Salt Life...

Here are some examples of why we could hardly imagine a scenario that would involve moving away from Florida's Gulf Coast. We love the salty Southwest Florida Life!

More Daisy 'n' Duke!

Duke enjoying a hug from his mommy (Betsy)

Daisy enjoying the morning sun on our new vanity

"Dad's first day of school"

Well, today was the kids first day of school (with their Dad taking them there). With the kids swapping back and forth between our house and their mom's house, I only get to drive them to school every other Friday.

So, even though their first day was actually August 10th, a day where I enjoyed lunch with both of my girls, and Jake's first day at St. Francis was August 13th, this was the first day that I got to bring them all.

Anyhow, to remember the occasion, we went ahead and lined up for a photo in the front yard. Then, when we got to school, I walked Jake in and took a few shots of his new Pre-K room.

Jake's teacher, Mrs. Goldbach says he needs to learn to keep his hands at his side during nap and his legs crossed during story time. Uh-oh! Dad's gonna have to have a talk with him later.


But on a good note, his teacher also said he would win the class air-guitar award. I guess all our Guitar Hero is paying off. Too bad this skill has no redeemable value in a school environment.

It's Not About the Boat!

Poor Jake has been asking to go fishing in the boat for a while now. With much of our attention going toward the addition on the house lately, the "Snook Junky" (our 15' fiberglass boat) has been sitting idle in the backyard for over 8 weeks now.

Well, on Sunday we decided that we'd split up. Betsy would take the girls to plan for the baby's play quilt at Gramma's house, then to the fabric store to get the materials. Jake and I would be taking the "Junky" out for a short fishing trip, maybe an hour and a half, then home for a nap.

Of course, the day would not go as planned (at least for Jake and I). Such is the case when you ignore a boat for so long. They always seem to require extra special attention before they'll let you get on the water.

Anyhow, here is the timeline of events that transpired that day.

10:35 am Get sunblock on me and Jake and get dressed in fishing clothes.
10:45 am Pack cooler with drinks, snacks, and sandwiches.
10:50 am Hook the boat to the truck, load rods, tackle box, safety bag, etc.
10:55 am Test the motor to see if it cranks...uh-oh, no luck!
11:00 am Take off the motor cover, remove carbourator, clean jets.
11:30 am Realize fuel filters are clogged and gas has turned bad.

Meanwhile, an hour into our time together, Jake asks me if I am gonna fix the boat. Slightly annoyed, I say. "I hope so". Though he was exhibiting decent patience, his intermittent questions and propensity to pick up the tools and motor parts started to wear on me. At this point, my frustration meter is starting to register readings. But, I look at him and he looks at me and we just smile and laugh. I decide some new parts are in order.

11:45 am Off to West Marine to purchase new fuel tank, filters, and fuel additive.
11:55 am $72 later, we pulled into the gas station for fuel, paying cash inside.
12:02 pm Go back in to have them re-start the pump...Jake hit the pump lever.
12:30 pm Finish pumping gas, additive into the tank, realize the priming bulb is broken.
12:40 pm Back to West Marine to purchase a new priming bulb.
12:50 pm After another $20, I test the motor outside West Marine, no crank!!!
1:00 pm Fighting to remain calm...back home to regroup.

So, now two and a half hours into the adventure, Jake is about ready for a nap, and I am about ready to give up, but I ask him what he wants to do and he says, "Dad since the boat's broke, lets just go fish at the beach". Such wisdom from a four year old.

So, that's what we did and we had a great time.

The culprit, a Nissan 8hp (see new tank and old priming bulb on seat)


Jake excited to have a fresh bucket of shrimp.


Jake soakin' a bait, no bites yet.


And when the fishing's no good, you can always play with shells.


Time for a swim!


Gogurt - fails soft cooler test...Velma looking guilty as ever!

Kristen's Favorite Spot...

If you're looking for Kristen, there's a good chance you'll find her hanging out at Club Penguin, or setting up a fashion show on Imagine Fashion Designer.

Rachel loves homework...

Rachel's a good sport sitting for some homework on a Sunday afternoon. She says, "order of operations is so boring". What? I remember it as being so much fun, right!

Laughs from the Drive-thru

Upon leaving the house today for some errands, we decided to stop in at McDonalds for our favorite fountain Diet Coke. As we drove into the drive-thru lane, Jake started in and we started laughing.

Jake: "Can you get me somethin' cuz I'm firsty!"

We assured him he would be getting a drink and he seemed pleased.

