Huff Family

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Race of the Living Dead

2010-10-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween is here, which means, CHRISTMAS is here!! I know, a lot of you are all "Grimmany, grimmany, Thanksgiving is a rich blah blah traditions of turkey! Grimmany, humbug, turn off those Christmas carols!!" But I maintain that if I can be afraid of the Mothman in June (and I assure you that I am), then I can listen to Burl Ives in October.

Anyway, Halloween.

Since the beginning of the year, Charity, Bodie, and myself have tried to pick interesting races to run every couple of months or so. While perusing the race calendar at saltlakerunningco.com, we came across this beauty-

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! So, the race was a 5k up at This is the Place Heritage Park, and when you signed up for the race, you got to choose to run as a zombie or as a survivor. The survivors got a one minute head start. Charity and I ran as survivors, while Bodie ran as a zombie.

If you are wondering if it is tough to run in Zombie Makeup, fedoras, neckties and dresses, the answer is yes, no, yes, and yes. We got up there about a half hour before race time, which gave us time to register and look at what we would be running from/with.

Soon it was time to say goodbye to Bodie as the zombies and survivors were separated. I wished Bodie good luck, but not too much luck, and Charity and I headed to the starting line.

You might ask, what kind of idiot runner takes a camera with him to the starting line? Well, the kind that wants to take pictures of the most awesome race ever. Also, the kind that forgets to charge his camera battery. The upshot is, the race account will have to get by on words alone.

So, I knew right away I was in trouble. A good runner can run a 5k in 18 minutes or better, and if I am having a good day on the treadmill, I might get close to 21 minutes. On the road I might be closer to 24 or 25. I wasn't going to outrun the faster zombies.

BUT! I was going to try. The gun fired, and I went out of the blocks like someone running from certain death. I began my tour of "This is the Place Park", from here on known as "Steeper than the Swiss Alps Heritage Park." I consider myself a decent uphill runner, but this dirt path kept climbing and climbing at a steeper rate. I thought, if I can just get to the top of this, than I will be in good shape the rest of the way.

I didn't know that there were two laps.

So, I had to walk some, but I didn't mind the fact that there were two laps, because the race organizers did some cool storytelling, with pioneer citizens trying to cope with the Zom-pocalypse on the first lap, and them all dead or infected on the second lap. It was a really cool race that I hope will be an annual tradition.

But the question is, did I survive? Well, I was passed by 42 zombies, and they had to run through 175 humans to get to me. If you figure that a hungry zombie can eat 10 people an hour, than I would have been on the borderline. The point is, if the zombie apocalypse breaks out, don't call me, or else everyone will be wondering why the idiot with bite marks shambling down the street has "Chocolate Rain" set as his ringtone. I expect to be embarassed in the afterlife, just not on the first day.

Stuff My Dad Keeps

2010-09-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

While I was growing up, our house, like most houses, had a junk drawer filled with pens that don't work and dead batteries. But in addition, my dad had his OWN junk drawer in his office desk, filled with stuff that he knew would be useful some day. While he is away in Belarus, and therefore defenseless, I thought it would be a good idea to document these important tools, just in case anyone needs to borrow them in a crisis.

Pretty standard, right? I don't think a single junk drawer exists that doesn't have at least one house from Monopoly in it. The problem is, there are only 2 'f's that come in the box. One day, my Dad must have stepped on this somewhere near the office, got mad until he realized it could have been a lego block, and then put it in the drawer. And from that day, we were never able to spell 'forfeit' again.

Fun story: when I was in third grade, on every other Wednesday, math time would become art time. We would go and watch recordings of the show "The Art Maker," and then try to duplicate his project, which I would butcher almost immediately week after week, until I became known as "The Art Breaker." If only my father had spent more time mentoring me with this brush, I might have avoided that humiliation.

I don't know what this came off of, except that whatever it is hasn't rolled for a long time. To me, it looks like some kind of child carrying device- like a crib or a high chair. I left the rubber band on it because, you know, whatever.

I had no idea what soldering flux was until I read the wikipedia entry, but I know that my dad hasn't soldered anything for a long time. I am sure of this because I know for a fact that his soldering gun only heats up to about 40 degrees. The thing couldn't curl your hair. By the way, I love that 'PASTE' is bigger than 'soldering' on the package, and like to imagine my Dad spending a great deal of time at the hardware store choosing between the paste and liquid containers.

When I was about seven, we bought my dad a printing calculator for his birthday or father's day, because that's what dad's like, right? Doing math with calculators? Anyway, that thing hasn't been used in about 10 years, because first the battery died, then pieces started falling off, and then forget it. However, in the event that he gets his 25 year old calculator fixed, and then finds himself in a situation where he needs to print off some calculations, he will have the paper ready to go. That's also not much of a straight line on the tear job, either. Art Breaker, indeed.

Somewhere, someone keeps throwing their coat on the floor.

If you ever rode your bike to school and happened through a sticker weed patch, you recognize this thing. It was used to buff the bike tube before applying a patch, which was like, step 4 in a 10 step process that seemed to take all Saturday. Man, was I steamed when I found out that bike tubes were like 2 dollars.

Finally we have a drum pad mount. I vaguely recall seeing a drum pad around the house in the eighties. I thought that it was long gone, but now I have seen the proof that it is just hidden away. My dad remains patient, biding his time until he finally gets that drum stand that he is hoping for. Then, the practice pad shall be mounted, and many a drumming he will make!

Love you dad!

Rainy Day Fun

2010-08-30T15:17:00.001-07:00

Today at about 6:00 a.m. We woke up to thundering and lightening outside. Poor Daisy is so scared of the thunder that she can't sit still. So, Curt and I went downstairs and turned on the TV. That helped Daisy and soon she settled down on my lap. What to do on a rainy day with a little boy who loves to go outside. Hmmmmm....

Should we build a fort? Yes!!!

What's better than reading in a fort on a rainy day.

I think Liams favorite part was making the fort CRASH in. It made him giggle and giggle. We kept having to fix it and then crash it again.

CHEESE!!!!

I'm so thankful I have a little boy that I can rough house with. There is nothing better than seeing his smile and hearing his giggle.

A Chance to catch up part 3

2010-08-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

In early June, our friends Justin and Kristina invited us to go camping at their favorite Camper World site in Coalville. It was Liam's first time camping, and overall he did pretty well, although at bed time he was more interested in running around the tent and flopping on the air mattress.

Two weeks later, we flew to Boston for our family vacation, mainly to see the Dodgers play at Fenway, but we did other things as well. Because Fenway always sells out, and this interleague game had so much interest, the Red Sox had a lottery to see who was able to buy tickets. I asked all of my friends to enter, and out of the six or so people who did, only Numan won. Without him, the game would have been three times as expensive, so thanks to him, and to Cami for helping us with our flights. The first pic is from our Freetom Trail tour, near the playground that was the site of a hanging tree in colonial times. The rest are from the ballgame. A nice usher at the park thought Liam was adorable and even let him stand on the field after the game, but the pics didn't turn out so well. Which is okay, I'd hate for him to see them later and decide he is a Red Sox fan.

