Ahhhh, The sound heard round the Thanksgiving Table

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got a chance to catch up with members of your family. As I age, I come to realize that spending time where it counts is more important than any gift. This year, we were blessed with two opportunities for Thanksgiving with family.

The first was a chance to spend time with Big E's family at Cracker Barrel. I should be thankful for the staff of Cracker Barrel for even being open on this day. We had ten of us make it to the early "brunch" for food and fun. While I was skeptical at first, I must admit that it was a good time had by all. Next time, I hope more can make it.

Our second Thanksgiving outing involved my side of the family. My mother and sister prepared a feast that had to be seen to be believed. The volume of food could only be out done by the volume of fun being had by my nephews as they played various games in the back (except for one volume that I will get to later).

Pork, turkey, corn, blackeyed peas, squash crap, sweet potatoes, stuffing, deviled eggs, bread and more lined our plates as we sat to eat and converse. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I only managed one plate (really big one!). I was stuffed from the start never mind the desserts, which were bountiful.

Some time later, we all sat down for a little break from the food to play cards. Miles Bourne was the game of choice, a French card game for those not in the know. Cards and my family is like dynamite in a small room, loud and dangerous.

Quick thought, my family is competitive and losing is not an option.

We were having a great time, my sister was leading (yeah, she won!!!!!) when in the middle of a play, Big E leaned forward to grab a card and let out a boisterous noise. I wish I could say the noise came from her mouth but that would be a lie. In fact, not only did she do it once, but while laughing off the first one, she actually let a second fly through the room. Not only was I surprised, I was shocked by the volume of laughs and grins that come from everyone else.

I aint trying to say that my family is proper or anything, but dropping a bomb at the table is generally done discreetly, if for no other reason that grabbing your neighbor by surprise. However, Big E not only announced it with authority, she followed it with and equally boisterous announcement!

Of course, this interrupted the card game for several minutes to allow us all to recover, ie. return back to the table. During which time, Big E played it off very well, she laughed and bellowed apologies and promised that it was an accident. Of course, that "accident" occured several more times throughout the game which tells me she was simply making more room for dessert and she did eat two pieces of chocolate pie.

If only mom wasn't such a great cook, that moment may have been avoided! Of course, she slept through it all! She needed and deserved the rest.

Thanksgiving, a time for family, food, friends, football and farts!!!!!! The five Fs of the south.

Thanks Big E.

Do you 13.1?

Its been a while, we've been busy!

Elizabeth is in full training mode, 13.1. Do you know? What is it? It makes me tired thinking about it!!!!!

Check out this site ....

http://www.montgomerymarathon.com/

Thats right, now guess which one is 13.1!!!! Oh yeah, I'm married to a bada$$.

These things will kill you, or at least your wallet. Heck, we spent $150 dollars a few weeks ago on a SINGLE pair of REAL running shoes for her. The bad thing is that they are only rated for 500 miles. At this rate, 500 miles will happen BEFORE the end of the year!!!! Say what? and my mom thought buying me new shoes at the start of each school year was bad.

Regretfully, my favorite part of the whole weekend, is the drinks and foods provided by several of the sponsors. Check this out, they actually give the runners (and encourage them to drink it) a cold beer at the end of the race!!!!!! Well, if it was more than one, I would consider it, but only one isnt worth it, I can buy my own.

Cant wait, she is going to be awesome. She is insanely into this thing, like it has changed my whole eating program, eerrrrrr.

Last weekend, she did a 10K (6.2) and she has another coming up in two - three weeks. Then it will be all out for the big 13.1.

And Everyone had a GREAT time ....

So, our Saturday Night went a lot like this ....

People enjoying each others time and thoughts......

Shrimp, crab, sausage, potatoes, and corn all brewed together over an open fire.....

And a few cold ones to keep the "boil masters" cooled off during the boil....

Its OK to be jealous, even the kids thought this one was awesome .....

Happy Summer to all!

Its Party time ....

I promise you this is true, I smell like a BBQ!!! Its not because I had one today (which I did) but because over the past 10 days we've had five different opportunities to have a BBQ. Yes, I have taken a shower or two over the past ten days, but the smoke smell doesn't seem to leave my body. At this point, the dogs are starting to look at me like I am dinner.

Last Saturday, we had 20-25 of our friends over for a summer kick off party that included Badmitton, Bocce Ball, Croquet, Beer Pong, and Mafia. Yeah, those are all games, mostly outdoors except mafia which is an indoor game that involves lying and guessing, two great activities for drinkers. Saturday was a blast.

On Sunday, I was at it again with a little BBQ action for just the family. Big E said that it was the BEST BBQ pork I ever made........she really knows how to make me happy.

This weekend, I managed to grill out on Saturday, another party on Sunday (where I helped to grill) and today I was on the grill again for a couple of nice smoked pork butts. Apparently today was pretty good, the neighbors enjoyed the all day smell and I enjoyed the complimentary calls later after Elizabeth delivered the extras to the neighbors.

The bottom line, its summer in the south and that means BBQ, steaks, hamburgers and hotdogs. Its like a carnivores heaven!!!!

