Day Sixty

Dear Readers,
      Another milestone.  Sixty days in a row.  I am proud of my accomplishment.  Here is to hoping I can get through all 366 days.  Only 306 to go.  Tonight, we have another guest blogger.  My very own wonderful wife.  She graciously opens up to all of us and I am continually thankful for her.  Enjoy everybody.  Hopefully she doesn't give me too much of a hard time.

      David asked me in the middle of January if I wanted to be his first guest blogger.  I was pretty excited that he would ask me to share a part of myself with all his followers.  He told me that my blog would go up before our 1/2 Marathon.  I was thinking oh great, I can write about why I love to run and how I, someone who hated to run and never thought that I could, was able to dream about running a 1/2.  And then I found out that David cheated on me with my brother Brandon.  He asked Brandon to guest blog for him behind my back and Brandon stole my spot on Davids blog.  I should say that I shouldn't have been surprised.  I mean most of the time that David and I dated and before Brooke, Brandon would hang out with us all the time.  The three of us would go to Disneyland, the movies, Dodger games, dinner, etc.  People would always ask me if Brandon felt awkward being with us, and I would say uh please if anything I was the third wheel on their date.  Often I was left listening to them talk about sports, comic books, or what ever other dorky topic.  Dodger games were especially fun.  I learned to sit in between them other wise they would have their backs to me the whole time talking to each other...then again sitting in between them only caused them to lean across me to talk to each other. I would pray for the day that I could have someone else to sit there and talk to.  So all this to say I shouldn't be surprised that David gave my spot away to his "boyfriend".
       Well anyways I was going to talk about running but we already ran so that would be boring.  So I am going to talk about Leap Year.  This morning I was listening to Mark and Brian.  They were talking about the Irish tradition that only on Leap Year can a woman ask a man to marry her.  There was a girl on the radio trying to get Mark and Brian to call her boyfriend so she could propose to him on the air.  The guy was not answering his phone.  So Mark kept saying to this poor chick, (after their 4th phone call attempt) " are you sure he doesn't listen to our show, because it sure seems like he is avoiding our calls?"  Needless to say that girl did not get the opportunity to propose to her boyfriend.  But David and I were able to witness a girl proposing to her boyfriend at In N Out tonight.  She asked one of the workers to announce over the loud speaker if he would marry her.  He said yes and she actually had a ring for him.  As we were leaving, I was wondering, now that they are engaged, is that guy now obligated to go out and buy his fiance an engagement ring? And if so, does he just hand it to her or does he need to find a special way to give it to her?  I wonder....
       On a last note, I hate hate hate David's beard,  I have always hated it.  But his hair is now starting to grow in all these weird directions, his mustache hairs are hanging over his lips.  When he kisses me his hairs get in my mouth. To make matters worse, he is shedding, I find his hairs all over the bathroom and kitchen floors, every once in a while I even find his hairs on me.  I am not going to lie, I am pretty scared what this beard is going to look like by the end of this year.  Hopefully he will get this beard growing out of his system and we will never have to live this out again.  2 months down 10 to go. But with the beard comes the blog.  And I am very proud of his accomplishment of blogging every day.  It takes a lot of commitment to do what he is doing.  Plus I think that it is amazing how much this non talker is sharing himself with the world.  He is showing how funny, sweet, sensitive, and caring he is.  It's fun to see him be so passionate about something.  So although I am skeptical to support the beard growing, I 100% admire him for putting himself out there for the world to see.  I am glad that the world gets to see what I get to see everyday. I am excited to read his blog every day and how fun for us to have our entire 2012 year documented.  What a fun memory for us to look back upon and to share with our future kids.


      Thank you my lovely wife.  I love you.  Hope you all enjoyed.  Softball update.  We actually looked decent today.  We only lost by six, which is a huge improvement from losing by fifteen.  We had glimpses of looking like a real softball team out there.  Finally.

This Day In History: 1288
A Scottish law takes effect allowing women to propose marriage to men on February 29 and requiring men to pay fines if they refuse.

Born This Day: 1840
John Phillip Holland - Irish inventor of the first true submarines for the U.S. and British navies.

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth."

-John F. Kennedy

Funny story for you to read out of the newspaper.

