Dropping to a knee...Scotty-Style

(a little poem to celebrate Scotty F. getting engaged)

You might know this gent by his other names,
Scooter, Waldo or Scotty, it's all the same,
He's the bachelor that could never settle down,
And he is known by everyone in every town.

He always has time for a visit or a chat,
And he usually is wearing that colorful number 24 hat.
Although he loves Jeff Gordon we still think he's cool,
But if Kasey Kahne saw him he would bump draft him into a pool.

Then a few years ago he met this girl named Stephanie from the Falls,
And ever since he met her, his mother says he never calls.
A year ago he brought her to meet the family tree,
She wasn't scared of us, she actually liked Skipper, and me.

Scotty was smitten with her we all could tell that,
She even went to the races and let him wear that dumb Jeff Gordon hat.
So now some months later their love has grown,
And as Aaron said, "the family blog must let to the world be known..."

That at the NASCAR race last week in K.C.
Scotty dropped to a knee,
and said, "Stephanie, my love, will you marry me?"

Skipper and Nate caught her as she felt a little faint,
The green flag dropped and some cars traded paint,
She couldn't speak for almost an entire lap around the track,
Then she stood on her own, and answered him back...

She said, "yes", and the crowd cheered on through,
Scotty and Linda hugged Steph, and Amy did too.
He gave her the ring that he had held onto so tight,
The race went on and they all celebrated that night.

Yes, this poem is somewhat true,
He sent me a text message so I could tell you.
Waldo is engaged and we all send congrats to he and his friend
Now Linda won't have to do his wash each weekend.


CONGRATS STEPH AND SCOTT!
(jeff gordon is a loser, KASEY KAHNE RULES!)

The Brothers In The Great Outdoors

So on Saturday, on a whim, we packed the Expedition and the boat and headed for our favorite campground...Lewis & Clark right outside of Yankton.

You might say, Tom you have been traveling for the past 5 weeks, why would you want to go camping??? We needed a break from life, well actually Steph needed a break from the house and the boys.

The water was great, and the wind was non-existent so the on-water activities were a blast. I forgot how much I love that lake...Sorry Lake Byron, but the Lewis & Clark reservoir has you beat.

The boys, aka...the Wild Animals...were returned to their natural habitat for 48 hours and everyone was happy. They hugged trees, rolled in sand, took wizzes in places they shouldn't have and rode their bikes about 3 miles.

Yes, Maxim got off the gravel road in front of our house and actually got to ride on real pavement...he rocked it, and Brecken with his little bike and training wheels tried his hardest to keep up. He pumped his little pistons for 2 whole miles on Sunday morning...it was great.

We took some pictures of the loving brothers out in the "wild", and isn't it amazing when you take a picture and it captures the very essence of each child...go ahead and click on the picture to the left, and note Maxim's caring and loving nature...embracing his little brother with a hint of leadership and guidance. Also note Brecken's face...it is the look he gives right before he hits you.

Then note the very next frame...where Brecken delivered a "junk punch" to his big loving, nurturing and sometimes bossy brother. I also think Brecken's face is alot happier in the 2nd photo...which explains a lot about this little man.

This will be one of those pictures that will live a life of it's own in about 12 years at Maxim's graduation...and then again at his wedding...when his little brother gives the "Best Man" speech.

A stinky hotel, tiny TV and drained hot tubs.

I usually stay at the Hampton Inn Hotel chains...I stayed in Yankton tonight and it is a town without a Hampty, so I chose a hotel based on the pictures on Orbitz.com.

It had a nice pool, and a Minerva's restaurant attached to it. So based on the fact that Minerva's is one of the swankest restraint "mini-chains" in SD I picked this Best Western joint. Big mistake. The Minerva's is the best thing that happened to this 1970's showpiece of Yankton's Eastside.

To quote Maxim..."It smelled like a wet cow" in the hotel room. It did have newer carpet, but the comforter and bedding was brand new in 1984...it screamed Miami Vice. I cranked open both windows and aired it out. If Steph would have been along we would not have stayed at this dump...she is a bit of a hotel-Nazi, which I am fine with.

I got done working out and decided to hit the hot tub...but it was drained...another strike.

So I just flopped on the hard mattress to watch some sports on a 25" TV...The Twins won, and the Cubbies lost...so a 50-50 night.

It doesn't really matter how the Cubs do for the next few games since they clinched the division, but I don't like to see them slump going into our World Series run.

