(Pictured: Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Terry Glen, Julius Jones)
P.S. Here is a dam picture I took of Madelyn on our dam visit here in Austin......
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Watching people practice for their job....
Last weekend Madelyn and I drove to San Antonio to watch the Dallas Cowboy training camp. It's kind of a strange concept.... watching people train and practice for their jobs. It was really cool to see all the Dallas players "up-close", and see them run some really neat plays. The best part? It was FREE! On the way up to the stadium I reminded Madelyn that this was BY FAR the most "manly" activity I have ever dragged her to. We had a really great time.....
(Pictured: Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Terry Glen, Julius Jones)
P.S. Here is a dam picture I took of Madelyn on our dam visit here in Austin......
(Pictured: Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Terry Glen, Julius Jones)
P.S. Here is a dam picture I took of Madelyn on our dam visit here in Austin......
Friday, July 27, 2007
fAMily-a-thon (emphasis on the A & M)
Last weekend Cody and I engaged in what I call a family-a-thon. Friday night we picked up Jacob and Adam (Cody's step-brothers) from the airport and kept them overnight at our house until their Dad returned from his trip the following morning. On the way to our apartment from the airport, Adam (10) recalled that he had been to our hotel-room once before. Cody and I burst out laughing because our apartment actually is about the size of a hotel room. We now refer to it as our hotel room as much as possible. Cody got up the next morning and told them that he wanted to play Game Cube with them. To this Adam replied, "are you serious?!?" I think this was a treat for all involved: I got to sleep in, and Jacob, Adam, and Cody got to do their favorite past time--Game Cube.
After their father Kevin retrieved the boys, Cody and I got ready for his cousin Laura's wedding reception at Bexar Hall just outside of San Antonio. This was an awesome experience! Bexar Hall is a social hall/bowling alley that is a popular place for Cody's family members and other local folk to have weddings, retirement parties, and whatever else you need a giant dance hall for. It was perfect for Laura and Ryan because they had over 700 guests! The bowling alley is "manual". I use the word manual to better describe the way that they employ children to sit on stools at the end of each lane and wait for each ball to hit the pins. Once the ball knocks down a few, the child will jump off his stool, clear the knocked over pins, set up all the new pins, and place the ball on the ramp to be returned to the bowler. I don't know why I even mention the bowling, though, because it was used as a food serving area during the reception. We also noted the beer tap coming out of the wall, free for anyone who can reach it. Literally. I had to laugh at the sign above the tap, which said "You must be '21' to use the tap." I said to Cody, "Why is the 21 in quotations? I'm picking up a little sarcasm from that sign!"
Bexar was decorated nicely with lots of lattes work, tule, Christmas lights and maroon and white flowers. I must explain that Laura and Ryan (the bride and groom) both recently graduated from Texas A & M, hence the blog post title. The groom's cake was a German chocolate (of course, since BOTH families are of German descent) with plastic figurines of ducks, deer, elk, and other animals. I was confused. Cody explained to me: hunting game. Ah ha. The Aggies' colors are maroon and white, therefore, so were the wedding colors, naturally. All of the bridesmaids were in maroon, the bride's cake was white with maroon roses on it, oh and the koozies were maroon. It is a popular thing in Texas to provide koozies, which are essentially insulated sleeves to hold your beverage, for those of you who aren't familiar with koozies. They are usually monogrammed at weddings, as well. Laura and Ryan's said
Laura and Ryan
07.21.07
To have and to hold
To keep the drinks cold
Luckily, for people who were repulsed by the idea of touching a maroon anything (namely University of Texas graduates or fans) there was another option: cammo. Cody and I both chose the cammo variety of monogrammed Koozie.
