They call it “The Great Minnesota Get-Together”. I guess that’s Minnesotan for “Epic Traffic” and much nicer than saying, “hope you don’t mind rubbing elbows (literally) with a sea of complete strangers”.
It was hyped by many locals to be the best fair in the land but I had my doubts. I tried not to go in thinking it would be the petting zoo of state fairs but c’mon people, this guy grow up in Iowa! I’m still not sure what that means…I’m not claiming that we’re more “farm” back home and therefore more qualified to put on a summer spectacle. It's been a while since I've attended the Iowa State Fair but being as unbiased as possible the home state still takes the cake (one of very few things not available on a stick).
Minnesota’s event is certainly not lacking in eatables. I avoided the pickle-sicle (um…no thanks) and the chocolate covered bacon on a stick (yeah…no). I did successfully feed myself and two young boys with one foot long hotdog, partook in some delicious roasted corn and shared deep fried Oreos with Aidan (a certified Oreo aficionado).
I will leave it at that lest I get into too many details about animal anatomical images that are still haunting two 30-ish year old men and fair goers that would make Jeff Foxworthy giggle (that XL t-shirt becoming a midriff was truly magical).
I felt like this after the Oreos...the biggest pig at the fair
Kellen loved the animals, pointing at them in wide-eyed wonder and calling out to them all in their native tongues.
Somehow while feeding Aidan a deep fried Oreo with one hand while taking a picture with the other I managed to focus on the strangers over his right shoulder. Aidan gave these treats a big thumbs up.
I had the political convention coverage on last night while Aidan was doing his “thing” (thing = his last thing of the day between Kellen's bedtime and his). He was super into his board game with his mama excitedly reporting every single move to anyone present who was not participating (which is very typical).
The only thing that was able to distract him from his game came in the form of the democratic candidate’s name coming from the television. Every time he heard it he would giggle and loudly echo "Bronco Bomb-A"!?!?
*The preceding message was not approved by either political candidate or their affiliated parties. It is not intended as an expression of support for or against a particular candidate, the Denver Broncos or the Ford Bronco.
Kellen ascended the stairs this morning wearing a pair of Aidan’s shoes (left shoe on the right foot, right on the left). He was also sporting Flo-Jo pant legs…
...and a good four inches of diaper on his bumper.
I must admit my Olympic buzz waned just a bit after the conclusion of the swimming events. I was all aflutter about the Olympics as a whole at the top (I watched my fair share of handball) but when I lost my daily anticipation of each night’s swimming showdowns I became a much more casual viewer.
I was all about the Michael Phelps saga. So much in fact that a friend accused me of having a man crush on our American swimming superman. I flatly denied that such an attraction existed and then discovered that my appreciation for his accomplishments fit the description. There was a definite admiration of his talents but it still made me a tad uncomfortable to gaze nightly at a man in a Speedo. But c’mon, the relay team out smashing the French, the 1/100th of a second victory in the 100m butterfly, seven world records and eight gold medals…how could you not be amazed?
So what’s up with gymnastics? How can a girl who sticks her landing after whirling herself through the air get knocked out of the medals by someone who falls on their arse badly or lands out of bounds twice? I understand the whole difficulty rating but risk/reward says if you go for the gold and blow it you don’t get top honors just because you tried something more difficult. I did appreciate the guy from the Netherlands spiraling to the mat off the high bar with an epic and legendary splat but you obviously reward the one who goes all out and makes it work. Thank you Dutch dude for serving yourself up for my entertainment. I wish you had caught the bar instead of the mat but I applaud the chance you took.
My fellow Iowan Shawn Johnson finally got her gold medal in the last possible event. At least she looked like she was having a good time out there rather than “looking like a gymnast”. She’s not 80% legs and not an eight year old Chinese girl but she smiles instead of looking eternally nauseous and I’m glad she was golden in the end.
An inch or two cost a second Iowan a gold in the hurdles. I can’t imagine training daily for four years, waiting for your 20 seconds of glory and dropping from first to seventh because you nudged a hurdle. I met Lolo Jones while working for NBC as a college intern. She was a high school track star and I tagged along on a story shoot…listen to me dropping Olympic names in such a casual manner. She seems now to be much the same as she was then. She was all positive energy and very kind even to the kid (though I was older than her) who was just there to listen and learn.
So ends my life with water polo and badminton at my beckoning call. I enjoyed the volleyball (beach and regular) and the basketball. Even the Jamaican Lightning Bolt embarrassing anyone who dared challenge him. I loved hearing Aidan shout “U-S-A dad! That’s my team!” I will certainly be ready in 2012 when my then eight year old son will be old enough to represent the Chinese women’s gymnastics team…really I’m not bitter.
