Here's an interesting tidbit about jsignal.com. Last year four
different people found this web site by searching in google for the term
"evil poodles". I checked. When one searches for "evil poodles" using
Google a link to this site comes up 5th in the list. That's just weird.

Well, I'm old again. Twenty-six years, as of yesterday. To celebrate, a bunch of us at work went out for lunch. The boss bought my lunch, and it was a good time. Later I learned how to play poker with some friends. They were happy to take my cash, but it was fun anyway.

Now, I think it's time to reminisce, travel back in time and watch some of my new MacGyver DVDs - a gift from the parents. That show sure seemed more realistic to a ten-year-old boy. But they're still fun.

Back on December 16th, I wrote up a summary of 2004. But I forgot to post it. So I post it now. Enjoy . . .

And so another year has passed. Farewell, 2004. Hello oh-five. It was a year of weddings and big purchases.

I kicked off 2004 in a little New Mexico ghost town called Kingston, tucked in the mountains between Phoenix and El Paso. Jesse and I biked between those two cities at the start of the year. We had a great time. Here's a snapshot from Kingston:

In February my cousin, Aaron, moved from Fargo to Bismarck. We're now roommates. He has since decided to go back to college and pursue a four-year degree.

On March 30th, I closed the deal on a condo in south Bismarck. Owning a place has been nice. The added privacy and freedom over an apartment is a big advantage. But mostly I made the buy because it made financial sense. A snapshot of the condo:

Toward the end of June, my good friend Jesse was married. I had the honor of participating as the best man. As far as I know, they're still as happy as ever:

At the end of July, my step-brother Vaughn was married. The newest Hoffman couple is still living in Minot. More newlyweds:

While the year was filled with mostly good news for my family, we did say farewell to my poor grandpa in early August. He struggled for years with Parkinson's disease. Then an aggressive cancer struck. It was more than he could take. We all miss him a great deal. Here is the shop he owned and operated for years, emptied after the auction in October:

The last wedding for the year involved Justin and Nichole, two friends from Wisconsin. I was also the best man in that wedding. And yet another wedding party, in a limo:

And to finish out the year, my cousin Chantel and her husband Dan had a little girl just before Christmas. Say hi to Karissa Noel Brace:

As you can see, I spent most of the year attending weddings and riding bike. It was quite a year. Farewell, 2004.