David and Kelley Shirkey

Back in Boulder!

2011-09-23T06:54:00.001-07:00

Kelley and Hazel and I are back to Boulder for the first time with Hazel. We hope she likes it here because Kelley and I sure do.

We've been able to go on some hikes already. Hazel is pretty keen on here new backpack...I think she looks like an astronaut.

We spent an enjoyable evening with our friends Angela, Shantanu, and Leo Joshi...they invited us to their home for dinner. Leo is one month younger than Hazel so they got along well together.

During our drive west, we stopped at a Pony Express Station in Nebraska where Hazel took a horse ride.

Visit with Jed and Angela

2011-09-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend a fun evening with Jed and Angela Hollenback a few weeks ago. We celebrated their wonderful news...they are expecting a baby early in 2012!!!

Hazel enjoyed our time with them as well.

Some photos of my girls

2011-09-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we worshipped with Kelley's parents at Word of Promise's outdoor breakfast and Bible study. It was sort of like camping...just no wet sleeping bags to deal with.

Hazel is nearly 10 months old, she'll be 10 months on September 18. She started pulling herself up to stand about the first of September. She really wants to walk...but not working out just yet. She really doesn't even crawl on her knees...she crawls or slithers on her stomach.

The three of us spent a weekend in Ann Arbor for Kelley's birthday the weekend of Labor Day. We had a very nice time hanging out with the newly arrived U of M students!

We are excited to be heading to Boulder, CO this weekend...we'll be gone for 2 weeks.

Day at the Beach

2011-08-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend a nice Saturday at the beach a week or so ago with some dear friends, Jae, Nicole and Augustus Schalk. They took a photo of our family.

Birthday Party for Ella, Daniel, Kelley and Grandma Shirkey (Sue)

2011-08-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice birthday party and Daniel and Amanda's house this weekend. We celebrated several birthdays, from youngest to oldest...Ella Shirkey, Daniel Shirkey, Kelley Shirkey, Sue Shirkey.

Great Grandma Shirkey got to get her hands on our little baby, Hazel.

Hazel is 8-1/2 months old now.

Kelley's parent's came also, here is a shot of Kelley's mom, Annette, along with my girls.

Ella and Grandma Shirkey (Sue) both received copies of the book Kelley recently illustrated, Everybody Loves Coco.

You can check out the book here:

www.pick-a-puppy.com

Orbitform acquires Pit Products and Garage Pals

2011-05-29T05:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally "did something" at Orbitform!

My job is to find companies for Orbitform to purchase and we did just that on Friday, May 20, 2011. Orbitform acquired Pit Products / Garage Pals.

This photo is from that day as the previous owner and I shook hands to seal the deal.

Now we are busy at getting to know our new company and working on transitioning it into Orbitform.

If you have a chance, please check out our websites:
www.pitproducts.com
www.garagepals.com

Best,

David

Hazel's Dedication

2011-04-11T04:00:00.001-07:00

Hazel was dedicated at Calvary Chapel of Ann Arbor on March 20, 2011. We were blessed to have much of our family there including her grandparents and some aunts, uncles, and cousins. Proud mama.

Grandma Shirkey.

Granma Fannin.

Some cousins, Colin, Ella, and Micah.

Grandpa Fannin.

Pastor Dave Gremban lead the service and did a super job. We appreciate the opportunity to show the world that we will do our best to raise Hazel in a christian home.

TOC 2011 in Orange City - Florida

2011-04-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

The 2011 edition of the TOC took place last month, March, in Orange City, Florida. As you can the see from the photos below, the result was less than optimal for some competitors, but the event overall was a complete success with the new champions, Daniel and Jason Shirkey, taking home the TOC jackets for the 2nd time. Just as Tiger begrudgedly passed off the "other" green jacket to Phil, Matt and David, struggled handing over the jackets to the 2011 champs.

Here is the first glimpse of our amazing hosts for the 2011 TOC. Grandma and Grandpa Shirkey made us feel completely at home, at their home, and they really made this the best TOC ever...

Daniel was trying to get some home course advice from Grandpa.

We'll have to try to do this again...as long as Grandma and Grandpa will accept us!

Daddy Dressing Hazel

2011-02-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

OK, OK...so I got a little bit carried away this morning as I dressed Hazel for church...I couldn't help myself.

Here she is after a nice new diaper...

with her onesie on...

add the socks (from Jed and Anglea)...
next is the pants (from Jae and Nicole)...

then we have the sweater (also from Jae and Nicole)...

and a hat (from Uncle Austin and Aunt Amy)...

TA DA!!!!!!

First Photo Shoot

2011-01-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

More pictures to follow...yes, Grandparents will receive official copies!

Photos of Hazel

2011-01-29T14:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas Party with Fannin Family

2011-01-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

Visit from Daniel and Ella Shirkey

2011-01-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a fun visit from Daniel and Ella Shirkey. They came over for dinner and were able to stay and play for a bit.

This photo is from Christmas day.

Some of Hazel's cousins were giving Hazel rides in their heavy equipment vehicles.

Laughing Girl

2011-01-04T12:28:00.001-08:00

Hazel received some Hillsdale College gear from her Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Kent...she was pretty excited about it as you can see...not as excited as her mother, a proud Hillsdale alum.

Christmas Eve Visitor from Colorado

2010-12-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Kelley, Hazel and I had a wonderful visit this morning from our good friend from Denver, Colorado...Eric Boyle. Eric was a classmate of mine at the University of Colorado and is a pretty special guy.

Uncle Mark and Aunt Karen Visit with Hazel

2010-12-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Matt and Carrie Shirkey and their three kids along with Uncle Mark and Aunt Karyn came over to visit Hazel this past week.

Daddy likes this picture! Although I do think Hazel looks a bit too old when she wears this outfit...back to swaddling clothes!

