Beahmer

Fried Food, Fireworks, Fair!

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:41:00 +0000

Wow! It's been so long blogger friends. No excuses really, except for lots of work and lots of grad school. Still...no excuse! I'll try to be better! So tonight we wrapped up an amazing time at the NC State Fair! I really don't appreciate the fair as much as I should. I never even knew there was such a crazy/amazing place until I became a resident of RTP. College was actually my first ever Fair experience. I mean, the Snake woman, the Carnie's, the crazy food. It's all a bit much, but it has become a tradition of sorts! Where else can you get 2 corndogs for $1, a deep fried Snickers, or deep friend "Mac & Cheese." Our state fair tradition happens every year with some great friends who continue to brave the elements & crazies with us in the world of the fair!

The only ride worth riding (and probably the only ride you are guaranteed to live through), is the Gravitron (aka Starship Exodus). It has become the thing of legends....

Also legendary is Melissa's love of sheep. Anyone who has read even a portion of our blog, or has ever hung out with my wife for more than 10 minutes has probably experienced her love for sheep! Melissa got up close and personal with a sheep this year with a "friendly" sheep who was eager to jump up to introduce itself to Melly! Maybe it was cool...maybe it was a little scary. ;)

Last but not least was the "cute" goat who I thought it would be cool if I let it lick my finger. This picture was 5 seconds prior to it biting my finger. I think there is some life lesson here, but I don't really know what.

You can see all the pictures at our State Fair Picasa Page

Into the Wild....

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:34:00 +0000

While everyone was off at the beach, having babies or eating burgers over the fourth....we planned another crazy adventure into the wilderness. This time it was a 6 day trip into the Montana Wilderness (Glacier National Park).

The trip featured about 50 miles backpacking and another 30-40 miles dayhiking both before and after the backpacking! Crazy? Oh yeah...Fun? Absolutely! Wildlife included being 10 yards from a black bear, seeing grizzlies from a far, sleeping next to deer, and meeting marmots, groundsquirrels, and big-horn sheep. The most annoying animal (and I do mean animal) was the mosquito. I think they even snuck home in my luggage!

I won't bore you with pages and pages of stories and sagas, so in "Late Night" style, I will give you the top 10 from our trip!

Top 10 fun & exciting items from the Beahm's vs Montana adventure:
1. Backpacking & Hiking through snow drifts in July!
2. Having Melissa ask for the camera instead of the bear spray when we saw the bear
3. Constant rain for almost 36 hours while backpacking
4. Using the 40 degree water as a natural refrigerator
5. Watching and waiting as the Big-Horn Sheep stopped and redirected traffic
6. Sunrise: 4:23 AM, Sunset 9:43 PM. REALLY LONG DAYS!!
7. Huckleberries (yes, like in Yogi Bear Cartoons). Melissa loves the Huckleberry Icecream
8. Killing Mosquitoes in a hotel room we stayed in
9. Fording a waist deep river (did I say the water was 40 degrees?)
10. Enjoying glacier green colored lakes below beautiful snow and glacier covered mountains

There are 305 pictures (that's purged from 512) from the trip. Since no one would sit through a slide show like that, I've picked around the top 75. I'm embedding the pictures into the blog from picasa. You can go to http://picasaweb.google.com/cmbunc if you are having trouble seeing them with the flash slideshow.

Thanks and hope you enjoy the pictures!

That trip was "smoking..."

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:56:00 +0000

This last weekend I went on an "adventure" trip with some guys from my Church. It was a great time of fun and fellowship, but one thing stood out: the smoke. For those of you NOT located in middle or eastern NC, we have been tormented by smoke from wildfires in a wildlife refuge near the coast. You can read about in on WRAL. Our Kayaking trip started clear, but got worse through the morning and ended with very low visibility. We didn't get to see any alligators, but it did make for a once in a lifetime trip!

Check out this picture of us all in the "ominous" smoke.

Here are a few other pictures I took that were "blog-worthy" from the trip!

My Awesome Wife

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:04:00 +0000

So many of you may know that this weekend is our 5 year wedding anniversary! The years go by so fast! It's hard to believe that she has put up with me for that long, and I still wonder how I ended up getting a ring on her finger! I definitely married up!

