Christmas Update

December has finally slowed down to a reasonable pace so I can catch up on stuff around the house, including organizing pictures. Here is a sampling from Christmas this year. We spent a few days in Oklahoma and had a great time with my family. It really flew by. The kids opened presents on Sunday due to family schedules, so they had a lot to play with while we were there. My niece Paris also spent the entire time with us, and she really helped out.

We came back to Frisco Christmas Eve and went to the candlelight service at our Church. It was very nice and I hope we can make this a tradition. This year was the first in a long time that we didn't fly back to California on Christmas day. It was nice to spend the entire morning playing with the kids. In years past we have been out the door by 8:00 on Christmas morning.




Playing with the kids

Opening presents at my parents house


Dinner with Mom and the kids.


Christmas Eve with milk and cookies for Santa


Kerry's mom, sister, and niece are here now and it's keeping the kids busy, especially Madison. They will be here til New Year's Eve, then things will settle down again.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

New Speaker Project

Girls (including wife, who just gave me that crazy look like why would you do that) can tune out now if you like.

This last weekend when we left my parents house I decided to take a pair of old (~1970) Wharfedale Dovedale speakers home to see what they could do. This is a pair of speakers my Grandfather purchased in Hong Kong sometime around or before 1970.




The speakers still look good, although the design is obviously dated. Looks like solid hardwood on the sides and plywood/particleboard on the front and back. There is a set of stands, not shown, that match.

I did a quick search of the internet and didn't find out much. Several short posts by people who had later versions of this speaker and were looking for parts or comments. They have a 12" thin paper woofer, a 5" midrange in it's own sealed enclosure, and a dome tweeter. The rear of the cabinet has trim controls for the midrange and tweeter. The inside of the enclosure has some loose fiber fill. No additional damping or bracing on the walls.

I hooked them up to my Bryston amp / pre-amp combo and fired up the Ipod. They are in good working order. They have a vintage, warm sound that was characteristic of the time. The woofer is light and thin, so it is fairly quick and produces decent midrange. The low end is tight but there is very little extension. A modern equivalent would go at least an octave lower. They sound better with a bass boost for sure. Mids and highs are OK, but nothing outstanding. They lack sparkle and top end air, probably due in no small part to the thick grill cloth.

I haven't decided yet what to do with them. My initial thought, before I heard them, was to replace all of the drivers and crossover with new units. I think that would definitely improve the sound, but at a modest cost. At a minimum I'll measure their frequency response and see what I can uncover. I may also consider some basic bracing of the enclosure.

Maybe a better option would be to build a new version of this, and then do a comparison. I've always wanted to build a 3-way system.

Superman

Little man is potty trained. That is super.

Our Little Democrat

Madison wrote this at school on Monday. See if you can read what it says...

Halloween Pics

This years costumes were easy, but the kids enjoy them all the same. They had a blast trick-or-treating.

And here is the whole group just before we left.

What's on Berto's Mind

Some people would think nothing has been on my mind, since I haven't blogged for weeks. That is far from the truth. Work has been very busy and particularly stressful due to several tricky projects. That has occupied too much of my time recently, and it's time to shift my focus back to the family. Mostly what's on my mind are my kids. I am very proud as I watch them grow up.

At a recent parent teacher conference Madison's teacher told Kerry that Madison has on several occasions helped a special needs kid who joins their class - without prompting from the teacher. Madison is sensitive and caring, almost to a fault. Her favorite show in Jon & Kate Plus 8. She senses when Kerry or I need some help and is starting to step in and assist.

Collin continues his quest towards World Cup Soccer. Last week, during the first quarter, he scored 3 goals in a row. He added another goal soon after. Every play ends up with Collin doing a cartwheel and landing on the ground, whether it is a score, or the ball simply going out of bounds. Today Collin was very brave and was the first of the three to get their flu shot. No tears and no complaining.

Caden is just too much boy for his age. He thinks he can, and should do anything Collin does. He is a terror on a scooter, and enjoys riding his bike off the curb. He's learned to squeeze hard when he gives you a hug (sometimes you have to prompt him for the squeeze). And there is nothing cuter than than to see him clasp his hands and shut his eyes, as hard as he can, before he says "God thanks Mommy, Daddy, Madison, Collin."

soccer in the burbs

Kerry is officially a soccer mom. Collin is playing soccer and loves it. His team is the Buckin Broncos. We have had two games now and the team is 1-1, not that we are keeping score. Yes it's just pack-ball at this age, but they manage to stay headed the right direction most of the game. Collin scored a couple of goals in the first game, but nothing in this last game. He doesn't usually stay in the middle of the action, but prefers to stay on the perimeter and work on his positioning and strategy. He does good keeping himself between the ball and the goal. He will make a good defender just like his daddy.

