Xmas Vacation

I have not been blogging because I have been on vacation in the mountains and I have (a) been to busy and (b) have an internet connection that is powered by a squirrel running on a treadmill! The mountains don't yet have high speed internet!!!

Xmas was good but overwhelming! And if it is that way for me as an adult, imagine what it must be like for kids. It was truly too much food and too many gifts. I know it sounds like bah humbug but it is so much work for all of us and there are so many people in need around the world. If we all gave only half the money we spent at xmas to the needy, the world would be a better place.

OK enough soapbox.

We have been making good use of all our winter gear - we have been snow shoeing, ice skating and hiking.

We took a great ranger led snow shoe in Yosemite. We learned a lot about migration of animals in the winter, how the trees don't freeze to death (has to do with the sugar in tree sap) and animals that live in the snow. It was a great trip - we snow shoed to about 7500 feet and had an amazing view of the peaks around Yosemite. The trip was advertised for people 10 or older --- but they had never met Gracie before....at 7 years old, she was in the front of the pack and never complained!

We are suppose to get 2 to 4 feet of snow today and tonite in Yosemite so we will probably head in there again tomorrow to check it out, do some sledding and some snow shoeing.

Duck, Duck, Dinner

The other nite I was at a friends house, so I was not home for dinner. When I came home, the kids were pleased to report that they had DUCK for dinner! Drew said it was really good and Gracie agreed. And then Gracie added "but there was bb's in it!" Drew looked at her and said, "You are not suppose to tell MOM that!"

NASTY!!!

I swear these kids will eat anything!

Root Canal

I survived the "I am an old lady and need a root canal" situation. Had the root canal on Thursday morning and it was not half as bad as people said it would be. It took about an hour and a half and was a bit worse than they expected because there was an infection. So they packed it full of antibiotics and covered it up. I go back after the new year to finish it up. I am also taking oral antibiotics just to make sure the infection is gone. The worst part was the pain the next day from the trauma of the procedure. But today, 2 days later, I feel great!

Worms....

These are what worms look like when they are too crowded.... We built the new "digs" just in time -- they were going to start going over the wall!

Worm Farm After

This is the type of worm home that makes other worms jealous.....

Worm Farm Before

This is considered the bad part of town for worms.....

Taj Mahal of Worm Farms

A good friend (who shall remain nameless....Susan) once told me that no good worm should have to live in a worm farm like mine (see pic Worm Farm Before). So she had her worm farm building husband send my worm farm building husband the specs for the Taj Mahal for worms. Being the outstanding husband that he is, Jim promptly built that Taj Mahal II (Taj Mahal I is in Mountain View for anyone who wants to visit it) for my worms. (see pic Worm Farm After)

Serious case of the giggles....

Drew is taking recorder in school. And at first he was all bent out of shape about it. He didn't want to do it and was moaning and groaning about it. And honestly Jim and I were right there with him because playing a recorder gives you NO skills that are transferable to the real world. We would rather him be spending time at school learning real things!

Fast forward about one week since Drew got his recorder..... he plays it ALL the time!!! And he doesn't play it well. Jim and I are constantly giggling. Honestly I think it is a defense mechanism which prevents us from taking the recorder and bopping Drew over the head with it.

One more version of Hot Cross Buns and anything is possible!

OMG I just heard him tell his sister that he sounds good now!!! Sqqqquuueeeekkkk sqqquuuueeek!

American Idol

Word on the street is that American Idol starts on January 16!

When it rains it pours.....

Last Friday I was not feeling so hot but I thought it was one of those one day headache things. But at the same time I had a toothache that I was trying my best to ignore. By Friday nite I wasn't feeling any better and my tooth still hurt so I took some advil and that was the beginning of the end. My stomach which had been upset all day did not like the advil one bit... Over the next two days I fought a nasty bug complete with fever, chills, aches and the inability to stay awake. I was up for a total of about 8 hours all weekend. I would fall asleep in the middle of a conversation with Jim. By Monday morning I was feeling better....better enough to realize my tooth still hurt. So off to the dentist I got to find out I need a root canal! ICK!!! ICK!!! ICK!!!!

