2010 in 5 pictures

Last year was amazing. There was so much going on, I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could represent the year in FIVE pictures, let's see how it shook out:

This is a picture of me being scared shitless. This was taken on February 3rd, and that is the first time I ever held my son. He was 17 days old. We had just gotten the call the previous week on January 26th. I had just taken 3 weeks off work to be with him and my wife (Merle). I had just turned our office into a make-shift nursery. I had just bought a Travel System (car seat / stroller combo) and registered for a bunch of baby stuff I had no clue if needed it or how to use it the night before. This was supposed to be the morning we were to fly to Hawaii for the "Fuck It, We Can't Have A Baby, So Let's Go To Hawaii" trip, instead we borrowed our friends mini van, drove 5hrs west with our parents to pick up our son. It was literally the best day of my life so far. BUT, I was scared shitless.

What better way to make it official than to get it tattooed on your body? The is me and the man, the myth, the legend: Bentley James. Out of all my artwork I've got this is still my favorite. Josh from Big Brain killed it. I absolutely love this picture. B is roughly 3 months old and already a looker. Seriously the coolest kid I know.

This is by far my favorite picture of the year, and not because I was the one that took it. I could seriously stare at it for days. Merle is my inspiration and my rock through this whole process. She is such an amazing mother to B. It has been my honor to be able to share this journey with her. I love the quiet thoughtfulness in each of their eyes.

Not only was this a big year in the fact we added to our family, but Merle and I also celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. This picture was taken off the balcony of our condo in Phoenix, AZ. We went there for a long weekend with my parents. They came along to watch B while we went to the Jack Johnson concert. Amazing show. Amazing trip. Amazing condo. I picked up the N!kes at the outlet mall in Phoenix, for like $22. Sweet deal! Such a great trip all around. B flew for the first time like a champ! We all had a blast. Might even turn into an annual thing.

This is my latest piece. Again, by Josh at Big Brain. Again, he killed it. All I told him was I wanted an old school anchor with a "Family" banner. This is what he came up with and I was blown away with the outcome. Family is what keeps me anchored. This year we became a family. It really rung true for me when we started getting Christmas Cards that addressed us as the "Socially Awkward FAMILY" instead of just "Socially Awkward and Merle." 11 months into it and it takes a Christmas Card from my Aunt Lucille to make it click for me. We are a family. After B's name, this is another one of my favorites.

There you have it, that was my year in 5 pictures. Granted we've got a few hundred more I could have chosen from, but these were the ones that stuck out with me. 2010 was a big year. Here's to hoping 2011 is bigger and better.