Needless to say it wasn't worth the $120 I didn't have to pay for it, but I will never stay there again...I can't wait to get home on Friday night and sleep in my own bed...even if I have to share it at 4:30 a.m. with a 6 year old pillow-stealer, a 2 year old wildman and my blanket-hogging wife.

The humming road...

I drove from Kearney to Grand Island, Nebraska today...the road was built with 500,000 recycled tires...or some crazy number like that.

The construction of that road causes your tires to make this high pitched humming sound...like a guy on a sportbike was always revving his motor to pass you.

Its interesting for 2 minutes...then annoying for 45!

Tom Solo

When you are on the road for travel you do a lot of things alone that you would usually do with family or friends.

One of those things is eat. I usually eat at chain sit-down type restaurants...tonight it was the Red Lobster. When I roll SOLO I always find a TV and sit down to watch a game or whatever is on. This means I sit at the bar and eat next to some other traveling dude.

I always have this desire to talk to the other dudes and I make sure that they know I am traveling for work, as if they would think I am some crazy loser eating by myself. I don't mind eating alone every once in a while, but it is nice to have the boys to goof off with, and Steph to gaze at me telling me with her eyes to try a little bit harder to control the boys.

The other thing I have noticed is how little time it really takes me to eat at a place like this when alone...last night I was in and out in less than 20 minutes...this would usually be at least an hour episode with the boys. Sometimes I feel like I really didn't get my money's worth by leaving that quickly...but it gives me more time to get back to the hotel and sleep.

Dock Party.

This weekend was one of those bitter-sweet weekends as our usual group of "younger" guys went around the lake pulling docks and boat lifts out for the winter.

Our crew and another group started at noon on one corner of the lake and about 15 residents later had completed our loop. There is still one or 2 left to do, but nothing big. It kind of amazes me how efficient we have become in our labor...every house is different, each place has different equipment and a different shoreline or it needs to be floated out. It took us 6.5 hours to do all of them, but the work goes quickly.

I guess with the exception of a couple of wakeboard sessions that I am bound to sneak in over the next few weeks that is the official end of another summer. Way to short this year.

Garbage to the head.

So tonight me and the boys were rolling solo, which kind of means I was babysitting. Steph pulled me on the wakeboard for a session, and then bailed off with her girlfriends for some Mexican food.

Maxim had to sign up for hockey so we zipped into town got some food, then spent an hour signing up and visiting with hockey friends. A bunch of Maxim's buddies were there so we let the kids run around the hockey rink. Both boys were red-cheeked and thirsty when it was time to leave, so I hit the gas station.

I filled up the Subaru, (which now has 172,000 miles on it) and picked up a Vitamin Water for Breck and a Milk for Maxim. Maxim pulled the "down and out". He slammed the milk and fell asleep a block later. Brecken was up for the long haul.

When I was climbing back into the car a bug landed in my hair, and so for about 5 minutes I feel as if I have this bug crawling all over me, you know the feeling. Then about half way home, this bug keeps landing in the back of my hair...again, and again...every time I get all school-girl freaked out that this bug is trying to nest in my head.

Then it hits like 3 times in a row real quick, and it feels like it is on my neck, so I am in full squirmish mode while driving in the dark at 65 mph. So I grab my neck where the bug is sitting in hopes to end it's life, and I realize that there is a tissue on my neck...and a couple more on my shoulder and back. Then I get hit by one of those rubber shoes (Crocs) that Brecken had on...I yell at him to stop and he laughs.

A little bit later I'm on the phone with cousin Erkel and he starts again with the throwing things...a couple of tissues (where they came from I have no idea) and then the other shoe, and finally the empty bottle of Vitamin Water!!! Pretty much everything he threw hit me in the head. Eric said he had no pity for me, and I actually think he was cheering Brecken on to keep throwing more junk at me.

When we got home and I opened the door to the backseat, there was tore up tissues ALL OVER.

I said, "Brecken, that was naughty, you made a mess!"

He said, "Brother do."

Someday he will learn not to blame things on his sleeping brother.

#2 with a Coke Zero...

So they tore down the McDonald's in town this week, and now that I can't have a Number 2 with a Coke Zero, funny how that makes me completly crave a McDonald's greasy burger and cold fries.

I heard someone say that its gonna be 3 months before the new one is done...now when we lived in SF we had about 5 Micky-D's to choose from, so when they tore down one I just drove to the other one...but in the H-ron there is only 1...so I'm am like a junkie without a fix.

This might be a blessing, because I have been stuck at 199lbs for about 2 months, it doesn't matter how hard I work out or how good I eat, I am not making any progress to my 6-pack abs. Maybe 90 days without McDonald's will do the trick.

