Farewell, Vancouver

We love the Olympics in our house. It's always with a bit of sadness that we watch the closing ceremonies. The Winter Games are my favorite so it's been a wonderful couple of weeks. There have been so many great stories, great competitions, and Vancouver has been a great host. Now that they're over, we can catch up on American Idol, 24, Survivor, Modern Family, and about 5 other TV shows. And let's not forget March Madness! What a great time of year.

Beefy T

There's a new hamburger joint in town called 'Hamburger Heroes'. We paid a visit tonight. This is the first thing you see when you walk in the door and it's quite possibly the coolest-shirt-ever. They don't sell the shirts there, but they'd make a fortune around here if they did.

Target Practice

Just dropped A1 off at a school dance. The girls are out shopping. So, after pulling in the garage, I still had room to throw some darts. Ahhh....me time.

Birthday hour

At 6:15P...

At 7:15P...

Geographic riddle

The house is busy tonight! I had to work late. Got home in time to enjoy an authentic Mexican dinner imported from Salina (we got connections!), had the Olympics on the TV, OSU Cowgirls vs. Texas on the computer, and geography on the table. I helped Andrew study for a test tomorrow over South Africa. We know the countries (Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Namibia, etc.) and their features (Cape of Good Hope, Mozambique Channel, etc.). When I help him study, I create ways to help him remember where things are and what they're called. We had the most fun with my question, "What do you call a hairy desert?" (wait for it.....) The Kalahari Desert, of course! He's gonna ace that test!

Crazy Love

Had an enjoyable evening tonight. Got to do something that we don't get to do very often. We went out with other adults for dinner and a movie, without the kids, to celebrate Sara's birthday a little early! I know...most of you do that every week, but as busy as we are with our kids' activities, this is a real treat for us. We enjoyed the best pizza in town (and you'll never get me to think any different) from The Back Alley and then went to see 'Crazy Love'. The music (think outlaw country/Waylon Jennings style) was good. The story was good, too. Not knowing much about the movie going in, I was pleased coming out. We need to do this more often!

Visualizer

I edited the last mix for the Kapaun Pom Squad tonight. This was the Senior Mix where, I'm guessing, the seniors perform their final routine. I've been doing this for several years and have never seen the girls perform to any of these edits. Would like to see that sometime. Listening back to the final edit, I watched it with the visualizer option on. There's just enough red in the design to allow me to tie this in to the KU game that's on TV right now. The Jayhawks are handing it to the Oklahoma Sooners tonight. Hey...they're #1 for a reason. And that reason is awesomeness...and amazingicity...and incredibleism. It's hard to argue with adjectives like those.

Flaming Hot Trumpet Licks

If Andrew were to write about this picture, he would say, "Andrew being awesome playing trumpet by the fire...amazingly." But he's not writing about the picture. I am. And I'm going to tell you that he feels a little slighted that Amber has been getting more face-time than he has on the blog, so he graciously posed for this picture (he was practicing his trumpet anyway) to ensure that he made an appearance. It looks like an album cover. Look for it soon at a music store near you. Not available on 8-Track...yet.

Soothing Sounds

Andrew had an old mp3 player laying around that he doesn't use since he got his Zune, so he gave it to his sister. It holds more music than Amber's does now, so we loaded it up with some of her favorites. She hasn't made a noise in nearly an hour. So we're able to watch the OSU Cowgirls WBB team play Baylor without fielding questions like "what if it were a million degrees below zero and there was a zebra knocking on the door" or "what would you do if someone made you shoes made of gold but it was fake". Yeah...that's what we gotta deal with. You gotta be smart to be a parent. Study up, kids!

anoroC

Friday night and there's nothing on our schedule. NOTHING! It's been a very long week. Tonight, we made the return to Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. And tonight, I decided that it is probably my choice Mexican restaurant to dine at. El Azteca changed their style up and it's not as good...but still decent. So tonight was a return to the familiar, a return to happiness, a return to freedom, a return to nothingness. Here's to nights of nothing to do but reunite with the DVR. Oh TiVo, how I've missed you.

