Back on the Board at Crystal Mountain

It's been more than 2 years since I snowboarded in North America. I think I'm long overdue.
Sister & I hit up Crystal Mountain for an afternoon of fun, just like the good 'ol days!

Knott's Berry Farm

Happy Birthday! Flying to California for a day of nonstop rollercoasters is Carmen's kind of celebration.
January + Theme Park + Weekday = No Lines!
Carmen wanted to ride every single ride that was open.
Even the Dancing Hats. (Teacups for all the Disney people) Apparently they accept ethnic diversity a little more around here.
I got to revisit my childhood. Montezooma's Revenge was the scariest ride when I came here 14 years ago. I distinctly remember my dad sneaking the video camera onto the ride so he could film us going upside down...I'm told the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
"Okay Jared, I'll put my hands up for another picture."
-Carmen
(The ride operator couldn't stop laughing after he took this shot.)Because I'm a wuss and I felt like I needed to vomit, Carmen said we could take it easy for a little while. We saw the train...and of course, fire station no 9...and fire engine 5. (The answer is yes, I will find something fire dept. related everywhere we go.)
We finished of the day with the most exciting ride: The carousel!
(Actually the MOST exciting ride of the day was the bus we took to get back to LAX for only $1.25 a person. That is something everyone should experience.)

No donations in 10 days!

I have nearly achieved my preliminary goal of $1,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for this years Firefighter Stair Climb. I am greatly appreciative of the 5 people that have gotten me this far, but the donations have stopped coming in. No one has offered to sponsor me in the last 10 days. There are only 7 more weeks until the race and I really want to make a difference! Remember that all donations are tax deductible and 100% of proceeds go to charity. If everyone gives a little bit, it goes a long way! Click here to see my progress and donate!

Mazatlan Day 5

"Daddy, can we pwease go to the beach?"
-Liam
(How could I resist that face?)
"I'm gonna get their first!!!"
-LiamI have a feeling that if we were in the Puget Sound right now, Liam wouldn't have quite the same look on his face.
"Look dad, a jellyfish!"
-Liam
"1, 2, 3, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
-dadIt does exist. We're staying here all day.
Keep the fruity drinks comin' cause we're not leaving this beach till the sun sets.Liam likes his peach juice, straight up.
We have all the essentials right here.That's what a full day of building sand castles will do to you.

Mazatlan Day 4

We set out some pretty lofty goals this morning: Walk to the top of the lighthouse that sits higher than any other in the world (while carrying Liam on my shoulders). That should help me get in shape for the firefighter stair climb! By the way... You can donate to my climb by clicking here. :) C'Mon I need some motivation here!
But first we need to buy a hat for Liam since he already lost his sunglasses.
And so our journey began... We started at our place, walked along the ocean boardwalk, past the restaurant, up the treacherous hillside, then to the top of Mount Doom to destroy the ring--- I mean to the top of the lighthouse.
Hey, I can see my cruise ship from up here. No wait. That was last vacation.
"Whew. That was a lot of work sitting upright on dad's shoulders for the last 2 hours while he carried me to the top."
-Liam
I'm gonna try not to fall like I did last time I carried Liam up a mountain. His face is cute enough without scrapes & scratches.
Wish you were shipwrecked here with us. It's been rough, but we're surviving.How do you start this thing? I obviously never served in the military.
"Maybe he knows how to fire the gun dad!"
-LiamCarmen made a new friend and introduced him to the family. How cute!
Sorry Carmen, I don't think customs is gonna let you take him home with us.
She is against getting a dog, but wanted something a little more low maintenance.Ok, I don't remember if this is breakfast or lunch cause this kid has been eating salsa 24/7.
Carmen's first time on a horse. This ride was made possible by our fantastic exchange rate and the Mexican bartering system. Viva Mexico!The owner of the horses literally handed us the reigns and told us to be back in a half hour. Did I mention neither of us have ever been on a horse before?! Told ya this trip was an adventure. Somehow we made it back alive... barely.Another long day... Liam & puppy are going nigh-night.

