Dang

Forgot About My Blog

what's happened?

Oh, well, I had a duaghter. Her name is Ruby.

WOW !!!

This is quite simply the coolest thing I have EVER seen....

Where Have I Been?

Well, I took a little hiatus from the blogger thing for a few weeks. It was pretty time consuming, and the weather was getting nice, and Steph went back to work, and a million other things that I am using for excuses.
Okay, all good? Friends again now?

Good. Shut it.

Memorial Day on the River

Steph and I took the boat out today, and had a blast with the kids. We had an extra long weekend with Naomi, and even thought the weather started off badly, it got into the 70s later on which was awesome.

Naomi, to my surprise followed through with her desire to get on the inner tube, and had a blast. She said she really wanted to, but I had my doubts as to whether she would or not, but she did and did awesome. I didn't go crazy in the boat and, truth be told, we were barely idling before she asked to slow down(!!) but I was very proud of her.



She actually got pretty cocky after a while, and was doing it one handed, while waving to people going by us...which was everyone as we were going so slow!

We even bought the video camera!



Jack of course was doing well as long as he had something to eat. He was all bundled up and just chilling out.



Ruby came along, too, which was funny. She had on her special infant life jacket, and you couldn't sink her if you tried in that thing. The sound of the boat, and the movement of the water meant that she slept pretty much the entire time.



So we have now taken the boat out a few times and it has been great. I dinged the dock once (which was my fault pulling away...I was watching the dog instead of the river) but this looks to be a good investment for the summer!

FA Cup Final

Wow. What an incredibly boring game.

I was going to write a bunch about it, and was hoping to tell the world that my team won, but they didn't and it was a mind-numbingly boring game.

I hate games like that, because that is how most people will see soccer in this country...and that ain't good!

Help For Daddy

Help for Daddy, Inc, is coming....

Not exactly the greatest teaser int eh world....but I will be announcing something pretty HUGE in the next few weeks.

Something that will eventually get myself, Mike, and Kenny out of the rat race that is corporate America and on the road to self-employed goodness...

Mike / Kenny: I need to set up some meetings. Stay tuned. I am just finishing up the grunt work before I hit you guys up for your knowledge and devastating good looks.

A Great Day

Jack's First Swim

Awesome video. He was so excited, and so scared at the same time. Very cute.

We swam at the hotel pool in Memphis, TN, the day before we left.

Graceland

Yes, that's right...check it off the list of places to visit before we die...



Steph and I (and Jack and Ruby) visited the Kings mansion while we were in Memphis, TN. Steph obviously is a huge Elvis fan, and I have to admit, I was a little curious about Graceland and how it actually was, so we both paid our $30 and got to do a one time tour through the ground floor of the mansion.


Elvis' grave

It was, by today's standards, a pretty cool house. You could tell it was obviously all decked out in that hideous yellow/green shag carpet from the 60's and 70's, but once you got past that, it still had the feel of 'The King'.



The grounds were amazing. Seriously! His car collection and his two planes were also part of the tour, as was his actual gravesite.

Here are some pictures from that tour:

Arkansas Road Trip

I had a work trip planned a long time ago to Alabama. As the date drew nearer, we decided that we would use some of the miles we were saving for our UK trip to get Steph and the kids out there and make the short trip to Arkansas to see her grandparents and cousins who I have never met, and she hadn't seen in 10 years!


Welcome to Hampton, Arkansas

What a trip! It is a different world down there for sure. I had previously lived in Alabama for a year, so was familiar with the south, but Steph's family live in deepest darkest Arkansas.

Yes, I know, you are all expecting a duelling banjos joke right about now, but aside from the place looking like the movie Deliverance, it was nothing like what I expected. I had traveled through Arkansas a few times and it was always a bit sketchy, but there is something about southern hospitality that you just can't beat.

Banjo at the ready!

Steph's family were awesome, and I had a great time. We met her grandparents, cousins, and their extended family, too. We took over 700 photos while were down there and just enjoyed the heck out of it. They all got a kick out of Jack, and he was into everything, and Ruby just chilled out the whole time.


Steph's grandfather

Great trip. Can't wait to get back.


Jack and his GREAT-grandfather


Steph's grand mother and grandfather

Emma and Darren Come to Stay

We had a great time when "Auty Em & Uncle Darren" came to stay with us at the end of April.

They were here for 10 days and, aside from taking off for a couple of days to do some sightseeing along the coast, they hung out with us and the kids the whole time.


Em and Ruby


The only shot I had of Darren...damn

New Boat!

We have a new boat!!

Yes, the old one was getting repaired and refurbished as quickly as possible, but at the end of the day, with three kids occupying most of my time there was no way it was going to get done for the summer!

So, I sold it and got a new one. This one is a 1976 Reinell with 120 hp and it in great condition. I didn't want anything too new, and couldn't afford anything too expensive, so I decided to go for something practical.


Parked down at Newport Bay on the Wilamette

This will pull two skiiers out of the water, and will give us days of 'cheap' fun out on the river this summer. My goal is to try to have Naomi learn how to waterski, and get Jack out on a inner tube. It also is a nice incentive for having bigger, group BBQs if you have a boat that is ready to roll.


It looks sweet in the water

Now all I need is the boat name to be added. Pro Nostrum Liberi. For the kids.



Wicked!

European Terror Alert

An update on European terror alerts.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists themselves have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy

Easter 2007

Easter this year was great. I think having kids makes it all the more fun...otherwise it is just a regular Sunday morning.



Nim got up first and immediately wanted to start finding Easter Eggs. We told her she had to wait for her brother, and then, right on cue, he appeared ready to roll. Unlike his mother (!!) he always wakes up in a good mood, and doesn't require a gallon of coffee to get going.


Nim was here this easter


Yes, even satan celebrates easter!


Some kids were not as interested...

Then the festivities began. You can see from the video that the kids had a great time hunting for eggs. It was really nice to have them all here for the holiday.


Part One


Part Two