I'm Going To Home Depot

Julia’s been watching me work in the backyard from patio door the past week or so. On Sunday while we were sitting watching basketball on the couch the following happened:

Julia: I need to go to Home Depot
Aaron: (laughs) You need to go to Home Depot? For what?
Julia: (smiles) Umm…
Aaron: To get some rocks?
Julia: Yes, to get more rocks for the patio (heads for the garage)
Aaron: Are you going to take my truck?
Julia: No…your truck is too big for me. I take Momma’s car
Aaron: (laughs) OK
Julia: I need momma’s keys right now
Aaron: (gets up and gives her the keys)
Julia: Ok, bye Momma and Dadda! I go Home Depot now!
Aaron and Stacey: (laughs) Ok, bye!
Julia: (opens door to the garage, walks to Stacey’s car, tries to put the key in the lock, tries to open the door)
Aaron: Do you need help?
Julia: Yes.
Aaron: (opens passenger side door)
Julia: (crawls into back of car, then to driver’s seat, tries to put keys in ignition) I need help Dadda
Aaron: (puts keys in ignition, decides to end the game at this point)

Later, after a day of lots of cuddles, she tells Stacey that she’s the “bestest Mommy ever”.

Nuggets Suite

We recently started a banking relationship with the Northern Trust branch in Denver. A few weeks ago they visited our campus and later invited us up to their suite at the Pepsi Center for a Nuggets' game. I was invited because I was the one who sought out and recommended them to our management (i.e. I did the research). They are very nice people and we have been impressed by them (wining and dining aside). I think this will be a good match going forward.

We left straight from work and got to the arena with no problem. Everything was paid for - no parking, food, or drink charges. Access to the area is restricted, so it was nice and quiet compared to general seating. There were restaurant style bars with TVs around the arena with nice decorations making this area much less crazy then the main levels. To access our specific box we had to scan the bar code on the bottom of our unnecessarily over-sized tickets. The box was catered and I dug into some chicken strips, buffalo wings and a beer...the perfect sports food. A little while later the dessert cart came by. It was crazy. It had everything you could think of. I dug into a piece of chocolate cake.

Towards the end of the game we were paid a visit from Chris Andersen's (aka "The Birdman") agent. Northern Trust has helped him and his client (i.e. "The Birdman") with wealth and cash flow management. He said he would try to get some autographed memorabilia for Kirk's young sons who came with us. We felt that was a nice touch for the kids. He was a nice guy.

All in all it was a fun night. It's probably something I won't ever do again or at least not very soon. Oh, and in case anyone cares, the Nuggets smoked New Orleans. I didn't really watch much of the game, which is probably normal for this setting (we talked a lot). I can officially say I was part of the "prawn sandwich brigade" (to use an English football term).

Crash On The Pillows

Backyard - Day 1

Can you see the patio area now? We laid out and built the wall that will serve as the boundary for our patio. In the next few days I'll dig out some of the dirt so that we can fill the area in with the appropriate base materials. Once all the gravel and sand is in, we'll compact it and then lay the pavers...and throw down some steps while we're at it.

Judo Kick Dancing

Baby Got Back (Yard)

So here we are - the beginning of spring in Colorado. That can only mean 1 thing...it's backyard time baby. As you can tell from these pictures, we haven't exactly used our backyard in the three years we've lived here. Since this is one of the last major improvements on my list and with baby #2 on the way, I'm highly motivated to get this done before 1 June.

I've recruited a professional consultant, contractor, handyman, and brute squad in one to help me get this done. Overall, this shouldn't be a very difficult project technically except for the stone patio. That part of the project will be the most time consuming, techincal, and expensive. So, we're going to hit that part first (also considering the weather flucuations). After that, we'll extended the sprinklers, and lay some rocks, mulch, sod, and plant a tree. A few flowers and some patio furniture later, and the project will be completed.

With Julia growing up and #2 on the way, this area will be a great place for them to play outside. We'll obviously play with them some of the time, but we'll also have the option to sit on the patio and sip iced tea while we turn them loose.

Oh, I Love It!

Over the past few weeks Julia has been exclaiming her excitement with the phrase, "Oh, I love it!" It's actually pretty cute when you know the context. Usually, it's about something that she has just learned about, no matter how dull or insignficant. The conversation usually goes like this:

Julia: "Dadda (or Momma), what's that?"
Dadda (or Momma): "That's a mouthguard"
Julia: "What's it for?"
Dadda (or Momma): "It makes my teeth feel better at night"
Julia: "Oh, I LOVE it!!!"

This phrase works for all things - from oily rags to ice cream as long as it's something new that she has just learned about. It's pretty cute to see this is her reaction to discovering new things, even if she really doesn't know what they are yet.

Ridgeview at Stetson Hills Housing Market

Today we received a mailer from Boylan and Company, a realtor in the local area. On the advertisement from them it listed a website with information and statistics about our neighborhood (Ridgeview at Stetson Hills). I was fairly certain that our neighborhood had held its value over the past few years despite the housing market and economy. I didn't have much to back up my claim other then my observations on what the listing and selling prices of houses have been in our neighborhood. I was happy to find out that the market statistics back up what I had thought to be true. The website, various links, and statistics confirmed that our home values had at least stayed the same and also filled me with confidence that buying in this neighborhood was a good decision.

The website has a great video summary of our neighborhood. Some of the better quotes from these realtors about our neighborhood are:

- stable home value is the unexpected bonus
- continues to be a stable neighborhood in terms of real estate values and market activity
- the micro-market of Ridgeview at Stetson Hills will do well in 2010
- a terrific seller’s market because demand is high
- through the course of the current real estate market downturn, this area has been extraordinarily insulated holding value and seeing strong resale activity
- this area has proven its ability to withstand the worst of economic markets

Statistics (as of February 2010)
Ridgeview at Stetson Hills vs. Colorado Springs (+ or - for us)

Housing Inventory
3 Months vs. 7 Months (+)

Median List Price
$211,000 vs. $185,000 (+)

Average Sale Price
$229,000 vs. $207,000 (+)

Listing Discount
1% vs. 3.4% (+)

Days on Market
51 days vs. 86 days (+)

Additionally, the average sale price for our neighborhood has been around $100-$110 per square foot. That's a little too high for our house in my opinion. If it were $90 per square foot we'd break even. So, the value of our house has essentially remained unchanged despite the housing market crash. Additionally, selling a home in our neighborhood doesn't seem to be a problem and from a sales/market perspective, a desirable place to buy a house. I'm glad to know on many levels that I was right.

Three Years Running

Well, today is my 3 year anniversary at work.

March 5, 2007 seems like so long ago. We moved in and purchased our first house and had our first child (among other things) since then. I don’t really have a lot to say about my job except that I’m glad I have one right now. Overall I can summarize by saying that it’s been a really good fit for me (and the fam). Maybe I’ll look for a new challenge in a few years; maybe not. I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not in a big rush either way.

I'm A Sucker

The last two nights I’ve come home from work with a present for Julia…i.e. a sucker. A coworker had a pile of them outside her desk and I grabbed one each night on my way out the door.

Today Stacey called me at work because Julia wanted another one. The problem is, they’re all gone. It was cute to have a “conversation” with Julia on the phone though. She took the phone from Stacey and said “hi Dadda”…and that’s about it. After a few seconds of not saying anything I asked her if she wanted something from me to which she responded “yeah”. She didn’t get the words out but I knew she wanted to ask me for another sucker. Even though she talks nonstop at home she hasn’t started talking on the phone yet.

Since the free ones are all gone, I may just have to swing by the store on the way home tonight and pick up my own bag of dum-dums.