Merry Christmas to all!

I’ve already got two photo albums up:

Comande Christmas 2005 – Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa’s is always a thrill.
Christmas Day 2005 – More fun with the “immediate” family.

More on the way after tomorrow’s celebration!

Let the partying begin

Here’s what’s on tap in the days to come:
December 23 (Today): Profit Sharing Celebration at work
December 24: Comande family Christmas party
December 25: Immediate family Christmas party, another Comande family gathering
December 26: Isaacson family Christmas party
It’s going to be a busy but fun and exciting time for everyone. And as soon as things settle down, I’ll post lots of photos.

Some milestones from Wednesday the 21st:
Happy Birthday, Grandpa Milt!
Happy Anniversary, Eric and Gina!

Christmas Greetings (finally)

So, Jenelle and I still haven’t perfected the art of getting all of the Christmas stuff done on time. We bought our last present yesterday evening, and we’re just now putting out our online Christmas letter. We’re also sending out about 65 cards, which are going in the mail today. Which, unfortunately, means that some of you who are traveling for the holidays won’t have them until you get back. Oops. There’s always next year, right? 🙂

In other news, we should have posted this on Sunday: Happy Birthday, Sarah! Sarah was the maid of honor at our wedding, and she ran the Chicago Marathon in 2004. She also has her own web page.

Mmmmmm…. Bus

One of Jenelle’s co-workers is leaving SCJ, and her group is having a farewell party for him. Jenelle’s contribution to this party is a cake. The person who is leaving is nicknamed “The Bus”. So, Jenelle made this work of art:

Yes, it’s totally edible.

In other news: Happy Birthday, Uncle Dan!

Ben’s Shopping Saturday

Let’s start off with this annoucement (a day early): Happy Birthday, Andrew!

I went to a number of stores today to buy Christmas gifts and a couple of things for myself. Three somewhat interesting events occurred:

  • The lady in front of me in the checkout line at Best Buy attempted to buy two $20 gift cards and four $15 gift cards (for a total of $100). Her form of payment was a card that said “Best Buy Store Credit” on it. Suprisingly, the cashier informed her that she couldn’t use store credit to buy gift cards. Why not? It’s still store credit, isn’t it? Is there some kind of loophole I’m not saying that would allow someone to profit from this?
  • The fitting room at Dick’s Sporting Goods is huge. It’s also in the middle of the store — surrounded by merchandise hung on very high walls.
  • The person in front of me at another store paid by check. The cashier said, “I’ll need to see a driver’s license.” I noted that cashier wasn’t specific about whose driver’s license she wanted to see. The guy behind me also noticed, and we simultaneously opened our wallets and said, “Here’s one.”

Jenelle also went on a shopping trip today, but I’ll let her tell you about that.

Three Crazy Days


For those of you who think weekdays are boring —
Monday night: We went to a Bulls game with Adam H. and Allison. I brought my camera. 🙂
Tuesday night: Small group with Steve, Mary, Jamie, Janet, and Jack. I should have brought my camera (I’ll get picture when I go next week).
Wednesday: I played bass at a meeting at work, and then I played guitar at church. Fun musical times.

I’m working on several things right now. Most are holiday-related, but one that isn’t is another movie — I’m using the photos and some camera footage to make a movie of our visit to Paris.

Thanks to everyone who has voted in the poll. Dare I try and train for Houston? I’m still not sure.

Seattle Marathon Movie!

Head on over to the movies page, or just use this direct link to watch a movie I put together using the footage that Jenelle took during my run in Seattle. It’s about 10 megabytes, so it might take a little while to load.

THANKS to everyone who has voted in the poll and/or submitted comments regarding where I should run my next marathon. I wonder who voted for Houston — Todd, was that you? 🙂

A milestone birthday for my cousin on Dec. 3: Happy 21st Birthday, Amanda!

TWO new albums

Be sure to head on over to the usual photos page for two photo albums from this past weekend. One has highlights from our Thanksgiving trip to Oregon — everything EXCEPT the marathon. The second album is where you’ll find the marathon pictures. Thanks to Dave, Pam, and Jenelle for keeping the cameras clicking while cheering and providing all kinds of support and assistance during the race!

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re bored this Sunday, check out Ben’s Running Log for real-time updates from the Seattle Marathon starting at 8 a.m. Pacific time (10 a.m. in the Midwest). Otherwise, have a relaxing weekend!

As promised, here’s Adam & Adam!

Congrats to my friend, Adam, and his fiancee, Leslie. They’re getting married on December 17!


Congrats to my friend, Adam, and his fiancee, Allison. They’re getting married on August 5!