I’m all registered and ready for An Event Apart - Seattle. An Event Apart is the design conference for people who make Web sites. ME!

It’s my first time in Seattle, so wish me luck. I’m not a huge fan of clouds and rain. I’m hoping the old April showers adage, doesn’t apply!

If you’re in Seattle, let me know, so we can meet up! The conference runs April 5-7, but I’m coming to Seattle April 2, to ensure I have time to explore the city.

My brother, Ryan’s family. Left to right: Kameo, Keaton, Ryan & Natalie

Brother’s with mom: Ryan, Garrett, Mom & Blake

Natalie, Blake & Keaton

Kurt, Mike and Allen waiting for tour of Washington Monument

The Whitehouse from the top of Washington Monument

Washington Monument and clear blue sky

Me inside Washington Monument

Inside the rotunda at the United States Capitol

Me in front of the United States Capitol

Mike, Kurt and I at Sculpture Garden in DC

CardStar

Tired of carrying dozens of customer loyalty & rewards cards in your wallet? CardStar is the answer. Save & create scan-able bar codes which are stored in the app. When you approach the counter, launch the app and select the name of the merchant. Price: Free.

Update: I’ve tried using CardStar at my local grocery store and gym. Neither could scan the bar-code from my iPhone.

Gowalla

Not only does Gowalla do all of the cool stuff the other location-based apps do, it makes it fun by giving you stamps & rewards for each place you visit. Gowalla has one of the most polished iPhone interfaces I’ve seen. You can also use it to update your Facebook and/or Twitter status. Price: Free.

iFitness

Track individual exercises & workouts at the gym. iFitness also has a number of built-in workout programs. The application keeps track of the exercise, repetitions & weight. It also keeps historical data to allow you to track your workouts over time. Price: $1.99.

Tweetie

If you love Twitter, don’t be caught without Tweetie. The Tweetie iPhone app packs more features than the Mac equivalent, including: location-based/geo-enabled tweets, ability to quickly look up user names, shrink URL’s and add or snap photos with a few taps. You can also use Tweetie for multiple Twitter accounts. Price: $2.99.

Group shot (minus me) at Puerto Vallarta beach

Secluded beach near Puerto Vallarta

Our lonely sail boat

Ready to zip line at Canopy River

Me zipping through the mountains

Mike and Zack graciously hosted a pseudo camping trip on September 19 at the most beautiful barn I’ve ever seen. Some called it camping and others called it a retreat. Photos are below.

Quiet and lonely WDG Barn

A “family” portrait

The dogs found a suitable bed (inside the barn)

Over the Labor Day weekend, Mike L. and I decided to take a last-minute road trip to Minneapolis. We had three goals for the trip.

1. Visit my old friend Brian and meet his partner, Brandon.
2. Purchase new bedroom furniture at Ikea.
3. Check out Minneapolis day and night life.

Some photos from our adventures are included below.

Mike and I at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Mike is on the opposite side of the two-way mirror.

Two-way Mirror Punched Steel Hedge Labyrinth, Dan Graham (1994-1996)

Spoonbridge and Cherry - Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen (1985-1988)

X with Columns, Sol LeWitt (1996)

Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, Siah Armajani (1988)

Downtown Minneapolis from car window

Me, Brian and Mike (napping) at Saloon in Minneapolis

I just finished power washing my front deck. It made a noticeable difference removing much of the mildew and dirt. Now I need to replace the planks with pieces cut out and treat the wood with Thompson’s (or something comparable).

• Make more quality social connections
• Visit my friend John in Australia
• Meditate more often
• Read a book per month

Here are a few photos from Christmas in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Keaton, building a log cabin.

Me opening a Christmas card.

Grandma, Dan and Blake.

Mom, Ryan and Derek.

Keaton and Natalie, opening gifts.