The next couple of pics are from some fireworks displays that we went to. The first is from Taylorsville Dayzz (the two zz's are a remnant from the dark dayzz, when somebody noticed that Utah's three biggest sportzz team'zz namezz each had two zz's in them.) They do a nice job with thie fireworks, and it's always fun to go over to the park with our friends. Plus, this year, I went to use a port-a-john and it had a helium balloon jammed in the waste pit, which is a tougher riddle to solve than a rubik's cube. The other pic is from our 4th of July fireworks show, or fouthofjulireworks. Dan, Boey and Steve continued to up their game. Their game is stuffing fireworks in paper bags.

Other than that, Liam has had a great year, playing in the water. . .

. . . shopping at the Gateway . . .

. . . fingerpainting . . .

. . . playing in the sand . . .

. . . and just hanging out.

You are now officially caught up!

A Chance to Catch Up (part 2)

2010-08-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics of what we have been up to:

Liam turned one in May. I would say that it went by fast, except that everybody says that. He still (4 months later) hasn't had his first haircut. His hair has come in blonde and curly, and is growing really well in the back. On top it has been a little slower, so he is kind of rocking the permullet look that was popular in the 70's and 80's.

Charity and Cami did a great job on the cake. At the time, Mickey Mouse's clubhouse was his favorite thing to watch. Now, he is more likely to sit through The Wiggles and Bob the Builder.

Liam loves to spend time with his "Papa Pro," Charity's dad. He has been an outstanding golfer his entire life, and has taught Liam the joy of swinging a golf club (a joy which I have not yet discovered. I once was trying to learn in my parents front yard, and with one swing, I missed my dad's head by inches, bounced the ball off the house about a foot from the front windows, and dinged our car.) Anyway, Liam will walk around drawing his arms back like he is swinging a club and say "KWWWWWACK!"

A little while before his first birthday, Liam, Charity, and Charity's mom went to "Baby Animal Days" at Thanksgiving Point's "Farm Country."

These next few pics are just some single shots from different events.

This is from the annual Easter egg hunt at Grandma Huff's house. Charity was good and made sure his eggs were filled with things he was eating at the time- puffs, mini marshmallows, etc.

Like most kids, if it has buttons, Liam wants to mess with it. We are always fixing computer display settings, trying to figure out what in the world he did to the surround sound, and all that kind of stuff.

He also has a particular fondness for rakes and vacuums. I don't expect that to last once he is old enough to use them in any sort of productive manner.

Finally, please to enjoy some celebrity permullets-

A Chance to Catch Up (Part 1)

2010-07-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Charity put together a picture booklet for her Grandma, and since she went through and filtered out the good pics, I thought I would post them here.

The fertility clinic that allowed us to have Liam threw a patient party, and they provided a photographer for family pics:

Liam has always liked books- "The first words I'll teach my pup are 'dig a hole,' then fill it up!'"

Liam likes my guitar playing. He has great taste in music. Actually, while I am a pretty good bass player, I have a long way to go to be even an average guitar player.

In March, we went out to Pasadena to cheer on my mom, along with my aunt and cousins in a triathalon.

In June, Charity and I ran the half marathon that I mentioned in a previous post. I'm happy to say that the ankle held, and I almost made my goal of two hours. Next year, perhaps. This is us getting on the bus at 6:30 AM to ride to the starting line.

Charity got me a street bike for Christmas, and I've been trying to use it as much as I can. Liam likes to ride along, and our bike rides together are one of my great joys in life.

More to come later.

Pink Elephants on Parade

2010-07-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Liam has learned his first two syllable word. "Mommy" is still "Mah," "Daddy" is still "Dah," but one word he says clear as crystal- "Dumbo." In fact, he can even make a sentence- "Dumbo, Dumbo, Dumbo. Dumbo."

He likes Dumbo

Of course, it's no surprise that kids like to watch the same movie over and over and over again. In fact back in the day, I think my childhood was spent watching about five movies. Of course, back then you had to rent the VCR as well as the movie, and for some reason it came in a pizza warmer.

"Darby O' Gill again?"

I realize that it could be a lot worse. I'm kind of proud that he can sit and watch traditional animation, and I'm not stuck watching Cars all weekend long. In fact, we've tried him with newer CGI movies, and for whatever reason they don't hold his attention.

pictured: Traditional animation

It has been nice, bacause now when we go to the zoo, he finally cares about the animals, because he has seen them on Dumbo. Here is his reaction when he saw the new baby elephant at Hogle Zoo.

Everything I Need to Know About Running I Learned from Miyagi

2010-06-10T12:07:00.001-07:00

I know that it has been a while since I posted. This is mainly due to the fact that what most of you want to read about is the kid walking, and his first birthday, and all that, but what I want to write about is Fruit Roll Ups and the movie "Condor Man."

Not pictured- special effects

Maybe in the future I'll reconcile these by writing a post on whatever I want and throw in some pics of Liam at the end. Sound fair?

Anyway, I've kind of been going through a fitness renaissance that I'll cover at some other point, but the upshot is that Char and I are running a half marathon up at bear lake on Saturday. Originally Bodie was going to run with me, and we had picked bear lake mainly because of the milkshakes and this guy:

So I went out for a run Monday, and felt pretty good about it, but ever since then, my right foot has been in considerable pain. Now I knew how Daniel Larusso felt after the semi-finals of the All Valley Karate Tournament!

But did a little leg pain stop Daniel Larusso? No! Because he knew that Mr. Miyagi had that trick when he rubs his hands together really fast. I guess this applies heat better than heat pads or whatever. By the third movie Miyagi had traded his hands of warmth for some green powder, that evil Daniel Larusso stole and spilled. I don't remember the rest of the story, but the point is, sometimes you need warm hands, sometimes you need green powder, but you always need a Miyagi.

A safety tip, Curt-san: Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later- SQUISH- just like grape.

Thank you, Mr Miyagi. And finally, as promised. . .

Sledding in Bountiful

2010-01-02T22:50:00.001-08:00

The Scotts invited us to go sledding with them in Bountiful.

We got all bundled up and ready to have some fun.

Sophie getting all ready.

Boey pulling Jonny and Brayden.

Liam seemed to like going down the hill

Liam and Daddy having a great time.

Sophie and Cami

Sophie and Liam taking a break

The Scotts

Christmas Morning

2010-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Did Santa Come?

Liam Opening his first Christmas gift

Liam has loved books since he was little.

You know you're a parent when you spend your Christmas morning unpackaging toys that have a million things attaching them to the boxes.

Daisy had a great Christmas too. She got a bone, treats and a new toy.

Where's Liam?

Liam is loving to stand, so this has become one of his favorite toys.