The park where the games are played is just down the street. On Saturday mornings it is a mad house. It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to park, and even longer to get out. I bet we spent 15-20 minutes just getting out of the parking lot today.

The Diner

I am a big fan of the diner. You can order breakfast anytime of the day. And the menu is large - you can get just about anything you want.

We eat at a local diner near work about once a month. We've come to expect being called 'honey' and 'sweetie', but it's those rare moments where the waitress sits next to you and rubs your leg that make these trips memorable.

When we worked on the Philadelphia Eagles stadium we ate at the same diner every day for a week. The bread pudding was awesome. This was a northeast diner, cleaner and nicer than you typically find down south. I like to think that the neighborhood mob boss sits in the corner and runs his business.

Every time we come to Virginia for the project I am working on we stay at the same hotel and eat at the same Diner. Today I was by myself, and tempted to venture out to find a Starbucks or IHOP, but I decided not to break with tradition.

The first thing that strikes me as odd is that this Diner, which is connected to a Holiday Inn, doesn't open until 7:30. Are you kidding me? I walked in at 7:40 and the lights were still off and the waitresses were still setting up tables.

Conversation at the Diner is always interesting. A few tidbits of what I heard today between the staff...

"I really like the way you run your tables. When you greet people and say can I start you off with Coffee, Tea or Water? That sounds so professional."

"My belly hurts. I feel like it's on fire. I need to run to the store and get some Malox". I listened to that through most of my breakfast.

"You live in the apartments across the street? Did yours catch on fire? Did you lose everything?"

As the morning progressed, and I slowly lossed my appetite, I limited myself to Coffee thinking that at least the intense heat of the brewing process offered some hope for sterilization.

More Back to School

Collin and Caden started back to school today. This is the first day for Caden to go to preschool and it is a brand new school for Collin. They both did very well. Collin knows two kids in his class. A little girl that lives in our neighborhood and a little boy that is in his Sunday School class. I am so glad he has a friend in his class, it has made the adjustment to this new school much easier. He had a great time and he was even awarded the M&M award during music. I guess the music teacher gives out a little bag of m&m's to the child that is doing good. I think maybe the m&m stands for music and movement, but I really have no idea. I just know Collin was very excited to eat his m&m's after school. :)

Caden walked right into his room and sat at the table and started working a puzzle. When it was time for me to go, I said "bye Caden" and he said "bye Mom" and that was that. When I picked him up he was being held by the assistant teacher because he was not very happy when he woke up from his nap. Other than a little tears at the playground and at nap time, he had a very good first day. Hopefully, Thursday will go well too.

This post was written by Mom. :)

Back to School

It's that that time again. Next week is back to school for Madison. I can't believe she is entering 1st grade already. Other than cutting into her morning sleep (she likes to snooze til 9:00) she is looking forward to going back to school. She's a pro now, not nervous a bit. Last night we met her teacher and found out who was in her class. Her teacher seems very nice.

Collin and Caden start Sept 9th. Caden seems really young to be headed off to pre-k twice a week, but that is how old the other kids were. I would love to spy on him while he was at schood, to see him marching to the lunch room lined up with the other kids.

Carnie Kids

As good parents we are preparing our kids early for their future careers. After much meditation and praying, Kerry and I have decided that our kids should strive to work at a carnival.

Here is Madison at her first day of training, laying on a bed of nails.


She is also training for tightrope walking, acrobatics, and those high swing thingies.


Collin is working on his clown routine, which includes juggling, balancing, and pulling coins from his ears and nose.


We are waffling on Caden since he hasn't shown much promise in the few disciplines we have tried (lion tamer, boy shot out of cannon). He is showing a lot of promise bowling on the wii. He doesn't typically break 100, but he is getting occasional strikes and spares. So we may consider a career in the Pro Bowling Association. So starting next week he is going on a diet of beer and cheese fries.

sunday bike ride

In keeping with my goal of riding more this year, and since we had been on vacation for two weekends, I decided to ride today. Yes I went in the middle of the afternoon. Yes it was about 106 deg outside. And I paid for it.

