4 PM Rain

Happens just about every day. One day it lasted hours. The next it was for only an hour. It's warm, nice to sit outside and read in, and sounds fantastic! The rain, lightning, and thunder are one of my favorite things here.

FHE in Costa Rica

I'll have to relate this story later, but I'm fairly certain this would only happen to Suzi and I. It was an awsome good time, and I'm certain the kids will never forget it!

House Vistors

Parent's Shower

First sun set

After playing at the beach we came home and watched the sun set from the pool area. It's unbelievable. After that we got ready and went in to Libera for dinner. That was an adventure. Liberia is not a tourist town. The nicest building in town was the food mall (where didn't eat). The food mall had Burger King, Papa Johns, Church's Fried Chicken. We ate across from the town square, which was packed with people just hanging out. The resturant was a local busy spot, and nice, but not american nice. Had a great time. Sam was a little concerned about safety. See the first picture, last night Suz and I after putting the kids to bed jumped in the hot tub and then went and hung out on covered out door lounge. Watched the lighting all around the area. The lighting show was spectacular. Warm breeze, no bugs. Just perfect.

First day

We had a heck of a first day. We up late, then Suz and I went for a run. After getting back we jumped in our pool here at the house. The pool here at the house is........heavenly. I'm not sure if that word describes what I'm talking about, but you'll see from more photos. Swam for a bit then headed down to the beach. We swam, kayaked, played soccer, built sand castles, read books, and relaxed in lounge chairs on the beach. We met a nice family from Austin, TX. Brillant was their last name. We spent the rest of the day light part of the day at the beach. Made our way home at sunset, and jumped back in the pool.

First Night

We all got a great first night sleep. I think we got out of bed around 10. Don't plan to sleep that much going forward. The weather has been great so far, but it rains in the afternoon most days this time of year. Need to get a jump on the day before it starts raining. However, the rain doesn't slow anything down around here. It's a very warm rain, and people pretty much keep doing what they were doing before it started raining. When we went to the store last night, it was like people didn't notice it was raining. Maybe it wasn't raining hard enough, but people were out walking around, and hanging out, and riding their bikes down the street in the rain. Even after dark. These pictures of the house really don't capture it. I'll get more over the next couple days.

Houston we have a problem...

Georgia- I want to eat at that really nice restaurante with the outdoor patio by the pool.
Hannah- Yeah Georgia, but what if it's really, really, really, really expensive.
Georgia- I'm not worried about it...Dad's payin'.

That is not good. That attitiude at six....oh dear.

Happy Fourth of July!

Suzi the kids, and I made it to the home in Costa Rica. It's been a long day. Suz, and I went to bed at about 2, and woke up at 3:30. We had a long day of travel, but have made it! Got here about 9pm California time.

I will upload pictures for sure while we are here, but they won't do it justice. This place is fatastic.

This place is 45 minutes from nowhere. When we arrived at the resort gate it was still a four mile drive to the resort main lobby. When we arrived at the lobby the staff was waiting for us with drinks, gifts for the kids, and cool towels to wipe down our faces. They grabbed our bags parked our car, and Jorge gave us a quick trip around the resort on the cart as we made our way to the home.

As we made our way over Jorge said this home was his favorite on the property. He gave us a tour of the home, and it's out freaking rageious. It's unbelievable, and I've only seen it in the dark. I have not seen the views yet!

The staff showed up put away all of our bags, and no one would take a tip. I guess that's part of the deal. I read in the her in the house that they will take it, but you have to insist, and it's unnessesary.

I'm excited for the week. Sooo tired. Ready for bed big time. Like I said I'll up load pictures, and hopefully video later.

Who Pays the Bills around here?

Georgia-Hey dad. 

Me- Hey Georgia.

Georgia- You going into the kitchen?

Me- Yep.

Georgia- Ok. I'm going to bed. Make sure you turn out the lights in the kitchen when your done.

Me- ...................ok.

Chocolate

Don't eat a lot of chocolate, but if I'm going to eat it. I really like the Ghirardelli's dark chocolate. Plus it's dark chocolate is good for you in a lot of ways (in moderation, see Mediterranean diet).

SF

Friday night in San Francisco with some of my "homies" (Georgi's phrase). Good times.

Sam's Scout Camp

Sam went to scout camp for the first time. He went up for 3 days, and left Patrick there for the rest of the week. He had a OK time. Tough going as an 11 year old, but Mike (scout leader) said he did a good job. Sam said he had a good time hanging out with his buddy Cameron (Mike's son). I asked him what didn't you like. There were plenty of complaints to choose from, however his strongest complaint, was the 6am bugle. He thought that was "stupid", and unnecessary. This from a kid who wants to go to the Air Force Academy, and wants to be a pilot when he grows up.

Get a dog.

Salesguy-Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.......blah.

Me- Huh.

Salesguy- Do you have the digital house alarm system.

Me- No. 

Salesguy-What kind do you have?

Me- I don't know? 

Salesguy- How much do you pay?

Me- I don't know.

