31 and Counting: #23 - Shepherd's Pie

I know that year after year I have said that Taco Salad is my favorite food of all time...but there is a new food coming in at a close second that is constantly pushing the envelope of "Ben's Favorite Food," Shepherd's pie is that food.  I don't know what it is, but over the last year I have started to love particular things that are simple yet satisfying.  First off there's lots of meat in it that's mixed up with a bunch of vegetables.  On top of that, it's all swimming in a pool of gravy, many a times which has dark beers in the mix.  And then all of that is covered completely with the best comfort food of all time... mashed potatoes!  I also love when it's been put in the broiler and the top of it is nice and crispy.  Finally, the best part about shepherd's pie is that my wife knows how to make it and makes it well.  Go Alli!

Birthday Morning Surprise!

There's nothing like being woken up at 5 A.M. in the morning, on your birthday, by the sound of your cat vomiting on your bed.  I guess she felt like she needed to give me something on my birthday.  What a special thing it was, too. And on top of that, there is nothing more fun than searching the floor in a pitch black room searching for cat vomit while your eyes are trying to adjust to the little light that you have in the room.  

For some odd reason, I think this birthday will be one of those ones that just sticks out in your mind as "that" birthday. Yipee!

31 and Counting: #24 - Forgiving Blog Readers

I know, I know. I am one of the most non-consistent blog posters in the world.  But thanks to people like you who read my blog, I am always encouraged to write more.  Most people would just stop reading and move onto something else, but you haven't.  Thanks for reading and checking in all of the time. 

31 and Counting: #25 - Scarves

I've never been a fan of accessorizing.  I had an earring at one time but it didn't last too long (even though it's now been 7 years since I wore one and I still to this day have a hole in my ear).  But there is something about a scarf that just makes sense to me.  It's not to flashy. It serves the purpose of keeping your neck warm, which is great for those cold Oregon days.  They can be home made or store bought.  It also can bring in a little color to spice things up.  Scarves are also a great way to support your local soccer team.  Scarves with team names can be swung around or held high in support of your team at a game or even be worn around town to show pride in your team.  Lastly, there are so many different ways to wear a scarf.  You can hang it on your neck, wrap it around, or double it over and pull it through (I've been told that this is the Euro way to wear a scarf).  And the best thing is, scarves last a really long time.  You could even begin to have a scarf collection if you wanted to.  Man, I LOVE SCARVES!

31 and Counting: #26 - No Longer Being A Bachelor

Sure, you can have a lot of fun when by yourself, but after a weekend without the wife, I learned that, although I enjoy doing things with my friends, it's not as much fun when you don't have someone to share it with.  I am a people person and thrive off of personal interactions with others.  It's not that I can't be alone.  It's just that I would rather hang out with someone.  I guess it's a good thing I have a wife that enjoys spending time with me as well.

31 and Counting: #27 - Fifa Soccer 2009

If I didn't have a video game on my list of things I like, I would be a bad gamer.  So here I go.  Since I just talked about the Wii, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the one game that I just can't get enough of, which is FIFA Soccer 2009.  First off, I'm a sucker for a good soccer game because scoring goals is tons of fun, even if it's not in real life.  But the real kicker of this game is the inclusion of the Manager Mode, which wasn't on last years version for the Wii.  So in other words, you get to choose a club and manage it. Buying, selling, and coaching has never been so much fun.  There's nothing like taking a scrub team and turning it into a super club at the top.  On top of all of that footy fun, this years game also includes an 8-on-8 game mode that is a total arcade style version of the game, along with the fun feature of playing with your own Mii (a Wii version you make to resemble yourself).  I know it's just a game and I know (and Alli knows) that I can spend tons of time playing, but it's clean (not filled with violence or other crud), fun, is great to play with friends.  Good thing it came out this year and not when I was 13.  I would have never left the house.

31 and Counting: #28 - The Wii

Being part of the generation that grew up with video games, I am always a sucker for a good time with a game system.  I can remember the day I got my first game system.  I had saved up all of my money to purchase a Sega Genesis.  It was so cool.  The sleek black system with the three button controllers.  And then I moved onto the Playstation.  And then onto the PS2.  But now that a PS3 costs $500, I couldn't stand dropping that much cash just to buy a system and then pay more on top of that to get games.  Gladly, Nintendo released the Wii.  

The thing I love the most about the Wii is that I have endless options of entertainment.  If you want to play old school games like Super Mario Bros. or Streets of Rage, you can do it with the simple purchase of the game off of the web, and then the game is installed onto your own system.  If you want to dive into motion style games, you can do this by playing games like Wii Sports.  Then comes my favorite...the shooting games.  It's just like back in the day when we would go to the arcade and drop millions of quarters into Operation Wolf.  You can also drive with the Wii Wheel as well with Mario Kart.  I know that there are only a few games that take you through a huge story, like Resident Evil 4, but it's perfect for a person like me who only has limited time to play games.  And the best part of it is... Alli even plays every once in a while.  (She even out drives me in Mario Kart! Arg!)

31 and Counting: #29 - Rain

I know, I know. I live in Oregon and I love the rain.  The funny thing about this fact is that everyone around me that knows this thinks that I'm nuts.  They think that rain is dreary and dull and the days are way too dark.  They also complain that multiple days of rain make it so that people have to stay inside.  Well not me.  I love the rain.  I love the way it smells right before a rain.  Dull, dreary days are relaxing and are perfect for reading and playing video games.  Everything looks cleaner after a good rain and the air is much cleaner as well.  I like it so much, when we have stretches of days where it doesn't rain, I wake up hoping that it's raining outside.  And who says you can't do anything outside when it's raining.  You can play soccer, hike, bike, or even play in the mud.  There's so many good things that come from rain, I don't know how people could not love it.

31 and Counting: #30 - Full Beard February

That's right, you heard me.  Full Beard February!  This happens to be one of the 31 things I love.  Most of the men at my school have decided to participate and the beards have already begun to grow.  It will be fun to see how we all look with full beards.  And the best part of it all... Full Beard February leads to Mustache March!  Oh Yeah!

31 and Counting

The month of February brings many things for all of us.  Valentine's Day reminds us to tell the ones we love how much we care for them.  Groundhog's Day helps us see how long winter is going to be.  But for me, February 25th reminds me that I am one year older.  So, since 31 will put me into my "thirties", I thought it would be fun to talk about 31 things that I enjoy. (This will also keep me blogging. :)  Even though I'm now 24 days away and will need to do some catching up, here goes.

#31: The knowledge that in less than three months, Alli and I will have a baby.  And on top of that, we'll have a boy.  I know it sounds silly, but the idea of having a first born son that will carry on the family name seems really special to me.  Plus, it will be so much fun to add another member to the family.  Now it won't just be Alli and I.  It will be Ben, Alli, and the baby.  Too much fun!