The Blazer Game

Kevin got a good deal on some tickets to the Blazers vs. Spurs game last week so Jodie and I joined he and Vic.

It was a good game. The Blazers won and we got to see Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, some chick with her G-string hiked up to her shoulders...

Not sure what the deal is here. She could nearly wear the thing like suspenders. It almost looks like someone gave her a power wedgie with a crane and a bungee cord. I like how the look works with the jeans tucked into the cowboy boots...kinda like a cowgirl who has a double use for her lasso. Of course the funniest part of the night was me working for about a quarter of the game to get a pic of this. You think she would've noticed all the flashes every time she bent over.

Beware of The Food Network

Who knew that when watching The Food Network you need to be prepared for inappropriate comments that your kids might pick up??? You think you'd be safe watching someone season a brisket, mash up some potatoes or boil some pasta. Apparently not.



That's Giada De Laurentis...host of Everyday Italian...weekdays at 4:30. It kills Jodie that I watch this, but she makes great food and I find it to be a great learning experience for me...besides, she also happens to be hot so heck yeah I'm watching! I have actually applied a few recipes and Jodie didn't do much complaining while eating them. Deep down I don't think she cares what I watch as long as she doesn't have to cook, but she does enjoy giving me a hard time.

I was watching the show the other day and Cade happened to be there with me. Giada was crafting a dessert...hazelnut chocolate pie with vanilla whipped cream...and of course she had to sample the finished product. Like with any cooking show, or info-mercial for that matter, it's usually an over the top dramatic performance of how good the dish actually is for the sake of the camera. Giada often interjects adjectives such as "decadent" or "elegant" or some such garbage. I don't much care as long as it tastes good. Anyhow, on this occasion she exclaimed that this dish was soooo good "It's like a party in your mouth!!" Cade instantly burst out in laughter...HA-AAHAHHHAHAHHHAAAA!!!!! Now I'm certain he doesn't really get the double meaning that comes with that phrase, but never-the-less he found it quite funny.

Fast forward to Aric's birthday party this past Thursday and we find Cade sitting down to an enormous ice cream sundae piled high with hot fudge, whipped cream and sprinkles. Indulging in his first bite Cade exclaims "MMMMMM...It's like a party in your mouth!!!"

Please consider this post a Public Service Announcement...should you at some point be eating with Cade and hear this statement, or some variation thereof, you now understand the origin. Don't be alarmed, he's just expressing his appreciation for the culinary creation before him.

The Boys Football

Today was the boys last game of their regular season. The 6 win, 0 loss Cavs facing the 6 win, 0 loss Lakers from Lake Oswego. It couldn't have worked out better schedule wise. Up until now our kids have been walking through teams with little effort. Today was to be a big test. However, prior to the game we learned from the LO coach that they had 5 kids out with the flu. Whether or not this was posturing or true...who knows? Regardless, we still felt we were in for a fight.

The game started with LO on offense. We had our best defense on the field...the defense that not only hasn't been scored on, but hasn't even given up a first down. Three plays into the game and LO was blasting through our defense, ripping off plays in 9 yard chunks. Needless to say we were a little taken aback. Finally we held, forcing them to punt. On the punt our returner picked the ball up and headed to his right; he abruptly changed direction and headed back to his left with an entourage of lead blockers in front. He went 60 yards for a touchdown. After the point after it was 8-0 Cavs (In the 3rd 4th league you get 2 points for a kick, hence the 8 points).

LO was back on offense and gouging our defense for huge chunks of yardage again, but we managed to stop them deep in our territory and they turned the ball over on downs. Our offense finally took the field for the first time with about 1 minute left in the first quarter. This is where things got interesting for Aric. Lined up at Tight End, Aric had the responsibility of blocking #4, their Defensive End, for the entire day. #4 happened to be the best player on their team, and for that matter the best (i.e. toughest, strongest and fastest) player that we've faced all season. It took about 2 plays to realize that Aric REALLY had his work cut out for him. With probably 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter we scored on a long pass play and widened the margin to 16-0. Although we were up two touchdowns we were having to battle...hard...for every yard. We had kids coming out hurt on what seemed like every other play, they were hitting us hard on defense and when we went to hit them their runners wouldn't go down without 3 of our kids hanging on them. I honestly don't know how we were ahead or how we kept them out of the end zone, but we managed to.

In the second quarter we had one of our more physical players, Zandon, carried off the field with a leg injury. Clearly he wasn't going to be able to continue and after some evaluation it was determined he needed to get it looked at...soon. It turned out later that Zandon broke his leg and his season is done. He's now casted to his hip on his right leg. It's the worst thing that could happen. You really feel for the kid because he's worked so hard, as all the kids have, and you hate to see something like that happen.