Day Fifty Nine

Dear Readers,
      To finish the subject of cars I have owned, the Blue Blur 1982 Toyota Tercel hatchback was first.  Then my parents got me the most awesome graduation gift, my 1999 Ford Ranger.  I really loved driving that truck around.  That truck and I have had many many miles together.  That truck got me back and forth to Oregon dozens of times.  It also made it to San Antonio and back.  Those were straight drives with only stops for gas.  For seven years that truck was my driving partner.  Too bad it died on me and I didn't want to pay the money to get it fixed.  After the Ranger died, it was on to the beast of a car in the 1995 Ford Thunderbird.  I told you all about my adventures with that car yesterday.  Finally, after getting my life and finances straightened out, I purchased my current truck.  My first experience buying my own car.  It is a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado.  I have wanted a Silverado for a long time.  It was just chance that I found my truck sitting at a dealership.  It was only two years old when I bought it, with only 17,000 miles on it.  It was the last year of the model I wanted, with low miles, and you can't beat black.  I would have just been happy if it wasn't some funky color like bright green or purple.  So I was blessed to find the truck I have now and to be financially stable enough to get it when I did.  I can't complain about it at all.  It is great driving a car that I don't have to worry about.  Almost two and a half years and I have only had to get new tires and oil changes.  Vehicles come and go.  My wife's car has become somewhat of a lemon and I would love to be able to replace it for her sooner rather than later.  It seems like her car is getting work done on it every four months.  It didn't even pass smog last year.  I had to get the exhaust manifold and catalytic converter replaced.  I can't wait to get her something reliable and not have to worry about her.  She has had her share of accidents in that car.  I am hoping there isn't anymore before I can get her in a better car.  Crossing my fingers, knocking on wood.

This Day In History: 1803
The U.S. Congress approves President Thomas Jefferson's plan for an overland expedition to the Pacific and appropriates $2,500 to cover expenses for what became known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Born This Day :1906
Bugsy Siegel - American Depression era gangster who founded several casinos in Las Vegas.
???? - Lisa Vargas (Happy Birthday!  We love you Lisa.)

"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." 

- Napoleon Bonaparte

So Warm.

Day FIfty Eight

Dear Readers,
      Since we are kind of on the subject of cars I have driven, another interesting car I drove was a 1995 Thunderbird.  At least I think that was the year.  I had a 1999 Ford Ranger that I drove into the ground.  It finally gave up on me.  I blew a head gasket and leaked water into one of my pistons, actually causing it to bend one of the piston rods.  It was pretty sad.  I really liked that little truck.  At the time of it's death, I didn't have the money to get another car.  So, my mother in law Karen let me use her old Thunderbird.  It was a Magenta/Purple/Red color.  It had a ton of miles on it and it was a little beat up.  I drove it for the first eight months or so with the hydro pump to the power brakes out.  So I had to drive my foot into the brake pedal to get it to slow down and stop.  I got a really good leg workout driving that thing.  Then, about two months into driving the beast, the power sun roof became loose and wouldn't stay shut while driving it.  Once you got it up to about fifty miles per hour, the sun roof would inch open, making it really loud to drive anywhere.  I figured out how to hold it into place while driving on the freeway.  So I would steer with one hand and reach up to hold it into place with my other hand and then slam my foot down to slow down.  It was kind of fun to drive with all it's quirks.  Then, about six months into driving the beast, the window on the driver side wouldn't work properly.  If you did manage to get it to roll down, you would never get it to roll back up.  I had to roll it down to a certain point where I could still grip the window and physically pull it back up.  That was only on the good days it actually rolled down.  Most days I could see it laughing at me as I went through a drive thru only to have to open the car door to pay and receive my food.  It was pretty annoying.  I stopped going through drive thru windows and just parked it.  Needless to say, that was one interesting car.
      Driving that car, I also found out how popular that car is for criminals.  I was pulled over twice in one year, simply because of the car.  The first time was because a car with that description had just been stolen.  I had to explain that the car wasn't in my name because it belonged to my mother in law.  Who wasn't my mother in law at the time, she was my girlfriends mom.  I had to sit there and wait twenty minutes while he verified all the information was correct.  That was fun.  Are you catching the sarcasm there?  By the way, both of these times being pulled over I had to open the door because the window wasn't working.  It was great when they were yelling at me to keep the door closed and I was yelling back explaining how the window didn't work.  Fantastic.
      The second time being pulled over was because a bank had just been robbed and the getaway car was a 1995 Magenta Thunderbird.  As soon as he walks up he explains what was happening and says I can go, because I don't fit the description of a "Hispanic" male.  I jokingly told him that I was actually Hispanic, to which he replies that this was a skinny Hispanic male.  So I thank the cop for calling me a fat white guy and got to go on my merry way.  I didn't actually thank him for that, but you can imagine how I felt about that.  Dumb cop.  All because of an old hand me down Thunderbird.  Which I am very thankful for having, even with all the problems.

