2017
Wordless Wednesday 04/12
*Our two really amazing pups, Tucker and PJ (March 2014)*
I shared this yesterday on Instagram but thought I would share it here as well. Our pups Tucker and PJ were our first kids before all the human ones came along. This picture was taken in March 2014 right after a haircut.
Swinging Boo 👻 enjoying the great weather that came back.
These two are looking sharp in this picture 😀 #NationalPetDay
Wordless Wednesday 04/05
*Intriguing rock creations from long ago carved by the mighty Colorado River (June 2015, South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona)*
Nothing like breaking in my new pair of ASICS shoes on a long run in warm foggy weather yesterday morning
Family 🙌
Wordless Wednesday 03/29
Catching a glimpse of water and sunshine from the trail in the dark heavy cover of the trees (July 2016, Rice Marsh Lake Park, Chaska, MN)
Thirty-Six
Another year has come and gone but not without leaving a great impact to end 35. This past year the continued theme for me was to lead a healthier life, which mostly involved me spending more time outside running, biking with the kids, and ultimately trying to stay more active on a week-to-week basis.
This past year my wife and I also made a big decision that she was going to take a year off from Teaching in a way to slow down our crazy hustle and bustle life. With three kids there is never really a slow moment but we thought this would help us not rush the kids out the door by 7 am with us yelling at them because they were moving slowly and tired. I will say it has been a great change for the family she has been home to get our oldest on and off the bus each day, taking our middle child to Pre-School and the being able to spend time with the youngest while the older ones are off to school. I am sure some of it depends on the day but overall she has been enjoying this change and it has allowed our family to not feel so rushed.
For me specifically in trying to slow down or reprioritize my efforts I have started to really evaluate where I spend my time outside of work and realized I need to start saying “NO” to certain projects/volunteering activities. While I can’t say I have really severed ties with anything yet it has been on my mind as 2017 started and I have put a plan in place to evaluate those various activities as I want to make sure I am getting the most out of my days and making sure I am spending it where I want to spend it (more on this in a future post). Also, I realized it is very important for me to reevaluate things like that as work has become more time-consuming and I still want to put my best effort forward and still find time for the other things but knowing it can’t be everything.
Finally, this past year was a great milestone as my wife and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary. However, on a sad note last year we had to say goodbye to our 13-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Tucker and our youngest child says she misses him each day.
Finally, as I look forward to what 36 will bring for me I am not entirely sure. One thing is for sure, though, I will continue to make tweaks to my routines, projects, and continue to work on cultivating/making time for the true friendships I have. One big thing that will happen in the upcoming year is that we are going to take a road trip from Minnesota to Maine in the late summer. It will be a two-week trip one on the road and one on the ocean. That trip could mark the beginning of yearly family road trips or the final one… time will tell :).
I have learned so much in the last year and I hope to continue that going forward.
Previously: 35
How could I pass up the chance to try Chicken and Waffles tonight.. It was really good.
Wordless Wednesday 03/22
Looking down into the valley of the Rio Colca (December 2007, Near Lari, Peru)
Ice cream face Boo.. Thanks @dairyqueen (firstdayofspring, BooFaces)
Wordless Wednesday 03/08
*Shadows taking a walk in the afternoon sun (March 2017, Eden Prairie, MN)*
The whole family was excited to see the Timberwolves play last night until…. the game was canceled.. Wait, last time I checked weather shouldn’t effect indoor basketball 🤔
Wordless Wednesday 03/01
*Fresh snow on my running trail.. Did I ever mention I like running in the snow :) (Eden Prairie, MN, March 2017)*
Looks like someone is “Boo” tired to finish her books ð»ð
Sleepy skater Boo…
Wordless Wednesday 02/22
*Finally time to catch the sunrises on my early morning runs (February 2017, Eden Prairie, MN)*
Congratulation Blogging Meetup on 1 year
The “little” side project that some of you may or may not know about call Blogging Meetup just hit another major milestone today… It has been one year since I wrote the first post on that site as well as my own (Community - Blogging Meetup) that started it all out. I took a couple minutes to thank everyone on the site which you can find the repost below with a link to the original here (Blogging Meetup - Congratulation on 1 year).
I actually can’t believe it… Today marks the day that The Blogging Meetup is now one year old. I couldn’t be more excited about how it has grown and brought people together from all around the world.
In fact, I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you (383 registered users as of today) for whatever amount of contribution you have made to the continued success of this site. Even if you aren’t posting or chatting it up in the Community Chat you might just be a passive reader of the blogs listed on the site and then make sites/connections through their site. It is because of all of you that WE are still here today, as I said from the beginning and I will quote it here:
“This is super important and probably should have been said at the beginning but I don’t want to be considered the owner of this because that is not my intention. What I really want is this to be a community-driven site by the members.”That statement is still as true to me today as it was a year ago when I wrote it and for good reason. I knew that for some of us “life” just gets in the way and I am one of those people. I was super active in this community early on and for a good chunk of time until about December 2016 when “life” got busy. I could tell you lots of reasons why I thought that happened but heck, it happens to all of us right? That is why I believed the only way this site would survive is if we have a community feel and that community could be active on its own. Even though I have not been as actively posting or prompting in the past couple of months I still browse the comments and click to read new posts from people I am not actively following.
Well, enough about me and back to the community! One year, I am still really stoked about that accomplishment and I hope each and every one of you are as well. I know there is things we could do better or have great visions of for this community but it will come. The one thing I have learned over the last year is that it doesn’t all need to happen right away and maybe it will someday or maybe it won’t. Now with that said, if there is something you are hoping could change or you personally would even like to change about The Blogging Meetup let me know. Post it in the comments below, include me in a post of your own on this site, direct message me on Twitter or you can just email me at hello@ericmwalk.blog.
I can’t wait to see what plays out in this next year but trust me I am looking forward to posting something similar when we are 2 years old :). Again, I would love to hear what you have to say or think as I am committed to having this place around for as long as people want it. I paid for another year of the domain name and will continue to do so until the lights shut off.
One final note of appreciation goes out to Amanda, as she took an early interest in this project and has helped to do a lot of the admin work for its continued success. It looks like we did do something right as it is still kicking along!
Originally published on at The Blogging Meetup
The girls having fun at the park last weekend
Wordless Wednesday 02/15
*Melting Ice Problems as another backyard rink season comes to an end... (February 2017, Eden Prairie, MN)*