A Movember to remember

The 'stache is real, and for a purpose. But yes, I also dressed up as the late Burt Reynolds (in "Smokey and the Bandit") for the Halloween costume hike I led for NW Wilderness last Saturday.
Photo credit: Peter Milert, aka Batman

Men's health is serious business. Ahem, that's your cue to stop snickering at my goofy mustache.

Though I grew this 'stache as part of my tribute to Burt Reynolds for the costume hike I organized last week... I'm keeping this 'stache for the entire month of "Movember" to raise funds and awareness for men's health.

The link to my personal fundraising page for the Movember foundation is:

mobro.co/garth-hamilton.

So, what is the Movember Foundation?

A 5 million member strong charity group that is changing the face of men's health. They fund groundbreaking research in prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

And why support the Movember Foundation?

"Stop men dying too young."



So there you have it, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas. Please consider partnering with me, by making a donation via the link above to help prevent premature deaths among my fellow dudes. Their lives are worth saving.

Happy Movember, friends!

Video: Winter beard-fest

No one looks forward to the month of No Shave November more than my wife Kathy.  Including me.  Since I'm not a fan of sporting facial hair at all, I oblige her pleas for "scruffing material" a few times a year--  during select overseas trips, and right after Halloween.

After returning from my most recent visit to northern Italy in the fall (link), I used my friend visits to the Netherlands, central Italy, and other quick year's end getaways to grow out what would become an unprecedented full winter beard.


The beard is long gone now (depending on whether or not my latest casting calls/ video auditions call for stubble, anyways).

A more current, beardless pic from last month

The January night that my beard became one with the earth was a happy occasion, but only for me.

The rest of the fam didn't take it so well:

Lena isn't happy to say goodbye to Daddy's beard, painstakingly compressed for this pic.

Stage 1:  Trimming it back a little

Baby Levi refused to be consoled, even though the beard shaving process had only begun.

We had a little fun with it on Vine, though.  For anyone who isn't able to access my oft neglected Vine page, here's the embedded video:

Silent sneeze? Click the upper left of the video screen for audio

But cheer up, beard fans.  November is only 6 1/2 months away.  And our next overseas trip is always just around the corner!

Coming up on Garth's Blog...

We're getting back into it next week with some photos of frolicking in the snow,

followed later by recent tales from overseas, 

and then last weekend's harrowing adventure on the trails!

Father's Day photos- The Outtakes

Father's Day then:  Last year on my first Father's Day, I opened up my card and presents on the floor with 9 month old Lena after church...

...And Father's Day now: Last Sunday, our family honored Bo and I to a Father's Day lunch at Famous Dave's Barbecue.  Lena is 21 1/2 months old!

Father's Day may have been last week, but celebrating the joys of fatherhood never ends!  Some photos were recently added to last week's popular Father's Day week photo spectacular post (link).  However, a few readers have let me know that they are still clamoring for us to unlock a few more.

By popular demand, here are some all new, less-then-perfect Daddy-Daughter moments that didn't make the cut last week:

Can Daddy have a moment every now and then to play a quick PS3 video game?  "I don't think so, Daddy!"

Daddy and Lena are both working through issues:


Lena's still trying to kick the habit of pulling down Daddy's hat whenever it's within her reach...

...But then again, Daddy could stand to be a bit more cautious when backpacking with Lena in her baby pack!

And remember last week's photo of Lena pulling back the shower curtain on Daddy?  Here's another one from a different morning:

Lena still does that, leaving a wet, soapy Daddy to wrestle the shower curtain away from her AND resist her pleas for hugs!



For better or worse, Kathy and I agree that Lena is definitely a daddy’s girl.  Sometimes Lena gets so distracted by Daddy that we can't even get her to look at the camera!  For example...

There were so many of these photos to choose from, but these pics gave us the most warm fuzzies:

4 month old Lena looks lovingly at Daddy after being babysat by Grandma Susan (patiently trying to make Lena look at the camera) during a night out on the town

Lena looking at Daddy instead of the camera on the airplane...

...And at Brandon England's SST high school graduation...

...And while saying goodbye to Daddy’s “No Shave November” beard

No matter which direction Lena's eyes are looking, we know that Lena's heart is full of love for God and her adoring parents.

And that makes me one happy Daddy!

Coming next week on Garth's Blog...

Camping and hiking in the Olympic Mountains!!

And later...

Part 3- Japan: Deer maulings and a Golden Week festival in Nara!

Father's Day week photo spectacular!

Loyal readers:  My travelogue from last month’s Golden Week adventures in Japan and beyond will resume soon!  Here are the links to catch you up on the story so far:

• China: Beijing in My Sights
• Part 1- China: Shot Down
• Part 2- Japan: Golden Week in Osaka

Lena sits on Daddy's surfboard at Short Sands beach

My Mother’s Day Tribute to Kathy post last month got me thinking.  Garth’s Blog has yet to run an exclusive Daddy-Daughter blog post, and there are dozens of pictures of Lena and I from the past year that have never publicly seen the light of day.