This Day In History: 1670
Jews are expelled from Austria

Born This Day: 1902
John Steinbeck - Nobel Prize winning American author

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." 

- Albert Einstein

This is what it looked like.  The Beast.

Even Letterman wanted to be cool for a while

Day Fifty Seven

Dear Readers,
      My first car.  That was one ugly car.  It wasn't even really mine.  It was my sister's old car that was just sitting in our driveway collecting dust.  She had obviously gotten a new car and left her old one to rot.  It was a bright blue 1981 Toyota Tercel hatchback.  It was pretty stinking ugly, but it was a car and I didn't have one of those.  I think I had just started my senior year in high school when she left it for dead.  Naturally, I decided to not let it go to waste and drive it around myself.  It was a manual transmission that was so old and beat up, you could shift without using the clutch.  Not that I did it too often.  It couldn't have been good for the car.  It was small, shook when you got it above 55 miles per hour, but great on gas.  It also had a CD player in it, which was great for back then.  The one improvement my sister Yoli had made on it.  For my senior year, it was perfect.  A way to get from point A to point B and listen to my music in the process.  I wasn't complaining at all.  So what if it was the ugliest car in the whole parking lot at my high school.  I guess it wasn't the ugliest, but pretty close.  Considering there was a Brat, a Gremlin, and a Rabbit in that same parking lot.  All we needed was an AMC Pacer.  Again, I didn't care.  I was just happy to be driving.  You weren't "cool" unless you were driving and now I was "cool".  At least I thought so and that's all that mattered.
      The Tercel didn't last very long.  I drove it for about eight months before I destroyed it.  I was driving to school with my younger sister Melissa.  Driving down Rosecrans Blvd, doing about 40 when I could see my lane packed with cars ahead.  So I decided to change lanes to cut around them.  As I started to merge into the other lane, a car made an illegal left turn into the lane I was merging into.  He/She crossed a double yellow to get there.  It forced me to swerve back into my lane and I was going too fast to stop behind the already stopped cars in my lane.  I swerved to the right into the sidewalk, but I couldn't get over the curb.  Instead, I bounced off the curb and back into the car stopped in front of me.  I actually managed to slam into the side door of the van instead of the rear bumper.  I probably caused more damage that way, and it ended up being my fault even though all I was trying to do was avoid the stupid driver making the illegal left turn.  I should have just let them hit me and then it wouldn't have been my fault.  Oh well, you live and learn.  If only I could have gotten over the curb, instead of bouncing off of it.  At least that way it would have just been the damage to my car and not another car as well.  And that is the end of the "Blue Blur" saga.  That is the nickname my dad gave to that car when my sister came home with it.  It was a short, yet fun saga.  Full of laughter and sadness.  It was damaged beyond repair and I was left to having my mom drop me off to school for the last two months of my senior year.  R.I.P. Blue Blur.

This Day In History: 1935
In violation of the Versailles Treaty, which prohibited military aviation in Germany, Adolf Hitler signs a secret decree establishing the Reich Luftwaffe, or air force, with World War I air hero and high-ranking Nazi Hermann Goering at its head.

Born This Day: 1846
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody

"Science says the first word on everything and the last word on nothing."

-Victor Hugo

The Blue Blur in all its glory.  This is exactly what it looked like.

Total and complete utter awesomeness.