Aidan was excited about his first ride on the water on the way to the water, nervous when we got to the water and (as you can see from the video) left wanting more after buzzing around the lake with our friend Bob.
The pictures below are from various points in our little outing to the lake. We ate at Lord Fletcher's which is a hot spot on Lake Minnetonka. The spot is a little hotter on weekend late nights but was very family friendly on an early Thursday evening.
Kellen loved the ducks and stealing Bob's french fries. We felt it best to keep him off the boat though he was fearlessly running to the water from the docking area. Aidan will undoubtedly be begging to go back as soon as he wakes up in the morning. We'll be working to acquire a more 30-pound-four-year-old friendly life vest before we make a big day of it.
Our only complaint is that we got such a late start on the boating season.
Before we headed to the lake I mapped out the route online choosing the best routes to avoid traffic and wrote out the directions. I jumped into the truck with two boys that were very happy to be escaping the house. All was well for about 15 minutes then we hit a road construction situation.
I quickly detoured knowing my friend Garmin would get me back on track. He wanted me to bump back on course using a route that was (surprise, it’s summer!) road blocked for more construction. We tooled along adjusting our route on the fly as the quick thinking “talking box” (Aidan’s term of affection for our all-knowing virtual mapster) adjusted to my decisions to ignore it at various junctures.
We rolled into the restaurant parking ahead of our eating companions acting like we drove there without incident.
Try on the fly navigation around such obstacles with a map propped on your dashboard. I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road once as Garmin’s slightly digitized voice calmly guided me from A to B (with scenic strolls through C, around D, avoiding E, F and G).
Another smooth to and fro thanks to my friend Garmin.
Why the tight new haircut? 1. We just paid to have it cut a few weeks ago and it grows back too fast. 2. This is by far the easiest styling available at the in home salon (almost typed saloon...no we weren't drinking and cutting hair).
After some close examination Kellen says the new haircut smells like a winner. If only I snapped more quickly and caught him with the tip of his nose smashed up.
Aidan and I have gotten into playing Mario Kart online with opponents from around the country and around the globe. This morning as I raced around the track with opponents from Japan, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands he noticed the Japanese racers had names spelled out with a very different alphabet than he was used to seeing. This opened up some dialogue about the different countries, people and languages of the world.
Very interesting that I jumped on the internet for the first time as a college freshman and my four year old son is getting acquainted with his world with a global lesson through his online video games.
It was shopping night tonight which always produces some interesting moments.
The first came while we were checking out at Kohl’s. Just as I was beginning to think that my contacts made me look a bit younger I was hit with a Senior Discount at the register. I heard Rachel giggling and the young cashier laughing nervously and looked up at the screen and saw my three items and SENIOR DISCOUNT in bold letters. Turns out she bumped the wrong button.
My lightning quick card swipe as I was trying to avoid the “would you like to save 10%...” spiel (before I knew what was transpiring) and her wanting to get me out of the store as quickly as possible ultimately meant she would let me walk out with an undeserved savings. I did ask her how old she thought I looked and then made sure I was being extra nice so she knew it didn't bother me at all. Total savings? About four dollars.
We also learned that just because the one year old child successfully sips his milk from a straw the first time (his very first time) doesn’t mean he won’t reverse gears and blow as hard as he can the next time he’s thirsty. It was my fault. I forgot to pack his cup before we left the house. I slurped my soda as fast as I could and give him his milk in a fountain drink cup with a straw and a lid. That did the trick.
The line of the night goes to Aidan: “Mama, why are you getting shoes that look just like shoes you already have?”. I responded with…absolute silence and attempted not to say anything with my expression. I do remember following my mother around while shopping asking “Mom do we NEED that?” every time she touched anything.
I’ve seen this several times where bloggers use their 100th post to divulge 100 things about themselves. I thought it would completely selfish of me to talk so much about myself but potentially entertaining at the same time.
If you’re a long time friend or family member feel free to play Travis the home game and jot down the things you think will appear in the list that follows. Also, feel free to read through this over the course of several months. I’m guessing it will be just as exhausting to read as it was to come up with 100 reasonably interesting things to say.
ROOTS AND FAMILY
1) I was born in Iowa. I will always call Iowa my home no matter how long I lived in Chicago, will live in Minneapolis or may reside anywhere else.