It started with my eyes. For those of you who ride off road you know how your eyes can start to lose focus due to the constant jarring and you have to concentrate on keeping focus? Well that started earlier than normal and happened a number of times today. And the constant rush of warm air was burning my eyes (I didn't wear sunglasses because I don't like the contrast between the wide open bright spaces and the shadows in the trees unless I have yellow or clear lenses, which I don't. Sunglasses also make your face hot).

Then my arms started to get tired from the constant jarring. And it was so hot I didn't feel like I was sweating because it evaporated off immediately. I did drink a lot, approximately half of a 100oz camel back.

The roots were giving me a lot of problems today. The trail has a lot of roots, and you have to hit them perpendicular or they have a tendency to twist your wheel. I found myself on several occasions in a very awkward position, with one foot clipped in, one foot still clipped to the pedal, and hopping down the trail trying not fall over. But I managed to stay upright the whole time, which was better than my last ride when I went tumbling backwards down a hill when I couldn't get unclipped fast enough.

My legs felt pretty good the whole time, but the heat forced me to cut the ride short and take the road back to the car for fear of completely bonking.

A 32 oz Gatorade and candy bar brought me back to life.

random caden pics

How could I not share these?!

our house guests

Mike and Holleigh went to Austin this weekend and let us watch their kids, er uh dogs. They are easy to take care of and the kids are enjoying their temporary pets.

the annual kids pic

Here is the annual picture of the cousins. This is the best one yet.

A Day at the Beach

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You would think a day at the beach in California, end of July, would be about as good as it gets. But you would be wrong. While we did have fun, our plans of spending the afternoon at the beach playing in the sun and sand, swimming, building sand castles, eating dinner, then staying til dark and roasting marshmallows to make smores were cut short by the weather.




It was a cool 72 degrees, with an even colder wind. And the wind was strong, as you can see from the picture above. While all the kids played in the waves for a few minutes, only Madison and her cousin Jake could brave them for any length of time. The water was cold (until your legs went numb, then it was fine). They spent most of the time holding my hands so they didn't get sucked out to see. Collin got knocked down once when he wasn't holding on. He wasn't facing me and didn't realize the wave was pulling him right back towards me where I stopped him - Kerry said his face showed his surprise and fear.

The kids never really got into playing in the sand. Caden liked knocking down the sand castles, and he was a lot faster at it than Collin was at building them. So we called our afternoon short after about 2 hours, and went back to Kerry's sister Lisa's house for dinner and making smores in the backyard over a fire pit. This wound up working out for the better in the long run.

Vacation in California

It's Saturday and we are relaxing in California.

The trip here was the easiest trip with the three kids to date. On the plane, Madison and Collin sat on one side of the aisle and watched movies. They sat next to a nice woman who spoke with them some. Kerry and I sat on the other side with Caden. We had planned the flight out for noon, when Caden should be tired and ready for a nap. Well, he fell asleep 5 minutes before we landed, and only then because he had shut the window cover on his fingers and started to cry, so I was able to hold him for a while.

The kids are already picking back up their favorite activities - riding the scateboards (sitting), riding their bikes, and playing with blocks.


Madison posing.
Collin has become quite the builder.

Caden's funny face.

trip to the doctor

We didn't really know what to expect when we took Madison to see the doctor yesterday. From the look of the x-ray, Kerry and I just knew that something needed to be done. In the back of my mind I was expecting them to say that they didn't need to do surgery but that they would need to manipulate the bones back in place.

So we were very surprised when the doctor said she was fine and that the broken collarbone would heal on its own of the course of 6-10 weeks. We didn't need to do anything. No surgery. No manipulation. No brace. Just the simple sling she has been wearing. And take it easy on the shoulder.

Kerry and I are relieved. Madison is relieved and doing well. Last night was the first night since the accident that she slept in her bed instead of on the couch. Which means we all slept better.

Update on Madison

In true girl fashion, Madison has been getting new clothes out of this whole ordeal...

She is doing better than I would have expected. She appears to be in little pain, although I'm sure it aches pretty good. She hates taking medicine, but will take it before bed and has slept well the last two nights on the couch downstairs. We were able to go to some friends yesterday and watch fireworks, and she had a good time sitting at the edge of the pool, watching Barbie on their big TV, and playing with sparklers.

As for the clothes, well she needs some outfits that she can wear without having to put her arm through a sleeve. So Kerry has found her several new shirts and summer dresses that only have a strap over the neck. And she loves summer dresses.

