Christmas With the Smiths

No Christmas would be complete until you have Christmas With the Smiths.  I swear, just saying makes me think that it should be a holiday movie.  

After our tearful farewell with dropping my parents off at the airport, and after Kasia and Kara both stopped crying from having to say goodbye, we stopped off at Mom and Dad Smith's to exchange gifts.  This means more presents for Kasia and more importantly, more chocolate.

The funny story is that there is this doll feeding/changing station from Target that Kasia absolutely loves.  Every time we go there we have to spend a minimum of half an hour with this thing as she feeds and gives baths to whatever stuffed animal happens to be nearby.  Now, being the wonderful grandparents that they are, Jeff and Kathy get this for Kasia for Christmas.  And Jeff spends a few hours, and a lot of frustration, putting the thing together for her.  So as Kasia is opening her presents, she gets a toy minivan to go with her doll house.  She is extremely excited about this and is having a great time playing with it.  Then we pull out the baby station to surprise her, and her reaction was, "That's cool.  But I'm playing with the minivan right now."  All that time and frustration spent putting the thing together, and she spends the night zipping her action figures around the room in their new little car.  Sheesh.  Of course now that it's home she plays with the thing all the time, and yet every time we go to Target, we still have to play with the one there.  I don't get it.

As for the rest of us, I got a circular saw.  How awesome is that?  I spent much of the weekend cutting two by fours to finish the attic floor.  I feel as though I'm officially a homeowner.  

Ama and Bupa Come to Town!

Before Santa Claus could come to town, we had two other guests come to town.  Grandma and Grandpa!  Yeah!  They flew in the Sunday before Christmas and stayed until the Saturday after.  At long last, we had house guests and a good use for that guest room that sits empty most of the year.

Originally we were fearing that maybe Kasia would not warm up to her Northern Grandparents right away and that it might take a little while before she felt comfortable with them around.  Fortunately, that was not the case.  She warmed up to them right away and immediately was walking all over the airport while holding Grandma's hand.  Then when we got home, she spent hours chasing Grandpa around the kitchen.  She had a blast, and my father got one heck of a work out.

Then on Christmas Eve, my mom sealed the deal when she gave Kasia one of her Christmas presents a day early.  A dollhouse.  Kasia's eyes lit up and she was in love.  All day long she played with that house.  She set up the furniture and made the new family feel right at home.  Then she went and got her other figurines and had them come over to say hello.  Mickey Mouse and Strawberry Shortcake all stopped by  for a quick visit.  Then, Winnie the Pooh came over and constantly insisted on jumping out the window. 

The downside to the visit was that shortly after they arrived, I came down with some flu like illness which knocked me out for most of the week.  Then after Christmas, just as I was getting  a little better, Kara got knocked out.  It wasn't the most ideal of circumstances, but then again, they came to spend time with Kasia.  So they got what they wanted for Christmas, and that's all that matters.

On Saturday, we all went out to lunch and then we took them to them to the airport.  We arrived a little early, but Mom insisted that it was ok since they both had books they could read.  So we dropped them off, said our goodbyes, and drove away.  Kasia cried... a lot.  She really hated seeing them leave and hated even more having to say goodbye.  Kara also didn't enjoy saying goodbye, and as we drove away, tears were also streaming down her cheeks.  I was the only cold hearted one in the car with a dry eye.  Maybe I've just had a lot more practice saying goodbye to my parents.

Hours later, after we got home, I received a phone call from, of all people, my mother.  Their flight was delayed by three hours and they were still sitting in the airport.  Fortunately, the did eventually get out that evening and made it home 

Hopefully the next time we all get together, none of us will get struck down with some major illness that takes us out of the game for days.  I know that's a tall order to fill, but maybe in the summer we can do it.

Merry Christmas!

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but after two tries, Kasia finally was able to enjoy Christmas on the third go around.  

On her first Christmas, she was completely overwhelmed with the whole event.  While she might have been curious about the toys and colorful boxes, the place she really wanted to be was somewhere else.  So she kept crawling in to the next room.

For her second Christmas, she was once again overwhelmed by all the fuss that was going on.  Her two older cousins were ripping in to their presents, and we kept giving her presents to open... which she did reluctantly.  The problem there was that she'd open a present and want to play with it for an hour before moving on to the next one.  It took us almost two days to open all of her gifts.  

The third time it was perfect.  She came downstairs on Christmas morning and saw all the gifts.. and then ran right to the doll house she had opened the day before.  I mean, the wrapped presents could be anything, but she knew that the doll house was a doll house and fun to play with.  We definitely didn't have to worry about her getting in to anything before we were ready.

Soon though we were all downstairs and ready to rip in to some presents.  Kasia was extremely excited and had a good time this year not only unwrapping her own presents, but handing out presents to everyone else.  And just in case we were having problems with taking the wrapping paper off our gifts, Kasia was right there to help.  

After everything was opened, we adults (Kara, my parents, and me) all enjoyed a good breakfast while Kasia continued to play with her toys and eat some chocolate that was in her stocking.  She then also ate some chocolate that was in my stocking.  And if you count chocolate as a major food group, then Kasia ate very well on Christmas day.  In fact, she ate very little else.  Normally that would concern us, but it was Christmas.  

Later in the afternoon we all went over to Judy and Darrell's to enjoy a nice Christmas dinner with the family.  The men spent the evening mixing and drinking different cocktails and discussing the fine differences between different types of Scotch while the women... I have no idea what the women were doing because I was with the men.  But the women were there, and I'm pretty sure they did some talking or something.  They must have all gotten along because there were no fights and no blood was drawn from anyone.  Personally, I had a great time.  Kasia was given a few more toys, and of course a little more chocolate.  

All in all it was a fantastic Christmas.  Kasia can't wait for Santa Claus to come again next year.  Maybe it's because she likes getting presents or maybe it's because we have a large tree in our house at Christmas time.  But she's excited for it to happen again.

Where is Our White Christmas?

There was three inches of snow in Las Vegas and the forecast is calling for more.

Snow storms hit the Northeast and knock out power to thousands.

My Grandparents wrote that they got ten inches of snow.

Chicago is expected to get a foot of snow.

And here in North Carolina?  It's warm.   It was in the 70's the other day and we went to the park without our jackets.  The chance of us having a white Christmas is near zero.  The sad thing is that it's forecasted to rain on Christmas Day.  If only it were colder, we'd have snow.  But how can we get the climate to drop severely in just a few days?