Good game

Tonight was A2's last basketball game of the season. They were playing for 3rd place but were matched up against a group of older girls who easily placed our younger girls in 4th. Either way, I'm proud of how she played this season. She's a real defender and is beginning to understand the game. I'm already excited to see how she'll improve between now and next season. But, she's going to take a well-deserved break from sports until the summer when softball begins. Good game, Amber! Good game!

Football and refreshments

Tonight was a public meeting with the new high school football coach we're getting for next season. The guy is on fire for the game. He has a passion for the sport and a huge desire to instill that passion and commitment in the kids he coaches. It looks like it could be a good year.

There were snacks afterward. The green tablecloth is killing me! It messed with my cellphone camera enough so that it didn't pick up the awesome contrast of the red drinks. But I get what they were trying to achieve here. Green represents the football field. Duh.

4/4 Time

It's Fat Tuesday. We had Italian food for dinner. Is that so wrong? When we got home, A2 serenaded us with the song "Indian Boy" while Sara and I watched snowboarding on the Olympics. I really have no idea how all of this is connected, but that's what happened. We're a pretty diverse group.

Pink, Yella, Goldenrod

There's been lots of color in my life lately. Denim, Pink, Yellow & Black, and now this. Sorry about the blurry shot. The cellphone doesn't have any micro skills whatsoever. So maybe you could just squint a little and imagine a 3-colored rainbow made of paper. Sara's office sorts three different colors of paper for something or other, and they do it all by hand. (Wasn't there an industrial revolution in the 1800's when they began inventing machines for this type of work?) Well, A2 accepted the chore which means Mom & Dad get to help. Meticulously sorting reams of paper piece by piece was never so much fun...and it's still not.

Yellow & Black Attack

It has been a basketball week around here. The end of the season tournament for A1, tournament play for A2, OSU Cowgirls fall in an upset, and the Wichita State Shockers MBB team barely eek out a victory against the Missouri State Bears. WSU won 66-64. My office was the corporate sponsor of the game tonight. I took A1 and a couple of his buddies. It was my first Shocker Men's basketball game, and my son's first college men's basketball game ever! EVER!!! (Am I failing as a father?) I'm not sure the guy behind me understood how the game of basketball works because he kept asking a lot of questions. Questions like, "Are you kidding me?", "Hey, ref! What part of Missouri are you from?", "Where's the foul?", "How do you miss that shot?", and "Are you an idiot?". I don't think he got any answers, but here's hoping he walked away with a better understanding of the game.

Pretty in Pink

At the Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech WBB game in Stillwater. A pretty decent crowd in attendance but not much to cheer about, unless you're a Texas Tech fan. The Cowgirls had a tough night...didn't win.

It was "Think Pink" night, when coaches, players and fans are encouraged to wear pink to raise breast cancer awareness at the games, across campuses and throughout communities. (Yes! Pink & Orange! Delicious!) Tonight, coaches wore pink ties, some had pink shoes or pink shirts. Players either had pink uniforms, pink shoelaces or pink headbands. The officials were even using pink whistles! Now, if we could just get Pink to sing the national anthem or for halftime entertainment! Oh well. At least we had Holly Rowe from ESPN sitting in front of us.

Behind me was "Marky Mark and the Get Fresh Crew" all decked out in pink. They're smiling because at 7:15P, things hadn't gone too far south yet.

Denim

Sitting in a gymnasium watching 2nd grade girls basketball. My lower left leg is resting on my right thigh. There you have it. Thrilling.

Tournament Time

Guess where I am? A1 finished tonight. His team lost by 3 for 2nd place in the championship game. Great game...tough loss. A2 started her tournament tonight. She won and played as tough a defensive game as I've seen any elementary girl play. She is gonna be a MONSTER on the court! She moves up the bracket and plays tomorrow night. This scene is going to look mighty familiar over the next month. Once she is done, then we have Big XII play following the OSU Cowgirls. I'm not complaining, though. I love this time of year.

As for this photo, I like the line structure and how they collide and bend and soar and move. Not one human in the picture, but there's all sorts of action.

Deep Dish

Parent-teacher conferences were this week. A1 & A2 both had good reports. So we went out to eat at the newly-remodeled pizza place in town. Deep dish is always better when you dine-in.

