Year in Review
2009 has been an interesting and eventful year. My role at Baylor has expanded as I had hoped when I accepted the senior design position in September of 2008. Towards the end of last year, I took the lead in incorporating JQuery plugins into my designs. After several successful implementations, all of our web consultants have followed my lead and are now using JQuery in their designs. We also now have the most off the hook Virtual Tour. And most importantly, our web partners throughout the Baylor campus are thrilled with the final product. Check out my portfolio to see more.
Playtri Triathlon - "The Water is so cold Daddy!"
The girl's did it! They competed in their first triathlons. Alison swam 200 meters, biked 6 miles, and ran 1 mile. Kristen swam 100 meters, biked 3 miles, and ran 1/2 a mile. The water temperature was a brisk 60 degrees. At the end of the day, both girls received medals for the performances. I guess it is now my turn. At this point, I am targeting the Waco Sprint Triathlon (800 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run) that will be held in July 2010. Given my current physical state, I have a long road ahead of me to get ready.
Triathlons - You're Kidding, Right?
Both Alison and Kristen have decided that they want to start participating in youth triathlons, and being the good and stupid daddy that I am, I have agreed to train them. That means I have to get in good enough shape to actually run them as well. Am I nuts?
We are now targetting a Triathlon in McKinney, TX on September 25th. This may get pushed back to one in October in San Antonio. We will just have to see how training goes. I've included a video from Youtube. This actually looks fun; I wish these competitions would have been available back when I was swimming.
Six Flags
Six Flags as usual was alot of fun. Alison, Kristen, Grant, and I were joined by my sister Sally and her boys Scott and Bradley.
Six Flags is going through some policy changes since declaring bankruptcy that will cause some bumps in your trip if you are not prepared. Six Flags has gone to shorter hours (10:30 to 10:00) and a no loose articles on major thrill rides rule that is a real hassle if you have a souvenir cup. Other than that, the weather was hot, but the lines were short. The favorite rides this year were Superman, Flashback, and Tony Hawk's Big Spin. I have posted a Six Flags 2009 gallery at Facebook. It is open to peopl on my friend's list. If you aren't on the list, send me a friend request.
Uncle Mark's for the 4th
We spent July 4th weekend on Cedar Creek Lake at Gina's brother's house. The kids got to have a lot fun on the lake. Alison, Kristen, & Grant went tubing for the first time. Nathan got to go on his first boat ride. At the end of the day, we all settled in for a night of watching the neighbors spend thousand of dollars on fireworks.
Waco Splash Parks & Swimming
This summer we are trying to make it to
all of Waco's Splash Parks. The splash parks are fun alternative when there isn't time to make it to the pool. So far we have gone to Hewitt and Mountainview. The kids prefer Mountainview so far. We'll see if that continues as we make it to more of the splash parks.
Swimming is still our primary summer activity. We are fortunate that we have two places that we can swim for free. Our favorite watering hole is the Windmill Hill Clubhouse which really amazes me as there is not a slide or diving board. It is a fairly large pool and it is never crowded. We also frequent the pool at the SLC. This pool is featured in one of the new videos on Baylor's Virtual Tour website.