Christmas Eve

2010-01-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve Curts Mom reads the grandkids a Christmas story. Liam wants be just like the big kids. He sat and listened to every word Grandma said.

I can't believe our little guy is getting so big. He is pulling himself up to a stand now, How quickly time goes.

Curts parents gave us all a jar to fill up and give to someone in need.

Liam loves music. He especially loves finger plays. He loved singing Jinglebells and shaking his bell.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Huff for my helicopter

Now off to bed to dream of sugar plums dancing in my head!!

Santa Photo Shoot

2010-01-02T21:09:00.001-08:00

Decorating for Christmas

2010-01-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

Since Liam has started crawling he has loved to get into cords. He couldn't resist a cord with lights on it.

Liam loved pulling off the ornaments from the bottom of the tree this year. His favorite ornaments to pull off were tbe Snoopy ones.

It has been so much fun this year to have a little one during Christmas time. What a blessing kids are. Family is truly the best thing in life!!!

I've been a very good boy!!!!

2009-12-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!!

Half a Lifetime Ago

2009-10-08T22:11:00.001-07:00

Charity and I got together 15 years ago this week. We had been in the same group of friends for a while, and really got to know each other at Taylorsville football games. We have kind of enjoyed each other ever since! Here are a few pics from our 'high-school sweethearts phase.' Please pardon the dust, they've been boxed up for a while, and I didn't want to photoshop it all out.

My junior prom, our first formal date

Just the two of us. I think I weighed in at around 145 lbs.

Homecoming, 1995. I was so outclassed!

Charity and I at homecoming.

We were even immortalized in the yearbook

Charity's junior prom. It should be noted that I had really bad hair in high school. Not that it sets any records now, but still.
I don't get it either. I drove an Oldsmobile, so she wasn't with me for the car.

Charity's senior ball

We had this picture done at Kmart a few weeks before I left on the mission. Not the best pic for either of us, but there you go.

Thanks for sticking with me, Love!

Addiction of the Day So Far

2009-10-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

http://humanity37.mybrute.com/

That is all.

Curt's Quest Walkthrough

2009-10-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

This is off the top of my head, so if something isn't working, please let me know!
1. You start off in the shed that I worked in for minimum wage for about 2 years. You need to do three things in here: 'Sort wire' while standing next to the wire box (you will find a magnet); 'get goop', and 'get tape.'
2. Go left, then up, then right to find the Park (now Taylorsville) library. In here, 'get watership down' from the fiction shelf (my favorite novel). When you are close to the security bars, 'use magnet' to fry the security system. Leave the library
3. Go left and down. 'Move rock' you will find some change and a worm. 'use goop on worm.' Uh-oh, now you've done it! 'Give book' the "bookworm" will give you his tie in exchange.
4. Go left 2 screens and then down. Enter the church. 'Wear Tie' Enter the dance. Make your way on stage. 'Get ladder.' return to the shed.
5. Underneath the window, 'use ladder'. 'climb ladder'. 'use tape on window'. 'go hole.' You have found the path to the golden pez! Save often on this screen by hitting escape and using the menus. Also, using the mouse to click along the path helps a s well. Don't fall! when you reach the platform 'get pez.' return along the path. In the shed 'climb down'.
6. Leave the shed, and follow the road left, then up. This is the home I grew up in. Near the fron door 'look porch' Make your way to the left hand side of the porch 'get shovel' enter the house. Go to the first cupboard below the fridge. 'open cupboard.' 'get cheetos' 'exit'. Walk into the laundry room. go to the dryer. 'open dryer' 'look in pockets'. You will find a harmons card. Walk into the bathroom. 'shave' leave the house.
7. Go to the backyard. a few feet to the right of the pile of leaves, 'dig hole' 'cover hole'. Leave and reenter the backyard until the kid has fallen into the hole. 'help kid'. he will give you a scooter. leave the backyard, and return to the main road.
8. Go left until you reach the desert. 'Ride scooter.' go left until you reach the oasis. on the bridge, 'drink water'. walk to the tree and 'get fruit'. Go right one screen, 'ride scooter' and go right until you reach civilization again. return to the shed.
9. Go to Boey (the other shed worker) and 'give cheetos.' He will give you a timecard. Go left until the 4-way intersection, and go up to find Roy's house. 'Give timecard.' He will give you your paycheck. Let's go cash it at Harmons! Go down, left 2 screens and up. Enter the store.
10. Go up to the counter and 'cash check.' follow the road back to Roy's house, and go up one more screen. Enter Holiday oil. At the counter 'buy drink'. walk to the fountain and 'get drink'. Leave the store. Follow the road back to harmons, and go right 2 more screens. It's the Fundome! 'look cup' 'pull tab' Enter the fundome.
11. Inside choose to enter mini-golf. Do not choose bowling without saving first. In fact, save anyway. We are looking for an orange golf ball. In the first golf room, walk to the scorers table and 'look in table' walk to the house and 'flip switch' 'look in house'. walk to the room to the right.
Walk to the post and 'swing post' 'stop post' 'look in hole.' go up to the next room. 'put tape on club' 'put club in water' walk to the left and exit the fundome. Return to the entrance to the shed and go down to enter byu campus.
enter the admin building. 'Give fruit'. 'give pez'. 'give ball.' You have won the game!

Curt's Quest!

2009-09-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Those of you who haven't known me since college might not have understood item number 11 on the 30 trips posting. Please to let me explain!

If you have never played it, the Kings Quest series of computer games ran from 1984 to 1998. For the first decade, they were the type of game in which you would walk your character from room to room, and enter text on the keyboard to interact with other things. You can still purchase Kings Quest sets from amazon.
Anyway, in the early 2000's, a guy named Brian Provinciano was able to recreate the engine that Sierra Software used to create these games. I just needed a plot!
When I had hit my 5th year at BYU, I began to feel like graduation was as far away as ever, so the plot of Curt's Quest was that an evil BYU administrator needed me to collect 3 things in order to graduate. Many of the places in the game are places that were significant to me and my friends in high school. For instance, the old 49th street galleria is one of the rooms in the game.
I felt like it had a fairly reasonable degree of difficulty. There are about 30 rooms, but acquiring and using items to accomplish the goals of the game is somewhat challenging. As far as I know, the only person who completed the game is a programmer who read the solution from the source code.
If you want to give it a try, you can download it here. Just make sure that you get version 1.1. Once downloaded, run the file SCIV.EXE to play. A couple of hints:
1. You need to shave to enter BYU.
2. Something you need is on a porch.
3. There aren't many places to die, but there are a few. You can save the game by pressing escape and using the menus.

I'll post a walkthrough for it in a week or so.

A real update- with pics and junk

2009-09-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

When Liam was about 2 months old, we had some family pics done at MarDel photography, the same guys that did our wedding photos, and a really high-class place. Anyway, this is how they turned out.

Liam in his blessing outfit. This was near the end of the sitting, so he was getting mad.

