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As Zaque would say, “Like many people, I was born at a very young age”…

No list of things I’m thankful for would be complete without mentioning my parents. Mom and Dad are two of the most amazing people in my life, and I can see so many traits in me that I learned from them. It’s been more than fifty years since they made it official:

My dad taught me to be a hard worker. He was the guy who worked the same job for 40+ years, amassing something like 3 years of sick leave by the time he retired, because he just went and did the job. I love how he just does what needs to be done, without hesitation and without complaint.

He’s also a fantastic grandpa. My kids were talking this morning about how they loved playing games with Grandpa because he would play whatever they asked, and never seemed to mind whether he won or lost. He’s one of the most easygoing people I know.

I’m so proud of my parents for staying healthy and active. All this summer they’ve been biking around the area, often pedaling more than 20 miles a day. At a time when many of my friends’ parents are ailing and shopping for retirement homes, my parents are exercising more than I am!

Speaking of healthy, my mom looks 20 years younger than she is. In every picture of her with siblings or friends, you’d never guess she’s even close to the same age as the rest of the group. I’m grateful for those good genes, because people tell me I look 10 years younger as well…

Mom and Dad inspire me because they simply enjoy life. From their latest toy, an enormous hot tub…

… to trips all over the world …

… they’ve been a great example to me about how to enjoy what I have, and think often about the good things in my life.

They continue to amaze and inspire me, and I’m proud to be their son. Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad.

Kyra and I were playing Unstable Unicorns, and I just kept drawing Neigh cards (which allow me to stop her from playing anything). Here she is, looking all sad because she can’t win…

We went out for some pizza yesterday, and I noticed the Three Amigos had nicely matching shirts.

In the background is the Mahjongg Club and although I didn’t catch it at this camera angle, one of the women (behind Kyra) was wearing a maroon shirt as well. Nice!

It took a little convincing to get me to agree to a third child. Okay, it took a lot of convincing. But when I think about kids I’m thankful for, Zaque definitely makes the cut. He’s always been kind of a punk– the kid who defied the rules, blatantly, with a wicked smile on his face. He’s the kid who backed into the garage door while it was still closed, who smashed the car window trying to crack ice on it, who screamed and sang songs while playing video games with friends late at night.

Yet beneath all the craziness, Zaque was somehow always responsible, always staying true to his word. His sense of humor is unparalleled, and I have to admit he’s the one who makes me laugh the most. He’s incredibly clever and has a razor-sharp wit.

It’s been amazing to watch his personal journey while he’s serving a mission, as he’s taken that goofy demeanor and put it to work sharing the gospel with others.

He’s become more thoughtful, more caring, and more wise.

He and I both agree that generally speaking, we always “get” each other’s jokes while people around us are scratching their heads and wondering why the two of us are laughing so hard.

Zaque is amazing, and I couldn’t be more proud of this punk.

Next in line on my “kids I’m thankful for” list is my one and only daughter. Starting with the moment when I delivered her at home because no one else was around, I knew she would be pretty special.

When I say “special” I don’t mean that kind of “special”. She’s hilarious and clever and smart. She’s the one who will pose with me with our trademark open-mouth smiles.

She’s the one who will agree to a bubble-gum-eating contest just because we’re having a slow day.

She’s my board gaming partner, and she dishes out the smack talk just as much as I do. She’s beautiful and kind and spiritual. It was fun to hang out with her all summer and know I could say “let’s grab some pizza at Rosa’s” and she’d be all in.

Everyone needs a Kyra in their life. Every dad needs a girl who, even though she’s 22, still calls me “daddy”.

As I continue thinking about what I’m most grateful for in my life, my kids are pretty high on the list. Let’s start with Alex. Here’s a guy who is smart and funny and creative.

He reminds me so much of myself. Many a friend and family member has remarked that Alex seems like a younger (and more handsome) version of me. He’s goofy and has a sense of humor like mine.

He’s an explorer, and someone who you know will always choose the right.

Now that he’s married and expecting my first grandson, it’s been awesome to watch him grow into the role of a good husband (and, soon, father).

It’s a darn good thing he was our first kid, because he made it easier on us.

The leader of our church, Russell M Nelson, shared a really cool video where he talked about gratitude and how it can be a powerful force to bring joy into our lives. In this crazy year, we could all use a little more of that. He encouraged everyone to express their gratitude on social media with a hashtag #givethanks. I don’t really engage in social media, but this blog is sort of my personal social media and it’s always fun to look back on it over the years, so I figured I’d accept his challenge here.

When I reflect on all I’m grateful for, the one thing that immediately comes to mind is my amazing wife. She’s been my companion and best friend for almost 25 years now.

I’m pretty sure she’s the only woman who could put up with me for that long. She’s smart and gorgeous and funny.

She’s wise and thoughtful and patient.

She loves being outdoors almost as much as I do. And she’s a total stud.

Yep, in the immortal words of John McLane, “She’s the best thing that ever happened to a bum like me.”

It’s nearly Thanksgiving, which means it’s time to get cracking on our annual Christmas cards. I have an idea for this year’s card which is decidedly mediocre, so we had to take some pictures. I’m fortunate that I married someone who’s a good sport about all of this. (Honestly, I think it’s mainly because I only ask about five minutes of her time, and I do all the rest myself.)

Our photo shoot was pretty amazing. Let’s start with the “power shot” that looks like we’re about to start a WWF match:

There’s the cheesy “engagement photo” shot…

Our “celebratory shot”, in which I look like a complete idiot:

And the “toasting shot”, which is questionable on many levels:

Which one(s) will be on this year’s card? Ooh, the suspense…

It was cool to see the alpha version of Hexteria’s printed tiles, which were basically designs I made up so I could have “real” hexes instead of leftovers from my ancient Settlers of Catan game. I boxed up three copies of Hexteria and mailed them to friends and family for testing, and now I’m waiting to hear what they think.

In the meantime, I received new hex designs from my nephew Tim, and just had them printed:

Whoa, these are much cooler than the ones I designed. That’s what happens when you go with a pro!

Today I’m heading out to my favorite local pizza place so I can playtest the game (with the shiny new hexes) with some friends. One step closer to becoming a famous game designer!

I keep thinking it’ll be cool to see a “real Montana winter” with four feet of snow right outside my door. Well, we’re not quite there yet. But over the past couple of days we had a pretty steady snowfall, and now that it’s stopped and the sun has decided to show her face, it’s fun to see a foot of snow atop everything.

Pretty! If only our driveway didn’t require all-wheel drive and studded snow tires…