So we got a Wii for Christmas. If you haven't tried it yet, you have to give it a try, it's awesome. Anyone you talk to about it will tell you that they have played the bowling game, and I'm guessing if they are over 30 years old, they will tell you it's their favorite. You might wonder why, if you haven't played it, but I'll tell you that it is so realistic, it's scary. The pins kick like real bowling and if they are rolling around, they still have the potential to knock down pins. One of the best things about it is, since you don't actually have to throw a heavy ball, anyone can do it. Makiah has actually bowled a 185 and I'm sure he couldn't do that for real, even with a light ball. We play it as a family and the boys and I play almost every night. I can't play the games that Mason likes, too much spinning and running around. There are so many hidden and combination things that you have to figure out, I don't have the patience to try. Mason figures it out and would play forever if we let him. Marcy and I bowled the other night with our friend Michelle and I was happy to see that Marcy has an unusual bowling "style." First, she holds the Wii controller to her face, actually touching her face with it. That might not sound that funny, but when you see it, it is. It reminds me of Robert on Everybody Loves Raymond. He always touched his chin with his food before he ate it. Then, she runs up to actually bowl and then the best part, she does a hop and a kind of skip. It has to be the most unique style ever. I'm pretty sure nobody in the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) does it that way. If they did, I would be their number one fan. I did the boxing a few weeks back and I might as well tell you, because Makiah blabs it all over, he knocked me out. I tried it again a few nights later and Marcy knocked me out. I quit. Michelle said I fight like a girl, and I'm guessing since I lost, it wasn't a lesbian girl. I'm guessing I fight like a prissy, pink dress wearing, wet finger nails girl. That ain't good. I'm waiting until everyone is gone to try it in private. Maybe I can figure out how to do it instead of turning it into a slap fight, that I suck at. Most of the time when Makiah is fighting, he isn't even looking at the TV screen. He's looking at the floor or is facing the wrong way. Maybe my Mii is blind. A Mii is your character that you make yourself. I made mine bald, tall and not as skinny as he used to be(truth hurts).

We are in the process of making summer vacation plans with the family. Brian and Mindy told us over Christmas that they were thinking of going to North Carolina to visit our sisters and I don't know if they invited us or if Marcy invited us, but the women agreed that it would be a good idea for us to go as well, without consulting me. Don't get me wrong, I want to see my sisters, but my kids can't make the trip to Altoona, 20 minutes tops, without asking if we're there yet. We went to Mt. Pleasant to visit the in-laws in between Christmas and New Years, about 2 1/2 hours, and they made it to Altoona before they started asking. Now imagine 2 full days of driving. I know my dad is laughing his ass off, because I did that to him and he used to get so pissed. I remember not understanding why he got pissed when I asked. I mean every five minutes on a 8 hour drive is reasonable, right? Now I know, it is not. If I had hair, I would have pulled it out on the last trip. We are renting a house and I think we have narrowed it down to one. It has 6 bedrooms, a pool, a pool table, a volleyball court and a, sort of, view of the ocean. My brother Steve and his girl friend, who I haven't met yet, my niece Sonya and her husband Nathan and their two kids, my niece Chastity, my two sisters, plus my 5 and Brian's 6, all in one house for a week. That is 20 people in one house. This will be nuts but I'm so excited to have my family together without a funeral to go to, that I can hardly wait. I always have a great time with this group, they were in Iowa a few years back. I never laugh as much as I do when we are all together. Plus, my kids have never seen the ocean, so I'm really excited to see how they react to that. I hope this is a vacation that they remember for the rest of their life, and because it was fun, not because it was the time dad flipped out and ran from the car screaming in the middle of Kentucky, never to be seen again.

I'm preparing for my trip to Juarez again, I leave Feb. 9th. I know everyone that is going except 3 people, and I'm sure one of them will be my room mate in El Paso. I keep a journal every time I go, so I'll transfer that to my blog when I get back. I'm taking my digital camera this year and I'm determined to do a better job taking pictures. I really want to catch the depth of the poverty there, but also so the genius of the people and the absolute love and happiness that I see every time I go. It is one of the most relaxing weeks of my year, but one of the hardest to get ready for the hardest to end. I'll try to work on Christmas pictures this weekend and get them posted. I still have to figure out how to get the digital videos we have on the blog as well, so stay tuned.