So this weekend is turning out better than I had feared. And tomorrow my parents are coming down for a few days to help. It's great having family close by.

Last Sunday Madison wrote me a note that said she loved me and was glad that I made enough money so mommy could stay home with her and her brothers. I love my daughter.

Madisons Broken Collarbone

It has been a rough summer on the kids. Its only been 3 weeks since Collin got stitches in his chin, and now Madison has fallen and broken her collarbone.

It happened yesterday just before Kerry left to meet me at work for the fireworks in Addison. Madison fell while playing next to the treadmill. Kerry said she cried for 40 minutes. But there was no significant swelling or bruising, so Kerry brought her down to my work. While there, Madison got worse and around 7:30, after re-hurting it her left shoulder was drooping several inches lower than her right. That's when we knew she needed attention.

Kerry took her to a local CareNow while I stayed at work to watch the fireworks with Collin and Caden. If you don't know much about Addison or Kaboomtown, it is a huge fireworks festival and the city almost shuts down. The roads are horrible, and it took them FOR-EVER to get to the clinic. You can see from the X-Ray there is no doubt it is broken. But they couldn't do much for her except put her arm in a sling and give her some narcotics. She needed attention by an orthopedic specialist to set the collarbone back in place (under heavy sedation).

Kerry left the clinic and it took her FOR-EVER to drive back 2 miles or so to my work. She couldn't even get onto our sidestreet because of barricades and traffic cones. I walked down to the end of the street to pick up car seats for the kids. Kerry headed off to an emergency center hoping they could do more, while I hitched a ride home with a co-worker.

But it was all for naught. They didn't have anyone who could help. And with the Fourth of July weekend upon us, I think we are stuck waiting til Monday. I've tried calling several Hospitals / Emergency Rooms, and unless we can't control the pain or something else significant happens there is not much they can do.

Madison is doing OK, and seems to be in only modest pain unless the arm/shoulder is moved. Hopefully we can get her in early on Monday, but I'm not too optimistic.

did I mention Caden isn't afraid of the water?

Cleaning the Garage

I am definitely not a pack rat. I have no problem throwing things away that I feel are just in the way. I'm sure I've tossed stuff that my wife and Mom wish were packed up in nice boxes so I could show my kids. And although Kerry and I try hard not to get the kids much stuff, we are collecting quite an assortment of stuff.

With 7 bikes in the garage (I have three, everyone else has one) and the typical assortment of tools, lawn equipment, and storage the garage was getting very crowded. And I am committed to keeping both cars in the garage for their protection.

So I got myself a fathers day present and purchased some slatwall organizers from Lowe's called Gladiator Garageworks. Hang this stuff on the walls of your garage and you can get a lot of the clutter up off the floor. Not only does it look better, but it is easier to keep the garage floor clean, which helps keep the house clean.


Here are some after pictures. I have more to install, but this cleaned up a majority of the stuff that was just lying around.

What Really Happened

I've been told that my previous post was not quite correct, so I wanted to make sure to make the corrections in a way that would be noticed.

Although Caden jumped into the pool, he did not sink to the bottom. I have it on good authority that he was trying to swim and made an effort of it, arms and legs kicking. That really makes for a sad image in my head. (Don't cry Erin - remember that he is just fine). That, and the quick reaction by my wife (who is still limping from her bruised heel) kept him from hitting the bottom.

The Dangerous Summer

This summer is turning out to be quite dangerous.

It started last week with a near drowning (ok - maybe a little overdramatic) at the pool. Caden, who is only 2 and cannot swim, has become very comfortable in the water with his arm floaties. He spends most of his time jumping in the pool, then getting out, then jumping in the pool, then getting out, then jumping in the pool, then getting out...you get the picture.

So Kerry took the kids to the pool last week and Caden immediately started to wander off while she was getting his floaties out of the bag. Before she knew it, he was at the other end of the pool and jumped in, and of course sank to the bottom. Kerry raced to the other end, jumped in after him, and brought him out. He was a little shaken but did a good job of holding his breath. We wonder if he was just waiting to float back up like he usually does. He was a bit shaken, but still managed to swim later.

In the process, Kerry bruised her heel pretty good. A trip to the doctor a few days later confirmed that nothing was broken, but she is still hobbling around on crutches.

