Happy New Year!!!

In traditional holiday form (at least for my family, I am going to give a little recap of 2005. Its been quite a monumentous year around these parts with a puppy and law school marking the beginnings of new adventures in our lives.

So without further adieu: (be sure to scroll down for some pictures)

January 05: Brought our good friend and former co-worker at Squaw Valley Ski Patrol, Dave Gregory, out for a little taste of NW powder. Before heading for the Cascades we gave Dave a quick tour of Seattle as it was his first visit to the capital of the NW. Dave is a Landscape Architect student, so there were many places on the list of sites to show him. 2005 was a terrible year for snow in the NW, but Dave may have caught one of the best three day cycles of the season. And no better place than Mt. Baker.

February: Maybe it was no snow since Dave visited in early January that caused this crazy decision, but we decided to get a puppy. Actually it wasn't crazy and has turned out to be one of the best additions to our lives. Rado Falls (short for Silverado, our favorite place to ski at Squaw Valley, where we met) is a Bernese Mountain Dog. He is a super dog that is very chill and goofy.

March: Rado was pretty much the focus of our lives after getting him. And you can read even more about him if you scroll way down on this blog or look in the archives. Spring Break came for Jen and she left us two boys alone. Then it started to snow (finally) and we headed for the hills.

April: Since my Mom and Dad don't have any grandchildren, a puppy is big news, so they headed out to visit their new Grand-puppy. Rado was very spoiled for the week with many games of tug-a-war and his first Bone. Dusty and Ashley joined my parents for the trip.

May: April showers, bring May Kayaking. With spring rain and spring snowmelt, May is one of the better months in the NW for kayaking. I also had a trip planned to meet some friends in Cody, Wyoming for a challenging expedition. I started another blog with a couple friends as a creative outlet for my kayak adventures. You can read all about this wyoming trip and all the other kayaking trips I have taken since at www.therangelife.blogspot.com. One of my friends is a great photographer, so go check out all the cool pictures on the site.

June: As Jennie finished up with her finals we packed up the truck and hit the road. Our friends, Tim and Kristi Holmberg, got married in Mazama, WA, which is on the east side of the N. Cascades. The wedding was a beautiful ceremony on a ranch, and Jennie loved the east cascades as the weather is must warmer and sunnier over there. From here we drove up to British Columbia to see some friends and do a little kayaking. I love the Squamish/Whistler area and my friends up there, so needless to say, it was a fun stop. From there it was back to Seattle so Jennie could start packing for her big trip.

July: Jennie took off for East Timor right after July 4th, and as soon as she left, Rado and I packed the truck up and headed for Colorado. Jen went to East Timor for over two months to volunteer at a medical clinic in East Timor (formerly Indonesia). With law school starting in just over a month, Rado and I hit the road for a pre-school holiday. We headed for Colorado to see friends, family, and of course the rivers. After some plans fell through, I decided to head back early and spend the remainder of my holiday in British Columbia. I was also able to talk Todd Gillman into joining me, and even moving out to the NW later in the year.

Aug: With two weeks left before school, I focused my energy on the house trying to get as much done as possible. Knowing that I wouldn't have much time to work on the house once I was in school. This was a very productive time for the kitchen remodel. And then Law School began. This has been a moment I have been looking forward to for quite awhile now. It would be hard to summarize everything, but this was an exciting new step in my future.

Sept: Jennie returned from East Timor to a boyfriend that studied all the time, a dog that had almost doubled in size, and a kitchen that was transformed, but still very messy.

Oct: Jen is back in school, and law school is in full swing.

Nov: Lots of school. Jen's mom, Susan, and her aunt, Janet, came for Thanksgiving. We knew that we wouldn't have time to travel anywhere with our studies, so it was nice to have family in town.

Dec. - I survived my first Semester, and now its time to ski. Well actually, time to build a fence, because Rado has been experiencing a little separation anxiety. In other words he likes to chew on law books, mail, or any other paper if we leave him locked up for too long. My friend, Bryan Smith, was just down from BC helping us work on the house. This worked well, because the snow conditions haven't been very good for the past couple weeks. But with temperatures falling in the forcast Jennie and I are getting excited to hit the slopes. We plan to go spend New Year's eve in Whistler.

2006: More skiing, kayaking, and time with Rado. And of course school and remodeling. Check back often as one of my new year resolutions is to keep this blog a little more updated.

If you are not yet sick of hearing about my life, feel free to scroll on down and check out my other blogs (Kayaking: www.therangelife.blogspot.com or House Stuff: www.2814eastolive.blogspot.com). If that doesn't satisfy you, its time to come visit. Hope you are all reading this in good health and peace, and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Happy New Year! Love Shane.