I know.  We'll invite Al Gore to give a speech on global warming at Moyock Middle School.  History shows that wherever he goes to give these speeches coincides with record low temperatures and lots of snow.  So Al, if you're reading this (and we all know that you are), then you need to spend some of your carbon credits, get on your plane, and get here on the double.  Don't make me angry here.  You... wouldn't like me when I'm angry..

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Kasia got a change to go see Santa Claus and tell him what she wanted for Christmas.  She was excited.  She was in awe.  He walked in the room, and she was simply speechless.  She sat there star-struck and watched him as he sang Christmas Carols.  Then she got a chance to sit on his lap and tell him what all her Christmas wishes are.

It didn't go so well.

Like almost every other toddler there, seeing Santa from afar is awesome.  Seeing him up-close is the most terrifying thing imaginable.  I was not able to get a good picture of the two of them together.  I've discovered that it's extremely difficult to operate a camera while at the same time trying to cajole a two year old to stand by a man with an extreme amount of facial hair.  

This is the best shot I could get.

Kasia running in terror from Santa

There was also a picture of me holding Kasia and standing next to Santa, but alas, the poor old lady who took the picture didn't do a good job and it came out all fuzzy (bless her heart).

The Worst Morning Ever?

I think that I've just lived through what could be considered the Worst Morning Ever.

It started at midnight.  Kasia has been sick lately, and so she wasn't able to sleep very well.  She's had a pretty bad cough, and so I decided to take her into the guest bedroom to sleep in the big bed.  That helps her cough.  Well, she isn't the best of sleepers, and she likes to do this thing where she takes her toe nail and dig it into my back.  Then she likes to kick and scrape as much skin off my back as possible.  Suffice it to say, I did not sleep very well.

Then, after breakfast, I realized that it was the day we could go see Santa Claus at Little Birdies.  It's normally our library day, and so I had totally forgotten.  I'm rushing around like a chicken with no head trying to get ready to go see Santa, and meanwhile Kasia is crying/screaming "LIBRARY!" because she REALLY wants to go to the library today.  Of all days.  

It's raining, really hard and we get wet as we rush out to the van.  I try to cheer up Kasia by telling her she's going to see Santa.  She doesn't care.  Tears are flowing down her cheeks and "Library" is the only word leaving her mouth.

We get to Birdies and it's pouring rain.  I gather up everything and make a mad dash through the parking lot, and my shoes and socks get soaked.  

We meet Santa, but that doesn't go over very well with Kasia.  I'm hot, sweating, and trying to wrestle with a two year old to get her to stand next to Santa Claus so that maybe I can get a picture of the two of them together.  It doesn't really work, but Santa gives Kasia a lollipop anyway.  I tell her she can have it when we leave, and suddenly she REALLY wants to leave.

We get back to the car, and suddenly I can't find my keys.  We're standing in the rain, and I'm checking all my pockets only to realize that they're still in the ignition of the car.  And the doors are locked.  And Kara is the only person who has the spare keys and she's in Richmond.  

And the clock strikes noon and my morning is over.  

It Finally Happened

The day I've been dreading for nearly two years has finally arrived.  I knew that it would be coming any day now, but I was always hoping that I still had more time.  Sadly, I don't.  It's over.  The good ole days are gone.  Kasia can now climb out of her crib.

It happened during her nap yesterday.  I put her down and then came downstairs to pick up all her toys.  I heard a shuffling upstairs and thought that she was just tossing and turning to get comfortable.  Then I turn around and there she is, giving me a hug.  She was so excited.  "I climbed out of my crib!" she said over and over in that language only Kasia speaks and which only a few of us understand.  My heart sank.  She looked so cute from being so proud of herself, and meanwhile all I could think was that this changes everything.  

Of course she's probably been able to do this for a very long time, but she has never tried hard enough to actually get out.  I put her back upstairs in her bed for a her nap about an hour later, and a few minutes later I heard a THUMP.  She did it again.  I asked her to show me how she does it, and sure enough, she just scales that crib like it's nothing.  

Well, so much for naps being easy.  Now my next big fear is the day when she doesn't take a nap anymore.  I pray that she's like my mother and still naps long after she's grown.

Kasia Quirks

Kasia is now two and a half, and she definitely has some strange little quirks.  She's talking a lot more now, and that is in itself just grounds for hilarity.  For instance, she will always call her Granny "Cree" for some strange reason.  If ever you ask her where she wants to go, or where her toys are going to go, her answer is inevitably "Cree Poppy."  Translated into English, that is Granny and Poppy's.  

She is utterly convinced that the number five comes after the number two.  I don't know how many times we go over this, but it always comes out "one, two, five."  I guess this is an improvement over the way she used to count which was "two, four, two, four, TWO!!"  If you sing a Backyardigans song to her, she can tell you exactly what DVD that episode is on, but she can't get that three comes after two.  

She will imitate me and do anything that I do.  If she sees me turn on the fireplace, she turns on the fireplace.  If I walk funny, she'll walk funny.  She can learn anything... except how to use the bathroom.  What is that all about? 

Mom Makes a Ginger Bread House - Kasia Eats It

Over the weekend we down to BJ's Carolina Cafe to take part in a gingerbread house making workshop.  It was a fund raiser for the library and the proceeds were going to help the story time program that Kasia and I go to every week.  So we were super excited to go and watch as Kasia made her very first gingerbread house.Well, as it turned out, Kasia was more interested in eating the house and all the decorations than in building it.  She started by munching on the two gingerbread trees that were standing in front of the house.  Then she moved on to the gumdrops that were lining the roof.  The chocolate Santa Claus never even got the chance to come visit the house before we was taken away and eaten.  We even had gotten her a plate of French fries in the hopes that it would distract her long enough so that the house could be finished.  It did no good.  Kasia ignored the fries and went for the candy canes that were flanking the door.  Nothing could stop her.

Then, I guess, she got full.  She stopped eating and moved on to the fries.  

Kara displayed her phenomenal house making skills as she carefully layered the house in frosting and sweet tarts.  

Kara's Masterpiece

The house now sits on our kitchen table, and is relatively still all in one piece.  Much of the frosting has been swiped away by little fingers, and there are a few more missing gum drops, but all in all it still stands.  The problem is that at home, we don't have the French fries around to keep her distracted. 

I Embrace My Southern Roots

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Kara has finally embraced her southern life when she didn't have to wait in line to vote on election day.  That was the defining moment for knowing when she had finally embraced this life of the South.