Tonight, we went to Mike and Holleigh's for dinner and to let the kids play. Their house backs up to the neighborhood pond which has a sidewalk all around. The kids went for a ride after dinner with the parents chasing after them. Collin was slowed down when his chain came off, so he had to wait for me while the rest of the kids rode down around the corner and into a wooded area. After I fixed Collin's bike, he took off to catch up. What he didn't realize is that the kids were stopped and playing beside the path. Collin was going to fast and crashed hard. Mike was with all the kids and immediately scooped him up and carried him to me. I could tell right away that he needed stitches. His chin had a nasty gash about 1" long. It was split wide open and of course he was screaming pretty good.

After we got him to the house and cleaned up, I took him to AcuteKids, a great little emergency center for kids. This played out just like the first time he got stitches in his chin. They wrapped him in a sheet so he couldn't move, the a nurse and I held him down while they gave him some numbing shots in his wound. That resulted in huge screams and lots of tears. Once they were finished with the shots, however, he managed to calm down and didn't cry when they put the actual stitches in. All in all I was very proud of him.

Summer Fun

We live in a great neighborhood. Just on our street there are a half dozen families or so families with kids of very similar ages. Everyone gets along and the kids play well together.

A few nights ago our immediate neighbors broke out their big inflatable waterslide, everyone pitched in for dinner, and we had a mini block party to celebrate the end of school and beginning of summer. Of course the kids had a ball, and when the kids are occupied, parents have more fun to.

You can see Madison and Caden going up one side. And yes, that is a bikini on Madison. She can wear it around the house, but we won't let here wear it to the pool.

Project Manitou Update

I've been able to ride the past 3-4 weekends now. It never ceases to amaze me how much fun mountain biking can be. Every time I get on the bike for the first time in over a few months, I wonder why I don't ride more. I have yet to crash, although there are a few sections on each ride that I don't clear.

The first time I went out I had to change one of my tubes. It was so old that the stem fell off when I started pumping it up. Luckily that has been the only mechanical I have had.

The bike geometry changed significantly with the updated components, but the bike handles very well. I'm still working on finding the right air-pressure for both the front and rear shocks. It takes some time to dial them in. But right out of the shoot they are both performing well. On some short climbs, the rear wheel stays glued down and traction is impressive. The front fork soaks up anything I throw at it.

The biggest problem with mountain biking is finding time to ride, especially since your ride doesn't start until you have driven to the trails. Luckily there are some good trails about 15-20min north of here. Tight and twisty, so my lack of conditioning doesn't hurt me too much.

Later this year we (Kerry, myself, and some neighbors) are riding in a charity ride. Time to dust off the old road bike.

Giro d'Italia

Over the last few years I have come to enjoy watching the Tour de France. My favorite stages are the mountain stages, but I have come to really appreciate the flat stages with the big sprints at the end. For most of these years Lance dominated the race and it was all about watching Lance and USPS or Team Discovery. But with Lance retired, Team discovery no more, and the sweeping drug scandals, there has been some serious shuffling of teams.

During the Tour I keep up with the race every morning on my PC, and watch the spectacular finishes at home late at night. There is something mesmerizing about how the race unfolds, watching the break-aways that rarely succeed, and sitting amazed as the riders struggle up amazing climbs.

So when I turned on the TV the other day and saw that a cycling program had been recorded, I decided to see what it was about. The Giro d'Italia is a long, multi-stage race just like the Tour de France. I did some quick investigating on the internet and found that team Astana included some of my favorite riders - Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, and Andreas Kloden. Shortly after that I found out that they were a very late invite, and had less than three weeks to prepare. Then, to my amazement, Alberto Contador grabbed the race lead (its a pink jersey instead of a yellow jersey in the Tour de France.) Of course Alberto did win the Tour de France last year, but still...

There are several American teams, including Team High Road (with George Hincappe) and Team Slipstream-Chipotle (with Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie).

In todays stage the big man Jens Voigt, who never misses a breakaway opportunity, joined one early in the race, then left them with 35km to go, never to be seen again. The man is crazy.

So there are only a few stages left, including key mountain stages on Friday and Saturday. You can bet I will be tracking this on the internet since I can't find it on live TV.

Ride like the wind Alberto.

The Weekend Review

Friday. Kerry and I celebrated our 10th anniversary so I took the day off. My parents came down and watched the kids so we could go out for a nice dinner (Jaspers at the Shops at Legacy) and a relaxing night away from the kids at the Marriott (courtesy of my Marriott rewards points). This is the first time we have both been away from the kids for an entire evening. We opted for kid-free shopping at the mall, something we cherish as much as going to a movie. And we were in bed early. Kerry enjoyed her rest the next morning. I slept in til about 7:15 then walked up to Starbucks, grabbed some iced coffee, and sat by the lake for about 45 minutes. We returned home to a very normal house and glowing reports on the kids behavior while we were away.