SG- That seems to be the phrase of the day.

Me- Yeah, seems.

SG- Do you have to type in the code before you leave the house.

Me- Never do.

SG- You never activate your alarm?

Me- What makes you think I have an alarm.

SG- ?????

Me- That's just a sign in my yard that makes people think I have a system. Seems to do it's job since you thought I had an alarm. Costs me nothing.

SG- Don't you worry about people knowing that. 

Me- No, not really. 

SG- Why is that?

Me- Because I have an 80 pound crazy dog.

SG- Don't you worry about him biting people?

Me- No! I thought that was what he was suppose to do. Why would I worry about it?

SG- Has he ever actually bit people?

Me- 3 different people who didn't belong in my back yard.

SG- Does he stay outside?

Me- He moves in and out, and at night when we are sleeping he tells me about people in my front yard. He does a great job. He' s smart, he knows our friends, and he knows when and where people belong and don't belong. He's a thinking alarm system. 

SG- Hmmm.

Me- Just give me a monthly price and I'll ask my wife.

SG- It's ????? cents a day. (I can't remember)

He was a nice college kid from Oregon St. Really did his best, and did a good job. It's hard to sell door to door. I left out a lot of the conversation. It was at least 100 degrees in the front yard where we were talking, and he was out there hitting it hard. I would hire a kid like him eventually. Love the people who have horrible jobs, and do them well. Tells me they are hungry.  

Dad Can Cook!

Me-Georgia, I'm turning on the grill you want a hot dog? 

Georgia-Yeah I do. You could cook mine in the microwave. 

Me- I could, but I'm going to cook it on the grill because I'm turning it on.

Georgia- Yeah, but you burn everything there. So I want mine in the microwave.

Guess I should have listened the first time.

You say Potato I say Potatoe....

Suzi- I could make some funeral potatoes.

Me- Could you just call them primary potatoes? Why do they have to be called that.

Suzi- Because they are called that.

Georgia- I want potatoes at my funeral. 

Me- Georgia!...... would you just be quiet!

Like Father, Like Son?

Patrick spoke in church today. He did a great job, really did well. It was his second time speaking in Sacrament meeting, but it looked like he'd done it a many, many times before. He looked very comfortable. I asked Suz before hand, " is he nervous?" She said "I'm sure we're much more nervous than he is", and that was the case. 

I had plenty of people tell me he did a great job. He got a very nice compliment from an older gentleman who said that he had brought a visitor to church, and that the visitor said that Patrick's talk seemed to be written just for her, and that she really enjoyed it. 

It really is a neat thing that our young people have the opportunity from a very young age (starting at age 3 in primary) to learn to speak publicly. I remember the nightmare it was for me when I first spoke in church at 16 and how I thought I was going to die. Not to mention my famous first blessing of the sacrament that is apparently legendary in the Placerville ward. I refuse to write that moment down so that I can deny it ever happened if I need to, but if you've never heard that story and would like to know I'd be glad to tell you over the phone. It really is funny. 

So I really enjoy public speaking now. Such a strange thing considering I thought it was going to kill me the first couple of times, and for many times to come. I look at my kids, and it is so easy for them, and I think how much more accomplished a speaker they will be when they are my age. I hope everyone had a great weekend, have a great week as well! 

A Sign of Aging

When teenagers stop talking because I'm close enough to hear what their talking about. 

Painful Truth

Georgia- Dad did you go to a father's day party in Hannah's kindergarden.

Dad- Humm... I don't know, yes, maybe, I don't know.

Georgia- Yes you did, and Hannah made you a hat to wear, and you don't ever wear it. 

Ouch. Dag on set me up. Little stinking lawyer. 

Crazy

Suzi- She's crazy

Me- Everybody is crazy.

Suzi- Yeah, but she's crazier than normal. 

I loved that statement. "Crazier than normal." Made me laugh hard. 

The Gang

Summers Here!

Kids are out of school, and summer night baseball games are back on the menu. It was a little cool of a night this night. Left before the fire works in the 7th inning. We went with the Islas family, and the Burrows family.

I'm Brilliant

Me- That's a bumble bee.

Patrick- Yeah, but it's solid black.

Me- Well it is..........

Patrick- What's the difference between the black ones, and the yellow &  black ones.

Me- They're different colors.

(Patrick came close to dropping the propane tank he was carrying while laughing.)

That's the kind of genius it takes to raise children with brilliant, curious minds like Patrick's. Not a lot of parents are as sharp and full of knowledge like I am, and they would find questions like Patrick's frustrating, and difficult. Just be glad I'm raising him. I have the tough answers. 

Looks Taller to Me

Hair Cut

Me- Got my hair cut. 

Georgia- I know. 

Me- Like it?

Georgia- Nope.

Me- What? 

Georgia- I hate it. 

Me- (laughing under my breath) why do you HATE IT?

Georgia- It's cut all short on the sides, and long on the top.

Me- Yeah, true, that is true. It is a bit short on the sides, and longer on the top. Soooo, that's no good huh?