Windlab Christmas Party

2010-12-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hazel got to meet all of Daddy's coworkers at the Windlab Christmas Party. Here is a shot of David's colleague, Ranmadhu, with his wife Nimmi, and Hazel.

Visit with Kent and Marilyn's Family

2010-12-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

We spent a very enjoyable Saturday afternoon in Spring Arbor, MI with Kent and Marilyn's family. As you can tell, Hazel was very excited to meet her cousins...especially Alyssia!

Photos of Hazel and Some Visitors

2010-12-09T16:54:00.000-08:00

Kelley took this photo of Hazel today...Kelley claims that Hazel is winking.

The Bart Fannin family visited us last Saturday after they went to the University of Michigan basketball game. Here is Nikki.

Here are Bart and Nico. Jordan was here also but somehow didn't get in the photos?

Hazel is resting on daddys lap.

Thanksgiving had Grandma and Grandpa Shirkey visiting us.

We put up a Christmas tree on Sunday. Here we are in front of it with Hazel.

The night before Thanksgiving we had a very special visit from Uncle David and Aunt Linda Fannin...they are in the USA for a few months away from their mission field of eastern Europe.

Baby Hazel in front of the Christmas Tree.

All Dressed Up and Ready to Go!

2010-12-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is an outfit Hazel received from Uncle Kent and Aunt Marilyn. It has been Hazel's "go to outfit" whenever we leave the house...which hasn't been too often. Hazel isn't a big fan of the car seat...she prefers mom's arms...

Hazel is receiving calls...

2010-11-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

Hazel can be reached during business hours by calling her mother's cell phone...or by contacting her father's cell phone via non business hours.

Here she models an ensemble provided by Uncle Kent and Aunt Marilyn and crew.

The Arrival of Hazel Louise Shirkey

2010-11-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hazel arrived about 4 weeks early. She was such a surprise. Kelley and I couldn't believe it when we realized that Kelley was starting contractions.

Hazel was born on Thursday, November 18 at 5:31AM. She was 5 Lb 7 Oz and was 18.4 Inches long.

Here we are leaving the hospital after being there for quite a bit longer than we thought we would.

Meg and Lilly Caruso surprised us at the hospital on Friday morning.

Daddy and Hazel.

Some perspective. Hazel and Daddy's shoe...don't tell mom.

Photos of Hazel with Other People

2010-11-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hazel and Grandma Fannin.

Hazel and Grandma Shirkey.

Daddy couldn't help but put a sign in the front yard!

Kellley's Tummy Update

2010-11-11T16:41:00.001-08:00

We are now 4-5 weeks away from the due date. Kelley is doing really well and is totally the champ. Chimi is growing like he/she should. Doctor estimated Chimi is 5-5.5 Lb at this time. The most prominent feature of the baby is the baby's rear end which is positioned on the left side of Kelley's tummy.

Dad is also doing well. He knows the hard part for him is now and that once the baby is born it will all be easier.

Visits from Nieces and Nephews

2010-11-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I were fortunate enough to have some special visitors the weekend of Halloween. Friday night the entire Kent Fannin crew came over for dinner at our house in Ann Arbor. Alyssia stayed the night with us.

Saturday morning, Alyssia and Kelley did some yoga together.
We stopped by a coffee shop on our way to the farmer's market.

At the farmer's market Alyssia got up close and personal with some seafood. The lobster is alive and crawling.

Later that day Colin and Ella came over for a few hours to hang out.

Trip to Door County, Wisconsin - September 2010

2010-11-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Our summer vacation was a trip to Door County, Wisconsin. Seems like a bunch of people have never heard of Door County...we hadn't ever been there, but we'd heard it was a nice place to visit.

The location is the "pinky" of Wisconsin...the long peninsula that sticks out into Lake Michigan.

Our trip began with a ferry ride from Ludington, MI to Manitowac, WI. The S.S. Badger is about a 4 hour ride across lake Michigan. This photo shows us departing from Ludington...goodbye Michigan!
A state park near Ephraim, WI visited had an observation deck with some nice views.
Kelley looks pretty pretty in front of the sail boats at Fish Creek, WI.
Kelley also looks pretty pretty at the bay in Ephraim, WI.
David got to do some golfing also.

Special Visitor From Boulder

2010-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Kelly Saalwachter visited us in June of this summer. It was a really special time and we were so thankful that Kelly made the effort to visit us. Kelly is the wife of a buddy of David from the University of Colorado.

Sporting Events

2010-11-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Our friends Bernie and Julie took us to a Detroit Tiger's game this summer. The seats were awesome and the game was fun. Good to be back in the D.

We also got to take in a University of Michigan game this fall. Too bad the Wolverines dropped the game to the Iowa Hawkeyes, but it was nice to visit the Big House again.

Photos of Kelley and Our Baby in Kelley's Tummy

2010-10-10T18:22:00.001-07:00

There was a time in high school when I had a bit of a male chavunistic streak...fortunatley that time has past, but I must say, I sort of like having my wife barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen!!!!!

Now, seriously, Kelley has been doing great. She is due December 17 so we are getting there. Our baby is named "Chimi" for the time being...that is short for "Chimichanga" which is one of mama's and daddy's favorite foods!

TOC 2010

2010-09-29T06:01:00.001-07:00

While I should be adding blogs to show my wife's ever growing tummy (Kelley is 7 months pregnant now...due December 17, 2010) I must first add a blog to discuss the important events of this past weekend.

Friday, September 24 - Sunday, September 26 was the fifth annual Shirkey TOC. Matthew came in from El Paso, Texas. Jason arrived from Grayslake, Illinois. Daniel hosted the event at his house in Jackson, Michigan. I drove over from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Saturday morning.
Front Nine individual match play. Jason beat David 3 and 2. Matt beat Daniel 2 and 1.
Back Nine team best ball: Jason and Daniel beat Matt and David 3 and 2.

Standings after day one: Young 2, Old 1

Sunday morning.