Day Fifty Six

Dear Readers,
      Sometimes there are jobs at my work that are out of the ordinary and more enjoyable than a regular day.  On Tuesday of this week, I did the job of basically being on call while at work.  Taking care of any calls and inquires that were left on the answering machine over the weekend and calls that may come in throughout the day.  One call that day was for water leaking out of a property driveway and spilling out into the gutter.  I show up, and there is a small river running down the street.  The business building is abandoned and pretty much boarded up.  You see, the city purchased this old car dealership with the intention of turning it into a Vietnam War Museum.  The funding and builder haven't been set up yet, so there it sits waiting to be transformed.  Back to the river, it turns out there was a busted pipe inside the building, completely flooding it.  There was water coming out of every direction of the building.  The front, the back and both sides.  There was a layer of water an inch thick throughout.  I could see the water spewing out of the wall hitting the ceiling in the process.  Enough to make that part of the roof cave in.  So I turned off the water to the building.  It took about two hours for the water to drain out, leaving everything soaked in its wake.  Since it is a city owned property, our guys received the privilege of cleaning out the building of all the trash and leftover furniture.
      Now fast forward to today.  It is day two in the cleanup process.  It was great totally destroying the place.  Kind of.  Since everything inside was pretty much considered trash, we were able to park the dump truck next to the balcony and throw all the furniture off the balcony.  Watching it smash apart as it fell below.  It was great just smashing desks to pieces to get them apart.  Every guy has an inner child that loves to destroy things.  I know I do.  I have to admit, we did throw a file cabinet over the edge to watch it smash into the floor.  We had to get it downstairs some way.  It was easier than carrying it down the stairs.  A lot more fun that way too.  Having a job destroying and taking out trash is pretty fun, but still hard work.  I was definitely tired afterward, but it was gratifying.  I was basically getting paid to have a little fun.  Can't beat that.
      I would also like to say Happy Birthday to a dear friend of Raina and mine, Sara Quiroz.  We miss you and hope you had a wonderful day.

This Day In History: 1964
American boxer Cassius Clay shocks the boxing world by defeating heavyweight champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout.  Clay had predicted victory, boasting that would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." 

Born This Day: 1906
Domingo Ortega (No Relation, at least I think)
1990 - Sara Quiroz

"In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience."
- W.B. Prescott

That is one mean beard.  Maybe I should grow out my hair too.

Day Fifty Five

Dear Readers,
      Kauai is an awesome place to visit.  I think I could possibly even retire there, if it wasn't so expensive.  We have been there twice and enjoyed every minute of it.  Except for the last couple days of our honeymoon when I got food poisoning.  That was pretty bad.  It wasn't the islands fault I had some bad fish.  Other than that, absolutely loved it.  Just like the other two islands, lots of hiking, swimming, eating and relaxing.  Just driving to and from different activities is part of the fun.  Really enjoyable and scenic drives.  Especially driving to the north side of the island in Hanalei.  Both times we went, we stayed at a condo on the south side of the island in Poipu.  I have to thank Raina's dad, Mark, for the condo.  He was able to hook us up with the condo on an absolutely beautiful part of the island.  The condo is waterfront.  You can sit on the balcony watching the waves crash into the rocks and if you are lucky, some sea turtles swimming around too.  Great place to sit and read a book and relax.  Then, if you get tired of swimming in the salt water, there is a pool at the condo.  Everything in one location.  And a fantastic golf course two minutes away.  Don't worry, I didn't golf while on the honeymoon.  Just during the first trip.  The courses are breathtaking and are really fun to play.  Scenic driving in a golf cart.  Everywhere you drive is scenic.
      Poipu is a smaller town off the main highway.  You take a road through rows of trees on either side, making it almost like a tree tunnel.  In Poipu there is a burger joint called Bubba's Burgers.  Really good food, including a double chili cheeseburger.  They serve it open face, completely covered in greasy delicious chili.  It was a heart attack waiting to happen.  There is also a crazy lady with a shrimp truck, just up the road from the condo.  She is loud and wild, and she has awesome shrimp.  Garlic shrimp and the spicy shrimp are our favorites.  She also lets you sign her truck when you order from her.  The sun had worn off our signing from the first trip, so Raina and I signed again on our honeymoon.  In Waimea, to the west, is the best shrimp tacos I have ever eaten.  Aptly named the Shrimp Plantation, the tacos are large enough for two to fill me up.  Delicious shrimp with delicious salsa and a side of chips.  For barbeque, there is Scotty's.  Raina and I shared the barbeque platter for two.  Brisket, pork, chicken, ribs, baked beans and corn.  Succulent.  So many places to choose from for good food.  Lots of delicious fish.  Fresh too.  Literally caught locally that morning.  Doesn't get much fresher than that. 
      There is a ton of hiking to do as well.  Raina and I did quite a few hikes, but there are so many more we wanted to do.  Waterfalls only accessible by hiking.  Cool views only accessible by hiking.  Beaches only accessible by hiking.  Plus, it is a great workout in the process.  One hike was to a waterfall perfect for jumping off of into a pool below.  That was fun.  Took a little bit to get my nerve up, but both Raina and I did it.  To think, we used to jump off rocks all the time when we were younger at Lake Powell.  It took a lot more nerve this time around.  Another symptom of getting older I guess.  Take less risks. 
      On the first trip, we took a boat tour to the Na Pali Coast.  It is only accessible by boat or on foot.  On foot means an eleven mile hike though.  So we chose the boat tour.  The Na Pali coast offers so many awesome views.  It is like nothing I have seen before.  Sprawling cliffs and valleys.  Just an awesome view of God's majestic creation.  I would like to hike it someday.  Just means we have to plan another trip to Kauai.  I'm not complaining, and I am pretty sure Raina wouldn't either.  There are so many hidden waterfalls and beaches and scenic views, it would take weeks upon weeks to try and see them all.  All in all, I think Kauai is going to be that place we vacation to multiple times.  We both love it there and hope to get back there soon.

