Chris' Updates

Apologies for the late post, but I've been a madman up until last week. After spring break, I had to kick all three of my class projects into high gear. In senior project, I had been spinning my wheels on a particular problem, and finally called in our Google sponsor, Scott, to help me out. We and the rest of the team had a couple of late-night hackathon sessions, and really made some huge progress. After Scott showed me how to incorporate my own PaintWeb tools the right way and started me on a selection system, I was able to make some nice enhancements to our 2D canvas and toolset. In the end, we handed off a senior project that I'm proud to put my name on, and proud that AgentSheets will carry forward. In Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, our group wrapped up our design and did our three week-long iterations of development, and ended up with a decent proof-of-concept; an Android app for managing chores, along with a RESTful web service backend. We had planned a lot...

Last Thursday was my last day of class for the summer, and I'm glad to be finished with this Matrix Methods and Applications class. I was really looking forward to the applications, but it turned out to be all methods. Once again, I've learned a lot of math techniques and I'm left with no idea when they're useful. Brilliant. I don't have my grade back, but I'm pretty sure I passed at least. A couple of weeks ago, Ashley and I and some friends took a camping trip up to Kelly Dahl campground near Nederland. We did a lot of catching up, and a little hiking and geocaching. You can check out our photos on Picasa . We took Apollo, and he had a blast. It was great to get outdoors and remember that I can tear myself away from computers when I need to. I spend a lot of my time using my computers. Even when I go out around town, I have my G1, which has more processing power than our family's first computer, and constantly keeps me connected to the internet. When I...

Alright, it's been a while since I've posted, but you can be sure I've been busy! School and my new workout regimen have been going pretty well. I've been falling short of perfect in both arenas, but I'm maintaining a good pace on both. Over spring break last month, I had my good buddy William Holliday visit from North Carolina. I met William when we were both in Iraq, and it was great to see him again and show him around my beloved home state. I still have to figure out when I'm going to visit him. Last weekend I had Army drill down at Ft. Carson. We stayed down at a little corner called Camp Red Devil, far from main post, which was a first for me. Our living arrangements were shacks covered in sheet metal, with cots to sleep in. Once you get past that little annoyance, though, it was a fun, productive weekend. I got to practice some of my radio skills for a change. We set up several radios, an OE-254 antenna, and tried to set up a retransmission site. I ha...

It's been over a month since my last update, so I suppose it's time. We're about half-way through the semester at school, and I'm staying afloat for the most part. I do need to spend more time concentrating on my probability class, but everything else seems to be going well. I've been pushing harder on my physical fitness in the last couple of weeks; I'm actually getting to the gym, and I'm spending some quality time while I'm there. I've hired a personal trainer, and she's been helping to get me in the weight room. On my own, I've been focusing on improving my cardiovascular fitness and endurance while running, as well as trying to burn off a few pounds. When I got home last June, I was just below my Army-mandated maximum weight, but I've gained about 20 lbs. since then. In other news, our friend Chris is having serious medical issues. He's been in and out of the hospital in the past few weeks. He's going through some pretty ser...

Hey everyone! Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy New Year! This year has been one to remember, for certain. I spent Christmas Eve last year in Iraq, being accepted into the Catholic church. Since then, I've seen another great friend get married while I was on leave, then came back home for good! I've furthered my education at CU, and scraped a 2.8 out of 4 GPA for this semester, my best grades at that school yet. I sadly said goodbye to Grandpa Doug, but have made many good friends in unexpected places. Looking forward, the time is quickly approaching for me to decide my future with the Army Reserves. I go wildly back and forth, from "I can't possibly re-up," to "I must stay." There are compelling reasons on both sides of the argument. I have made one decision, though; if I do stay in the Army, I will eventually pursue becoming a Warrant Officer of the Signal Corps. This office is little known to many outside the military, but basically Warrant...

Last week, Ashley and I finally got going on a project that we've been talking about even before I left last year. After Mike moved out last weekend, his bedroom was left empty, so it was perfect timing to empty our bedroom too and throw some paint on the walls. Ashley's mother loves to paint her rental property's interiors completely in ultra-pure gloss white, and it has been bugging Ashley for a long time. She says it's depressing to be around so much white. We've fixed that situation, painting our bedroom in green tones, and our new guest room in shades of red. It came out really well! We finished most of the painting in one day, which amazed me. The next day, Ashley shampooed the carpets in both rooms, so they're both nice and fresh. After all of that hard work, it was a little hard to get motivated for the camping trip, but we managed to get packed and drive up on Friday afternoon. We camped at the Cold Springs Campground in Roosevelt National Park, just ...