He fell asleep for the baseball pics, which really helped them turn out nice.

Here's a few of the whole fam.

And a few black shirt/black background shots.

Finally, a 9-pic montage for the kid's room.

Why I haven't posted in 2 months

2009-09-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog Reader, if my calculations are correct you will read this blog immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning. First, let me assure you that I am alive and well. I've been living happily these past 8 months in the year 1885. The lightning bolt that hit the DeLorean caused a gigawatt overload which scrambled the time circuits, activated the flux capacitor, and sent me back to 1885. The overload shorted out the time circuits and destroyed the flying circuits. Unfortunately, the car will never fly again.
I set myself up as a blacksmith as a front while I attempted to repair the damage to the time circuits. Unfortunately, this proved impossible because suitable replacement parts will not be invented until 1947. However, I've gotten quite adept at shoeing horses and fixing wagons.
I have buried the DeLorean in the abandoned Delgado Mine, adjacent to the Old Boot Hill cemetery, as shown on the enclosed map. Hopefully, it should remain undisturbed and preserved until you uncover it in 1955. Inside you will find repair instructions. My 1955 counterpart should have no problem repairing it so that you can drive it back to the future. Once you have returned to 2009, destroy the time machine.
Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to come back here to get me. I am perfectly happy living in the fresh air and the wide-open spaces, and I fear that unnecessary time travel only risks further disruption of the space-time continuum. And please take care of Daisy for me.
I know that you will give her a good home. Remember to walk her twice a day, and that she only likes canned dog food. These are my wishes; please respect them and follow them. And so blog reader, I now say farewell and wish you Godspeed. You've been a good, kind, and loyal friend to me. You've made a real difference in my life. I will always treasure our relationship and think on you with fond memories, warm feelings, and a special place in my heart. Your friend in time, Curtis. September 1st, 1885.

Closer to 40 than 20

2009-08-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last year for my 30th birthday, I wrote up a list of 30 things I learned in my first 30 trips around the sun. Since today is my last day of being 30, I decided to post it here.

1. Don't take classes from college professors with beards.
2. Popsicles aren't worth the trouble of breaking them in half.
3. No matter how old or competent you may be, when you work on a project with your dad, your job will be to hold the flashlight.
4. Paying the cost of shipping is worth being excited for the mail to arrive.
5. Nothing good can come from answering the phone on Sunday morning.
6. Answering the phone on other days isn't so good either.
7. When staying with older people, pack a fan.
8. If someone is telling you a story and uses the words "I didn't think much of it at the time," or "He just kind of looked at me funny," you are not listening to a true story.
9. When mowing the lawn, mulch.
10. Some things are worth the extra money. A new Big Gulp cup is one of them. Also 2-ply.
11. If you spend an inordinate amount of time creating a game in the style of King's Quest, the only person who will complete it is the guy who can hack the source code.
12. When on vacation, you will never have good memories of the morning that you were tired and slept in.
13. Pictures of people are more more interesting than pictures of things. Unless that thing is bigfoot.
14. In college, if the tests come completely from the lectures, there is no reason to buy the book. If the tests come completely from the book, there is no reason to go to class.
15. It's a very bad idea to tell your boss that "there's nothing to do."
16. When trying to find the website for a company, don't guess.
17. It is completely unreasonable to expect a guy making $6.00 an hour to successfully make a hamburger.
18. If you are making a purchase at 7-11, and the guy at the counter thinks you said "and I would like one stamp," it is easier to pay the $0.42 than to explain that you do not, in fact, need a stamp.
19. In a crowded place, hold the door open for one person, hold it open for the world.
20. There are some people that you don't like who are not your enemy. Know the difference.
21. Like money, you have to spend energy to get energy.
22. Motion sensor lights inside the house are worth every penny. That way you can wake up and know you are not being attacked by ninjas.
23. Everybody believes that other drivers are idiots.
24. Everybody believes that they have found the world's greatest dentist.
25. You want to know something that doesn't impress anybody? Talking loudly.
26. Happiness at work is defined by two things: being acknowledged as the best worker, and being challenged for the title.
27. People who complain that something is a waste of time are normally in a hurry to get back to computer Solitaire.
28. People who say "No pun intended" are liars.
29. If you are on the road and really need to go, most Taco Bells have single seating locking bathrooms. On the other hand, you are at Taco Bell, so other people are really going to need those single seating locking bathrooms.
30. When all else fails, up up down down left right left right b a.

Best. Vacation. Ever.

2009-06-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

As we've mentioned here before, the last few years Charity and I, as well as my parents when they want to, go to see the Dodgers play in a different stadium. Since my brother Mattie lives down in Houston, we decided last December to make the trip to see the Rangers this weekend. My parents didn't want to spring for airfare and made it a 2-day road trip. Our sweet friend Cami, who works for an airline, was super nice and gave us a pair of crazy-rare buddy passes (she can only give away eight passes a year.)

Not quite this rare.

We were going to fly down Thursday night, see the game from the 10th row behind the Dodger dugout, and fly home Tuesday. Instead, this happened to the Dallas/ Fort Worth airport on Thursday afternoon:

Or so I was told

Now, the one downside of the buddy pass, is that you are flying standby, meaning the airlines in their corporate greed give any available seats to actual paying customers.

Grounded by the man.

So, instead of flying out Thursday night, we got to come back Friday at 7:00 am for the 8:30 flights. Also the 10:05, 1:55, and 4:55 flights. We got to know many of the other friendly people on standby to the same city, as we shuffled from terminal to terminal.

"Krakozhia!"

Our last chance to make the game was the 1:55 flight. In a desparate gamble, my parents called my uncle who works at the airport and who TANGENT ALERT for some reason always called me Fred when I was a kid. This led to me calling him Uncle Fred, which is how I still think of him to this day. END OF TANGENT. He was kind enough to try to call in a favor on our behalf, cementing his long-standing position as best uncle in the world. As impressive as his efforts were, though, they were for naught, as we sadly watched the plane leave the gate.

Not pictured: empty seats

At this point, my parents knew that we wouldn't make the game, and were nice enough to try to sell out tickets at a resonable rate.

Still no takers.

We tried one more flight after that, which let many standby people on, but not us, and we decided we were done.

On a serious note, I would like to put in a good word for Super 8 motels. We had booked the nicest room that they had, and they allowed us to cancel after their deadline not just once for Thursday, but also on Friday as well. They didn't have to do that, and it saved us from having to eat the cost of an unused hotel room, as well as the cost of unused Dodger tickets. So, if you have to choose between a Best Western, Motel 6, or Super 8, I would encourage you to choose one of their many luxurious 5-star Super 8's. (Citation needed)

Sorry Matt and Erica for the inconvenience, we'll catch up with you another time. The Dodgers will play the Rangers again in Texas in 2018, so we'll try that! (Maybe we can get there before.)

Please to enjoy our vacation photos!