Front nine team scramble: Matt and David beat Daniel and Jason.

Back nine individual match play: Daniel beat David, Matt beat Jason.

Sundays results. Old 2, Young 1.

Total: Old 3, Young 3...a tie...sudden death.

Matt and David won the 2nd playoff hole to win the 2010 TOC.

We had some distinguised guests join us. From the left: Mark Shirkey, John Ridenour, Jason Shirkey, Walter Shirkey, Matt Shirkey, David Shirkey, Mike Shirkey, Daniel Shirkey.

Mackinaw Island Trip with Shirkey Clan

2010-08-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad Shirkey took us all up to Mackinaw Island for a weekend.

Here are the little kids.
And the big kids.

Wishing we could be pirates.

Windpower show 2010

2010-05-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I was in Dallas for a few days this week for the Windpower 2010 conference. Here is my on top of a wind turbine.

While in the Dallas area I had the good fortune to visit my Aunt Roxanne, cousins Zach and Thomas, friends Jeremy and Lynnette Schroeder, and an old work colleague, Duane Young.

Amazing, Free Birthday Deals in Ann Arbor!!!

2010-05-18T19:08:00.001-07:00

Kelley and I learned a pretty amazing thing about Ann Arbor today...you can get tons of free stuff on your birthday...when I say "stuff" I really mean FOOD.

It all started at 7AM with a FREE breakfast ("the Maiden Lane" breakfast sandwich) at the Northside Grill (near the UM Hospital).

Zingerman's pitched in with 6 FREE bagels...FREE...as in...walk in...grab six bagels...show your ID with your birthday on it...and out the door.

Kelley picked me up at work for lunch and we headed to Weber's Inn for a FREE lunch. (Chicken salad)

Then Kelley and I headed to Cottage Inn Pizza for a FREE half of a pizza...awesome pizza.

Finally, Ben and Jerry's did it's part by offering a FREE kiddie size ice cream bowl (Half Baked Frozen Yogurt).

It's pretty amazing don't you think?

Check out this website so you can see for yourself:

http://arborwiki.org/city/Birthday_Deals

So, we've got 2 doggie bags and some bagels left over for tomorrow!

The best part was hanging out with my wonderful wife, Kelley, it was a fun adventure.

May Birthdays and Mother's Day Celebration

2010-05-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

We all got to be together this past weekend...all of the Shirkey and Fannins that is...

Trip to Boulder - Wedding

2010-05-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

We had a trip to Boulder for the wedding of Kelley's former coworker and good friend Tom.

We were also able to spend some time at Rocky Mountain National Park as well.

What's New?

2010-05-07T12:52:00.001-07:00

I spent a few days down in Indiana this past week. Our firm, Windlab, hired a construction crew to install a Metreological Tower (aka MET Tower) at a site we are working on. It was a pretty cool experience and it was fun to get out and do some hands-on work.

There was an interesting article about some of Windlab's developments in South Africa. We are a small company, but we operate all around th world. Currently, we have people working in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the USA.

For some reason I can't "paste" the web-link URL into this blog...but if you want to see the article, go to google and search for...windlab south africa aussies...you should find the article.

Kelley has been doing some super work for some of her clients. The image below is illustration #1 for a book about dogs. Funny thing is that Kelley got this project from one of Windlab's clients...you know me...always selling. Kelley also has done some work recently for her previous employer from Boulder, Blue Mountain Arts. So, way to go Kelley!

Boston Trip

2010-04-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

During our trip to Boston, we stopped by Fenway Park...

...and happened across the Tea Party...and Sarah Palin.

Kelley in the Ann Arbor paper...painting of course!

2010-04-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

Kelley was painting last week when a reporter from the Ann Arbor Chronicle stopped by to talk with her and photograph her working.

www.annarborchronicle.com/2010/3/

If you follow the link above, scroll down to the brief article titled "Cobblestone Farm" and click on the text that says "photo".

You'll find this photo...

Oakland's Game in NCAA Tourney...

2010-03-22T07:11:00.001-07:00

This past Friday, a bunch of my friends from Oakland University gathered to watch the OU basketball team play in the NCAA tournament.

From left to right: Kirk, Tony, Vince, Jae, Mike, Rick, David, Gary, Brad.

The game didn't turn out the way we hoped, but it was so nice to see these guys.

Kelley made this for me...

2010-03-12T06:42:00.001-08:00

Kelley's website...back up.

2010-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Kelley has her website up and running again...same address as before...

www.kelleyshirkey.com

Please check it out.

Campaign Event in Brooklyn, MI

2010-02-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, our dad, Mike Shirkey, is running for the Michigan House of Representatives 65th District position. There was a campaign event in Brooklyn, MI this week where my brother, Daniel, and my sister, Marilyn, and I all were able to attend.

Dad's website is: www.mikeshirkey.com

2010-02-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I did make it to Ann Arbor...about 9 days ago. All is well. I had my first week at work and Kelley has found a volleyball team. It seems pretty weird to be back in MI, but it is good.

I just spent about 30 minutes downloading some software to my new work laptop...one of my coworkers in Australia was helping me. It is Sunday night in MI but it is Monday morning in Australia.

This photo is from the built in camera on my laptop...so, i'm getting more techy i guess...

Best to all.

David and Kelley

Another Goodbye Meal with Friends...

2010-02-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

Andy and Betsy Zenz joined us for lunch on Sunday. What a joy it was spend some time with them and their 3 daughters. Below is Betsy and Eden with Kelley.

Here is Andy and Haven in his lap and Mercy in my lap.
We met them at a "Himalayan" restaurante called Sherpas which was the first restaurant we visited when we arrived in Boulder during the summer of 2007.

Daniel and Amanda in Colorado!

2010-02-01T18:07:00.001-08:00

Here they are. They made it. Daniel and Amanda just squeezed in a trip to Colorado prior to Kelley and I taking off. Here they are arriving at the airport.

We headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoyed some sunshine near this mountain top lake.

Of course we saw some elk.

Goodbye Dinner with Boulder Friends

2010-01-30T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last night, some very special friends has a sort of "good-bye" dinner for us. This photo was taken at the end of the night so a few folks had already left. The dinner was at Scott and Becky Crabtree's house...they are on the bottom left of the photo above.

This is Scott, David (me), John, and Eric. Some really excellent buddies from business school.

Our hosts for the evening were Scott, Becky and Hatch. Becky prepared a stupdendous vegetable, sausage, tortellini stew. Wow.

John and Kelly brought their super-dog Bud along for the night.

Mark and Melissa joined us.

As did Eric and Melissa.

And once again....Super Bud.

Happenings

2010-01-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

Today was Kelley's final day at Blue Mountain Arts.

Tonight some friends of ours are having a "going away" party for us.

Tomorrow Daniel and Amanda arrive for a 3 day visit.

Wednesday (Feb 3) Kelley and I depart from Boulder for Ann Arbor.

Saying Goodbye to my Little Brother, Alex

2010-01-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

Today was the last time I'll be able to hang out with my little brother, Alex. We met throughte Big Brother program.

Moving Back to Michigan

2010-01-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I are moving back to Michigan.

I (David) have a new job in Ann Arbor, so we are in the process of packing up and preparing to head out. We plan to depart from Boulder, CO on Feb 3 or 4 and arrive in Ann Arbor on Feb 5 or 6.

Here we go.

Visit to National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver

2010-01-21T15:59:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we made a real fun trip to the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver. We took in the art show, visited some exhibits, then watched the rodeo...which was VERY cool.

Visit to Estes Park

2010-01-16T05:42:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I went up to Estes Park last night for a quick get-away.

We stayed at the Stanley Hotel.

Later this morning we are going to go cross-country skiing in the area before heading back to Boulder.

Halloween Time

2009-10-29T07:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a fun photo.

Our 5 year old nephews, Colin (right) and Micah (middle) are certainly ready for trick-o-treating!

Colin belongs to Daniel and Amanda.
Micah belongs to Kent and Marilyn.

I am heading to El Paso, TX this weekend to visit my cousin Matthew and his family.

Fun Visit from Fannin Crew

2009-09-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Kent, Marilyn and Karter Fannin visited us this past weekend. We started out with a Buffs football game on Saturday.

On Sunday we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a long hike.

Monday, we visited the Celestial Seasonings tea factory and went for a short hike / rock climb trip in Boulder.

Other photos from visit

2009-09-23T10:50:00.002-07:00

Climbing some rocks.

At the top of our hike in Boulder.

A visit to Kelley's office at work.

out of touch

2009-09-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Hi. Kelley and I have not been in touch via our blog recently. Sorry. Our digital camera is not functioning and we have not replaced it yet...I guess we figure without photos there is no fun to have blogs?

We'll have to do some posts this weekend though, as we have some important visitors arriving in Colorado.

Kent, Marilyn and Karter Fannin will arrive tomorrow morning!

We are extremely excited.

Bye.

Kelley's Commute to Work

2009-08-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Kelley recently added a basket to the back of her bike...so she can take stuff with her when she is on the go. She seems to really enjoy the convenience and now she can be seen tooling around town with groceries, painting supplies, vegetables from her garden or whatever in the back of her bike.

Sorry about the picture quality. Something happened to our camera...i guess we need to find a new camera?

Our niece, Ella, had her 1st Birthday yesterday!

2009-08-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Kelley and I were not able to attend this big party, but it looks like our family had a bunch of fun celebrating beautiful Ella's first birthday!

I was quite impressed to see that my little brother, Daniel, got into the festivities of his little girl's birthday by wearing this appropriately colored pink shirt!

Summer day

2009-08-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kelley and I have had a nice day today. We are sitting on our front porch right now, in the shade. Kelley is talking with her parents. They have a nice tradition where they talk each Sunday.

I went for an early morning walk to get a newspaper. Woah, man, that's it...I am officially old...going for walks in the morning. I can't run every day since my knees won't hold up, so I go for walks more and more often it seems. I got the NY Times today, which is sort of a splurge, since the price is now $6 on Sundays.

Kelley and I attended church (via Skype...also on our front porch) then we walked downtown to have a muffin and read the paper some more. We enjoyed a lazy walk through downtown Boulder and along with our initial destination we ended up getting a birthday gift for our soon-to-be one year old niece, Ella. Kelley stopped at a few sidewalk sales but we made it out without any additional purchases (except for some candy from a gum ball machine).

We then "borrowed" the pool key from our friend Eric and laid out in the sun for a bit. That was nice.

I'm going to borrow some golf clubs this evening from my buddy John and go to the driving range because I haven't golfed since May 2008 and in a few weeks we are going to MI to have a vacation with our families. I need to loosen up a bit prior to being embarrassed by my dad and brother on the course during that trip.

Rumor is that Kelley is going to paint a bit this afternoon?

It felt good to be home today since I've been gone for most of the past 5 days. I spent 3 days travelling to/from Iowa. Then I spent 2 days at the Weld County Fair in Greeley, CO. I had an exhibit there for our wind turbines.

Kelley played in a beach volleyball tournament yesterday.

That's the news from Lake Wobegon (only people who listen to NPR and "Prarie Home Companion" will understand that last bit).

Bye for now.

David and Kelley

White Water Rafting...with cousins.

2009-07-24T19:33:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we had a wonderful visit from Kelley's cousin Angela and her husband Jed. They are from Dearborn, MI. They came out to Denver for a few days.

We met them out in the mountains in a place called Idaho Springs. We hopped in a raft and headed out onto the river.

The experience wasn't "too" scary but we did have a chance to go through some decent rapids. It was very much fun.