Apparently I get next weekend off .... we will be enjoying a couple of concerts this weekend including one of BigEs favorites, POISON but I think I will be on it again the following weekend as we have another friend coming in from the St Louis area. I am really looking forward to him getting here. I am hoping he brings me some knowledge on "burnt ends" which appear to be a mid-west favorite.

If you are going to be in the area, let me know, any excuse for a day of grilling is a good day. If you have a good recipe for BBQ rubs or sauces, please share, I like trying them all.............

A Little Scare ...

Monday, my buddy BooBoo, was feeling pretty ill. To be honest, Ive never seen a cat projectile vomit with such violence. I was honestly scared for the little guy.

Now, I admit that its been a few years since BooBoo saw a vet. The reality is at his age, going for trips to the doctor are a rather dramatic event and he usually responds to those kinds of events by pee'ing EVERYWHERE.

However, after the poltergeist episode, I figured I would take him to the vet. The doctor took a quick look at him, looked at me and I figured it was time!!!! BooBoo has given me 15 years of fun so I was braced for the worst.

We agreed that a few tests would be necessary to determine the problem, so I left BooBoo with them and yes, he pee'd all over those poor people.

Around lunch, the vet called to inform me that BooBoo was fine except that he has diabetes. Diabetes!!!! Isnt one person in the house with diabetes enough? Now, in reality, the doctor explained that this was good news and promised that it can be controlled with daily shots (no, not the good kind of shots that you drink, actual needles being stuck into BooBoo).

I picked up BooBoo that afternoon. He was a shadow of himself but the doctor assured me that with a little diligence this can be handled. On Tuesday, BooBoo and I began our insulin shots. BooBoo takes the shot, I try to administer it. Its a team effort.

Its been half a week and BooBoo has figured out the pattern now. He hasnt started to hide yet, but he is a little skittish after eating especially when he sees me coming with the needle. Luckily, he is still a little weak so he cant escape. I have come very close to actually taken the shot myself in my finger once.

If he continues to progress at his present pace, we should start to see his weight stabilize in the next couple of weeks.

Junior / Senior for the next to last time ?!

Holy cow, I picture with Brooke and I, must be Junior/Senior. I think I've explained this one before, but the high school the girls go to does NOT do Prom. So, we have Junior/Senior, same thing without the dancing........

Brooke looking nice beside some ugly guy .....

Brooke and friends, each behind their date ...

Another one with the full gang ...

Brooke, at the house, improving the looks of the house ...

Spring Break, via Pictures

Twenty floors up is kinda scary ...

But the sunset is awesome ...

The kids getting setup for a new day ...

Me, preparing for my new day ...

Dolphins swimming by ...

Pretty good week! I think I made it to bed once before 2:00 in the morning. Blame it all on the kids.

Halloween 2010, Running a little behind with pictures

Halloween is one of Big Es favorite "holidays"! This year, they hung outside while I handed out candy.... Daisy, in one of my favorite pictures ever, tried to intimidate the kids with her means eyes ... Tell the truth, is that not one of the prettiest girls on Earth?!!!!!!

Rusty, took up Daisy's slack and scared many of the kids and adults with his sheer size....

I sat inside. with mask on, barking like a circus carnie calling for the kids to come get their candy! This was really the scariest part of the whole setup! Kinda creepy huh?

Frankie hung out behind me, setting the mood.

A quick update ...

That last update was a dismal one, so I thought I would do another ... but this one will be better.

Not two hours after the last update, we finally gave up and went to the emergency room. Let me be clear here, they went to the emergency room, I went to bed!!! Yeah, that sounds heartless, but my wonderful bride told me I was better in bed than at the hospital. You know, now that I think about it, that may not have been a compliment after all. All the same, we all survived.

Since then, little as occurred that is worthy of news.

This is the Sunday before Spring Break. With kids our age, that means beach trips and more. Big E and I had a weekend to ourselves ... no kids ... close the blinds ... lets order in .... kind of a weekend. I mean .... well you understand!

Next week, we head out to the beach for a day or two with some of the kids. Big E and I havent been to the beach in years and neither of us have ever been during spring break (and we are too old to participate in all the shenanigans of it today), but we are looking forward to great seafood, shopping and some relaxation. I am a little apprehensive about it being spring break, but Big E has informed me that it will be OK! Hopefully that means, long walks on the beach ...

I guess some good food, cold diet cokes and long walks on the beach will make it better!

If you aren't gong to experience that next week, sorry. I will! Until then, wait for the next update, it will be all about work, bills and the daily grind that makes some of us oh so happy. Of course, if your lucky, I may have pictures from vacation that you could enjoy too ....

Its going to be a ROUGH weekend

Wheeeeeewwwww! Its only Friday night and I can tell its going to be a rough weekend for sure.

I started feeling bad yesterday. You know, that stuffy noise, chest congested feeling you get that generally serves as a warning shot from your body that you are headed for a bout of sickness.

I went through a really short stint about two weeks ago with a similar feeling. I used a lethal combination of Nyquil, Dayquil, Jagermeister and a day off work watching really bad daytime movies (ie sleeping through them) to kill it off.