A few things you may or may NOT know about my awesome wife:

1. She has backpacked above 13,000 feet and will be joining me on a 60 mile trek through the Montana Wilderness this summer! WOW!

2. She has a fascination for sheep! We have almost as many pictures of sheep as we of Bailey! Here's a shot of her with some baby sheep at the Biltmore Estate.

3. She has been in 2 advertisements: a TV commercial for Wakemed and a print ad for UNC Hospital. I am definitely married to a star!

So here's to many many more Anniversaries! I love you darling! Love, Chris

Nissan Rogue Iphone

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Blog Warning: This entry is for the techies! You can ignore if you are looking for Bailey stories. ;)

Every once in a while, the creative juices get flowing and I decide to get out the tools and use that workbench that I created. This last weekend, I had the great idea to create a mount for my iphone in my Nissan Rogue. For everyone who has or had an Iphone in their car, they are familiar with the "Cupholder" approach. This method includes dropping the iphone in the cup holder and then it rattles around every time you hit the breaks. Also, it is a pain when trying to change songs...and you definitely do not get to enjoy the great "album art" that you you have on your songs!

This is what I wanted:
1. A nice holder that was custom fit for my iphone. I wanted it to NOT interfere with any Airbag deployment and I did not want it to sit on my dashboard. I learned this makes your iphone VERY hot in the summer months recently!
2. I wanted to be able to use my apple remote control. I mean...why not?!! I have a remote, it takes an extra reach everytime you want to change the song. It would be nice to be able to use the remote I have.
3. I wanted to be able to charge and play my iphone with only ONE cable. I didn't want to have to have a plug on the bottom and the top of the phone just to be able to play and charge my phone.

Here's what I had available:
1. Parts I purchased: $4.95 piece of Sheet metal from Lowes. $2.90 can of spray paint (non-gloss). $32 CableJive Dock Extender cable.
2. Parts I had: Old Ipod Dock & remote control.

The Final Product:
1. An Iphone Holder (took me 15 minutes to fabricate and design the sheet metal and paint it).
2. A single cable which runs to the dock that is mounted underneath my passenger dashboard. This means all the cables are hidden and it charges and plays with one cable. Also, the remote control works as long as I point it towards the front of the car. Also, I can pick up the iphone and check my mail whenever I want without interrupting my music (as can my wife, who is attached to the phone when we are in the car together!). ;)

Spoofing & April Fools

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:38:00 +0000

When Melissa and I get home from work, we usually trade stories about what we did that day at work! It typically involves lots of IT acronyms and medical terms, just to show how little we really know about what we each do! Lots of "pic-lines" and "heart caths" and "IV tubes" positioned against "VBScript," ".NET" and "WMI."

Today Melissa told me that she got an email saying she had won $200! "Really?!" I asked? She responded that all she had to do was put in her Debit Card, Pin Number, Security Code, and Expiration Date. Of Course she didn't give out our information and we all know that this email was "Spam" (or the technical term would be "spoofing")....but it just blew my mind to see how ridiculous the ploys have become to steal money and identities. I saved a picture for posterity of the crazy attempt to steal my life and $.

So this is kind of a "reverse" April fools...it is more like a reminder or warning! Phone, Email, Mail...it comes from everywhere. No, you didn't hit the lottery, the son of deposed king of Nigeria does not want to give you money (reference to The Office), and sending a certified check to someone will not return 100% profit!

One Giant Leap for Beagles

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Today Bailey got a cookie to celebrate a huge step for beagles everywhere! Uno the beagle won "Best in Show" in the Wesminister Dog Show. It marks the first time ever that the Beagle has won best in show.

Snoopy, Underdog, Uno........Bailey!!! Bailey just wants to wish you all a happy Beagle Day!!

The Holidays And Our New (Lighted) Friend

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:47:00 +0000

What an exciting holiday season! This was my first holiday since starting Graduate School and I took full advantage of the rest! I think the rest was enjoyed by our whole family! Melissa and Bailey both picked a nice spot on the couch and spent quite a bit of time catching up on some zzzz's.

