"We're Home!"

Yes, after being gone a week in sunny Alberquerque, we have finally made it back to our home sweet home! I think I took like 280 pictures but they were all really great ha ha. Here are a few of the great great ones:

Alberquerque Zoo:


Parrot: "Bwak! Don't come any closer or I'll cut this fence and then cut you next!"
Me: "Wow, a talking parrot! If you come with me we'll make a fortune."
Parrot: "I'll cut you in for 20%."
Me: "It's a deal!"


Eagle: "Hey bub, did you know that I'm one of the only bald eagles on Earth left?"
Me: "Oh yeah? I wonder why people hunt you so much..."
Eagle: "Well, it's because when you cook me in just the right blend of eleven herbs and spices, I'M DELICIOUS!"
Me: "Um...yes...delicious..." (drooling)
Eagle: "Now wait a minute chief...you have that look in your eyes again...and YES, people will notice I'm gone!"


Now that's just a great shot, I don't care who you are.

Hiking...somewhere...


Emmy: "Hey Dad, what is this little pond called?"
Me: "Let's see...this is the 'Canine Urination Chamber'..."
Zach: "You mean...dogs pee in where we're sitting?"
Me: "Isn't nature great?"


Emmy: "Um..Dad...what's 12 feet long and slithers?"
Me: "Why that's an easy one...it's an Anaconda! Why do you ask?"
Emmy: "Because I think I felt one slither past me! Help me!!"
Me: "OH MY GOSH!! Everyone run and save yourselves! Emmy's a goner!"
Emmy: "Your devotion to your family is to be commended..."


Now that's just a great shot, I don't care who you are.

At Olde Towne:


This one cracked me up! I really should have bought a bottle to bring home to my sister, but...I guess I was too pooped...listless...rundown...however the rest of that Lucy commercial goes ha ha


Nothing is cuter then my kids...asleep...next to an oversized bear...or asleep anywhere. It sure is hard to make noise when you're asleep!

Cattleman's Ranch & Steakhouse


This is a map of what the ranch used to look like.


This was a boat that the owner made from scratch!


There were turkeys...


Sheep...


And even a lizard.

So that in a nutshell was our trip. As much as we planned for it, I can't believe how quickly it went by. But a week off is always needed when you work in the fast-paced world of health insurance eh?

"A Night At The Park!"

Yes, when you're a parent your number one job in the world is to...take your kids to the park! According to Zach and EMmy, that is my number one job anyways ha ha. It is becoming more rare that I get to take them there as we all get busy with school and activities and vacations. Here is where we went Thursday night 7-9-09:


Emmy: "Which way do we go? The zebra wildlife preserve is to the right, but the water park is to the left!"
Zach: "Man is this one fancy park. Has anyone seen the creme brulee cart?"


Emmy: "Are we cute enough now Dad? We're smiling and everything!"
Me: "Well, you're getting there...not quite as cute as, say, Suri Holmes or Shilih Jolie-Pitt or Levi McConaghey...but you're close!"
Zach: "Yeah, I can't argue with you there...it's like they're genetically engineered to be adorable 24/7!"
Me: "Um...that's some vocabulary you have there chief..."


YAWN!! We were sleepy after a long night of hiking and playing.

We're getting ready for our road trip to our exotic neighbor to the west...Albequerque! Don't know when I will post again. Wish us luck!

"One Great Movie!"

What movie am I talking about? Oh geez, I don't know, maybe Revenge Of The Fallen! I actually saw it June 25 with Navid but a lot has come up recently but since a lot isn't going on this week, I figured now would be the time to sit back and, like the man who wore a suit of mirrors, reflect on what will be one of the biggest movies of this millenium. Bad joke, I know. What was so sool about this one was that there was so much going on I left the theater feeling like I had missed about half of it. Will need to see it again.

***SPOILER ALERT***

What did I like most about it?

Man, just so much action and it was great to see Optimus Prime finally get ANGRY at the Decepticons and just bludgeon them literally to death. Until Megatron knifed him from behind, that is. What a cowardly thing to do.