I knew that I fully embraced it once I stopped referring to the Civil War and started calling it the War of Northern Aggression.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish that I could post a picture of Kasia sitting down at the Thanksgiving Day table with a plate full of turkey and stuffing, and talk about how she got food all over her mouth and clothes.  Unfortunately, I can't because she just wouldn't sit down at the table, and she sure wouldn't eat anything.  Sadly, Kasia is getting a new molar, and on Thanksgiving it was really bothering her.  So what made her feel better?  Pool!  She must have stood at that pool table for hours just rolling the balls back and forth.  It may not have put anything in her belly, but it did keep her from screaming.  And when she got tired of pool, she moved on to: 

SLOTS!

That's right, if it involved gambling in any way, Kasia was all about it on Thanksgiving.  It made her happy, and were all thankful for something.  Kasia was thankful for having something to play with, and I was thankful that Kasia is too young to gamble with real money.  Though in here defense, on the slot machine, she was winning quite a bit.  She may just pay off for us yet.

As for the rest of us, we had a great dinner over at Kaye and Ron's house and stuffed ourselves silly.  My personal favorite of the day was Kim's sweet potato dish.  I never thought (I mean, ever) that my favorite dish at Thanksgiving would involve sweet potatoes, but I am in the South now...  and I'm getting more southern every day.

Let It Snow!

While snow in November may be common up in Chicago, here in the Great State of North Carolina® it is an extremely rare event.  So it was quite a treat this morning when we looked out the window to see that it was snowing. 

Unfortunately, it didn't last too long, but we did get our first real snow fall here in Moyock (I say "real" because apparently it flurried the other day, but I never saw it).

Kasia and Her Magazine

Here's Kasia just relaxing and flipping through her Fischer Price catalog. She loves looking through it just to see what's new out there.

It's Cold Out There Today!

It's not even December, and it is freezing here in God's Country.  Currently it is colder here than it is in Chicago. 

I'm trying to come up with the perfect "global warming" joke that would best fit this situation, but it's hard to pick just one.

Why I Don't Like to Clean

On tuesdays, Kasia and I usually stay at the house so that I can clean.  I like to set one day aside and get it all done all at once, and that seems to work best for me.

What does Kasia do while I'm cleaning?  Well, I took this picture just after I finished cleaning the kitchen.  And this is why we don't have nice things.

She dumped every single toy she owns out onto the floor.  And keep in mind, you can't see the stuff that's on the floor behind me while i was taking the picture.

More Fun Facts About North Carolina

The Slim Jim was invented in North Carolina.

And the most amazing of all, Alfred E. Neuman, that lovable face for M.A.D Magazine, made his debut right here in North Carolina on the cover of the magazine, The State in 1935.  Contrary to popular belief, he actually is a real person... and yes, he looks exactly like the cartoon version of him.  All information about his identity has been lost over time and nobody who was at the original photo shoot seems to remember the name of the man with the big gap-tooth smile. 

Only North Carolina can produce people as pretty as Kellie Pickler and as strange looking as Alfred E. Neuman.

Weekend Road Trip to the Mountains

Now that gas is below $2.00 a gallon, we decided that it was time once again to go on a road trip.  We had been talking all summer about going up to the mountains in autumn and see the mountains as the leaves were beginning to change.  Kara took friday off from work so that we could go up and spend a long weekend enjoying the beauty of fall in Virginia.

That was the plan anyway.  The weather had other things in mind.

It rained the whole weekend.  Not only that, but in the mountains it was raining with thick fog.  On the ride up, we decided that maybe we'd skip the scenic drive in the mountains and do something that may be more suitable for the weather.  We were going to visit Monticello in Charlottesville, but when we got there, that too was surrounded by fog.  We then just headed for downtown Charlottesville to see what there was to see.

We spent most of the evening walking up and down the historic walking street of Charlottesville and dodging in and out of the neat little stores they have.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  We spent most of the time standing next to an old fashioned merry-go-round watching Kasia spin around and around.

The really cool thing about this merry-go-round is the fact that it was people powered.  We had to spin it, but then it means we could also make it go as fast or slow as we wanted.  We could make it go for as long as we wanted.  Oh, and it was free.  I think that it's fair to say that Kasia absolutely loved it and she must have spent the better part of an hour riding around and around on that thing. 

After the merry-go-round was closed for the evening, and we saw all there was to see on the street, we decided to head into the mountains and spend the night at Bill's cabin in Wolftown.  Where's Wolftown, you ask?  Exactly. 

The directions we had were the old fashioned kind that mapquest is trying to destroy.  "Turn left at the gas station, and then right on the road behind the General Store.  You'll see the Chapel, go past that and make a left when you see the old sign..."  The names of roads were irrelevant.  And as we drove further and further up the mountain, it became apparent that roads were irrelevant as well. 

The rain was coming down, the fog was rolling in, and we were creeping along at thirty miles per hour.  You couldn't see anything, and the only thought going through my mind was "I hope we don't hit a deer."  And wouldn't you know it, as soon as Kara made a comment about hitting a deer, one popped out right in front of us.  I slammed the brakes just avoided hitting it.  Kasia slept through the whole thing.

We saw five more deer in the next few minutes, and I'm wondering why people spend so much money on clothes for hunting when deer seem to be so easy to find.  Eventually we found the cabin, and somehow I was able to get our minivan up to the top of Bill's driveway.  The minivan was not designed to tackle mountains, and had there been any ice at all, we would have been screwed.

We spent the evening at Bill's cabin, which is extremely nice.  I hear that the area around it beautiful as well, but with all the rain, fog, and dark of night, we really couldn't see much.  So we went inside, relaxed, watched some TV, and drank all of Bill's liquor.  He did say that we could help ourselves to whatever we wanted.

The next day it was still raining.  It was still foggy.  And the thought of having to drive down Bill's driveway was making me nervous.  Again, the minivan is not designed for mountains, and his driveway is near a straight vertical drop.  Fortunately, we were able to get down, and off the mountain... though we did encounter a little difficulty that we thought was going to strand us up there.  But we made it down. 

It rained all of saturday as well, so we just decided to drive back.  We stopped off at the mall at Short Pump, but decided to make it a relatively short day.  By the time we got home, we were exhausted and ready for a vacation. 

Thankfully, that's what Sunday was for. 

