Europe was a blast. We have photos, but I don't want to bore people with a bunch of photos of fun places. People have asked what was my favorite parts about the trip. It's hard to really pick just one. I could go through and document the day-by-day of what we did and saw, but it wouldn't be that entertaining for anyone but my Mom. Some of my personal highlights included the Tower of London, eating dinner at a real English pub, having lunch on the Eiffel Tower, walking the streets of Paris and rubbing shoulders (literally) with some Paris celebrities - I had no idea who they were but our guide was excited, the fact that we spent a week on a ship (the sensible side liked the food and entertainment, but the pirate side enjoyed being rocked to sleep by the waves), touring the Vatican and getting to see the Colosseum in Rome, touring Pompei and seeing how Roman citizens really lived back then - it was all pretty amazing. As I said, I could go on and on, but I won't bore anyone who bothers to read my blogs with all of the details.
I believe people also know that Sharise and I bought a townhouse in Spanish Fork. It wasn't our ideal place to live necessarily, not because of the area but mainly because of the close proximity to my parents. It's not that we don't like them, but after having lived with them for a year, it's nice to have a little room now. The picture below is of our kitchen, pre-move-in:
Our master bedroom is a bit of a master suite: we put our extra couch in a "nook" in the bedroom (which I'm trying to convince Sharise would be a great place for a hearth and fireplace), and we don't even notice that it's there. I believe it's roughly 12'x25', but you can probably get a good feel from the floorplan. It also has a two car garage and an unfinished basement, for a grand total of about 2400ft2. Not bad for a "townhouse" (no, it's not a "condo" !). In case anyone is curious, we're in the Maple Mountain subdivision, not far from the new high school. I know, I probably shouldn't be putting out info on us online - you never know about crazy stalkers - but if anyone is stupid enough to try and breech the homegrown security system, especially while we're home, they get what they deserve.
Work is going well, I'm enjoying being a web developer with a little more clear-cut responsibility. It will be interesting to see how the new plan works in action. I like working for Eli Kirk. I just moved into a new office, where at least if I don't have a window, I can still see outside.
Other than that, life is good. I took the advanced motorcycle safety course and passed. With the new division in engines in the state of Utah, I'm cleared for up to a 649cc bike. Also, we're considering getting a new vehicle for the cold, wet days when there's ice on the highway - probably a Jeep CJ-7.
The new year is looking bright - here's to good health, good fun, good friends, and good good... or something. :)
