tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238482942024-03-13T10:48:13.561-07:00Thoughts, Ideas, and Things that Amuse MeEric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-92073651172903305662011-11-10T21:35:00.000-08:002011-11-10T21:37:52.036-08:00SuperheroesTonight the girls decided to be superheroes. They flew around saving me from dragons, dinosaurs, and bad guys. Then they saved some babies that were lost. It was pretty awesome.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F110580751801603537194%2Falbumid%2F5673589424658752001%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-139298043283625372011-11-05T23:03:00.001-07:002011-11-05T23:18:51.226-07:00Good SaturdayToday was a good Saturday. It started off with a morning swinging a hazel hoe at a trail build on a new mountain bike trail complex here in Redmond. <br />
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Then I went shooting with a couple of friends. I was able to shoot my new gun. It was pretty awesome. <br />
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Then I spent the evening with the girls while Jessi was out. We had a dinner picnic and watched Toy Story. It ended up with a lot of cuddle time with dad! That was nice. When it comes to my girls I'm pretty sappy. <br />
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Then I finished the night off hanging out with Jess. All in all it was a good day. Now we just need snow so ski season can start!<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvMNQ9Zl1W2KEfJ7LN4QjF1hkA6mWMm37XhANosqzRx-JFGpc9H8hshDN_RR7fVEMVNv1x0_ymHWXIL1Kp5ELB5hoORKyAo67dIIuPqGzc3yTYuv7cTq9PwmowE_8TAxLT9SAWw/s640/blogger-image-1172259865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvMNQ9Zl1W2KEfJ7LN4QjF1hkA6mWMm37XhANosqzRx-JFGpc9H8hshDN_RR7fVEMVNv1x0_ymHWXIL1Kp5ELB5hoORKyAo67dIIuPqGzc3yTYuv7cTq9PwmowE_8TAxLT9SAWw/s640/blogger-image-1172259865.jpg" /></a></div>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-71689924244364519922011-02-06T20:30:00.000-08:002011-02-06T21:07:13.012-08:002010 JournalsAs I posted <a href="http://climbinskier.blogspot.com/2010/01/journals.html">last year</a> I have a few nontraditional journals that I like to keep. I like to keep track of my bike commuting days and miles, all the books I read, and all the ways that I injury myself. Here's a recap of how 2010 turned out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bike Commuting Highlights</span><br /><ul><br /><li>175 total days bike commuting</li><br /><li>Logged 1,593 miles bike commuting</li><br /><li>Burned 56,735 calories commuting</li><br /><li>Had 4 car driven days (this was either driving myself or by Jess & the girls</li><br /><li>I know there were some bus days in Cincinnati but I didn't keep track of them. I'd probably say 10</li><br /><li>37 days riding recreationally (this is mountain and errands [yes I consider riding the bike for errands recreation])</li><br /><li>Logged 249 rec miles</li><br /><li>Burned about 8,726 calories riding rec</li><br /><li>In total logged 212 'days' on the bike for a total of 1,842 miles, and burned about 65,461...not too shabby</li><br /></ul><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Book List</span><br />Here's the book list, by month (once again, the book is logged in the month I finished it).<br /><br /><b>January</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Three Against Hitler</li><br /><li>Basic Soap Making - All the Skills & Tools You Need to Get Started</li><br /><li>Farewell, My Subaru</li><br /><li>Omnivore's Dilemma</li><br /></ul><br /><b>February</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>The Good Earth - Pearl S Buck</li><br /><li>Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavors</li><br /><li>Parenting with Love & Logic for Early Childhood</li><br /><li>The Market Planning Guide, 6th Edition, David H. Bangs</li><br /><li>In Defense of Food</li><br /><li>Strategic Market Management, 8th Edition, David A. Aaker</li><br /><li>Consumer Behavior, 1st Edition, Frank Kardes</li><br /></ul> <br /><b>March</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Unleashing the Ideavirus</li><br /></ul><br /><b>April</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Marketing Mangement: The Big Picture</li><br /><li>The Way of Herbs</li><br /><li>Winning at Retail: Developing a Sustained Model for Retail Success</li><br /></ul><br /><b>May</b> <br /><b>June</b> <br /><b>July</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Fablehaven Book 5: Keys to the Demon Prison</li><br /><li>The Backyard Beekeeper: Revised & Updated: An Absolute Beginners Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden</li><br /><li>The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps</li><br /><li>Making natural liquid soaps : herbal shower gels, conditioning shampoos, moisturizing hand soaps, luxurious bubble baths, and more-- </li><br /></ul><br /><b>August</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Milk-based Soaps: Making Natural, Skin Nourishing Soap</li><br /></ul><br /><b>September</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Hunger Games</li><br /><li>Moves & Miracles: My Sister and I (Grandma Johnson's story)</li><br /></ul><br /><b>October</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)</li><br /><li>Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3)</li><br /></ul><br /><b>November</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>Eragon</li><br /><li>Just in Case: How to be self-sufficient when the unexpected happens</li><br /><li>Mini Farming: self sufficiency on a 1/4 acre</li><br /></ul><br /><b>December</b> <br /><ul><br /><li>The Lost Symbol</li><br /><li>True Blue (Baldacci)</li><br /></ul><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Body Journal</span><br />Here's all the ways I injured myself in 2010. I had to feel it for at least 2 days to make the cut.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3MXFKG4SHcdrgxi6fQ2bdpvufdq4BW1kzELvEa-ge5hd9uv0yi_3QL0dzS3Mo8Q7TrjhXrN2vhCx89ezwgHMYWURE-mbfoXjK0OGvdCRHIuYyQKTlVelhnP5EYjvMUtPTd9Tlg/s1600/Body+Journal+-+2010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3MXFKG4SHcdrgxi6fQ2bdpvufdq4BW1kzELvEa-ge5hd9uv0yi_3QL0dzS3Mo8Q7TrjhXrN2vhCx89ezwgHMYWURE-mbfoXjK0OGvdCRHIuYyQKTlVelhnP5EYjvMUtPTd9Tlg/s320/Body+Journal+-+2010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570809182999233938" /></a><br /><br />That rounds out 2010 in terms of journals. So I ask again, does anyone else keep any nontraditional journals?Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-91147566555223526542010-11-07T21:06:00.000-08:002010-11-09T20:18:06.499-08:00Sunday EntertainmentSo, you have to be a parent to appreciate the video below. You also have to love your kids to appreciate the video below.<br /><br />The last few months with the girls have been awesome. Maya has grown and matured enough to actually 'play' and interact with Penelope. Penelope has grown and matured to play with Maya as opposed to trying to outright bend Maya to her will. They have become the best of friends (but as you'll see a couple minutes in they are definitely sisters, hehe). About 3:30 it switches to what activity number two of the night was.