The Hazard Chronicles

Well, it's time for my annual self-induced guilt trip for not keeping up with things on the blog. It happens about once a year, where a lot of time goes by and I don't write anything, and then I look up and I see our printed Hazard Chronicles on the shelf, which makes me want to write again but by now I have started to forget details of certain things, which leads to not having anything to write about, which leads to the thoughts that I am letting all these memories slip by unrecorded, which leads to feelings of failure, regret, and inadequacy, which leads to a renewed resolve to do better, which finally gets me on here to start writing again.

So, here I am.

March seems to be flying by. The weather is finally starting to warm up and we are all excited for the coming of spring. The kids are out on their bikes again, or jumping on the trampoline, or wandering the neighborhood with friends who are also coming out of cold-weather hibernation. I have started running more and doing some climbing-specific routines in hopes of getting in shape for the summer. Rachel also finished a pretty intense workout program, and in doing so beat me in a bet that we had regarding our fitness goals. As much as I dislike losing, I am proud of her.

The biggest event as a family would be the renewal of our annual season ski passes, this time at a new and much larger resort than we have been going to. This one (Silver Mountain) has steeper runs, more variety, a winter village, a bike park in the summer, and the largest indoor water-park in Idaho. It is also only a 40 minute drive from our house instead of an hour- a difference that feels more significant than it actually is, but which is certainly nice considering how often we get out. We have already had some beautiful spring skiing there, and it will definitely give us something to look forward to for next year when the snow starts falling again.

Yesterday I went and watched Evelyn and her challenge team participate in a robotics contest that took place across our school district. Her team won first place for teamwork and it was clear that they were all having a good time. It was also rewarding as a parent to watch her in her element with people she liked being with. She has matured so much lately and is turning into a pretty awesome young woman. Her other big accomplishment this month is finishing her babysitting class with the Red Cross, a situation that is really a win-win deal for our whole family. She now has a source of income that, considering how often Rach and I get out, can start adding up pretty quickly. Meanwhile, Rach and I are probably saving hundreds of dollars each month in being able to pay her a little bit instead of paying someone else a lot.

Alright, well, that was a quick update. I need to get ready for work now, but I'll try to be better about getting on here at least on a weekly basis.

Have a good week!