Family Picnics and Other Odds and Ends

Nothing too new or earthshattering. School has started. Me and my two boys are roaming the college campus which brings me a lot of satisfaction. I can't wait to start my art classes so I can proove once and for all that I did in fact inherit some artsy genes. My dog stinks and I can't get her to poop in her own yard. The girls start school tomorrow, on my birthday. Other than than, I'm just glad summer is over! Let the fall football and fall fishing season begin!

The New York trip without Pictures

I was so prepared. Bought a new camera just for the trip. Charged it. Packed it...and somehow dropped the battery when I put it in the suitcase. So instead of Kevin and Tessa, I've used some other models to represent us in New York. My, don't we look rested!

It was a great trip. We've finally started to figure out the places, restaurants, hotels, and streets we like. We started the trip by seeing Next to Normal, a musical about a family with a bi-polar mom. Felt right at home. Then we spent a day in Central Park going to a Cuban concert and watching an outdoor documentary called "I am Cuba". We felt at one with our Latino friends. The next day we went to the Museum of Modern Art where we quickly realized I could have a real shot as a famous modern artist. Thursday we headed by subway to the new Yankees Stadium where we saw a Red Sox/Yankee's game that got blown to bits in the 4th inning with 8 runs by Yankees. This is where I got my education on the true cost of being a pro baseball fan. The bleachers tickets may only cost $25.00, but a hot dog, some lemonade and peanuts will run you $21.00. It seemed ironic they received some National award for best run service and catering that night. We also learned that a family of four can go through 15 bottles of beer for $150.00 in 2 hours, 20 minutes. You know what they say: a family that drinks together, stays together. And that same family thinks they are a group of stand-up comedians at about the 7th inning.

We learned our best food was on the smallest plates. When we realized we were at a "fine cuisine" restaurant and our plates came out with approximately 1.5 bites of food on them for $50.00, we ate VERYYYYY SLOOOOWLLYY. Then we washed it down with a $2.00 slice of cheese pizza on the way back to the hotel.

Soho and NYU rocked. We slept through the Good Morning America Jason Mraz concert when we couldn't get out of bed at 5:00 am. But we made up for it by seeing Altar Boyz, a 90 minute Christian boyband concert comedy that had us in stitches. The band members were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Juan..and a Jewish add-on named Abraham.

We loved the trip. The best ever. Wish you could have been there.

Dreaming of San Francisco

I just spent a week in San Fransisco with Hannah and we had the greatest time. First we spent 4 days with Nicole with her beautiful family in Novato. Gabe and Claire were our favorite parts of that part of the trip! Going to Six Flags with 4 year olds is so much fun. We saw the world through their cotton-candy covered faces. Hannah and I rode on three of the craziest roller coasters I've ever been on. Just imagine paying money to have someone drop you from a skyscraper and then pull your guts out through your throat. Yah. That good. I felt like I was going to puke all day long.

We got to see Gabe spar in his Tai Kwon Doe lessons, Claire dance in her gymnastics clothes, but perhaps the best was watching Nicole as Primary President. I'd pay to see that again. Imagine little 4 year old Rocco with his mohawk on the front row, lean under his chair midway through singing to find a sucker taped to the bottom (they weren't supposed to get tipped off til the end of opening exercises). "Hey EVERYONE...theres a SUCKER my chair!!!! Then he looks again and exclaims in utter amazement, "HEY!!!! THERE's A SUCKER UNDER EVERYONE'S CHAIR!!! EVERYONE LOOK!!! " It was mass pandemonium. Snicker, snicker. You needed that experience Nicole.
My favorite was our lunch at the Mediterranean restaurant. We ordered a sampler with 10 different types of food to try. Ahhh, the Hummus. Then the next day on the toilet-- AUGGH. The Hummus.

Then on to see Aubs in the heart of San Fran. She and Blake were wonderful hosts. We ate Riccotta Pancankes with Lemon Curd and Raspberry Sauce at Zazzies. We played tennis in the park. We shopped for vintage clothes at the secondhand store. We went to the candy store and tried one of everything. We played the 70's classic boardgame "Hearththrob". We went to Sushi. Life was good.

Hannah made for wonderful company and a very memorable trip. I left my heart in San Fran!

VACAYSHUN Report

Well...it doesn't get any better. 8 days of hiking, fishing, waterfalls, mountains. I can breathe again. The vacation was complete with dead bodies, big fish and lots of bruises and bumps.

First off, our hike was cut short because they found the body of a drowned missing person just as we got there. We waited for about 40 minutes while divers in helmets traversed against the raging water, but finally gave up and went back down the mountain. Kind of takes the fun out of it to run across a dead body.

