Quick Trip to the Holy Land

So I took my family to Metolius River last weekend. Ava did her first 5 mile hike, Isobel found the simple joy of an afternoon spent in a hammock and Helayna figured out why it's always important to be nice to animals.

Best of Everything

Best Band Ever: Tie: Smashing Pumpkins and Beatles
Hottest Woman: My Wife, followed closely by Angelina Jolie
Hottest Guy: Brad Pitt (weird)
My chances with Brad: Zero
Coolest Car in the World: M5
Best Job: Retired
2nd Best Job: Business Intelligence Manager
Most Important Job: Dad
Most Fun I have had in a weekend: Climbing up the side of Middle Sister un-roped.
Most Fun I have had in a summer: Road Trip
My Retirement Job: Art Wolfe re-incarnate (assuming he is dead by then)
Fun activity I don't do often enough: Skiing and Riding Bike
Best way to lose weight: Eat less than you need.
Biggest Fear: Radical Islam
Best president I have lived through: Regan
Best presidential candidate: McCain
Best way to get rich: Spend less than you make and educate yourself continuously.
Most important "thing": Your Spirit, then you body, then your relationships.
Thing I hate the most: Tie: Mosquitoes and Traffic Jams
Biggest regret: Drinking excessively
Biggest success: Marriage / Family
Something I have to do that I hate: Turn down the stereo, mow the lawn even though it always makes me sneeze.
Strangest secret: Love gangster rap.
Best Movie ever: E.T.
Favorite Food: Pizza and Snow Cones
Another thing I hate: The fact that humans have to sleep.
Biggest Surprise: Psychedelic Mushrooms
Favorite Game: Backgammon
Why I like my wife: She gets me and loves me for who I am, she is smart, she loves our children, tries her best and I still get excited to see her.
Stupidest thing I ever did: Not understand fully.
Religion I most admire: Buddhism
Biggest Projects ever: WMS at Wine.com, Quiktrak inventory auditing system, Senior Capstone project (Compiler), Remodeling my house, Business Intelligence Turn around at Columbia

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The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Atisha
(11th century Tibetan Buddhist master)