In a new short lived New Years tradition, I throw my halloween pumpkin off a bridge to represent heaving one's burdens and past into the abyss and welcoming a new year. I say this was short lived because while I wanted to continue this trend this past year, my pumpkin died a gruesome death in mid November after a particularly bitter frost.

FEBRUARY 10: 30th Birthday/Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony party! It's not every year that they fall on the same day, nor is it every year that a friend of yours from Australia comes to visit (Emma, the one with the wine next to the cripple in the cast). ;)

FEBRUARY 21: Sam and I celebrate our first Anniversary with snowboarding at Mt. Hood (where we first started going on unofficial dates) and a night at the Mt. Hood B&B, at Parkdale. All I gotta say is... awesome.

FEBRUARY/MARCH: Snowboarding Trip to Mt. Baker, WA with Sam, Amy and Julie... afterwards, Sam had the best fitted pair of snowboard boots ever created for man or womankind.

MARCH: Sam's birthday weekend in Bend, Oregon. Friends, TWO Brandi Carlile shows, snowboarding at Bachelor, hiking at Smith rock and a hot tub... what more could you want?

APRIL: Speaking of Brandi, Miss Carlile played an intimate show at Mississippi Studios and gave me a public shoutout mid set, thanking me for some awesome videos that I had shot there. Which, not surprisingly, was quite possibly the best moment of my life.

APRIL: Podiumed (for the first time) in my biggest race to date, the Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic Stage Race Criterium. Out of 36 women in the Cat 4's, I placed third. Not too shabby.

MAY: Traveled to Sweden to see my family's former exchange student Ulla get married. We also got to see Nikki (one of our other exchange students from Austria). My parents traveled on afterwards to then see Yvonne, one of our other exchange students in Germany. Overall, it was great getting to see some extended family and also spend time with my parents. It was my dad's first trip overseas.

MAY: On my way home from Denmark, I swung through Iceland to check out Eyjafjakkajokull, the volcano which had recently erupted a month prior. Sadly, air was still filled with ash from the explosion which meant that I couldn't really see it, but I did climb on a nearby glacier which was covered with ash from the blast. For the next day prior, everything I ate tasted ashy and my clothes were full of the stuff.

JUNE: Got the track bike built up and customized... levolovevelo fuck yeah!

JULY: 4th of July camping/surfing trip to the Oregon Mountains and Coast with Sam, Amy and Julie surprised us with being about 40 degrees and foggy. We still got some quality surfing in, but we wondered where our summer had gone to.

JULY: Oregon State Champ at last! I won the state in the Match Sprints for the Cat 4 women on the track. I placed 2nd in the 500mm TT by a mere one one hundredth of a second.

JULY: 2nd Annual Tour De Franzia. This event has got to be one of the highlights of my summer... copious amounts of boxed wine, friends in spandex, bikes, crazy contests and one fractured wrist.

AUGUST: Traveled to Reno to see my cousin get married. David made the trip in from Manhattan, mom from Oregon (she was hanging out with me) and Aunt Pat (who just passed at the end of December) from North Carolina.
AUGUST: the happy couple

AUGUST: Right after the wedding in Reno was over I hopped a plane to come back to the Pacific Northwest and help my softball team win some games and whatever it takes to make that happen.
SEPTEMBER: Another happy couple! Our friends Wendy and Natalie tie the knot in Seattle with Bumbershoot raging in the background and a Raise the Roof Brandi Carlile concert the following day. It was an awesome wedding and so nice to see so many friends from all over the country there. Hilarity ensued.

SEPTEMBER: After all the summer sporting was over, Sam and I took some time to get outdoors and enjoy some activities without rules and winners and losers.

SEPTEMBER: We also celebrating moving in together with our very own kegorator and a nice house party.

OCTOBER: Another cousin got married in Denver so Sam and I drove 20 hours to Colorado to see some family, meet up with my parents who brought a pair of seats from the old Cincinnati Reds stadium with them for me to bring back to Oregon. Also, another cousin of mine was brutally murdered in Florida a week prior so it was a good opportunity for family to get together and mourn and celebrate.

OCTOBER: ArtCrank Portland. This is the second year I've been participating as an artist for ArtCrank and every year it seemingly gets better and better. This year I loved seeing so many friends and familiar faces at the function.

OCTOBER: We had a group of friends get together each Tuesday night this fall at our house to watch Glee together. For the Halloween episode, we carved pumpkins, ate chili and enjoyed the episode. For the Christmas one, we even made Christmas cookies. These Tuesday night gatherings have been a highlight of my fall.

OCTOBER: For Halloween Weekend, we (a group of friends) all rented a house at Canon Beach and then drove up to Astoria to participate in the Cross Crusade Cyclocross Race. The race on Sunday was costume friendly, so Sam and I dressed up as Fuck Yeah factory workers in our matching overalls. Pretty much almost every weekend this fall revolved around a cross race. It was my first year racing cross and I can't wait till next year.

NOVEMBER: Wouldn't you know it... I ended up winning another OBRA medal this year! This was in the State Cross Championships for Women's Single Speed. It was a pretty competitive field and a really fun and challenging race.


DECEMBER: A friends Thanksigiving, this is turning into a nice little tradition too... a little friends, a little football and a whole lotta turkey.

DECEMBER: My friends and I celebrated Christmas Eve by climbing to the Palmer Glacier on Mt. Hood and snowboarding back down. It was a great way to start the holidays and also burn off some Christmas Cookies.

Here's looking to a great 2011!!!!

bringing in 2011 the best way I know how...


This past Friday, New Years Eve, my friends and I went to the climbing gym to work on some bouldering problems and the subject of evening activities came up.

FRIENDS: What are you guys up to tonight?
ME: Um, nothing huge... swinging by Lisa's house to celebrate her birthday and the New Year, but other than that... no huge plans. We might make a nice dinner before hand?
FRIENDS: Yeah... same here, no big plans.
ME: Well, you know.... I did had this crazy idea this morning that we could get up before dawn and drive to Mt. Hood and hike up it to watch the sunrise and then snowboard back down... but um, well.... you know, it's kinda last minute.
FRIENDS: I think that's a great idea... I had that same exact crazy thought actually, but was too afraid to say it.

So, we worked out our plan over the chalk dust at the gym and then polished them up over brews at Laurelwood. Then that evening, we had a nice dinner, went to a birthday/new years party, and then went to bed at 1am... only to get up three and a half hours later, bags packed, snowboards waxed, coffee hot and snowshoes ready to roll.

What follows are photos from the first sunrise of 2011 on Mt. Hood, which I believe, tell the story better than I ever could. Seriously, I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Years than with friends and enjoying the great outdoors... reasons like this is why I love living in Oregon.

Enjoy, and happy new year to you and your loved ones - I hope you made it special!
Best wishes in 2011!


Pre-dawn in the Timberline Parking lot... 7:00am

Ready to roll... 7:15am

ice...

breaking dawn...

Mt. Hood, looking beautiful as always...

me, surveying the scene...


Fritts, Amy, Julie, me, Sam


Fritts and Julie sharing a laugh...


Sam... contemplating...

the clouds start rolling in....


Did I mention the white out?

white out.... it was like walking in a cloud.

good and steeeeeeep....

Anyways... New Years Day, I feel a tradition coming on....