I went to a specialist this afternoon and will have a root canal on Thursday....oh joy! Just what I need before xmas...a whole weekend wasted being sick and a root canal!

But I am not complaining....I know it could be much worse. I am thankful that I have dental insurance and that all my xmas shopping is done. I am just sad I missed a weekend of cooking making and movie watching with the kids.

Which one does not belong?

This is my friend Marty at the doll store in Disney World. Freaky! A little wig and a nice dress and he'd be quite a "doll"!

4 or 5 years ago....

This is a pic of Gracie and her best friend, Maddie, from about 4 or 5 years ago when they were both about 3! How cute are they? And still best friends!

Whirlwind

The last month has been a whirlwind of crabbing, relatives visiting, holidays, working and traveling. I am pooped! Which is why I have not been posting.

On Sunday we returned from 3 days at Disneyland. It was a good trip to the happiest place on earth but it was completely overwhelming. A couple of times I just wished I was a 3 year old so I could have a sceaming tantrum. For the most part we managed the whole thing well - ie doing rides when there were no or little lines, taking a rest in the middle of the day, etc. Our down fall were not eating enough...the Cureton family needs to eat every two hours but if we have to go wait in line and pick out our food, we lose interest. Then we go 6 or 8 hours without eating at which time we are all half dead and at each others throats. We did better after the first day. The other downfall was the flea bag hotel. Well.... it was not really a flea bag but it was not up to my standards. I have really become a hotel snob. Which is weird because I have no trouble sleeping in a sleeping bag in the dirt or on a boat. But I don't want to sleep in other peoples dirt! Ick! So next time we are staying at the Grand Californian....no matter what the cost!

The kids loved it all. Drew is a ride maniac. Gracie likes a mixture of rides, shopping and seeing shows. They have a couple really cute new things including a Monsters Inc ride, a Winne the Pooh ride and a show with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo.

Brian and Diana and little ones were all there too. It was fun that the kids got to be in Disneyland together!

Cracking Crab

Just in case you have not seen enough crab pics, here are more. I think the haul on this day was 30+. After they cook them, they crack them so they are ready to eat at the table. That's Jim, my Dad, my Uncle Dave and cousin Matt.

Jim went out today and it was really rough. It will probably be the last time out for a little while until the weather settles down.

Handsome Hunk of Cousin

This is Matt, my hillbilly cousin from Kentucky. Actually he is not a hillbilly but a rather handsome guy - with all his teeth! He is here visiting for 8 days. Jim took him out crabbing the first day he was here and they had a great time. They went out again two days later and it was not so good. One of the first lessons you should learn about being out on the ocean is don't go out when you have a hangover! There can't be much worse then being sea sick on top of a hangover. If you have any doubt, ask Matt.

Give Thanks

Thnaksgiving was wildly sucessful! The 14 pounds of prime rib and 30+ crabs were devoured. The appetizers were outstanding and dessert was scrumpcious! The 22 people who were here seemed to be happy. I was so busy that I did not get many pics, but the one here is the most important....it is the centerpiece that Gracie made for one of the tables.

Handsome!

I know I am his mom but this is one handsome rugged almost 11 year old boy! This is from crabbing yesterday. Check out the California weather in the background - 5 days before Thanksgiving!

Annual Crab Feed

Every year since Jim started crabbing, we have had a big crab feed at the beginning of the season. Last night we had about 50 people over for an all out crab feeding frenzy! Menu included all you can eat crab, bread, pasta pesto, mac and cheese, fruit and salad.

I didn't take any pics of the actual party because I was too busy melting butter and cutting bread.....but here are some pics from earlier in the day when the guys were catching and preparing the crab.

The weather out on the ocean was amazing - like a lake, clear and sunny!

That is a pic of Drew getting read to grab a bouy and haul in a pot. And that is Paul wearing a plastic garbage bag while cracking crabs....and his "safety glasses"!

The latest haul....

Here are a couple of the pots from yesterday. Big crabs - full pots! All in all.... a happy fisherman!