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AY5vuxcy2jw?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AY5vuxcy2jw?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-10019796361115628082010-10-03T20:51:00.001-07:002010-10-03T20:52:57.473-07:00We Bought a House, Yay!We offered back at the beginning of August, it was accepted, then it took forever, but we finally moved in! We moved in this past Thursday and have been getting settled. Pictures, details, and other things will be posted at another time. But we got a house, yay!Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-33770786183896202132010-08-21T22:34:00.001-07:002010-08-22T16:02:17.489-07:00Penelope's First ClimbToday we took Penelope rock climbing for her first time! We have 'bouldered' with her a little. At a park here in Redmond they have boulders with holds on them. She likes to climb those but today was her first time with the real thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6HnMgHu-B8nLbRzigQNkEX7wcXvfCyO82tpXA57H5-m0uvWGhQQddftn9ZGviigcHjFo4Aam5rPPI4LABgZdIJlY0nb5PTRhRL2rUcGMeQFt6PBz9ogTft9Q25JhybcgsLF8zg/s1600/DSC_2692.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6HnMgHu-B8nLbRzigQNkEX7wcXvfCyO82tpXA57H5-m0uvWGhQQddftn9ZGviigcHjFo4Aam5rPPI4LABgZdIJlY0nb5PTRhRL2rUcGMeQFt6PBz9ogTft9Q25JhybcgsLF8zg/s200/DSC_2692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508103636700862626" border="0"></a>Yesterday I picked up a kid sized harness from work. She's been asking to go climbing for a long time (months and months she's been asking). Today we decided to do it. We drove to Smith Rock State Park, only about 20 minutes away, picked up the guide book and a year pass to Oregon State Parks and away we went.<br /><br />Penelope was very excited and had to carry her harness herself. It took us a little bit of scouting around to find the area. Then we had to wind our away around and climb over boulders to finally make it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimSOEOBVotEo_qkuvHZl6RBKIJmj2B-Jl0FCq4bk28qaJVj0HT8EoUcGBmNzjZT9ZU6ZF5qDwr-g8LG0IW501AHbHlXTEQUg5LF3tZsbrVbCJeOU4omw4i0kjOAXqrAQD8KJHQQ/s1600/DSC_2695.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimSOEOBVotEo_qkuvHZl6RBKIJmj2B-Jl0FCq4bk28qaJVj0HT8EoUcGBmNzjZT9ZU6ZF5qDwr-g8LG0IW501AHbHlXTEQUg5LF3tZsbrVbCJeOU4omw4i0kjOAXqrAQD8KJHQQ/s200/DSC_2695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508103859985410066" border="0"></a>I set up a top rope on what I think was a 5.4, harnessed her in, gave her a talk about safety, how to climb, and sent her on her way. She's a natural. She jumped right onto the rock and started climbing. When she'd hit difficult spots she feel around and try things out. The highest she ever got was maybe 15 feet off the ground but she was stoked!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FaFNBeau1UMYcS9gX5WHT-V2_hr8AT07JY_Y7aqnrcS23nRw1sjShoNMj2nyghg2whztzBYwis49Elp_2WkBRjWg5H0lOmkYmfztndKWaaAwjPAUBu7hFT-qeCNYdINhuoQwpQ/s1600/DSC_2699.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FaFNBeau1UMYcS9gX5WHT-V2_hr8AT07JY_Y7aqnrcS23nRw1sjShoNMj2nyghg2whztzBYwis49Elp_2WkBRjWg5H0lOmkYmfztndKWaaAwjPAUBu7hFT-qeCNYdINhuoQwpQ/s200/DSC_2699.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508104033815782674" border="0"></a>Fortunately she weighed enough and there wasn't too much friction in the system that when we lowered her she actually came down (we've actually seen little kids that literally won't come down because they don't weigh enough and someone has to climb up and pull on them to get them down).<br /><br />Jessi got to climb as well. She was also stoked because it's been forever since she was able to climb.<br /><br />It was an awesome evening, we got to go out as a family and do the stuff we love, the surroundings couldn't be beat (watch the video below to see), we climbed, we hiked, we had fun, and we had huckleberry ice cream on the way home. Man it felt good to get out and climb, even though it was easy, and do it with my family. Climbing is one of Jessi and I's favorite past times together.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmiller.eric.k%2Falbumid%2F5508099280361624113%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="400" height="267"></embed><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NeSqkPA3FPI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NeSqkPA3FPI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-69734196381670975742010-08-21T22:17:00.000-07:002010-08-21T22:34:09.294-07:00Triathlon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz0wRdPGP2ebKmuAJf5ZKz7su0qZ9IfPK2-ecy8cEzaKwS5vfeumAXH5zR6EguzJCzyhjYanxlUEalB1l2EoOcPFdGf6NTxX3JHyVoDqK37vUD_ryZY_Hjl_9G7QJySNYuGTdLw/s1600/DSC_2645.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz0wRdPGP2ebKmuAJf5ZKz7su0qZ9IfPK2-ecy8cEzaKwS5vfeumAXH5zR6EguzJCzyhjYanxlUEalB1l2EoOcPFdGf6NTxX3JHyVoDqK37vUD_ryZY_Hjl_9G7QJySNYuGTdLw/s200/DSC_2645.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508101885559302642" /></a>Last Saturday, August 14, I ran my first triathlon ever. I did it on a whim. Four weeks before I learned of the spring tri that the city of Redmond puts on (this was the second year) and I thought to myself "what the heck. I can swim, I bike, and I run, I might as well." Jessi has been telling me for years that I should run tris but I just never did. I have thought about it in the past but never had the motivation. With this sprint tri the distance was 500m swim, 12 mile bike ride, 5k run. I figured I could come off the couch and race that.<br /><br />My training consisted of:<br /><ul><br /><li>Three days in the pool (workouts were about 2000-2400 yards)</li><br /><li>One long road ride, two long MTB rides, and daily bike commutes</li><br /><li>Three 30 minute runs</li><br /></ul><br />That's it. I had no real goals other than push myself and see how fast I could do it. I didn't really do any advanced prep. I read a little bit on how to do transitions and how to set them up, but that was it. Since the swim was in a pool there was staggered start times based on your time to swim 500m. I said my time would be 9:30 or maybe it was 9:45, which ended up putting me in the third to last wave to start. I got there at 6:30 am to set up my transitions and had to wait until 9:45 to actually race.<br /><br />When the swim started I started out strong, focused on swimming long, and kept a pace that I thought I could keep the whole time. As it turns out I swam the leg a lot faster than I thought. I pulled out of the water and crossed into the transition area at 7 minutes 56 seconds (I was surprised). As it turns out I had the second fastest swim time in the tri and the third fastest including the teams. No idea how that happened.