2) My family (immediate and extended) easily means more to me than any company affiliation, job title, achievement or organizational allegiance ever will.
3) I even think my in-laws are cool (and I’m not just saying that because they visit the blog).
4) My family once said a lot of nice things about me in front of a lot of people during a significant work promotion ceremony. I will never forget their kind words and wish we could all have the formal opportunity to do that for each other because we are seldom given the forum. Why not now?
5) My dad is as much my friend as my father. Sitting at Wrigley Field with him with some hot dogs and beers is as much a perfect day as anything. It’s cool to have the sports bond but even cooler to have an example that puts faith and family at the top of his list. I appreciated the fact that he has to collect himself a bit before praying before a meal when the whole family is back around the same table. I feel the same way.
6) I see my mom as a big giver. She’s involved in every committee she’s asked to join and puts helping other people in front of many of her own priorities. She tells me she’s praying for me often and I’m very appreciative. I have total confidence that she’d be at my doorstep this evening if I told her I needed her help or a rescue from anything. My loquaciousness stems from my mother.
7) I have a lot of love and respect for both of my siblings and am glad to have one brother and one sister. Of course we picked on each other as youngsters but growing up and realizing what cool people we all are is a great blessing. They are both driven and successful and they are great in the role of uncle and aunt to our boys. My hope for them is that their journey through their lives will ultimately be looked back on as absolutely satisfying.
8) I’m related to all of my heroes.
9) My dad and brother were my co-best men at our wedding.
10) My brother and I once considered starting a petition supporting Roxette’s “Joyride” as the new US national anthem. Who wouldn’t take pride in putting their hand over their heart and belting out, “Hello, you fool. I love you.”? And the unity we’d all feel with a little group whistling? Think about it…it might be worth consideration.
11) I was really hoping Aidan would be born on 2-3-04 because that would have been really easy to remember. Kellen was close to 3-5-07 which also would have been very interesting.
12) There’s no significance behind my sons’ first names but their middle names are family names. They’ve got three middle names between the two of them: Christen (an abbreviation of Rachel’s maiden name), Thomas (Rachel’s brother) and Randall (my father).
13) I have a four year old in my house who tells me he loves me hourly…and it’s not just when he wants something or is in trouble. He also gives hugs as presents.
14) I’m fearing the day when Aidan asks me what we can do and he finally agrees to my standard response of “let’s build a rocket ship out of popsicle sticks and fly to the moon!”. Outside of commencing an epic popsicle eating session I’m not sure I can back up my idea.
15) I have about 30 nicknames for my boys.
16) I miss Grandpa’s smile, Grandma’s homemade applesauce and watching Grandpa corner unsuspecting in-laws with his stories and maps.
SCHOOL DAYS
17) I was the second tallest kid in my kindergarten class and the second smallest at a high school wrestling camp (which meant I got to wrestle the smallest kid).
18) I was devastated by the lone check minus grade on my kindergarten report card. It seems I was lacking in the “can sing in tune with the group” department. I now contend that I was meant to be the lead singer and not a part of the chorus.
19) In first grade a classmate told me the new kid was funnier than me and I decided to be completely serious from that day forward. That didn’t last long and I decided I’d be who I was and love what other people were regardless of our differences or the potential competition.
20) In started wearing glasses in first grade and contact shortly after.
21) I used to ride around the country with my dad in the big rig during the summer and was confused why other kids had not been to all of the states we studied about in second grade social studies.
22) In third grade my teacher challenged my colorblindness because I could pass the encyclopedia test of finding a yellow “OX” hidden in the black dots (I’m still not sure how many people confuse those two colors). This was brought about by my pie chart indicating that ¾ of the earth was covered in water. My water section was magenta.
23) I took piano lessons for many years in grade school bookending a year or two as a percussionist in the grade school band.
24) I spent the night at my girlfriend’s house in fourth grade…of course her step brother was my best friend…and our relationship consisted of nothing more than saying “hi” to each other when we passed in the hallway…which lasted about a week…and come to think of it I don’t think any communication existed between the two of us outside of two notes that were passed requiring me to check boxes beginning and ending the relationship.
25) My move to a hockey obsessed state was foreshadowed many years ago when I sported a mullet in this grade school photo…
26) I flipped off my bicycle and visited the emergency room a week before my first week of junior high classes began. My two front teeth are not mine (I bought them…actually my parents bought them).