Saturday. A trip to the pool. Shopping at the mall. Grilled pork-chops for dinner. Very Memorial Day Weekend'ish.

Sunday. Kerry went to Church to teach. I stayed home and saw my parents off, then gathered and checked all of my biking gear to make sure it still worked, didn't smell, etc. I was able to get a quick ride in at Erwin Park, a tight single track trail with just enough dips, roots, and trees to make it interesting. I was very proud of myself for riding over all but 2 sections of the course. (I passed on the 20 foot 'v' dip that looked like it would require a wheelie just before hitting the bottom to avoid an endo due to the mud and trail conditions). But I easily cleared some taller logs, off camber climbs, and root filled trails.

That afternoon our friends Mike and Holleigh came over for dinner. It's always a bit chaotic with 7 kids all going at full speed, but they keep each other entertained.

Monday. Some work around the house, then a trip to the pool. Caden is now fearless! He loves to put on his arm floaties and jump into the water. Full submersion. We were all cracking up, including some of our friends who were amazed. We finished the day off with a trip to Olive Garden.

Now I'm catching up on some reading. I just spent some time on Christianitytoday.com reading about the new Evangelical Manifesto (the goal is to reconfirm that being Evangelical is a theological, not a political belief), some debate on Obama's Pastor Wright comments, and several articles on how Starbucks has influenced our society and what Christians should (and should not) take from this. I love how one person starts calling it St. Arbucks. That will stick with me for a while.

Manitou FS

My bike is back up and running with a new front fork, rear shock, and stem. The rest of the bike, most of which is 12 years old, is still in good shape. Considering how out of shape I am, and how my skills have deteriorated, the bike will definitely keep up with me.

I did some searching on the web and never could find any other pictures of a Manitou FS from this year (except a small thumbnail of a frame only). I suspect a very small number were made, and would love to see how others are holding up.

Thanks Mike for helping start this project and partially funding it. The pictures below are from the initial work we did at my parents house in Oklahoma.

Happy Birthday Madison

Madison's celebrated her 6th birthday with a mini-sleepover. Collin, Caden and I (here-to-after referred to as 'the boys') vacated the premises for most of the evening.

The girls all wore pajamas, ate pizza, played pin the slipper on Cinderella, and decorated tiaras.

When the boys got home, I expected a house full of girls watching the movie Enchanted. I knew that wasn't to be as soon as we pulled up to the driveway. I could hear the girls playing and screaming in the backyard. Collin and Caden immediately joined the girls in the backyard, with Collin chasing the girls and Caden getting pushed in the swing.

Happy Birthday Madison!

terror on wheels

Caden HAS to do EVERYTHING that big brother and big sister do. He has been riding his tricycle for some time now and insists on riding it when we want to go on a bike ride. Obviously that doesn't work to well because he is so slow. The other day we went to get Madison a new bike and he hopped on this bike at Toys-R-Us. He rode round and round the aisles at the store, putting kids twice his age to shame. So we decided to get him a bike. He hasn't figured out the coaster brake, but he is pretty fast. Today he rode up to the pool and at times I had to walk briskly to keep up. And of course he has no fear, so cars beware. He'll cut you off in a heartbeat.

Coming Soon....Rebirth of a Legend

The bike that made me famous has almost been rebuilt.

Air Robair will ride...

and fly...

and crash...

again.

the tables have turned

Collin is in a slump and I'm taking advantage of him. His game has gotten weak, and he rarely beats me at the tank game now. Perhaps he's bored. Or maybe since we play at 6:30 in the morning he's not awake yet. Either way I don't care. I've been training hard, and I usually get some coffee in me right away to wake me up. It seems to be working.

madison gets her ears pierced

Madison has been dying to get her ears pierced. Originally it was going to happen this Friday on her birthday, but she couldn't wait and we were not sure there would be enough time to get it done before the party. So Kerry took her tonight.

Madison was very excited until she actually got to the store. Then a little apprehensive. She insisted that they did both ears at the same time, which involved tracking down another employee how had just left but wasn't yet out of the mall. But she was brave and didn't cry.

Of course she is very excited and those are the first words out of her mouth when she sees a friend.