Hello spring.

I walked into my back yard today and looked down and saw one of the most happy things I've seen in a long time.



Green grass. Little yellow flowers. Flip flops. 

My heart bounced around in my chest for a while thinking of all the fun spring will have to offer. I am surely going to take advantage of every second of beautiful weather. No more side projects from now on. No more staring at a monitor. I'm going to come in every night smelling like grass and sweat and BBQ grills. I'm going to become a cyclist and a kickball player. I'm going to read my book at the park and work on Riley's fetching. Like those little yellow weed flowers, I'm gonna soak up the sunshine and come back to life. 

The Northwest.

I just got back from spending 3 days in Portland, Oregon. I returned to Kansas feeling recharged and reenergized. Mountains, waterfalls, the ocean, a city that is alive with design, and wonderful Erin. It was a weekend worth remembering.

It made me wonder why anyone lives in the midwest, and quite honestly - why I'm still there.

Multnomah Falls - a 650' drop...



My good friend, Ralston's favorite place in the world to have a beer:



The Japanese Gardens in Portland:



Our drive to the beach. My reconnect to the world...

I love the whole world.

Every once in a while there's an ad that actually inspires me.

Designing my self.

Here's me as clip art. Here's the real me:

I'm reading a book right now called "Design Your Self," by Karim Rashid. It makes me think more seriousy about the daily decisions that I make. And now, I'm making better decisions.
Here's one I made today: Start a blog.

I remember when I was growing up how people would refer to life after high school (and then life after college) as the "real world." It annoyed me because I felt like my life was real even then. But anyway. Screw them. Now I'm living in a "real" word. With a "real" job. And "real" bills. And all that boring stuff that now qualifies my life as "real."