27) I was the lead lawyer in a seventh grade mock trial and lost because the jury sided with my opponent who cited that one witness I called was not using their real name (I decided to merge the last names of two witness who were married for the sake of the mock trial…you know, because it’s not a real trial). This was decided to be an unforgiveable offence and they apparently overlooked the fact that my opponent called to the stand a seventh grade boy posing as a dog. I’m not bitter about it or anything…just thought I’d bring it up 17 years later.
28) Seventh grade also marked the launch of my film making career as my assignment trio decided to do a video report on the Great Depression rather than write the typical paper (I just wanted to play with Grandma’s camcorder). When it came time to give an account of World War II we were told that our group would be doing another video (the teacher had shown the first project to some college professors and liked our work). Plywood + clay + paper structures + fireworks = one killer Pearl Harbor recreation.
29) I wore braces in late junior high/early high school…even had the night time head gear.
30) A high school teacher was concerned about my quietness in class and approached my mother about it. Turns out paying attention in class is cause for concern about a child’s well being.
31) Rachel and I met in high school and have been together since I was 16 and she was 15 (I got the car…then I got the girl). That’s almost half our lives.
32) I was on Student Council in high school because my friend wrote my name on the list of candidates. Being elected and finding out people saw some potential leadership qualities in me changed my outlook on what I could do tremendously.
33) My first car was a little blue Mustang. Earlier in my “driving” career I had a Smurf themed Big Wheel, a blue huffy bike and an orange 1978 Honda Express mo-ped.
That's not me, but it could be
34) I was the editor of the high school newspaper and yearbook.
35) I scored a total of four points in my one year varsity basketball career…all in the same game. I own Winterset. My senior year I chose to be lead statistician rather than sweat so much in practice just to play garbage time during blowout games. That allowed me to hang out and travel with the team and begin perfecting my obsession with collecting and analyzing statistics.
36) A friend and I once had a late night drinking party with soda. I drank a 24 pack of Mountain Dew in a 24 hour span including more than half of those before going to sleep in the early hours of the morning. Resting comfortably is very difficult when you’ve consumed more than 150 ounces of caffeinated beverages before attempting to sleep.
37) I gave up caffeinated soda years ago. Thank goodness for caffeine free Pepsi.
38) I hit a homerun to straight center field during a Labor Day softball tournament. It was my one an only over-the-fence homerun in an organized game.
39) I was so sure I was going to Iowa State or Iowa that I had my third set of ACT scores sent to the University of Guam. Having grown up a Hawkeye fan I was convinced until the day I visited Iowa State that I was going to Iowa. The day I visited Iowa State for the first time I knew I was going to be a Cyclone from that day forward.
40) I was the student speaker at my high school graduation. I was not the valedictorian.
41) I am very thankful to have gone to a private, Christian grade and high school but my faith became my own the day I walked onto a state school campus and had to decide who I was going to be for myself.
42) My Electronic Media Studies emphasis in my Journalism degree had me playing around in the TV studio and editing rooms regularly.
43) I missed all of two classes in four years of college.
44) I am six credits shy of my third degree. I have a Bachelor’s in Journalism and Mass Communications from Iowa State (minor in Religious Studies), an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management and a nearly completed Master’s in Human Resource Management from Keller.
WORKING FOR A LIVING
45) At one time I wanted to be a journalist, preacher or lawyer.
46) During the week of July 19, 1989 (the day United Airlines flight 232 crash landed in Sioux City) I started my first job which had me waking up daily at 3:30 am to deliver the Des Moines Register. I did this for several years with parental (and sometimes brotherly) assistance.
47) I successfully avoided the emergency room until someone accidentally harpooned me with a garden hoe while rouging in the fields (before detasseling corn). The accident didn’t sway my opinion that this was the worst job in the history of jobs. I would later take a water ski between the eyes which sent me back to the emergency room. Oh…and that little adventure with a kidney stone.
48) I washed the semi tractors and trailers for two Pella companies (including the ones that haul those fabulous Pella windows). I was driving the big rigs around the lot before I was even old enough to drive a car. Learning to back a 53 foot trailer into a tight spot is not easy.
49) I also worked the midnight to 8:00 shift in Pella Corporation’s window factory for a summer (one of two I worked for them).
50) In college I worked at Hollywood Video adding fuel to the fire of my cinematic appreciation. Yes I wore the tuxedo shirt and bow tie…and the cummerbund.
51) As our viewing list was restricted to music concerts and Disney movies at the video store I may have legitimately seen The Lion King more that 100 times in my life.
52) While in college I also interned and later freelanced for the sports department of the NBC television station in Des Moines, Iowa.
