Peep Show

The local arts council where my parents live host a fundraiser each spring where different artists and community members make creative designs using Peeps — the brightly-colored marshmallow treats that show up around Easter.

Dubbed the "Peep Show," the exhibit features more than 200 entries with various themes. People purchase tickets to vote for their favorite display. There's even Peep-inspired short movies shown on a big screen and people can buy Peep-related merchandise, including temporary Peep tattoos and cards that say "Give Peeps a Chance" (a play off of "give peace a chance").

Here's some of the wacky entries:

Peepzilla (created by my third-grade teacher)...


Kung Fu Peep (instead of Panda, get it?)...


Several depicted the Lorax...


Would you like a slice of Peeporoni Peepza?


And lets not forget Little Bo Peep...


Oh, and there's one more — Ediza Peep!

East Coast Easter

We've been staying busy on the East Coast with lots of different outings, including dinner and folk music at Hickory Bridge Farm in Pennsylvania and playing at a children's museum called Port Discovery in Baltimore.

Ediza has gotten an early start on Easter by meeting a couple of different bunnies (including some real ones) and going on egg hunts.


One of the highlights was a trip to Harpers Ferry — the point where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet. The Appalachian Trail goes right through this historic town.


After a short hike on the trail, we walked around the charming town and ate (for dessert I had homemade red velvet cake ice cream!) and shopped (our purchases included blackberry wine and a stuffed llama handmade in Peru). Ediza will be finding the latter gift in her Easter basket!

Cherry blossoms

We landed on the East Coast about midnight Monday evening and within hours were at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. The weather was perfect (unlike when we were there two winters ago) and we ate at this great restaurant called Founding Farmers.

The day we were there was exactly 100 years to the day after the first two cherry trees were planted.

Check out a story I wrote for the L.A. Time's Travel Blog, "Washington: Cherry blossoms, gifts that keep on giving, turn 100."

L.A. Marathon

So I may have gotten in over my head with the Antarctica Marathon, but I was able to raise thousands for penguin conservation and I still followed through with running a marathon. This past Sunday I ran the L.A. Marathon — 26.2 miles from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.


The day started at the stadium in the early morning darkness with Flea (the legendary bassist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) asking me if I knew the time. From that moment on, the day was a blast! The crowd had a great energy and I felt unstoppable on the course, which went through downtown before heading to Hollywood and Beverly Hills (probably the only time I'll ever be on Rodeo Drive) and on to Santa Monica.


It was there where Ediza took a bagel that was handed to me at the end of the race and fed the pigeons with it. Wearing my medal, she posed with Amber at the pier. Amber got to show us where she used to live across from the pier when she was Ediza's age.


The beach was super windy and cold (although probably a bit warmer than Antarctica).

Where's Winter?

This past weekend we headed over to the eastern Sierra, taking advantage of the mild winter weather that has allowed the highway passes to remain open.

Saturday was Amber's birthday and she wanted to go to Mammoth Lakes so we went there via Tioga Pass. On the way up, we stopped at Tenaya Lake. The lake is completely frozen over and we walked across it. Other people were ice skating, playing hockey and even pushing strollers across the frozen lake.





On the way down the pass, we saw some people ice climbing. This reminded me of trips in college where we would climb a frozen waterfall in New Hampshire.


After spending the night in Mammoth, we headed to our favorite park at Mono Lake. We then went back home over Sonora Pass, stopping to run up the frozen streams. What an incredible (and rare) experience!

Cheers to 2012!

As 2011 comes to a close, we want to wish everyone a happy upcoming 2012!

Since I last posted, Amber has wrapped up another successful season of roller derby. She's now gearing up for the Hellcat's new season (first home bout is Feb. 25).

Ediza's lost two of her front teeth. Here she is on Christmas morning wearing some new clothes out in the yard.


As for me, I turned 30 and wrapped up my fundraising campaign. I raised thousands of dollars to help protect Antarctica and its penguins, but unfortunately I won't be going there to run a marathon.

I've learned a lot these past several months and I have some exciting ideas for the future. Here's some pics from last month's "Fire & Ice" benefit that helped raise money for research in Antarctica.

SoCal & NorCal

So far this month, our weekends have been spent at a wedding along the Merced River in El Portal, at crowded Disneyland in Anaheim and up north in Chico for Amber's roller derby bout.


We're more kind of camping people rather than Disneyland people, but we still (mostly) enjoyed this crazy experience. We took Ediza (who turned 5 this past weekend) and Shannon (one of the Circle Home gals who is obsessed with Disneyland).

Amber bid on these tickets last year during a fundraiser for Ediza's then-preschool, and she assured me that we wouldn't win them. Well, guess what? We won the tickets and ended up going a year later!

Here's Shannon and I outside of "It's a Small World"...


And Amber and Ediza during lunch (notice the birthday badge).


Ediza got this Princess hat as an early birthday present.


She spent her actual birthday in Chico the following weekend for Amber's roller derby bout. Her team lost, but apparently made up for it during the after parties (Amber rode a mechanical bull at one bar). The next day I went on an awesome tour of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and we all went out to eat at the brewery's restaurant.



Here's Ediza with her birthday sundae. She sure looked stylish in her dress made from an old Sierra Nevada Bigfoot T-shirt.