Caprock Canyons - Thursday

Thursday morning we rose early, and had tasty Daddio Burritos! There is nothin' tastier than a breakfast burrito... eggs and bacon over a campfire, smothered with cheese and salso tucked into a warm tortilla!

Then we were off for our morning hike. We chose a new trail, this one told of a rocky ascent that was challenging... but was supposed to have a big payoff. The weather couldn't have been nicer... cool but clear, great weather for hiking. Once the backpack was loaded up with water and snacks we set off for our hike. About a mile in we were to merge off the main trail for the rocky up hill. Wow, this was definitely more tricky than we planned. Going up wasn't too bad, but I was more worried about heading down... and for good reason as it turned out. We didn't make it all the way up, but it was a good try. Back at the main trail we continued on and enjoyed the amazing landscapes, huge rock formations, and interesting plant life... and a few creepy crawlers that caught our attention. When all was said and done and we were back at the car we clocked in about a 2 hour hike which with crude estimation was somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 miles (images from this hike).


We headed back to camp for removal of some of our layers of clothing (the sweaters and long sleeves were no longer necessary), and to get lunch underway. Unfortunately our fly problem from the night before (yeah, I don't think I mentioned that... um, the tent was filled with them) had not gotten any better, and we were out of ideas of how to get rid of them... not only were they in our tent, but EVERYWHERE! So we made an executative decision to go a short drive into town for a bug response, and lunch in doors!

What was the answer to the flies... you nature lovers will just love this one... BUG BOMB! We removed all contents from the tent, the we bug bombed those darn flies... gathered more water (we wouldn't be able to go back into the tent for a few hours), and headed out for another hike. Usually this would be the time we would put the boys down for a much needed rest and Daddio and I would catch up on some reading, have a beer, and take a little siesta ourselves... but that was a no go.

Back to the next hike... this particular trail was one we were slightly familar with having hiked a short ways into it last time we were there. This time we went much further and enjoyed it even more. Every 30 minutes or so we would stop and enjoy the cool refreshing water and a snack of some sort... and then hit the trail again... and much like the morning we found our hiking abilities last about 2 hours and some change (again about 3 miles or a little more). This particular trail (intended to go all the way to the lake at the enterance of the park) is much more up and down, and by the end Daddio and I's feet were ready to fall right off at the ankle! But it was well worth it!

After this hike, it was back to the campsite to check out the bug situation and start getting the fire ready for dinner... oh and sit back and enjoy an ice cold adult beverage while we try to entice our feet to stay attached to our bodies! As Bubba would say "The bugs got DEAD!", and the tent was filled with our belongings once again! Dinner as usual was amazing, steaks and baked taters for the grown ups and hot dogs for the boys... and then SHOWER TIME.

Before the boys this is actually something we rarely did on our camping trips... but they sleep so much better (and so do we as it turns out) after they've been all cleaned up and are snug in their long underwear jammies. To bed they went while we enjoyed some star gazing... and were soon tucked away in our sleeping bags as well listening to the hum of the heater and drifting away!

Camping - Wednesday

Sorry it has taken me so long to get on here and post about our trip, but coming home from a trip like that has a lot of laundry to do, along with all my regular chores...

Okay, where did we go??? Caprock Canyons in Quitaque, Tx (West Texas).

We headed out Wednesday morning, and got to our campsite around 2:00. After getting the tent set up and all our gear in order, Daddio got a dinner fire going while I took the boys exploring. Our pad was located right near a ledge overlooking the Little Red Creek. The boys and I took turns throwing rocks over the ridge and into the water... that is hours of entertainment right there! Then it was time for dinner. We were able to take a short hike after dinner down to the creek bed and around the bend, then headed back to camp around sunset. It is truly amazing there, everywhere you turn is another awe inspiring sight.

Then it was time for S'mores, and bedtime for the boys! Daddio and I stayed up to enjoy the fire, and a little adult conversation... but were soon tucked away cozy in our sleeping bags for a toasty (thanks to the new tent heater) slumber.

Click here for more pictures of the day!