Tsunami

Yesterday there was a 8.3 earthquake in Japan which led to tsunami warning in Japan, Hawaii, Alaska and the West Coast of California. Jim was out pulling crab pots yesterday afternoon and heard nothing about it on the radio....

I was at work (someone needs to support his fishing habit) and I heard about the earthquake but had heard that the tsunami warning for the west coast was canceled -- so I thought nothing more about it.

But when he came into the harbor at about 3:30 pm after pulling pots, he noticed a really weird swirling in the water and water rushing out of the harbor. At one point a 70 foot commercial boat in front of him was pushed completely sideways by the water. He said he had never seen anything like it. He had to give his boat full throttle and was not moving anywhere.

The funny part is he did not realize what it was until last nite when he was watching the news and heard about the tidal surge that hit the west coast. Some harbors experienced 6 foot waves, but luckily the Half Moon Bay Harbor didn't get hit as hard as Jim was literally coming into the harbor when it hit! Talk about timing!!!

My life....

I was out running this morning and started thinking about how I keep hearing about this person or that person who is training for a marathon or triathalon. I have always thought I would like to do a marathon or better yet, a half marathon. It would just take some focus to increase my running distances over time.

But then I kept thinking....my LIFE is a marathon and I train for it everyday...not just the physical part of it but the emotional and mental part of it also. Anyone who works fulltime, has kids, gives a 100% to those kids and helping them develop into responsible adults, tries to spend meaningful time with friends and family, cares for chickens and a dog, works out everyday and also tries to give back to the world.....is in a marathon! You just don't get the t-shirt!

So at the end of my life, there will be no regret about not running a marathon.

The Latest Haul...

Jim just pulled into the driveway with 20 crabs. He and the kids are cooking them up in the back yard.

Dog in a bunker

The kids described this as "the dog in a bunker". If it were me, I would think someone in a bunker should look more alert and not be laying around on their back hoping someone was going to stop by and rub their belly!

She is ferocious!

A new view?

We are looking at buying a piece of property in the mountains near the cabin. It is 128 acres that are surrounded by National Forest. This is the view from to spot where we would put a cabin. The mountains in the far distance are Yosemite!

We are very interested in purchasing it but we are doing research on what is required in regards to permits, power, water, building a road, etc.

Everytime I look at this pic, I want to buy it even if I have to put a tent and a porta potty on the property!

Girls Weekend

So far so good - still in the mountains for girls weekend. On Friday on the way up here we stopped at the GAP and did some power shopping. That night we went to the yummy mexican place for dinner. OUTSTANDING! Yesterday, we went for a long walk and then went to the movies. We saw "Stranger than Fiction", the new Will Ferrell movie. It was really good. It had some funny parts but was a movie that you have to think about too. We came home from the movie and watched the movie Hitch - a feel good movie.

Last night we went to the Iron Door Saloon for dinner, came home and played rummikub. So far we are having a delightful time.

Thanksgiving Menu

Just to get you drooling, here is our menu for our non-traditional Thanksgiving:

Crab (caught fresh that day)
Prime rib
Butternut squash risotto
Spinach casserole
veggie ?
salad
cranberry sauce - the only thing really traditional
garlicky dinner rolls
homemade pies --- made by my husband!
garlic garlic dip appetizer with carrots and homemade beer bread
lumpia - home made by my sis in law
and maybe some pumpkin soup!

I have friends who indicated they wanted to ditch their families and come to our house for dinner!

Hallelujah

Hallelujah is defined as "a shout of joy, praise or gratitude. ". When I screamed hallelujah today, it was for all those reasons......because......someone other than Maverick laid an egg!!!!!!

You see....I run an assisted living home for young hens who think they are too good to lay eggs. Only Maverick lays eggs regularly which means I get 7 eggs a week instead of 21! So basically Rowdy and Betty are "kept" hens. I guess that makes me their "sugar mama"!

So I go out there this afternoon and there are 3 eggs: 2 of Mavericks and one from someone else. It has been so long since the other two laid that now I can not remember who lays to light tan oblong egg s....so I am not sure whose it is.

