On our recent trip to NC, there was a day that we went to a place called Kitty Hawk Kites that sold, well, kites, among other things. It was kids day, which meant they had crafts for kids (they got to make their own kites), face painting (Makiah got a "shark") and there were demonstrations of a few games, I like to call burner games. They didn't show hackey sack, but these were in the same category. I'm not saying anything bad about them, just the kinds of things you would see guys in ponytails and hemp clothing doing. One game was two sticks that you "juggle" a third stick, making it spin and fly. It was actually a lot of fun and I was considering buying myself a set, until I saw the $30 price tag. I knew my fascination would end shortly, either with continuous play or a serious eye injury, and my kids would last all of 5 minutes with either of the afore mentioned results, so I decided against it. The guy who was demonstrating, had a ponytail, but not the hemp clothing.(see guy in yellow shirt)He was wearing a regular shirt, but his face was screaming out "I need hemp, stat." Seeing as how one of my 2 stereotypes was dead on, I was satisfied. Well low and behold, in today's Des Moines Register, I see a picture here locally of a guy who is teaching kids the stick juggling thing and all be damned if he doesn't have a ponytail. Still no hemp shirt, so I'm going to have to re-think my stereotype, but it's good to see I'm heading in the right direction. The other game was a kind of top that you juggle, again for the lack of a better word, with a string. While the guy was demonstrating in NC, he was also balancing on a board that was on a round tube (right behind my sister-in-laws butt, on the ground), so it was moving. I decided not to try the tube thing, seeing as how a concussion or broken hip would do nothing for my ego or my ability to continue to deny that I'm getting older.

Sonshine

We made it home from another great weekend in Willmar, MN. Let me tell you a few things I learned this weekend.

1. You spell Willmar with 2 "L's," not one. I learned this the hard way when I tried to put the address into the GPS and it couldn't find it. I worked around it by putting in a town that was nearby and worked from there. How did I figure out it had 2 "L's?" First, I told Marcy she was crazy to even suggest that I didn't know how to spell it, obviously it is Wilmar. She suggest it "might" have 2 "L's," which was her way of telling me I was a dumbass, which she was right. Had to eat a little crow on that one.

2. My elbows, when I'm standing in a comfortable position, are the exact same height as 90% of the girls breasts that tried to squeeze between my friend Brad and I. I never would have guessed it, but I had more boobs on me in just three days at this Christian music festival than I ever have in my life, total. Granted, these were mostly teen girls, so it wasn't the thrill that it would have been 25 years ago, but it doesn't change the number. Damn I'm old.

3. Battle dancing happens and it is AWESOME! I was hanging out in the Hip Hop music area, waiting for a rapper named Red Cloud, and a DJ was playing some music. I watched a kid kind of go into what looked like a semi trance, clear a space on the floor and then break into a break dancing flurry. He was actually pretty good. Then, he did a stare down with another kid, who then jumped in and did his little dance, crossed his arms and called out the other guy, who proceeded to break it out again. This went on for a few times when one guy either got tired or knew he was beat and walked off. The crowd went nuts, seeing as how they had just witnessed something that I though went out in the 80's, but apparently not. Now I'm a city kid, all be it a small city for the most part, but this was what I heard happened in NY and LA. It's good to be alive and witness a bit of history in action.