The bride and groom arrived in an antique car, which was pretty awesome. They greeted guests and cut the cake and then dinner (BBQ, naturally) was served. Toasts were made, all the Aggies were invited to do some special dance while the fight song was played, and the dancing began. Country music was definitely in the majority, and Cody and I learned to "Texas two-step!" We also learned to Polka, as German music was the runner up. The DJ mistakenly played "Old Time Rock and Roll" and I have never seen a crowded dance floor vacate so quickly! We also took part in the "Grand March", a Scheel (Cody's family) wedding tradition. You really have to experience it to understand it, but it is basically a large scale follow the leader, with German music playing. Everyone has a partner and you start linked arms with your partner following the person in front of you wherever the leaders take you. In this case, we went through the bowling alley, outside, and snaked around the entire hall. Cody's favorite part is the "tickle bridge" where everyone makes a big tunnel by holding their partner's hands up--kind of like London bridge is falling down. When people come through the tunnel, they get tickled! Very hard to picture, I am sure, but also hilarious. This Grand March was so big, and had so many people in it that the DJ had to start the music over. Some people don't make it through the entire thing; they have to drop out to rest and have a drink. We had a blast at the wedding--I might even say that it was the most fun we've had at a wedding!
We stayed the night at Cody's Grandparents' house which is down the road from Bexar Hall, because the next day was the big family picture. Cody's great-grandfather, who in his nineties, and all of his descendants went back to Bexar Hall for a family picture. Since Cody's Grandmother has 10 siblings, this meant A LOT of people in this picture! Their family numbers each member, based on when they "joined" (either born or married into) the family. Cody is number 53 and I am number 124. At this moment, there are 135 members!
We had such a blast at the wedding! Sorry there are not as many pictures.... bad lighting in Bexar Hall!
After their father Kevin retrieved the boys, Cody and I got ready for his cousin Laura's wedding reception at Bexar Hall just outside of San Antonio. This was an awesome experience! Bexar Hall is a social hall/bowling alley that is a popular place for Cody's family members and other local folk to have weddings, retirement parties, and whatever else you need a giant dance hall for. It was perfect for Laura and Ryan because they had over 700 guests! The bowling alley is "manual". I use the word manual to better describe the way that they employ children to sit on stools at the end of each lane and wait for each ball to hit the pins. Once the ball knocks down a few, the child will jump off his stool, clear the knocked over pins, set up all the new pins, and place the ball on the ramp to be returned to the bowler. I don't know why I even mention the bowling, though, because it was used as a food serving area during the reception. We also noted the beer tap coming out of the wall, free for anyone who can reach it. Literally. I had to laugh at the sign above the tap, which said "You must be '21' to use the tap." I said to Cody, "Why is the 21 in quotations? I'm picking up a little sarcasm from that sign!"
Bexar was decorated nicely with lots of lattes work, tule, Christmas lights and maroon and white flowers. I must explain that Laura and Ryan (the bride and groom) both recently graduated from Texas A & M, hence the blog post title. The groom's cake was a German chocolate (of course, since BOTH families are of German descent) with plastic figurines of ducks, deer, elk, and other animals. I was confused. Cody explained to me: hunting game. Ah ha. The Aggies' colors are maroon and white, therefore, so were the wedding colors, naturally. All of the bridesmaids were in maroon, the bride's cake was white with maroon roses on it, oh and the koozies were maroon. It is a popular thing in Texas to provide koozies, which are essentially insulated sleeves to hold your beverage, for those of you who aren't familiar with koozies. They are usually monogrammed at weddings, as well. Laura and Ryan's said
Laura and Ryan
07.21.07
To have and to hold
To keep the drinks cold
Luckily, for people who were repulsed by the idea of touching a maroon anything (namely University of Texas graduates or fans) there was another option: cammo. Cody and I both chose the cammo variety of monogrammed Koozie.
