a little of everything

Our family and friends outing to Knoebels Amusement Park was tragically cancelled today due to Mother Nature and her never ending quest to squash any plan that is birthed from the mind of yours truly. It always happens this way. The idea came forth two weeks ago mid-shift in the hell-hole I call work. Since then the weather has been straight sunshine. Until today. Rain with a chance of more rain. Sorry Eric. I tried to come through for you buddy. Maybe next week.

Last night I witnessed Eric play Pee Wee Soccer and I had a blast. It was the first time for me seeing him participate in an organized sporting event. He ran up and down the field, mostly behind or around the throng of kids that were attacking the ball but his foot never touched it. I was alright with this because earlier in the week he told me he didn't understand why some kids on his own team are trying to kick the ball at the same time he is. Anyway, the scrum around the ball is cutthroat. His aggressiveness and courage will come in time.

Earlier in the afternoon, before soccer, Eric and I spent some quality father-son time cleaning and vacuuming the inside of my new car, which happens to be Sue's old car. I am now driving the Subaru Forrester (which is another way of saying ugly, over-grown station wagon). There is now a giant bruise on my ego but the thing is really fun to drive in the snow. I traded in my beloved Taurus SHO (tears flowed) and moved Sue into a vehicle more befitting of her newfound Soccer Mom Status. I had to cave-in to her logical request for a a bigger vehicle to accommodate our growing children and to also be able to cart their friends. So she is now driving a Honda Odyssey and I have to say it's really nice and drives like a car. A little bigger than Sue is used to but she's managing just fine.

Getting back to the cleaning bit with Eric now. I was on wipe down duty and Eric controlled the vacuum. We were listening to the radio and working hard and I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas came on and it was cute to hear Eric begin to sing the chorus or hook to the song word for word along with the singer on the radio while happily sweating his ass off vacuuming. From this point on I will think of this every time I hear this song.

I gotta feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good night...

happy birthday sue!

What do you get the girl who has everything?

a little off the top

Wow, folks. I can't believe I haven't embraced this whole middle age thing sooner. I got my hair cut off today and I have to say I look gooood. I'm telling you, first glance in the mirror and I see Clooney staring back at me. Turn a little and I see Pitt. The eyes, the face, the beard stubble, the non-hair and crooked smile all add up to hot. You are hot, Joe.

This just in: Sue has informed me I'm a raging egomaniac with a slight case of dude envy. And to drive the proverbial nail into my fantasy she's telling me I actually resemble a female lesbian version of a bald Steve Buscemi. That could be a compliment though because the guy is a great comedic actor. (Thanks Sue!)

Oh well, a guy can dream.

2:56 am

I don't know why but I found myself a little jealous tonight with my wife (of all people) fawning over Jeff on Big Brother. He's so handsome. He's going to age well, you can just tell was exactly what I heard. No doubt, the guy is blessed with the goods and definitely is smarter than I gave him credit for in the beginning. I learned on Big Brother After Dark that he is Head of Household after winning the HOH competition that was chopped at the end of the CBS broadcast. It's a good position to be in with six people left. On After Dark they were all celebrating with some wine and all the ladies left in the game were saying the same thing my wife did. Damn you, Jeff.

I am now watching the 1968 version of The Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. I'd have to say it's pretty boring compared with the latest version that came out a few years ago. Not heavy on dialogue but really obese on the sexual tension between Steve and Faye. And, in every shot, someone is smoking a cigarette. Steve now has her in the palm of his hand unlike the beginning when Faye seemed like the one who thought she was in control. Ha! Steve just jetted off without her and she's a mess! Screw you Faye! You lost! HA! I think I prefer the newer one.

A question I'm asked a lot lately is how I feel about Michael Vick signing with the Eagles. I have my own words about the whole scenario but I'd rather quote my brother in an email I received a short time ago. Here you go:

Its all they talk about on AM 610 WIP. Same shit every day this week. I think most people support it but of course with anything you only hear the extremes. Like the doosh that buys the Vick jersey for his dog and walks around bragging about it. This guy is prob 20-25 yrs old, black and lives in the hood. Or the doosh that protests the practice facility with his dog on a leash. Usually this guy is a white middle aged male with a mustache, pony tail and sandals on.