This Day In History: 1836
Texan colonel William Travis sends a desperate plea for help for the besieged defenders of the Alamo, ending the message with the famous last words, "Victory of Death." He got death, but also immortality in the slogan "Remember the Alamo," which quickly became the rallying cry for the Texas revolution.

Born This Day: 1885
Chester Nimitz - U.S. Navy admiral who led the Pacific Fleet to victories against the Japanese fleet in World War II.

"If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance." 

- George Bernard Shaw

Yes, that is an actual place in Kauai

Hiking on Kauai

The Na Pali Coast

Waimea Canyon

View from the other side of the Na Pali Coast

Trying to get my nerve up to jump

Signing the shrimp truck

My Double Chili Cheeseburger under there somewhere

Don't worry, we didn't jump off this one

At the Luau Feast

Day Fifty Four

Dear Readers,
      I have had the pleasure of visiting Hawaii twice.  Once with Raina's family and the other on our honeymoon almost two years ago.  Hawaii is one of those beautiful places that can be visited multiple times to get away and relax.  The atmosphere is slower and more relaxed.  The food is delicious.  The portions are tremendous.  The views are breathtaking.  The activities are endless.  Even some World War II history mixed in.  Great fun.  Oahu once, Maui once and Kauai twice. 
      Oahu was during our first visit and our first stop.  We were only there for one night, but we made the most of it.  Walking around Waikiki Beach. Walking miles trying to find the entrance to Diamond Head, which we had to cut short on account of Raina's mother having to make a potty trip.  Visiting the Arizona Memorial and taking a tour of the U.S.S. Missouri.  Which is the ship that the Japanese signed the surrender on.  So much history to see and not enough time to see it all.  Missed out on the Air Museum and the submarine tour.  Just means we have to go back someday.  The coolest part had to be the tour of the Missouri.  We got to see so many cool parts of the ship and hear so many stories.  To also see how complex it was to fire one of the large cannons on the ship, with the amazing accuracy they had.  So many moving parts and something like twenty men to work one cannon.  That is a lot of guys to rely on to get the job done punctually and accurately.  They did though.  All that stuff amazes me and grabs a hold of my attention.  My mind gets transfixed once I get interested in something.  History, especially World War II, gets me like that.  Oahu was a blast, even for only one night. 
      Maui, on the other hand, was a completely different kind of trip.  Maui was the first stop on our second trip.  It was our honeymoon.  After all those months of planning and preparing and stressing over our wedding, it was finally time to relax.  And relax we did.  We pretty much went into a vegetative state.  We did nothing but relax, take naps, take relaxing swims, take scenic drives and partake in the many delicious delicacies of the island.  Including a wonderful restaurant referred to us by my boss, Mama's Fish House.  It was a little bit of a drive, but definitely worth it.  The view was amazing.  Everything is open air and we had a window seat to a beautiful sunset out on the beach.  The food was amazing.  A little pricey, but the view and delicious food made it worth it.  Our first night on Maui was thought to have been ruined.  I booked us an oceanfront room at the Hyatt, thinking how cool it was going to be.  We were detoured do to a fire blocking the one road that led in and out of where our hotel was.  So the Hyatt put us up in a little hotel called the Fairmont Kea Lani.  That place was so amazing.  One of the best hotels I have ever stayed at.  Fancy room, fancy shower and tub, fancy living room, fancy view.  It was awesome.  I had the best Eggs Benedict at their breakfast buffet.  This place was beautiful all throughout.  It made the Hyatt look like a second class hotel afterwards.  Made us wish we could have just finished our stay there.  The road was cleared by the next day and we shifted to the Hyatt, a little bummed.  The view was still awesome, but the room was a little lacking.  We felt a little like snobs, treating the Hyatt like second class citizens even though it was still really nice. 
      The one thing Maui had that the other two islands didn't have was Ululani Shaved Ice.  The best shaved ice hands down.  It was like powder.  That is how finely the ice was shaved.  And so many delicious flavors.  They also have Haupia Ice Cream, which was fantastic, a little coconut, a little vanilla, a lot delicious.  Get a scoop of Haupia topped with shaved ice, amazing.  We totally found it on accident.  We had just landed and gotten our rental car and just passed the stand when Raina tells me that if I love her I would turn around and get her some shaved ice.  So I did and the rest is history.  Wish I could get that stuff here.  Maui was great and can't wait to visit again.  There are so many other things to do.  Looking forward to it.