Liam and Dad at their 4th terminal

Mom and Liam enjoying their family vacation

There was no swimming pool at the airport. This was several weeks ago.

The scenic views

The wildlife

The Sweet thrill rides (no hands!)

The Fine Dining

Enter Liam Stage Left

2009-05-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Liam Koufax Huff started his ride on this Big Blue Marble at 10:10 last night (Cami's time guess was the closet, and my mom was closest on the date). He was 7 lbs and an ounce (predicted by Tina), and 20 inches (predicted by Charity, Cami, and Boey).

The Nursery is done.

2009-05-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

The night before the kid was induced, we put the last few touches on the room.

A Funny Story I Just Remembered

2009-05-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

One day about a year ago Charity and I were eating with Bodie and Tina at Ihop. For some reason, we were talking about magic tricks, and Bodie demonstrated to McKinnen his removable thumb. McKinnen, being somewhat young at the time, was significantly distressed.

Bodie later said: good thing I didn't try to steal his nose.

So, We Better Build the Nursery (by Curt)

2009-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

So, I am not the most handy guy on the planet. I am neither particulary good with tools, nor am I a perfectionist, both of which seem to be required for good home remodeling projects.

Not pictured: me

However, the baby is only a few months away, and we'd better have a place to put him. So, with that in mind, Charity and I have gone to work to turn this:

into this:

Total cost at Pottery Barn: one bajillion dollars

Week 1: Removing wallpaper

According to many websites, you remove wallpaper by 'scoring' it, or making many small cuts, and coating it with a gel to dissolve the glue. Then you peel the wallpaper away in clean strips, and, just like that, you are done and can spend the rest of the day enjoying yourself on the planet Gridulak, where wallpaper removal is easy and dreams come true.

On Earth, however, it took about 5 hours to do a 8 foot section of paper, so if you are doing wallpaper removal and it is coming off in nice clean strips, stop peeling wallpaper and buy a lottery ticket, because it is just your day.

"Five hours??? Come on, Curt!"

Week 2: Demolition

I think it was Charity's way of getting me excited by calling this demolition week which included neither this:

Nor this:

Three time tag team champions! But you knew that.

Rather, it involved using a series of prybars to pull off the baseboards, doorframes, and closet hangings. Afterwards, we got some good tips about how to avoid destroying the drywall. Which leads us to:

Week 3: Repairing the destroyed drywall

So, we didn't have any drywall patching supplies, so I made a trip to Lowes. On the list: Drywall, a 2x4, drywall screws, spackle, and a scaper. Lowes is laid out like this:

This is also an accurate depiction of the number of Lowes employees.

After wandering around for a while, and buying what I could find, I arrived at the sheet rock section. Apparently they only sell drywall in two sizes: no drywall, and the kind hauled around by trucks.

Anyway, after getting some help from my dad, we were able to patch up the hole.

Bob Vila himself couldn't have done a better job, although I bet Bob Vila never lost his hammer by dropping it down the hole in the wall. Three weeks down, about 12 to go.

Christmas

2008-12-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas Season. We feel very blessed and had a great Christmas this year. Every year on Christmas Eve, we get together at Curt's parents house with all of his brothers and sisters. We missed you Matt and Erica, but we are glad that we got to talk with you.

My famous apple pie that I make for every family get together

Curt's Mom telling all the Grand kids a story about a man, who found out Jesus was coming to see him that night. He gets ready and makes food and before Jesus gets there he gives it all away to people, who come to his house in need. At this point in the story our nephew, Jacob aka Goo, says "He keeps giving away all of Jesus' stuff, that's the only bad part of this story." We all had a good laugh. By the time Jesus gets there the man says I gave away all of the things I had made for you and Jesus tells him, If you do it unto the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me. It was a good story for the kids to hear because as a family service project this year we donated items to the Road House.

Mass chaos as all the kids are tearing into their Christmas presents from Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa even gave a gift to our little guy

I don't know how it started but our oldest nephew, Jeremy, and Curt's dad decide to have a wrestling match. Grandpa won, but he did get a battle wound.

All bandaged up

On Christmas morning, Curt and I woke up and opened presents. We both bought Dodgers onesies for our little man. He will now be ready for baseball season. Daisy got a bone for Christmas, which she chewed on the whole morning.

Curt reading the newspaper Christmas morning

My parents came over and had our annual breakfast and gift exchange

Daisy playing with my Dad

My Mom gave Daisy this Christmas collar, which I have to say she didn't like at all to wear. Though she does like to chase it.

Merry Christmas to All and a Happy New Year!!!!

And Now, For Something Completely Different! (By Curt)

2008-12-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

So, like everybody else, I spend a little time playing online flash games. If you are on my email list, you have received the links to dozens of these games over the past couple of years. I was looking over the ones that I have sent, and have decided on the top 8. So here they are, in no particular order, except reverse alphabetical.

The World's Hardest Game

This isn't really the world's hardest game. That honor belongs to G4's Ninja Warrior challenge (as it should. The Show Ninja Warrior is impossible as well, and I highly recommend watching it.) The goal in this game is to move your red square from one green base to another, picking up all the gold coins and avoiding the moving blue dots. It's got 30 levels, and you get taunted between every level that you complete. There is no limit to the amount of times you can die, but the score is kept by fewest deaths. Very satisfying!

Temple Guardian

I once sent my brother Steve the link to a site that hosted a game, and he browsed around on the site and discovered this beauty. It is a tower defence game, where baddies march along a specified path, and you build towers to shoot them down before they reach the temple. Each level earns you money, and you have to decide what towers and upgrades to spend it on.

Poom

This is another high score challenger game. In it, you are controlling the board, rather than the ball. You want to make sure that it has a safe landing. Simple concept, but it takes a few tries to get the hang of it.

Helicopter

This is probably the simplest of the games listed. Hold in the mouse button to go up, release it to go down. The beauty of it is in trying to get further than any of your co-workers.

Dungeon Escape

This game is a tribute to laserdisk games that were popular in the 80's, like Dragon's Lair and Time Traveler (better known as the hologram cowboy game). These games were nothing more than a string of video clips put together, that relied on you pressing a button or moving a controller at the right time. You would feed these games dozens of quarters, trying to memorize the timing of all these video clips. It's not finished yet, but what is there is more than enough to keep you entertained for a long time.

Cursed Winds

I originally sent this out as 'Treasure of Cutlass Reef' on national Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19th!) Cursed Winds is almost the same, but with a few more upgrades. Like Temple Guardian, you must decide how best to upgrade your ship to allow you to shoot down the enemy ships. Make sure to turn the video quality down, or all that cannon fire will really slow down the graphics.

Bloxorz

If I had to pick an all time favorite, this would probably be it. You control the rectangular block, and the goal is to roll and flop until you reach the hole. Getting through the 30 something levels is considerably difficult.