Now, couple that feeling with a four day old tension headache that seems to stem from a long overdue need for a neck and right shoulder massage, and I havent been 100% lately. I planned on spending tonight curled up with a similar leathal dose of medication UNTIL dinner.

Somewhere around 7:00, or about three bites into dinner, Elizabeth started to look green!!! I really thought she might spew right there in the deli while I finished my dinner. However, my little trooper hung in there assuring me that she was OK. Now, fast-forward three hours, and I have neglected any form of self-medication in lieu of my concern that I may need to take her to the doctor or hospital.

Elizabeth has literally been puking every 15-20 minutes since we got home. Im not talking about a little yakking and you feel better action, Im talking about full on, spent the past four days on a bender and now I am paying for it, yakking from her toes and coming out through her nose, hardcore puking.

Look, I cant deal with puke and I cant handle baby spit-up very well either. There is something about those odors that generally result in me following suit. So, I am not much use to her right now.

In these situations, Jessica is the best trooper in the world. That child will hold her momma's hair for her while she is yakking. She will "woman up" and do all those little things that mean a lot to someone that is sick. NOTE: Brooke is good at this too, but Brooke is not here tonight.

However, we received a call from Jessica's boyfriend about 8:00 to let us know that Jessica was in the parking lot of their dinner location PUKING. What the heckle? So, now I have two of them!?!?!? Made worse by her diabetes and the impact that puking has on blood sugar levels, etc.

Big E handles this stuff, not me. Thats why she is the mom and I am the dad! Now, I got to be both, im sick to dangit .... and I got to sleep on the sofa (cause I aint getting in bed with her), and ...... I need a beer!

Gulp!!! ..... ahhhh ...... So, Jessica is asleep. Big E is in bed, "freezing", with four quilts on top of her. Me, Im playing on the computer, drinking a cold one and wishing that I could hit that bottle of Nyquil. Looks like tomorrow will be a fun one for sure.

Dont worry about us, I have plenty of beer and a couple of sprites and crackers for them too......

January recap

Its cold!!!

Did you make any resolutions for the new year? Have you broken them already? I'm not a fan of resolutions, in my experience resolutions are little more than pipe dreams. Seriously, are you really going to change simply because the calendar flipped to a larger year value? After all, its just another day. Maybe I'm being cynical? Tell me what you think.

With that said, we have had a little fun and excitement around the Lee household since the start of the new year. Nothing beats this past Tuesday though. We finally decide to get a vehicle for Brooke (our baby). So, last weekend, we started our search for a reasonably priced vehicle.

As luck would have it, the best deal that we found was on a vehicle that Big E has been wanting for some time now. I had to remind her that we were not searchable for a new vehicle for her, instead, we were interested in a vehicle for Brooke. I might as well have been talking to myself!!! We did see a nice small SUV for Brooke but it was way out of our price range.

On Tuesday, after some negotiation, Big E called me to say that she had settled on a price with the dealership for that nice small SUV for Brooke. I was a little surprised, but she had convinced the dealership to get the price down to the zone we wanted to be in, so I agreed and went back to work.

On Tuesday afternoon, I left work satisfied that Big E had accomplished a good thing with the dealership and that Brooke would be pleasantly surprised when we brought the vehicle home to here.

I pulled on to our street and noticed an unusual vehicle in front of our house, at first I thought that one of our neighbors had been out car shopping too. As I got closer, I came to realize that the new vehicle was parked in our driveway, and it looked a lot like the vehicle that Big E wanted from the dealership.

I still held out hope that she was simply test driving the vehicle and wanted me to experience it too. Then it hit me, kind of like a ton of bricks falling from the sky onto my head, she got a great deal on Brooke's car because she pulled a two'fer on me!!!!

We now own enough vehicles to qualify for fleet coverage from the insurance company!!! Fleet coverage! Is that insane or what? Two of those vehicles are new to family as of Tuesday.

Sure enough, with a HUGE smile on her face, Big E crawled out of her Chevrolet Avalanche (used mind you) and asked "what do you think?". Now, I may have been tired from a long day of work, but I ain't dumb enough to fall for that question. I simply smiled!

It was a two'fer day for some lucky car sales guy. Imagine that guy going home and telling his wife, "honey, tonight we go out and celebrate ....".

For those that are curious, we got Brooke a cute little Ford Escape. It too is used but appears to be in pretty good shape, runs well and looks nice. Big E picked Brooke up Wednesday from work in the vehicle at which point, Brooke figured out it was really for her (not a rental car for my out of town trip). Brooke was very excited and has thanked us multiple times (I wish she would clean her room to show her appreciation!!!).

Having four cars was enough but now we have five and one of them will not fit into the garage (the Avalanche!!! hehe). As a result, we have an entirely new argument going on at the house, who gets to park in the garage. Ughh, another argument!? I wish my truck would fit, but I dont really feel like moving things around in the garage, so the girls now argue over who gets to park in the garage. Five vehicles, one garage, one driveway, will the insanity ever end?

Well, thats life in our neck of the world. I hope you are having an equally exciting time in yours. Until next time, pollute the ozone, buy more cars ......