2010 had a lot of highlights for me and my family. This is a short list of a few of my favorite moments or findings of 2010. It’s not a countdown or a ranking, just the first 10 things I think of when I think about twenty-ten. Enjoy!
Family Summer Vacation at Disneyland
A happy year’s highlights start with the Happiest Place On Earth. In July we made the drive to LA for three days of thrills! The drive was long with a nearly-one-year-old Luke in the back seat and 6-year-old Keziah being as patient as she could be. We left late afternoon in hopes that the kids would sleep most of the way and it worked for the most part. Daddy didn’t get any sleep. We arrived in Anaheim, California at about 6am and I was beat. A quick refuel at Denny’s and once we walked through those gates I was a re-energized man.
On our first day we celebrated Luke’s first birthday. His favorite rides were It’s A Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo and the Storybookland boats.
Keziah’s favorites were Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Grizzly River Run and Pirates.
What we didn’t expect was the crowds and excitement that comes along with the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. I grew up as an avid MLB fan, but haven’t followed the sport closely in many years. I did think it was neat to see the All-Star Parade as I stood just feet away from a few childhood favorites as they passed by. Notables included: Ichiro, Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson, David “Big Papi” Ortiz, Joe Mauer, Alex Rodriguez, Rod Carew, Derek Jeter & Albert Pujols.
My favorite ride? Star Tours. And I rode it for the last time on this trip as it is now closed for a complete overhaul. Star Tours II will be based on the newer movies and debut in May, 2011.
Check out dozens of photos of our fun at Disneyland on Facebook.
San Francisco Getaway
Good times in "The City By The Bay!"
In mid-November Bria and I were able to get away from it all together… ALONE! It was marvelous spending three days with the love of my life in The City by the Bay. We hadn’t gotten away (just the two of us) since our anniversary in August of ’06. If you know my fear of flight, you already know we drove this one, too.
My lead foot got us there in just under 9 hours. The drive didn’t seem like much as we were able to talk more than we have in years without interruption. We arrived in San Francisco just after 3am.
After a short nap we spent our first day at Candlestick Park to see the 49ers take on the St. Louis Rams. Our seats were just 3 rows up on the corner of the end zone where the Rams enter the field. I got a Michael Crabtree jersey and Bria got a Patrick Willis jersey just for the occasion. The Niners won on a field goal in overtime, 23-20.
That evening we went to Fior d’Italia - America’s oldest Italian establishment. The food was amazing!
We went from there across town to the Marriott Marquis to see about the “Death Star Bar” I’d heard so much about. The view from there was like nothing I’d ever experienced. The View Lounge is located on the 39th floor and features a window overlooking The City that bears an uncanny resemblance to the window that The Emperor, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader watch the Battle of Endor from in Return of the Jedi.
The following day and a half we explored every part of the city we could. We rode the trolley, climbed Coit Tower, ate at Ghirardelli Square, explored Little Italy and toured Alcatraz. I would HIGHLY suggest the tour of Alcatraz for the rich history and unique experience it provides. From the views of the bay to the stories of escape attempts… It’s amazing!
Of course, we took a ton of photos!
The Great Escape!
Speaking of escaping from a federal prison, in July of this year I was FREED FROM THE CAR BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never intended to sell cars in this lifetime (I figured that was part of the Hell I read about in the Bible and prayed never to experience). But after starting at the Internet Marketing Dept. for the Dick Hannah Honda store in 2006, I found myself standing outside 3 years later chasing cars like a dog on a leash. Despite winning multiple awards of the highest honor for a car guy, it’s the most demeaning job on earth and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I performed more rewarding tasks at Taco Bell and oftentimes took home larger paychecks for crafting 79-cent burritos in 1998 than I did selling cars for 10′s of 1000′s of dollars from 2006 to 2010.
Dad’s Halfway Party
He’s halfway there!
My dad told me when I was very young that his #1 goal in life is to be at my 80th birthday party. That would make him 103 at that time. I’ve always felt the pressure is heavier on me to make it to 80 as I have not run a marathon, climbed Mt. Rainier or ridden a bike from Seattle to Portland in less than a day. He has.