Our subsequent hikes proved more successful as there were no dead bodies, only injured ones as we boulder climbed through raging waters and mountain crevasses--whatever it took to find our fish. In the process, we both ended up with bruises and cuts from the knees down--pants and waders didn't seem to shield us. And as per the usual, I was looking at the water and ran into a tree. I assure you it won the fight. My left cheek doesn't look so good. But that is the price you pay to catch the biggest fish.

Yes, I said it. I caught the biggest fish. The kingpin of the river dropped his guard for just a moment, and my professional fishing skills kicked in. Before he knew what hit him, he had taken a gulp of that delicious looking red brassie nymph.
Irresistable.

We fished through the tailwaters of a high mountain lake in this boulder field covered with crystal clear water. We must have seen a hundred fish a day. You got ONE cast and that's all before they figured it out. But we outwitted those wily creatures.

Each day we hiked about 9 miles roundtrip to get to our holes and we were the only fisherman there--my only competition was Kevin ( and honestly, what kind of competition is THAT?) ...and beating the rainclouds to the next downpour. This year we were smart enough to bring raincoats, a change of clothes and an umbrella. The rain didn't make us miserable--just cold and damp and seeing mirages of hot tubs in the distance.

One day we went to my favorite town--Boulder (that's where my peeps live) --and had caramel apples and ate at the local restaurants. We purposely skipped fireworks and the parade on the 4th so we could get some hot tub time without germy kids with snotty noses and BBQ sauce smeared on their faces.

We went to bed each night feeling like a Mack truck ran over us, but with a smile on our faces.

The Dirty Life of Dogs

Dazy is a brilliant dog when it comes to fishing. She knows how to sneak around trees avoiding the shoreline, she knows how to stand on my left to avoid getting hooked. She is better than any human being I have taken fishing.

So why is a dog that can shake, roll over, army crawl and sit on demand so stupid to roll in dead animals or horse poop whenever the opportunity arises? Does horse poop actually smell like Polo cologne to a dog? Does it release the pheramones that attract other dogs? Because as near as I can tell, all it does it make her nose green and her fur smell like...well...shit.

For those of us who live with her it's an inconvenience. But for her master, it means I need to continually wash her, unclog the drain with dog hair and then live out the definition of insanity by doing it over and over and over.

Last week, I PAID someone else to do it. She came back from the groomers with a bow in her hair and a new bandana. The equivalent of a baby fresh out of the tub with baby lotion all over. But I turned my head for one second (yes, ONE), and she jumps in the muddy river. I scold her and she gets out and as I lunge for her, she rubs out the water by rolling in dirt and horse manure.

This dog is 8 years old! That is 64 in human years. It is unacceptable. She is too young to be senile, but old enough to know better. You don't see my dad running around rolling in poop? Why the dog then?

I thought about getting even. Maybe I could roll in cat feces and then ask Dazy to come and cuddle. But the thing is, this dog loves you no matter what. It's an impossible situation.

It's time to switch out for a goldfish.

May 2009

Wow! A whirlwind month with end of school events, graduations, softball, concerts, and family fun. I'm not sure where to start.

Let's just say I'm proud...I've got kids graduating, kids starting college in the fall, kids turning into beautiful and smart human beings. I'm just going to bask in that moment for awhile.

Gearing up for summer with so many fun things happening. Fishing trips, hiking trips, great weather, and a lot of family activities. Oh, yeah, and Biology class (gag).

'Nuff said. Life is good. Family is everything.

Kevin keeps movin' up AND Pottery Queen

Two updates for the week. First, we went to the National Football Foundation banquet again yesterday and it was a lot of fun. Got to visit again with Kyle Wittingham, Lavell Edwards, Ron McBride, Norm Chow and a lot of other great Utah sports mavericks. Kevin loves this sports world and he's perfectly matched with his skills and passions. I am learning to appreciate aspects (the cheesecake was good at dinner). It makes him happy and that's great. They have asked him to be President of the National Football Foundation next year. Great resume builder for Kevin...more cheesecake for me. A win-win.

My pottery came out today and the kiln gods were very good to me. You never know if you are goign to get "butt ugly" or "lovin' stuff" when the glaze is fired. In my case, the kiln loved up the pots and they look beautiful--best batch my teacher has seen. I have reached my goal of making "tall things" and I'm now starting to make more complicated pieces...like bowls that are actually round and don't have holes or cracks in them. Regardless of my skill level, it's my new passion. To look the part, I've got to stop wearing makeup, burn my bras, wear organic cotton clothes, and start recycling. No prob. I was well on my way anyway.

School is out and finals are DONE. I'm like a caged tiger who just got released--leaping and bounding to my next adventure. One whole month for me to brush up flyfishing skills without other distractions. 'Ol Joe has been waiting at Nebo for 6 months to be caught again. Me and my barbless hook and beetle imitation are on our way, Joe.