Part 2 Tomorrow.  Kauai.

This Day In History: 1945

U.S. Marines raise the American flag atop Mount Suribachi, the highest point on Iwo Jima, during World War II.

Born This Day: 1685

Georg Friedrick Handel - German born composer

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." 

- Charlton Heston

I am taking the con on the U.S.S. Missouri

It was really windy when we arrived

View from the Fairmont

Our sweet ride while on Maui

My Beautiful Wife

View from our seats at Mama's Fish House

Yup, looks like a fire, or a dust bowl

Day Fifty Three

Dear Readers,
      If you didn't read the comment left by Brandon after yesterdays blog, he thinks that I cursed him.  Apparently, on his way into work this morning, he blew out a tire.  How is that for predictions.  At least it wasn't the having no oil and blowing the engine prediction.  Just a tire.
      I have talked about my nephew Micah before.  He is only two years old, but he is very strong willed.  Stubborn and devious.  Devious to the point that you can't help but laugh sometimes.  Whether it is doing exactly what you told him not to do or when my other nephew, Joshua, is yelling at Micah to not touch him and Micah just creeps his hand in like he is going to do it anyways.  He will literally pretend to reach towards Joshua to act like he is going to touch him, or keep his hands to himself while reaching his foot over to do the touching.  Totally irritating Joshua on purpose.  Mind you, he is only two years old and already this devious.  Imagine once he gets into junior high or high school.  He definitely has Ortega blood in there, the antagonist and button pusher.  I think you might be better off not telling him to not to do something.  As soon as you tell him not to do something, he does it all the more.  Strong willed child.  I love him though.  He is a lot of fun to be around.
      Micah definitely keeps you on your toes.  One time, while hanging out at my sisters house, there was a moment of "where is Micah at, we haven't seen him in a little bit?".  So we search and search for him, only to find him in the bathroom.  Not playing in the sink or the shower, but sitting inside the toilet.  His own personal jacuzzi.  He was sitting in there splashing his feet and splashing the water all around.  At least my sister had recently cleaned the toilet, I think.  He was playing in there having a ball.  Even with about seven of us at the door to the bathroom watching in disbelief, he played as if we weren't even there.  In his own little world.  My sister, Yoli, pulls him out of the toilet and gives him another bath only to have him sneak back right to the toilet as soon as he has a chance.  She had to give him two baths, one right after another.  He makes me laugh.  We joke that we need to make Matt and Yoli a shirt that says "No Micah, No Micah, No Micah, Oh I Give Up".  There is a children's book out there titled No David about a kid getting into all kinds of trouble, but it could just as easily be written about Micah.  Mischievous little Micah.  Keep an eye on him.

This Day In History: 1980
In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of collegians and second-rate professional players, defeats the defending champion Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York.

Born This Day: 1732
George Washington - First president of the United States

 "Sometimes it is not enough that we do our best; we must do what is required."
- Sir Winston Churchill

More softball tonight.  I think we are actually getting worse, if that is possible.  We were beat a whole lot to a little.

Some pictures of Mischievous Micah

Micah bugging Joshua on purpose.