July 12th, 2010 marked my dad’s 51st & 1/2 half-birthday. At his direction, we never celebrated his 50th birthday with the typical black-themed “over-the-hill” party. Instead, there was this day. Friends from far and wide joined dad at his beach home in Ocean Shores to celebrate his half-way point! It was a fun day full of amazing cakes, walks on the beach and pizza.
iPhone
This one wasn’t originally on the list. I didn’t realize it’s only been one year since I put this life-changing device in my life. Quite frankly, I don’t know what life was without it. It now records video and takes photo of my kids, maintains my fantasy football and basketball leagues, entertains me, plays movies, gives me the weather and puts me within arms reach of everyone I care about with features like email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and more. Un. Be. Leave. Able.
ZZoom Media
This April while suffering through my job on the car lot, a convergence took place. The ideas I’ve had for years coupled with my training in marketing, retail and promotions met Joel Gibby’s amazing tech expertise and Scotty Hiltz’s amazing sales ability. After a few weeks of chatting about it as a distant idea – ZZoom Media was formed almost instantly around a day called “Foursquare Day.”
Since then we’ve sprinkled in just a dash of genius with Justen Martian (web developer extraordinaire) and a helping of awesomesauce in Derek W. Wyatt (magnificent marketing mind).
We’re growing fast and it’s exciting! Of course, I should shamelessly plug this: if you or a business owner/independent professional you know is in need of a better Internet presence or is just overwhelmed by all this “Social Media” stuff they keep hearing about, please put them in touch with me.
Twitter People
It sounds silly to some, but I’ve made some amazing friends on a social media platform called “Twitter.” Like-minded folks that share common goals and interests interact with me there and I’ve had the opportunity to meet no less than 40 of these “Tweeps” in real life. A few of us even became instrumental in starting a monthly meet-up for Twitter users in Vancouver, WA now known as “‘Couve Cool Kids.”
These people aren’t the basement-living nerds that Weird Al sings about. They’re developers, real estate professionals, ninjas, business owners, home loan professionals, police officers, newscasters, writers and more. Yes, I said ninjas.
Kids
My kids are now at an awesome age where I enjoy (almost) every moment with them.
My Kids!
Keziah is 6 years old and has been invited to test out of the 1st Grade. She’s a genius, she’s beautiful and has a witty personality that is scary at times. She maintains a diary on her own and likes to write notes for mom and dad that tell us how much she loves us. She played baseball this year and did very well (in fact, she put the bat on the ball for a single in her first ever at-bat)! She’s also very patient as she is often the oldest of up to 8 kids Bria has at our home babysitting. She shares, teaches and plays with children of all ages and is a great helper.
Luke is coming up on a year-and-a-half and is walking, dancing, talking and playing with toys. He’s very organizational and likes things put in their place. For instance, if I take my shoes off in the wrong room, he will relocate them for me. He’s got the cutest and the most awesome head of curly hair on earth. He sometimes gets called “her” or “she” by strangers. I recall dealing with that until I was 6 or 7 years old with similar curly locks. That just lets me know that he’s going to grow to be a super-stud like his father.
Steak Bites
Life changing. I’ve told you all about Krispy Kreme. I’ve sung the praises of Buffalo Wild Wings from the rooftops. I’ve stood in line at Voodoo Doughnut for over an hour to have my 3rd helping of the week. But this, I tell you, trumps the rest!
Steak Bites!
Ringside Steakhouse has long been known as Portland’s finest steakhouse. You’ll find signed menus adorning the walls from the most famous people on earth in the last 50 years. Presidents, athletes, musicians, entertainers, actors… they’ve all dined at Ringside.
But, the gem I found exists from 3pm-6pm and 9:30pm-Midnight. It’s their happy hour item “Steak Bites”. 6-8 oz. of USDA Prime beef served for $2.25. I typically sit down and say, “May I please have a quadrouple order of the Steak Bites, please?”
$9 for 24-32 oz. of award-winning steak sliced up perfectly with a little horseradish sauce for dipping.
‘Nuff said.
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Thanks 2010 and thanks to all the amazing people added to my growing list of friends this year!
Now, let’s blow the roof off of 2011!