Kara Finally Appreciates Her Country Roots

Ever since we moved to Moyock, Kara has had a hard time adjusting to the lifestyle of the South.  Despite the fact she has spent her whole life here, and grew up out in the country, she had gotten too accustomed to living in the city.  So when we moved to North Carolina, she was stunned that the driver's license office didn't take credit cards.  "Who doesn't take credit cards?" she exclaimed.  

Well, after a year and a half of living here, she finally has come to appreciate it.  It happened on Election Day.  As we were hearing reports on the radio of the long lines at polling places, we were worried that maybe even Moyock might have a wait.  Shawn called us from Chesapeake and said that he had to wait almost two hours to vote.  That's insane.

Here in Moyock, our wait was zero.  We walked in, grabbed a ballot, filled it out and went on our way.  It took longer to fill out the ballot than it did to get it.  

So we may live in a small town that's in a small county of only 17,000 people, but you really do appreciate it when you go to the polls to vote.

Election Day Tomorrow

I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone out there that tomorrow is election day in America.  So, if your registered to vote, do your research, study the issues of the candidates, and then go out and make a wise and informed (and rational) vote. 

Or, stay at home.  After all, there'll probably be a line and you'll have to wait.  That is, unless you live in Moyock in which you could go vote at a peak hour, and still not have to wait in line.

By the way, where do I get my bumper-sticker that says "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for the Other Guy?"

It's Finally Here!

Finally.  Today I spotted gas at a local station for $1.99.  Kara says that there are stations in the area that are at $1.89.  She actually filled the car up with gas this morning for less than $20.  How awesome is this? 

Halloween Happiness

Aside from Christmas, I think that Halloween has to be greatest holiday for kids.  What other day do you get a ton of candy, and your parents are totally cool with you eating as much as you want?  It just doesn't happen outside of Halloween.

Kasia had a great time this year on Halloween.  She dressed up like a pirate, and actually kept the little head scarf on her head all night long.  That in itself was a miracle.  Isn't she cute?

We walked up and down our street hunting for candy treasures.  She used her wagon as a mighty pirate ship that plundered house after house for chocolately goodness.  By the end of the night, he little pumpkin basket was stuffed, and she was gorging herself on treats from Hershey.  By the time the sugar high wore off, we were all worn out and the night was a success.

Now we get ready for Thanksgiving.  Or do we now get ready for Christmas?  I'm all confused now.

One HOT Breakfast

For breakfast, Kasia enjoys nothing more than a big bowl of hot oat meal.  Usually, if I'm making her just the plain variety of oatmeal, I'll throw in a little sugar and cinnamon to give it some spice.  She loves it.

Over the weekend, Kasia was playing in our pantry and moved all of the spices around.  So, where I normally keep the cinnamon, she placed a different spice that just happens to be in the exact same style bottle as the cinnamon.  This morning, as I went to sprinkle some cinnamon on her breakfast, we were both surprised to find out it had a slightly different flavor.

The spice?  Chili powder.  Now that's what I call a HOT! meal.

Gas Price Update

The price of gas has now come down to $2.59. Only 60 cents to go!

UPDATE: Now down to $2.39. Only 40 cents to go!

UPDATE AGAIN:  Now down to $2.09.  Almost there... almost there...

Fun Facts About North Carolina

I love living in North Carolina, and I love the proud history of this fine state.  Did you know:

Pepsi Cola was invented right here in North Carolina in 1893?  Did you also know that it was originally called Brad's Drink?

Krispy Kreme is also a native of North Carolina and still provides the best, hot doughnuts to the country.

Texas Pete, the best hot sauce on the market, was also invented right here in North Carolina (not Texas).  Originally the sauce was called "Mexican Joe" but the inventor's father insisted that it have an American name, and thus Texas Pete was born.

Oh, and lastly, Hardees restaurant (home of the Thickburger) is a North Carolina original. 

The Police and Segway Scooters Don't Mix

Segways seem to have found a niche lately with the police.  I'm beginning to see a lot of cops at different events riding around on them.  What's the deal here?  Are these guys out there to make the cops on bicycles feel more manly?  They look ridiculous.

When it comes to fierce looking cops, just about everything outranks the Segway.  Personally, for me, a cop on a horse is pretty bad ass.  Heck, even a cop just walking is more intimidating than a guy on a Segway.  And look at the helmets those guys are wearing?  Yeah, I'm feeling really safe with these guys zipping around the city at 6mph.

Come on already.  Maybe if we brought back the billy club that they could twirl, this wouldn't be an issue anymore.

More From the Potty Training Front

Kasia is one strange bird.  As our war with potty training continues, one thing has become very evident.  Kasia has absolutely no problem using the potty when we're out in a public restroom, but she absolutely hates using the potty at home.  Isn't it usually the other way around?  Isn't it supposed to be that she's supposed to be comfortable with the warm, familiar potty and be afraid of big, cold, scary public restroom?  Apparently not. 

So to solve our problem, we're installing a public toilet in our house, and we're never going to clean it.  I figure with that, Kasia will be potty trained in no time.

Festive Festivals A Plenty

We've been keeping busy the past couple of weeks by filling our weekends with fall festivals to celebrate the autumn harvest.  

First, we went to the Hunt Club Farm Fall Festival.  That was a more traditional fall festival that included pumpkins and hay rides.  There was also a little petting zoo and a whole lot of giant inflatables for Kasia to play on.  Suffice it to say, she loved it.  It took her a little while to get over the scary factor of some of the inflatables, but once she got them down, we couldn't get her away from them.  In fact, when it was time to leave at the end of the day, she screamed and cried because she didn't want to leave (of course, she was also extremely sleepy as well).  

Kasia picked out her own pumpkin and then we went for her first hay ride.  It was also the first hay ride that both Kara and I have taken in a number of years.  Though there was something off about the whole festival for me.  I think that when you compare it to the Peach Festival we went to earlier in the summer, this one was just too structured.  You may remember the Peach Festival where the guy operating the roller coaster had the cigarette dangling from his mouth.  That kind of attitude just didn't fly at Hunt Club Farms.  No, here there was strict structure to everything and proper supervision.  We even got yelled at while we were on the hay ride because we gave Kasia some crackers to eat.  No eating on the hay ride, the man said.  There were signs posted apparently to warn us against it.  At the Peach Festival, we could have brought a slab of ribs and a six pack of beer and it would have been totally fine.  