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwydWHiaUw6fzdudDDtscmSCa-AdWjW0H4yfG6fAancZxPMIccNNZBrFOlFIalxr0vszoLazbjjD9Q8Cb-pn_zqglLHyEvw9BebaLhNOdfBrb0lfq-5fZOtj-3bk9fHOYuRTSiA/s1600/DSC_2649.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwydWHiaUw6fzdudDDtscmSCa-AdWjW0H4yfG6fAancZxPMIccNNZBrFOlFIalxr0vszoLazbjjD9Q8Cb-pn_zqglLHyEvw9BebaLhNOdfBrb0lfq-5fZOtj-3bk9fHOYuRTSiA/s200/DSC_2649.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508102321884447794" /></a>My transitions were slow. My first transition too me 1:58 or so which is fine. Very slowed compared to the people who were in and out in 30 seconds. My bike was pretty good. I'm not the strongest road rider, I don't really ride road. I passed one guy and was passed by four others. I think I kept a good past and almost chased down the last guy who passed me. I finished the bike in 34:32. The bike was only a little painful. I wanted to keep a strong pace but then trying to chase that last guy done worked me pretty good. My second transition was also okay. This time it was only 1:15, still slow but oh well.<br /><br />Then onto the run and the pain. By this time I am tired. It's getting hot and I don't like running on paved surfaces. I'm a snob and I only like trails. Oh well, what do you do? I had high aspirations for the run which I quickly learned weren't going to happen. I reminded myself that my overall goal was to push myself and see how I did. I jammed a gel right at the beginning of the run and a bunch of water and in the first two minutes I wanted to heave. Of course I didn't but I wanted to.<br /><br />My pace was okay. My legs felt very stiff and I didn't feel like I was flowing. The halfway point perked me up a little and I picked up the pace. By the end I felt a little less stiff and felt like the run flowed but it still wasn't that great. I finished in 25:09 which isn't that great for me. I was hoping to keep it closer to 22 but what do you do?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK9X-imYsZRoFFAOrwPv5a8h3hB8MNCBES3B9g7R4sFTsSMCModL8Gtf-1j5zNVJOupiSVbgjz9ZaD-GULhw8HyU-tLN0NLUdp4VwjXpLq9qkTKhsAUQKqAV0CeJwCd2C2TLg9Q/s1600/DSC_2661.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK9X-imYsZRoFFAOrwPv5a8h3hB8MNCBES3B9g7R4sFTsSMCModL8Gtf-1j5zNVJOupiSVbgjz9ZaD-GULhw8HyU-tLN0NLUdp4VwjXpLq9qkTKhsAUQKqAV0CeJwCd2C2TLg9Q/s200/DSC_2661.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508102747407016498" /></a>Overall I finished the entire tri in 1:10:52. Not too bad I thought. I gave it my all and I felt good about it. As it turns out I finished 2nd in my age group, 12th overall, and was only about 8 minutes out of first place. Completely surprising.<br /><br />Overall it was a pretty good time, I liked it a fair amount, and would consider doing another tri, but only if it was swimming in a lake, mountain biking, and trail running. Not sure I want to commit to a tri training schedule though. Good times.<br /><br />Jessi was very supportive and encouraging (thanks honey!) and she brought the girls to cheer me on at the transitions and at the end. That's my favorite part, seeing my girls at the end.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmiller.eric.k%2Falbumid%2F5508102038292784801%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-65439314567215633902010-07-25T20:52:00.000-07:002010-07-25T21:20:29.813-07:00Camping at the Metolius River<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_hn4O5rXWHYoxMF5naimwa8l2h7zJrhRp7jNG0wxXeCNu9fWPHTjzczl0C2bcGYU3qEIRphdrpd2YjyP4E1RglMdQYscltuJVV79or5UWUlTRPeZDrR_PwQRPQAlUZckE9bIZw/s1600/IMGP8400.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_hn4O5rXWHYoxMF5naimwa8l2h7zJrhRp7jNG0wxXeCNu9fWPHTjzczl0C2bcGYU3qEIRphdrpd2YjyP4E1RglMdQYscltuJVV79or5UWUlTRPeZDrR_PwQRPQAlUZckE9bIZw/s200/IMGP8400.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498060255762298146" /></a><br />We finally went camping! This is the first time in about a year. That was one of the things that made it great. The other thing that made it great? We finally bought a big tent. No more cramming all of us in the small 3 person Coleman that Jessi brought with her when we got married (nothing against that tent, it has served us many good nights). We sprung for the <a href="http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/equipment-tents/mountain-manor-6.html">The North Face Mountain Manor 6</a>. I know what I've said about TNF in the past and I still stand by that. But, through work I got a great deal and there weren't many other 6 person tents to choose from.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4gMV4hh4jqGwZVM4dkWLBNu2-dfo4lzOipXFhg10VoZ0EtnRrQhyphenhyphenOIBm-sKSlB_7ba1aDgiSgR9pdr5X19dsOlVgjeZaHJJvp64c-iuk3cVSNK9Tkm1rMgp2rIMoaE8mozKoBA/s1600/IMGP8411.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4gMV4hh4jqGwZVM4dkWLBNu2-dfo4lzOipXFhg10VoZ0EtnRrQhyphenhyphenOIBm-sKSlB_7ba1aDgiSgR9pdr5X19dsOlVgjeZaHJJvp64c-iuk3cVSNK9Tkm1rMgp2rIMoaE8mozKoBA/s200/IMGP8411.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498060561926272002" /></a>We went to the Metolius River Recreation area just outside of the town Sisters. We camped up near the headwaters. It was a small 'walk-in' campsite. It was actually nice, we had to walk maybe 400 feet from the car to the campsite. The one huge benefit? No trailers or generators nearby! It was fun. The girls helped us set up camp. They loved playing in the tent. The tent has 3 'rooms'. The 'main' room is separated by smaller 'rooms' off to each side that by curtains. The sides were big enough to fit the pack 'n play on one side and tons of room for Penelope on the other. The girls liked having their own 'rooms'. Jessi and I slept in the 'living room' as Penelope liked to call it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimXrx8bmbEDvGWtCXWX6UeEC5qa_xW4rgFQmJ4qM9wnawPwoxRu6A2zAKpUEBOZUmn3rZGQWogqepy1Cgx-0F5_0ZYzMR9WEVoXIn1aqQt3aTx6TDFWlUWTU363a9l7AIjgW8hg/s1600/IMGP8421.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimXrx8bmbEDvGWtCXWX6UeEC5qa_xW4rgFQmJ4qM9wnawPwoxRu6A2zAKpUEBOZUmn3rZGQWogqepy1Cgx-0F5_0ZYzMR9WEVoXIn1aqQt3aTx6TDFWlUWTU363a9l7AIjgW8hg/s200/IMGP8421.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498061110223742338" /></a><br /><br />We had fire, cooked some smores, went for a walk to the river, and put the girls to bed. After that Jessi and I played cards and sat by the fire. In the morning we had eggs and pancakes in the dutch oven over the fire. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrvKC212gJejerP4P_l0mOM6vD1XM5gvceI_JMPl2IDHBLj2R3cZq5rdFdOFI4vERJHc-yRNlPX_l0KwP6o74jZr09nefeJTu7eeZ09WiYl-ZhJqp-wIiuZXp3rEZt1Ns0wjlzA/s1600/IMGP8466.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrvKC212gJejerP4P_l0mOM6vD1XM5gvceI_JMPl2IDHBLj2R3cZq5rdFdOFI4vERJHc-yRNlPX_l0KwP6o74jZr09nefeJTu7eeZ09WiYl-ZhJqp-wIiuZXp3rEZt1Ns0wjlzA/s200/IMGP8466.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498061682678179538" /></a>There was more playing until lunchtime and then we had beef stew with herb dumplings in the dutch oven. It was delicious!