53) While covering the Iowa Caucuses (freelancing for a DC news service) I was patted down by then Vice President Al Gore’s Secret Service (and sniffed by their dogs). I was also in very near proximity to current President George W. Bush and Bill Bradley sought me out and shook my hand (I’m guessing he really wanted to make sure he looked good in our report).
FUN AND GAMES
54) ESPN launched on my birthday when I was very young which is very appropriate and also odd that they would create an all sports network just for me knowing very well that my parents did not have cable at the time.
55) I’m obsessed with fantasy football…all year round. I’m intensely researching, analyzing and planning leading up to the season and wrapped up in it during the season (I’m even strategizing during the offseason).
56) I’m no slouch at fantasy baseball either winning my league championship in both of my first two years of playing. I’m leading my league again this season hoping for the trifecta of titles.
57) Yes I am a huge statistical nerd.
58) I pledge my sports allegiance to the Iowa State Cyclones (my alma mater). I’m cardinal and gold…Cy’s my guy…I will fight with might for Iowa State…all of that good stuff. You can switch cites and switch pro teams (I won’t) but my degree says I’m a Cyclone.
59) I pledge my sports allegiance to the Chicago Bears. My first memories of pro football involve Da Bears. The first Super Bowl I remember was Chicago and New England after the 1985 season and Walter Payton is still my favorite all time athlete in any sport.
60) I pledge my sports allegiance the Chicago Cubs. I’m not a long suffering fan. I found out my grandfather was a Cubs man and after finding myself discussing the Cubs with my dad more than I talked about my own team I decided as a Chicago citizen it was time to join the movement. Please let this be the year for all of those who have lived and died (some many years ago) with their Cubbies.
61) I once racked up more “kills” than anyone in a large group playing laser tag only to find out my colorblindness had me shooting all of my teammates. I was not invited to play again in the second round and decided for the sake of my friendships to dismiss myself from further competition.
62) In college I won a modified game of Capture the Flag that involved water guns. I was wielding the world’s smallest water pistol (many of my opponents had purchased expensive Super Soakers) and I captured the flag. Nothing beats a two hour slow crawl around the parameter and sneaking up from behind the unsuspecting keeper of the flag.
63) I won an intramural championship at Iowa State. I was one-third of the greatest three-man volleyball team in the history of all mankind. I can introduce you to two other people who believe that.
64) I was at this game and saw this amazing play…
TRAVIS' TRAVELS
65) White water rafting down the Arkansas River in Colorado is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.
66) I love the mountains.
67) A man who makes $1.5 million a year once fed me Key Lime pie while I was lounging poolside at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. I was sunning and without my glasses while he was sharing with some fellow co-workers so he served me.
68) I’ve been out of the US three times…honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean, a trip to the Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas, vacation in Mexico.
69) Rachel and I took a nap in a hammock on one of islands of the Blue Lagoon (where they filmed Gilligan’s Island). It was perhaps the most peaceful moment of my life.
INTERESTS AND FAVORITES
70) Am I obsessed with U2? I love music and I’ve got a big collection from my favorite band…all the official stuff and a lot of extras have found their way to me in one way or another. Rachel has suggested U2 Anonymous but I’m not exactly working actively to give it up.
71) I could live on Twizzlers. Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are a favorite treat but I can easily eat a whole bag of licorice in a short amount of time if the two of us are left unsupervised.
72) If I win the lottery (which would require me to play the lottery) I’m building a restaurant in my basement that serves Papa John’s pizza, Chick-fil-A sandwiches, Taco Johns Potato Oles, Bakers Square Chicken Cheddar Bacon Melts and the Chicken Fajita Quesadilla’s from Chili’s (and Chili’s pizza for Aidan).
73) My favorite color is blue. There’s a lot of blue in my closet.
CONFESSIONS
74) I loved the show A.L.F…even had the little stuffed A.L.F.
Now that was some quality television
75) I’m also comfortable enough with my manhood to say I had a Cabbage Patch doll when I was a kid. He had glasses like me and his name was Abe Kirk.
76) When I was young I stole a five cent piece of Bazooka bubble gum from the store. I felt so guilty I told them to keep the change on several return visits. I probably paid three dollars for that piece of gum before finally accepting change from them again
77) I was once a member of one of those CD clubs under five different names. I would get free CDs for signing up a friend and free CDs for my friend (who was me).
78) I enjoy sophisticated films like “Tommy Boy” and “Dumb and Dumber”.
79) I still play video games. I need to stay sharp enough to compete with my kids.
MY WISH LIST
80) I’d like to be able to play the guitar.