That's the difference of the laid back lifestyle we enjoy here in North Carolina versus the nanny state of the big city.  The rides at the Peach Festival were what they were.  If you thought they were unsafe for your child, then don't let your child ride.  As a parent, we had to make that call.  We gambled that she'd be fine, and we won.  At the Hunt Club Farm, it didn't really matter.  She would have been strapped in with double seat belts and had someone watching her the entire trip.  Sure it's safe, but where's the fun in that?

Then last week we went back up to our old stomping ground and went to the Virginia Children's Festival at Town Point Park.  This was just a big festival that centered around kids and toddlers.  It was just perfect for Kasia.  There were pirates and storybook characters walking about.  Kasia got to have a little tea party with Alice in Wonderland and her friends.  She got her picture taken with Darth Vader, and listened to a story read by Mother Goose herself.  We also had a really good time at Play-Doh Island and Lego Land.  It wasn't really a fall festival per say, but it was a lot of fun for the little one, and in the end, that's the main reason we go to these things.

The inner geek in my got a big kick from the following picture:

End of Line.

(if you don't get it, relax, it means you're not as geeky as me)

The Verdict Is In

Kasia has never been allowed to watch Barney.  I think one of my biggest fears of being a father was that I was going to get drowned in a sea of Barney.  I didn't want this to happen to our family, and so Kasia has always been under a strict Barney quarantine.  Inevitably though, she finally saw it.  And she loves it.

The strange thing is that I don't mind it so much.  I mean, yeah sure, he's a big purple dinosaur that's kind of creepy and annoying, but then isn't most of children's television?  He's a lot less creepy than the Wiggles.  And as far as the annoyingness factor goes, Dora the Explorer puts this guy to shame.  I'd rather watch a days worth of Barney than one episode of Dora in which she shouts through the whole thing.  If Dora were writing this post, she's use all caps because SHE ALWAYS TALKS REALLY LOUD!  ISN'T THAT RIGHT, BOOTS? 

So the final verdict is that Barney isn't as bad as I had always feared.  However, if I had a son instead, then I would have a bigger problem with it.  I wouldn't want my boy watching all that huggy kissy garbage that Barney spouts out.  But for Kasia, I don't mind it so much.

Making Progress

So far, so good.  Gas prices by us have now come down to $2.79.  If it drops another $1, I'll be happy, or at least not all that mad that my investments are now worth nothing.

A Request

Now that the Dow is down to the level it was at back in 2004, can we now have gas prices return to their 2004 prices as well? I don't think that's too much to ask for.

And for those of you who can't remember what they were charging for a gallon of gas way back then, on May 18, 2004, the national average for a gallon of gas had surged to $2.01 a gallon. It was a record price at the time, and Americans were feeling the pinch.

According to a CNN article, "Still, some consumers are starting to feel the pinch at the pump. Nearly a third of Americans are cutting back on vacation and travel plans for later in the year, and 27 percent are cutting back on eating out because of record high gas prices, a retail survey found Tuesday."

Oh, and of course, you can't talk about anything without blaming Bush. "Meanwhile, the Bush administration has been criticized for not taking action to find consumers some relief at the pump."

Kasia's Best Friend

Kasia has a new best friend.  A few weeks ago, we had a new family move in next door.  After a long "feeling out" period, Kasia finally went up and started to play with little six year old girl name Aisslin (or "Ais" as Kasia calls her).  Now it's impossible for us to even think about going outside without Kasia standing next to our house and shouting at the top of her lungs "AIS!!"  It would probably be easier to just walk up to the door and ring the door bell, but her way seems to also produce the desired effect.  

Now, the two occupy their afternoons by drawing with sidewalk chalk and learning to roller skate.  I think it's great that Kasia finally has someone who lives close by to play with.  And in another month, another little girl who is the same age as Kasia will be moving in two doors down.  She'll soon have friends coming out her ears.

We're Making Progress

Over the weekend, we took our potty training up to the next level.  Kasia got her first set up real big girl underwear on Saturday.  They're cute with pictures of the Little Mermaid all over them.  Kasia was allowed to wear them around the house so long as she went to use the potty when she had to go.

We made this very clear.  If she had to tinkle, then she had to tell us and we'd take her to the potty.

But Kasia, she's a big girl now.  She doesn't need the help of her parents.  So when she felt the need to go, she went to the potty and did it all by herself.  Mommy and Daddy were not needed for her to use the potty.

Next time, though, we're going to have to make it clear that she has to take the underwear off before using the potty.  Alas, we took it for granted that she knew this. 

Next time we'll know better.

Happy Birthday To Me!

I meant to write this sooner, but I've been a bit under the weather lately. As I'm sure EVERYONE knows, my birthday was... um... two sundays ago? The 14th of September. It put me well into my thirties, and I'm still going strong.

So what did we do on such a monumental day? Well, I mowed the lawn and then in the evening we went to Lonestar Steakhouse to gorge ourselves on steak. We sat under a deer head the entire time, and it was kind of creepy.

Kasia seemed to enjoy it though. She kept reaching up and petting it and telling us that it was "soft." Indeed, it was very soft. Creepy, but soft.

My real birthday treat came later in the week. On Thursday the 18th, Kara and I drove up to D.C. for the evening to see James in concert. It was like a dream come true for me. I've been listening to their music for 17 years now, and I thought I would never get to see them perform live. My hopes were especially dashed back in 2002 when they broke up. Luckily for me though, they decided to get back together and do a tour of the US.

The show was at a small club in downtown D.C. and was sold out. We got a good place to stand and had a great view of the whole stage. James came on around 9:00pm and then played for the next three hours. It was amazing. They put on a fantastic show, and it was definitely worth the wait.

Here's a clip of the boys exiting after their encore. Note the trumpet player in the dress. He actually was able to pull it off and not look weird.

After the show, we went and grabbed dinner at Denny's. I haven't eaten out at one in the morning since... well, since a long time. It was kind of cool.

The next day, we stopped off at IKEA on the way home and picked up a few essentials for the house. Of course, we stopped at the restaurant for some Swedish meatballs.

Then over the weekend, I came down with the flu. It's been knocking me down pretty hard, but I'm slowly getting better. The bright side is that it waited until after I saw James before it decided to hit me. There is some good in this world, and that's proof of it.

So anyway, I'm beginning to feel better now, and so it's time for me to wish myself a big happy birthday! It was one of the best.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me!

This is absolutely ridiculous.  John McCain, war-hero, Senator, and now Republican Presidential candidate was on the television show The View the other day.  You know The View, don't you?  It's the show where Barbara Walters and her gal pals discuss the important issues for women.  It's also the show in which resident idiot in charge Rosie O'Donnell claimed that George Bush planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks.