Prior to the half Aric was clearly bothered by his matchup with #4. He was battling hard but didn't feel like he was getting it done. It was one of those matchups where the other guy was bigger and faster and Aric wasn't going to be able to shut him down. Instead, he was going to have to not only be physical but he was going to have to play smarter than the other guy. This was tough for him to process, as his frustration was leading to tears. It was going to be a chance to see how he responded to adversity.

The third quarter was a stalemate as both sides continued to hammer on each other. Aric continued pounding away at #4 despite being held, grabbed by the shoulder pads and dragged down, and taking multiple shots to the head. Although these are all penalties, none were called. But, these tactics evidenced that #4 felt he had to do something to get an advantage...proof that Aric was holding his ground and likely frustrating him. I tried telling Aric this but the tears showed up again as he was so mad that he was getting beat on and nothing was being called. As unfair as it might be he still got the cliche answer..."That's part of football, you have to just deal with it and play your game."

Midway through the 4th quarter our Quarterback, Mitchell, went down injured after a run. Aric shifted to Quarterback as Mitchell had to sit out at least one play. At this point we were still only up 2 scores and there was enough time left that the game wasn't decided. Given his emotions throughout the previous three quarters of dealing with #4 I wasn't sure how he'd react...particularly since #4 was lined up at Defensive End and probably ready to get a running start at him. Under Center Aric snapped the ball and pitched to our running back who cut up field, broke a tackle and ran it in for a 30 yard touchdown. Turns out I didn't have anything to worry about at all. He was extremely composed and didn't bat an eye at having to get in at Quarterback. I was proud of him...he showed great resiliency. That score made it a 3 possession game and for all intents and purposes sealed our win.

On the next defensive series #4, who also was their best Running Back, came barreling up the middle directly at Aric. Aric held his ground, wrapped him up and brought him down. He didn't try and do too much, he squared up and made a solid tackle. After that play #4 left the game. I don't know if he left hurt or not, but he didn't return.

The game ended 24-0, Cavs. When shaking hands with LO after the game #4 was crying as we went through the line. I pulled Aric aside afterward and told him that was why he couldn't let his emotions get the best of him and let another player get in his head. Even though Aric felt like he was getting beat during the game, when it was all said and done he won. He didn't quit, he didn't give in, he stood in there and did his best and he and his team came out on top. Hopefully he learned something about himself during this game...I certainly did.

Although I haven't mentioned Cade during this post, he did a great job and played a great game as well. Cade, being one of the younger players on the team, just isn't going to get heavy playing time in tough games like this. He put in some quality reps on defense and played his role well. His time will come next year when he's one of the older kids. Although at times that can be tough to understand, he accepted it which is really a huge victory as well. Maybe Cade learned something from this game as well???

The team finished 7-0 and have one more game to go, their Medal Game, which is the equivalent of a bowl game. They'll be matched up with a team of similar record...who yet we don't know. It'd be great if they could come away with a win to finish with an unbeaten season. Either way it's been a great season and I think both Aric and Cade have learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Although, once the season is over I don't know what they're going to do to take out their aggression. More than likely there are more brother on brother fights in our near future.

A new toy

I found a website where you can make your own "motivational" posters. Of course the definition of "motivational" is up for debate, but I'm talking about posters like this:

I have no idea who the moron with the collars is, I just found that on the Internet as an example. I've found making your own posters involving your own family and friends is much more entertaining. Naturally my first instinct was to try and utilize this new tool and find a way to recognize Jodie and her cooking. It didn't take long:

But why stop there??? The possibilities are endless...

At least it's entertaining enough to keep me occupied for an evening. That's not saying much though...my attention span isn't exactly what you'd call...Uhh...dang it, I forgot what I was saying.

Where I've been...

Football. That sums it up. That's essentially all I've done for the last month or so. Practice 3 and 4 nights a week and games on Saturdays. In fact, I only have time tonight because practice got cancelled due to seemingly pandemic illness on the team.

The boys are playing on the same team this year; 3rd and 4th grade tackle. Cade is starting at right corner on defense and the kickoff team. Aric is starting at right side linebacker and tight end and is also the backup quarterback.

Both boys are doing really well. Aric, being a 4th grader, gets a TON of playing time. I'm still waiting for him to play to his potential. It still surprises me that he isn't more aggressive but I think deep down he's a little scared to screw up so his confidence isn't there. He's shown flashes of it though. Offensively the kid catches just about anything near him. I knew winging balls at him for years would eventually pay off.

Cade...oh Cade. As it is with most things concerning Cade, football is a challenge. He's a young 3rd grader so there's a lot of learning for him to do. He has a lot of potential but until he gets past his "I can't" attitude it's not going to show. There is also the size thing...he's not the biggest kid after all. An example:

On the left, Ashton...5'6" and 170 lbs. On the right, Cade...4'3" and 59 lbs. I guess you can't blame him for being a little intimidated and not wanting to get killed. Although, Ashton is the exception in the league. There are some big boys, but not quite that big.

