I’m in the middle, practicing my Truffle Shuffle, holding a candy cane.

Note: All bands and/or hipsters must contact me if interested in allowing this beauty to grace your 2012, Pitchfork perfect 10-rated, synthesizer loop filled album.

Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need… roads.

Back To The Future is one of, if not my favorite movie of all time. I love the first, LOVE the second, like the third (trains? we needed trains to make this more compelling?).

We were invited to an 80s themed Halloween party, and the choice was obvious: be everyone’s favorite childhood time traveler. However, I should note that we were worried that things might get heavy if no one recognized us.

You can’t tell, but I’m wearing a maroon undershirt and my white collared shirt is checkered in blue… just like Marty’s. (I worked hard and want credit, y’all… which is sad.)

Inspired by these…

Halloween from years past is below.

2010: Ralphie & The Leg Lamp, A Christmas Story

2009: Eric & Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights

2008: Joan Holloway and Don Draper Pete Campbell, Mad Men

2007: Jim and Pam, The Office

I love Beta invites for new services.

Call it a craving to learn the “next”.
Call it a craving to be the first.
Call it an undying love of technology.
Call it anything, but don’t call me a laggard.

After scoring a Beta invite for about.me, my wife launched her page a few days later. I had time to prep, test, prepare my page to spew nothing but pure awesome. Now, Chelsea’s page has not only racked up thousands of hits, it’s on the “Spotlight” section.

My page is the Friendster to her Facebook.

I’m ticked. Jealous, and ticked.

If you have any trouble finding parking this morning, feel free to select any spot between my front teeth.

To The Members of Jasper’s First Baptist Church [original pdf]

We wanted to thank you for your kindness and faithfulness shown over the last 26 years.

When our father Conrad accepted God’s call to Jasper, we were 3-years-old and 18-months-old, respectively. Now 29 and 27-years-old, it’s amazing to look back and realize that there wasn’t an area of life you did not positively affect. You were the first church family we knew, and God could not have selected a better group of individuals to instill our Christian foundation.

You have treated us as your own sons, grandsons, and brothers. Not a day went by where your hospitality and friendship was not shown in countless ways. There is no way for us to thank you enough, much less return the favor; we can only assure you that we will attempt carry out the Great Commission in the same manner as yourselves.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has big plans for Jasper’s First Baptist Church. We know that you will continue to provide the same encouragement and support to future church leaders that you have so graciously provided to our father over the last 3 decades.

It is with the utmost sincerity that we say it will be difficult to love another church family as much as we have loved you. While Jasper’s First Baptist Church is no longer our church home, it will always be our home church.

God Bless,
Landon & Aaron Howell

[Home for the first time in 12 months.]

Feels like it’s been a while. Happy 2010 to you all. Now get to work… it is Monday morning.

I’ll assume we’re all back at work, home safely from multiple vacations and excursions. Needless to say, it was quite interesting being in Alabama this year.

You don’t realize how much you miss home until you leave home for an extended period.

Her Twiitter updates make me laugh out loud: Tiger Woods had an Epiphany. No, seriously…that was her name.

Mom, Dad, and Aaron are in town. Don’t think I have to paint a picture as to how much fun we’re having. On a cold Sunday night, we introduced them to the Vietnamese dish, Phở.

You can’t tell from the photo, but it’s freezing by Elliott Bay.

First the first time in Seattle, Mom, Dad, Aaron, Chelsea and I will all be here at the same time.

Enjoy your weekend.

My niece Carys took her first steps today.

If it seems a bit slow around her this week… it is. Aaron came into town ergo we’re running around doing fun things ergo I’m taking off a day of work to do said fun things ergo I’m trying to squeeze 40 hours of work into 4 business days rather than 5 ergo I’m tired…

Luckily, Obama held another press conference and it put me right to sleep.

My cousin Kathryn Howell Dalton her husband Sean Dalton had a 9 lb 9 oz baby boy, 21 inches, Arthur Howell Dalton, and was in labor was 21 hours.

Seattle to New Orleans to Hattiesburg to New Orleans to Hattiesburg to Jasper to Hattiesburg to Jackson to Hattiesburg to New Orleans to Seattle.

…our travels over the last 9 days. Somebody calculate those miles and I’ll give you a cookie.

Mom and Dad made the trek up from Jasper to Seattle for the second Thanksgiving in a row. We were able to venture a little deeper into the local culture by visiting multiple non-touristy restaurants where us locals fill their bellies.

Beth’s Cafe is one of the Northwest’s more famous greasy spoons, particularly for its 8-egg and 12-egg omlettes. The omlette can come with as many internal fixings as you like (ours had mushrooms, ham, and cheese) served over a bed of all-you-can-eat hash browns.

That last serving you see in photo #2 was finished-off by mom about 4 minutes and 30 seconds after the photo was taken.

A rather crude (yet very humorous) look at why some parents are just so stupid.

I never knew my grandfather on my mother’s side. He passed away long before I was born, though I do know quite a bit about him. The most interesting tidbit is that he owned a photography studio, The Rainer Studio in Dothan, Alabama. He and I have the same passion, though quite a different outcome. He took exquisite shots of Norman Rockwell-esque small town Alabama… and I

I love the iconic nature of the photographs. Each one looks like every 50′s movie we’ve ever seen; picture perfect and clean as a whistle.

Kudos to my cousin Ray for forwarding archiving these on the Internet and sending them to me. For the entire set click here.

(What you see pictured above is the famous Seattle gum wall. Yes… those are thousands of little pieces of gum, and we added to the collection.)

Raise your hand if you’re feeling a little pudgy.

Ok, now raise your hand if you were probably a bit pudgy before the weekend began.

We spent our Thanksgiving lunch at Ray’s, situated at the edge of the Puget Sound with a view that you couldn’t beat with a stick. I think this marks the first time that any member of the Howell family has consumed turkey, salmon, and pumpkin flavored cheesecake all in one sitting. In what is normally our rainy season (which we’re quite thankful for, ‘cuz it gives us our snow to ski on) God blessed us with two of the clearest days I’ve seen in 2 months.

With Thanksgiving past us, it can only mean one thing: Christmas. Prepare for the posts.