<br /><br />After lunch we broke down camp and went home. I can't say how nice it is to have mountains close, pine forests close, camping close, and did I mention mountains? Yup, we definitely are not regretting leaving Cincinnati (sorry Cincinnati-ites). <br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_afwMOAtVBdBYCyTnP0Rj3WgnNlJC015HaUtxSXVLQ0_a0cpcOZj_5v11dto9dovY1iiyCw4ENLeQSSkLr98tTWXpoNOU5T1MJPVEqaLUrbfuJ-kXPLHKKSgGIw6nrJzsIGzJNw/s1600/IMGP8477.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_afwMOAtVBdBYCyTnP0Rj3WgnNlJC015HaUtxSXVLQ0_a0cpcOZj_5v11dto9dovY1iiyCw4ENLeQSSkLr98tTWXpoNOU5T1MJPVEqaLUrbfuJ-kXPLHKKSgGIw6nrJzsIGzJNw/s200/IMGP8477.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498062057090124066" /></a>Here's some more pictures to check it out:<br /><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmiller.eric.k%2Falbumid%2F5498060582243859073%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-21429274754147256472010-07-22T20:35:00.000-07:002010-07-22T20:37:34.571-07:00Special TimeEvery night after we put Maya down for the night we have 'special time' with Penelope. This is time where she gets to spend with just one of us or both of us. Tonight's conversation went like this:<br /><br />Me: Penelope, what do you want to do for your special time tonight?<br />Penelope: Unpack boxes.<br />Me: You want to unpack boxes?<br />Penelope: Yeah<br /><br />She's just like her mom. I could see Jessi saying the same thing after the girls go to bed.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-37448382294160376502010-06-11T14:29:00.000-07:002010-06-11T14:37:42.197-07:00GraduationToday was graduation day. I graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Master's of Science in Marketing. Hoo-haw!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd5hUBM310xQU3IrO8yij6efODYfxH6nbnHp3q2B7KFfSyiG5r12lGFlPp5K_PZFiVJ-4ddxUNND9VoqFNy20hpiveH-4zh07Z5o6BsmtePAWtx2CtGCfZ4KzX2bSxIAkd0zmDQ/s1600/DSC_2022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd5hUBM310xQU3IrO8yij6efODYfxH6nbnHp3q2B7KFfSyiG5r12lGFlPp5K_PZFiVJ-4ddxUNND9VoqFNy20hpiveH-4zh07Z5o6BsmtePAWtx2CtGCfZ4KzX2bSxIAkd0zmDQ/s320/DSC_2022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481631937160592354" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb-kE6oJzm5gCNQWWc4SH7bPbcOj4qfFBZUMhlAY_kv-25hiLdL20WUAxzWevdk7CeCOuDHXjyejGaBXy-SHLm282kAxYzkHzae1mQi2YIMOddmHlWlLAX_goy9L4ByX9ykVvgA/s1600/100_0203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb-kE6oJzm5gCNQWWc4SH7bPbcOj4qfFBZUMhlAY_kv-25hiLdL20WUAxzWevdk7CeCOuDHXjyejGaBXy-SHLm282kAxYzkHzae1mQi2YIMOddmHlWlLAX_goy9L4ByX9ykVvgA/s320/100_0203.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481632258590671394" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyfj7aD6lb83VigZSRQl7efeV8lCtqsaodErJB-qrug-k-J405OWJcuVB_lusu2K6ARjTXuXSFi4AznJi4TsK6I9x3PCTgAMZR6j_zC6_kTqGDKDcl0elYP6ehQvw7NaN91QA_g/s1600/DSC_2029.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyfj7aD6lb83VigZSRQl7efeV8lCtqsaodErJB-qrug-k-J405OWJcuVB_lusu2K6ARjTXuXSFi4AznJi4TsK6I9x3PCTgAMZR6j_zC6_kTqGDKDcl0elYP6ehQvw7NaN91QA_g/s320/DSC_2029.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481632563949698930" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B1tuX2dRw8ZlCFRs7qEMFIaOlqCc62eimpxMQ8BKosxDXwJABS-sODpsz-C3esamvXy-aD815Ahv50a9zV_yetsarj1nfdU_diqtzip11zv2sxKQ5BPsBlGXZvrGV_oXm3Toag/s1600/DSC_2025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B1tuX2dRw8ZlCFRs7qEMFIaOlqCc62eimpxMQ8BKosxDXwJABS-sODpsz-C3esamvXy-aD815Ahv50a9zV_yetsarj1nfdU_diqtzip11zv2sxKQ5BPsBlGXZvrGV_oXm3Toag/s320/DSC_2025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481632980115911650" /></a><br /><br />It's a good day! We went to Pleasant Ridge Chili for lunch. In about 30 minutes we'll be heading out to a park to grill some steaks, eat some killer salad, and hang out! My mom and her husband Dan came out for graduation. <br /><br />Good celebrations thanks to my amazing wife Jess! Thanks Jess!Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-7858648358419507822010-05-26T17:32:00.000-07:002010-05-26T20:00:44.675-07:00Blogger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6wwitqx7mY6Uztwpt_k1-w7SQx6BL-qO-iZ8JklxudTFHBIiMx4qF9e6UR48JvuZv3-FbIyk8juOTTolLEMy-Fi5zMHR40u5utJTWdbEkUkY6DYZMYi8zBWQt17TZ6eg-DSU7Q/s1600/DSC_1862.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6wwitqx7mY6Uztwpt_k1-w7SQx6BL-qO-iZ8JklxudTFHBIiMx4qF9e6UR48JvuZv3-FbIyk8juOTTolLEMy-Fi5zMHR40u5utJTWdbEkUkY6DYZMYi8zBWQt17TZ6eg-DSU7Q/s320/DSC_1862.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475779079768370962" /></a>So I am somewhat officially a blogger of sorts. I signed on with <a href="http://www.gear.com" target="_blank">Gear.com</a> as an editor. I get to write reviews on the gear that I use for bike commuting, trail running, mountain biking, camping, etc. It's perfect! I get paid to write about the stuff that I love! Check out my first post on the <a href="http://www.gear.com/deuter-rack-pack-bike-bags-review/" target="_blank">Deuter Rack Pack Bike Bags</a>.<br /><br />Jessi is my official photographer. She's so kind to take pictures for me. She got some good shots (at least in my opinion). She likes it and has fun so I'm glad I get to help her use her new camera setup.<br /><br />I'm stoked to be writing for gear. It's going to be a good way to help build the 'slush' fund! I'll probably keep posting about my reviews here.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-5097944156724599552010-03-31T19:21:00.000-07:002010-03-31T19:56:11.254-07:00Europ-ingI had the opportunity to go to Europe for the first time on an international business study abroad as part of my master's program. It was amazing! The program was scheduled to spend time in Linz, Austria and Prague, Czech Republic.<br /><br />A few of us from the program traveled there and home together. We flew into Munich, took a train into town and spent about four hours checking out the Marienplatz area. Big thanks to <a href="http://thespiers.blogspot.com/">Ryan</a> for tips on where to go in Munich. We wandered around and ended up at Hofbrauhaus for some nice weisswurst, orangeade, and potato salad. From there we caught a train to Linz. We spent most of our time in Linz. We had classroom sessions, company visits to <a href="http://www.team7.at/">Team 7</a> Furniture, <a href="http://www.fischerskis.com/en/">Fischer Skis</a>, <a href="http://www.rosenbaueramerica.com/">Rosenbauer</a> a high-end fire truck manufacturer, and <a href="http://www.nachrichten.at/">Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten</a> the leading newspaper in Upper Austria. I ate a lot of good food, fantastic desserts and pastries, and took a good walking tour of old Linz.<br /><br />We did have one free day where a group of us took off to see Vienna for the day. We spent most of our time near St. Stephans Cathedral/National Library/Spanish Riding School/Parliament area. Ate more good pastries, at more good food, saw some good statues, art, buildings, etc.