But rest assured after screaming hallelujah, I informed them all that the egg was beautiful and that they were chickens and should be laying one each day.

Let's see if that works to motivate them!

All they did was cluck and wonder where the treats were!

Amelia can sit!

Check out Amelia's new seat! She can't sit up yet on her own, but this little seat cradles her to hold her up in a sitting position. She is 4 months old already!

ketchup and jockey

Here are the kids on Halloween nite. You can see Gracie's horse and riding crop in her candy bucket. And you can see Drew's hanmburger and fries hanging around his neck.

A girl in charge!

This morning on the way to school, Gracie asked me if the mail lady had come yet today. I said no and asked why....She said, "Because I have not been getting ANY of my American Doll magazines and Drew had been getting ALL his boy mail. I need to find out what is going on!"

That type of take charge personality is going to get her places in this tough world!

Gait Analysis

Yesterday I had a gait analysis done for running. It was really interesting.

They look at your shoe and where it is worn, how you walk, how your arch is and take careful measurements of your feet. Turns out that I have mild pronation and they recommend a certain type of insert to make me run in a more neutral position. This more neutral psoition may help my IT band pain.

But that most interesting piece of data is I have been wearing shoes that are to small! Although they fit fine when standing around, when you run your feet swell (makes perfect sense) and if the shoes are too small it puts pressure on your toes and feet in general....thus that is why I have foot pain.

Well worth the 15 minute investment to go talk to a professional!

Gotta be smarter than the rock monster....

Be sure to read my post from yesterday before reading this one.....

So I decided this morning before my run that I had to be smarter than the rock monster....if the rock monster is putting rocks in your underwear to slow down your run.....don't wear underwear! That was my strategy this morning and it WORKED! Not to worry - I was not out running around the neighborhood naked - I had my running pants on!

So my run this morning went much better than yesterday. I ran my whole route without feeling like I was being held back! I guess after 20 years of running you are due to have days every now and then when you just can't get it together!

Tomorrow is a gym day, so I will see how I do for an hour on the eliptical machine!

Rocks in my underwear

I went out running this morning and I felt like I had rocks in my underwear. Let me explain... I was moving in slow motion and every step was an effort. I decided that when I was not looking someone loaded up my underwear with rocks and that was why I was running so slow and with such effort!

Then I kept thinking....was it because of the time change? was it because I only had a small bowl of oatmeal the nite before for dinner? did I suddenly turn old? or was it because I was loaded down with rocks?

I will have to keep you posted on what the actual cause is. I will go out for another run tomorrow and report back on the problem.

Preparing for Crabbing

Crabbing season opens on November 11. Jim and Drew spent Saturday working on the crab pots so they can drop them the week before. There are 15 pots in all. They worked on the pots, the ropes, the buoys and the bait jars, I was going to help until Drew filled me in that his hands smelled like old dead fish when he touched the pots.

Fred and Wilma

See the complete report on the Halloween party below....

I think Dino was looking for a brontosaurus bone!

Annual Halloween Party

It was Tina and Marty's Annual Halloween party this weekend and as Tina and Marty parties go, it was totally mild. There WAS a significant number of jello shots but there was no streaking and no police being called and Marty never got into the "I love you" mode! Mike, the rockstar, did appear to party like a rock star and ended up MIA....after a search "party" was formed, we found him in the car.

The most disturbing costume of the night was Kyle dressed as the Birthday fairy (it was his birthday so the costume was somewhat appropriate). You can see for yourself in the pictures below. I can't put my finger on what made the costume so disturbing but it could be those massive thighs in short skirt and the size large womens boy cut panties from Tarrget that he wore underneath.... See for yourself.


Dr Evil and the Disneyland tour guide.

The Birthday Fairy and the Cowgirl.
Dino Flintstone
Pirate and Clown
The BirthdayFair -- quite disturbing.