Shoot the whole town might lose some weight...and if you have ever been to Wal-Mart on a given night, you know some people around here could use a little less McDonald's...me included.

Side note: If they tear down Godfather's we are moving back to Sioux Falls...the next day.

Reason to blog...

This blog is turning into one of those small town weekly newspapers...sorry but things are a bit slow around our house and I haven't had that burning desire to write lately.

But we do have a reason to blog today...because tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept 10 is Uncle Skip's B-Day.

So send him your best or better yet, drive to his house and chase him around for about 10 minutes threatening to spank him...call them Barn Burners and give him about 64? of them.

I speak on behalf of all the cousins when I say we loved and hated our birthdays because of Uncle Skipper "the Whipper".

We did love running from him and in all reality the whole Barn Burner thing was pretty fun. Now that he is almost 70 I think I could hold him over my knee for 60-some whoopin's.

Happy B-day ya old dog.

Sleeping In.

I've been working 12 hour days for about 8 days now...so I slept in today.

It was great.

I got up at 7:30 a.m. and didn't even feel guilty. I would have slept longer but Brecken came into our room around 6:00 a.m. and decided to sleep upside down in bed. When he does this you know you are going to get kicked in the face at some point.

I remember in college we used to sleep until 10:30 a.m. or some days just turn the TV on and stay in bed until we needed to eat.

Kids make life fun, but they wreck mornings sometimes with their energy...I left the house today and the boys were chasing each other with a shoe, a toy gun, a blanket and a can of WD-40...who knew that those 4 items could be such entertainment at 10 minutes to 8? Steph was still in bed...LUCKY.

The Fair. The End of Summer.

The SD State Fair has a special place in our family's heart, after all it is one of the reason we moved to Huron from Wessington Springs back in the mid-70's, as dad was the State Fair Manager.

Yesterday was the big kick off of the end of summer celebration, and in typical family fashion I was there from about 7am to 11pm...working our booth, emcee duties at the Freedom Stage and we hit the bullriding last night.

I don't know what it is about the fair that I love so much, but I also, in a way, always hated the fair because it marks the end of summer. The nights are cool and the days are shorter and school REALLY starts after Labor Day.

It seems like Fall is here and the clock on "lake time" is ticking...anyone want to help get the boat lift and dock out of the water...before the water gets colder?

Just like the fights at our house...

Guest Blooger Brent S. sent this video to me from the movie Never Back Down...it must have been shot from a camera phone during the taping of the movie.

Reminds me of the fights at our house. Maxim will do all these cool Jedi and Kung Fu Panda moves...then Brecken just slugs him and walks away.

Happy B-Day to my Aunts.

My aunt Gloria and Linda have birthdays only a year and couple days apart...makes me think that Grandma and Grandpa had pretty busy schedules 60-some years ago right up until about Christmas day...if you do the math.

So today Gloria is celebrating her 2nd anniversary of her 30th birthday...which used to seem old, but now that I'm 30-something 60 is the new 40....so Happy 40th Aunt Glo.

Hard to believe these 2 young looking, hip ladies are another year older...their 2 brothers on the other hand....NOW THOSE DUDES LOOK OLD, AND WRINKLED AND 1 OR 2 STEPS FROM THE NURSING HOME!

11 year reunion

The summer after college I went to Alaska to help my sister and brother-in-law at Echo Ranch...a great opportunity and time well-enjoyed in Alaska turned into a couple of lifelong friendships thanks to the Internet and e-mail, one buddy in England and the other in Canada.

One of those guys was Donovan Epp from Canada. We hit it off from the start and have been in touch on and off through the years. Trading pictures of weddings, kids, and life event type stuff.

We hadn't seen each other since I left Alaska and somethings had worked out over the last couple weeks, that Dono and family were going to be in the area. So after a couple hitches in the schedule we finally hooked up in Mitchell on Wednesday night.

The visit was cut short by some unfortunate circumstances, but we had a blast and even though our wives or kids had never met, it was like everyday friends getting together for a little pizza.

There is one picture of Dono and I from Alaska that we both have and it has sat on every desk I have ever worked at...he's in my cowboy hat, and chaps and I have this killer thrift store shirt of his on...don't ask what led up to this photo, but it is a classic.

So we took another pic in the parking lot of the hotel on Wednesday before they got back on the road to celebrate our little reunion...here are the 2 photos.

Kindergartener

The whole first day of school turned out to be a pretty big non-event for Steph and I. I walked him in, dropped off his backpack and turned him loose on the playground. He found a buddy and was GONE. Didn't even wait to give me a hug or anything.



