This is a picture of my nephew. This picture is great because you get a sense for how long his eye-lashes are. Bito (nickname) is a cute little dude. He's a great kid! This picture was taken in an A & W restaurant that we stopped at on our way down to my brothers wedding (which took place about 2-3 months ago). The lighting in the restaurant was really crappy (color wise), but in black and white it didn't look too shabby.

Well, I think I said I'd post a picture of my car. So, here it is. Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, it's fast. It handles so well. (But, it's a Ferrari Enzo - so, what would you expect.) The problem with it is that when you drive it you have to make sure the road is completely flat. And, getting in is difficult - in fact, it's impossible (unless of course, you are under an inch tall). Okay, you've got me. It's not my car. It's my brothers. Oh yeah, and it's a tiny remote control car (a Mini-Z). I did, however, take the picture (does that count for anything?)

I've been so busy lately running, biking, and swimming. I've got one more triathlon within three weeks. Here's a picture from a triathlon from 2002. I think that was the first year I did a competition. This is one of the only pictures I have - and it isn't very flattering (in my opinion). After the first few triathlons nobody really cares enough to come, watch, and take pictures (I can't blame them, I'd be bored too). I've uploaded this picture to show you that I actually do participate in triathlons - I mean, really, why would I make that up? (Sorry if you're offended by a half naked dude) :)

I'm a big fan of big dudes on little bikes. Something about the combination just makes me smile. And, even laugh a bit. Not laugh in a "I'm-making-fun-of-you" type of way but rather, in a "you-guys-are-halarious" type of way.

This is a picture from a month ago up at my cousins house. Dan's winning. Jon is on his tail. And, Mike is not looking so smooth (which, is unusual for Mike. If you know Mike, you know he's a smooth fellow).

My goal is to include in every post a picture. Mostly because whenever I go to someone's blog I get bored of reading - I like the pretty pictures! Yay!

Anyway, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. The reason for that is 1) I've been busy "working," 2) I need my time to play, and 3) I've been really busy studying for an Enrolled Agent exam I'm taking with my dad and brothers (and brother-in-law, and cousin(s)) in September. The EA exam is like the CPA of taxes. It's a two day test with a length of six hours per day. All on taxes (fun, huh? Actually, it kind of is). I guess the pass rate is super slim. Most people don't pass it the first time. I think one of the reasons is that there isn't a good school for it - at least not around here in Minnesota.

Okay, the picture above was taken about 3-4 months ago. There's a huge burn pile in the back of my parents property and it was time to light it up. It was really windy that day. The fire was burning like crazy. If there was a dry leaf within 20 feet it would just start on fire. It was pretty intense. So, my dad had my brother run and grab all the fire extinguishers he had. After they used all of them my dad had my brother run to our next-door neighbor/cousin's house and borrow all their extinguishers. Those combined with the dying of wind caused the flames to finally get under control. I have pictures where the entire fire is covered in extinguisher exhaust because my dad is on one side and my brother is on the other side. I choose this picture because I liked the half flame half exhaust thing.

Another reason I haven't posted as much is because I'’ve been writing a more detailed journal of my life almost every day. Because of that I haven't had as much desire to write anything for my web site. That, plus, I haven't had time to take more pictures - and with my goal to always post a picture...… well, you get the idea.

The sad thing about writing in a journal is that I'm starting to see that my life isn't all that exciting. At least, that's what it seemed like at first. Now I'm starting to see how unique and interesting most moments are in my life. It seems like it's mostly perspective. I think I'm kind of oblivious to life just trying to enjoy everything and because of that I miss the fact that cool stuff happens. Sounds paradoxical, huh? Yeah, I'm confused too. My point is... Well, I lost it. But, I enjoy running. I think it's time to run.

Random website of the month

Here's my random website of the month. Some dude made these flash movies that look like the old Nintendo Mario video game. It's like Lord of the Rings meets Mario Brothers. Really funny stuff - on account of its "intensity." If you don't want to waste any time then just watch Part II - it's my favorite. The music is my favorite part of the movies. I'm trying to find the album so I can buy it on iTunes, but so far I'm discovering that iTunes doesn't carry what I'm looking for.

New Family Member: Aibo the dog

My brother and his wife bought an Aibo dog from Sony. They got it today and they're trying to figure 'em out. This is a five minute video clip of the little guy. They named him Snoopy. We're discovering that it's more like a dog than a robot, because it won't always listen to you. The first 30 seconds are the best the rest kind of gets boring. But, if you're researching the Aibo dog you might enjoy the entire video.

I went out walking this morning to wake up so that I could study and I saw this rabbit in the yard. It just stood there as I looked at it - and I was probably only about ten feet away. So, I ran back into my office to grab my camera. When I came back outside it was gone but after looking around I ended up finding it behind the office. So, I started taking pictures - each time getting closer. I took about 20 pictures and ended up being only about two feet away. My guess is that this is the mother of the little baby rabbits we found last month. I'm assuming that since her babies were taken to a nearby park reserve she feels like she has nothing to live for. It was like she was so depressed. Maybe she thought I could take her to her babies. Sorry, momma, I don't know where they are.

I really like this picture. I love that the pacifier is totally white and sticks out so much, showing the baby's reliance on his parents. I love that you can see the word "Home" printed on the blanket. I also like that you can see the father wearing his wedding ring. There's nothing happier than being raised in a good home with both parents.

Here's a picture of Mike & Shannon's new baby: Ethan. He's a cute little guy; and, Mike looked so fatherly kissing his son. I was practicing with black and white pictures. I've liked the colors that my camera reproduces so well that I haven't wanted to desaturate any of my pictures. This one was taken indoors but with light coming in from the outside. The colors bouncing around the room made the colors look a little weak, so this one looks better B&W.

I went camping in my parent's yard with my niece and nephew last night. This is a picture of them. I didn't have my camera with me last night, so this is a picture of them when our family went out to Nauvoo.

We started out by watching a couple episodes of "The Muppets" on DVD. Then we brushed our teeth and climbed into the tent. It was pretty hot and humid out - but I figured it wouldn't matter that much. Nat and Bito (nicknames) wanted me to read them a book so we did that until (after about four pages) Bito said he was going to sleep. So, then we hopped into our beds and said our prayers.

Things were going well (expect that my blankets felt damp from the humidity) until Bito started playing with his flashlight. I finally coaxed him into turning it off; but, then he kept talking. (I could have sworn that he wanted to go to bed!) After threats of taking him into "grandma and grandpa's" the house he quieted down for a while.

After a couple minutes Bito started wrestling around. He couldn't sleep well - he said his four inch foam mattress was "bumpy." I asked if he wanted to go inside - "yes" he replied. I took him in and put him to bed then came back out to the tent - Nat was asleep. After a few minutes of dealing with uncomfortable sheets I dozed off. My "sleep" lasted about an hour - I woke up, feeling damp and uncomfortable.

Finally, I decided that it sucked outside and that my bed at home was calling me. I tried to wake up Nat, but she was sound asleep. I picked her up and carried her into the house. After that I went to my house, showered, and jumped into a real bed. Ah!!!!

In the morning my parents said that Nat was crying a bit because she didn't know where she was.

I think I enjoy camping but on nights like last night I it sucks.