Several things have happened lately that have started me thinking. First, I found a book while browsing Barnes and Noble with Ashley during the retreat in Columbus; The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development by Chad Fowler. It's been a great read; it talks about things you can do as a software creator to not only rise above the average programmer, and not only shine among your peers, but to have a fire for your work and actually enjoy your accomplishments. Chad draws on his experience as a professional musician in addition to his work as a software engineer, and compares the skills that make artists in both fields really great. While I've never been a good enough musician to be a professional, I can see that many of his points are valid. Also, I recently sat down with some friends to watch the movie Once . In that movie, a pair of penniless musicians meet by chance and discover a wonderful connection through their music. While they don'...

The Strong Bonds marriage enrichment retreat that the Army arranged for Ashley and I was a big success. We spent three full days away from home, and about two days in Columbus, Ohio. We were flown on Southwest Airlines, and I must say, I was really not a fan of their open seating policy. We stopped in Chicago for a layover, and Ashley and I both noticed the difference in the general atmosphere between that city and Denver. People in Chicago are just downright rude! I guess I shouldn't expect anything less; it has a reputation as a hard town. The hotel in Columbus was very nice, considering that this was an Army event. The Columbus Airport Marriott treated the conference guests very well. The hotel's catered food and restaurant were good, the conference room was stocked with water and writing materials, and the rooms were clean and relaxing. As for the retreat, it was presented as a seminar, with short classes interspersed with small group and couples discussions. We learned som...

Sorry for the long wait, but I've been a busy individual. Traveling home was a trying experience. After moving out from transient housing, we spent over 24 hours in the PAX terminal because of pushed back flights. We slept on the floors while the terminal got more and more crowded with grumpy but patient military travelers. Our unit didn't even have the benefit of our checked baggage, which had already been palletized. After that test of patience, we flew down to Kuwait. Despite some temper flares, we moved quickly through the processing and stayed only one day, which is an accomplishment. The housing for that night were two enormous tents, one for males and one for females. We had about 60 people in our tent, and the females were really able to spread out. Customs was fairly quick and uneventful, and we made our way to Kuwait International Airport and out on our chartered flight. The international flight was terribly long. If I remember right, when I took leave, the large DC-1...

As I write, I'm sitting in Kuwait again, on my way back to Iraq. I had an excellent two weeks of leave; it was nothing short of amazing. It's not like I did anything way beyond normal. What made this visit amazing was the simple pleasures of seeing the people I love, and doing what I wanted to do, and going where I wanted to go. I had very little planned more than a day ahead of time, and that's exactly how I wanted it. On our first anniversary, Ashley and I went to Mass together, and then joined her aunt Carol and uncle Greg for the tail end of a seminar on the Shroud of Turin . Very interesting. After that, the four of us went to lunch and had a great time catching up. Ashley and I had planned on going to dinner and a movie possibly, but that plan was pushed to the wayside. I started tinkering with my computer, and Ashley curled up on the bed, and after a while I decided to join her for a short nap. When we woke up, it was 6am the next morning! So much for living up our a...

I've spent most of the week doing extra bus runs, because they need the help and I need the money. My attendance in classes has suffered, but as I mentioned, most of the heavy lifting is already done. I haven't been going in to the Rational Data office either. Just too busy. Meanwhile, people have been coming in to town. Jackie flew in yesterday, and my mom and her friend arrived last night. Dad and Jeannie are coming in tonight, and Zach and his girlfriend will not be in until tomorrow. Tonight was spent mostly preparing the rental property for the reception, and tomorrow looks to be spent the same way. After that, off to the rehearsal, and the next day... my single life is over. I think I can handle that.

Ashley and I celebrated our wedding shower yesterday, and it was beautiful! We had the party at her mother's vacant rental property. It was sort of a dry run for the reception. It was a fairly small gathering, abut 30 friends and family. Ashley's mother served up a great meal. We played some of the usual shower games: bingo, and the TP dress game. After those, we opened the gifts, and there were quite a few. Afterward, a few people stuck around to clean and play the card game spoons (we play similar to these rules ). The whole day was a lot of fun, and moved along with very few hitches or problems. I'm getting excited for the wedding!

Well, the St. Baldrick's fundraiser was a success by my standards. Team Buff Bus managed to raise $1,600, and with kind sponsorships from my father and Rational Data, I met my own goal of $100. Every little bit helps. We all had a great time, and Mike even joined in the fun. Ashley took many great pictures of the event, so check'em out!

