Trick or Treat

The First Two Weeks

I have been too busy. That is not excuse. But it is time to catch up. My baby is already over a month old. I am learning how to best operate my Video Camera and use the editing software, so things my get a little out of hand soon.
But here are a few moments from her first 2 weeks of life. I don't know how I picked these, out of the thousands it seems, but here is a look at Makenna's first two weeks.This is probably one of my favorites.


No, we did not adopt an asian girl.
Yes I change diapers. However, not too many. Usually only about 2 per day. I am glad they don't stink yet!!!

It looks like she is from the hood.

This is how be both feel after a long hard morning at church on Sundays.

I will post some next time of how she looks now. It is amazing how much her looks have already changed. She is looking more like a person every day!!!

Mother In Law

If I wasn't so against video or music that automatically played when you go to a blog, I would have had Ernie K Doe's 1961 hit Mother in Law playing right now on this post. When was the last time you had an Ernie K Doe reference?
Well my wife and I have been married for over 6 1/2 years. And I have never had an in-law visit...until now. I was going to make all the kinds of generic jokes that go along with the mother in law, Everybody Loves Raymond style. But after seeing my mother in Law break down in tears after finally getting to come visit us, realizing that she missed her daughter's wedding, anything that happened in the last 7 years, and the birth of her first grandchild, I can't do that. Not even in good fun. I would post a picture of her holding Makenna, but I am not aloud as the only ones taken so far were after 24 hours of flights and airports and were not up to standard according to the Mother in Law.
So, as soon as she leaves, I am devoted to editing video and downloading pics of Makenna. Because I now realize, the very few that read my blog...that is all you want to see anyway.

Long Time

I am writing on my computer, in my mostly assembled office. We have our new house, new baby (well most babies are new) and are trying to figure out life. I have a lot to say, and not sure exactly where I should start. I think I will just share a little bit at a time over the next few weeks.

ADVICE TO EVERYONE ON EARTH: Never try and move the same day you have your first child. It is quite exhausting.

Here is a funny pic. Liege is signing closing documents on our new house. I wonder how many closings take place in the postpartum rooms in hospitals?

I have had my new camcorder out quite a bit and am learning how to use it and ready to start going crazy. It is pretty sweet. It is 160GB and can record forever in standard definition and almost 10 hours in HD. I have video of Makenna right after she entered into the world, but due to numerous boobie shots of my wife, you won't be seeing it on Youtube anytime soon. One project that I have started is a video for Makenna. I shot a little private confessional for her after we got home. I plan on adding to it at every "significant" part in her life and giving it to her on her wedding day (hopefully that day never comes). You will not see any footage, it is going to be just for her. I don't think I will even mention it anymore.

That is it for now, because I hate long posts. I am sure Liege will be writing the details of her birth soon. She is busy being the best mommy ever!

Last Blog Post

This will be my last blog post for awhile. As you can see here, there are two pretty big things going on. They just might colide and create the "perfect storm." Combine the moving with having a kid, add in a little church work and coaching football and we come to my craziest month ever!!! Yes I know, I did it to myself (except that...that I did to her). So the next blog post you will probably see (because I am taking apart my computer and network for moving tomorrow) will be me holding my little girl. Sleep tight blog world. I shall return shortly.

Wreck Class

I write this from San Diego (a whale's vagina), or San Di-Ahh-Go. I am teaching a PADI Wreck Specialty class. If you have talked to me about diving you know I am in it for the wreck diving. The class is going good. Good divers, and good people. 3 of our 4 dives are on the HMCS Yukon. It is a Canadian destroyer sunk as part of San Diego's "wreck ally" artificial reef project. Sometimes artificial reefs do not have all of the mystique as a "real" wreck. But they are still pickin cool and are great for training as many of the hazards have been removed prior to sinking. The pic is of the Yukon before finding its resting place 100 ft below the surface.

Christmas Musical

Kid's Christmas Musicals are a big deal around New Cov. 100 kids or so working hard over 12 weeks to put on a great show with a great message. The reason they are so big is because a kid being involved in something like this will invite every person they come into contact with (neighbors, family, teachers, friends). Many people will cross the doors of a church to watch a kid they know in such a production that otherwise would have never entered a church. The thing is, the kids will bring home the message of Christ strong, backed up by the Pastor and his short message. So all of the hard work is always worth it. The bad news is last year I decided to have a live band, and now there is no going back. That makes it 3 times as much work. Well this year after listening to over 40 musicals (most of them poorly written), we will be doing "The Christmas County Spelling Bee" by Cyleste Clydesdale. Mark you calendars for Dec. 7. Now it is time to go and get to work.

FUN

Sunday I am going diving. It will be my first dive in a VERY long time that has no mission. I am not teaching a class, I am not taking a class. It will be diving for the reason I love diving. Have fun, look at some amazing creations. I know I will probably end up teaching a class, but as of this moment my only mission is to have fun. We are diving with the sundiver (pictured above) that leaves out of Long Beach and dives sites accessible only by boat around Catalina. This summer has been so busy. It almost gone and it flew by. I have done so many "little" things and have been constantly busy. I need to try and slow down, but it's not going to happen. Between moving, having a baby, doing something new a church, real work, teaching SCUBA, and whatever else I have coming up, I am going have to be very intentional with my time. I need to have a throw away day soon and be completely lazy so I can get ready for all of the things to come.

