The Loan is Finally Closed
! /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2020/11/screenshot 20201110-215335 chrome.jpg Four long years. It’s been over four years since we bought our property out in Volente. We weren’t in...
TalkToErik
Family, travel, work, and the ordinary moments worth writing down.
A personal side of Erik's writing, now part of Spend This, Not That. New stories and ideas will continue to appear here alongside the full collection of earlier posts.
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TalkToErik
Summer Sailing in Michigan
! /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2020/08/20200718 193041.jpg Sailboat minus sail One of my favorite things to do while we’re spending time in Michigan is to go sailing. We didn’t ge...
Bedtime for the Last time with 6 year old Crosby
This is going to be one of those random and short blogs — really just for me. Today is December 20, 2019; the day before Crosby’s seventh birthday. Korey had a ladies only Chris...
Five Reasons Why We Bought a Timeshare
Korey and I have gone to more than our fair share of timeshare presentations. I’d imagine that we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of ten different pitches. Most of the recent o...
Hawaiian Booking Adventures
It’s been almost 20 years since I was last in Hawaii. As you might imagine, I’ve changed quite a bit in that timeframe, but the biggest difference between this trip and those pr...
Who Wouldn’t Want Personal Surf Lessons?
Who Wouldn’t Want Personal Surf Lessons? One of the main reasons we settled in on going to Oahu was so that we could see my good friend Wave Hog. We hung out a few times while w...
An Unexpected Surprise at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
As I mentioned in our booking adventure /talktoerik/hawaiian-booking-adventures/ , we had an early flight out of Houston, so we drove over Monday night to stay with Stephanie Th...
The Exception: Fifteen Years and Four Jobs at IBM Later
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with an IBM executive last week, and while he and I were talking about our careers and career progression, he mentioned that he had rece...
How Did This Five Year Chapter End?
How Did This Five Year Chapter End? People always say that time goes by faster as you get older, and I’ve certainly come to understand that it’s true. The best reason I’ve heard...
Sunday Sunday Funday at the Roller Rink and More
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re not the sort of family that likes to just sit at home and watch TV all day. This Sunday was no exception. I started off the day with...
Yard Games Galore at the Cottage
The fact that the weather in the UP during July is usually beautiful means that we spend a lot of time outside. And if you know or have read anything about my kids, you know tha...
Oh Boat, How I Love Thee
It was a long and hard fought battle, but about two years ago, we finally convinced Dad to buy a boat for Michigan. They planned to spend more time up there, now that they were...
Shallow Water Makes for a Lot of Fun
The fun on the boat earns it’s own post, but there’s certainly more to hanging out at the lake than just tubing. The lake itself was down a bit this year which likely made the t...
Blueberries and Dancing Ice Cream Almost Make the Long Drive Worth It Alone
Rather than write daily updates, I thought it would be good to just touch on some of the fun stories that came out over the course of the two weeks with the first one happening...
Opening Weekend in Pittsburgh
We landed in Pittsburgh really late on Friday night, and after a quick visit to the cockpit of the plane, Mom and Dad both came to pick us up from the airport. Both kids wanted...
The Kids First Trip to Schlitterbahn
Schlitterbahn is fun for kids of all ages, but it’s certainly is better when your kids have learned to love the water. Crosby has been a waterbug for several years, but Carlyn i...
Closing out the Cruise
It wasn’t too long after got back on the boat from Progresso /talktoerik/off-the-beaten-path-in-progresso/ that it was time to go for dinner. Doing the early option was the righ...
Summer Fun Without Leaving Home
I love our kids and their imaginations. While some people complain about being bored and they do occasionally as well , it doesn’t take much for us to have fun. Looking back at...
Off the Beaten Path in Progresso
Thursday we pulled into Progresso a bit later than Cozumel /talktoerik/a-dolphin-discovery/ , and we had a full day ahead of us, so we didn’t waste any time in getting off the b...
The Anderson’s Go to Disney… the Happiest (and Rainiest) Place on Earth
The Anderson’s Go to Disney… the Happiest and Rainiest Place on Earth Everyone says that Disney is the happiest place on Earth. After going for the first time in my life, I can...
Rainy Disney Round 2
For our second day at Disney first day recap here /talktoerik/the-andersons-go-to-disney-the-happiest-and-rainiest-place-on-earth/ , the weatherman was unfortunately right for o...
Moviepass Is Awesome, but Doomed
It’s been about a month and a half since my MoviePass arrived in the mail, and I’ve seen more movies in the last 6 weeks than I have in the last 15 years. And I love it! Despite...