The music was as great as usual and I even found a new band that I really liked. They are called Capital Lights and their music is fun and catchy. I don't foresee them on the Grammy stage anytime soon, but seeing as how they appear to be college kids, they have a shot of improving and maybe getting there someday. Their bass player appeared to be 12 years old, but played well. I again got to see John Reuben and even talk to him a bit. His shows are always fun and he turns an audience who doesn't know who he is into fans in a matter of minutes. His energy is infectious and he is a goof on stage. I'd try to explain, but there is no way you would be able to tell what I'm talking about, you need to see him. The weather held out for us, there was only rain at night and the heat wasn't as oppressive as it has been in the past. Marcy is tan and looking beautiful, if you can't tell from the picture, and I didn't get burned, which is always a plus. We are all ready planning on going again next year, including Michelle and the couple we were with this year. If Joe and Mindy are able to go, it will be 7 of us and should be a lot of fun. I mentioned Red Cloud, a rapper from LA. I saw him last year and he walked across the stage and pulled things that were being held up by the audience, and rapped about them. It was so good, I looked him up again this year and he had a new trick up his sleeve. He went across the front row and asked about 15 people their names. Then, he went down the line making a rap as he went using their names. I wouldn't even be able to remember that many names of people I just met, let alone rhyme with them. On top of the skill he has, he is really funny. His rap is good, but I'm amazed at how clever he is. Anyway, I was happy I stood in the hot indoor arena to hear him and will definitely look him up again next year.

Now an announcement for those of you who care. There was a tragedy at the end of our vacation in NC when Mason lost his dinosaur. To you it may seem a trivial thing, but Mason becomes attached to little things and blows their loss out of proportion. I will say that he did well with this loss and seemed to have forgotten about it. I'm happy to announce that the little guy was found at the Eastside Shrum's. Here is his photo after the happy reunion. Welcome home little guy!

Olympics and my weekend

One of my favorite times of year is just a few days away and I'm ready. I know of have bored you, I mean written about it before, but it bares repeating (shut up, yes it does) For those of you who are unfamiliar with my music taste, it is rather broad, but Christian is my new found favorite. The event that is a few days away is Sonshine Festival in Wilmar, MN. It involves a bunch of bands on several stages spread out over 3 days. This will be my fourth year in a row and even though this year seems to have fewer bands than in the past, it should still be great. There are usually 2 more stages than there are this year, so I'm not sure why the down grade. Could be economics since the stages that are missing were mainly where small bands played and the cost to get there might not be justified. Michelle is going with us, this is her first time, so I'm excited for her to get a taste of the experience. I get to hear John Reuben again, and that always makes my weekend. I hope he doesn't remember me from last year and think that I'm stalking him. If I didn't mention it last year, I caught him on the way to the stage for a picture and then got him to autograph a poster later in the night. When he saw me at the autograph session, he said, "You again." I hope I didn't scare him.

I spent today's lunch hour downtown at a send off for 2 Olympians from Des Moines that are on their way to train and then onto China. We have Shaun Johnson, a gymnast, and LoLo Jones, who runs the 100 meter hurdles. Watch for them in Beijing and cheer them on. They are tops in their events and they are great people, from the interviews I've heard from them. There was a large crowd there today and I hope they felt the love that this area, and the whole state of Iowa, has for them. I don't care if either of them wins a medal, they represent Iowa well and that isn't always a given with athletes today.