Give away

I've wanted a fancy girly apron for quite some time now, and thanks to The Apronista my obsession is even stronger. She is hosting a give away for one of Heavenly Hostess amazing aprons. Please take a moment and hit both of these sites... and enter (either for yourself, or you men out there one for your wives!!!).

A few photos

I'll let MommaLlama write more about the trip details. But I thought I would post a few of the family portraits we took. The new camera has a 12-second timer which actually allowed me time to get into the shot (the old camera was only 5 seconds...) You can also get a remote control for it, but I don't have ALL of the toys just yet.

A different kind of portrait.

A silly one.

Update

Just got back from the best camping trip yet. Will post more details and photos soon.

Also, someone out there owes us the two hours of our lives we lost watching a certain movie recommendation. I won't name names or titles, but man, that was terrible. We're going to just follow our instincts from now on.

Funny

Let's start Monday off with some funnies!

Why, Why, Why
Do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "Lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And my FAVORITE......

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

The Man Meme

1. Who is your man? Daddio
2. How long have you been together? Oh gosh... 11 years.
3. How long did you date? 4 years
4. How old is your man? 28
5. Who eats more? Him
6. Who said “I love you” first? I honestly don't remember (Daddio if you remember feel free to comment)
7. Who is taller? ha ha ha... he is by more than a foot!
8. Who sings better? Well, if you mean you must stay in the same key, then I will concede that he is better :-)...
9. Who is smarter? He is!
10. Whose temper is worse? MINE...
11. Who does the laundry? Me, myself and I.
12. Who takes out the trash? Both of us.
13. Who sleeps on the right hand side of the bed? Looking from the foot of the bed, I do.
14. Who pays the bills? He does!!!!!!
15. Who is better with the computer? TIE.
16. Who mows the lawn? Both of us. It just depends on his travel schedule, and if I need some time outside to blow off some steam.
17. Who cooks dinner? Mostly me, but he is a wizard at the grill (or campfire as the case my be)!
18. Who drives when you are together? Mostly him.
19. Who pays when you go out? He does. (but I should mention that no matter who pays it all comes out of the same place)
20. Who is most stubborn? Probably me.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? We're never wrong.
22. Whose parents do you see the most? If you average it out... probably both evenly.
23. Who kissed who first? Um... I'm going to say that he initiated the first kiss.
24. Who asked who out? Well, one who could say our first date was one of being ditched by our friends. Our first official date he asked me out.
25. Who Proposed? He proposed to me... at the same place we had our first official date... how romantic!
26. Who is more sensitive? Me.
27. Who has more friends? Neither, we are social misfits :-)... oh I don't know he would probably say me, but I think it is pretty even considering most are mutual friends.
28. Who has more siblings? He does.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? He does, and does it well!

Oh who to tag... I tag YOU!

Yikes!

Brings back memories of the church where I grew up... I only wish I was kidding.

British Gears

Daddio found a show a while back that we just fell in love with. We have the DVR set to record it, and it is such a tickle to look through the menu and see that we have an episode to watch. As I've mentioned many times, we are car junkies... add that to our odd sense of humor, and you get the greatest show in the world: Top Gear!

The show's hosts are three funny British dudes who know how to have a good time with a car, a race track and an odd set of goals. Richard Hammond, affectionately known as Hamster, is a radio and tv presenter. He returned to the show this spring after being away for several months due to a serious crash that happened during filming for the show... he was driving a jet engine car that after several runs blew a tire at around 300 mph (probably more... but I can't remember what they said) resulting in a terrible crash and a head injury for Richard (thankfully he is fine and able to continue with the show full speed ahead). Then you have Jeremy Clarkson. This guy is a riot. The name of the game... POWER and SPEED! He is constantly tormenting his co-stars and any guests they have on the show. The third co-host is James May, fondly referred to as Capt. Slow. He enjoys the finer details and worries less about the overall speed or power of an automobile.