Several of my favorite, previously unreleased photos of Lena and me from the past year are below.  A few of these may look familiar to those who can access Kathy's Facebook page, but most of these pics are all new:

Lena, 15 months old, tries to pull the curtain open while Daddy takes a shower.  Every morning!

Playing with 14 month old Lena on the floor at home-- Kathy made this pic her "Cover Photo"!

Saying goodbye to Daddy’s “No Shave November” beard

16 ½ month old Lena and Daddy at Brent and Cheryl’s pre-wedding dinner party in Bend (link)...

...And at Brent and Cheryl’s wedding reception the following night (link)

     

   

Daddy brings gifts home for Lena from Osaka, Japan... The story of last month's trip to Japan and Micronesia will continue at the beginning of July on Garth's Blog!

   Daddy and a nearly 20 month old Lena on the floor

Daddy and 20 month old Lena at the Oregon Zoo last month (link)

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Now, let's go vintage with some even older Daddy-Daughter pics.  Somehow, these are also just now being unlocked and are appearing here for the first time!

5 1/2 month old Lena and Daddy share some happy bonding time on the floor after work.
This is one of my favorites!

Before my morning jog, I fed and read aloud to Lena the Exodus story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0, at the McCoy's house in Santa Maria (link).

Daddy rocks Lena, nearly 6 months old, to sleep.

After staying up all night working at Delta and then going to church, Daddy crashes hard with Lena on the couch. Our friend on Facebook commented: If they were to both open their eyes, they would be looking right at each other!

Lena, 8 months old, climbs into bed with Daddy for a late morning nap.

Playing with Lena as she opens gifts from one of Daddy's Tokyo trips (link), on Kathy's birthday

Daddy helps Lena open up presents during her 1st birthday party (link).  Isn't it hard to believe that Lena's 2nd birthday is coming up in 2 1/2 months?

There are so many other adorable new photos that could be unlocked and shared, but this is a good start.  Stay tuned for my upcoming hiking blog post for a roundup of the past year's outdoor adventures with Lena.

I love being a daddy!!

Coming next week on Garth's Blog...

Father's Day photos- The Outtakes!!

And later...

Part 3- Japan: Deer maulings and a Golden Week festival in Nara!

Fever for Lena, Pt. 2

2/8/13 Note: This blog post is from last night.  A ton of additional pictures were added today!

Lena's first jam session

As Fever for Lena, Pt. 1 (link) assured everyone, our 16 ½ month old Lena is all better now!  Tonight is another Daddy-daughter night, and Lena is lying on my lap as I type this blog.  We’re thankful that she’s back to her normal, energetic self again.  How energetic is she, you ask?

Even after just waking up from a nap together with Daddy after work, we could barely keep the camera on her!

However, the rest of us are still burning with a fever for Lena photos from 2012.  Feed a cold and starve a fever, right?  Well, we’re flipping that old adage around tonight to make sure that fever gets fed.  Let’s pick up where we left off at the end of Tuesday's “Garth’s Blog” photo-fest:

In November, Brent and Cheryl invited us to their house in Bend for Thanksgiving dinner...


The next day...

...The grandparents watched Lena so we kids could have some grownup time —Hiking, skateboarding, a live music festival at 10 Barrel, and dancing!

As November came to a close…

….Lena relished Daddy’s final moments of scruff by nestling her face against his “No Shave November” beard.

In December, we made sure to set aside some time for Daddy and Mommy to hit the town…

… But the most exciting thing about the holidays was celebrating Lena’s second Christmas!

An early Christmas Eve with the Easons

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my parents’ house

...And Mommy and Lena drive to PDX Airport to visit Daddy at work on Christmas Day!

Christmastime with Lena was even better this year, with our baby girl becoming more aware of the season!  Still, we couldn’t help but wonder if emphasizing the birth of Christ while pushing Santa Claus on Lena is sending mixed messages…

Too soon?  Lena, nearly 15 months old, isn’t quite sure what to make of our AChoG Christmas Extravaganza’s Santa Claus.

Maybe Santa will get a warmer reception next year.

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Aside from some recent sleeping problems, Lena seems to be feeling much better these days.  Hallelujah!  In fact, I just took a break from blogging to finish rocking that precious little girl to sleep a few hours ago.

Daddy-baby nights like these are something to be treasured…in sickness and in health!

Coming next week on BlogSpot…

I twist Kathy’s arm for her to blog about Brent and Cheryl’s fabulous wedding in Sunriver!

And then… 

...an E.P.I.C. Student Ministry Update!