I say fuck them all. I watch football to be entertained and this mother fucker can run like the wind. So, if he does the right shit off the field I have no problem watching him on the field.

I replied with this:

I am tired of it all. The guy did a crime and done the time. Let's score some touchdowns.

I am not saying what he did was acceptable. The guy made a mistake and he paid for it. He is allowed to re-enter society and make a living. I have no further comment on this matter and I sincerely would've pulled for the guy even if he didn't play for the Eagles. Now if you want to judge and condemn someone, point your anger at Brett Favre. I wish he'd just STAY retired, stay home and take care of his wife and stop wrecking teams. I guess he can't get enough of himself.

I'm getting a haircut today when I wake up. I think it's time to embrace middle age and just shave it all off. The mop I have now is outdated and a fresh start from scratch is in order. It's a brave move on my part. My dome has more dents and bumps than I can count but I don't care. One day you wake up and you're past 40 years old and you stop caring about trivial shit like your hair. That's me. But hair or not, I'm going to age well too. I'm promising you that much, Sue.

christmas in august

Women can hide their emotions much better than men. Sometimes.

Much like a cat who doesn't land on it's feet, my wife can internally subdue any elevated twinge of excitement and strut away. Except when there's three humongous boxes from Pampered Chef (PC) on the front stoop. Then it turns into a somewhat scaled down version of Oprah's favorite things with Sue immediately pissing her pants and performing naked cartwheels in the front yard all while giving thanks to some kitchen god in a dialect I'd never heard spewing from her mouth. I have video and may post it.

I'd have to say I'm excited too.

Sue hosted a party put together by a friend of ours a couple weeks back. A lot of ladies came out to our small home and bought many of the useful things PC has to offer, much to Sue's benefit. As host, Sue was able to earn free wares and we took advantage.

With this coming from a MAN, you can have the kernel cutter, collapsible strainer, pineapple wedger and stoneware fluted pan. These are all things that will be buried in the cabinets and soon forgotten. What revs my engine are two things that were a long time coming: A salt and pepper mill and some good knives. We still had to shell out some cash for these beauties but we are now able to season and slice whatever we want with style.

take it in and be jealous

Thanks to all who came out and bought. Hopefully we can have another PC party next week. Nah, just joshing you, that's too soon. Is next month OK?

who is this kid?

living in the moment (trying)

Our time in this house is winding down. In a little over 24 hours the keys have to go back. We are going to hit the beach today and then try to pack. I am not a last-minute type of guy. The bulk of the work needs to be squared away tonight so all we have to do is throw the kids in the van tomorrow.

In keeping with tradition, we ate at Fuddrucker's last night. It's something Sue and I have been doing for many years. It's not fast food but it's really easy and we enjoy it.

I did not get to walk on the beach at sunrise at all this week.

Time to seize the day and take in what's left of our time here.

pinch me, am I still here?

Wednesday. Back in the real world Wednesday is hump day; two days to go until the weekend. This Wednesday represents two full days left of sun and fun. That's kind of depressing.

Today we went to the beach again (and got burned) then to the backyard pool again. We've developed a kind of necessary system where people slowly filter into the house to shower and prepare for the evening.

At the beach Sue helped out a poor soul. She reported to us that on her stroll to get Evan to take a nap in the stroller she happened upon a woman who fell asleep sunbathing. This woman had unfastened her bikini top and rolled onto her side while sleeping. I know I don't need to write this but her boobs were hanging out for the beach to see. She woke her up. Good job Sue! I'm sure the surfer dudes in the naked woman's vicinity were highly disappointed with my wife. Tomorrow by the way, I'll be on stroll duty with Evan.

Sue helped Laura go through my mom's personal stuff this afternoon while I took Eric miniature golfing. We had a great time but it was so freaking hot. When we got home Sue showed me she had found my birth certificate, hospital bracelet and passport from when we came home from Germany in 1969. Bittersweet artifacts that I honestly never knew existed.

Tony's turn for dinner. He's grilling some big-ass burgers (with blue cheese built in), hot dogs and odds and ends. I'm sure I'll have to let my belt out a notch once again.