Amoeba

This is the newest on the list, and, like helicopter, the goal is to have a higher score than those around you. You start with a screen of one-celled amoebas like yourself, and you are only allowed to merge with amoebas your size or smaller. I've seen this posted on a few different sites, with changes to scoring and number of lives, so if you do challenge others to a battle, don't let them cheat!

Let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree!

What a difference a year makes (by Curt)

2008-11-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

Last Year on Thanksgiving weekend, Charity and I were axiously awaiting the results of our first In Vitro pregnancy test. On Friday, at about 3:30 pm, it came back positive, but with low numbers, indicating that the likelihood of a live birth was slim. Sure enough, we never saw a heartbeat, and a few weeks later it was declared a miscarriage, beginning the hardest year of our lives (including 7th grade, and that's saying something).

Fast forward to today, when this morning, I felt our little boy kick for the first time. There is a lot to be thankful for this year. I am, as always, especially grateful for our family and friends. They say that you can pick your friends, but not your family. Well, I am lucky enough that my friends are family, so you guys are stuck with me, too!

I love you all.

MakeMeBabies.com (by Curt)

2008-11-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know how accurate this is, but this site has you upload two pictures of the mother and father, and predicts what your baby might look like. Here are our results!!

First the girl:

Then the boy.

Obviously different pictures would get different results, but I think they are pretty adorable! Only six months until we know for sure!

Halloween at Bodie's (by Curt)

2008-10-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, every year on the last Saturday before Halloween, Bodie and Tina have us over to carve pumpkins. I'm not very good at crafty things, so if my pumpkin doesn't completely fall apart by the end of the night, I consider it a success.

Maid Marion and Robin Hood. Or Link. Or whatever.

Bodie as the Joker. He wanted to show us a magic trick, but we resisted the temptation.

Bodie, Tina, Mckinnen, Deacon, and Lily (She is the baby skeleton.)

Numan is Thinking Arby's.

Bob the Builder with Robin Hood. Or Legalas. Or whatever.

Charity carving her pumpkin. She is a hotty.

Best Picasso Pumpkin ever.

Waiting for the entire center of my pumpkin to collapse.

The completed project. After deciding that elf shirts, ERRRR, Robin Hood tunics, are too warm.

Mckinnen and Tina (and Lilly - spelled with two L's this time because I'm not sure which is correct) carving their masterpiece

Mischa carving. Notice how she doesn't seem worried that the entire thing could fall apart. Because she is good at that kind of thing.

Numan and Mischa's finished product. Numan didn't even use a pattern. I offered him some, but he declined.

Mario and Picasso lit up. Two days later, they are already wilted. But not bashed in, so that's a plus.

The entire collection of Jack -o-lanterns. Tina's on top, then mine, followed by Charity's and Numan's, then Bodies' and Mischa's. Finally, a Bob the Builder that took 20 pumpkins to make, as well as 80 toothpicks and a gallon of paint. It was worth it though, as it turned out very realistic.

To end the night, we watched Dracula. My favorite parts are when things happened, because for most of the movie, things didn't happen. There was lot's of this, though:

Vlagh!!

Anyway, a great night overall. Thanks Bodie and Tina.

It finally happened...We're Pregnant!!!!

2008-08-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it we finally got a positive test, but plain as day it says pregnant. It has been a long four years trying, but so worth it to be parents. I feel so thankful that Curt and I have such a strong relationship it has only helped us through this trial. I feel blessed that we have the gospel in our lives that has given us guidance and comfort during this time in our lives. My best friend Tif was in town from Texas and talked me into doing the test early. I felt so nervous, but I really wanted her to be there when I found out. I was the first one to find out with both her girls and I really wanted to share this with her. So we went to the store and bought prego tests and took them back to her in-laws house. The funniest thing about this was Tif was staying in her brother-in-laws room and right when it was time to look at the test he knocked on the door to get something. We ,of course, scramble to hide all the tests before he comes in. In the process Tif totally peeks at the test, but when I asked her if she saw it she denies......Troublemaker! When I got up enough courage to look and saw the good news, we jumped into each others arms and the first thing out of my mouth was don't hurt my baby. We had ourselves a good cry and then set to planning how I was going to surprise Curt. Tif thanks for sharing this moment in my life, I wouldn't want it any other way Sis!!!!

I had to document this, though it is still hard to believe.

This picture says it all.

I sometimes feel like it would be nice to have a normal pregnancy experience. It was so nice to be able to surprise Curt it made me feel like I was getting that normal experience that most people get. Plus, I have been saving my way to tell Curt for four years and it was perfect that I got to finally do it. I had bought a Father's Day card and written a poem in it from our peanut. I set that on his pillow with our bear that Curt gave me when we were first married and the prego test. As soon as we walked into our bedroom and he saw it, he turned around and said it was positive and scooped me into his arms. What a sweet night to share with my husband. Thank you love for everything you are and the great father that you will be. I Love You!!!

Hurray Fertilization!!!

2008-08-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

We got our fertilization report today and 9 out of 16 fertized normally. Now we have to wait a few more days for them to grow before they can transfer them. So here goes with my first pep talk.....Grow Babies Grow!!!!!

This is how our fertilized embryos should look today.

Egg Retrieval Day

2008-08-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today we went in and had my eggs taken out. I am thankfuly put under with general anthestia during the procedure. We feel very blessed we were able to get 16 eggs this round. Now we have to wait until tommorrow and see how many fertilized.

This afternoon they will do a procedure called ICSI on our eggs. It helps them to fertilize by injecting a single sperm into each egg. Below is a picture I found online, to show what is happening to our eggs today.

Our sweet friends, the Scott's came over that night with dinner and to visit. It was funny at one point during the night, Curt said he had to take a picture because each of us had our laps full with kids or Daisy.

Another Round of IVF Starting

2008-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

We started our next round of IVF today. It's always nice to get started instead of playing the waiting game. This will be our 3rd try and hopefuly it will be the charm. I start by taking shots everyday for about 10 days. Then depending on how my ultrasounds look we can have my eggs retrieved. I thouught I should document my shot taking for posterity sake. So, if your squeemish around needles don't look any further.

I have to mix 3 medications together, so I only have to give myself one shot instead of 3.

Bee's Game

2008-07-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great time going to the Salt Lake Bee's game with friends. There is something so relaxing about spending a summer evening at a baseball game.

Curt, Charity, Mckinnon, Tina, Bodie, Deacon, Misha and Numan

Curt and Mckinnon playing with the thunder sticks. This was the first game where Mckinnon was actually into the game. It was so fun to watch Curt explain the game to him. He is so good with kids. He is going to be a great Dad.

When we were going into the game, security checks your bags as you walk in. I had brought some peanuts to eat, but they made me throw them away. So we get up to our seats and Tina pulls out Squiggles cookies. She said she was glad that they have a diaper bag because you can hide things easier. Tina said that if they had found them she would have gone back to the car instead of throwing them away. I am so glad that they didn't find them because Squiggles are the best cookies in the entire world. You can only get them in New Zealand and lucky for us Tina's parents live there and sent her some. Thanks for sharing!!!!