<br /><br />We only spent about two and a half days in Prague. Prague was awesome. We had an amazing dinner at a place that overlooks Prague Castle, a group of us then walked back to the hotel and saw many of sites at night. In Prague we took tours of <a href="http://www.ruckl.cz/en/">Ruckl</a>, a crystal manufacturer and a division of <a href="http://www.parker.com/portal/site/PARKER/menuitem.75b3c0354ff8851afa93ebde76108a0c/?vgnextoid=93d4d1bea018f010VgnVCM10000032a71dacRCRD">Parker-Hannifin</a> that made o-rings and various seals. Czech food was delicious and I was utterly amazed at the amount of history that is there.<br /><br />Yes that is an extremely short description of the trip, if you want more details just ask. Check out the pictures. Unfortunately Picasa sucks and only lets you upload five photos at a time (there are about 200 that I'd want to upload. I have an album uploaded at Snapfish but it won't me slideshow here so to see all the pictures you have to go <a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/launchslideshow/share_version=version_B/AlbumID=1271970027/SUBSCRIBER_NAME=SNAPFISH//EntryIDX=1">here.</a><br /><br />If you want to know what a specific place is or what certain was just let me know and I'll tell you. For now I am tired and this is where it'll end.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-68416899314621421902010-03-25T13:54:00.000-07:002010-03-25T13:55:20.781-07:00Update SoonSo I suck at blogging lately. Last quarter ended up crazy so I didn't have a lot of time. However, I am currently sitting in a hotel in Prague. As such I will have a nice post of my Europe trip complete with photos, perhaps a story about statues, and a list and photos of everything I ate. It's exciting I know.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-74421507461684597882010-02-06T13:47:00.000-08:002010-02-06T13:52:52.232-08:00The Little People in Penelope's TummyPenelope has had a little story she talks about when she eats lately. Each time it gets longer and more detailed. The latest iteration is:<br /><br />P: "Daddy, I have little people in my tummy who turn the switch"<br /><br />D: "What switch?"<br /><br />P: "The switch that the opens the door"<br /><br />D: "What the door?"<br /><br />P: "The door that lets the food go to it's home"<br /><br />D: "Your tummy is the food's home?"<br /><br />P: "Yeah...but it has to go down the stairs first"<br /><br />I love it. She also talks about "the stripes" that fill up and are her gauge for when she's full. "I have four stripes left until I'm full".Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-9010960856560826472010-01-24T19:08:00.000-08:002010-01-24T19:41:09.136-08:00Jessica's New BikeWe finally bought Jessica a bike! It took forever, but it is perfect. Here's the story:<br /><br />On the night of the first Saturday this month we were driving around and decided to go the thrift store to check some things out. We walked in and almost immediately off in the corner I saw a glint of blue from a bike. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWJG4HMgf4vpUzpr8yKTusWOwjwATdwkbdnxs0L_M4T9SzZtBQBVm3YKIbjTb2jy93gwQ7vMhhky3ybTT6T4t4vfrIDW9Gkoi1bviOnZn1m35h3r4x0jqNeaLqF1lwJxHgJyM_g/s1600-h/IMGP7102.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWJG4HMgf4vpUzpr8yKTusWOwjwATdwkbdnxs0L_M4T9SzZtBQBVm3YKIbjTb2jy93gwQ7vMhhky3ybTT6T4t4vfrIDW9Gkoi1bviOnZn1m35h3r4x0jqNeaLqF1lwJxHgJyM_g/s320/IMGP7102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430512721723352034" /></a>Of course I'm naturally drawn over to it. As I'm walking over I'm sizing it up and see that it would be about the right size for Jessica. As I got closer it suddenly hits me! It was the female version of the Free Spirit Britney!!! Now that might not seem significant, however, my first commuting bike<a href="http://climbinskier.blogspot.com/2006/09/bike-commuting.html"> (look familiar?)</a> was a...**drum roll** Free Spirit Britney!!! I couldn't believe it! I jumped right on and started riding toward Jessica and the girls giddy with excitement saying "Jess, Jess, check it out!". She got on the bike and it fit. The best part? It was only $19.99 (not quite as good as the free frame that Matt Young dug out of a dumpster for but I'm not complaining, it was still an awesome deal). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SmM5I9qIHbtvenbHVyzjPL9CddYvZ0iXMagcesVX2pVkjqTGOI1bErrTmVlaaXitHKe5ZGxZdt9itSJZ-dRCBfYCy0QxpnAGKMcQXSQLsnhu5gTAdj-DQ1xL9Ve6mqxxCStmNw/s1600-h/IMGP7106.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SmM5I9qIHbtvenbHVyzjPL9CddYvZ0iXMagcesVX2pVkjqTGOI1bErrTmVlaaXitHKe5ZGxZdt9itSJZ-dRCBfYCy0QxpnAGKMcQXSQLsnhu5gTAdj-DQ1xL9Ve6mqxxCStmNw/s320/IMGP7106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430516046174077154" /></a>I didn't get off the bike in the store. For one, I was excited about it and for two I didn't want someone else to get it. It's in super good condition, I believe all original parts. I just had to inflate the tires a little, adjust the seat, and do a little derailleur adjusting and it is good to go. The only thing is I need to replace the cable and housing for the rear brake.<br /><br />Here's a cellphone shot of Jessica riding in the parking lot that night:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMBXWnj319eVDyQfaztc-sY4xDP-tH0dmjS51MUGwCx-LsIWhUTXuzat-lJW5KRZdytdOWN2ypSi7AjiSDSpNuhtkwOA7SU96OAtiGFhBfyMCjNAtTnR8GVXjvmwucLAZ4skZfQ/s1600-h/IMG00194.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMBXWnj319eVDyQfaztc-sY4xDP-tH0dmjS51MUGwCx-LsIWhUTXuzat-lJW5KRZdytdOWN2ypSi7AjiSDSpNuhtkwOA7SU96OAtiGFhBfyMCjNAtTnR8GVXjvmwucLAZ4skZfQ/s320/IMG00194.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430516328877927714" /></a><br /><br />Today was the first day that Jessica really got to ride it. She loved it. Of course by the time we got outside and the girls situated in the stroller I realized I left the camera inside. So of her first ride I have one cellphone pic:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgLNA9mZzykCHX8-Gw2Ynb-JVUdULiV7oNxkZ9W5PDMv2txHnq_cf6GbU6w2n-es5XoFgfl-d2BJ-3xFFQ_E5ONQeBcR0IBarHEkD8z8ZNh9wGQ81Iwmn9nyLc748tJBGtbutZg/s1600-h/IMG00199.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgLNA9mZzykCHX8-Gw2Ynb-JVUdULiV7oNxkZ9W5PDMv2txHnq_cf6GbU6w2n-es5XoFgfl-d2BJ-3xFFQ_E5ONQeBcR0IBarHEkD8z8ZNh9wGQ81Iwmn9nyLc748tJBGtbutZg/s320/IMG00199.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430516502775601874" /></a><br /><br />What are the chances of finding that same bike, female version, in primo condition, and it's the perfect size? Too bad my Britney was too small and I had to sell it. Tomorrow I'll dig the bike trailer out of our storage and we go for our first family bike ride! Woooooo!Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-55386352388735494862010-01-22T20:40:00.000-08:002010-01-22T20:45:22.356-08:00DinnerI made a killer dinner a couple weeks ago and I was going to post it but forgot. So let's see...it had been awhile since we had made any kind of Chinese food so one night I sort of went nuts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq72Zg8S9wJRLWoLhPAghaY4VxaU340QK5gOqRbvYRaCH7bc3rBZY1OqRCMh8ZHamWZPECs7bIhrHrKSRk3fJhhKYoXXcP70coJrEpzUhRJUCmF1SDvhTn1Rfe90zq7vBC47ajDQ/s1600-h/IMGP6866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq72Zg8S9wJRLWoLhPAghaY4VxaU340QK5gOqRbvYRaCH7bc3rBZY1OqRCMh8ZHamWZPECs7bIhrHrKSRk3fJhhKYoXXcP70coJrEpzUhRJUCmF1SDvhTn1Rfe90zq7vBC47ajDQ/s320/IMGP6866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429791166653239746" /></a><br /><br />We had ham fried rice, an Asian cole slaw, sausage egg rolls, and a sweet and sour sauce. Everything was homemade and dinner was good. I really liked everything (well I knew I liked the fried rice and cole slaw because we've made them before) except for the sweet and sour sauce. It was sweet, it was sour, but it just wasn't quite right.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-74508687728276233702010-01-13T20:09:00.000-08:002010-01-13T20:52:00.345-08:00JournalsI've never been very big on 'journaling' in the traditional sense. I don't have a leather bound, a hardback, or any other form of journal that I update on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Growing up I always heard about the importance of journaling for posterity. Write your feelings, your thoughts, what's going on in life. Writing takes too long. This blog, of course, is a form of journal for me, but still not in the traditional sense. But at least it's something.<br /><br />Over time I've warmed to the idea of keeping track of things but still can't behind writing. I still haven't found the motivation to write down the traditional type topics. What has happened is an odd collection of journals. It all began last year when I decided I wanted to keep track of my bike commuting miles. I created an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of various things. Then it progressed to a list of all the books I had read for the year (the rule being that the book is counted in the month it is finished). And it culminated with a 'body' journal. This one is my favorite. The idea came entirely from my friend Craig. The premise is that anytime you do something to your body that causes pain and discomfort for more than a couple days, it get's put in the journal. It's fantastic because I'll never be able to remember this stuff, but when I read about it again it brings back fond memories. Of course many of the entries could be embarrassing. <br /><br />So without further adieu here's a recap of 2009:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bike Commuting Highlights</span><br /><ul><br /><li>Logged 206 days in the saddle</li><br /><li>Covered 1,799 miles</li><br /><li>Burned approximately 63,210 calories commuting</li><br /><li>Drove the car 3 days</li><br /><li>Rode the bus 7 days</li><br /><li>Put in 20 days riding recreationally (mostly mountain biking)</li><br /><li>Logged 128 miles (thank you short Glenwild loops at lunch</li><br /><li>Burned 4,480 calories</li><br /><li>In total has 226 riding days, 1,927 miles, and 67,690 calories burned</li><br /></ul><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Books</span><br />Here's the list of books I read in 2009, by month:<br /><br />January<br /><ul><li>A Rumor of War</li><br /><li>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</li><br /><li>Urban Homestead</li></ul><br />February<br /><ul><li>Glorious Cause</li><br /><li>Rise to Rebellion</li><br /><li>Grace</li></ul><br />March<br /><ul><li>Fablehaven</li><br /><li>Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage for Fruits and Vegetables</li><br /><li>The Art & Science of Dumpster Diving</li><br /><li>The Last Lecture</li></ul><br />April<br /><ul><li>Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star</li><br /><li>Complete Guide to Container Gardening</li></ul><br />May<br /><ul><li>Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague</li><br /><li>The Collectors</li><br /><li>Trial by Fury</li><br /><li>Hot Money</li></ul><br />June<br /><ul><li>The Urban Homestead</li><br /><li>Stone Cold</li></ul><br />July<br /><ul><li>The Backyard Homestead</li><br /><li>Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage</li><br /><li>Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop</li><br /><li>Taking the Fifth</li></ul><br />August<br /><ul><li>Free-Range Kids: Giving our children the freedome we had without going nuts with worry</li></ul><br />September<br /><ul><li>Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex</li></ul><br />October<br /><ul><li>Fablehaven 4: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary</li><br /><li>The Backyard Homestead</li><br /><li>Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War</li><br /><li>Jesus the Christ</li></ul><br />November<br /><ul><li>Divine Justice</li><br /><li>Born to Run</li><br /><li>Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Aron Ralston</li><br /><li>Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition)</li><br /><li>Believing Christ</li><br /><li>Into the Wild</li><br /><li>Deal Breaker</li></ul><br />December<br /><ul><li>Enchantment</li><br /><li>Monkey Wrench Gang</li></ul><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Body Journal</span><br /><br />This I didn't start until partway through the summer. My self-injury rate dropped dramatically once I started school because I don't have time to do anything else.<br /><br />Click to see a larger image:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-1uMhhQ3L85VVbIOF51fG6UCG5FOs8LrhSBY96eIy7qeswfWiwgdKFnhR4l5ra8Xf1-Kmheco-58d4a_Jm5msIk4H-KFGchO58L2aQ9mJhuFCxXGDlIG5c20FJH8IYfSWbFkVw/s1600-h/Body+Journal+-+2009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-1uMhhQ3L85VVbIOF51fG6UCG5FOs8LrhSBY96eIy7qeswfWiwgdKFnhR4l5ra8Xf1-Kmheco-58d4a_Jm5msIk4H-KFGchO58L2aQ9mJhuFCxXGDlIG5c20FJH8IYfSWbFkVw/s320/Body+Journal+-+2009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426452308384208306" /></a><br /><br />I'll keep these going during 2010 and will possibly add some others.<br /><br />How about you? You keep any nontraditional journals?Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-6832757790277371772010-01-11T20:09:00.000-08:002010-01-11T21:04:01.920-08:00SoapI decided to try and make soap. It's been something I've thought about doing for a few years but for whatever reason over the holiday break I got motivated. I found a book at the library, read it in about a day, bought the ingredients, and gave it a whirl.<br /><br />Things started out well. The lye and water were mixing well, the oils were combining well, and I started mixing the lye/water with the oils to begin the saponification process. The book recommended using a stick blender to mix the soap but it said you could do it by hand. I tried by hand but it didn't work out. It never fully fixed. I poured it into a mold anyway to see what happened.<br /><br />I was super bummed about it not mixing was talking to Jessi about it, so she did a little searching and found that you can't really mix soap by hand...it'd take something like three days. So she went and picked up an inexpensive stick blender.