Camping at Pace Bend Park
I really like the fact that our kids enjoy camping. It’s fun to be able to take them outdoors and get to experience nature a bit. It was the start of Korey’s spring break weeken...
A Dolphin Discovery
Wednesday was the first of our two days in port in Mexico, and Korey had done her research in advance to make sure that we were well taken care of while there. We had bought Gro...
Sleep was Hard to Come By in Spain
It has become relatively rare that I get to scratch a new country off my list for work, but the 2018 Fast Starts presented one of these opportunities. I started off with a very...
Cruisin’ for Christmas
I love a lot of things about Texas, but being away from the rest of my side of the family is certainly not one of them. However, that does make me cherish those times that we do...
A Vacation in Atlanta?
A Vacation in Atlanta? A few months ago, when Korey asked if I wanted to go to Atlanta, I was a bit unsure what to say. My best guess is that I said, “Why? What’s in Atlanta?” I...
How to a Explain a Standardized Cloud Architecture to Your Spouse
My lovely wife has gone unscathed from blog posts for quite some time, but I think it’s time to bring her up to speed on some new technology. Over the last year, I’ve had the op...
Michigan Vacation, Part 2: So You’re Going to Be My Interesting Patient
Given that I’m writing this a bit after the fact, I couldn’t tell you, nor would you likely care what went on every single day while at the cabin. That being said, I do remember...
Michigan Vacation, Part 1: Getting There is a Trip Itself
What sane person would take their two kids 4 and 2 on a cross country plane trip only to then later cover over 600 more miles with them by car? Hopefully this one. You tell me w...
Erik the Trucker?
Erik the Trucker? It took nearly 14 years of home ownership and living in Texas, but I finally drive a truck. Well sort of. Perhaps more accurate would be that I bought a truck...
Did WannaCrypt Wreck My Demo Infrastructure?
Did WannaCrypt Wreck My Demo Infrastructure? For those of you that follow me professionally, you know I own the demo strategy for IBM’s Cloud business unit. That leaves me respo...
Hiking in the Smoky (more like charred) Mountains with Crosby
Hiking in the Smoky more like charred Mountains with Crosby To me, spending time with family tops just about any other activity that I can be doing. Add in something fun and a f...
The 5 Things You Can’t Forget to Pack for IBM InterConnect
I’ve lost track of how many conferences I’ve been to in Las Vegas by now, and in all those visits I’ve picked up a few tips that I wanted to pass along. Here they are in ballpar...
I’m a Numbers Sort of Guy
It’s no secret that I’m a “by the numbers” type of guy. If the probability of success is better with one option than another, I’ll go with the one that numbers say to. I play bl...
My 2017 New Year’s Non-Resolution
I’ve never been much for making New Year’s Resolutions. That being said, if you can make and stick to one, I’m 100% behind you. To me, it is a “new year,” but in the end it’s ju...
Oh How the New Year’s Times Have Changed — But the Fondue is Delicious
It’s starting to have been awhile, but it’s not so long ago that I can’t remember the days when New Year’s Eve was a bit of a different occasion. Before kids, we usually got tog...
Every Penny Counts: Saving Money with Ibotta
If you’ve ever met Korey or me, you know that we’re what most people would describe as frugal. We aren’t cheap, though. Neither of us mind spending money on good quality items i...
Our First Camping Trip as a Foursome
PK — aka pre kids — Korey and I really enjoyed going camping several times, whether it was on our own or with Kyle and Melissa. However, like most things in life, camping change...
A Mr. Mom Weekend
When Korey asked if I’d be able to watch the kids so that she could go to Vegas for a girls weekend, of course I said yes. I know that my travel is sometimes hard on her, and I’...
Oh no! My kiddos are growing up
While I would not say I’m an overly emotional guy, I’m definitely sentimental — if that makes sense. I wouldn’t typically cry during a sad movie, but I would struggle to get rid...
Just a Regular Day in the Life
So often I’ve been writing these blogs about something that’s happened in particular. Obviously a lot recently have been about my CSC trip, but I thought it would be good to be...
Four Long Flights Worth of Movie Reviews
When you’re stuck on a plane for hours on end, eventually you can’t sleep, you put down the magazine or book, and just zone out and turn on the entertainment system. And in all...
Whirlwind of a Time in Singapore
I took a very short flight to Singapore Monday evening after my client meeting in KL. After checking into the hotel, I caught up with Brian for a bit to grab a bite to eat. I wa...
KL is KooL
Not often to I get to check a new country off the travel list these days, but I did these past few days during a quick trip to Asia. And it is a Quick trip with a capital Q. I’l...
