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Off until August 5th. See you on the flip.

Handsome Boy

Chopper had a spa day last week and got a cut, his nails clipped and a good tooth brushing. It seems to have made him more comfortable and put a little pep in his step. Its kind of like having a puppy again.

Just what we needed, three children.

Domestic God

     So olivia and the girls were gone all last week. I'm sure you can imagine the craziness that has been going on at this house without adult or female supervision. I know what you are thinking: maybe copious amounts of beer, shots, motorcycle riding, video gaming, etc. Nope...baked goods.

      There were some bananas I forgot about on the window sill that were too ripe to eat. They were, however, ripe enough for banana bread. I was determined not to let them go to waste. I've never baked anything from scratch in my life but I had ingredients, an oven and the internet so how hard could it be? I googled recipes, picked the first one, followed directions and in one hour I had two loaves of excellent banana bread.

      Don't think for a minute though that this was all I did this week. There was also laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning, etc. I think my domestication is complete. In all honesty, routine is just really hard to break so staying busy was the only way to stay sane in a house that had (temporarily) lost it's pulse. Three girls are scheduled for arrival later today and I am ready to see them. I could also use some help enjoying the fruits of my labor. 

Ikea

     Thanks to the proceeds from our yard sale and a birthday gift card from friends, we were able to make a run to Ikea in Atlanta and get the last pieces we needed to complete the playroom. A trip to this city for me always includes a meal at The Vortex. This day was no exception. I opted for the Four Horsemen and olivia the Fat Elvis. Yep, thats right and the whole menu is stuff like that. Seriously, if you've never been, do yourself a favor and schedule a trip.
     Shopping at Ikea has to include a walk-through of the showroom so you can lust for things you want but don't need or just can't afford. There was a lot of this on our adventure and we both had to remind each other to stay focused. An inexpensive french press and a couple toiletry bags made their way into our shopping bag which is a miracle given our past impulse buys.

     The big ticket items were the sleeper sofa and the storage shelf and bins. This will help the playroom to double as a guest room and keep it organized. There is a ton of stuff here that needed good storage and while we haven't had a chance to run through it all and get it where it needs to be, this was a giant step in the right direction.

     My wife really deserves a pat on the back for the whole bedroom and playroom project. From concept to execution, she's nailed it and not been afraid to get her hands dirty. I didn't have to do anything during the painting of the beds and she did most of the assembly on the Ikea furniture. I'm stoked on the progress and even more excited to see it once everything has been gone through, the wall decorations hung and we can call it done.

     And since I can't hear the name Ikea without thinking of this song, I am going to bless/curse you with the gift also. You're welcome!

  

Photodump-Summer Randoms

Movie Season

     So I'm going to throw this out there and I know some of you will find it hard to believe. I am a man, living in the South, and I don't like college football. There, I said it. It just does not do anything for me. All the the things surrounding it seem pretty awesome, it just isn't my bag.
     I was talking with some friends last night about this and it got me thinking. I wish there was a set season for something that I really enjoyed and cared about. Give me a good stretch, maybe three or four months, where I can cram in all my enjoyment, entertainment, etc and then discuss, lament, plan, etc the rest of the year.
     Then it hit me: I wish there was a movie season, a season where directors would release their new films each Saturday to be watched, judged, compared, etc. I would grill, make fantastic dips, drink copious amounts of  beer, have an awesome time and then count the hours during the week until the next Saturday.
     Planning an event during movie season? There better not be an important movie that day. "You are getting married on the 17th? I know I am your best man and all...but Scorsese is playing." Your function location better have a big screen tv and a killer sound system or your guests will either hate you or won't show at all. By the way, if my favorite director does not do a good film that day, you can be prepared for me to ruin your party with a terrible attitude about the movie for the rest of the day...and maybe even the whole week after.
     I will buy hats and shirts with my favorite director on them and might even wear them both at the same time. I'll have all sorts of merchandise and branded products and I'll probably even wear or display them in the off season. I will talk with other fans of my director about which actors he is recruiting. If my director has a serious rival, I will talk endless smack about them and their fans. I will also have merch that talks smack. I will hope and pray that their film is not as good as my director's and that they do poorly in the season.
     I will tailgate at movie theaters the day of the film's premier. If I don't have a ticket, I will think it is perfectly acceptable to pay many, many times above the ticket's face value to get one. I will see strangers in public wearing my director's merch and greet them with quotes from his films. I will have a song from the soundtrack as my ring tone. I will name my children after a character from the film. I will harshly judge others by their choice of director.
     Man, I am really excited now. I'm ready...really ready. Movie season cannot get here soon enough.

A little help...

If you have met Sailor, chances are you have seen this blanket as well. She is very attached to it...like Linus attached. We have worries about what would happen if anything were to happen to it so we've been looking to find another one. I have scoured the net and have been unable to locate it. We know it was store bought but the person who gave it to her can't recall where it came from. So those of you who find yourselves in places where baby things are sold, if if you recognize where we can grab a spare, please please please let us know.

Photodump

Good Advice

     Thanks to some awesome friends, olivia recently jumped feet first into the late 2000's with her first smart phone, an iphone 3gs. She is really stoked on it and like most smart phone folks, she is on it all the time. This past weekend, we went to a restaurant of Ruby's choosing for her birthday. She choose IHOP for their over-sized chocolate funny face pancake which, in case you've never had the good fortune of having one, comes covered in whip cream, cherries and chocolate chips.
     On our way home, olivia realized she was missing something...her new phone. I was bummed because even older iphones aren't normally the kind of things that get turned in and since hers is unlocked, it would be very easy for someone to grab it, insert a sim, and have a nice, gently used iphone. Using my cell, I looked up the number for the IHOP and olivia called. Luckily, the phone had made its way down into the seat cushions and the manager was able to grab it for us so we could go back and retrieve it.
     The whole event had me rather shaken. I just didn't like the thought of olivia losing this phone that we were fortunate to have just received. I just kind of clammed up on the hurried drive back to the restaurant. Ruby, concerned, asked me "Whats wrong dad?"
     I replied that I was just worried about Mommy's phone and still a little upset from the close call. She replied...
     "Its ok dad. The woman has Mommy's phone and its alright. Just chill."
     olivia and I were floored. Ru's comment made us laugh and took the stress right out of the situation. I don't know how these girls developed their habit of doing the right thing at just the right time but they sure can take the edge off. I wish I was better at her casual brand of optimism. I'm hoping it is contagious and that some will brush off on me.   
 

Happy Birthday

Four years ago today we said hello to our new arrival and our lives were changed forever. Its truly amazing how it has all happened and we always wonder where the time went. Ruby is turning into quite the spirited little girl and we couldn't be prouder. Happy Birthday Ru, we love you!

Photodump-Pump it Up Party Edition

Friday Afternoon

This is what olivia came home to in the playroom.The girls had a blast doing this, literally laughing hysterically the whole time and gathering every stuffed animal they could find. Good times.