Well....the day is finally here

I no longer have an office....I am working from home fulltime. It is totally bitter sweet. I love to go into work, but I hate to commute. I loved my office - it had the greatest view. Very peaceful. If you did not know, my whole department is moving to an office which is about 15 miles farther away which means a minumum of 45 more minutes of commute time and I was not willing to take that much time away from my family and my self. So I went into the work from home program. I can still go into the office but I have to reserve a flex office when I go. And with the drive to get there, it won't be often.

The kids are thrilled with the new arrangement. They have been counting down the days for weeks. In fact, Gracie wanted to know if I was going to have a retirement party when I started working from home. She obviously doesn't understand the concept of retirement. The dog is going to be thrilled with the new office assignment -- someone to be with her everyday!

I will keep you posted as I make the adjustment.

Who loves shoes?

Check out these new shoes I just got! Your basic black loafers to replace my favorite pair that are so worn they are scary. I love the tall brown boots even though I have NOTHING to wear them with(they look black in the pic above). The low brown suede boots are to wear with jeans. Ya gotta love shoes!

BBQ Chicken

HA! You gotta love the weird chicken pics I post on my blog!!! Did you laugh out loud?

Happy Anniversary

So what does it feel like to be married for 16 years????? (Yep - today is our 16 year wedding anniversary!).

I have been giving it some thought and here is what it feels like:

* It feels like I must be old to be married this long. I am old but not that old! I must have been a child bride. (I was 23!)

* It feels really good that we still like each other after 16 years of marriage and that we can still laugh thru it all.

* It feels good that we have grown together as a couple in the last 16 years so that we are really a fine tuned machine. We have each worked at developing the skills that we are good at so that together our skills compliment each other.

* It feels good that for the last 16 years we have shared experiences that bind us together - including our love of the mountains.

* It feels really good that we have evolved into a strong family unit of four (plus one dog and 3 chickens) that is built on respect and love.

If I had to make a bet, I think it is a safe one to bet that we will still be happily married 16 years from now!

PS - I love you -- my big handsome hunk of husband!

Best Friends

These two are peas in a pod. They are complete opposites that totally complement each other:

tall - short
crazy - risk adverse
will eat anything - is suspicious of new food
eats A LOT - eats a little
would rather be leaping around - would rather be reading a book

The best part is they love each other unconditionally!

Pics from the DIY weekend

This is a pic from the play the kids did - "The Animal Band". Drew was the narrator and a robber. Jerremy was the donkey and a robber. Maddie was a robber and a cat. Gracie was the rooster and the voice of the dog (the dog was played by Daisy Mae but she can't talk so Gracie read her lines!)

We did manage some fun during the wekend - this is a pic of the bass I caught. Drew always takes my fish off the hooks because I don't touch them.

This is what happens when you are bald and don't wear any head protection while operating a paint sprayer! Marty looked like he had spent too much time in a tanning booth!

Here is the final product - a new roof! I love the green color. It makes it looks a ranger station!

Random Acts of Kindness

I was the recipient of a random act of kindness and if feels great! Earlier this week, I went to get the mail and found a padded envelope addressed to me. Imagine my surprise when I opened it up and found a beautiful pair of earrings sent to me - out of the blue - by my Aunt Maureen! She had a pair of the same earrings when we were in Chicago in June and I admired them. So she got me a pair of my own.

The card said "Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas or Whatever"! So thoughtful and they will always be treasured because they came from my Aunt....for no particular reason.

Thanks Maureen (mom to Libby the Boxer)! I promise to pay it forward in some way....

"o" negative - "CMV" negative

FINALLY!

Finally -- I was able to give blood after a 2 year dry spell. I have tried numerous times in the last couple years but always had too low of a red blood count to give. I fixed the issue that was causing the low red blood count and was thrilled that when I went to give blood my hemoglobin count was 13.5 as opposed to the 12.3 it has been in the past. So I am back on the "bike" and today gave the donation that makes me a 1-gallon donor!

So somewhere in the bay area some sick adult, child or baby is getting my blood. ;-)

The blood bank was thrilled to have me back in action because I have "0-" blood which is universal and it is also CMV negative which is a virus that most people have had but I have not. And they can only use CMV negative blood for premature babies!

