ABBY ROCKS!!!














So, yesterday I blogged about how much of a devil cat Abby could be....today I retract my blog.

Amy went to El Rancho with some friends, which gave me some alone time. Now, when I have alone time, it means that I am doing one of two things. I am playing video games or I am watching my guy movies. You know, blood, guts, gore...all that fun stuff. Well, Amy went to El Rancho and I came home and turned on the Tank game. If you read yesterday's blog, you will know that I blamed my ultimate defeat and death on the cat. However...I found a picture of someone playing online, and I watched their video. It was pretty impressive. I took some of the techniques I saw and applied them today.

The end result was getting to level 94...only 6 levels away from the ultimate prize of whooping the game. I had a personal best of about 475 tanks destroyed and I owe it all to the cat. If she had left me alone yesterday, I don't think I could have done what I did today.

Total time of playing....1:25 minutes on just one game. Talk about an endeavor.

(P.S. Thanks to all of you who come in and read my ramblings.)

Like a hawk, Abby watches, waiting for a chance to attack. Today I was playing one of my favorite games, Wii Play tank game. I had just passed level 55....about 257 tanks killed. I gained one more tank for beating 55 and was beginning to get my groove on, when Abby ran her fat head into my hand. The controller moved, my target moved, and I died!

Frustrated, I shut the game down and came here to blog. That darn cat!

I texted Amy, who is in a meeting, first. I let her know that I was glad she made the decisino to buy the football platter, just in case we watched the superbowl. Then I called my dad who was celebrating out at the power plant with his workbuds. He is off on Superbowl Sunday, so there will be a get together. After my wife, then my dad, I came here to tell you!

The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. I have been a Cardinals fan for more than 17 years. Some of my fondest memories were sitting down with my dad, watching football. These Sunday afternoons were huge jumping points in our relationship as we talked, yelled, laughed, and yelled some more at the television.

For those 17 years I have watched disheartened as the Cardinals have given us a glimmer of hope, but lost it as the season went on. I remember the first time they made the playoffs, since I have been a fan, back in 1998. It was during this year that I graduated and went on my mission. One of the greatest moments of my life was watching the Cardinals beat the Cowboys in the first round of the play offs. As any true Cardinals fan knows, the Cowboys are of the devil. In the MTC I got the news that the Minnesota Vikings bumped the Cardinals out of the race in the second round.

On my mission, my dad kept me informed on the progress of the Cards. I loved getting these letters, most of them starting with, "Well, the Cardinals dropped another game." It was painful, but we hung in there.

Now, the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl and I am happier than a kid in a candy store with a million bucks. In fact, I'm so happy that I'm not even mad at those fans who just joined the team this year. So, to end, Go Cards! Kick some butt in the Super Bowl. Thank you for all the great years and for many more to come!!!

A Wrap Up Poem

Till now there has not been a chance
to tell you all the song and dance
of life in Holbrook as a teacher man
nor even of a proud Cardinals fan
but in this season of love and joy
the present of time was given to a boy
another chance and another way
an opportunity to blog this day
so I submit this wrap up poem
for those who simply come here to roam

Amy and I are doing great
even though being sick seems to be our fate
I mostly blame the kids in math
who are paying me back for all of my wrath
But I am off and soon must do
the honey do list, where there are never too few
Amy has one more week of work
so during this time I cannot shirk
For the Speedie parents are coming here
to share with us there Christmas cheer

I'm excited for my Cards, the playoffs they're in
They were always my team, loss and win
for many years I have watched them falter
a couple good years that slow and halter
not since my mission, when the Cowboys they beat
have they made the playoffs or shown us much heat
but this year they give us a hope all brand new
My nails will be shorter, for when I'm nervous I chew

The cats are crazy and driving me wild
I feel like I'm dealing with an ignorant child
Abby loves to play in the Christmas tree
but only when it is dark, so I can not see
her scurry away as I get up my bed
to lay a light blow on top of her head
Arial also has energy to boot
my sleep to them has become quite moot
when I cover with blankets the top of my head
Arial jumps up to see what monster is in bed
So she'll prance and she'll dance
when given the chance
and through blankets she'll claw
till my face becomes raw
If they weren't so darn cute
they would both get the boot

So there is my wrap up, I hope you have time
to read and catch up, or cherish sublime
the words that I've typed for family and friends
to see how our life changes and bends
Enjoy the season, the cheer and the rest
and remember you're all the best of the best

Happy Holidays

Bachelor for the Night

Many times I think about what it woudl be like to revert back to my days as a bachelor. Lonely, depressed, and eating cheese off of my chest....what would I do with all that time. Tonight, I get to find out what that would be like. Amy and her friend Linda are going to Flagstaff to watch, GAG, High School Musical Three. Naturally I had something to do, so I couldn't join this, DOUBLE GAG, excursion. Cleaning my shoe laces is extremely important.


So tonight, I get to be a bachelor. I think I'll spend it in the classroom, lonely and miserable, thinking up ways to excite the kids into doing their homework. I'll then come home, eat taco bell....more than likely, and play Halo until my brain explodes. This is what my life was like before Amy, and I so appreciate her spicing up my life and giving me a wonderful reason to keep plugging along.

So, in short, tonight I am a bachelor and I'm hoping to make it through until Amy comes home and my smile comes back. Until then boredom reigns...wish me luck!

Chess State!!!

For the third year in a row, a Holbrook chess player will be competing in the state tournament. Jacob, my first board, won 4 of his 5 games in the Region Championship. He earned a 4th place spot in the region and qualified for state. I can't give you any more information on him, but if you know who Jacob is, please congratulate him!!!

Fishing with Becker

A couple years ago my Canadian dad gave me an awesome fly-fishing rod. I was really excited, as I love fishing and have always wanted to go. Unfortunately, it has been in the storage room, mainly because I haven't had a chance to go out and fish. This is Arizona, and while we do fish, we have to drive a ways to get to a spot worth going to. That is, until now.

Kat, a Canadian friend here in Holbrook, let drop that her husband, Dan, went fly-fishing. I have never been out before and had no idea how to cast, tie knots, or do much of anything that is fly-fishing. Kat told Dan, and he talked to me the next day about going fly-fishing.














I trained for about an hour on the cast, and we went to a "secret" spot close to Holbrook. The fishing was tremendous! The fish we pulled out of there were huge and plentiful, hitting on every kind of eggs, spinners, whatever you put in the water. I had a blast.

Holbrook had a water outage....yes, you read right, and cancelled school for a day. We went fishing again on the surprise day off and the fishing was once again great. In fact, you can youtube it! Maybe I'll even get it here on my blog.















It was unfortunate, on this trip, that my pole, which has seen many fish, including three large ones on my own, caught its last hog. The upper part of the pole split into three pieces and my fly-fishing is done, for now. I can't wait to splurge on another pole and go again.

A special thanks to my Canadian dad! You rock!!! I used the pole twice and will always remember it. In fact, Amy and I are probably going to hang it up in the office...thank you for your gift of the pole and, more importantly, the experience and chance to learn a new, relaxing hobby.




See more by searching for Fly Fishing Northern Arizona 2 on youtube.com!