Curt enjoying ballpark food. Thanks for sharing the Nachitos!!

My usual at the ballpark, a Chicago Dog.

Mckinnon talked his Dad into getting him a Sno Cone.

Numan and Misha

Thanks Curt for being my bestfriend. I have loved watching the Dodgers games with you every night. Even if I do fall asleep before the game is over. We have so much fun together. Love You a trillion!!!!

Italian Dinner Party

2008-07-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Bodie, Tina, Mckinnon and Deacon just got back from Italy. They invited everyone over to have a Potluck Italian Dinner and look at their pictures from the trip. It was so yummy. They made three different kinds of pasta that they ate on their trip. My favorite was the cheese tortellini. I have to say Tina makes the best bread ever. For the party she made a foccaica and then we dipped it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, Mmmmm. My favorite!!!! Okay this is starting to sound like I'm a little obsessed with food. Well, maybe I am, but who cares food is good. Here is Tina's recipe for the foccacia bread. Thanks for sharing.

Foccacia Bread

For our part of this Italian feast, we brought my Dad's family meatball recipe. My Grandpa was from Sicily. I wish that had been able to meet him, but he passed away when my Dad was little.
Here's our secret family recipe.

Meatball Recipe

Our friends Numan and Misha looked online and found out how to make Italian Sodas. They're really easy to make and taste great. We took stuff to make these drinks to Curt's parents house for dinner. Our nephew, Kevin, was there and loved it he kept saying "Mmmmmm" everytime he took a drink. It was so cute.

Italian Soda Recipe

Fourth of July

2008-07-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun this 4th of July. First, our friend Boey invited us to go play kickball in the afternoon. The best part was that we had a slip n' slide from 3rd base to home. It was a perfect way to spend a hot afternoon and make you feel like you're a kid again.

Curt testing the water slide before the game

Daisy giving me a kiss

Cami about to get an out

Daisy wanted to play too.

Jonny playing with Kristina

Boey sliding for Home plate

Thanks again Boey! We had a great time!!

Every year Curt and I host a BBQ for the 4th. Curt's parents are great and let us have everyone over at their house. They have a big yard with a basketball court in the back so we can do the fireworks plus all the little kids love to run around the yard. After we eat all of the boys go and buy fireworks (which includes paper lunch sacks for experimenting). Men......once boys always boys right!!!!!! This year the kids are getting older and enjoyed the fireworks alot more. They liked the smoke bombs, parachutes and this firework called the spider, which shot out streamers the best.

Dan, Steve, Curt and Boey BBQ

Laura and Kaylee picking cherries

Cami and Sophie

Jonny playing

Laura, Brady and Lyndsi

For dessert our friends Numan and Misha, surprised us all and brought Dole Whip Floats. If you have ever been to Disneyland you will know what I'm talking about. It is pineapple ice cream with pineapple juice. They are so yummy!!! If you have never had it next time you go to Disneyland visit the Tikki Room for one. Thanks Numan and Misha for special ordering the mix so we could have this treat. I think this made us all ready to go back to Disneyland soon.

Me with my Dole Whip Float

Bodie, Tina, McKinnon and Deacon we missed you!!! Hope you're having a great time in Italy .

When we got home our poor little Daisy was so scared from all of the fireworks. She didn't even want to go outside. We asked her to show us what she wanted and she headed straight to the garage door. She wanted to get out of the house and go for a ride. I drove her around the neighborhood and she was finally able to relax. Poor thing. Next year we'll have to ask our vet for something to help her.

Pilates Class

2008-07-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

I signed up for an Intro to Pilate's Class at my gym. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it turns out I love it!!! The first part of the class we spend breaking down the mat exercises and learning about what muscles to work on contracting during those exercises. I didn't realize that when you tighten your abs it is from your ribs all the way to your pelvis. What a difference that makes. I think what I have picked up the most in the class is body awareness. When I workout I think about tightening those muscles and I am able to work harder. It's been fun. The other half of the class is on the Reformer Machines. They use springs for resistance training. I like them a lot because I never feel very comfortable with weights. The class I liked the best is jump board class. (Basically, your laying on your back and jumping up and down while you different things with your arms and legs). It allows you to do cardio on the Reformer. It is so much fun!! You forget you are working out, which in my opinion is the best kind.

This is what the Reformer machine looks like.

This is an example of what some of the exercises look like.

Saturday Morning Frisbee

2008-06-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday morning our friends get together and play Ultimate Frisbee. Curt loves to play, I on the other hand am not a Frisbee fan. It's too much running!! I like to go and take Daisy so she can run around and play. Plus, all of the little kids who come love to see her. It is fun to get together and see friends and enjoy the outdoors.

Curt the Man Defending

Daisy finding some shade with her friend Jonny

Tiffani's Visit to Utah

2008-06-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun. My friend Tiff and her two girls, Kennedi and Kamrynn, are in town from San Antonio, Texas. I met Tiff when I was in nursing school and since our first study group we have been inseparable. I feel like we are more like sisters. Which works out since I am an only child and she only has brothers. Her girls even call me "Aunt Cherries", which melts my heart. Tiff has been here for three weeks and it will be hard to see her go, but we've already planned what we're going to do when I go out to Texas. Yet, another thing we have in common is planning.....WE LOVE IT!!! I know we're dorks, but at least we're dorks together.

While Tiff has been here we have been going to the gym everyday. It's fun to have a workout buddy to give me motivation to go. So thanks Tiff!! Let's just hope I can keep it up when you go home. The gym is nice because they have daycare for the kids. They also have a really nice pool that we took the kids swimming. One of the days my friend Cami and her kids Jonny and Sophie came too. It was fun to see the kids have such a good time playing together.

Tiff and the kids walking to the gym

Another day we went to Kid Barn, which is a bounce house. Kennedi loved it, but Kamrynn wasn't sure what to think.

Kennedi and Me on the BIG Slide

Tiffani and Kamrynn

We also went to Hogle Zoo. It has been so long since I have been there. The new Asian Cats exhibit was really neat.

My favorite thing that we did was take Kennedi to a tea party at Gardner Village. It was so much fun. I would recommend this to any one with little girls. It is at a place called Protea Cottage. Once a week they have a Mommy and Me Tea Party with dress ups. What is so cute about it is they let each little girl pick pink hot chocolate or lemonade for there own little teapot and cup. Then they let them pick what dress ups they want to wear. Kennedi's face just lit up when her little tea pot came out and she got to pour herself.

After our tea party, Tiff asked if I would take some pictures of Kennedi. For those of you that don't know, photography is a hobby of mine; particularly children's photography. I will have to post some of the pictures I have taken later. We had a wonderful time. Kennedi was a great little model during our photo shoot.

Thanks for a great visit Tiff. I'm so thankful for our friendship and that no matter how long we are apart, when we are together it feels like no time has passed. Thanks SIS!!! Love you!