We also had another exciting Christmas morning with our nephew Josiah! The joys of watching a young child open gifts!

One of the most fun and unique gifts that I got this year was a Dwight Schrute sweatshirt. The extra humor in this gift is that I starred as Dwight in a parody that my Grad school team. A parody on a parody...yes...but it was good stuff! Sorry, I can't post the video (for fear of it becoming an instant internet hit) - but enjoy the snapshot of me as Dwight!

Last but not least, we added another animal to our family this year! Some awesome friends who know us sooo well helped us adopt one more lighted friend! Polar Bear joins Seal and Penguin in the winter wonderland known as our front yard. They did see snow today (albeit flurries) for the first time in their two year life!

Hope your holidays were as fun filled as ours!

Holiday Cheer

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:01:00 +0000

I'd like to share with you two points of holiday cheer enjoyed here at the Beahm household. First, Christmas Crunch. Now...you might say "Christmas Crunch is the same thing as Crunchberries!" And I will respond...yes, it probably is the exact same cereal, but some how psychologically the "Christmas tree" shapes make it so much better!

The second point of Holiday Cheer from the Beahms is our new lighted, movable lawn animals. We have moved into the select group of people who have lawn animals around the holidays. We welcome Penguin and Seal into our family with open arms (although Bailey is not too fond of them). Fellow Apexians be ware...there may be more lawn animals in our future!

I think I can...I think i can....

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 02:47:00 +0000

What is it about trains that facinates us guys....is it the roaring sound of the engine....the blaring horn.....stories of the old west and train robbers...Ever since I was read the story The Little Engine That Could as a small child I have loved trains!

At age 27, I still find myself enjoying stringing together Thomas the Train track with my nephew and stopping anytime I can to enjoy the passing train. I snapped this pic in downtown apex the other day and couldn't resist sharing my continue love of trains.

I need to take more train rides...

The Alien Cube....

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:48:00 +0000

So the other day I was shocked to see a giant metallic spinning cube atop a building downtown. It was like seeing something out of Space Odyssey 2001 or Stargate. After a few moments of staring in awe...I decided to bolt into action.

First I had to email Jared (who sits right above this menacing cube) and warn him of the alien cube which was so close to him. Next I had to prepare for the invasion by sending pictures from my iphone and emailing everyone I knew! Then I gathered my cups of water and my tinfoil hat hunkered down in my cubicle!

The below pictures have not been doctored.

Art? Really?

Sweating to the Old Video Games....

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:29:00 +0000

It seems that everywhere you look, you see things that have come "back into style." Converse sneakers, bell-bottoms and those old 80s rock bands just to name a few. Just like the fashion and music industries, it seems that in the video game industry: "Old is New."

You might think that I am talking about all those Nintendo and Atari systems that have been popping up for sale on Ebay and packaged as special Christmas items at Best Buy. Well, that is just the tip of the iceberg! Remember the infamous "Power Glove" or the "Power Pad?" I believe that both have resurfaced with new packages and new names. Getting active and sweating it out playing those video games has come back in style...

Dance Dance Revolution and the Wii Sports both bring back memories of running on that power pad for the Track and Field game as well as throwing those last few punches in Mike Tyson's Punchout. So live it up, sweat it out, and dance like its 1985.

More Old School Cartoon Movies!?!?!

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:19:00 +0000

Wow - that's all I have to say about Transformers. Maybe its my childhood memories or just some downright good movie making, but I give Transformers a big robot thumbs up.

I can't wait to see what throw-back movie they'll dream up next. Maybe the Smurfs great adventure? Or how about the Snorks!?! That was another elementary school favorite of mine. They already tried a GI Joe movie back in the 1990s, but maybe a remake by JJ Abrams or Michael Bay would do the trick this time.

Another movie I am excited about is the Simpsons Movie (although I am no where near as excited as Jared). I have to give a shoutout to the awesome website that they have created for this masterpiece. My favorite part is the "make your own Simpsons character." I have made mine...