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao (Part 3 – Personal Reflections)
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao Part 3 – Personal Reflections This again is a continuation… I’ve already gone through some broad comments in Part 1 /talktoerik/three...
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao (Part 2 – Professional Impact)
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao Part 2 – Professional Impact This is a continuation Part 1 is here /talktoerik/three-week-reflection-on-my-time-in-qingdao-part-1/ ....
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao (Part 1)
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao Part 1 At this very minute, it’s been almost exactly three weeks that I left Qingdao. Coincidentally, as I’m writing this, I’m actual...
Looking for a Little Extra Incentive to Get Fit? Like Cold Hard Cash?
Looking for a Little Extra Incentive to Get Fit? Like Cold Hard Cash? As I’m sure some of you know, I started using the BeachBody workouts and their Shakeology drinks earlier th...
Small Wins Keep the Saving Train Moving Forward
For those of you that know me well, you know that I’ve always been on the cautious side of spending money. I’m a firm believer of spending less than you earn and saving for a ra...
Miss Harley Quinn Makes Suicide Squad Worth Seeing
I was a bit skeptical to go watch Suicide Squad with it’s 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes http://Saturday Today started like so many other days for the last four weeks... Breakfas...
Heading Back Home… And in Time
Today started like so many other days for the last four weeks… Breakfast at the corner table with the sea view with the A-Team. I had my peanut butter honey toast and some yogur...
Wrapping Up What We Started in Style
I never would have guessed that today was the last full day of my assignment. I guess as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun and when you’re busy . The main activ...
Our Final Day at Hante
Today was the day we had been pushing towards for the last 4 weeks. Though truth be told, there had been so much that we delivered throughout the engagement that wrapping things...
Can the A-Team Overcome a Natural Disaster?
Can the A-Team Overcome a Natural Disaster? I’ve really been enjoying the yogurt and cereal in the morning, as has the rest of the breakfast club Rafael, Payel, and Suanne early...
A Farglorious Return To Qingdao
After two nights in the shady Beijing hotel, sleeping back in my bed in Qingdao was Farglorious pun intended — our hotel is named Farglory . That was probably some of the best I...
It’s a Small World After All
While it would have been interesting to go back to the Summer Palace, it felt good to not need to rush out in the morning. It would have also been another close to 2 hours in th...
Beijing Adventures: The Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tiennemen Square
Today was our big scheduled tour day in Beijing. I woke up a few minutes before the alarm, and set out to find a quick breakfast. There was a 7-11 next to the hotel, so I found...
Katherine to the Rescue!
! 20160729 083829.jpg /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/07/20160729 083829.jpg Typically, I’ve been writing these posts in chronological order, but some things can’t wait to be wr...
The Qingdao Media Extravaganza Continues
Despite being a bit tired, I set off for my normal morning run. I was running no pun intended a bit late, so I only got in a little over 3 miles. It’s been incredibly humid out...
‘July’ Fools Day – It’s Not Really Almost Over
I’m still in disbelief every time I look at the calendar. I feel like we should be nearing the end of the first week, not the third. The CSC has been a great experience so far,...
Oh no, an Uber Problem
I woke up on my own this morning and got a chance to video chat quickly with Korey who was over at her folks house. I was going to go out for a short run, but it was raining for...
Katherine Was in Hot Water at Hot Pot
I set the alarm for a little bit later and slept in a bit since I wanted to recover from the weekend. I think it was the most sleep I’ve had since I got here. After breakfast, t...
Sunday, The Day of Rest
It’s hard to believe that this will be my last weekend day in Qingdao. Next weekend, 8 of us and our 2 Rock Stars are going to Beijing, and then I get to go back home the follow...
Celebrating My Birthday, Qingdao Style
After going out and seeing the band until pretty late last night, it felt really good to sleep in a bit. I hadn’t talked to my folks at all, so I gave them a call when I got up...
As Bon Jovi Says, “We’re Halfway There”
It’s really hard to believe, but today is already the halfway point of my assignment in China. The time has really flown by. I’ve been working long days and having a lot of fun...
Han Te Conquers the Marshmallow Challenge
! 20160721 065648.jpg /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/07/20160721 065648.jpg I was definitely struggling a bit to get going this morning, but still managed to get another 3 mile...
The Handsome Team Strikes Again: We Didn’t Even Know We Were Famous
I set out for my normal 4 mile run this morning, but as I mentioned at the end of yesterday, the wind had picked up. Accordingly, the waves had really come up quite a bit and so...
Work’s Better When You’re Having Fun
I wanted to give my legs a bit of a break so I skipped the run this morning and did a quick Beachbody workout in the room instead. At Han Te, we got there just in time to watch...
