Ketchup

Oh the simple joys in life, like homophones and mondegreens. Don't fret, there is much more where that came from. I am a simple man with simple pleasures. Back on point... Yes, as the title indicated, this is a blog posting dedicated to getting all of our faithful followers, all three of you, 'caught up' on our life. Many exciting and noteworthy things have happened in the past 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, and approximately 21 hours... Which, of course, was the last time we updated our blog. We hope you have not held your breath. Several of those noteworthy occurrences should probably have elicited their very own post, but I have been too busy and/or too lazy. Although they will never achieve their optimal glory, I will honor them individually with their very own mini-title with a brief summary. Let us ketchup...

Boneyard

Back in the day, there was a beloved Seattle Mariner named Jay Buhner. He was the man. That man could hit the ball a country mile. He was also a perennial contender for most strikeout in a season by a hitter, but we loved him. He had it made in Seattle. He had his own section in the stadium called the "Boneyard" because he was bad to the bone. He even had his own promotional night titled "Buhner Buzznight" On that night, everybody who came to the stadium without a lick of hair on their head, got in free. Yes, Buhner was bald. If you look up Jay Buhner in the fictional Seattle Mariners Dictionary you would read: Buhner - The bald bad boy of baseball who bashed and whiffed his way into belovedness in baseball. -end definition- Just don't look up belovedness in a real dictionary... As a lad, every season when Buhner Buzznight came along I longed to make it to the game. I never did. I would have shaved my head in a heartbeat to make it into a Mariners game free, that was never the problem. Getting a ride there on the other hand... Although Jay Buhner has long since retired along with his buzznight, I have always wondered what it would be like to have no hair on my head. I no longer wonder...

Reverse Sampson

It was a miracle. I shaved my head and instantly got better at sports. Or maybe it was because I played easier sports. Being aerodynamic can only take you so far... This past semester I played on a competitive ultimate frisbee team and two intramural slow pitched softball teams. I learned two things playing competitive ultimate frisbee: 1) I did not know such a seemingly simple game could become rocket science and 2) I am out of shape. I learned two more things playing softball: 1) A bigger ball thrown at a much slower speed is much, much easier to hit and 2) That extra weight that was slowing me down at frisbee helped me hit the ball farther. All in all, it was an enlightening experience. I was able to walk away with two championships (both softball), one league defensive player of the year (frisbee), and a career high for a season of HR (5).

THANKS for the GIVING

For Thanksgiving we were able to travel down to Utah to spend some time with Becky's extended family. Although Utah is just as cold and has virtually identical terrain as Idaho, it is great getting out of the 'burg bubble' for a bit. -NOTE: I PINE FOR A PINE. I MISS THE EVERGREEN STATE- We stayed in a condo for a few days. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Becky had a baby shower. The day after we got back we got to see the season opening of The Forgotten Carols. Those five days epitomizes what this season is all about. We got fed. We got baby shower gifts. We got to hang out with family. After all that, we came home and The Forgotten Carols reminded us who gave us the ultimate gift. We are grateful for all the people who care for and help our little family. Thank you.

BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS, etc

This past Saturday we spent the whole day in class. As awful as that may sound, it wasn't all that bad. It was a Lamas class (or Child Birth Education Class). It was... informative. You walk away knowing much more about what is going to happen, the mechanics and biology behind it, and the realization that you still don't know what the heck you are doing. I am a little nervous. Without being crude or too informative, that is a lot of fluids! Blood, sweat, and tears is just the beginning of the tidal wave. But that is not what scares me. My wife is heaven sent. Blink 182 said it best with their song titled, "She likes me for me." I know I march to the beat of a different drum, but she is okay with that. I am scared of pregnancy honesty. That is when she is in so much pain she no longer cares about hurting my feelings. Also, as long as I have known her, she has never raise her voice at me out of anger, but I fear those days are numbered. I am going to to hear everything she

normally holds back, at a much higher decibel level, with witnesses around...

Braxton Hicks

No, he is not the little neighbor boy down the street who put a baseball through your window and a ding in your car. Braxon Hicks is more intrusive and causes physical pain on top of the mental anguish. Braxton Hicks Contractions, if any didn't already know, are essentially pre-labor contractions. It is, in layman's terms, the body's way of preparing and practicing for the real thing. Whelp, it appears we (Becky and I) are heading down that final homestretch in the pregnancy. The prize being a brand spanking new little baby girl of our own. When we get there, we will let you know...