Blog Drought

So I have been some what of a blog drought. It isn't that I haven't had anything blogworthy, I just haven't been motivated to blog it. Last week I took an amazing Open Water SCBUA class to Catalina. The class was fun, a big class (13), but a very fun class. August in Catalina is great, water temp 74, and was a great trip. I have had some amazing meals and amazing wines but didn't blog those either.
So I will take you to my week this week. I have been busy everyday, try and have a decent dinner, then around 10pm I crank up the TIVO and watch olympics until about 3am. Olympic time gets me all juiced up. And this is why I am a bad person. I don't want our athletes to win, I want them to embarrass the competition. I draw dirty looks from my wife when I yell "FALL ON YOUR FACE" when a little 12 year old Chinese girl (yeah, I said 12) is doing her uneven bars routine. I get a little "homosexual" as my wife likes to remind me with my passion for the girly sports (gymnastics, diving), but I am right there to root for the manly ones as well!!!
My wife called me man pregnant because of my higher than usual emotions during these Olympic games. I proved her point as a tear fell from my eye during the medal ceremony of the Women's Gymnastics all around medal ceremony. Our girls went 1-2 and I was with them every step of the way (minus the past 4 years they spent every waking moment training).
USA!!!

Miles

Well if you read my wife's blog, you will know that Miles got neutered 2 weeks ago. I know he has felt much different the last few weeks, just a little less of a man. Well he has a new bone, I don't know if he is trying to compensate for anything now that he has lost his manhood...??? I will let you be the judge!

Everywhere I look

So evidently my wife is not just gaining weight. She is growing a human life in that belly of hers. We talk about how it still doesn't feel real to me. It feels more real to her because it is happening in her body. It's ok, because my daddy to be books say the universe will correct itself the minute she will be born and all will be glorious in the world. I really can't wait for that moment. I will need a bucket for my tears if P.S I Love You was any indication of where my emotions are at right now. See the birth is not what I am concerned about. We have 835 pregnancy and birthing books laying around the house. We have hired a doula to help us out, not to mention nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals ready to tend to every need. No, I am not worried about that. It is the hours after that, where they make sure you have a car seat installed correctly and say "See Ya." I saw this today in the bathroom. Have seen them thousands of times, but today it freaked me out.
They are going to let us take home this baby. All of the things in the that the government regulates, applications, and licensing and tests, but a human life, no problem. Just go ahead and take that home! Good luck. Yes I am afraid. Will we be good parents? I believe so! Will be screw up a bunch? Of course! Now everywhere I look I see things like this little cute Koala bear that sends my head in a tailspin of the uncertainty of what is to come. But I guess that is part of the fun (or I am hoping it is)!

Waiting

So there is nothing more I hate than sitting around doing nothing. I
am one of those people that always have to be doing something.
Nothing is worse than the doctor. As the Seinfeld episode tells us,
u wait on the waiting room, then they call u to another room to wait
some more. Now the riddles and jokes on the highlights magazine
don't exactly seem to pass the time anymore. Then I got the new
iphone. Now I am sitting here hoping the doc doesn't come in so I
can play with everything I want to. I don't think I will ever be
frustrated waiting anywhere again now that I am connected to my
whole world anywhere I go. This is also my first post from my
phone. Just wondering what my marriage counseling bill is gonna be
in the future since we r both always on these things.
Sent from my iPhone

Blogger Relations

So I had a funny dream. My wife and I were eating in a Taqueria in Southern California. We never go to Taquerias. I don't even know if I am spelling taqueria correctly. I am standing in line getting my food and I look up and see whittakerwoman in line next to me. I say, "Hey you are whittakerwoman, ragamuffinsoul's wife." She responded "No, he is ragamuffinsoul, whittakerwoman's husband." We continued to have a conversation and I introduced myself and my wife and Carlos was saving a table and we dined together. It was pretty weird, since we never really go to Southern California, and they now live in Atlanta.
It got me thinking. Bloggers that post their lives on their blog can have tons of strangers reading their lives and in a way get to know them. It is almost celebrity status. These are two people that I have never met that I was able to create their personalities and dialogue for them subconsciously. That sounds kind of stalkerish doesn't it. Well I have friends that know the two of them from the dream. They laughed when they heard the story and said "That is exactly something Heather would say." I guess just from my daily blog scrolling my brain had enough input (a la Johnny 5) to think I know these people. That is weird. I read ragamuffinsoul as one of my daily blog reads, and it leads me to other great blogs. Being less than two months away from having a daughter I now cruise whittakerwoman to get all kinds of cool parenting ideas (and if you are reading Heather, I had In N' Out yesterday, so HA!).
I think it all came when I noticed whittakerwoman had posted a comment on my wife's blog. I was jealous because she had a comment from a blogebrity and I didn't. I don't have 8 trillion hits a day as ragamuffinsoul does, but I am proud of my 10 per day!!! Who knows, maybe someday I will become a blogebirty and have stalkers of my own!!! Hey, I just coined a phrase!!! Blogebrity.
(Oh, and this is the closest post to having a topic where I can use this picture of the sleeping monkey. Hopefully the resemblance is not too close!)