These guys test out amazing cars... cars that aren't here in the US, cars that are, and cars that people can only dream about... Koenigsegg CCX (with Top Gear spoiler), Pagani Zonda F, Maserati MC12, Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Aston Martin Vanquish S.... the list goes on and on. They also do challenges on a occasion. Each made an amphibian car, they re-engineered a mini-van to be a convertable (that didn't really pass any of the tests, actually they ended up setting a carwash on fire when some of the pieces became lodged in the moving parts of the carwash), and other ridiculously funny endeavors.

Then there is The Stig:

He's the professional driver that posts the best lap times... but whose identity is not known.

Okay... so do you like to laugh, do like cool cars, do you like to see small cars play soccer? Well you need to find the BBCA channel on your TV Guide and watch this show!!!!!

A day in the life...

We, here at the Llama house, don't waste our time with mere accessories. There is no need to spend money on things that can be done without. Take for instance a tool belt. Does one really NEED a tool belt when one is wearing shorts/pants? No says Bubba! Simply place all tools that you might need for your adventure into the waistband and pockets and you are on your way. Also notice the hard hat. That my friends is no ordinary hard hat, that serves double duty around here as a fire helmet as well! Bubba's motto: Always be prepared!

I couldn't agree more!

This afternoon I slipped out of the house to check them, and sorting through it on the way back in I noticed one of those 'Current Resident' pamphlets. The message on the side:

The Wrong People Are Cleaning Your House!

Well... this current resident couldn't agree more... unfortunately I signed the lifetime nuptual contract which hasn't expired yet!

Way to go!

Something very special happened this weekend!

UNT WON!!!!! Way to go Mean Green, your first win of the season... and it was televised for our viewing pleasure.

With UNT winning the game, our football watching weekend wasn't a total loss... Cowboys.

Photos

A couple of photos to share. First, the Hummer H3 that we've been playing with this weekend.






And, a new crucifix that I bought for the family.




I got it from the Marianist Galleries in St. Louis. I was there for business. Our late campus minister, Fr. Bob Lewandowski, was a Marianist, and was buried at the Marianist cemetery in St. Louis (Kirkwood, actually) in 2003. The gallery is on the saem property. As it turns out, my company's St. Louis office is only two blocks away from there. So I stopped by the gallery after making a quick visit to visit Fr. Bob's grave on Friday morning. We took a tour of the gallery back in 2003, but couldn't afford anything at the time. I've always wanted to own a piece of their artwork and was finally able to acquire something. You can check out their website. They work with a variety of media and subjects, not all religious, and most very modern stuff, but I was able to find something that suits our taste, and we think it will look nice in the school room.

Rental

D:"Hey, I won't be much longer here... you are never gonna guess what kind of rental I got."
M:"Okay see you soon :-)."

This was the phone conversation with Daddio yesterday after he landed and was turning in his car to have it repaired from a minor fender-bender he was in this week.

I had a few theories. He mentioned that he had taken it to a service shop at a dealer, so I figured he would pick something fun... maybe a little sporty car, convertable or something, or something fun like a Jeep. So I fed the kids their dinner, and then went about a few other odd chores. We did our spelling flash cards, and then I headed out to the front yard to water my trees... and that is when he drove up in a...

HUMMER - H3!

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that we are car people. And so to see this pull into my driveway, well... my heart rate when up... this was definitely going to be FUN!

After Daddio and I had dinner, we loaded up the kids and went looking for some fun dirt to drive on. After about a 15 minutes scouting we finally found a place to PLAY. I pulled it up into the dirt (oh, I guess I didn't mention that I was driving it), and switched it into 4WD! Woohoo, boy is this little Hummer fun. After a few passes on this little road we found it was Daddio's turn to have some fun. Did I mention the high pitch noise coming from the backseat!!!!??? That would be the boys screaming, laughing and begging Mommy to 'JUMP THE FENCE'... because we were a 'MONSTER TRUCK' after all!