Well, Rosie O'Donnell is gone and Whoopi Goldberg has now taken over as the celebrity idiot.  Wasn't this woman once a comedian?  Is it just my imagination or has she not done anything even remotely humorous since the mid 80's?  Anyway.

John McCain was asked the question as to what kind of judges he would appoint to the Supreme Court.  "Strict constructionist judges" is how he replied.  Like deer in the headlights, they just stared at him.  Then he explained that he would nominate judges who interpreted the Constitution in the way the founders intended it to. 

To this, Whoopi Goldberg goes off and asks, "Does that mean I have to worry about being a slave again? Because the founders believed in slavery. "  My head hung in shame.  How is this woman a celebrity?  How is this woman on a television show?  I hung my head in shame.  But it got worse.

Then, to make it worse, the audience applauded as though they too were afraid that "strict constructionist" judges would put African Americans back in the fields.  My head hung lower in shame.

Then Barbara Walters and the other white women comforted Whoopi and said that they would protect her.  Again the audience applauded.  This is just pathetic.  But to make it even worse, John McCain answered all this by saying, "Good question."  What have we come to? 

I think this is a good reason why Sarah Palin should probably not appear on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Something Strange is Happening

Like most men in America, I was excited for the beginning of this year's football season.  I was ready for yet another year in which my teams that I want to win inevitably fail me somewhere down the road.  That's why I'm so tremendously freaked out by what happened in just the first week of football.  To recap:

• The Carolina Panthers (the underdogs) win against San Diego with a last-second touchdown pass.
• The Chicago Bears (the underdogs) beat the Indianapolis Colts and made sure the Peyton Manning and crew weren't going to have a perfect season.
• The Green Bay Packers (the underdogs) defeat the Vikings at Lambeau without Brett Favre.
• Brett Favre (age 38) comes out of retirement and leads the Jets to victory.
• Tom Brady hurts himself and is out for the season.  Bad for Patriots fans, but good for everyone else.

Now I know that it's still the beginning of the season, but isn't it odd that every team that I wanted to win this week ACTUALLY won?  This is too great a phenomenon to be left to chance. 

Where Is FEMA?

 

Tropical Storm Hanna has gone, but in its wake, we live with the devastating damage.  It was like a war zone at our house.  The wind was furious, and the damage was severe.  We lost a shingle off the house.  As if THAT weren't bad enough, our neighbor's drain spout got knocked off.  I have a hard time even talking about it, that's how horrible it was.

The sad part is that once again, George Bush has failed us once again.  FEMA is no where to be found.  No trailers, no trucks with bottled water, no portable generators to help us get back on our feet.  We need FEMA down here now, and we need them to put this shingle back on our roof!

What's that?  You say we should just do it ourselves?  We shouldn't wait for some government organization to come and do all our work for us?  But that would be un-American.  Maybe if I make my story a little sadder, a little more depressing, I can make it on to CNN. 

Did I mention that it was a REALLY nice shingle that fell off?  My heart is broken.

He Brought Down a Tiger!

I think that in this year's political debate, there's one thing that needs to be remembered.  Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently took down a tiger in order to save a pack of journalists.  A tiger.  Why are our politicians debating the intricacies of health care or raising the capital gains tax?  I want to know which candidate, if the situation should arise, could take down a tiger. 

Which candidate has the knowledge of firearms to take down a wild animal?  Hmmmm.....

She's Coming Right For Us!

With all this talk of hurricane Gustav slamming in to New Orleans, it appears as though a much more sinister lady is making her appearance much closer to home. Ms. Hurricane Hanna is rearing her ugly head, and it's possible that she may hit anywhere between Miami and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Outer Banks? Why, isn't that where we live? Indeed, it is.

Now everyone, here's what you need to do. You need to stop donating money to these "victims" of Gustav and start sending money to the potential victims of Hanna. We are much more vulnerable than the people in New Orleans were. Besides, they already received a boat load of charity. It's our turn now.

So, during this holiday weekend, we ask you to search deep within your hearts and deep into your pocketbooks and give graciously to the soon-to-be potential victims of Hurricane Hanna.

Thank you.

She is Just Kasia

Kara has taken the plunge and attempted to do something that I have to admit, I was to scared to try.  She and Kasia broke out the finger paints and created art.  I don't want to brag, but she is a natural.  Her paintings, err.. rather her "work" is astounding.  She sees the world in colors and shapes that the rest of us can't imagine.  She is a great artist.  She will be known to the world only as "Kasia."  

One-name artist have always fascinated me ever since I met the marine life painter Wyland in Orlando years ago.  Somehow, I had snuck in to one of his showings were a bunch of know-it-alls were sipping champagne and patting themselves on their backs for how much they appreciated art.  There was one guy in particular who was very vocal about his appreciation for Wyland's art, and as it turned out, the guy was his agent.  Out of curiosity, I asked him what Wyland's first name was.  

"He has no first name.  He is just Wyland!  Like Madonna or Cher!"  he told me in a very thick French accent.  He was very adamant that Wyland was just Wyland.

A little while later, I noticed that there was one guy hanging out in the corner who looked like he didn't belong.  Instead of wearing a suit and tie, he had on jeans, a t-shirt, and a really bored look on his face.  I went over and talked with him for awhile.  As it turns out, he was Wyland.  Great guy.  Really down to Earth, unlike Madonna or Cher.  So I asked him what his first name was.  "Robert," he said.  Apparently his agent never asked him what his first name was, otherwise he would have known that it wasn't just "Wyland!"

So, while Kasia may have a middle and a last name, in order for her to be taken seriously as an artist, we're going to ignore everything but her first name.  

SHE IS KASIA!  Like Madonna, or Cher, except more down to Earth and a lot smarter.

I Love My Digital TV!

Anyone who has visited our house probably knows that we are too cheap to pay for cable television.  We rely solely on a set of rabbit ears in the garage to help us pick up local television broadcasts.  The problem is that since we live in the boonies (or the chums, as some affectionately call it) our reception was never that great.  We could get a fuzzy version of Fox or a slightly static-y picture on NBC.  If we moved the antenna just right, we could also pick up ABC and possibly PBS.   CBS was a station that we have heard of but have never actually seen in our house.  

Digital television has changed all that.