Visiting the Capital

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:11:00 +0000

This weekend we made a side trip up to Washington DC with our friends Jeff & Christen. Some highlights included seeing the sniper on the top of the White House, seeing all the monuments at night (and riding the metro late at night afterwards) and touching a piece of Mars at the natural history museum.

Seeing the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, seeing and reading the declaration and touching the stone where Martin Luther King stood and gave his "I Have A Dream" speach also makes you see how far the country has come (and how far we still have to go).

So definitely head up to the nations capital and take in some of the museums. All are free (unless you count waiting in lines): it's your tax dollars at work!

Last but not least - to answer everyone's question: the movie National Treasure was NOT filmed in Washington DC, and they did not use the National Archives.

For all of our pics, check out the DC photos section!

Too much Spidey?!

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:29:00 +0000

Well, by now you all know that I never really got over my fascination with superheroes. The recent craze of movies like superman & spiderman hasn't helped the cause either.

Do you remember the little growing capsils that you would put in water and grow to be a huge dinosaur!? Well, it was quite an exiciting part of my 80's childhood. So when I saw a growing spiderman - I couldn't resist. Enjoy the time-delayed shots of spiderman who grows to be 6x his original size. What's even better was how funny he looked when he began to shrink back down as well!

Spidey at day 1

Spidey at day 2

Spidey at day 3

Shrinking funny Spidey

Is this the end of spiderman? Well...at least in my blog it is.

Adults in an amusement park

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:59:00 +0000

What happens when you release 6 adults in an amusement park?! Thanks to my Raleigh-ite friends for making my 27th extra fun. I don't think we are ever too old for a little miniature golf, skeeball and arcade driving games!

Changes...

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:47:00 +0000

This is a big week for news! My brother graduated, we learned my sister is having a little girl, and I hit my 5 years working at my company! All three show how quickly we grow up. I wonder at what point I will finally feel that I am not part of the youth of the nation. Maybe 30?

On to the fun stuff. Here's my bro graduating!

I was also jealous this weekend at my nephew Josiah's second birthday party. Check out the coolest Mr potato head ever! Man, kids get all the fun toys. I think this would be one of the few things better than a bobble head for my cubicle desk.

One Thing I Miss About Being 10...

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:40:00 +0000

My Neighbor's kids reminded me of one of the top things I miss about being ten years old: Slip 'n Slides! 25 feet of slippery fun in the sun.

I grew up with Crocodile Mile, which was by far the most superior Slip 'n Slide ever. Don't believe me? Just watch the commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PQH741svy4. I am impressed with Spidey though, I think a close second to flying into a croc's mouth is into Spidey's web!

Also, after consideration from all of the "comment cards" that were left at Hotel de Rainesview (also known as our house), we upgraded the 12 year old single bed that is in our guest room to a brand new Full! Fellas, sorry about the flowery bedspread - but at least its comfy and fits 2! So, make your reservations now and we might throw in a free breakfast or mint on the pillow!

China and the Ninja Turtles

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:59:00 +0000

We've been visiting family in China this week and its been awesome! We've been able to hang out with our niece Wendy Jane, eat unbelievable food and see lots of strange and unusual things.

I wish I could bottle up some of this La Jiao (hot pepper) and bring it back. It makes texas pete seem like baby food. **phew*** (still wiping the sweat off my brow). But I keep going back for more (maybe it's the MSG?).

I too have been able to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this week. Not on the movie screen, but in real life! I asked this breeder if he had been teaching them kungfu and he said of course! I didn't see Master Splinter around, but I'm sure he's hiding out in the sewers here somewhere. I think the one on the red string (Raphael) is practicing ninja jumps?

Ofcourse I have to leave you with some exciting Chi-english signs from over here. Maybe these are two of my favorites thus far.

Bailey vs the snake

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:01:00 +0000

Today Melissa and I both had the day off, and with this incredible weather we just had to venture into the great outdoors! It's 83 and sunny here for all our frozen northern readers...