Mazatlan Day 3

I think I should be in a Discover Mexico commercial. Ariba!
I know what you're thinking, and you're right: I'll never grow up.
Future Olympian! I'm not just saying that cause I'm a bias father... I'm being modest.
Mom couldn't be prouder. (Wait, is prouder a word?) He gets his grammar from his mother.
Today was truly adventure day. I like to live life on the edge. Actually, now that I think of it, we're in the middle of Mexico... every day is adventure day. Ok, apparently they don't believe in clothing in Mexico. My blog is now PG-13.
"Senor! We'll have another round of Margaritas!"
-Carmen & the old Mexican guy with the guitarThese Pulmonias were a rockin' good time! We could usually barter them down to about $3 for a 5 mile ride. It's a VW that looks like a super-sized, gas powered golf cart. Awesome!
I had the Shrimp Sandwich while Carmen rocked Liam to sleep after a long day.All tuckered out. Liam lives by the motto: Play hard. Sleep hard.After nap time, Liam was ready to sing his heart out all night long.Authentic roadside taco's in Mexico (No, not roadkill tacos, roadSIDE). I've always wanted to have some from one of those little carts. They taste great at that little van on Pacific Highway in Tukwila, but to my surprise they are even better here! My Spanish is just good enough to know what kind of meat I ordered... I think.
That's it for the day, Liam. Now sweep the floor and you can go to bed. (Sounds of whip cracking)

Mazatlan Day 2

As you can tell, the weather here was awful! I'm sure Carmen is wishing she were back in Seattle... or Iowa about now. :) Yeah, that's the look of disappointment.
Nothing quite like Salsa for breakfast! Yes, this is my son and yes, it's pretty much the only thing he wants to eat. I like to let him learn by experience.
Instant way to cheer up the family: fly them to Mexico in January.
Liam is discovering his independence as an almost 2 year old. We just told him to be back before dark and lock up when leaving the house.
Liam discovered the beach for the first time since Hawaii last year.
"Water!!!"
-Liam (off to the races)
Notice mom is keeping a careful watch in the background while the irresponsible father is snapping pictures and goofing off.
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
-dad
"It's party time."
-Liam
We partied at the Cowboy Restaurant...
We partied in the open air taxi's...
We even partied at Senor Frog's.
(Future Bono)
...too cool for his own good.

Mazatlan Day 1

We decided to take Liam with us on this trip, and boy is he excited. This kid is all packed and ready to roll!
Isn't it great how much fun you can have with a vomit bag?! I think it's the fatherly instinct that has kicked in and made me much more creative than I ever would have thought. It's a 6 hour flight, and Liam gets to experience pretty much everything this airplane has to offer... The in flight magazine...
In flight movie...
Midflight music & snacks...
Climate control & reading light...
Yes, that was the fasten seatbelt sign, Liam. Party time's over; back to your seat.
Finally, we've landed in Mexico! Time for us to explore the tarmac and try to avoid getting hit by approaching aircraft. It's kinda like playing frogger at the airport, trying to get from the plane to the terminal.
Oh yeah baby! No more snow! We're here in sunny Mazatlan to fill our prescription for sunshine. Poor Liam had the sniffles in Seattle.
Right behind us is our "casa del playa". We've never been here and our instructions are to have the taxi drop us at the intersection where we will need to go find the house, kinda like a scavengar hunt... or Amazing Race!You guessed it: Mexican Fire Station. I have to find one in every country. I admit it. I'm addicted.
On 2 days notice we hopped on a plane with our 2 year old and ended up in Mazatlan at a friend's house. Now we are soaking up the 80 degree sun and drinking $3 Margaritas at the Plaza Machado. Viva Mexico! Viva flight benefits!

Thanks for Donating - Keep it up!

Thanks to Teresa (my big sis) and Cam & Lydia for your generous donations. I am getting closer to reaching my goal of $1,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I would really like to top my total of $1,500 from 2006 if you guys are feeling extra generous this year. This is a great charity, and I'm happy to climb to the top of the tallest building Washington State as long as I have lots of support. I've already donated $50 and I have begun training. Please pass on the opportunity to support a local firefighter and a worthy charity to anyone you know! Click here to go to my fundraiser page.