Cade has had some great games, made some great tackles and catches, but we continue to battle his attitude at practice. Again, it's mostly his age, but it's tough at times. Of course I'm also helping coach and he and I on the same field doesn't always work out too well.

As a team, they are KILLING people. I knew they were going to be pretty good after a few practices, but they are flat out dominating teams. To date they are 5 and 0 and no one has even come close. Going from memory, I think they've scored a total of 146 points over the 5 games and only given up 12. Worse than that you can't have a margin of victory greater than 34 points without the coaches getting fined. We've had a few games where we had to start running kids out of bounds in the 3rd quarter so we wouldn't score any more. So the 146 points is a little deceiving...they could be well ahead of that.

It's been fun to watch and be a part of...and it's been a learning experience for me dealing with both boys and their different personalities on the same team. One of these days football will be wrapped up and I might get to find out what it's like to come home from work and sit down to dinner rather than woofing it down on the way out the door.

When parenting backfires...

Don't ya hate it when you're trying to teach your kids a lesson and it comes back around to bite you in the butt??

Here's Aric with his first attempt water skiing:

He gave it a shot...sucked in a few gallons of lake water and was done. In other words, a perfect moment for dad to jump in with the "You can't be afraid to try new things" and "You can never give up, you have to keep trying" speeches.

"Hey Jess, you wanna try wake boarding??"

Uhh...what??? Did some idiot just ask me if I wanted to wake board??? I've never wake boarded before!!

"Are you going to try dad?" Aric piped in.

"Uhh...yeah, sure...I'll give it a try." I less than confidently proclaimed. Mind you, Jeff, Jodie's brother, was the one driving the boat. I'll spare you the details but suffice it to say that I have adamantly stated I would never get behind a boat again if Jeff was driving. But...I can't back out of the lessons I was trying to teach...so...I strapped up and with Jeff at the wheel I jumped into my watery grave.

I gave it 5 tries and got up for about 1-1/2 seconds, but I tried. It was actually pretty fun and I'm looking forward to giving it another shot in the future.

Proof you can't choose your family...

This...is Kevin:

You've probably seen some pics of Kevin in earlier posts relating to our motorcycle trip to Bend. Kevin is my sisters...fiancee. Sorry for the pause, I threw up a little bit. Before you ask, no she wasn't drunk or anything. For whatever reason she actually likes the guy. You'll note in the picture Kevin is wearing a Nebraska Cornhuskers shirt...primarily because he wasn't given a choice. This picture was taken the night he proposed, after Nebraska's opening game win.

Kevin gathered both his and our family for his proposal at my parents house after the game. For some reason the guy was nerved out of his mind. I haven't seen him that shaken up since...well, since his near miss on the motorcycle which involved a cloud of smoke, fish-tailing, a screeching tire, and his eye's bulging out of their sockets. Apparently to Kev getting engaged runs parallel with a near death experience on a motorcycle. Much like the motorcycle incident, I also found plenty of humor in his proposal.

For starters, Kevin came over to me and exclaimed "Man, there's a lot of people here!" What I was thinking..."Well yeah, of course there's a lot of people here...you invited them jackass!!"...but what I said..."Don't worry about it, it's not like she's going to say no." You know me...ever the pillar of support. The voice of reason and calm in the most tumultuous of times.

When it was time for the big moment Kevin began spewing something about Vic being special, or the right person, or she made him happy, or some crap like that...I wasn't really paying attention. The funny part came when he dropped to a knee and began stammering "V-V-V-Vicki R-R-R-Ruth A-Ann...w-w-w-w-will you m-m-mmm-m-mm-marry me?????" No, he doesn't have a speech impediment and near as I can tell he isn't retarded (although I'm not yet willing to guarantee it)...clearly his nerves were getting the best of him. Actually, save for a little quiver in his voice, it came out pretty smooth, but for the sake of this post it sounds better if he could barely spit it out. Although Vic and I are brother and sister she is clearly the more sensitive of the two. If it were me I would've messed with him some before giving a response...just to see what happened. She however gave the immediate yes and took all the fun out of it.

I do like Kevin...he's a good guy, doesn't take himself too seriously and is good to Vic. Whether I like it or not it seems inevitable that Kevin will soon be a part of the family...legally wed to my sister with the potential of contaminating our gene pool.

I suppose as long as he keeps wearing his Husker red he'll be fine...or at the very least acceptable.

Husker Football

The 2009 season is underway and Nebraska has started off 2-0...vs. some less than stellar opponents. The big test comes next weekend vs. Virginia Tech.

GO BIG RED!!!

When it rains, it pours.