The bride and groom arrived in an antique car, which was pretty awesome. They greeted guests and cut the cake and then dinner (BBQ, naturally) was served. Toasts were made, all the Aggies were invited to do some special dance while the fight song was played, and the dancing began. Country music was definitely in the majority, and Cody and I learned to "Texas two-step!" We also learned to Polka, as German music was the runner up. The DJ mistakenly played "Old Time Rock and Roll" and I have never seen a crowded dance floor vacate so quickly! We also took part in the "Grand March", a Scheel (Cody's family) wedding tradition. You really have to experience it to understand it, but it is basically a large scale follow the leader, with German music playing. Everyone has a partner and you start linked arms with your partner following the person in front of you wherever the leaders take you. In this case, we went through the bowling alley, outside, and snaked around the entire hall. Cody's favorite part is the "tickle bridge" where everyone makes a big tunnel by holding their partner's hands up--kind of like London bridge is falling down. When people come through the tunnel, they get tickled! Very hard to picture, I am sure, but also hilarious. This Grand March was so big, and had so many people in it that the DJ had to start the music over. Some people don't make it through the entire thing; they have to drop out to rest and have a drink. We had a blast at the wedding--I might even say that it was the most fun we've had at a wedding!
We stayed the night at Cody's Grandparents' house which is down the road from Bexar Hall, because the next day was the big family picture. Cody's great-grandfather, who in his nineties, and all of his descendants went back to Bexar Hall for a family picture. Since Cody's Grandmother has 10 siblings, this meant A LOT of people in this picture! Their family numbers each member, based on when they "joined" (either born or married into) the family. Cody is number 53 and I am number 124. At this moment, there are 135 members!
We had such a blast at the wedding! Sorry there are not as many pictures.... bad lighting in Bexar Hall!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
You may take my blood..... but you can never take MY FREEDOM!
This week I had to fight through one of my biggest fears…… needles. The doctor told me that I needed to get some blood work done that morning at my visit, and since I hadn’t eaten anything, this was the best time to go. I didn’t get any time to prepare myself, just as soon as I learned of my sentence from the doctor I was arriving at the clinic. While we were in the clinic waiting room to get my blood taken there was a mother with her daughter awaiting the same awful fate. When the nurse called the girl’s name the mother had to physically drag the little girl to the back. Seeing that little girl dragged to the back room only made me more fearful of my eventual vain intrusion. I’m sitting on the chair trying to “act” normal. I have a magazine in my hand, I’m turning the pages, but I’m not reading it. I’m listening for the little girl in the “needle room”. As if I wasn’t already scared enough….. I hear the little girl scream at the top of her lungs asking her mom to make it stop. At this point I asked Madelyn (who had to come with me to hold my sweaty, nervous, hand) if this was really necessary.
“Do I really have to do this? I don’t trust this doctor, let’s get a second opinion”
Madelyn, like the mother of the little girl, reminded me that I had no choice and that I would be getting my blood taken if she had to drag me back there herself. Seeing that even my closest ally had joined forced with the medical community I accepted my eventual fate.
The little girl came back into the room, she looked horrified, she was holding her arm, and she was still sobbing. Right behind her was the nurse, waiting to call her next victim. I knew time had run out, all options had been exhausted, it was time to face my fear.
The back room was just as I had pictured it, maybe worse. It was small, cold, and it echoed the cries of its previous victims. The chairs provided for taking blood looked medieval and inhumane. The small room had two torture chairs. The lady across from me looked calm and cool, she seemed completely un-phased. I think I remember her humming. It was almost like she was grinning, but that could have been directed at me. I bet it would be funny to see a 6 ft tall man acting like a little girl. I sat down, placed my arm on the chopping block, and squeezed Madelyn’s hand. My feet squirmed across the floor, I was shaking. It was awful.
Later that day I was walking around with my tape and cotton ball MacGyver type bandage. This seems to be the staple for blood work. All day people asked me, “Hey, did you donate blood?”
I sternly replied,
“No, I didn’t donate….. it was taken from me.”
“Do I really have to do this? I don’t trust this doctor, let’s get a second opinion”
Madelyn, like the mother of the little girl, reminded me that I had no choice and that I would be getting my blood taken if she had to drag me back there herself. Seeing that even my closest ally had joined forced with the medical community I accepted my eventual fate.