<br /><br />I made another batch of soap and it's true, you really need to have a stick blender. This second batch mixed correctly and poured nicely. The next day batch one had a nice thick layer of oil on top. Batch two was just as it should be. It looked and smelled like soap. I remixed batch one and set it aside to see if it would cure but it didn't. It's just like the regular soap but creamy like lotion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLE0zKAWhK_kD8vdZZSDXSMh5-ABD0ftlDWlQpIZUZ5fnkT5QzUMkI_CG395SNS2NAS6QZaklzACQcuNQVWEmtyzUthIzA8TVCgZnvWY-DCJAkzdtpw3R-wsNeiyIJx8SnQBk1A/s1600-h/IMGP6871.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLE0zKAWhK_kD8vdZZSDXSMh5-ABD0ftlDWlQpIZUZ5fnkT5QzUMkI_CG395SNS2NAS6QZaklzACQcuNQVWEmtyzUthIzA8TVCgZnvWY-DCJAkzdtpw3R-wsNeiyIJx8SnQBk1A/s320/IMGP6871.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425714237315614130" /></a><br /><br />The strangest part that I didn't know is that the bars of soap need to cure for one month to fully harden. We've tested the creamy soap and the shavings and bits from the other soap and so far so good. We just have to wait it out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMm7osjd6Zm64uKzRI92XIu4ZJyC_fZSacKN5W99jk9ifKIprG1FWbqkrCbJwVncoFJHifOnCu6IvFL4kBzeAKgwtdcb5AqNlciruXBLFZQ7GN8C4ySVt6kG-C6swl7xD04g6gA/s1600-h/IMGP6873.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMm7osjd6Zm64uKzRI92XIu4ZJyC_fZSacKN5W99jk9ifKIprG1FWbqkrCbJwVncoFJHifOnCu6IvFL4kBzeAKgwtdcb5AqNlciruXBLFZQ7GN8C4ySVt6kG-C6swl7xD04g6gA/s320/IMGP6873.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425714534360461554" /></a><br /><br />Next up comes fragrance oils and exfoliators. The bars are super rough looking. I didn't try to clean them up at all.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-39776166866758818082010-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:002010-01-01T18:55:37.605-08:00Jessica the BakerSo after a ridiculously long blog hiatus (I swear I've blogged since November 7th) I am back.<br /><br />Tonight I have been removed from all cookie baking in the Miller household. Jessica made us some snickerdoodles and when she pulled the first batch out the oven she said "you have officially been removed as the cookie baker". She is correct. Man they were good cookies. Check them out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyE3E95hq_L9SMdMC601JHlQ5MsHCaGML4wPpq81vCC59ioVGAA8jT5hJYgs8hUT9It4lErz6X-9zYiMTWLnvZRgK8GBN8zRW81yqFJNJDscB3BflxDoCO3kbgvEQzyIGquOd1HQ/s1600-h/IMGP6865.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyE3E95hq_L9SMdMC601JHlQ5MsHCaGML4wPpq81vCC59ioVGAA8jT5hJYgs8hUT9It4lErz6X-9zYiMTWLnvZRgK8GBN8zRW81yqFJNJDscB3BflxDoCO3kbgvEQzyIGquOd1HQ/s320/IMGP6865.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421970390581803298" /></a><br /><br />My snickerdoodles never quite turned out like that. They always ended up super crunchy. Hers are still soft, chewy, and delicious. She can definitely take over the cookie baking, I won't mind at all!Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-51732210080328994842009-11-07T18:55:00.000-08:002009-11-07T19:15:28.394-08:00Busy SaturdayToday was a busy Saturday, but busy in a good way. Jess worked this morning so I watched the girls. When Jess got home at 11 we went to have a picnic at a park up the road. It was sunny and mid-60s so it was perfect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapSWrfNxZSj1w6U4LMNu7FJDsaZH5jYp4OoKTVP6mJo5BkavBJOhVI03JbzyBWrhi7F4iOx-MCd6WG7EAbHHI2aUt2iAJlov58EBl8yrp3uToX4XNMNdqXLea69BtTPFyYav-CA/s1600-h/IMGP6270.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapSWrfNxZSj1w6U4LMNu7FJDsaZH5jYp4OoKTVP6mJo5BkavBJOhVI03JbzyBWrhi7F4iOx-MCd6WG7EAbHHI2aUt2iAJlov58EBl8yrp3uToX4XNMNdqXLea69BtTPFyYav-CA/s320/IMGP6270.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401561988555816258" /></a><br /><br />Then we went on a short hike. It was Penelope's first hike walking on her own and Maya's first in the backpack. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU3dBHu4iY4b2cw88wlbyPkWD55y9paTlE0TyFqjwTUawJwn3cTIV39uba1k0Nx9q_GUkvGI8qH75gVAjjUlhxhgplkvj0jCcBd5yqciZtEhQDTaDB1lqFxnUHb0mgl-JN2BamQ/s1600-h/IMGP6271.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU3dBHu4iY4b2cw88wlbyPkWD55y9paTlE0TyFqjwTUawJwn3cTIV39uba1k0Nx9q_GUkvGI8qH75gVAjjUlhxhgplkvj0jCcBd5yqciZtEhQDTaDB1lqFxnUHb0mgl-JN2BamQ/s320/IMGP6271.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401562410917879442" /></a><br /><br />Penelope did so good. She held mom's hand the whole time but had fun crunching leaves, going over bridges, and touching plants.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TZIXvVVid-r6fiKmuz69shyphenhyphenxnoNRwNIDYNxpoVlvYe3RECmIv_7AvCyVeh9v6-eqd-FQGmq3P0nl8dUDgOIrsBV9yw8JtnAGOlA8RoDqqXU0OeuLOy-onyAbO0iYT422FWqcPA/s1600-h/IMGP6273.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TZIXvVVid-r6fiKmuz69shyphenhyphenxnoNRwNIDYNxpoVlvYe3RECmIv_7AvCyVeh9v6-eqd-FQGmq3P0nl8dUDgOIrsBV9yw8JtnAGOlA8RoDqqXU0OeuLOy-onyAbO0iYT422FWqcPA/s320/IMGP6273.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401564759958737314" /></a><br /><br />Maya loved the backpack. She didn't scream once and had fun playing with my head.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AOc8joNc1_J7pwhXh3_IOMI6HtpNO_VrH3kh4P4VU95PoY5OL48cRAH-X7TzmPxa6OFIWEXgr-5BEozJ7zdY9xPk1Bh_h0Nzuv29V_DIMQg7cPLh8377KEY5qLgoYmNjOHGzsg/s1600-h/IMGP6275.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AOc8joNc1_J7pwhXh3_IOMI6HtpNO_VrH3kh4P4VU95PoY5OL48cRAH-X7TzmPxa6OFIWEXgr-5BEozJ7zdY9xPk1Bh_h0Nzuv29V_DIMQg7cPLh8377KEY5qLgoYmNjOHGzsg/s320/IMGP6275.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401562762522076178" /></a><br /><br />Afterward Jessi watched the girls at the playground and let me go for a short trail run. It was the first since moving here. It felt good to run again. The trees and all the leaves on the ground were beautiful.<br /><br />Then during nap time I went mountain biking. The first since moving and the first since <a href="http://climbinskier.blogspot.com/2009/08/thanks-deer-valley.html">wrecking and breaking a rib</a> a few days before we moved. I finally swapped out my bent handlebars for the new ones that have been sitting in our closet since the move.<br /><br />I went to the East Fork State Park and rode a couple of trails there. Riding in the woods is different than the northern UT trails. So many leaves, so many trees, and hardly any vert change.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj143qgg3i0N1stze5gJaslUG3n5pyy5VozkBUclW8j6jWhu6GRPBvJ0hqRWoB2Wl-WaBlDIoTvgL4KnpDoQZSSJQZGtt9vPSFGl4NIHLd-vCD9btw0DvLAT2ch9FNw0xuqFqzIYw/s1600-h/IMGP6280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj143qgg3i0N1stze5gJaslUG3n5pyy5VozkBUclW8j6jWhu6GRPBvJ0hqRWoB2Wl-WaBlDIoTvgL4KnpDoQZSSJQZGtt9vPSFGl4NIHLd-vCD9btw0DvLAT2ch9FNw0xuqFqzIYw/s320/IMGP6280.