Here is the first day of school photo, and yes that is another black eye. His right eye just healed up and is no longer black, and on Saturday night he ran into some lumber. I promise that is how it happened...I am seriously worried about people thinking we beat the kid, but both incidents happened at Grandma Penny's so I guess she has an unsafe home.


So starts the journey....oh yeah, Grandmas...you can click on the picture for a BIG version of it.

First day of school.

NEMO - First day of school! First day of school! Wake up, wake up! C'mon, first day of school!

MARLIN - I don't wanna go to school. Five more minutes.

NEMO - Not you, dad. Me!

NEMO - Get up, get up! It's time for school! It's time for school! It's time for school!It's time for school! Oh boy! Oh boy!

--Taken from the Disney/Pixar movie Finding Nemo--

______________________________

Why do I have a feeling that this will be the exchange between me and Maxim on Monday? You mean to tell me I have to have the kid at school before 8:30! I think I can do that. No more working on Montana time for me!

Yep, kindergarten starts next week. He could care less. The only long term planning he has right now is Friday's opening of the new Star Wars movie The Clone Wars. He's been talking about that since May.

I feel sorry for his teacher, she had better brush up on her Transformers, Star Wars, Dinosaurs and Army Guys. I would love to be a fly on the wall for his first week of school.

I'm not sure he knows how long this whole school thing is. I think he is expecting a week or two of activity-based fun with buddies. Reality will set in around March, when he is still going to school...then in 5th grade it hits you...that you aren't even half done with your education.

Then when you are in your 30's you start thinking about going back to get your Master's.

Every 4 years...

Those of you who were in grade school in the '80's with me...do you remember your teacher telling you that you were going to learn the metric system of measurements, and that it would replace the English Standard Measurements in a few years.

What happened to that? I'm still filling up with gallons of gas, driving in miles at miles per hour and trying to contain my weight under 200 lbs. (I would much rather be weighed in Kilo's or stones...sounds a lot better)

With the Olympic in full swing I am doing a lot of conversions in my head trying to figure out what something or someone weighs. It's really annoying to think that I could enjoy the Olympics without doing a bunch of math in my head if my teachers would have followed through a bit.

I feel that the push to continue to turn America from English Standard to the Metric system got lost somewhere in the Clinton administration's "to do list".

I wonder if the American athletes that compete in events using different measurements bother to do the conversions. I think it would be good mentally to not do them...for instance if you were in weight lifting...67 Kilos...Ohhh I lift 67 pounds all the time.

It only worked in track and field, everyone know how far meters are, until you do the 5K.

For the record, I am in the running to win a bronze medal in Olympic event viewing.

Somewhat Old Music Day...like 4 Non-Blondes old

Since I entered the digital music world a few years ago with my first MP3 player, I have found that I rarely take any CD cases with me on road trips or day to day activity. While it is super nice to have 3 CD cases full of music on one little device, I realize that I seldom listen to some really good non-current music that I have in my collection.

Like music from my college days...I just never ripped it to my computer and downloaded it to my MP3 player out of sheer laziness. Last month I put 2 of the most definitive albums of my generation on my device, Pearl Jam's "Ten" and Nirvana's "Nevermind". It had been months if not years since I had listened to either album.

So over the last couple weeks I have been pulling some "college music" out of the case and giving it some rotation on the MP3 player. A couple of old U2 discs, They Might Be Giants, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Material Issue, Rush, Seven Mary 3, Gear Daddies, The Nixons, a 2 disc Johnny Cash gem, and House of Pain.

Now when I have the player on "shuffle" and an "old song" comes on, it's like new music to my old ears...try it this weekend. Dig way back in the cd library and pull out that old 4 Non-Blondes CD...it will take you to another time and place.

Maxim vs. a doorknob

Let this be a lesson to all children reading this blog...never run away from your parents when they tell you to put your pajamas on.

But if you do run away, make sure you are looking forward not back at your parents or you will jack your eyeball on a door knob.

Last Night...right after the incident.

This morning...Brecken keeps looking in mirrors to see if something has grown over his eye too.

YO, Adrian......

Canton, SD...North Dakota's Dirty Ashtray.

Yeah, I've been away, sorry. But I do come back funny. I love Stephen Colbert's "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central...every once in a while he makes fun of places I've been to, like the Butte, MT episode and last night he made fun of Canton, SD. I actually can't think of anything in Canton except the cop that trys to bust everyone going through town.

So here is the clip...MOM, sorry about his potty mouth, but they do bleep it out.