The little girl came back into the room, she looked horrified, she was holding her arm, and she was still sobbing. Right behind her was the nurse, waiting to call her next victim. I knew time had run out, all options had been exhausted, it was time to face my fear.
The back room was just as I had pictured it, maybe worse. It was small, cold, and it echoed the cries of its previous victims. The chairs provided for taking blood looked medieval and inhumane. The small room had two torture chairs. The lady across from me looked calm and cool, she seemed completely un-phased. I think I remember her humming. It was almost like she was grinning, but that could have been directed at me. I bet it would be funny to see a 6 ft tall man acting like a little girl. I sat down, placed my arm on the chopping block, and squeezed Madelyn’s hand. My feet squirmed across the floor, I was shaking. It was awful.
Later that day I was walking around with my tape and cotton ball MacGyver type bandage. This seems to be the staple for blood work. All day people asked me, “Hey, did you donate blood?”
I sternly replied,
“No, I didn’t donate….. it was taken from me.”
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Pioneer Day in Texas!
Today is Pioneer Day in the great state of Utah, but down here in Texas it is just a normal Tuesday. I thought Madelyn would enjoy a Pioneer Day E-Card...but surprisingly none exist (come on Hallmark! Get with the times!). Since I had a little free time at work I decided to create one myself. Hope you enjoy...
Sunday, July 15, 2007
4th of July
For the 4th of July we headed to SLC for a long weekend. We had a great time, and it was really nice visiting our families. Since the majority of people who read this also spent the weekend with us we decided that we would just post some pictures. Enjoy!
(The Cabin)
On the first day we headed up to Madelyn's family cabin to escape the Salt Lake heat. When Madelyn and I booked the flight to SLC a couple of months ago we thought "It will be nice to get a break from the Texas heat". It ended up being completely opposite. We left Austin with 78 degree temps...(because of the endless rain Austin has been getting!)
More Pictures from the Cabin:
Of course when we were in Salt Lake we had to head to Cafe Rio for lunch with friends. We had a great time, and it was excellent food.
(Not pictured: Mr. Eric Vogeler, Mr. Jeris Hobbs, and of course the photographer: me!)
We had such a great time at lunch we decided to get together for some games.
We had a great time hanging out at my parents house. Jackson and I went and saw Transformers..... and Madelyn got more familiar with my sister's dog, Gus.
Instead of renting a car we just borrowed my Dad's scooter for the week. At first I borrowed it just to go back and forth between our families houses. Somehow over 50 miles showed up on the odometer...... I don't know how that happened.
The main excitement over the weekend was spending time with baby Elly. This was taken about 2 hours before our plane left. It had nearly taken the whole week for Elly to allow me to get this close!
(The Cabin)
On the first day we headed up to Madelyn's family cabin to escape the Salt Lake heat. When Madelyn and I booked the flight to SLC a couple of months ago we thought "It will be nice to get a break from the Texas heat". It ended up being completely opposite. We left Austin with 78 degree temps...(because of the endless rain Austin has been getting!)
More Pictures from the Cabin:
Of course when we were in Salt Lake we had to head to Cafe Rio for lunch with friends. We had a great time, and it was excellent food.
(Not pictured: Mr. Eric Vogeler, Mr. Jeris Hobbs, and of course the photographer: me!)
We had such a great time at lunch we decided to get together for some games.
We had a great time hanging out at my parents house. Jackson and I went and saw Transformers..... and Madelyn got more familiar with my sister's dog, Gus.
Instead of renting a car we just borrowed my Dad's scooter for the week. At first I borrowed it just to go back and forth between our families houses. Somehow over 50 miles showed up on the odometer...... I don't know how that happened.
The main excitement over the weekend was spending time with baby Elly. This was taken about 2 hours before our plane left. It had nearly taken the whole week for Elly to allow me to get this close!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Decemberists!