Jed and Angela came back with us to Boulder and spent the rest of the day and night with us. We all cleaned up, walked downtown, had dinner and dessert and just had a wonderful time visiting with them and getting to know them better.

Is this how you sell small wind turbines?

2009-07-11T18:51:00.001-07:00

Kelley and I headed up to Briggsdale, CO today to participate as a sponsor at the "Briggsdale Classic". The "classic" is a youth livestock show which is sponsored by an agricultural radio station, named "The Barn". The producer of "The Barn", Brian Allmer, is shown with me below. I met Brian earlier this week at his farm to talk about putting a wind turbine on his site. He thought it would be wise for me to attend the "classic" and promote the Hummer wind turbines there.
Needless to say, this was a new type of experience for me. For Kelley, it was like going back to her youth as a 4-H member.

It was a pretty small event. The city of Briggsdale is pretty small too, but people came from all over CO and WY to have their children participate. Here is the "show ring" where the children showed their goats, lambs and cows.

I was stationed about 40 ft from the show ring, strategically located next to the concessions area. Every 30 minutes of so, Brian (from "the Barn") would announce the on-site sponsors. There were 2 of us. A "tack" shop (which sells farm supplies, livestock feed, animal grooming stuff, etc) and Renewable Options and Investments (ROI a.k.a. me). Each time Brian did his anouncement about ROI, he would add a bit more "color" to the announcement...

Kelley spent a bit of time painting outside.

After the "classic" we headed out to explore a bit. This was a beautiful, old-fashioned wind mill we passed.

And this was a beautiful, modern, wind turbine farm we passed.

There we some interesting formations on the prarie known as the Pawnee Buttes.

And finally, we couldn't resist, taking this shot.

Just Announced...Visitors in September...

2009-07-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Press Release: July 9, 2009 - Boulder, CO:

Towards the middle / end of September a very special group of people will be arriving in Boulder for a long weekend visit. Kent, Marilyn and Karter Fannin, of Spring Arbor, MI, will be travelling by airplane to Colorado to spend some time with David and Kelley Shirkey.

First stop off of the plane after the Fannins arrive on Saturday, September 19?

The University of Colorado versus the University of Wyoming football game where Karter will be able to see Ralphie and all the Buffaloes for the first time.

# # #

For more information regarding this event please contact David Shirkey or Karter Fannin.

Back in Boulder...

2009-07-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out this morning to north east Colorado to visit some farmers who hopefully will want to consider small wind turbines for their farms.

Kelley has a volleyball game tonight.

Last night, my little brother, Alex, and I went for a hike and a bike ride. Kelley took me too our garden to gather some crops.

- - -

During our drive back to Boulder on Sunday we stopped to go for a hike and ended up at this lake. It was about a 1 hour hike to arrive. There were some nice waterfalls also.

During out hike back down I caught Kelley with an excited look on her face.

It is pretty nuts because this is just a road side park along I-70 and you can venture into a beautful river / mountain lake hike.

Traffic was horrible with a capital H so we stopped in this small town for about 3 hours and just hung out. This town in Georgetown...an old mining village.

Fireworks tonight!

2009-07-04T21:30:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed some excellent fireworks tonight. Kelley got some more painting done up on top of this mountain.

Pie eating contest.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T08:03:00.001-07:00

These are photos from our early morning hike. Now we are headed to breakfast.

First afternoon in Telluride

2009-07-03T21:25:00.001-07:00

It was pretty wild driving into town this afternoon. It took about 7 hours to drive to Telluride from Boulder. The scene was worth the drive.

We rode a ski lift up the mountain and took some shots on the way.

Here are the state flowers...Columbines.

Kelley spend some time painting...

and quickly gained some admirers.

I mentioned to Kelley that many famous people vacation in Telluride because it is so far off the beaten path and they can get away. The first famous person we saw was Bill Ford. He is the chairman of Ford Motor Company and he is the great-grandson of Henry Ford. We saw him and his family entering a restaurant and then later on he walked by as Kelley was painting.

Driving to Telluride

2009-07-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

These are some of the images we captured today during our drive from Boulder to Telluride.

Kelley was driving and we got chased by a bike gang.

Some photos of our new place.

2009-06-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

So, here is the little house we are renting. It is not much, but we are thankful. It is in a very nice neighborhood and surrounded by beautiful homes. Kelley is pretty happy to have a small yard and some plants, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if she puts some work into the front yard. If you walk by at night you might see my head in that upper left hand skylight while I'm taking a shower. I promise not to splash.

Turns out someone I know lives right next door.

You can see my bike out front. Today is "bike to work day" so I got up and went for a ride at about 6AM to go track down a bunch of free food. I came back with a full tummy and a load of granola bars, cereal samples, yogurt, water bottles, etc. It was pretty neat. There are about 30 spots in Boulder to get free stuff this AM.

We moved today

2009-06-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Kelley and I moved today. A few of our friends helped us.

We are now located at:

2341 21st St

Boulder, CO 80304

The biggest surprise for me today was that I can see outside onto the street from our shower. We have a skylight in the bathroom and I basically can look down at the street. Feels good to have the fresh air coming in.

Our Weekend in MI

2009-06-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice time in MI this past weekend. We love to be around our families and we love when our families get together as we did at my parents house on Sunday. We were able to celebrate 4 birthdays and father's day.

Some of the highlights (for David) included:

- being kept out late by Kent and Marilyn on Saturday night

- going to Karter and Micah and Colin's sports games

- hanging out with my cousin Andrew

- meeting my new niece, Mikayla (Austin and Amy's daughter)

- having my family and Kelley's family together all day on Sunday

Here is a photo of Kelley and I being kept out late by the crazy couple...

Flying Home Tonight!

2009-06-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Wow. We are excited with a capital E!

Tonight we fly to MI to spend 3 days with our family. All our family is getting together on Sunday afternoon at my parent's home (even my new niece Mikayla, from Grand Rapids, will be there).

