Another snowshoe

Went up with my brother-in-law, Matt today (and his dog, 'Captain Jack'). It was a great day...tons of fresh snow, a bit cloudy but the sun did break out at the end. Here's a few pictures from the day along with a slideshow of all of the best.

The Boys (updated)

Another goal?

This year, I have set a goal to make at least 1 summit of either Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, or the 'north' Twin Sister. It will require me to do some "getting in shape" so to help myself track my progress, I created this blog post which I'll update if you're interested.


12/29: 2 mile jog, 21 minutes
12/30: 3 mile bike, 15 minutes
12/30: 4-5 miles, snowshoe
1/2: 2 mile jog, 19:10 (min:sec)
(1/3: stomach virus, and takes me out for a bit)
1/11: 2 mile jog, 20:45
1/13: 2 mile jog, 19:45 (first time doing the loop w/out stopping)
1/16: 2 mile jog, 19:45 again (n.s.)
1/18: snowshoe trip (probably 3-4 miles total)
(1/19 - 1/31: flu)
2/1: 2 mile jog, 21:00
2/2: 2 mile walk/hike (no time)
2/4: 2 mile walk/hike (no time)
2/6: mix walk/jog (20:00) no distance
2/7: 2 mile jog, 21:00
2/9: 2 mile jog, 20:30
2/11: indoor soccer
2/13: 2 mile jog, 19:15 (reverse)
2/16-2/23: lots of boogie boarding in Maui
2/27: 2 mile jog, 18:30 (reverse, w/8 min break 1/2 way, LJ)
3/4: 2 mile jog, 18:30 (reverse)
3/5: 2 mile jog, 18:00 (reverse, w/1 min break 1/2 way, Brian T)
3/8: 2 mile jog, ??? (reverse) - can't remember time
3/11: 2 mile jog, 19:00 (reverse)
3/12: 2 mile jog, 18:05 (reverse)
3/15: 4.6 mile bike, 26:00 ride time, 10.91 avg speed
3/17: 2.5 mile walk (no time)
3/22: 2.5 mile jog, 23:00 (stimpson, short loop)
3/26: 2 mile jog, 19:00? (reverse)
3/30: 2 mile jog, 18:15 (reverse)
3/31: 3.5 mile "walk," 1 hour (stimpson)
4/4: 2 mile jog, time?
4/6: soccer scrimmage, about 75 minutes
4/8: soccer scrimmage at Civic (90 min)
4/11: 2 mile jog, 17:45 time
4/13: soccer scrimmage (about 75 minutes)
4/15: Soccer game (played almost whole game, 1 goal, 1 assist)
4/20: 2 mile jog, 17:50 time
4/22: Soccer game (1 goal, 2 assist)
4/23: 2 mile jog, 18:10 (reverse)
(forgot to journal this week...can't remember)
4/29: Soccer game (1 goal)
5/1: 2 mile jog, 19:00
5/5: 6 mile hike
5/6: Soccer game (1 goal, 1 assist?)
5/7: 4 mile bike ride
5/9: 2 mile jog, 18:45
5/13: Soccer game (1 assist)
5/16: 9 mile bike (bike to work); avg 11.01 mph
5/17: 2 mile jog, 18:30 (very hot day)
5/20: Soccer game (I got shut out)
(Steve&Rhoda week; a couple of short hikes)
5/25: 9+ mile bike ride
5/27: Soccer game; played 1/2, pulled my hamstring

Merry Christmas

What is this?


Thanks Dad, for a great lunch on the day after...


Something to send to my sister in Papua New Guinea, in honor of my Mom


Julie's famous Christmas Cookies


The Family "Greene" (minus mom and dad)


"Little A" with that tongue going...


And of course, the freshly harvested reindeer ploppies

A Perfect Day

Julie and I ventured up into the mountains and needless to say, it was a perfect day. There was not a cloud in the sky as we snowshoed our way up to the top of Artist Ridge. It was Julie's first time up there and I was extremely proud to be with her as it is quite an intense hike/snowshoe; she was awesome. Besides enjoying the obvious incredible views we also had fun feeding the birds up at the top.

There are too many good pictures to put in a single blog so if you want to see the rest of them, you must go to my website here.

Snow and more Christmas Images

More Holiday Pictures, and pictures from our little bout with snow - we ended up with about 4 inches, but it's almost all gone now.

More Ornaments (see 1st post below)

If you haven't seen the first blog post, click here or scroll down...




This ornament is from a street market in Austria!

Christmas Arrives...

Tree's up, outside lights up, Christmas has arrived...this first ornament is new this year, in memory of my Mom...the only one I know who "lived for the Holidays" more than I did.

