First Bike Ride

One of the many nice things about the holiday break was a chance to go biking with Asher at Annadel in Santa Rosa. We went downhill biking in Pinecrest, but this was his first real ride with climbs as well as downhill. He got a new mountain bike for his birthday, so he was excited to give it a try.

We decided to ride up a hill called canyon. This is a broad fire road with a lot of rocks. A few portions are steep and challenging. As we road through the park to the start of the trail, Asher had a bit of excitement and worry mixed together. The first hill we hit was wet, rocky, and steep. Asher made it 50 feet up and then had to walk. I had a feeling we were doomed. I figured that one more hill to walk, and he will have had enough "fun." The next one was not as steep, but still rocky and challenging. He powered through and made it to the top. His confidence went up, and he charged the rest of the way to the top of the trail. We stopped at the lake on top, then we made it down the other side.



2.5 hours later, we pedaled through the parking lot to our car and made our way to get some burgers and onion rings. Final verdict on first ride? Big success.

Soccer Practice begins

Soccer practice started a while ago for Asher. He has made the select team, so they started early and practice long. However, we now have Ella and Marley in soccer too, so we have practice all the time.

Tomorrow is opening day, so we should be at the field from sun-up to sun-down. Ella's pictures are at 8, game at 9, Marley's pictures at 11, game at 12, Asher practice at 9 and pictures at 2:30. Should be a sunny day.

It's all in the details.

Kitchen Home Stretch from Jason Sutter on Vimeo.

Seret ambitions

There are a number of secret ambitions we harbor deep in our hearts. Today Asher and I both get to scratch one off. We are leaving to Pinecrest. Every year we spend a week with my in-laws at a cabin by the lake. We have said for the last few years we would mohawk our hair for the vacation. Today we did. It will be funny to see the look and expression of my in-laws when we arrive. My wife was kind of surprised when we came downstairs. She decided she probably should have a tatoo to go with her son having a mohawk, but I think that is a bit over the top.

My only regret, if I wasn't starting a new job in 2 weeks, I would have liked to take the sides down to skin. But life is about compromise, isn't it?

Like Nowhere Else

We went to the beach for the second time this week. Tuesday we hit Dillon Beach, and today we went to Bolinas. I have been musing on two things. First, the fact that there are NO signs to indicate where Bolinas is staggers me. Apparently people in the town don't want visitors, so they tear down any signs that point the way off Highway 1. But the more important thing to me was the spell that comes over kids when they hit the beach. Both times, my kids were got so excited and energized to be at the beach. They were sweet and helpful to me and each other. They didn't complain about anything. And, most amazingly, they got along. They just found stuff to do together and actually enjoyed playing with each other. At Dillon Beach, Asher, Ella, and Marley dug sand crabs for 45 minutes. Then they ran the dunes together for another 30 minutes.

Thinking back to my childhood experiences at the beach, it makes sense. Now I am sure I don't remember all my trips to the beach, but I remember a lot of them. Trips to the beach that should seem inconsequential stick out in my mind. Getting up at 5:30 to gather shells with my babysitter. Getting buried by my cousins. Wrestling with my friends. Body boarding. Surfing (or trying to). Spying on the nudie beach. Even now, just focusing on it floods back more memories than it is reasonable to recall. I think I have come to the conclusion that there is something special about the beach. No duh. But more than that. Somehow it registers deep. Just musing. Alright, here is a picture of the kids.

New Adventures

It has been a busy 2+ months. I know this isn't the proper way to build a story, but I'll cut to the chase. As many of you know, I started working for the Petaluma School District as the principal at McNear Elementary. So the next question is "Why?" I have been planning on this kind of a transition for a while. I got my admin credential 4 years ago so I could move into a position as a principal. This will be a higher level of stress, responsibility, and workload, but it is a chance move forward on my career path. Although that is reason enough, the added budget issues in the state and the lack of a contract with my previous job also were strong influences. Every year except for 1 of the last 7 years I have been with CTAP, I received a pink slip in March. So this position should be much more stable.Still, the first one is my main reason.

McNear Elementary is a school of 411 students in Petaluma. It has a very involved community and a great campus. Our whole family is excited for this new adventure. This week, I intended to send out an email introduction to the parents on the McNear listserv. We decided to include a video as well. The amazing thing is that I told the kids a general idea of what they should do, and they ad-libbed the rest. So hats off to them for their creative endeavors. I'll let you know how the year moves along.

Finding Mr. Sutter from Jason Sutter on Vimeo.

Footsteps

I think the stereo-typical moment of fatherly bliss is the moment a son or daughter announces they want to take over the family business. I remember on parent job dress up day in 4th grade I wore jeans and a white knit button-front sweater. We were supposed to dress up like the job our parents had, and I looked like a 10 year old version of this guy. The other kids were in fireman suits, doctor scrubs, and every other high profile occupation you can imagine. When they asked me, "What are you?" I proudly answered, "I am an insurance salesman!"

So reflecting on all this parental joy, you can understand how touched I was when Asher comes to me and says, "Dad, I want my own webpage. How do I make one?" I think I almost cried. Well, not really, but it was still pretty cool. How indicative of our modern times that my 9-year old decides he is going to make a webpage. Fortunately for him, it is much easier now. I set him up with a blogger site under my account (so I can keep tabs). And he is writing up a storm compared to his usual writing.

If you get a chance, visit his site at http://ashersutter.blogspot.com and give him some props in the form of comments. Everytime he sees someone commented on his blog, he writes a little more. So egg him on; teach a kid to write.