Mom and dad Fannin will pick us up tonight.

Tomorrow we will have breakfast with Mom and Dad Fannin. Then have lunch with Uncle Mark and Aunt Karyn. Tomorrow night we have dinner with Kent and Marilyn.

Sunday morning I have an early morning breakfast "business" meeting with my dad and my little brother (Daniel). Sunday afternoon is the party. Sunday night I'm meeting my cousin Andrew for sodas in Adrian!

Monday I am meeting some buddies for breakfast, have some business meetings at Orbitform, then we go to the sports fields at Ella Sharp Park to watch the amazing sporting events of the evening. Micah and Colin playing soccer and Karter playing baseball.

Wow.

The sad thing is that we do have to depart on Tuesday morning...very early...but, guess what, my mom is coming back to Boulder with us!

Then when we get back we'll start preparing to move out of "on campus" family housing to a new place across town. I can't stress how "ready" Kelley is to get out of cement block walls and have a little yard with some outdoor seating...it's the little things!

Bye for now.

David and Kelley

A bit of exploring today

2009-06-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Kelley and I took off after church today to explore a bit. We headed down to Golden, CO and drove to the top of Lookout Mountain. At the top is Buffalo Bill's grave. Kelley said her family visited this spot about 15 years ago she figures.

We drove along a scenic route for 45 miles or so. We came across this herd of Buffaloes.

We'd never visited the famous "Red Rocks" ampitheater before today. Sure seems like an excellent place to see a concert.

Video Message - Test #1...

2009-06-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Short Trip up the Mountain

2009-06-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Kelley and I took a short drive this evening to have dinner in Nederland, CO. We have driven through Nederland but have never stopped for anything. The city sits about 10 miles west of Boulder (as the crow flies...about 20 miles driving) and is at an elevation about 3,000 feet higher (8,300 feet) than Boulder. We enjoyed the cooler air and had fun walking around the small "mountain town". The lake you see is actually a man-made resorvoir that is the source of Boulder Creek.

Boulder creek runs along the road all the way from Boulder to Nederland and this time of year the creek is running pretty high. It is very pretty to see the rapids.

Probably half way between Boulder and Nederland is Boulder Falls.

Just driving up to Nederland is beautiful due to all the high walls of the canyon that surrounds the road.

We want to remind our family and friends that everyone is welcome to come visit us and stay with us. It is a nice place to visit since there is so much to do so close to our apartment and you can just stay with us...so it can be affordable also.

For example, Kelley and I hiked up this small mountain (Mt. Sanitas) before work this past Monday...

and I hiked up this trail (Anemone Trail) this morning...

Visitor

2009-06-02T13:03:00.001-07:00

One of my dad's best friends was in town last night. Woody was flying his private plane from Texas to his home in Idaho. He stopped in Denver for the night so we had to chance to have dinner with him in Boulder.

It was super fun to catch up with Woody. He has recently began operating a convenience store in McCall, ID. Kelley and I hope to visit him there later this summer.

Boulder Creek Festival - Fun Stuff for our Nieces and Nephews!

2009-05-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Man, Kelley and I wish our nieces and nephews could have been here in Boulder this weekend. Today was the duck race through the Boulder Creek. It started with the "big ducks" then proceeded to the small ducks.

All of the "yellow dots" in the river are rubber duckies.

Here are some shots of the finish line.

We watched some brave boys climb this wall. Sure looks like fun. We know some tough young men in Jackson who would like to try this!

This could be Micah or Colin for sure!

There was also a little person kayaking pool.

Then we watched some serious sword fighting...

And some fencing!

Visit to Santa Fe, NM

2009-05-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

We took a long weekend trip to Santa Fe, NM last week. We were able to visit many art galleries and get a bit of a sun burn as well. Kelley spent some time painting this cathedral.

Graduation Celebration

2009-05-08T18:14:00.001-07:00

Here is a shot of Kelley and I immediately after the ceremony.

Our friends, Eric and Melissa. Each of the real estate students was given a "building" as a remembrance.

My buddy Eric.

Kyle Mason and I.

Two good friends, Scott and John.

We had a party in the upper room of the football stadium suite. This final shot is from the balcony of the football suites. The business school roof can be seen in the upper left hand side...with the dome on small top.

Photo of some buds...

2009-04-26T06:27:00.001-07:00

We had a fundraiser for student scholarships this past Friday night. Kelley donated a painting for the event and it raised quite a bit of money.

Here is a shot of a couple of my buds (Eric - left, Scott - right) and I.

Nearly a month long hiatus from blogging...

2009-04-17T06:58:00.001-07:00

Hello Family and Friends.

Wow, it has been nearly a full month since Kelley and I posted a blog. Man, sorry about that. The excuse I could use for being absent expired last night....but I'm not sure what Kelley's excuse is?

Kelley had a chance to visit our families back home about 3 weeks ago. Here was the main attraction, Mikayla Fannin.

Here are some photos of other people Kelley was able to see during her visit.

Last night my team made our presentation for a real estate design competition, but since we did not win the event we are pretty much done with major school assignments for now. I still have some minor work, but nothing serious. I do have that minor issue of needing to find a job?

Here is a photo of my team. They were great to work with and I really thought we had a good chance to win, but we didn't. The winning concept was "Agriburbia".

Today, is one my final responsibilites as the leader of the real estate club at school. We have a guest speaker from ProLogis coming in. The interesting note is that my internship last summer at AMB, was with ProLogis' primary competitor!

Last weekend, Kelley's friend, Elizabeth visited us in Boulder. Here is a shot of the ski bunnies.

That's it. Bye for now. Love, David and Kelley.

Kelley's tough day

2009-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Kelley had a new and difficult challenge. She was selected for jury duty here in Boulder and she actually served on a jury. She spent the entire day at the courthouse from 8:30AM until about 8:15PM.