We finally decided to go out and get the digital converter box so that we could see what this digital television stuff was all about.  Holy cow, does it make a difference.  We finally found CBS and it comes in crystal clear.  We have ten different PBS stations now.  In total, we have gone from getting 5 channels to 25 channels, and they all come in with crystal clear quality.  Truly unbelievable.  We can now watch television like most people and still be as cheap as we were before.

I have to admit though, I'm going to miss our daily routine of me in the garage moving the antenna around while Kara would shout, "Still not good... still not good... wait, it's a little better now.  Try to keep it there!!"

Breakfast Boogie

Kasia really likes to listen to the Backyardigans while eating her breakfast.  The only problem with that is she gets so involved with her dancing, that she forgets to eat.

We Are The Three Amigos!

What a weekend.  We decided to make the trek down to Salvo so that Kasia could get some quality play time in with her second cousins, Kylie and Kinzlie.  It looked at first as though the day on the beach was going to be a bust as we were quickly rained out, the skies eventually opened and we had a beautiful beach day.

Kasia and the twins were a little hesitant of each other at first, but after a few minutes (and a couple cookies) the three made their way along the beach looking to cause mischief.  Later in the evening, as the adults were enjoying dinner, the girls bonded even further by all refusing to eat their meals in unison.  It was a display of solidarity that was on the verge of being admiral.  But as the night wore on, and the kids got sleepy, we had to say goodnight and make the long haul back up to Moyock.  

Hopefully we'll be able to get the three of them together again soon so they can discover what other kinds of mischief they can create together.

Grunt Like A Champ

With all that grunting she does, you'd think she was a tennis player. She really does give it her all when she does her chin-ups in the pool.

An Armed Society Is A Polite Society

Kasia and I were having lunch at Chick-fil-A this afternoon when we noticed this nice gentleman sitting across from us.  Actually, I noticed his sidearm, and then noticed him.  Was he a cop?  Nope.  Detective?  Nope.  Just a guy packing heat in case things get a little too intense.  Maybe he was expecting those cows from the billboards to come in and attack.

I think that what really was going on was that he had the gun concealed, but that's illegal here in the South.  So he had no choice but to show it off to everyone.  I noticed everyone was extremely polite to him.  Interesting.

Knotts Island Peach Festival

No Southern summer would be complete without a good ole fashion Peach Festival, and as chance would have it, we happen to have one right here in Currituck County.  So when Kara and I discovered that the Peach Festival was this weekend, we had to go experience all the peachy fun and flavors that can only be had in the Great State of North Carolina.  

There was music, carnival rides, shopping, and peaches.  Lots and lots of peaches.  We enjoyed ourselves some fine North Carolina peach pie served up with some home made peach ice cream.  Everything tasted sublime.  But no matter how good the food was, what attracted Kasia's attention the most were the rides.  It was next to impossible for us to keep our little daredevil off them.

First up was the giant slide.  This has always been one of my favorites, and now it appears to be one of Kasia's favorites as well. 

Another big hit with her was the roller coaster.  Now, unlike the slide, this one was for children only.  There was some hesitation about whether or not Kasia would be able to handle her first roller coaster all by herself and not get scared.  But, with the keen eye for safety that every carnie has, we knew that our daughter was in safe hands

(notice how he dangles the cigarette from his lips so as

not to get ash on the children.  Safety first!)

Fortunately, none of our fears were warranted.  Kasia did not get scared when the roller coaster started, and she did not try to jump out.  All she did was laugh.  She laughed constantly, and when the ride was over, she kept her seat and went again.  In the end, she must have rode that roller coaster over ten times, and loved it the entire time.  

By the time we left, I think that it's safe to say we had a great time.  What I loved about the whole day was the simplicity of it all.  It was simple fun and simple pleasures.  The kids had a great time on the little kiddy rides (and Kasia is too young to thing anything is "lame").  Everything was very relaxed, and very casual.  The bands played off an on all day long, and the peach pie was constantly flying out the window.  It was a day where the fast, and hectic pace of life was slowed down for awhile, and time was once again your friend.  It's strange to say that it made me feel like a kid again during the summer, when there were no worries or concerns to trouble you, but then again, if a North Carolina Peach Festival can't make you feel that way, nothing can.

Worst Golfer Ever

In case you didn't know, we live on a golf course.  To be more specific, we live right off the tee box for the seventh hole, which is a par three.  We see a lot of golfers come and go, but I must be watching the worst golfer in the world right now.  

This guys first hit didn't even make it to the yellow tees, let alone all the way to the women's tees.  His follow up hit actually knocked the ball into our yard, which I always thought was impossible to do.  After that, he got it up to the ladies tees.  His next hit, he drove it to the pond.  To sum it up, he's on his sixth shot and he's not even halfway to the hole.  Kasia hits the ball better than that.

Here We Go!

We're well into July in this "very active" hurricane season, and the first storm to threaten our coasts is coming straight for us.  Or rather, it's kind of skipping along the coast line, and will (if predictions are correct) actually give us some rain.  As you can imagine, we're busy stocking up on water, batteries, and canned goods.  Bring on Cristobal (which has to be the silliest name for a storm ever... I mean, is this supposed to be a tropical storm or some avant garde artist?)

UPDATE:  errr.... never mind.  We didn't even get the rain.

Only The Navy

This weekend, I had to wake up with the sun on Saturday to go to the Naval base to take part in a physical muster.  Essentially, I just had to show up, watch a PowerPoint presentation, and go home.  But really though, 7:30 am on a Saturday morning?  I swear, this is the only job that can ruin my weekend two years after I quit.  

On the plus side, they did pay me for my time.  So that's not a bad thing.

Fun Feeding the Goats

Kasia and I went to the zoo this week, and this time we decided to try something different.  Instead of just taunting the goats and making fun of them, we decided to try and feed them.  As it turns out, they like this much better.  There was a really nice lady there with her grandson, and she gave Kasia a bunch of food pellets to give to the goats.  I just sat back and filmed the whole thing.  Enjoy.

Kodak Moment: Cool or Creepy?

The other day when we were working on the yard, I noticed this strange moth on our driveway.  It blended into the concrete so perfectly that it was almost creepy.  Or is it cool?  What do you think?

Running from the Tide

Kasia and the tide at the beach were battling it out all day.  Today, for the first time this summer, the tide won.  This isn't to diminish Kasia or her courageous efforts.  The tide today was just particularly fierce.  It even kicked my butt a number of times.  

Squeaky Shoes

Kasia recently discovered she has shoes that squeak.  Obviously, she thinks this is the coolest thing ever.  Though, when she saw the camera, she got a little shy.