DIY - final report

We are back from the whirlwind do it yourslef weekend at the cabin and the amount of work that was done was unbelievable! There was a crew of 14 of us and we accomplished the following:

* extended the roof over the deck on both sides of the cabin
* removed the old roof
* put a new roof on the cabin and the garage
* painted the extended areas
* stacked a cord of wood
* cleaned up to HUGE mess that was made

We also managed to squeeze in some poker, horse shoes, nibs and rummikub! We also did a play with the kids - The Animal Band presented at the Pine Cone Theater (AKA the back deck!) Oh! And a short boat ride/fishing trip where I caught my first bass!

We are all exhaused!

There was one causalty from the weekend and that was our camera, so I have no pics to post. The camera was there and used so I have great pics -- if only I knew where it was.

There was also a bit of drama on Saturday nite when we ran out of beer (actually there were seven beers left but that was enough to put the men into a panic!). So they had to beg a sober person to drive them to the store to buy 5 more cases of beer! At least they were being responsible!

My folks were with us all weekend and they played the role of chief cook and bottle washer! They made us great meals! But they were a bit shocked at how much we ate.

Everyone has ideas on what they want the next improvement project to be at the cabin but NO ONE is ready to actually start it!

DIY (Do It Yourself)

This weekend we are putting a new roof on the cabin! We have a crowd of 14 workers (AKA: people who have real day jobs and are playing "weekend roofing contractor") who will be there to help us. My mom and dad are being the cooks for the weekends so we will be eating well. For those of us who are not going to be up on the roof, we will be stacking the new delivery of fire wood Jim just ordered. It is all a lot of work but it will be fun because we will all be together and in the mountains!

Soccer Field Rage

WOW! Did we see a side of Gracie we didn't expect to see on Saturday during her soccer game... The first half, she played goalie and she was like a caged animal that is all pent up. She hopped and jumped continously and ran out of the goalie box and halfway to the mid field!!! It was making Drew and Jim crazy that she wouldn't stay close to the goal. I was enjoying watching her because she had such zest for playing the position....even if she wasn't doing quite right.

Then in the second half, she was a "center forward" which is really the best position for her because it utilizes her natural ability to run. She can run like the energizer bunny at great speeds! We could see she was getting frustrated because she kept getting the ball to the front of the goal but was not getting it in. But her frustration boiled over into full blown rage when one of the girls on the other team tripped her and she fell on her face. She jumped up and went running full speed towards the player from the other team who currently had the ball and basically slammed her from behind!! We were SHOCKED!

The referee, who was our coach, called a penalty (or whatever it is called in soccer) and the other team got a kick. In hockey she would have 5 minutes in the penalty box!

We talked about it later in the day and she said she was mad because they made her fall on her face and get a bloody nose. We talked about her having to control herself and she understands.

Maybe she should be playing hockey!

Riding...

Since the kids each got their new mountain bikes, we have gone on a couple of big rides.

On the first ride we went to Angel Island. Angel Island is an island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. We went up early on a Sunday morning and took the 9:45am ferry over to the island. It is about a 10 minute bat ride to get there. Once we got to the island we headed out to do ride the 9 mile trail that goes all the way around the island. We stopped about 3/4 of the way and had lunch on a bench overlooking the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We made it back to the dock to take the 12:45 ferry back to SF. On the way back we stopped to drop off some passengers at Alcatraz.

When we returned to SF we rode over the Pier 39 and watched the sea lions that have taken over the boat docks as their napping spots. It is great fun to watch them fight and nap! Then we stopped to get a snack before riding down to the stadium where the SF Giants play baseball. It was cool to ride along the water front and see all the businesses and people. All in all we did about a 15 miles that day.

The next ride was an off road adventure. We brought our bikes to the cabin last weekend and did some mountain biking. We rode on fire trails and even did a creek crossing -- well....ok Jim did the creek crossing and we all watched! No one else wanted to get their shoes wet!

I need to bring the camera along because the place we mountain biked was beautiful!

The BIG Weiner!

So here is the pic of the "big weiner" (AKA big winner)! That is what a TUNA trophy looks like - note the tuna at the bottom. Also shown is the new reel and the $400 check.