A Visit from Texans

2009-03-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a "surprise" visit from some very good friends from Texas. Actually, they are friends from MI, but now they live near Dallas. Lynnette and Jeremy Schroeder spent 2 nights at our apartment in Boulder. They got to experience some cold weather and snow on Saturday and some warm weather with sun on Sunday. It was very nice to have them with us for a few days.

Announcing...

2009-03-03T10:42:00.001-08:00

...the birth of Mikayla Lynn Fannin.

Born 2/28/09 at 2:28pm.

A healthy 9 Ilbs 13 oz.

20 Inches long.

...and in the words of her father "really, really cool"

Fannin Baby on the Way in Grand Rapids, MI

2009-02-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Kelley's little brother (Austin) and his wife (Amy) headed to the hospital today in Grand Rapids, MI as Amy started having contractions. Amy was due on February 15 so she is ready to have this baby. The new one's name will be Mikayla. We are praying that things go smoothly tonight for Amy...and that Grandpa Fannin can stay awake to meet his new grand daughter!

Kelley and I are having a quiet Friday night. I have been studying while Kelley prepares a wonderful smelling dinner. Here are some action shots of the evening!

Here she is making "Shepherd's Pie"...an English dish.

Here is me having fun on the computer.

And the final product!

We wish we could be in MI with our family to greet Mikayla...hopefully we'll meet her soon.

Beautiful Day for a Walk

2009-02-15T21:49:00.001-08:00

Kelley and I went for a long walk this morning after church and we decided to take photos along the way. I hope you don't mind seeing a while bunch of photos of the area and of Kelley!

Those mountains in the background are named "the flatirons". They are pretty dramatic.

This is Boulder Creek. It runs right behind our apartment and there is a bike path that runs along it.

This is a pond along Boulder Creek.

Those are "red rocks" in the background.

More red rocks.

Now we are walking "back to town".

Kelley convinced me to stop and get her a treat at "Spruce Confections" which is a favorite place of hers in Boulder.

This might be Kelley's favorite restaurant in Boulder. Pasta Jays.

Now we are walking along "Pearl Street".

Yep, I was with her.

Here is a shot in front of Kelley's office.

Now we are back to our apartment.

RE Club Trip to Crested Butte

2009-02-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

Our Real Estate Club is in Crested Butte, CO this weekend for a real estate project tour trip.
Here are some photos from the trip.

We arrived on Friday afternoon. This first set of photos is from day 1.

This my buddy Eric.

We have visited 4 different projects here in the town.

Here are some photos from Day 2.

These are some of my classmates. Kyle, Scott and Brian.

Design Competition is Over...

2009-02-02T20:52:00.001-08:00

University of Colorado - ULI Real Estate Urban Design Competition...Dream Team!

For the past 2 weeks I have been working a lot with a group of engineering students from the Denver branch of the University of Colorado. That campus is referred to as CU-Denver. The guys I was working with are...

Tyler: He was our "vision" guy and he was in charge of compiling our final presentation.

Adam (left): He was our graphics guy. He knows the CAD systems inside and out. He introduced me to the quality music of "Tenacious D".

Carter (right): He was our "word" guy and he did the site plan. He lives in Boulder also and we got to enjoy riding down to Denver together on the bus.

Mike: He was our team leader, main pain in the $%&# and all around great guy to work with. He brought our team together. He is the kind of guy to says "exactly" what he is thinking!

Me: I was our financial guy. I learned a ton. I feel like I was able to put into practice a lot of what I have been learning at school.

Our team met every day at this building in downtown Denver. Our work room had some pretty nice views of the area. We were on the 7th floor.

Here was the team at about 4PM today...only 1 hour away from the submission deadline.

All in all it was an excellent 2 weeks. I learned a ton from the guys. They made me stretch and think about things such as: land use, personal space, zoning, parking, site planes, coverage, the feel of a place, vision, etc. I hope we advance on to the next round so we can work together again.

Thanks guys.

Confused Child...

2009-02-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

I feel bad for my man Colin...the poor guy is getting mixed signals...his dad dresses him in a University of Michigan football jersey...his mom wants him to be a Grand Valley State University "Laker"...and his Uncle David hooks him up with an University of Colorado Buffalo's poster.

I have my money on C-dog being a Ralphie fan one day...should have been a Buffalo...ooh ah.

Overnight Trip to Steamboat Springs

2009-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I drove over to Steamboat Springs, CO last weekend.

Some friends of ours from Michigan (Chris and Mindy Munden) were there skiing for a few days. We really enjoyed hanging out with them and enjoying their condo for the night.

This was one of the shots Kelley took during our drive. There was quite a bit of snow and they city got 14" the night we were there.

National Western Stock Show - Denver

2009-01-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

Last night, Kelley and I went to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. The NWSS is quite an extravaganza. We planned to go to the rodeo but it was sold out. Instead we wandered around the site and visited the western art show, some farm animal viewing areas, craft bazaar, horse jumping competition, etc. Kelley loved the art show the most. She also enjoyed the horse jumping. Me, I just loved all the cowboy hats.

I almost thought I was on the Fannin Farm with all the Black Angus we saw.

Here is Kelley at the arena.

This last image is the location that Kelley chose to paint today. The weather has been very nice here of late. Todays' high was about 60 degrees.

Christmas Trip to Michigan

2009-01-04T17:07:00.001-08:00

Kelley and I had the chance to head home for about 10 days to celebrate Christmas and New Years with our families. We had way too much fun and already miss everybody.

Christmas Day was spent at the Shirkey home (after eating breakfast at the Fannin house). Here we have some shots of the backpack models, Micah and Alyssia.

Karter shows us his cool dude skate boarding attire.

We then headed to Ann Arbor for the Fannin Family overnighter. As you can see, next year we will have at least one more participant...Mikayla is due next month!

Some of us had to get ready for dinner with "my hair had a party last night" hairdos.

While others showed off some "mad" pool skills.