This week has been yet another barrage of broken items around our place. For whatever reason things have been breaking seemingly non-stop over the last year. I'm not sure if I'm living wrong, if I ticked someone off, or what. I personally have two theories as to why all the trouble:

1. This is God's way of building character and preparing me for something.
2. Quite a while ago my dad prayed that God would give me patience.

It's likely a combination of both...but if it's directly related to number two then the old man and I need to have a little talk.

Now I don't want to sit here and launch into a pity party, but I just had to sit down and itemize the things that I can actually remember breaking or crapping out and requiring repair and/or replacement over the last 12 months...just for the historical record of things. So, in no particular order...

• Avery's arm broke falling off the monkey bars.
• The bottom end of the motorcycle needed completely redone. Cams, lifters, pushrods, cam tensioners, oil pump, etc., etc., etc...
• The mechanic working on the bike put the wrong exhaust back on and didn't have anything to offer to make it right.
• Had to re-do one of the pushrods because the idiot mechanics tore an o-ring putting it together.
• New battery for the bike.
• New tires for the bike.
• The vacuum (our second in a year) died because Jodie vacuum's obsessively...about 3 times a day. It finally waved the white flag and gave up.
• The bulb burnt out on the TV.
• The DVD player makes some high-pitched noise that could make a dogs ears bleed. It has yet to be replaced.
• The dishwasher died...bought a new one.
• The new dishwasher leaked, requiring me to remove it, return it, and install yet another new one.
• The refrigerator died...bought a new one.
• The microwave died...bought a new one.
• The faucet in the master bathroom started leaking into the wall and dripping water into the crawl space. Plumber called in to save the day. Thank God he was a family member
• The flush valve went out in the master bathroom toilet. I replaced it.
• The flush valve AND fill valve went out in the main bathroom toilet. I replaced them.
• Either the hot water heater or the pressure relief valve on the hot water heater is broken. The verdict is still TBD with this one as it's an in progress problem.
• The spare tire fell off Jodie's car. You read it right...it fell off. Don't know where it went, but it fell off and we had to get a new one.
• The ignition lockout module shorted out in Jodie's car.
• The windshield in Jodie's car broke when a rock kicked up and hit it en-route to a camping trip.
• The heater core went out in Jodie's car.
• The subwoofer blew out in Jodie's car.
• The rear windshield wiper broke off/fell off/ripped off of Jodie's car??? I question this because I came out of the grocery store and found it lying on the ground. The funny part is Jodie was in the car while I was in the store and she says nothing bumped into the car or made a noise. It's a mystery...
• The heater went out on the driver side seat in Jodie's car. She's going to just have to live with it.
• Jodie's cell phone broke...bought a new one.
• The fiberglass panel at the rear of our tent trailer broke when we hit a crater en-route to a camping trip.
• We borrowed a pop-up shade canopy for a camping trip and managed to break a leg off putting it up.
• Someone backed into the Honda and buckled the front of the hood...not that it really has an affect to the overall look of the car. Of course they didn't bother leaving a note or anything.
• The Honda actually has quite a bit more wrong with it...but I'm just ignoring it for now due to the other items mentioned and the associated costs. I'm sure that'll catch up with me soon enough.

Despite all this garbage we're really no worse for the wear. Perhaps a little lighter in the bank account than I would like, but if that's our biggest problem I can live with it. Things are almost to the point where it's just laughable...almost...

Something that's been bugging me...

Why is it that people are so freakin' slow crossing the street anymore?? When I was a kid I was raised to understand that crossing a crosswalk was to be treated as a sprint...not a crawl. When that sign switched to this:

Then you had better get on your horse and get your butt across the street. If you didn't...then you could expect to be run down and no one would feel an ounce sorry for you.

Obviously this wasn't communicated to everyone because I constantly find myself sitting at an intersection watching some inconsiderate slug, talking on their cell phone, take their sweet time dragging their lazy carcass across the street. What's worse is when they glance your way and give you that look...you know the one...like they're daring you to hit 'em. It's tempting...soooo tempting. Invariably if you follow their path of travel across the street you'll find a mini-mart of some kind. You're likely witnessing their daily migration to the Ho-Ho, Twinkie and Big Gulp feeding grounds. You'd think the fact that there's sugary treats at the end of this journey would give them some cause to hustle a bit, but that never seems to be the case. No, they're content to step off the curb with the Walk sign and somehow manage to only move 8 feet before the Don't Walk starts flashing at them, which gives them no sense of urgency whatsoever. They will then proceed to leisurely saunter across a 4 lane highway with no care for anything going on around them. As far as they're concerned the entire world should literally come to a stop while they engage in what is likely their only physical activity for the day. The part that I find the most baffling...how can someone who is moving so slow crossing the street possibly be out of breath when they get to the other side?????

Do us all a favor and MOVE YOUR...