Practical review of the H3:
Not a family car. Why? You can't fit 3 or even 2 booster seats in the back seat (with a total of 3 kids sitting back there). This is not a 5 seater, it is really a 4 seater with 5 seat belts (but we made due... cause it's a hummer... HELLO). Regular street driving the low gears are pretty sluggish, but once it shifts into 3+ it has a much quicker response. When you get it up to 60+ it really hums along and you hardly notice you are going 70! I expected the ride to be much bumpier, but it really isn't bad for having a truck base (the Colorado I believe is the platform)... but definitely not as smooth as my Yukon XL. It has a stiff ride, it actually felt a lot like driving our Mustang from a few years ago. The visibility is kind of weird. The window are small and high, so a car sitting next to you on the passenger side is harder to see by looking over there... so you really do have to rely on your mirrors more. I thought my Yukon was a brick on wheels... not the case, the Hummer is even more of a brick. If you take your foot off the gas (even momentarily), you decelerate very quickly!

Do I like it... a resounding YES. It is definitely a fun SUV to drive. Would I buy one, not now because my boys are too little to go without carseats/booster seats.

A statement I never thought I would hear myself say, "Dang this Hummer is smaller than my car."

How much longer will the fun last? We have it till Thursday... YAY!!!!!

It's been a while

I've been phoning it in lately, and I know it... why??? Well, I've been busy. Homeschooling, housekeeping, and the sort. It has been quite the undertaking having all three boys schooling. Although, I've been pleasantly surprised at how well things are going. Our schedule, as far as school work, have been right on the money. The new concepts are coming at a good interval, and the reviews aren't drudgery. And I'm pleased that I've stayed on top of the big feasts and even some of the secular events that are of interest to the boys.

Our daily routine seems to be working pretty well also. The outdoor playtime rotates between before naptime or after, and usually every evening we spend some time outside for walks, or just more hide and seek and the likes.

It would appear that we have rolled out of the growth spurts and that the behavior has gone back to normal.

I also had a really interesting conversation with our Pedi. about Snookie's all night tantrums. He truly feels that Snookie has trouble with the transitions between the parts of sleep. He told me that children who never learn to self sooth as babies will struggle with this as they get older. What happens is during the transition stage he wakes up... (this can be much more visable during growth spurts when the body does more twitching during rest times), and then isn't able to get back to sleep. He also said that Snookie might not be all the way wake when he is fussing, and that we should make sure he is in a safe place during these times... why? Well these children are the ones that he typically sees start to sleep walk. (He actually said we were doing a good thing by moving him to another room and making a palette on the floor... something he won't fall out of! That was such a huge relief.) What else can we do right now? Nothing! We are supposed to just leave him alone when he starts that up! Oh, and to keep having him nap so that he can actually get all the rest/sleep he can in a 24 hour period of time.

So on the whole, things are getting better around here. More sleeping, good school work, and much better behavior!

PRAISE GOD!

Help...

It's been this kind of week. And it's only Wednesday. I could blog for a month and not fit it all in.

Don't worry, I enjoy in moderation. It's also this kind of week.

The Truth about Margerat Sanger

I recently saw this and thought I would pass it on to my readers! I know there are some great artists among you that would find this amusing!

What am I talking about? The 3rd Annual Margaret Sanger at the Ku Klux Klan Rally Art Contest

Participants in this year's contest are encouraged to commemorate Sanger at the Klan rally in unique artistic ways. Drawings, cartoons, historical novels, haiku, dance, plays, videos, paintings, quilts, rap, puppetry, modern interpretations of Sanger speaking to the Klan, reenactments of the speech on YouTube, mime, audio recordings of actual Sanger quotes she may have reused when speaking to the Klan - - there is no limit to the artistic ways this historic event can be commemorated. Please note, this year we will not be accepting photoshopped entries.

Check out the website, it is well worth it!

Columbus Day

Police Arrest 83 Protesters at Denver Columbus Day Parade
A quote:
"Denver's parade, which was started in 1907, has a troubled history of arrests and confrontations between Columbus supporters and detractors. Protesters have called him a slave trader who touched off centuries of genocide and oppression against native people."

Let's explore the other side of the story.