Let the Workshop’s Begin
While most people were complaining about being sore from the hiking the previous day, I was out for my normal morning run. I figured out that RunKeeper would work as long as I w...
Adventures at Laoshan Mountain
! IMG 2839 /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/07/img 2839.jpg I was pleasantly surprised that I woke up on my own before my alarm went off. We were told that lunch could be questio...
Tsingtao Beer Museum Doesn’t Disappoint
It was great to finally have a day off. Between getting ready to get here, traveling, and a long week working, it had been nearly two weeks since I had a day without everything...
The Gang’s All Back Together
I can’t believe that the first week is already almost over. I’ve fallen into a good routine of running next to the harbor in the morning. It’s really interesting to see everyone...
Chickens and Pig Feet (7-14)
Chickens and Pig Feet 7-14 It’s been a long time coming, but I was finally able to sleep in. I didn’t have enough time to run so I just did the P90X Ab Ripper workout quickly be...
Run away, run away (7-13)
Run away, run away 7-13 By Wednesday, I was really starting to get into the groove of things here in Qingdao. I still haven’t been sleeping the best, but it’s getting better. I’...
A Little Fun with Snapchat (7-12)
A Little Fun with Snapchat 7-12 This news is a bit old now, but I was lucky enough to be asked to run a story on the only official IBM Snapchat account. This would be the first...
The “A Team” Finally Meets Han Te (7-11)
The “A Team” Finally Meets Han Te 7-11 Three weeks of preparation finally got us to this point. We finally got to meet our client! All the subteams filed into the same bus and d...
Be flexible – Things will Change
That was the statement that Brandon shared with us on Saturday /talktoerik/saturday-recap-first-weekend-of-csc-china-33/ as a general rule for while we’re here in China. If we o...
Saturday Recap — First Weekend of CSC China 33
Despite just getting a few hours sleep the first night, I was feeling pretty good in the morning. I was also very excited to meet the rest of the team after talking on the phone...
And I’m Off… to Qingdao
Despite the hard time I had leaving for the airport, once I got there it was a relatively smooth trip all the way to Beijing. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time, I had n...
The Hardest Trip to the Airport Yet
This post is not meant to be a pity party. I actively sought out this trip. In fact, I applied four or five times before getting accepted into the program – now granted, when I...
When is Peer Pressure a Good Thing?
When is Peer Pressure a Good Thing? ! guy jumps off cliff /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/07/guy-jumps-off-cliff.jpg For most of our lives, we’re told, “Don’t give in to peer pr...
Qingdao Here I Come!
As the recent Geiko commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH1biQdyiQI and Europe would say, “It’s the Final Countdown!” I’ll be heading off to Qingdao, China pronounced “ch...
What the Heck’s a Norwex?
What the Heck’s a Norwex? I finally have had a chance to write a bit again and wanted to share an update and story on how I stumbled across Norwex – and don’t worry, it’s ok if...
What Do an Empty CO2 Tank and a Frosty Freezer Have in Common?
What Do an Empty CO2 Tank and a Frosty Freezer Have in Common? If you’ve seen my profile on Twitter http://twitter.com/TalkToErik , you may have noticed that I say I can fix any...
Kiddo Update May 2016
I can’t believe how fast my two kids are growing up! I saw a video I took a year ago on TimeHop and it’s so hard to believe that 1 Carlyn is already a year old and is as differe...
Adult Only Getaway to Cancun
! IMG 2337 /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/05/img 2337.jpg /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/05/img 2337.jpg I love spending time with my kiddos, but a few weeks ago, Korey and I...
Cloud Technical Academy Trip in Madrid
! 20160417 1554321 /talktoerik-assets/uploads/2016/04/20160417 1554321.jpg This past week, my division in IBM had a large training session held in Madrid for four days. When I c...
Cloud Lingo: What’s the Premise?
Cloud Lingo: What’s the Premise? After a colleague of mine @ VictorHavard https://twitter.com/VictorHavard pointed out how frequently people use the upcoming terms incorrectly,...
Wait –You Drive a What?
Wait –You Drive a What? While at a bar after work with some coworkers, the conversation turned to the cars that everyone drives. Most were Audis, Porsches, Mercedes, etc., and t...
It’s Always “About Time” to Enjoy Every Day
! /talktoerik-assets/external/ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTA1ODUzMDA3NzFeQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDgxMTYxNTk-40. V1 SX214 AL .jpg It could certainly have something to do with the fa...
Why a blog? What do I want to share? Why should you care?
Why a blog? What do I want to share? Why should you care? More than anything, I hope that this blog becomes a place for me and my family to look back on over time and recount ma...