81) I’d like to skydive (bungee jumping seems like an invitation for whiplash).
82) I’ve been snow skiing once and would really like to do that again (I was not too swift in my first try). I consider myself a solid water skier and enjoy it a great deal.
83) I want to dive from one of those Olympic platforms (assuming I suddenly know how to flip, spin and hit the water correctly so I don’t knock myself out with the world’s most horrendous belly flop).
84) Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about pudding pops. Can we get those back?
RANDOM FACTS
85) If I was born a girl my name would have been Kelly.
86) My lucky number is 7 as my full birth date is full of sevens. I don’t believe in luck and I have an odd number phobia that means I both fear and embrace the seven.
87) I once had a lot of stuffed penguins…actually I still have them but they all live in a tub in the garage.
88) I will call anyone dude…that’s right dude, you too.
89) I once jammed 100 marshmallows in my mouth.
90) I would grill in the rain or snow…and I have.
91) My brain is filled with song lyrics.
92) I can’t sleep with socks on and I require two pillows.
93) I was the president of my fifth grade class (for one month), my high school senior class, my college fraternity (Alpha Kappa Lambda) and the Wheaton CRC deacons.
94) I know the Greek alphabet and took three years of Spanish.
95) I’m an internet junkie. I love having a world of information at my finger tips.
96) I’m a night owl and typically operate on six hours of sleep.
AND FINALLY…
97) I don’t get embarrassed which is why I have no issue recounting awkward moments for the amusement of others. I will gladly serve myself up for laughter if I feel it will entertain someone…anyone.
98) I Peter 3:15 is my go to verse. My hope and confidence are rooted in my faith that I am where I am supposed to be and will ultimately be where I need to be regardless of my current circumstances.
99) I wish I could get paid to write and make videos but I’m having a blast doing it here for the amusement of my friends and family. Thanks for being a part of the blog!
100) After putting this together and sorting it out (not all in one sitting) I feel like I need a nap.
I’m in the midst of my football Christmas. It comes every year at this time and even though I’m excited to watch my Cubbies march through the summer on their way to a World Series I’m ready for some football.
Every August I huddle around my laptop with 13 of my closest football friends and we draft our fantasy teams for the upcoming season. It’s the culmination of weeks of preparation and we now enter our ninth season together. Our traditional league draft comes up a week from Sunday and has become a source of great entertainment. This year several of us decided to also launch a hardcore football guys’ dynasty league. It began with a four hour online auction last weekend to build our teams featuring players we get to keep forever unless we should choose to wheel and deal with our league mates (which we can now do all calendar long).
I'm the Commissioner of my own football kingdom
This week also saw the release of the 20th edition of Madden Football (keeping grown men playing video games for two full decades). It is a traditional birthday gift from my mother who gave me the go ahead to pick it up a few weeks early. I’ll be toning my skills a bit in the evenings (currently interrupted by my Olympic obsession) before the season begins and I can really dig in.
This year also marks the second straight season of seeing my beloved Bears live. A friend and I bought a five game package of Viking tickets just so we could cheer on our guys. I’ll soon be headed back to Iowa State for a game as well attending with Aidan for the very first time.
Monday while the boys were napping my alarm clock went off at the strange hour of 1:00 in the afternoon. Confused as to why such a thing would happen at such a time I walked toward the bedroom with a furrowed brow. Did one of the boys flip the switch when they were in our room?
But why would I have even set the alarm for that time of day? The only time I’m sleeping in the afternoon is during the occasional Sunday nap and our alarm to wake up in those situations comes in the form of a four or one year old voice announcing nap time is over. The alarm woke Kellen up…and his cannonball onto Aidan’s bed soon after had them both up.
I thought nothing more of it until last night when I went to bed and the clock read 5:30. I do stay up late but I was pretty sure it was 12:30 and not dangerously close to my wake up call (that would have been big trouble). My suspicion that small hands had messed with my alarm clock was all but confirmed.
The household authorities are currently on the lookout for one particular suspect. He is a few inches shy of three feet tall and about 30 pounds with chubby cheeks and big brown eyes.
I had to drop the video quality down to fit the file size within the legal limits. If you want a DVD quality version you'll have to wait for the "Best of Aidan" DVD.
If you are not familiar with the band here's what we were going for...
Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums): Joshua Tree era sporting sleeveless shirts and spiked hair.
The Edge (guitar): Recent eras with the cap (numbered shirts specific to the Elevation tour).
Adam Clayton (bass):PopMart tour orange with interesting eye wear.