Bad Boys Bad Boys, what ya gonna do when they come for you???

Actually it should be bad girls, bad girls.....

My mom is threatening to call the animal police on my chickens. Well, not all of them, just one - Maverick. My mom has a love of animals great an small, just like me. So she has always happily checked on the ladies when over watching the kids.

One day recently, she was out checking on the ladies and talking to them when out of nowhere Maverick started attacking her! You see.... Maverick gets a bit bitchy if she does not feel she is getting enough snackies!

So I come home from work and my mom shows me her foot with a chunk missing and informs me that she has called animal control and reported a chicken bite! After I pick myself up of the floor with laughter, I made sure she was not serious.

The chicken bite is sure to be one of those stories that stays with the family and grows with exaggeration over time. I fully expect that in 25 years, we will be telling stories about how Maverick the chicken pecked off Grandma's foot and it had to be surgically reattached!

Yabba Dabba Doo!

After much deliberation, we have settled on our halloween costumes:

Drew: A ketchup bottle with a hamburger, hotdog and container of french fries hanging around his neck
Gracie: A jockey - complete with riding crop, goggles, cap, horse and boots
Jim: Fred Flintstone complete with caveman club
Chris: Wilma Flintstone (since I ordered the costumes, I ordered the "sexy Wilma" costume!)
Daisy Mae: Dino Flintstone

We are getting into the whole Flintstone theme and have been practicing the theme song!!! And I ordered the 3rd season DVD from Amazon so we have all the lingo down!

There will be great pics!

2nd place

People have been asking about the results of the Tuna Tournament....Jim won 2nd place! We have the trophy and I will post pics as soon as I have a chance - so check back - it is a real beauty!!

Best Doggie Friends

This is Daisy Mae (on the right) and her best friend Toby. Toby lives next door and the two of them play together a few times a week. We can let Daisy out the front door and tell her to go see if Toby can play and she runs next door and paws at Toby's front door. Toby was a rescued dog who was abused by his previous owner. When our neighbor Rob adopted him, he was REALLY timid. But he has learned that whatever Daisy does is safe and he follows her lead. He now plays with the kids, drinks out of the hose and wanders into our house. When he was younger he didn't even like coming into the front yard. They are truly best friends. They play chase and wrestle around chewing on each others ears, necks and legs!

Happy 7th Birthday!

Here are some pics of Gracie's 7th birthday. We did our traditional Japanese dinner with the whole family. Gracie did the very traditional sprite bomb!

Here she is on her new birthday bike - which she LOVES!

Heart Walk is a HUGE succcess!

Thanks to all our fabulous friends and family, the Heart Walk was a HUGE success! With matching donations, we raised $3310! Thank you, thank you, thank you!


As promised, we painted to dog to add to the festive nature of the event! She was a big hit!

It does not get any cuter than this.... Sam and Gracie holding hands, walking behind Grandpa Tom at the Heart Walk!
That dog is a saint! She just stood there and let us spray paint hearts on her!

Thanks again to everyone who opened their hearts and wallets for a good cause!

Matt, eat your heart out....

This may be the winning tuna. Jim was in a tuna tournament that lasted most of the summer and right now he is in first place with this tuna! It was 28.3 pounds! He would win $1500 in cash and prizes. The BEST part though, is he would get a tuna trophy! Can't wait to see what that looks like! We are currently searching for place of honor in the house to hold this glorious trophy! The tournament is over on Sunday so we are praying for high winds so no one else can go out fishing.
This is what a trophy winning tuna looks like when it turns into dinner! Not sure why the beer is in the pic - you will have to ask Jim, who was the photographer. It may be he couldn't hold his beer and take a picture too!
These guys are just a bunch of clowns! Happy, smelly clowns!
Each of these tuna were about 20 pounds - thus the grimacing on Jim's face.
This picture is ridiculous but Jim and Drew insisted it be added to the blog.

PS - Matt is my Kentucky Hillbilly cousin who is probably losing his mind looking at these pics! Hi Matt! November is not coming fast enough, is it?