I woke up this morning thinking that the highlight of my day would be my favorite summer TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. The night turned out quite differently, however. Cody's awesome sister Cadence called around 2:30 or so to let us know the Decemberists (one of our favorite bands) were going to play a free, secret, acoustic concert downtown TONIGHT! I said "free?!??" and Cody said "concert?!?!??" and we knew that we would do whatever it would take to go to this show!!! Cadence, the selfless do-gooder that she is, volunteered to drive downtown to see what the crowd looked like, since the venue only holds 200 people. She then proceeded to stand in line in the heat and humidity for the next 4 hours to guarantee seats for the three of us. Thank you Cadence!!! All she wanted in return was some sunscreen, a bottle of water, and half a burrito. Cody made a mad dash home from work, we both jumped in the car and after a quick drive through taco bell, we were off!
Cadence called in a panic about twenty minutes later to say that they were stamping hands! We were in grid-lock traffic on good old I-35. After weaving in and out of traffic, exiting the freeway to take our chances navigating side roads, and cutting through a number of parking lots, we made it to the venue. We looked and looked for a parking place and then we noticed a homeless guy standing in an empty spot waving us over. He helped us get into the tiny parking spot and introduced himself as "Tony, old school Tony." Then he asked us for money. I don't know if this is just an Austin thing, but there are homeless guys all over downtown "saving" parking spots for people. We figured since the parking and the show were free, we could give this guy a dollar to guarantee that he wouldn't vandalize our car while we were in the show! We found Cadence in line and she took us to the front where the stamp guy was. She asked him to stamp our hands because we had just gone to get food. He didn't seem like he was interested in helping us out, so Cody offered him a taco from the bag of tacos he was holding. That really interested him and he stamped our hands! I guess in Texas tacos can be used as currency. Cody has decided to always take a bag of tacos with him to use as bribes.
(The Golden Ticket)
We had to wait only one more hour in the hot hot sun and then we were let into the tiniest room I have ever seen! I don't think that even 200 people could fit, they must have turned hundreds people away! For those of you who don't know The Decemberists (check Cody's blog tomorrow for a better introduction) they are becoming quite the popular band. They are not the type of band that plays rooms of 200 people, they are usually 5,000-10,000 person rooms, sometimes they play festivals of 80,000+. I just thought it was important to get across how rare a concert like this is. They are a regular 5 piece rock band featuring the following instruments at any given time: an acordian, a violin, a stand up bass, a guitar, a banjo, a mandolin, a snare drum and a kick drum. They mostly sing about folklore. All the pictures I posted on this blog are from the back of the room! That gives you an example of how tiny it actually was!
(Madelyn and Cadence were getting excited)
The show was amazing, incredible, spectacular and unforgettable. It was so exciting that we are staying up late just to write this blog. The Decemberists played all of our favorites, they took suggestions from the small intimate crowd (some people out the window got their requests played), and played a couple of cover tunes.
(Awesome show!)
(Video from the show for the Decemberists fans out there)
After the encore the lead singer came out on the stage and said "It's hot in here.... let's go outside". The entire band jumped off stage and guided the crowd outside for a SUPER acoustic show. Everyone stood around the band and sang with them. It was awesome, and Cody was the happiest boy on the planet.
(Lead singer rocking out acoustic style 3 feet away!)
(More of the special outside performance)
Sometimes living in the "Live music Capital of the World" has its perks! Secret Decemberists Acoustic shows!
Enjoy the pics!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
I'll call you "wanty"......
Back in the day I used to cut out "Life in Hell" comics by Matt Groening for Madelyn from the City Weekly. A lot of the time they reminded me of her, or us, and the other day we found the comics I cut out for her in a box with pictures. I thought I would post these on the blog so that the other people could enjoy them as much as we have. If you can't read these click on the picture to make it bigger........
We'll be in Salt Lake City next week! Call us!
We'll be in Salt Lake City next week! Call us!
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