The Crimes of Christopher Columbus
"When Cortes captured the Aztec emperor Montezuma and his attendants, he would only permit them temporary release on the promise that they stop their traditional practices of cannibalism and human sacrifice, but he found that "as soon as we turned our heads they would resume their old cruelties." Aztec cannibalism, writes anthropologist Marvin Harris, "was not a perfunctory tasting of ceremonial tidbits." Indeed the Aztecs on a regular basis consumed human flesh in a stew with peppers and tomatoes, and children were regarded as a particular delicacy. Cannibalism was prevalent among the Aztecs, Guarani, Iroquois, Caribs, and several other tribes.

Moreover, the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of South America performed elaborate rites of human sacrifice, in which thousands of captive Indians were ritually murdered, until their altars were drenched in blood, bones were strewn everywhere, and priests collapsed with exhaustion from stabbing their victims. The law of the Incas provided for punishment of parents and others who displayed grief during human sacrifices. When men of noble birth died, wives and concubines were often strangled and buried with them. "

1492 and All That
"While some remarkable art and architecture was produced over more than a millennium of Indian civilization, there were no fresh impulses, such as had occurred elsewhere on the globe, that would lead to the development of metals and the wheel, or the training of animals for agricultural work. Whatever evils the Spaniards eventually introduced— and they were many and varied—they at least cracked the age-old shell of a culture admirable in many ways but pervaded by atrocities and petrification that should he repugnant to any modern person. Anyone who wishes to defend the rights of surviving Indian tribes and help preserve their cultures—two noble undertakings—must nevertheless he aware of what should and should not be retained from their heritage. A sentimental belief in the equal validity of all cultures leads necessarily to defense of such practices as sacrificial murder. "


Columbus and the Beginning of the World
"Conquest aside, the question of even peaceful evangelizing remains very much with us. Today, most people, even Christians, believe it somehow improper to evangelize. The injunction to preach the gospel to all nations, so dear to Columbus’ heart, seems an embarrassment, not least because of the ways the command has been misused. But some of the earlier missionaries tried a kind of inculturation that recognized what was good in the native practices and tried to build a symbolic bridge between them and the Christian faith. The Franciscans in New Spain and the Jesuits in Canada, for example, tried this approach. Not a few of them found martyrdom.

Many contemporary believers do not think that there was much need to evangelize. This usually arises out of the assumption that native religions are valid in their own way. It will not do, however, given the anthropological evidence, to make facile assumptions that all spiritual practices are on an equal plane. The early explorers who encountered them did not think so, and neither should we. For example, the Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, no special friend of Christianity or the Spanish conquest, in the very act of admiring the richness of Aztec culture, characterizes the Aztec gods as "a whole pantheon of fear." Fuentes deplores the way that missionaries often collaborated with unjust appropriation of native land, but on a theological level notes the epochal shift in native cultures thanks to Christian influence: "One can only imagine the astonishment of the hundreds and thousands of Indians who asked for baptism as they came to realize that they were being asked to adore a god who sacrificed himself for men instead of asking men to sacrifice themselves to gods, as the Aztec religion demanded."

These articles combat some of the modern, liberal, politically-correct protesting of Columbus Day. In a nutshell, the natives weren't all as peace-loving and sophisticated as you might think, and while the European explorers weren't perfect men, the Church was overall very generous and protective of natives' rights.

Reason #4,325 to homeschool: You can teach your kids to appreciate the evangelization of the New World, and to defend the honor of Columbus and Cortes and the missionaries who shed their blood to spread the one true faith to the wicked pagans.

Happy Columbus Day! Celebrate by burning your copy of that stupid Pocahontas movie.

===
Update: In a wonderful coincidence, I learned that the leader of the protest in the first story above, Russell Means, played the voice of Pocahontas' dad in the movie. Ha!

Blogging, Journaling, and Letter Writing

I have a very dear friend that I met back in college, and pretty much from the first time we spoke we were fast friends. And as fate would have it, the first time I invited her and her husband over to our home... her husband and Daddio knew each other from college marching band (they both played euphonium). Clearly the Lord was working to get our two families together, and it worked. Our friendship grew, and now they are the Godparents of Bubba!

