Continue reading »]]> Today is the day. The first day in the countdown to 40. I’m not sure how I’m going to handle this day next year but for now, I’m doing ok. As part of my birthday present, Melissa and I took Madeline down to Orlando to visit the in-laws this past weekend – at Disney World! We figured Madeline was old enough to enjoy the experience and we were right – she had a blast! She gutted it out with the heat, the crowds and the boredom of standing in long lines and never complained once. It had been at least 10 years since Melissa and I visited the Rat so it was a fun experience for the two of us as well.

We can’t wait to go back when she’s a little older and take her on all the really fun stuff like Thunder Mountain, etc.

Today’s best txt msg:

friend: Happy Birthday to you!
me: Thanks! I’m old
friend: Its ok, you’re still immature
me: rofl!

Continue reading »]]> Among other things, we’re still trying to decompress from our 2 week whirlwind vacation to Vancouver, Alaska, Victoria and Seatle. Most of it from the deck of the Celebrity X Mercury cruiseship. My first time aboard a ship this size and we go for almost 2 weeks! I’ve got over 600 digital pictures from 3 different cameras, a couple days worth of GPS track files, and plenty of amazing memories to sort through as we try to get stuff posted online between this site and our Facebook account.

Throw all that into the blender with Madeline, College Football in full swing, and the day-to-day stress of Atlanta and it becomes clear we need more hours in the day to get it all done on time.

I’m hoping to get pics posted by the end of the week and then some of the GPS track highlights afterwards. I think we’ve got some cool shots of some amazing scenery and I can’t wait to get them posted.

Continue reading »]]> Every Spring, Melissa and I try to plan a ski-related vacation, making sure we pick a different location each year. We’re not expert skiers but we love the sport and use it as an excuse to get out of town for a long weekend. We started this tradition a few years ago but missed last year due to Maddie. This year we decided on Big Sky, MT and as a bonus, hit Yellowstone Nation Park for a whirlwind tour by snowmobile. It was a blast. Montana is beautiful country – unlimited visibility, wide open country with 10k+ mountain peaks on every horizon.

Big Sky
We stayed at the Big Sky Ski Resort which is located at the base of Lone Peak (11k ft). March is considered late in the season but up above the 5k mark or so, the drifts are still deep and the park gets enough fresh powder to push into late April. At that point, everything closes up, they wait for the Spring thaw and then reopen in early June for hiking, mountain biking, trout fishing, etc.

Yellowstone
Something I didn’t know – the Yellowstone National Park service, completely shuts down access into Yellowstone to all civilian traffic during the winter months. The only way into the park is via a guided tour or hiking in on foot (if your crazy enough to brave the sub-zero temps). Mel and I went in via a snowmobile tour (60 mile round trip) and it was one of the most amazing things we’ve ever done. Even better – we only experienced about 20% of the total park during our tour so we’ve got plenty more to see.

Continue reading »]]> For the past several years, my extended family has been gathering in [Steinhatchee, FL] during the first weekend of August to partake in our annual [Argopecten irradians concentricus] hunt. Getting the Tober mob all in one location at the same time during a regular holiday is impossible so our scalloping trip is an oportunity to catch up and spend some quality vacation time with everybody.

Sounds fun right? Probably not as exciting as big game hunting in Africa but there are the occasional moments of panic when you grab something slimy in the eel-grass or maybe get harassed by a passing [Remora]. We did hear reports this year of a 4ft Hammer-head shark sighting but those are pretty rare (juvenile sharks of various Gulf species come into the shallows to feed). I think the biggest risk is getting a nasty sunburn or maybe letting one of the little buggers nip your finger (some of the shell edges can be razor sharp).

Since the locals mentioned they hadn’t had much rain all summer, the Gulf decided to kick up a low pressure front and sit it on top of Steinhatchee for the first part of our weekend. We had a steady drizzle all day Friday and most of Saturday with the occasional downpour whenever you thought it would start to clear up. In Steinhatchee, if you can’t fish or scallop the only thing left to do is hang out at the Tiki Bar and drink. Which we did.

In typical vacation weather fashion, it was clear and sunny on Sunday since we had to leave but we managed to sneak in a couple of hours of boating in the morning. Overall we had a great time and we’re looking forward to next year.

Continue reading »]]> On October 10th, 2007 Melissa and I had the pleasure of being part of a select group of close friends that attended the wedding of my best friend, [David] to his lovely fiance, Tricia on the beautiful island of Maui’i, Hawaii. More specifically, we spent an entire week surrounded by sand, sun, crystal clear blue-green pacific ocean, and a great group of friends and family.

Congratulations David and Tricia!

Continue reading »]]> About 3 years ago, Melissa and I decided to try out snowboarding. Our friends had been telling us how much fun it was so we finally decided it was time to give it a shot.  Living in the South, we never really had a chance to pursue winter sports so it was the perfect reason for a winter vacation every year.  Something we could do together over a long weekend or a couple of days in a different part of the country. 

After some research and pricing out hotels, vacation packages, etc. we decided our first trip should be something relatively short, easy to get to, and more importantly – not terribly expensive.  Nothing like setting up a whole 5-7 day vacation around something you’re not sure you’ll even like!

With that in mind, we finally decided on a 4 day weekend trip to [Park City], Utah in early March of 2006.   Mel found a great weekend package that included airline tickets, lift passes and 4 days in a decent hotel just minutes from 2 of the major lift resorts.

After an easy flight out of Atlanta into Salt Lake Thursday night we rented an SUV and headed off for Park City (~45 minute drive).  Salt Lake was snow free but within 20 minutes driving west into the foot hills, we had plenty of fresh powder.  The local radio station reported more snow was on the way. Looked like we would have a great weekend.

Friday morning we headed over to the lift area, picked up our rental gear and decided to goof around on the bunny slopes before our first snowboarding lesson at 12pm. Not 15 minutes later disaster struck.  Melissa was coasting down a 100 yard stretch of the base lift assembly area and towards the end caught the front edge of her board.  She fell forward and landed at a weird angle on her left shoulder (with her arm extended out).  POP! Sure enough, she had dislocated her shoulder.  She remembers popping it back in when she sat up but it was severe enough to knock her off the slopes for the rest of the weekend.

I spent a couple hours on Saturday after my lesson slaloming down the kiddie slope while Mel snapped a couple shots from the edges and drunk herself into a minor state of inebriation.  We had a nice time touring some of the Park City area later that night (the Olympic bobsled park was cool) but I know she was really disappointed and I don’t blame her.  Sunday we packed up and returned to Salt Lake for our flight home.

Even with Mel’s minor medical emergency, I think the trip turned out pretty well. We both got a small taste of snowboarding (loved it) and spent some quality time traveling together.