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401565232817591858" /></a><br /><br />Look at how happy the bike is! Here's a self-portrait of how happy I was:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsRmtj5qF7dPKB4ZVx3oFJRUMYgK2S2_8w9e7mdk3UXRIEevk7baTEEL6-vZJ_W3o-ETkLvRw_DmIIVZww2pa3t9hfXjr7-hxJFcgvmu10UaLXWo3CcVNa9I2BMgTiIX3fGQ8Yg/s1600-h/IMGP6281.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsRmtj5qF7dPKB4ZVx3oFJRUMYgK2S2_8w9e7mdk3UXRIEevk7baTEEL6-vZJ_W3o-ETkLvRw_DmIIVZww2pa3t9hfXjr7-hxJFcgvmu10UaLXWo3CcVNa9I2BMgTiIX3fGQ8Yg/s320/IMGP6281.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401565327695043074" /></a><br /><br />I got home, ate a quick dinner, and then it was off to a Stake Priesthood meeting.<br /><br />It was an awesome Saturday and it felt good to have a day full of physical activity. Thanks for being an awesome wife Jessi and letting me do lots today!Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-88164287661129009802009-11-06T19:53:00.000-08:002009-11-06T20:08:18.888-08:00Friday Night Hangout with the GirlsWhile getting the girls ready for bed tonight things turned really fun. They were both so happy and playing we couldn't help but take some pictures. Penelope pulled up Maya's carseat and climbed in to relax. Pretty soon she was dragging over a blanket and her stool for her feet. It was awesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotF_aGQ2Jg62EJEC-mlWLDBJhmST0IFzqpvbUHdCOev_ZRPbPc2-On_2PJdrRiMFf9zMN3oC8Vcecl8NvcT9fujSeqS9hYjc8Czjbu__mLh5PHfox6uV7-thwbczaCFmMTMfNWA/s1600-h/IMGP6256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotF_aGQ2Jg62EJEC-mlWLDBJhmST0IFzqpvbUHdCOev_ZRPbPc2-On_2PJdrRiMFf9zMN3oC8Vcecl8NvcT9fujSeqS9hYjc8Czjbu__mLh5PHfox6uV7-thwbczaCFmMTMfNWA/s320/IMGP6256.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401207387102008658" /></a><br /><br />Maya was just crawling around playing and having fun. Check out her teeth coming in!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuaAf53OMWg2VBmB20KLUSetUGWNG8jGrP0tmBViGc_NHaAryLl-MumAzXmGgbKo0NKKu2ySeRsgPuKRHxk4jbJiWeN5VZCYv_g0Ug3kTddJpOq04HeaYaY6H8-JEUUrbwWqDFw/s1600-h/IMGP6264.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuaAf53OMWg2VBmB20KLUSetUGWNG8jGrP0tmBViGc_NHaAryLl-MumAzXmGgbKo0NKKu2ySeRsgPuKRHxk4jbJiWeN5VZCYv_g0Ug3kTddJpOq04HeaYaY6H8-JEUUrbwWqDFw/s320/IMGP6264.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401207950271674850" /></a><br /><br />Me and the little girls<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXxsbu5FqJrK1AMhQDAgoGYK4QjrCtiO2nGE6iaUqpwS2Nr-nqNGs41VnjoRzlt-b086MeoMQRW_r075Zd0bpEOvwOzrEQihLtZTHhfDyjEq-UbTo8vFMw9dt4ygEzIIxvcEmZw/s1600-h/IMGP6259.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXxsbu5FqJrK1AMhQDAgoGYK4QjrCtiO2nGE6iaUqpwS2Nr-nqNGs41VnjoRzlt-b086MeoMQRW_r075Zd0bpEOvwOzrEQihLtZTHhfDyjEq-UbTo8vFMw9dt4ygEzIIxvcEmZw/s320/IMGP6259.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401208193409870674" /></a><br /><br />Yeah I don't know what happened to me in this one but look at how good Jess and Maya look!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzXoMPfGNfn7xLLk6A9rm79mcpexQLRGXHY7L8Ko2UQhs2ZmHuf5HQUHe-z_f1JbFrIyvMJ5ODRCN22vOfPIh9azJcY2LKqzn1W40WSwoH3Fq05DgJFKeuLwqLswBNdHDmNDYxg/s1600-h/IMGP6267.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzXoMPfGNfn7xLLk6A9rm79mcpexQLRGXHY7L8Ko2UQhs2ZmHuf5HQUHe-z_f1JbFrIyvMJ5ODRCN22vOfPIh9azJcY2LKqzn1W40WSwoH3Fq05DgJFKeuLwqLswBNdHDmNDYxg/s320/IMGP6267.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401208454486598434" /></a>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-26228882394594113282009-11-06T18:05:00.001-08:002009-11-06T18:06:55.180-08:00ElevationThe elevation sign from the park near our apartment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij30NfklXlowE5rNRe7l0P2YOST4rLDHve4uIVVC2slsPhMZoSqVBFf5rK3oqoElzl5NSnA04c_-_997hBwtfae4fqqseR4Z8nt7tFwOHG07-1_inxGaSveJRiCjJfDAh0_bC6Hg/s1600-h/IMG00136.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij30NfklXlowE5rNRe7l0P2YOST4rLDHve4uIVVC2slsPhMZoSqVBFf5rK3oqoElzl5NSnA04c_-_997hBwtfae4fqqseR4Z8nt7tFwOHG07-1_inxGaSveJRiCjJfDAh0_bC6Hg/s320/IMG00136.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401177076176198930" /></a><br /><br />Yup, we'll be wheezing our way through Christmas break in the mountains. Stupid Cincinnati...hehe.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-43266701608564065482009-11-01T20:05:00.001-08:002009-11-01T20:10:28.348-08:00Bike Commuting UpdateSo bikes, and more so bike commuting, are not prevalent at all here in Cincinnati. So far in our almost two months here I have seen a total of five other bike commuters. There are a bunch of people who ride bikes at school but from my observations they all live within a few blocks of campus.<br /><br />I won't let it deter me though. My ride is a round trip of 14 miles, double what it was in SLC. It's a good ride. Lots of hills which can get a little difficult on the single-speed. But hey, it only makes me stronger.<br /><br />On Thursday I past 1,500 bike commuting miles for the year and I have about 185 bike commuting days. I'll easily hit 200 before the end of the year. I find that to be very exciting. I calculated what it'd take to get to 2,000 miles before the end of the year. I figured I'd have to commute the full 14 miles everyday including through Thanksgiving break and after classes ended. Maybe next year, we'll be out of town during Thanksgiving and we're heading to UT right after classes end.<br /><br />No pictures this time. It's late and I don't really feel like looking for them.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-83548400391023907922009-10-16T19:14:00.000-07:002009-10-16T19:46:47.129-07:00Standing GirlShe's so big already:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWrm6TSrDAya013w5fuHzzRpDafan-hMFNxH-3uFKUf7c9JKO-s4iuQqiNgpXi-mWN9TI1Q9r4l-E_JdkvSxE2PiCNslIXnkoKWzryAGihNJfiWF04Ni1NVEL_rdJlH-HGK7nKA/s1600-h/IMGP5922.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWrm6TSrDAya013w5fuHzzRpDafan-hMFNxH-3uFKUf7c9JKO-s4iuQqiNgpXi-mWN9TI1Q9r4l-E_JdkvSxE2PiCNslIXnkoKWzryAGihNJfiWF04Ni1NVEL_rdJlH-HGK7nKA/s320/IMGP5922.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393390083249436626" border="0"></a><br /><br />She's so happy and pleased with herself.<br /><br />Here's a short video of our shenanigans tonight:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywmo7NGP2-ou75avPJqIoZIwjw9TVXslXWXQ8yOsVoVQDQA4KmLlxd0j7kA5Tt8M0sHpHxOjRETZY' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23848294.post-27140287315057155702009-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:002009-10-10T16:42:37.249-07:00Funny Words, AgainJessica had to work this morning so it was just me and the girls. Shortly after we woke up Penelope asked me: "Where's mommy?"<br /><br />Me: She's at work.<br />Penelope: One day when I get bigger I'll go to work.<br />Me: Oh really?<br />Penelope: Yeah but I don't know what I want to be. Maybe I'll be a daddy.<br />Me: Well only boys can be daddies, girls are mommies.<br />Penelope: Oh.Eric Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16532067815310320241noreply@blogger.com0