The subject of this post refers to wedding details, not enemies or anything like that. Today Ashley and I went to Manitou Springs, just outside of Colorado Springs. Our mission: purchase "the" cake topper from The Glass Blowers of Manitou. We were familiar with their work because Ashley aunt and uncle purchased their cake topper from that shop, probably somewhere around 20 years ago. After the drive down, we made a beeline past other fun shops, strait to the glass blowers. After many minutes of careful consideration, we chose "the one." It's a beautiful piece of art, with two swans in front, their necks forming a heart, and a larger heart in back. The artist was able to attach some silk flowers in our wedding colors. It's absolutely beautiful. After our "small" purchase, Ashley and I decided to hike around Garden of the Gods with the remaining daylight. We both had our new cameras, and we both snapped some decent shots. I was proud of the shots fro...

Yesterday was was February 14th, and everyone knows what that means. I was in the doghouse before the day even started. That's not true, actually. I received a few hints that this might be an important year to remember St. Valentine's Day properly, especially since I won't be home to celebrate it next year. I knew there was no way I could hide the pink roses I bought Wednesday, so she was endowed with those strait from the store. Also, the Ghirardelli chocolate was best enjoyed that evening. But I did save a few things for the big day. After school, I was going to exchange our propane tank so that we could grill steaks. Ashley decided to come with me, and during the actual exchange process, she almost ruined her surprise gift. The damage was done, so when we arrived back home, I presented her with her brand new electric mattress pad. She's been asking for a heating blanket for months now, and I think she was excited. Grilling the steaks that evening was interesting. I t...

Mike, who's a good friend from high school and is also in the Army (silly National Guard), moved in yesterday. I'm mostly positive about it, because it means we have more income in the house (theoretically). Ashley's on the fence at this point. While the income might be nice, it means she won't have as much room to use. Also, the prospect of being married, husband deployed, and having a male roommate is somewhat unsettling. I trust that the situation will be fine. On the other hand, from an outside perspective it does look.. strange. Oh well. We'll see how it goes.

Ashley and I went to Nativity tonight and met with the deacon again, and received the results from our bubble tests. According to the test we're fairly compatible. I could've told them that! Oh well. We're still waiting on the dispensation, though.

My family came into town on Friday, ready for the Tour de Force of Colorado relatives. They decided to try and see if all of us could sleep in Alcott, and after some shuffling and a couple of air mattresses, we managed it. On Saturday we saw Grandma Bobbie, along with aunt Rhonda, aunt Teresa and her grandson. After breakfast and a short visit, we were off to Great Grandma Keller's and Grandpa Doug's, and saw Teresa's boyfriend Ed, aunt Gwen and her two girls. Grandma Keller is not looking well these days; cancer is taking its toll. It's very sad to see her whither away like this. As the evening set in, we headed over to see uncle John and Maryann at their isolated little foothills house. They're doing well, as are all of their dogs. Sunday, Zach decided to leave to visit his friend Josh. The rest of us did a bit of clothes shopping, and in the afternoon we visited Grandma Doris and aunt Nancy. They seem to be doing pretty well these days. After that, Mom and Dad dr...

Well, I was planning on leaving for Colorado on Wednesday, but the weather ruined that plan. Instead, I spent the day doing homework and getting some quality "me" time. Thursday, I went with Ashley to the Campbell's Thanksgiving celebration in Greely. There were quite a few relatives that even Ashley didn't know, but the food was great. I got a chance to talk with her grandfather, Bob, and he gave me a bit more of his vast knowledge on guns. It was fun. After the Campbell's, Ashley and I drove back and visted my grandma and aunt. They seem to be doing well. We also visited Ashley's grandmother, and she was thrilled to see me. I really need to visit people more often. Saturday, Ashley needed to catch up with her work, and it was a gorgeous day, so I decided to get really ambitious and clean our garage and make room for a huge bucket freezer. It wasn't too bad, and just when I started to run out of steam, Ashley's mom and uncle showed up to help put ever...

Well, last weekend was a bit crazy. Friday morning, Kristen was induced into labor with her baby. Ashley decided it was her job to get Kristen through, so she was at the hospital most of Friday and into Saturday. All that time, I was hastily cleaning the house. Saturday morning, my mother arrived, and I spent most of the day with her. In the afternoon, I received the call that Devin had given his mother some trouble coming out, but after an emergency C-section, mother and baby were both wonderful! Sunday I spent more time with Mom, and she came with me on my bus run to Boulder Reservoir. It was a great time, and she found several opportunities to use her new camera. Sunday evening, I went and saw Devin for the first time. Babies are just so tiny when they're first born! This week I've been a working fool, but at least this time I'm choosing my hours. I need to get some money together for the holidays. I had a physics midterm on Tuesday night that went very well. This weeken...