Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Trick or Treat..

Halloween is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets. It is celebrated in parts of the Western world, though most commonly in the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and with increasing popularity in Australia and New Zealand. Halloween originated among the Celts in Ireland, Britain and France[1] as the Pagan Celtic harvest festival, Samhain. Irish, Scots, Calan Gaeaf in Welsh and other immigrants brought versions of the traditions to North America in the 19th century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture in the late 20th century.

The term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the evening before "All Hallows' Day"[2] (also known as "All Saints' Day"). In Ireland, the name was All Hallows' Eve (often shortened to Hallow Eve), and though seldom used today, it is still a well-accepted label. The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Pope Gregory III moved the old Christian feast of All Saints Day to November 1 to give Halloween a Christian interpretation . Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit.

Halloween is often associated with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when the spiritual world can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent (e.g. Catalan mythology about witches, Irish tales of the Sídhe).

Monday, October 30, 2006

Out of Focus...

I miss the old girl….. Not Amy… My 2003 Ford Focus ZX3… She was a sweet ride. I traded’r in recently and it has been tuff to see her go.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Smoke'm if you Got'm

Right now this is about the only photo I can share from the Scavenger Hunt… Wow, when a group totally dedicates itself to drinking from Friday night though Sunday morning… The outside world stands still…..

Friday, October 20, 2006

Multi-Tasking

I'm enjoying a little in-drive movie and blogging... I'll be in Lansing tomorrow with the RV...

Is that legal? (The DVD, Blogging, Driving an RV, or being allowed in Lansing again..)

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Support Our Troops

A group of Marines and ex-Marines who fought in Iraq — including two wounded there — are featured in a beefcake calendar being sold to help wounded veterans.

"It's a stopgap effort to help people where government programs leave off," said Rudy Reyes (NOT YOU RUDI), who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan and is on the calendar's cover. "This is a way for citizens to help citizens."

The "America's Heroes" calendar is being sold by Freedom is Not Free, a San Diego-based nonprofit group that helps injured service members and their families with such expenses as travel, mortgage and utility bills and special beds for burn victims.

Reyes and the other men who appear in the glossy 2007 lineup served in Iraq in Marine reconnaissance units. Sgt. James Wright, 31, who lost his hands and part of his leg, appears on the back cover in full uniform, saluting with what's left of his right arm.

Several members of the group, promoting the calendar on a cross-country tour, said Thursday they have medical conditions, ranging from combat stress-related symptoms to injuries to their feet, knees, hips and backs from carrying combat loads of more than 200 pounds.

When service members come back, "many don't have the financial or emotional support to get back to daily life," said former Sgt. Michael Saucier, 24, of Prior Lake, Minn., who served two Iraq tours and is now a carpenter's apprentice in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

All but one of the men had to be coaxed to pose shirtless for the calendar.

"I wasn't afraid to pose. This is the new-generation Marines," quipped Sean Mickle, 31, a Marine platoon sergeant at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The $14.99 calendar promises that "100 percent of proceeds aid wounded heroes and their families."

Production expenses were covered by private donations to Freedom is Not Free, founded last year by entrepreneur David Dominguez.

"There is a need," he said. "Some Iraq veterans are so depressed when they get back they can't even fill out the papers required for benefits."

The calendar is the brainchild of his client Jean Hamerslag, a California advertising executive who suggested that the organization's fundraising needed something that would grab the public's attention.

"Sex," she said with a giggle.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Cheap(erer) Gas

Rudi, how does it feel that I’m always one upping you… $1.959/Gallon, not too shabby

That's a Bloodie Buddie..

Amy ordered this bad boy for lunch today. Needless to say she couldn’t finish her lunch the Sushi Sampler at the Kona Grill.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Road Rules!!!! $E$ Style

Every-once-an-a-while I come up with a great idea!!!! Like this one… Amy and I will be going to Michigan a couple of weekends from now for a little annual get together at TNT’s… Well this year we will be going in style…..

The Stats:
Ford V-10 Chassis Engine
Automatic Transmission
2-Wheel Drive
Power Brakes
Power Steering
In Dash Air Conditioning
Cruise Control
Dual Rear Tires
Stereo Sound System
Electric Generator
14-Gallon LP Gas Tank
40-Gallon Fresh Water Tank
6-Gallon Water Heater Tank
30-Gallon Sewage Water Tank
38-Gallon Grey Water Tank
LP Gas/Electric Refrigerator
3 LP Gas Cook top Burners
110-Volt Microwave Oven
Combination Shower
Fresh Water Toilet
110-Volt Roof Air Conditioner
40-Gallon Fuel Tank

Scavenger Hunt 2006 BABY!!!!!!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

X-treme Hayley

Today we did some light hiking in Taylors Falls and discovered that our niece Hayley is basically fearless..

Good luck Mom and Dad....

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Congratulations Scott and Anne

This weekend Amy made it back to Minnesota for the first time since she moved to Dallas at the end of July so that we could attend a family wedding in Taylors Falls.

It was a beautiful
outdoor wedding set in the woods on a rocky stream and the bride and groom couldn’t have asked for a better day. Amy and I thought the ceremony was spectacular and very unique to the couple and their personalities.

More pictures can be seen on the flickr.. (right side of the screen and scroll down) or click on the links in the story...

Friday, October 06, 2006

Passed!!!

Amy passed her boards… And you may ask the question… So she finally done? The answer would be… Nope… And I have no idea when the official “done” will happen…

But as you can see by this blog post, she’s getting closer :)….

Seriously.. I’m very proud of Amy. She has worked extremely hard to accomplish this milestone. I continue to be amazed how much effort she (and here classmates) puts into her (their) training and carrier.. I hope everyone gets a similar letter in the mail this week!!! I know Nate did….

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Those are Some Big Beirs... (o)(o)

Women dressed in traditional Bavarian clothes enjoy their beer in a beer tent during the 173rd Oktoberbreast, the biggest beer festival in the world, in Munich, October 2, 2006. Germans, in party mood after the World Cup and cheered by a pickup in the economy, have 18 days to consume millions of litres of beer and hundreds of thousands of sausages as the festival has been extended to include October 3 public holiday. These Ladies look nothing like the lovely Texas broads at Septemberfest...

Sunday, October 01, 2006

РИЧАРД

Have you ever wondered what your name would look like translated in to Russian? Here’s your chance.. CLICK HERE and type you name in the box…

The site is PG-13…. Thanks for the link Scott…

If you really want to know what your name is in Russian, CLICK HERE, really…