.: blog :.

The ultrasound of our baby felt like a miracle in itself. But to be able to share that with Ian and show him his little sibling was indeed a beautiful moment.

It was fun to visit Chicago over the weekend.  It was a getaway to celebrate the ending of grad school, which we’d been looking forward to for quite some time.

We snapped some great photos, so check them out!

Halloween, originally uploaded by aawaken.

My son’s Halloween costume was originally a cow. Until I informed my wife that it did look a bit like a cow, except that it was actually supposed to be a dog. So now a dog costume (dalmatian to be specific), we decided that I had to be a fireman so he could be my helper. I called him my little firedog. Our real dog didn’t seem to mind.

We had a fun visit to Idlewild amusement park’s Halloboo! last weekend.  It’s located along Lincoln Highway in western PA, which helps explain the second photo.  You can find more photos on our Flickr page.

extreme kite flying, originally uploaded by lomokev.

What a fantastic photo. I’ll add some Flickr photos to my blog on occasion. I found this one inspirational… to have fun and to live with abandon.

What an occasion to celebrate! Ian didn’t know what was going on, but Erica and I, along with friends and family, enjoyed throwing Ian his first birthday party. Ian’s aunt flew in for the party, Erica’s parents drove in from across the state, neighbors stopped by, my parents Skyped in, and Ian’s uncle (who gave him a cool “Whiz Kid” t-shirt) gave him a call to wish him “Happy Birthday”. Enjoy some photos from his birthday weekend…! (see below)

I recently accepted an offer to work for Pittsburgh company Mine Safety Appliance Company (MSA). It is a great company with a very thorough hiring process, so I was very happy for the opportunity. The company makes a wide variety of safety products for recreation, construction, law enforcement, firefighting, and the military, and they are very passionate about what they do.

The main reason for the move was to allow me to work in product development rather than strictly in engineering analysis. My position meshes well with the Masters in Product Development that I continue to pursue (now on summer break), so I feel that doors are opening in the right direction. The only downside is a longer commute, but it hasn’t been bad thus far. I have to sell my truck and find a smaller car, so if anyone is considering buying an affordable pickup truck, click here!

A bit of irony lies in the fact that I was previously working as a contractor for Westinghouse Electric Co. With renewed demand for nuclear energy, their business is booming and they are constructing a gigantic $140 million building — right across the street from MSA.

This is a great photo captured at my grandpa’s farm while we were visiting recently. Ian likes to wave at people, so this captures a fun little moment!

The Salina Journal wrote a nice article about the Kelly Jackson Memorial Walk/Run. About 65 people participated in the event and it raised over $2,000. Most of all, it honored Kelly, a dear friend, daughter, sister, and mother. After the custody battle, criminal trial, etc, the event brought solace and more resolution by remembering her in a special way and at a place meaningful to us all. It was also a chance to raise awareness about domestic violence and its prevalence around us.

The day just felt right as the bright sunshine reminded us of her big grin smiling down from above.  See more photos here.