Terry Pearson’s Blog

Today, Jessica and I went mountain biking in Murphy Hanrehan park with a couple of friends of mine (Samar Upadhyay and Adam Bavier). It was a great ride, just like most of the MORC trails.

Jessica rode the beginner and intermediate loops with us, and to my surprise Adam and Samar were up for the expert loop.  The total length of the trail is about 10 miles with about 60% of this being on the expert loop. You can find a copy of the map here.

Here is Jessica doing the great job she always does on these trails!

On the expert trail, there are several obstacles. Some are natural, but the most challenging ones are man-made. For example, there is an amazingly long 1 foot wide pull bridge. It curves and twists while staying about four feet off the ground for most of it. At the end, it has a teeter-totter to get you off the bridge.

I tried it first and could not ride straight enough to make it to the higher sections.

Adam Bavier had an awesome fall, which is definitely worth watching. That’s what he gets for starting in the middle.

Samar Upadhyay also tried it, and he did pretty good at it:

Finally, we saw some guys come by who must have had no fear of death or dismemberment. One of them was able to do the bridge in parts. He made it look just easy enough to encourage us to come back and try it again on another day:

Just about six miles in to the trail, I took a banked curve a little too far. When the bank ended I tried to quickly turn to follow the trail. Unfortunately, there was a slippery spot. My front tire turned sideways and I flew over my handlebars.

The next thing I knew I was on the ground spitting out blood and feeling very sore. I yelled a couple times for help, but eventually rolled off the trail and laid there until Samar came by. He was a little shocked, and came over to help (and document the moment!).

All in all, it was a fun time. I can’t wait to get back on some of the other trails around the Twin Cities in the near future.

This is a Stonehenge style seating wall. Jessica and I had dreamed about building this for a while now.

Originally, we thought it would be awesome to surround our patio with a stone bench like this one. Due to several reasons, we decided to go smaller. After we get the planters taken care of, it will provide a nice “natural” seating area on our patio that still allows flow into the main part of our backyard.

The seating wall is made out of 15″ Catalina style blocks going horizontal and 15″ Belgian style patio blocks going vertical. The blocks are held together with PL masonry adhesive.

I originally saw this displayed at Menards. After talking to the guys who built the display, I realized that it was easy enough to do it myself.

The total length of the bench was about 11 feet. It’s total weight was approximately 1500 lbs.

Well, it finally happened, our little baby has turned one year old! It seems like just the other day that Jessica and I were creating videos for her a few hours before her birth.

During the past year, Abigail has grown and changed so much. I cannot begin to describe just how proud I am of her each and every day.

At first, we were thrilled when she gave us a smile, or stuck out her tongue, or even scooted up toward our faces.

It seems so recent and yet so long ago that she first held her bottle, or said her first words. Now she talks, gives hugs and kisses, and waves to everyone (and everything) in sight. She even takes a few steps.

Even more amazing is that in the next 17 years she will learn to walk without any help, learn read, learn to ride a bike, learn to drive, and even graduate from High School (In 2026).

Jessica and I look forward to every moment of it. Although, we hope it does not go too fast.

It’s one of the great paradoxes of life. You always want your child to learn something new, to gain strength, knowledge, and wisdom, and to take that next step. But, taking the next step means they leave behind the previous steps.

For the child, this is growth, but for the parent it is the last time something happens. There will be the last time you help your child roll over, or the last time your child needs a hand walking. There will be a last bottle, a last diaper change, and eventually a last day of school. Someday, you will even go to their wedding.

All these are wonderful things, and great steps, but there is something wonderful about helping your child through each one of these changes.

As you and your child work on the process of growing up, it builds a deep love and bond between the two of you. As they mature, this love grows into a fellowship, a friendship, and a strong bond.

I think that being a dad helps me truly understand what it means in 1 John 3:1 where it says “See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” Now that I understand the deep love that a parent has for their child, I can better appreciate the awesomeness of this statement!

Happy Birthday Abigail. You are, and always will be, loved!

This summer has gone by so fast. The biggest sign that summer is almost over is the start of the Minnesota State Fair.

Usually, we don’t make plans to go to the fair very far in advance. This year was no exception. We decided last night that we will be going on Sunday.

Some of my favorite activities at the fair include the Minnesota DNR booth, the Political Booths, seeing KTLK’s setup at the fair, and sometimes attending a morning service at Crossroads Chapel.

I will be sure to check out the MN GOP booth this year, if I can find it. It is never on the State Fair maps. I remember that they always have free water, and a shaded area to sit, so it is usually worth the visit.

I will also be looking forward to the Paddlefish, and other large fish that make up the DNR’s pond in front of their building. If you have a chance, stop by the pond and think about what could be swimming right below you next time you are tubing!

I will hopefully have some great pictures of Jessica, Abigail, my dad, and me at the fair sometime next week!