Bono (vocals): Recent eras with his trademark shades.
When else can you watch an Indonesian woman beat her German counter part in badminton, US women’s basketball, men’s cycling, women’s volleyball (Italy v. Russia) and women’s soccer (China v. Canada) all before noon on a Saturday? Three years and 50 weeks out of four years I’m not all that interested in watching people run, lift weights, ride horses or kayak but it gets interesting during the Olympiad.
We watched the opening ceremonies last night and it was quite impressive. For my money though I still like the Spaniards going “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in the torch lighting ceremony (video below).
It's interesting to see the parade of nations and giggle at the wardrobe choices (seriously Hungary, what were you all thinking?). The traditional marching in of the athletes also allows you to scope out which no-chance nation you'll be pulling for. If one of the two participants from Chad wins a medal I'll be all smiles.
It was nice to wake up and find the US women had swept the medals in saber putting the US in the overall medal lead. I was bursting with national pride and then went to Google to confirm that saber was indeed a form of fencing.
Now if the 100m dash is all it’s been hyped to be, Michael Phelps wins eight golds, Iowans Shawn Johnson (women’s gymnastics) and Lolo Jones (hurdles) win their events and Athlete A or B from Chad find the medal stand my Olympic viewing life will be complete.
I’m sitting here with my new contacts in wondering if I’m simply adjusting to life without the spectacles again or if I put them in the wrong eyes today. Yesterday the return of lenses to my ocular surfaces had me walking around bugged eyed for quite a while. The drive home was fun as I felt them with every glance in a peripheral direction. Today I do not notice them as much…except for the feeling (or perhaps the paranoia) that they are not in the correct eyes. I do feel at the age of 30, I should be able to handle getting them in the correct side of the case at night and back in the appropriate eyes the next day.
I'm feeling a little bit like this today
I started wearing contacts long ago (we’re talking first grade-ish) and my eyes decided they weren’t playing that game anymore a couple years ago. I’ve gotten use to my glasses and the way I look in them but I did decide to give it another whirl when I got my eyes checked recently. I’m hoping to give my dazzling blue eyes (they may or may not be dazzling…I just thought that would be a fun adjective) more exposure to the world and wishing for a comfier experience this time. I had them in for three and a half hours yesterday and considered that a victory for Day One.
The last time around I had the tiny gas permeable type where I could pop them on the lower part of my eye and nudge them up to the center. Now I’ve got the soft lenses where I need heavy scaffolding to prop my eyes open long enough for me to poke myself directly in the center of my eyeballs. At least the sting I felt many moons ago when trying contacts on for the first time is not an issue.
My hope is that the disappointment in felt in Mexico two years ago when my snorkeling attempt with glasses failed (tough to suction a mask over your glasses) will not need to be experienced again. I’d like to be able to swim without doing it blindly (or with water spotted glasses). Heck, maybe there’s even a water park in my near future or the simple pleasure of feeling cool while wearing a pair of sunglasses again (never got the prescription type).
So I’ll be working on getting used to these things once again. If you happen to see a picture of me in the near future and I look like I’m in a constant state of surprise you’ll know I’m not quite there yet.
Yup, this was pretty much me yesterday... ...hopefully it will pass soon
I was reminded this weekend of a free music site that I’ve been using for a while now. I have apparently neglected to share the love but Cousin Tasha has discovered it just as I was introduced to it about a year ago.
The site allows you to create you own online radio stations (no commercials!). Type in an artist or song you like and it will continuously play songs according to your tastes. It will begin playing songs from your selected artist, similar artists and songs, the bands that influenced your favorites or new artists that have been influenced by them, etc. You can then vote for each song as it plays (if you choose) giving your approval or forever banishing the songs you don’t want to hear from your personal airwaves. The system learns and remembers your personal preferences.
I’ve currently got eight stations at my disposal and I love hearing the stuff I like and discovering new songs and artists I didn’t know about without enduring the junk I don't care for.
Also…
I picked up the new Third Day album that released this week. Third Day is one of two bands that will get my purchase no questions asked so any review I would give them is completely biased. The long trek home from Chicago with sleeping passengers allowed me to give the disc four full listens yesterday. I’m liking the overall product very much and really like a good number of the songs on their own.
And finally…
I feel super cool when I know someone personally who is in a band that has an actual CD out. This has been the case four times before and will soon be the case again. My former workmate, good friend and all around great guy Brian is involved in a band that is pressing their first album this week. I’ve been listening to their stuff online and have been promised a copy of the CD which excites me and has me feeling very insider-ish.