Georgia- I hate it.

Me- I usually get it cut this short don't I?

Georgia- I don't know, but I don't like it.

Me- Yeah got that part.

Suzi- Georgia be nice.

Georgia- Whaaaaattt? I hate it. 

Good thing I have a healthy self esteem. I feel sorry for the boys who have or will fall in love with this girl. She's going to break some hearts with that ruthless candor. I will do my best over the next 20 years to make sure she's a good spouse, who has learned to bite her tongue a little more often. I'm not too worried though, we've got time to work on this. 

Horror Movies

Sitting here in my hotel room, and a commercial for a horror movie is on T.V. Who the heck watches those? I don't get that at all. I hate them. HATE them. Isn't life full of enough horrors? I really don't need to pay money to be scared, and I certainly don't find that feeling entertaining.

Smiles Everywhere

School is almost out, and you can see it on the face of all the kids. The biggest smile has to be Suzi's since she is the homework enforcer.

Still Mr. Fast

Sam told woke up excited to run the mile the other day. "Dad we are running the mile at school today." Me "You seem fired up about it." Sam " I am!" Me "Going to kick some butt or something?" Sam "Heck Yes!"

Sam had the fastest mile in the school. He was the fastest with his buddy Shane at the beginning of the year when they tested. They had the same time. He told me he beat his buddy here at the end of the year by a couple of seconds. Of course in order to be the fastest in the school he had beat out all the 6th graders! I can't keep up with him, and he's only going to get faster.

Georgi

As we were trying to decide what to eat for dinner.......well, it was really a discussion of what the kids were going to eat for dinner, because Suz and I were going to go out an eat Thai that night. So as the kids were debating in the car about what they wanted to eat for dinner, my favorite quote of the ride was Georgi's "Patrick, it's not all about you."

I just about wrecked the car I was laughing so hard.

Homer J

"Remember Marge it takes two to lie. One to lie, one to listen." Brilliant

The Deep thoughts of Jimi and Sean

When my brother Jimi and I were young I remember we loved to talk in bed for hours in the summer. We talked about everything, everything, and everything. Our conversations at times were funny, sometimes heated, and at times what we thought "deep."

I remember Dad coming down stairs and telling us to shut it. I'm sure he used a more friendly phrase.....the first time anyhow. If he had to make more than one trip down stairs I would suppose it would include some heat.

Jimi turned me on to the Beach Boys. We loved them, and we talked about the lyrics of their songs. We loved them because they sang about the girls, cars, and the beach. In our opinion what else was there to sing about? He would really love to talk about the meaning of songs, me....not so much. I can't tell you much more than the chorus of most songs. Even the ones I love. I'm the guy who sings everything wrong, and the chorus over and over. If I don't know the lyrics, it's going to make for a short discussion about the meaning of the songs. After Jimi and I started talking about the meaning of songs, I started reading the lyrics if they came with the album.

Well the Beach Boys albums we had didn't have the lyrics published that I remember. I remember one night that we talked about the song "little deuce coup." It was way cool. However there was a lyric we couldn't understand. The correct lyric reads "and she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar." What the crap did that mean? I couldn't hear "lake pipes roar." I didn't know what they were saying, and Jimi didn't either. It kept us up man. Late. Still don't know what "lake pipes" are but I sleep fine anyhow. Thanks to the Internet I looked up the lyrics yesterday because I remembered that conversation. Seems trivial to you but that memory is 22 years old! Strange that I would even remember it.

The Beach Boys, awesome. The kicker is that the next summer Jimi and I were together he had moved on. The Beach Boys were for babies. Now he was a Beatles fan. Apparently they were much more sophisticated. Well, that lead to a summer of arguments while we laid there waiting to fall asleep. I'm certain Dad came downstairs more often that summer to tell us to cork it while we were arguing about who was cooler or smarter Mike Love, or John Lennon. Too Funny. Rock on Jimi!

In Case You Forgot.....

....What I looked like when I started my new life style. This picture was taken Sep 07. Yikes. Did I get stung by a bee? All over?

Daddy Daughter Dance!

I had two beautiful dates tonight! We had a fantastic time at the school dance. I was proud of all the Dads, Uncles, and Grandpas out there shaking their grove thing. The little girls loved it! I spent the whole evening on the dance floor. Talk about good exercise try keeping up with two dates for 2 hours of dancing. Should have checked with my doctor before engaging in that kind of activity. Georgia, and Hannah were wonderful dates.

We started at In & Out, then danced our buns off, and finished with Cold Stone. I'm beat, and I can't wait for next year!

My Photo Site

I take a ton of pictures. A lot of my favorites I put here on this blog, and will continue to do so. But for some reason I liked the idea of having a site for just my pictures. So I did.

May 08

Greatness!

Sick of the price of gas?

You might want to get one of these! I've been reading about this car for a while and wondered if it would ever make it to market. Hopefully we will see much more of this in the near future. Here's their website.  Read about it's performance. It will amaze you how different electric cars perform from a gas powered car.