A little late, but

In the past, the Fourth of July has been another day off of work, a BBQ and fireworks, but this year, things hit me a little differently. I think it's because I happen to be on the road a lot lately, seeing parts of America that I either haven't seen before or haven't seen in a long time. Maybe I'm beginning to reflect more as I get older, or maybe I was bored in the car, regardless of the reason, the outcome is the same. I feel incredibly blessed to be in the family I'm in, the community I live in and the country that holds everything together. I mentioned that while we were driving, I was thinking about the people in the towns we drove through, but I was also looking at how beautiful the US is. The mountains in TN, NC and KY are absolutely gorgeous. I spent a week in Jonesville, VA back in the summer of 2004 (I think that was when I went) doing a mission trip. I remember sitting on the front porch of the family we were working with and looking out over a little valley. There were cows grazing a little down the hill and you could see for several miles down to a little town with a white steeple church. It looked like a picture you would see hanging in a gallery, or at least one that I would like to stand and stare at for a long time. The lady of the house came out to sit with us and we commented on how beautiful her view was. She looked down the same valley we found so beautiful, thought for a moment and said, "I guess it is pretty, I never really thought about it." Ever since then, I make it a point to see the beauty in things around me. Not that she did anything wrong or was blind to it, she just was used to it and took it for granted. The same curvy roads that had Makiah ready to puke in the back of the van, flashed me back to my childhood days spent in Lafayette, TN. I loved it there and some of my fondest childhood memories are from the time I spent there with my dad and extended family. My point being, Makiah doesn't think that area is all that nice, since his recollection is of being queasy, whereas I get a tear in my eye just thinking about it. I realized that there is very little left of the Lafayette area to go back to. My brother doesn't live there, my dad and grand parents are all waiting my arrival in heaven (hopefully putting in a good word for me) and my aunts have moved further south. I still have uncles there and my niece and her husband and kids live there, but seeing as how ALL of my TN family lived there at one time, the draw to this town is much smaller than it was in the past. I know things change, people move and die, but Lafayette was as close to "home" as I ever had, even though I never actually lived there. We moved a few times as kids, nothing compared to a military family, but enough that I never felt home in those places we lived. Iowa is my home and I've expressed my love for the state in the past, but I don't have roots here, so it still seems like the place I live and not the home I guess I long for. Wow, ramble, ramble, ramble. My original point was, this Fourth of July, I was really thinking about the good things about the US. I know there are a lot of things we have done wrong, as a country, but there are so many things we do right. Whenever there is a disaster in the world, we are the first to step up and offer help. I can't say we have the best record in stepping in during times of injustice, but we can't do it all. In my travels abroad, I've seen how the everyday person isn't always the US's biggest fan, but the businesses sure do love us.(might have to do with our consumer mentality, you be the judge) I don't think we have many past military people in our family, but I have a current one. Chad Marshall, God bless you and thanks for your service. I know we don't communicate much, but I wanted to let you know on (or at least around) this time of year, that I appreciate your service and pray for your safety everyday. I hope you know that your entire family is proud of you and hope you are enjoying your time overseas. I've been wanting to say that for a long time and I'm not sure why I haven't. Damn allergies are flaring up again:)

Nice motto

Here is a receipt from a grocery store in NC, that is apparently proud of their meat.

This goes well with the Try My Nuts store, check it out.

http://www.trymynuts.com/index.cfm

Home sweet home

If you travel at all, you know it is always great to come home. As I walked into the house last night, I remembered how lucky we are to live in the house we do, in the city we do and the great state of Iowa. Don't get me wrong, I loved where we were and the areas we drove through, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. As we were driving through the mountains in western NC and eastern TN, I saw a lot of little communities that made me wonder what the lives of the people who lived there were like. I don't know why, but I always wonder what they do for a living, what do they do for fun and what they think about the area they live in. People always fascinate me, whether I'm reading a biography, true crime or a book on a particular event in history. I want to know what people were thinking or going through at that that time in their life. As for the trip, it was fantastic! Last time I posted, I said we were going to climb a lighthouse, which some of us did. Seems, you must be 42 inches tall to climb, and Max is a bit shy of that. Since I had done it before, I sent Marcy and the other 2 boys up and I hung out with Max in the gift shop and information area. Here is a shot of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.And the fam in front.We took the ferry to Okacroke Island, which you drive your car onto, and the boys thought that was cool. We fed the seagulls off the back of the boat, which the boys thought that was REALLY cool. These birds fly 2 inches from my head, so I kept me head down so I didn't see how close I was to getting shit on.

The boys got a bit tuckered out.

The boys loved the beach. I mentioned that Mason was riding the boogie board, but only tried to ride it again once over the last 3 days we were there. I think the waves pounded him a few too many times. I mentioned the sand fleas, here are a few shots if you've never seen them.

I also forgot that I hadn't included pictures of Cumberland Falls, so here you go.

And a shot of my rock climbers.And a picture of Mason and his scraped up knees after he fell, doing the rock climbing.
More later.