We Have a Winner!

I think that it's now safe to say that Kasia has a favorite animal.  Just in case the picture didn't give it away, it's the giraffe.  What is it about this majestic beast that she likes so much?  Is it the elongated neck?  The graceful stride?  Or could it possibly be that it's the one animal name that she really enjoys saying.  She loves pointing at pictures and shouting "DRAFF!"  And hey, that's close enough in our book.  Instead of saying "lion" she just says "ROAR!"  Again, close enough.  I think the SAT board will accept that as an answer.

And keeping with the tradition of tall animals, I think her new favorite Sesame Street character is Big Bird.  I see this as only fitting considering that Kasia is also quite tall for her age.  

The Magic Show

Today, Kasia and I went to see a magician/comedian at the library. It was the beginning of their "Catch the Reading Bug" summer reading program. I think the entire county of Currituck must have turned out for this guy, because the place was packed.

Aside from pulling a rabbit out of a hat and doing the locking ring trick, this guy was able to perform a magical feat that I have never seen in my life before. He was able to keep Kasia entertained for a full 45 minutes. Of course, the show was an hour long, but she did sit through most of it and laughed and clapped for the guy.

Kasia the Kondiment!

Kasia's goal in life has always been to be some kind of condiment on a really large hotdog. Over the weekend, she was able to fulfill that dream. She's now kind of bummed because she's having a hard time picking a new life goal. I'm really pushing for learning to read, getting potty trained, and earning millions of dollars for her parents. Maybe next weekend.

Because $600 For a Purse is Freakin' Ridiculous!

Kara, Kasia, and I spent a lovely day at the mall over the weekend. It had been so long since we have been to the mall, just to walk around and window shop. I really was having a good time, but I think that Kara was embarrassed to be seen with me.

It all started when we were in Restoration Hardware. Now, I always loved Restoration Hardware because they always had those cool retro gadgets that looked like they came out of the '50's. Sadly, most of that is gone now, and what's left in its place was a bunch of stuff that was rather pricey. I was nearly floored when I saw a floor fan that they were trying to sell for $210. You've got to be kidding me! It looked like something my grandmother had stored away in her closet. I was checking this thing over to see if there was something special about it, like if it also doubled as a back massager, but no. It was just a fan. How can you charge $200 for a fan? That's when the embarrassment started. Kara told me to be quiet and not draw too much attention to ourselves. These people charge $200 for a stinkin' fan and I'M supposed to be embarrassed!? Please. You know something's wrong when your store makes The Pottery Barn seem like a bargain.

After Restoration Hardware, we went to the Coach store. I promised Kara that I wouldn't embarrass her. In fact, I told her that I would just say the exact opposite of everything that I was thinking. After being greeted by the very happy saleman (some would even say jolly.... or gay) I believe I used phrases like: "I'm so happy to be here." "Wow! $600 for a purse? What a bargain." "I can't believe the deals in this place." and "I'm going to buy two of these, at least."

I'm not really sure what happened after that. I couldn't find Kara for about an hour, and eventually we met up at the food court to have some dinner.

I love the mall.

EPCOT Forever!

A while ago, I was in a thrift store and saw a classic 1982 EPCOT license plate which I just had to have.  The lady who managed the store never thought that anyone was actually going to buy that old thing, but thought she'd put it out anyway.  It was only $1.

But look how AWESOME it makes the Saturn look.  Just the right color.  Just the right size.  I have to say, style and design really hit its peak in 1982 when this plate was created.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day here at the southern branch of the Gruetzmacher compound.  No father could ask for a better day.  First, Kara let me sleep in and then made me blueberry pancakes.  Then, we headed off to Little Birdies for a round of miniature golf and a little play for Kasia.

I've been playing miniature golf for years, and one question that usually comes up is "what is the most difficult obstacle on a miniature golf course?"  Is it the windmill?  The gorilla that smacks your ball away?  The water wheel that you have to hit just right?  No, as it turns out, the most difficult obstacle on a miniature golf c

ourse is a two year old girl.  Our two year old daughter to be precise.  Or to

 be even more precise, Kasia.  

As if trying to put around wooden barriers wasn't hard enough, Kasia adds the extra pressure of time.  From the moment you first hit the ball, you only have a few seconds before you have to hit your ball again.  If you wait too long, she'll snatch the ball right off the green.  

Here she is after having snatched all the balls and sat with them on the 12th green.  Keep in mind, that we were supposed to be on the 15th hold when this happened.  We took too long in between puts, and off she went with the balls.  We learned our lesson.

Eventually though, we got to the 18th hole where the balls get sucked away and never come back.  Kasia was having a hard time believing that the balls were truly gone.  But she eventually got over it and we went and played in the play area for a little while.  

Later that afternoon, Kathy, Jeff, Shawn, and Chatam came over for a good old fashion Father's Day cook out.  We put our grill to work, and enjoyed a smorgasbord of food including everyones favorite: spaetzle.  

We hope all you other father's out there also had a wonderful time.  

The Power of Wii Fit

Wii Fit is so powerful that:

I lost ten pounds in two days with Wii Fit.

I grew half an inch after using Wii Fit for thirty minutes.

I just finished my first marathon with the endurance given to me by Wii Fit.

After twenty minutes on Wii Fit, I now double as a floatation device in case of a water landing.

Most importantly though, Wii Fit is so powerful that it broke my Wii.  That's right.  Not even the Wii can withstand the awesome and mighty power of the Wii Fit.

So not only did I spend $90 on a scale that tells me I'm overweight, but now it doesn't do anything at all.  On the plus side, I am ten pounds lighter and half an inch taller.  The thing really is THAT powerful.

John Cleese on Football

An interesting perspective on America's sport.

Go Netherlands!!!

For those of you who don't know, and I'm guessing that's most of you, the Euro Cup 2008 is currently underway in Switzerland and Austria. While it's not a big deal for most of over here in the good ole U. S. A., it's a big deal overseas.

I've always been a big fan of the Netherlands for some reason, and have proudly cheered on the Oranje for a number of years now. They are one of the few sports teams that I actually own branded apparel. During the World Cup 2006, I was devastated when they were knocked out by Portugal (while managing to receive more red and yellow cards than any game I've ever heard of).

In the Euro Cup though, they are off to a much different start. They just defeated the world champions, Italy, 3-0, and they are now the favorites to win it all. Though, since I'm now writing about it, they'll probably lose three straight. I'll take my chances.