So we packed some sandwiches and went hiking at Umstead park in Raleigh. All was well for our 5 mile hike in the woods, and nearing the end we stopped to enjoy our lunch at a beautiful little spot by an old mill with a flowing creek. Fearless Bailey trotted down to the creek to enjoy a nice cool drink of water. Just as he began lapping up the water, I notice a snake less camoflauged in the water no less than 2 inches from his head - just eyeing him. No sooner had it been spotted, it struck at Bailey! AHH!! Despite his days reclining on the couch being hand fed people food, Bailey's natural dog instints kicked in and he jumped back as quick as the snake struck! Near miss (as we are still looking for bite marks since it was sooo close).

We managed to get some shots of the evil villian. I am 99.9% sure it's just a water snake, but the watersnake, copperhead and cottonmouth look so similiar from a few feet away! Any snake pros who make a proper identification get 100 points.

"We all go to NC State"

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 23:05:00 +0000

Well, it's official - I will be a student at NC State in the fall! I'll be in the MBA program taking night classes. Don't worry...although my degrees will be split, I still bleed Tarheel Blue.

Work...MBA....Blogging!?! How will I balance it all!!

So I leave you with one of my previous adventures at NCSU. Painting the Free Expression Tunnel during my UNC days. How beautiful it is to see so much blue.

Fun with the Nephew

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 04:48:00 +0000

Well, I had to sneak an blog entry in the last day..and mere minutes of february (Thanks for the reminder Jared). It's been a while guys...February has been busy.

I did get to chill out with my nephew Josiah this last weekend. Of the fun and exciting things we did:

1. Taught him how to turn on my xbox with the wireless controller

2. Watched Curious George (and danced to Jack Johnson's music of course)

3. Was chased by the infamous Sock Monster.

Snoopy Knows Best...

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:51:00 +0000

Charles Schulz truly knew how to capture the wonderful humor of being a pet owner. This reflects our relationship with Bailey completely.

First Snow of the Year!

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:28:00 +0000

Well, it's the first snow of the year...err...I mean first snow since '04. This is only the second time in Bailey's life that he has been able to play in snow that has stuck to the ground.

5 Things I resolve to do in '07

noreply@blogger.com (TheBeahms) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 01:49:00 +0000

Two Thousand and Six has been quite a year. Looking back I see all the exciting things I did, like climbing mountains and canyons, becoming addicted to even more superhero shows, and a plethora of other blogalicious items you have all read about! As 2007 rolls in, I have decided to change a few things around here. So enjoy my top 5 things I will do differently in '07.

Number 1: I resolve to eat less fast food and drink less soda
OK. This one comes from a recent film that I watched. Super Size Me. I don't know if it was the realization that my calorie and fat intake was way to high due to my abundance of soda and fast food or looking at the giant jar of sugar that equaled my weekly intake of soda...but I have decided to eat healthier!

Number 2: I resolve to consult my wife before beginning home projects
During marriage we all have things that we have to call and say: "I'm sorry" before they even walk in the door. This happened to me when I attempted to retile our bathroom due to some improperly set morter. Realizing I am no demo crew, we had to get some professional help.

Number 3: I resolve to improve my grass to weed ratio
One thing that I have learned is that I am not a grass specialist. I have grown grass, watched it die....seen weeds come and grow. So I am resolving to learn something about grass and keeping a green lawn. Even a new sidewalk through 5' of my yard will not stop this green thumb. Hopefully a little Scott's lawn care can help me.

Number 4: I resolve to read a book
Since the last book that I really remember reading was Jurassic Park 2, I think the time has come to thumb my fingers through the pages in a book!

Number 5: I resolve be more like Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls is a Britian who stars a new show called Man vs Wild. He is a survivalist who spends the hour surviving with nothing more than a knife and his instincts. He's climbed Everest twice and survived a parachute malfunction and a broken back. His website give just a little glimpse into his life. BearGrylls.com Yes, I have stayed in a lean to shelter built out of moss, but I have not caught and eaten a raw salmon or started a fire with two sticks.

Extra - Number 6: I resolve to buy more cool Apple Products
With the dropping of the word "Computer" from their company name (they are now just Apple, Inc.), they have astounded us all with the Apple TV and the iPhone. That is why I resolve to buy more cool gadgets made by Apple.