A Night at the Theater

The Broadway tour of The Wedding Singer is in town. Sara and I enjoyed a night out at Century II where the musical is housed for a couple of days. Pictures of the cast and set were not allowed so I snapped this shot on our approach to the venue, which happened to be at 7:15PM. There were lots of references to and inside jokes from the '80's that gave us plenty to talk and laugh about on the way home. I could totally do that decade again. Oh...and thanks to this couple who sat behind us for not kicking our chairs.

Electric Neon

Description forthcoming. Check back. It's late. I'm tired. This can wait. Hey, at least the picture is posted, right?

UPDATE - Once a month (sometimes twice), Sara has meetings she has to attend as part of her job description. That means the kids and I go out to a restaurant that rhymes with Tangles but starts with Sp. This tradition started when she would have a hair appt. after work. The kids and I went out to "Dine with Dad" and they chose a place that "Mom" would not probably choose. So, when she has to work, that's where we go. I like how you can see the neon from the ceiling reflecting in the glass case this guitar is encased in. And, if you look carefully, you can see up Marilyn Monroe's dress. An unintentional thrill.

Super Bowl XLIV

Doing what everyone else in America is doing. Watching the big game, sure...but also wondering why The Who was hired for the halftime show. Wasn't Springsteen bad enough? It must've been the CBS/CSI connection. I'll give them this. Their light show was cool! Dear Janet Jackson, All is forgiven.

Old Fashioned Candy - Triple Shot

It's been all basketball all day and no one felt like cooking. We still had a gift certificate to use that we got from good friends in Nashville for Christmas (Thanks, Finch's!) so Cracker Barrel became our destination. A1 and I always enjoy perusing through the candy section and looking at candy through the decades. Presentation is everything, and Cracker Barrel has nailed it. They were even handing out samples of chocolate Hershey bars in wrappers resembling those from the 1920's or 1930's. The kids both like the wax bottles and Bit O' Honey. Honestly, there's not much to not like here. We nearly ruined our dinner just standing around waiting to be seated. Awesome!

Girls game

A2 has been at a dance clinic all week and tonight, they performed at half-time of the boys high school basketball game. She had to be there early to prepare, so Sara and I enjoyed watching the high-school girls battle it out against Goddard. Goddard won. OSU's Lindsey Keller would be proud.

Board Meeting

Talkin' baseball at the monthly board meeting for the youth program. Here we are listening to a presentation from a photographer who wants to be the official guy for our league. Tonight we also firmed up registration dates and tournament dates for the new season.

Work station

Dubbing off A1's basketball games to DVD...in chronological order...in real time...where the shortest game is 40-minutes...and there are 25 games in the season...dubbing status: 15 down, 10 to go...currently on disc 4...shooting video of two more games before the tournament starts on Saturday...I love basketball, but...

See? We got friends!

It's true! They don't make many appearances here on the blog, but we are surrounded by great friends. And here's proof! These are two wonderful people right here. Meet Michelle and her oldest daughter, Callie. Their family enjoys Mexican cuisine as much as we do, especially when it's at El Azteca. Poor Callie...her social life and extra-curricular calendar is so full that she's never been able to visit the place herself. She's only been treated to take out. Sure, the food is still tasty, but she was missing the Aztec atmosphere. So tonight, the planets aligned just right and the constellations arranged themselves in special shapes so that their family and ours had nothing going on. NOTHING!!! So we filled that void with food...and lots and lots of queso blanco. MANNA! Callie was pleased enough with her experience tonight that it may warrant a repeat visit when the next night of nothingness rolls around.

Counting pennies

Amber's class is collecting coins for the local Pennies for Patients campaign. Individual classes raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by collecting spare change, bills, and checks. Each school runs a three-week campaign in hopes of becoming one of the top fundraising schools in Kansas. Classes compete against each other with fun activities such as: Kick-Off Assemblies, Penny Wars, Bake Sales, Spirit Days, and Online Fundraising. The top classroom of each participating school will be awarded with a Pizza Party. So, Amber made this collection jar for our family to donate any spare change we might have and carefully labeled it "Pennies for Patients mony". She loves to help others. She even donated some of her own money! What could I do? I took the change from the cup-holder in my car and donated to the cause.