Best Thanksgiving Ever!

First of all, a huge thank you goes out to Shauna and AJ for letting us crash at their place for a week. Thank you for your hospitality, generosity, and for all the fun times and good memories. Here's just a few of the good times we had over the Thanksgiving week:






The biggest catch of the night, hauled up by yours truly. Totally beginner's luck, but i'm still pretty proud of myself all the same for getting out there. Thanks AJ for the letting me join you guys!







With all the smiles and laughter, how could I refuse? It was great to spend time with my nieces and nephews and hopefully that provided the parents with a little time to relax and catch up.















On the beach with Em and K. That little man is fearless, whether he's chasing down seagulls or jumping off couches or swinging on the playset. He does it all and always with a smile on his face.












Touring the old boats with the A & J and fam. Very fun and informational and thanks to the kids for being good sharers and giving up some of their goldfish crackers to sustain us (and some seagulls) thru the day. The sushi we all downed afterwards was a great finish to a great day.






Some other good times that I don't have pictures for: ImagineIf and the silliness that it provoked, our dear little Thanksgiving mice (sorry, Becky, for encouraging their behavior, but it was just too cute), pushing the kids down the hall in the laundry basket, MAGIC MOUNTAIN (it was great to have a day for the singles in the family...Val and Em, I had a blast), driving around in the Pontiac G6 rental (it's got more power than my car and I took advantage of it), the Thanksgiving feast and perhaps the juiciest turkey I've ever eaten, spending time with mom and dad, zipping around on AJ's new scooter, and everything else that we did down there. Good times!

Just Checking In...

It has been a while since I have posted anything so I thought I would give a little update. Unfortunately, I can't remember all that I have done in the past month or two so this willl be very short. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is that I went skydiving...again! This time around I think I finally got it out of my system. It was a blast, and I'm really glad I went. I just don't think it is necessary to pay another $200+ to jump out of an airplane. I've had my kicks and giggles and that's good enough for me. Here are a couple of pictures from the first time I jumped (about 3 years ago):

I ripped them from my video, so they aren't the best quality.

Other thoughts I have had recently: Heroes - I love/hate you this season. I like the return to what worked in the first season, but stop putting more questions in my head and give me some answers! Presidential/Vice-Presidential debates - what a waste of time. Maybe I don't get the whole debate process, but how about you tell me where you stand on issues instead of pointing out the other person's flaws. I'm trying to be an informed voter so I can make the right choice, if there is one in this election. Last, Girls/Dating - ???

Getting Outdoors

There is something about getting out doors and in to the mountains that invigorates and refreshes the mind and spirit. Not the body so much...sleeping on a hard surface with only a half inch of padding while being eaten alive by mosquitoes isn't very conducive to rest of the body. But, it's always worth it to get out there and get closer to God and nature. So, thanks to all the great people who made the H-4 Summer Rendezvous a great success.

On a side note, my birthday just passed, so Happy Birthday to me!

On a related note, happy birthday to my newest nephew. I'm glad to say that both mother and baby, father and brother are doing well and are healthy. I'm excited for this newest addition to the family and can't wait to hear his name. My sisters' blogs have more details so check them out.

Today I Bid Farewell...

Today I bid farewell to a good friend that has been with me for many, many years. We started our friendship when I was only 16 years old and since then I've changed and matured a lot. But we remained friends.

We've shared good times and bad, me and my friend. When I got my first speeding ticket, my friend was there just as he was there when I got my second ticket (no details need to be disclosed about that one). My friend was right by my side when I had my parking "accident" at Triangle Square. Those were some of the bad times. But my friend was there on numerous road trips (like the one to LA to see Wicked), sporting events and scenic drives through mountain passes. Those were some of the good times. And we remained friends.

My friend ratted out my identity once to the cops when they were called out to the park where some other friends and I were playing capture the flag late one summer night. But my friend also gave me and and my other friends some great opportunities for fun and perhaps slightly mischievious doings. So we remained friends.

My friend has stayed with me throughout all the moves I've made in life, from CA to UT, and even for two years in Japan when I never had need of or called on my friend. Still we were friends.

But today I have to say goodbye. I delayed doing so for as long as I could because I held my friend so dear to my heart. But there are forces and powers that I have to obey and they are forcing this friendship to end. Thus I bid farewell to my good friend: my CA driver's license.

On a side note, I welcome a new friend: my UT driver's license. May our good times be as good and may there be no bad times (though I know there will be).

On another side note, what's up DMV? Did I REALLY have to wait 3 freakin' hours while giving up my lunch break to switch my license? Isn't there a quicker way to move people through the maze of lines and numbers, desks and paperwork? Or are you in a competition with other states to see who can be more devious and cruel to the people who have no choice but to enter your cursed doors??? I'd say you're pretty high in the rankings. Go DMV!!!

Olympics #whatever...

Despite the title of the post I am really excited for the Olympics this year. I'm just too lazy to take the extra couple of seconds and find out what number it is. I want to say #28 but, whatever.

I can't explain why I'm so excited this time around, especially considering I couldn't care less about the games in Athens four years ago. Maybe it is the political intrigue and tension surrounding the hosting country. Or, maybe it's nice to have a reason to cheer for the U.S.A. Or, maybe I'm just bored with everything going on at work, life, the world and this is a welcome break from the routine.

So, best of luck to all the athletes and Go U.S.A!!!

The Dark Knight...

Yep, it totally rocks. Everyone has said it. There isn't much more that I can add except to say that it is the first movie that has lived up to and even exceeded the hype that preceeded it. It is a must see in the theaters and if you have IMAX nearby, spend the extra couple of dollars and go see it on the truly big screen. WOW! WOAH! WOW!

Work is...

Work is a vampire sucking the good out of life.

Work is torture, plain and simple, and yet each day, Monday thru Friday and sometimes Saturday, I get up in the morning and willingly submit to it's diabolical, mind-numbing tedium.

Work is a black hole, crushing and compressing all the goodness of life to a pinprick of joy known as The Weekend. Oh, how I love and yearn for the weekend!

I tried to capture how I feel at the end of a typical workday. This picture just about sums it up:


On a brighter note, this weekend is the 4th of July, which means BBQ's and fireworks. That should be enough to get me thru the next 3 days...I hope.