Back to my friend, Littlebit (for my regular readers/commenters you might recognize her sign-in) and I began penpal campaign with one another. This was something we did for a brief time a few Lents' ago, but dwindled after the season passed.

We no longer live near one another, so emails and blogging have been our main source of contact for a couple of years now... with a long distance phone call dotted in there every now and again in our spare moments (ha ha ha ha spare time, um, we both have children and homeschool... those are RARE occasions).

About two months ago, the letter writing started up again. And I wanted to share with you what it is that I'm doing on my end of the penpaling... in hopes that it speaks to one of you who might have a friend who could use a letter, and in turn you would love to hear from them in this personal way. (I had a few friends back in high school, in our junior and senior year we would mail letters to one another... instead of passing notes in class. We always thought it was fun to get mail, and we were writing the notes anyway! And I just knew this would cheer up Littlebit.)

Instead of simply writing one letter then mailing it off, I have a notebook that I keep near me pretty much all day for jotting notes on (groceries I might need, a project that I want to do, a recipe I saw). It is divided into a few sections, and one section I designated for Littlebit. I write to her in more of a journel format. Most of the time each paragraph is a new idea... since I usually only have time for one paragraph at a time... I share with her about our day, about Bubba, my own gospel reflections... anything that comes to mind that I think might be of interest to her. I even doodle on the page, add stamps or stickers that might pertain to what I'm writing especially if they are girly and not something I could regularly use with my boys (harkening back to the old days when paper was decorated with painted images around the edges). I keep going for about a week... starting on a Monday and concluding the package on Sunday. In the envelope will be the letters, any articles I might've found, recipes her family might enjoy, I've even put in sheets of stickers that I thought her and her daughter would like to have.

And while she still reads my blog from time to time, this is a much more personal reflection of our lives... as are her letters in return to me. And while I rarely have time for our 2 hour conversations (which I truly love...), there are many hours of thoughts in each of our letters... and I don't have to worry about what I forgot to say when we spoke, I simply jot it down!

Do you have a friend that you wish you spoke to more? Send her a letter! There's nothing better than opening your mail box and finding a personal letter just for you!

The Meme of all Meme's

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) I didn't have any pets growing up and still don't so I will borrow the name of the pet of my best friend growing up.
Fred Yukon XL

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough White Macadamia Nut

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME:(first letter of first name, first three letters of last name)
S-Hig

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Pink Dolphin

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Leane Lake Charles

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)Hig-St

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Purple Dr. Pepper

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
George Walter

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Lynn Lee

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Burton Baltimore

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Fall Tulip

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)Grape Shirtie

14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Water Magnolia

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Scrapping Sunshine Tour

Name Game

I've had a long week and two Benadryls. Decided to play along.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Bunny Stratus
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Americone Dream Peanut Butter
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first letter of first name, first three letters of last name)
A-Hig
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Beagle
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Allen Austin (funny, this was one of Nicole's names, but on a different question!)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Hig-An
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Green Bourbon
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Bill Charles
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Allen Elizabeth
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Plummer Pittsburgh
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Autumn Gladiola (that sounds gay...)
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Banana Cargo Shorts
14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Burrito Maple
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Trombone Tornado Tour

Snaggle Tooth

Snaggle Tooth will now be played by Bobcat :-). This evening after a jiggle or two, Daddio was able to help the first upper tooth out of Bobcat's head!

Here is the proud Bobcat with the aforementioned tooth (in the baggy) and the gapping hole! Of course, we spent some time trying out the new gap and the funny sounds that he makes with words and letters. That had him rolling for a good while.

Awe... the little man is growing up!

Patrick Hughes

After a morning retreat put on by the Franciscian Friar's for the men of the parish, Daddio came home all a buzz about a video clip they had been shown.

It is the story of Patrick Henry Hughes. I'll let the video tell the story...



And from what Daddio told me, there wasn't a dry eye in the room... and I can see why.

Hybrid

What do you get when you cross a 5 year old Snookie, a zoo animal, and a beloved dragon slaying Saint?

Saint Curious George