"Why a Spoon Cousin?"

Nough said for all those who have watched Prince of Thieves.














We got to attend my niece's birthday party. One of my favorite parts is getting to climb the pinata tree. Monkey by nature, I guess.














Another favorite part of these parties is spending time with good friends. This would be Kim and I. We went to school together, danced together in Swing Thing, and now teach together. She is as loyal a friend as they come.

We have a lot of cute pictures of the nieces and nephews. I don't dare post them without permission, but let me know if you would like emailed copies.

Weeds go Squish

Yesterday I had the "opportunity" to get the dead weeds out of my yard. There was a sick process to this that was both painful and satisfying.














Fill the truck with a bunch of weeds. In the process, make sure to poke yourself as many times as possible. Wear gloves...they don't keep you from getting jabbed, but at least you don't get it under the fingernails....most of the time.














Climb the mountain of weeds, making sure to poke yourself as many times as possible. Jump, smash, and squish the weeds as much as possible so that you can complete the next step. Wear jeans. They don't help one bit...but at least you look like you know what you are doing.


















Load the truck again, making sure to poke yourself as many times as possible. Don't worry, after the second climb your arms go numb and you won't be able to feel all of the barbs.














Scale the Arizona's version of Everest and squish the weeds, making sure to poke yourself as many times as possible. Repeat the process until you either pass out or can't squish the weeds down anymore. For my truck, this was four times.

Good luck and have fun!

Brother and Notables

I know this picture is a little crazy, but so is my brother. I got into more misadvventures with him than Chewy did with Han Solo. I often joke about how my childhood was spent trying to keep my brother out of trouble...trying to keep him alive. I had to protect him from the napalm he made himself, numerous hunting trips, crazy driving, and a lot of other incidents that I don't think I should mention. The truth of it though is that most of my childhood memories revolve around him. Rather than keeping him safe, he kept me going. He gave me a life full of excitement and friendship. He is a true friend, loyal to the utmost. (And let's face it...he put up with a lot of my craziness and survived.) My brother is the best friend a guy could have.














This is a shout out to all of the other fruitcakes who joined the family. Let's face it...you all have to be pretty crazy to deal with the Fergies. Older Sister's Husband has been a friend for years. I wouldn't give him up for a million cases of rootbeer. Their tiny one is cuter than a button and loves bowling with me. Brother's wife is a sweetheart. She always looks so happy to see me, even when she is exhausted and would rather be asleep. I really enjoyed spending time with her on Wednesday and look forward to seeing them again on Saturday. Younger Sister's husband is one of the most helpful people I know. If he isn't sleeping, he'll help you out with any car problem you have. Their three little ones are awesome and have such distinct personalities. I love all of you guys! Thanks for being a part of our madness.

Sisters

Sister Older and Sister Younger have two sides.....as the picture depicts.

Sister Older has always been my guardian angel....the white witch. In school, church, play, work, everywhere I went, she took it upon herself to take after me. We have had a lot of great times. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT....She has an evil side as well. My so caleed guardian angel was also my arch nemesis. We got in many a wrestling matches that resulted in holes and dents in the wall. The teasing went back and forth then, and still does today. I love Sister Older. She has kept me on my toes and caught me when I've fallen.

Sister Younger is one of the sweetest people in the world. Always loving and worrying about how I am doing. She has a unique ability to know that something is wrong before I start talking. Now some of that may be because I mope around like a little puppy, but I still think it is a pretty neat trick.....BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.... Sister Younger is the only person that I have seen go from good witch to bad witch in a matter of seconds. There would be many a time that the black witch would attack, screaming at the top of her lungs, only to turn into the white witch when she answered the phone. I love Sister Younger. She is a pleasant, sometimes scary, little bundle of joy.

My sisters mean a lot to me. I have always tried to be there for them...even if that meant scaring the living daylights out of them at all possible times.

Mom and Dad

I have decided that my next blogs are going to be a commentary on my family, starting with my parents. I have to tell you that I love these people. They have been my supporters for years on end, putting up with everything that I have ever dished out. Through high and low times, they were there behind me, doing whatever they could to keep my head above water. They are amazing. So without any further ado.....
(I apologize...my first image of supermom didn't load...so I replaced it.)


















My mom has been there for everything major in my life. She was the person that I confided when I had a problem in my life. She was my savior on many occasions, giving advice on everything from my school crushes to help in college. Mom is the ultimate example of never ending love. No matter what we did, and believe me we did a lot to get whooped for, she stood by us. Sometimes she stood by us with a promise that we would get it when dad got home, but she was always there to pick us up after the "punishments". With mom, you always understood why something happened the way it did. She taught us how to be ourselves, and for that I will ever be grateful. I love my mom!





















Dad was everything you could have asked for in a father. If you needed something fixed, he fixed it. If you needed a laugh, he gave it. If you wanted a friend, he was that friend. If you needed a whooping, he had two knees. He encouraged me to do my best in everything that I attempted. He taught me that if you have to work, work hard. If you have to play, play hard. Like mom, he supported me in everything I ever did, even when he didn't understand why I wanted to do such an activity. He is everything I want to be as a father myself one day, my true inspiration. I love my dad!


I meant for these entries to be funny, but I just couldn't do it. My parents mean so much to me and it is high time that I let everyone know that. Besides my wife, there is no one that I enjoy being around more...no offense meant. Mom, Dad, I love you both!


Enjoy the posts on family....the sisters are up next! (Evil Laugh)

"COPE"ing

The Copes were in Holbrook for the fourth of July and we had a blast. They rolled in on Thursday night and we yapped it up. I love talking to them as they give mostly intelligent responses! NO, we all know that I'm the one who has a hard time keeping up.
On Friday we hit the firemans barbeque, which as always was excellent. The afternoon was spent with playing "Rock Band" and getting ready for the fireworks, which are still the best in the state! Saturday Gene kicked my hind end in raquetball with Josh and James. We had a great time hanging with the ladies and even helping with invitations.
Unfortunately the Copes had to go back home and we won't see them for another couple weeks.

My Country

There have been many things in my life that I have valued, but none greater than my country. This wonderful land is truly a land of promise. We have rolling hills, steep mountains, low deserts, magnificent forests, and so much more. Our states are a source of pride, only to be superceeded by the freedom of our constitution. In short, there is no place better.

I love this country, the freedom it provides, and the ideals that we started it out with. In short, I couldn't be prouder to be American.