Greene Family Christmas Wish List

Biz: ANYTHING - surprise me
Derrick: See Biz
Mike: two items - a 72mm to 77mm step up ring and then a 77mm circular polarizer.
Julie: surprises, an old navy fleece, high quality chocolates, Ratatouille dvd, gift cards, another white SB mug like the on in this picture.
Kathryn: a Starbucks photo mug, SB peppermint syrup, I really want to spend time having fun with people so a "treat with people or a person" sounds great. There's also a lime green big cute teapot at the SpiceHut in B'ham. The identifying factor is that has a strainer that works for roiboos tea, if that's easier than figuring out that treat. :) Also a great gluten free baking book is welcome. and a surprise
Dave: Gift certificate to Flats Tapas Bar in Bellingham <http://www.flatstapas.com/ > or Milano's Restaurant & Deli(360-599-2863) in Glacier. :)
Nicki: a cheap, brown guitar strap, not leather: sephora stuff, Pilates or Yoga mat
Matt: Ok, just so I'm not the only person without a Christmas item on the list: Box of Joe-Joes cookies from Trader Joes - $2.49. Yes, I bought two boxes today. Yes, they only have them this time of year. Yes, I will need another box come Christmas time. :) I'd be perfectly happy with a box of Joe-Joes and being able to hang out with family and go on a walk in Whatcom Falls Park. I might think of something else later that I want, but I really just want people to not stress out about buying gifts and just have a fun day with the family. Sharing my Joe-Joes - best Christmas cookie known to man.
Here's more from Matt:
Bourne Ultimatum @ Best Buy - $14.99http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8575062&st=bourne+ultimatum&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1777946
Narnia @ Half.com - $12.90http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-The-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe_W0QQprZ51082657QQtgZinfo
America's Cheapest Family @ Half.com - $7.92http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ54343784QQcpidZ1375904398

Camano Island Retreat

Julie and I just got back from a much needed 3 day retreat at Camano Island. What did we do? Not much! We read, walked, slept, ate and that's about it.

Frodo?

I took this picture at the Bellevue Botanical Garden...it reminded me of 'Frodo.'

A Stormy Day

So it was quite stormy today - the official high wind gust was 74, but un-officially there was a gust of 97 today in Bellingham. Mostly, it was about 30-40 mph sustained. Yes, we lost power from 6:30 AM until about 2:30 PM...a big tree fell on Lakeway, close to our house, and did quite a number on the power lines. I took these pictures down at Boulevard park.

An Anniversary to Remember

So for our fifth anniversary, Friday (the 8th), I surprised Julie with the cake you see below. This cake was made by Randy Isselin, who is an amazing guy. His wife is our church secretary/receptionist and if you want to see more of his stuff, click here.

Why the cake? Well, when we got married our wedding cake had an accident, (it fell). As a result, Julie has often regretted not ever seeing her wedding cake the way it was pictured in her head. So, to celebrate our 5-year anniversary, I surprised her with this one. Needless to say, I scored some husband points!

It looks amazing, and tastes amazing. It's a white cake with cream cheese frosting and a "tayberry" filling (a cross between a blackberry and raspberry). Yes, those flowers are made by Randy and are edible! It's an amazing cake.

Lake Geneva?

Yes, it's true, Julie and I found a beautiful lake, er uh "pond" only a few minutes from our house. Just head out on Lake Louise Road (off of Lakeway) and go about 5 minutes, looking for the parking lot on your left.

It was a beautiful day and we hit the trail following the signs to "Geneva Pond" - when we got there, we encountered another older sign that called it Lake Geneva. Sounds like there's some confusion there...still, a highly recommended walk/run/hike - (about 2 miles from the parking lot, round trip).

The other two pictures are of our Japanese Maple Tree in our yard which turns a brilliant red this time of year.

If you're interested

So, I have two blogs. This one, and another one here. For those of you who don't know, my Mother unexpectadly passed away on August 23rd. You might notice that since that day, I haven't blogged much on this blog...it's been a very difficult time. However, I have done more blogging on this one. So, it's kind of weird, like "two-worlds" colliding, but if you, the reader of this mainly "family/friend/cool pictures" blog wants to see what's going on in the other part of my life, the "worship/church/personal" side, check it out here. Coming soon: some more outdoor pics/trips! Starting to snow up at Baker...

(picture is Julie, my wife, and our niece Adrianna)

Been Awhile

So, it's been awhile since I have blogged...I've been pretty busy and the weather has kept Julie and I from getting out so much. However, I thought I'd post this cool picture that my father-in-law took in Honduras.