Kellen’s not always the type to willingly play in the nursery while his parents head into the Sunday service. That means when we travel to see family and friends he’s likely to sit with us as we desperately try to entertain him as quietly as possible while bribing him with Cheerios to keep him from squawking.
As we were discussing this past weekend, we made a major error in this attempt over the 4th of July weekend in Iowa. I remember it being very quiet (during prayer perhaps?) when we handed Kellen a book to keep him quiet. The book that was grabbed from the diaper bag was his animal book…the one he’d been using to practice his animal sounds. The peace in the church was soon broken by a one year old boisterously unloading a…MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
We wisely left that book out of sight this past weekend.
Nothing is better than…sleeping in your own bed…without additional visitors.
In the hotel over the weekend it was difficult to get both boys to go to sleep simultaneously and on time which meant putting Aidan on the pull out couch to drift into sleepiness while a very distracted Kellen stayed up way too late before finally succumbing to slumber in the bed between us. We would then put Kellen in his portable crib and move Aidan to the bed because he’s a roller and we didn’t want him falling out in the middle of the night. That shuffling of the sleeping kids kept Aidan from bouncing off the floor but meant he was twisting and rolling between us all night. All of these things plus the fact that any other bed is simply not your bed makes the act of trying to rest comfortably a difficult task. Alas we were more interested in what we got to do and who we got to see than the minor inconvenience of not sleeping in our own beds.
The weekend was great and the “not at home” sleeping will hardly be remembered. We got some additional hang out time with Andrea and Dave (Happy Anniversary!) on Saturday night and Aidan got to pick where we ate…which means we ate at Chili’s. Sunday we headed back to our church in Wheaton and it was great to see all of the familiar faces. We had a chance to chat and spend some time with friends before heading back to wrap things up playing at the park (below) and DQ’ing before bedtime.
Monday we all visited Ms. Sherri and the kids from Aidan and Kellen's former daycare. They boys got to run around with their buddies and lunch with them before we headed for home.
The drive between Chicago and Minneapolis is not too bad but certainly longer (seven hours) than the Iowa to Chicago/Iowa to Minneapolis drives (four to five hours) we trek along when we visit home. Big naps from the sleepy trio in the middle seat allowed me to drive along with my tunes and licorice navigating road construction and ignorant drivers in peace.
I’m feeling fully decompressed and rested from the journey this morning and ready devote my day to cleaning up our travel mess and entertaining Aidan who is already begging for something to do.
Growing up I always found it quite amusing that the zoo had a section of farm animals. I guess I did not realize that not every child had an uncle or two with all of these animals available for viewing at anytime. Cows, pigs and the like were not the zoo, they were any day on the family farm. Of course if you don't have access to the farm these animals are just as exotic and rarely spotted as the lions, tigers and bears. That's the difference between growing up in Iowa against suburban Chicago or Minneapolis.
A former workmate of mine talked often of taking his son to the Cosley Zoo in the western burbs of Chicago. I decided to take the boys today along with Aunt Andi and Uncle Buv (that's Andrea and Dave) while Rachel was at her work function.
The zoo was predominantly those previously mentioned rural animals but for two boys who have grown up in suburban Chicago and Minneapolis (many miles away from their great uncle's farms) it was a hit.
I posted some photos below so Kellen can watch and spout out the appropriate noises.
Incidentally the rabbit shown is easily the largest I've ever seen.
Recap of the family-of-four-unloads-all-their-belongings-into-a-hotel-room of last evening:
1. Check in and turn the boys loose in the room after a sizable car ride.
2. Boys bounce off walls, climb things, canvass every square inch of the room in 15 seconds.
3. I stroll through the lobby with load one and manage to bump the emergency call button in the elevator with my massive load of bags. I inform Eric that it is not an emergency situation.
4. I return to the room for the first time to find Kellen has already placed a call to the front desk, Guam or room 134...not sure which. Aidan is jumping from corner to corner on his new king-sized trampoline.
5. I stroll through the lobby and back (and the elevator) without incident but people are starting to notice me now.
6. I return to the room a second time to find Kellen changing the time on the clock radio...the music is blaring.
7. Third trip to and fro. I'm that guy with all the junk (arms full of toys this time).
8. I return to the room for a final time to find the boys have torn down the shower curtain, tied up their mother and have purchased 82 pay-per-view movies with the remote...o.k. that part's not true but it would have been really funny.
Kellen loved the animals, pointing at them in wide-eyed wonder and calling out to them all in their native tongues.
I'm the 
