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Our New Daughter!

May 30, 2009 By Clay 8 Comments
So Yeon Kim on her throne.

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It has been a VERY emotional last couple of days.  Yesterday we finalized our decision to adopt a beautiful baby girl from Korea.  This whole process has been 3 1/2 years so I’m sure you can imagine how thankful we are that this day is finally here.

Her Korean name is So Yeon Kim and she is 6 months old.  She is being cared for by a foster family just outside of Seoul, Korea.  The next steps are for all the paperwork in Korea and on the US side to be processed which unfortunately can take up to 6 months.  Thanks to everyone for their support and good thoughts.

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I am now skinny enough for Korea!

May 22, 2009 By Clay 7 Comments

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I went in for my physical this morning and I am now well within the weight restrictions for adopting from Korea.  This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done and there is no way in hell I could have done it without my incredible wife and awesome friends to support me.

Thanks everyone!

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50 pounds and counting!

May 20, 2009 By Clay 4 Comments

vibrating-belt-machine

I posted back in September 2008 about our upcoming adoption from Korea. Just to catch you up, I need to be under 214 pounds to be eligible.  I am soooooo close it is ridiculous.  This winter has been a series of weight platueas, but I can tell you that today I am less than a pound away from my goal weight.  This makes my total loss 50 pounds since last August.

I am going in to the doc on Friday for a physical and to hopefully get a little piece of paper that states my height and weight that is within Korean adoption guidelines.  Wish me luck and feel free to give me any last minute weight loss tips…something along the

lines of high school wrestlers before a match.

Most people ask how I did it.  There is no magic to it.  I started with the South Beach diet and when that stopped working for me I switched to more exercise and watching my calories.

Wish me luck!

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I’m a newb…again

May 11, 2009 By Clay 2 Comments

screenshot-1So I decided to try something new…iPhone application development.  I’ve had an iPhone since the week after it was launched and I have an unnatural relationship with it.  It is an amazing device and I would marry it if I were legalized in the state of Minnesota.

So, my first step was to find out if I could handle this.  I am not a traditional software developer.  I have built a pant-load of web sites and some pretty robust web-based applications, but traditional software development isn’t my bag.  I started with signing up for the iPhone developer program, got some book recommendations and read tons of blogs.  I picked up Beginning iPhone Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK and Learn Objective–C on the Mac (Learn Series) from Amazon.  I am only on Chapter 4 after needing to let Chapter 3 sink in…twice, but now I think I am “getting it”.

Another GREAT resource I have found is Dan Girgsby’s site Mobile Orchard.  Dan and the crew over there have put together a fantastic site and amazing podcast.  They interviewed the authors of the iPhone book mentioned above and I found it valuable to listen to multiple times.  Next week, Dan is holding a 2 day workshop on beginning iPhone development.  I was lucky enough to get a spot along with an old friend who is also learning along side me.  From what I have picked up on Dan’s site and podcasts, this should be a great learning experience.  I hope I have multiple “ah-ha” moments because I will need them.

Most people ask me if I have any ideas for a killer app.  I do have an idea for some apps that aren’t so outrageously out of control that I would never be able to finish.  I will start with those and most likely give them away for free.  I didn’t start this with an app in mind.  I started because I love to learn new things.   If you have known me for any length of time, you know that I like to have multiple hobbies.  Here are a few still active hobbies…

  • Fly Fishing
  • Photography
  • Building Arcade Cabinets
  • Web Development
  • Video Editing
  • Graphic Design
  • Playing Music (guitar mostly)
  • Geocaching
  • Remote Control Aircraft (Planes and Helicopters)
  • Golfing

So wish me luck and you never know, this hobby just may be what I stick with for years to come….or it may not, but it will be fun making mistakes and learning from them.  I know..cheesy…but true!

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