Tomorrow morning, come hell or high tide, I'm on the beach before dawn to pound out a couple barefoot miles, greet Mr. Sun and thank him for a female's need for a string bikini. See you tomorrow.

the good life

The week is flying by. It's hard to believe it's Tuesday already. Sue has been taking a bunch of pics everyday and I need to find the time to put some of those with my words. Very hard to devote any kind of time to anything when you have the devil with dimples, Evan, running around wreaking havoc. He has, though, let me dunk him in the pool without a wimper. And Eric is gaining more confidence in the water also. Today he was in the surf waist-high breaking waves with me. Then we came home and he was jumping off the wall into the pool. We were in the pool ready to catch him but a couple times we let him go. He was very proud of himself. Quite fun to witness.

Sue pulled off her Mexican meal to great reviews last night. I, for one, was really stuffed to the gills. I'm proud of her for pulling it together for so many people. Besides the enchiladas and tacos, she prepared an awesome corn dip and some delicious black beans. Mark whipped up some daiquiris and guacamole. Yes, the toilet got worked.

Tonight is an off night for meal duty and we are all free to do as we please. We are meeting Laura and family down at Barefoot Landing to shop and grab some dinner. Also, we will probably get the kid's portrait done by one of the many airbrush artists that have stands around the shopping area. It's been a tradition every year we have been here since Eric was born. The finished product makes the wall in our basement as a reminder of our family vacations and fun times past.

I started my round of golf with a par today but things quickly deteriorated into a hot sweaty mess. Finished with a score of 100. That sucks if you don't know. Kudos to my brother Mark for fighting through the pain of his repaired Achilles tendon and doing the best he can in our hack-fest.

We witnessed a car accident today on the way to golf where a lady sitting in the lane next to us at a red light got plowed from behind by a guy that may have had too much of something. There was no screech of tires that suggests the guy tried to get on his brakes but just a loud, startling SMASH! that jarred our golf crew awake. We feel very fortunate he wasn't in our lane as there was nobody behind us. Tony, who was driving, acted quickly and alerted authorities and then made sure all involved were ok. The protect and serve portion of his military training really shone through today.

I'm going to try to get up before dawn tomorrow and walk a couple miles on the beach. Witnessing the birth of a new day with the sun rising from the ocean horizon is something to behold. I'll try to put it into words tomorrow.

mad dash

Well we made it to the beach this afternoon but had to hot foot it home after about two hours before a torrential downpour soaked us. We made it high and dry. Eric and I and a couple of the other guests took to the pool at our house during the rains and had a great time. At least the beach stuff didn't get wet today.

Now the sun is blazing and Sue is hard at work preparing tonight's Mexican fiesta meal. Can't wait. Mark went out and stocked up on some stuff to make margaritas. Should be a fun night.

A 7:40 am tee time is set for a round of golf tomorrow morning at Oyster Bay just over the border in North Carolina. Mark, Tony Kyle and I are going to rip it up. Hopefully we get at least three hours sleep.

By the way, we really have to keep an eye on our youngest, Evan. He is having a blast with the sand at the beach and would run into the waves if you let him. No fear. Pics to come soon.

duty calls

It's Sue's turn to make dinner tonight for the four families that are with us on vacation. She has planned a Mexican type theme that hopefully everyone will enjoy. Two varieties, hot and not hot, of enchiladas and tacos. I really enjoy them when we're at home.

My bro Mark made some awesome ribs, corn on the cob and mac and cheese last night that rocked our worlds.

Had some beach time yesterday. The day started out with sun but the weather turned on us and eventually started to pour like I've never seen. Today we have some cloud cover and the weather report doesn't look promising but you never know. Maybe we'll get to the beach again today.

My sis Laura and family from Jacksonville are joining us today. It will be nice to have everyone together once again.

praying for sun

Well, it's vacation time and I have to come clean. Today was my deadline to get to 200 pounds and I failed.

We are staying the night in Chester, VA and even though my last known weight of 204 pounds was yesterday at home I doubt I shed 4 pounds driving 300 miles and stopping at Burger King for lunch and Friendlies for dinner.

Yes, I came up short but I'm still proud. I started something and stuck to it and got some results.

I'm not promising anything but I'm going to try to drop the remaining weight while I'm away. I usually gain ten pounds on vacation but I don't think I will this year. I'll keep you posted.