What did I like least about it?

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. When Prime put on Jetfire's discarded body parts to he could fly up to the top of the pyramid and stop Devestator that seemed kind of silly. But otherwise, it was 150 minutes of hold-you-down-and-punch-you-in-the-face action.

Emmy has been going to her Girl Scout camp this week. It always surprises me how mature she is. She always makes sure she has her swim stuff and lunch and water bottle, etc. Even though I usually get it together for her, she still double-checks in the morning. She had been asking me to write her a letter and put it in her "mailbox" she has in her room. She took a Kleenex box and decorated it and everything. Always something new with her. So finally, I finished it today since we weren't too busy. I will surprise her with it tonight. For tonight we are going to get some dinner and take it to the park and have a nice little evening together. Cari is going out for a night just her and her friend, which is usually much-needed since 2 kids (3 if you count me ha ha) can be a lot to deal with. Zach meanwhile has been attending his first church summer camp this week and he seems to really enjoy it, even if he won't admit to it. I ask him what he did and he always answers "We learned about God"...why do kids think that answer will satisfy even the most liberal of parents? Ah well. Cari's mom has been very nice by taking him to camp then taking him to his babysitter's house. She really does a lot for us. Sometimes it is hard to show appreciation when you don't know how. Maybe we do and don't know it. I guess the moral is to appreciate everything you have and don't pine for things you know are out of reach. Life is too short.

"They Always Come In 3's..."

Deaths, I mean.

Always in 3's.

Ed McMahon...Farrah Fawcett...Michael Jackson. Two of these were inevitable. Ed was 86 and Farrah had Stage Four cancer, but Michael Jackson? I don't think anyone saw that one coming. But what is the connection? What common link do these three share? We may never know. But hearing about them conjured up some memories for yours truly. Let's start with:

Ed McMahon:

The year was 1996. October 2nd, 1996 to be precise. I remember that day because it was about 1am and I couldn't sleep. The reason why? I was making myself laugh. It was that day that I realized that I had a pretty good sense of humour and considered being a stand-up comedian. I wonder whatever happened to that dream...ah well. Anyways, Ed McMahon was one of the first impressions I learned and that was probably the start of it all.

Michael Jackson:

The year was 1982, and Thriller had just come out. Some channel aired this special on all of his videos and we had taped it. Well, one day Grandma was watching me and my sister and we brought the tape with us to watch. Well, as he was singing "Beat It", we were singing along to it (as well as the rest of the world I'm sure) and when Michael sang "Showin' How Funky Strong Is Your Fight..." and for some reason Grandma thought they were saying the F-word. Well, I tried to explain they weren't saying it but she wouldn't have any part of it. I was branded a heathen for life. Some things never change I guess eh?

Farrah Fawcett:

Um, no real memories of her. I was too young to enjoy that great red poster of her back then. I could never stand "Charlie's Angels" and that movie she was in, "Dr T And The Women" literally stole two hours from my life that I will never get back. Ever. If you ever wondered what the worst movie ever made was, this was it.

Then, after these three passed away, we hear about uber-pitchman Billy Mays dying of what at first was thought to be a head injury after getting knocked out on a plane, THEN as it turns out it was his heart that gave out due to a lifelong condition. He was loud, sure, but he seemed like a nice guy. THEN, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair gets shot and killed a year after he retired from football. Murdered. Geez, what a week yes? Now we're just waiting for taxes to start going out of control. You know...because those would be the two things that are inevitable?

To end on a bright note, we had a great 4th of July weekend!! We got to see fireworks not once, but twice! Once at the Highlands on July 3rd, then again at the Ballpark on July 4th! Kids loved them. On the 3rd we even got a treat! I opted for a Coldstone Creamery cone (as did Zach and Emmy) while Cari got a Jamba Juice. I made a choice but now I have to go get a Jamba Juice just so I don't miss out on amnything ha ha. I'm so needy. Bet ya didn't know guys were so needy.


"ooooh...ahhh..."