Trip to Chicago

2008-05-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on our trip to Chicago. Curt had never been to any of the museums, so this trip we decided to be tourists. It was so much fun showing Curt all of the places I loved to go when I was a child. First things first, we picked up our Crusin' car.

The first night we decided to go downtown and see the Sears Tower.

The only problem was that I printed out directions and lets just say they weren't right. So we decided that we would be adventurous and try to find it on our own, after all, it is the tallest building in Chicago. We parked our car and started walking along the Chicago River Walk. It is so beautiful!

Luckily, we were able to see the Sears Tower and we cut down a street that was under a L Train. It was pretty creepy!!! Curt leaned over and said it reminded him of the alley in Batman. He said it was a good thing I wasn't wearing pearls. We finally made it to the Sears Tower. It was beautiful when we got to the top. We could see all of Chicago lit up. This time when we walked back to our car we avoided the creepy Batman alley.

The next day, we went to The Field Museum. They have the worldest most complete T-Rex skeleton. Her name is Sue, well they aren't sure Sue is a she or a he, but she was named after the person that found her. We saw everything from mummys to mythical creatures. That museum was so big we were only able to see half of it. We will have to see the rest next time we're there.

After the Field Museum we went to the Chicago Art Institute. Curt was so excited to see the Seurat painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. He has always wanted to see this painting since he watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".The Art Institute was huge too. We were only able to see a little bit of it. It was so neat to see amazing works of art including Monet, Manet, Van Gough, and Picasso, to name a few.

After the Art Institute, we went across the street to the Millennium Park. I wish we had a park like this in Utah. It has a big amphitheater, a little stream to soak your feet on a hot day, gardens, and art work. One of the sculptures is The Cloud Gate aka The Bean as Chicago natives call it. I told Curt next time we are here I want to bring a picnic dinner and good book and sit in the park all night long.

We decide to walk along the Lake shore. There are a ton of parks along the shore. One of the parks has the Buckingham Fountain. We took another couples picture in front of the fountain. They offered to take our picture, only to find out our camera battery was dead. They were so nice they even tried to see if their camera battery would fit in our camera. Unfourtanetly, it didn't. Next time we come will have get our picture in front of it with a fully charged battery.

That night we went to Navy Pier. It's a boardwalk along Lake Michighan. It has rides, resturants, and boat tours. Since it was Memorial Day they were doing fireworks that night at the Pier. We decided that we would go on a boat tour and what the firewoks out on the lake. It was so neat to see the fireworks light up the Chicago skyline. We met a young couple on the boat tour, that had recently moved to Chicago from Detroit. They were very nice and told us all about Wrigleyville, which is the area around Wrigley Field. It was fun talking baseball with them.

The next day we went to the Chicago Botanical Garden. I love going to gardens. They are one of my favorite places to visit. There is something about getting away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world and getting back to nature. It is so relaxing and rejuvenating. We didn't have alot of time so we decided to take a tram tour of the gardens. Next time we go back I want to go back and spend more time there. The neat thing abou these gardens is that it use to be a swamp, they made all of the different gardens on islands. Our tram driver was very enthusiast about his job. We loved it!!

When we told my parents we were going to Chicago, my Dad couldn't stop talking about this place called Jay's. For those of you who don't know, my Dad grew up in a Suburb not far from Chicago called Mount Prospect. Every time he goes out to Chicago he vists Jay's. He says they have the best Italian beef sandwichs. Everytime we called home to check on Daisy (Thanks Mom and Dad for watching her), he would ask if we ate at Jay's yet. After, the garden we decided we had better go and check out the best italian beef sandwichs for lunch. They were good, but I don't know if I'd say it was the best, but I'm not that much of a meat person. They do give you a ton of food for the money.

After lunch we headed to The Museum of Science and Industry. This was my favorite museum when I was little. They have a ton of hands on exhibits ranging from trains to a toy factory. While we were there they had a special glass blowing exhibit. They had people demonstrating how to blow glass. It was fascinating. After the demonstration they did drawings to give away pieces they had made. I was hoping we would win, but no dice. One of my favorite exhibits is the fairy castle. It was a dollhouse for a silent screen actress Colleen Moore. It has little lightbulbs that are the size of grains of rice and tiny replicas of books. Each room is based on a fairytale. What girl wouldn't love this!!! The exhibit that Curt liked the best was the U-505. It is the only German submarine that was captured and not sunk in WWII. It helped to win the war because they were able to obtain the enigma code machines that the Germans were using. The exhibit was so neat. We were able to actually tour the inside of the submarine. We learned that the sailors were down in that sub for 3 months at time with no showers and hot temperatures. Gross!!! Almost all of the stuff on the submarine was original, except for the bedding. They got rid of it becuase of the No Shower thing. Again GROSS!!!!

Our last day in Chicago, we went to Six Flags-Great America. It was fun, but I have to say that I am not as young as I use to be at thrill parks. I am good for about six rides and then my tummy has had enough. We had a great time though. We were so excited to go on their new ride this year, The Dark Knight. We were waiting in line and they show this very creepy intro with footage from the movie. Then we get into our car and we start going up and up, then we make a sharp turn and then another sharp turn. About this time,I leaned over to Curt and say isn't this the Wild Mouse. We laughed about it the whole rest of the ride.

This is the last coaster we rode on.

The whole reason we came to Chicago was finally here....The Dodgers game!!!! We go and see the Dodgers play in a different ballpark each year. This year we went to Wrigley Field. It is neat field to go to because it is so old. We arrived at the game early in time to see batting practie. We had great seats, 3rd row right behind the Dodgers dugout. We were able to have James Loney, the Dodgers first baseman sign Curt's baseball glove. I love sitting that close at games, you feel so close to the action. We were sitting by really nice people. A couple were even Dodger fans. It was so cold at the game that night, 37 degrees. BRRRRRRRR!!!! We tried to buy a blanket and they sold out of them. I settled for a Wrigley Field sweatshirt. I was going to get a Chicago Dog (my favorite YUM!), but it was way to cold to eat it. Towards the middle of the game Curt got a call from his coworker, who was watching the game on ESPN and said that we were on TV. I guess our seats were right behind where the Dodgers came out of the Dugout to bat and you could see us. Curts parents were on their way home from Houston and watched the game. They said that Curt was the Dodger Fan they showed when we left 2 men on bases. When we got home, his coworker asked Curt why he was wearing his hat funny at the game. Curt explained all about rally caps, which by the way did not work for us. We lost, but an amazing experience. At the end of the game, some local Chicagoians helped us convince the Dodgers ball boy for a game ball. On the way home we took a bus to our car. We were the only Dodger fans on the bus. Maybe it's a good thing the Dodgers lost. On the bus there was this guy, who was so drunk. He kept trying to get off the bus because he needed to, well get off the bus.

The Dodgers coach, Joe Torre