There was a "youtube" viewing session that lasted lat into the night after a crafts extravaganza.

There are no photos to prove it but we had a nice evening on Sunday, 12/28, with the Mark Shirkey family (minus the El Paso contingent). We had some pizza and went bowling afterwards. No matter what anyone says, there shall be no special sanctioning council meeting convened to discuss adding bowling to the TOC. However, there was a TOC "round-table" breakfast that occurred in Jackson, MI last week.

New Years Day many of the Shirkey-Fannins met at the Shirkey home to watch football and hang out. Here are 3 of the attendees shown below. This photo has 3 generations...Grandpa Mike, Dad Daniel and Colin.,

A gingerbread house was assembled and was able to free-stand for approximately 10 seconds before falling to the hungry hands of the builders.

Amanda was hoping to watch GVSU play, but they weren't on the TV this year.

Our final day was capped off by breakfast with the Spring Arbor Fannin's and a trip to the mall.

Kelley and I thought we were going to get out of Michigan without having to work, but the final afernoon found us chopping wood with Mom and Dad Fannin.

Man, it was a super trip and we are so thankful to have the chance to go home for a bit.

Love, David and Kelley

Christmas Eve Travel

2008-12-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

From Atlantic to Pacific...I think the traffic will be terrific...tonight! But, there's no place like home for the Holidays. No matter how far away we've roamed!

Hi there. Kelley and I are flying home to Michigan tonight. We don't depart from Denver until 5:15PM so we aren't scheduled to arrive in DEEEtroit until 10PM or so.

The good news is that we are able to stay in Michigan until January 3rd so we look forward to some major quality time...sort of like you see in the movie "Four Christmas"...

Winter in Colorado

2008-12-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

We just have some photos to share of the beautiful snow that fell last night. I should be studying for my final exams instead of playing outside, but hey, what can I say.

We sure are excited to come home to MI in about 10 days. We think it would be neat to have our families out here in CO for Christmas some time also?

Here is the view from one of our favorites spots in Boulder. We have had dinner there with mom and dad Fannin. The restaurant is called "Pasta Jays" and has a nice view of the old fashiond looking Boulder buildings.

Here is Kelley in the street with a nice view in the backdrop.

We went for a simple snow hike this morning also.

Then I had to take Kelley to "Spruce Confections" to get her a treat and a hot chocolate.

Visit to The Shirkeys in El Paso, TX

2008-11-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I have spent a few days in El Paso with our cousins Matt and Carrie Shirkey and with their children, Jackson and Annika. This is their home on the Fort Bliss Army Base.

My cousin Matt, below, is an Army Chaplain. On Thanksgiving morning he served dinner to the troops in his batallion. He and his fellow officers put on their Army blue dress suits.
Here below is the El Paso Shirkey family. Carrie and Matt and the kids.

They took us into New Mexico to a placed called White Sands National Park. You can see why it was called "White Sands."

Our final event of today was to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant named Barrigas.
You may wonder about my choice of "shorts"...well, it was a bit warmer than I expected and I didn't care to wear my jeans for the entire afternoon.

Weekend in Michigan

2008-11-11T04:53:00.000-08:00

Kelley and I went home to Michigan this past weekend. It was a quick but meaningful trip. We really laid low and just spent time with our families. My parents had a nice party on Saturday night that included all of our nieces and nephews (2 of which we met for the first time), our siblings (except Austin and Amy), some aunts/uncles and cousins. It was an excellent evening.

We wish it wasn't so fast, but we are thankful that Christmas isn't too far away and we look forward to returning for the week between Christmas and New Years. We hope to be in Michigan from December 24 (probably a late night arrival) through January 3 (Saturday).

Bye for now.

My Sister...Sarah Palin...My Brother...White Trash

2008-11-01T12:29:00.001-07:00

My sister, Marilyn, dressed up as Sarah Palin for Halloween. I think she strikes a pretty close resemblance. Apparently, some people she met last night actually thought she was Sarah Palin!

My little brother Daniel is shown here with his family. He is the one who looks like he should be in the grandstands at a NASCAR race...his son, Colin, would be the driver!

Dinner in the Mountains

2008-10-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Kelley and I recently learned of a small town about 10 miles from Boulder called Gold Hill. It is an old mining town up in the mountains with maybe 30-40 houses. It has a rustic hotel and a restaurant. We visited there this past Saturday night. It was sort of like going back in time.

Visitors from Michigan

2008-10-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

This week by buddy Jae was in town for business. His wife, Nicole, was able to join him for the weekend. They stayed at our place. It was nice to be able to show them around Boulder a bit. We went on some hikes, watch CU beat Kansas State last night and shared nice meals together. It is so nice to have some friends from back home around for a bit.

Fly Fishing Trip

2008-10-07T12:39:00.001-07:00

Most people who know me can attest to the fact that I am quite the outdoorsman, as such, it was not necessary for me to prove this by holding the fishing rod in my mouth as I wrestled this monster rainbow trout into submission. It was a good thing I had my dad with me to act as a back-up in case things got out of hand.

Dad and I enjoyed a half day fly fishing trip with a local outfitter here in Boulder. The experience was better than I imagined and I recommend it to all.

Who caught the most fish? Well, my dad definitely won that contest as the fish in the top photo was my only conquest.

Mom and Dad Shirkey Visit!

2008-10-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad Shirkey arrived on Thursday and we have had lots of fun together. The photo above was from the pep rally on Friday night before the CU game vs. Texas.

The rest of these photos are from the game.

Unfortunately, the Buffs didn't win this one.

This is a photo of some of my classmates and I. John, Eric and Kevin. These are some of my best buds from the program.

Painting Trip (Today)

2008-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

We went back to Rocky Mountain National Park today so Kelley could make a painting. This is a spot that both sets of our parents have visited with us. It is a pretty amazing aspen tree grove on the way to a waterfall.