Micah watching his favorite movie, Toy Story

Day Fifty Two

Dear Readers,
      I know I have kind of been picking on Brandon and Brooke, but there is just so many stories about them.  As I got home from work, showered, and got ready for our men's study tonight that we do every Tuesday, I couldn't help but wonder what I was going to talk about tonight.  Nothing was coming to mind right away.  Then Brandon called and gave me a story to give voice to.  Right as I was walking out the door to head over to our study, Brandon calls, asking if I happen to have AAA.  Immediately my mind goes to the possibility of a flat tire, engine won't start, dead battery, or the engine blew up because he forgot to out oil in it. Nope.  I should have known better.  Brandon, as he was picking up the Little Caesar's pizza for tonight, had locked his keys inside his station wagon.  Actually it is a hatchback, but at first glance it totally looks like the station wagon my mom used to drive us to school to when I was five.  Yup, thank you Brandon.  I kept thinking, how did he manage to lock his keys inside when he has an alarm that locks and unlocks his car doors for him.  Wouldn't his keys have had to been in his hands when he locked them.  Wrong again.  The battery for his alarm was dead and he needs to replace it.  He locked the car manually after getting out of the car.  It has been so long since I had locked a car manually that I forget that not that long ago, that was the only way to do it.  Well, I don't have AAA, so he had to use our friend Chris'.  The AAA guy showed up and had the car unlocked in two shakes.  Makes you realize how easy it really is to break into a car these days.  Either way, I have to give it up to Brandon for continually feeding me stories to share with the rest of the world and here is to many more stories to come.  Maybe it is pay back for all the times he has used me or my wife in bible study illustrations seeing on how he is a pastor and all.  Again, all for a good cause.  That is entertainment and for the beard.  Because without stories to tell, there is no blog and without the blog, there is no beard. 

This Day In History: 1965
African-American nationalist and religious leader Malcolm X is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while giving a speech at a New York City ballroom.

Born This Day: 1875
Jeanne Louise Calment - Frenchwoman who was the world's oldest woman when she died at 122, one year after she released a rap CD.  (Probably Brandon's wife in a previous life)

"Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered."

-W.H. Auden

That's right, beard me baby!  That is one cool shirt.  At least I think it's a shirt, or towel.

Day Fifty One

Dear Readers,
     My brother in law, Brandon, is always tired.  Every time we are at a get together, he talks about how tired and sleep he is.  I keep telling him that he should work out and do the Spartan race with us, because by working out he will have more energy and feel better in general.  Besides, who doesn't sleep better after a really good workout.  Brandon is also one of those guys who can sleep anywhere.  The guys at my work joke with me about how I can sleep anywhere, but they haven't met Brandon.  He must have narcolepsy, because not only is he always sleepy, but he actually falls asleep anywhere we happen to be.  I am really shocked that I didn't find him sleeping somewhere at mine and Raina's wedding, let alone his own.  All he usually needs is a seat on the couch and a pillow for comfort.  His habit of sleeping anywhere and everywhere has started a new habit for me.  I started about a year ago, maybe a year and a half.  I started to take a picture of him sleeping on my phone every time he did.  Which, like I said, is every time there is a get together.  Needless to say, I have about twelve photos of Brandon sleeping at all sorts of events.  Birthday parties, fourth of July, Christmas dinners, barbeques, the Super Bowl and so many other gatherings.  I am glad I now have an outlet to share my hard work.  I am hoping this will give him a little motivation, and get him to join the Spartan with the rest of us.  I think this whole "sleepy" thing for Brandon plays into his not being as social as normal.  He really is fun to be around, as long as he isn't sleeping.  So if the extra energy he would get from the exercise gets him to be more sociable with large crowds, I am doing more than just him a favor.  Break him out of his shell a little bit.  The other thing about Brandon is, he seems to hate to dance.  So when we are all at a wedding or something, it is like pulling teeth to get him onto the dance floor.  I have a feeling the extra energy will get him out there too and I am sure his wife will appreciate that.  So here is to Brandon doing the Spartan for the benefit of himself, his wife and his friends.  What about all you people from out of town that don't get to see Brandon very often?  I am pretty sure the last thing you want to do is to come and hang out with him, only for him to fall asleep on you.  Just make sure he isn't getting comfortable on the couch.

This Day In History: 1725
A posse of New Hampshire volunteers scalp 10 Native Americans and collect a bounty of 100 pounds per scalp.  It was the first recorded instance of this grim practice being used by Europeans in the American colonies.

Born This Day: 1898
Enzo Ferrari - Italian car designer and manufacturer.

"There is nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept."

-Ansel Adams

A nice collection of photos I like to call "Peaceful Brandon".

And one funny picture of Brandon I am sure he is going to kill me for showing, but it is for a good cause.  Can you believe he stole that from McKenna, his own niece.