Great Dinner

Had a great dinner with Two Blonde Boys, his wife (he never blogs her name, so I won't), Stacey, and my wife. It was a "thank you" for the girls throwing Liege a baby shower. Patamo and I just tagged along because we wanted good food and good wine.
We went to Pangea (because Trelio was booked). It was my first time there and was pleased. The service was decent, but the food was amazing. I have had a vertical of Quintessa premier release through 2003 (1994-2003). I took along the 1996, as well as a Westbrook Wine Farm Viognier/Valdiguie, and we had a Kosta Browne Pinot Noir we ordered there.
Pat and I split a Macaroni and Cheese as well as a Ceviche dish to start. They were amazing. For dinner, Pat, his wife, and I all had:
Seared sea scallops with baby shiitake mushrooms,
tomato pan sauce & crème fraiche mash potatoes
Liege had:
Grilled double cut pork chop with crispy shiitake mushroom-vegetable chow mein & ginger plum sauce
Stacey had:
Grilled rosemary crusted rack of lamb with blue cheese potato cake,
sauteed tot soi, baby carrots & dried cherry port reduction

Everyone loved their food, and the wine was excellent as well. I decided to go with the Sea Scallops even though the Quintessa was too powerful for it. I didn't care, I enjoyed both.
The 1996 Quintessa is definitely the best I have had. My vertical only now runs 97-02, but it was the perfect occasion for it. Nice cedar and spice, floral notes, with heavy currant flavors. It was amazing. I think the later vintages haven' t been the quality they had in their first earlier years.

Oops, I said it again...

Do you ever have those moments??? Where it comes out of your mouth. You think that might be the most wrong thing you have ever heard. Then you realize you were the one who said it. And you wonder if you are going straight to hell for saying that???!!! Well if you know me, that happens a lot. Usually it only happens around the comfort of my wife and close friends where I know I am safe. But today, just in the presence of my wife thank goodness, I said a comment that if I end up in hell is sure to be the one that put me there.
No I am not going to tell you.

The Look!!!

Now I am less than two months away from father hood. I am worried about a lot obviously. My daddy to be books tell that is good because if I wasn't I would be a terrible father. Worried first and foremost about her health. Worried about getting into the new house in enough time for my wife to nest and be happy bringing baby home into a baby ready environment (which doesn't necessarily mean necessities, it means cute decorations). Worried about my adjustment from being able to do whatever I want whenever I want to not. Worried about being gentle enough. Worried about having a teenage daughter in 13 years that is going to want pants with writing on the butt.
Well I had one revelation in the middle of the night. Everyone's parents had a look. They did not have to say anything, do anything, all they had to do is give that look and the kid would straighten right up (maybe not a lot of current parents with children because most don't even discipline any more and let them behave however they want). My parents had a look. And in the middle of the night...I realized I had a look. Miles (our dog) was walking around. His nails on the hardwood floor woke me up. I sat up and glared something more serious than magnum or blue steele from zoolander and he went running into his kennel.
Am I prepared for fatherhood? No way!!! But I do have "the look."

Look what my wife did

I was trying to be good since I realize I pretty much dominate the blockbuster selection in our house. So I let my wife pick this last trip. She picked "The List." Although I watch movies ALL THE TIME I usually don't blog about them. The reason being is I can't even watch previews. I like to know nothing whatsoever about a movie when going to watch it. So I don't read reviews and I don't post them. However I felt the need to blog about "The List." It might just be the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, the production was terrible, the directing was terrible, and it was overall terrible. The premise could have been good, but what they did with it was awful. I would like everyone out there to go watch it so you can agree with me how terrible it was.

Oregon Trail

So if you ever had an Apple II in your classroom at school you have played The Oregon Trail. I tought about it the other day and it led me to google it. I found THIS website. It has a binary program of Oregon Trail you can download and also an Apple II simulator for windows you can download to play it (and other old school apple II programs). What is your high score? No one hunts for food like I do!!! However my Apple II didn't have a color screen. The oregon trail was all in green...now in color. WOW!!! Oh the technology.

What Just Happened?

So today we went down to the Fresno Convention Center to an auction of nearly 100 foreclosed properties in the area. There is only one property we had in mind. We sat as it was 19th on the auction block. When the auction began on the house we were interested in and was over. It felt like .002 seconds. I am told it took more like 45 seconds. At the end, I was holding my sign in the air and the auctioneer congratulated me. I was speechless for minutes. We had a signed contract, opened escrow within 15 minutes. So we will be moving in about 3 weeks to a beautiful home for 40% less than what it sold for just 9 months ago. Wow....what just happened. Here is a pic of the house.

No Posts...Simple Reason.

VBS. That is all I have to say. It was a great week. Check everything out over at the New Cov Kids Blog.

Special Thanks to Weave, Patamo, and Josh for all their production work on the week.