As we waited for the car in front of us, I asked Betsy if she wanted anything to munch on, and she said she could go for a cheeseburger.

Upon hearing this Jake said,"I could go for a chicken nugget!"

I agreed and decided to partake in a cheeseburger myself. So, as it often does, our stop for a drink ended up being a stop for lunch.

Then, as we rounded the turn beyond the order screen he evidently saw the red steel ladder with the locking cover that leads to the roof of every McDonalds and declared...

"Only if you work here, you can go on top of the roof."

I assured him that this was true and pulled up to the first window where we were greeted by a nice young man with dreadlocks.

As I made payment, Jake blurted out, "Look it's a man-girl!" Puzzled, I said, "What...Why?" Jake said, "cuz he has a tail on the back." We looked at each other and laughed again.

Of course, as soon as the chicken nugget Happy Meal entered the car, Jake was asking for the toy that came with it. We said he had to eat his food first, and so he did. You can see Jake here enjoying his newly constructed, custom "painted" Lego race car.

Read instructions carefully...

For some reason, I find it difficult to actually stop and read the supplied instructions before building something or using a product I am unfamiliar with.

Here I learned the hard way that when usig "Great Stuff" foam sealant, you should only fill the void halfway since the foam expands to fill the other half as it dries.

The result? The new door to our storage room is sealed shut by a hardened foam barricade!


Luckily, I was able to refer to the instructions that explain excess dry foam may be easily trimmed with a serrated knife. Thank goodness!

A Drinking Problem!?!

Recently, Betsy informed me that I have a drinking problem. No not the 6-pack a night variety. This is even more disturbing, to me at least. She says that whenever I get a drink for someone, either by being asked or by offering, I always take a sip right before handing over the newly poured or opened drink.

At first, I thought she was crazy, denying any possibility of her theory. Then yesterday it actually happened. Our neighbor David was helping me with some electrical work on the addition and I asked him if he'd like a drink. He said water would be great.

So, I went in, poured him a fresh glass and proceeded to take a sip on my way through the living room to deliver it. Luckily, Betsy noticed and laughed, telling me that she rests her case.

Well, needless to say I was embarrassed and disappointed in my lapse. I immediately poured a new one and took it out to David who was unaware of the episode.

After this, my memory began to come back. I had flashbacks of handing the kids a cup of juice and taking a sip beforehand. Then, opening a beer for Betsy and taking a swig. Then, more visions of stealing that cool crisp first sip of drink after drink came back to me.

So, when you're at our house, and I am on the task of serving you up a drink, you might want to observe the entire process with a keen eye.

Clearance cat...two for the price of one!

For those that don't know our cats Duke and Daisy, they are probably two of the most lovable and easy-going cats on the planet. Here they are on the day we picked them out at Lee County Animal Services. Funny thing was, we only went there for one cat, but somehow came home with two.


It all started with a relatively innocent visit to the animal shelter by me, Betsy, Rachel and Kristen back in December 2008. We wanted to adopt an adult cat because we felt that it was easier to predict the disposition of the cat. Kittens are cute, but they are only kittens for so long. Then, they become cats with random personalities. They have the potential to become a scaredy-cat, a scratcher, a sprayer, or any number of other unpleasant possibilities? Plus, everyone always seems to want to adopt a kitten, sadly leaving the adult cats waiting for there time to run out.

Upon entering the cat area, a kind volunteer at the shelter named Leslie who steered us in the direction of a cute brown tiger female. Her name was Luna and Leslie said she was just the sweetest cat she has ever seen come to the shelter. She said her heart was breaking because if Luna was not adopted soon, she would...well you know what happens. Let's just say they can't keep cats there forever. She continued, saying Luna was on special clearance price because her time was so short. How could someone not adopt this cat after learning this?

In any case, the girls all found Luna to be just as lovable and pleasant as Leslie said. We were sold. But, then I noticed another cute tiger with slightly more grey coloring in a cage nearby. The tag said his name was Cooper. He was doing a cute playful thing with his paw through the cage and when I reach over to touch it, he carefully pulled his claws back so as not to scratch me...clever little guy! I asked Leslie what she knew about this cat, and she said, "not much...he just came in".

I asked to see him and she opened the cage revealing a long, skinny cat with big paws and a large head. His markings were gorgeous and he was friendly as could be. After holding him for a bit, listening to his little motor purr, Betsy and I looked at eachother and we knew what we had to do.

Leslie had not picked up on our plan yet and she seemed a bit unsettled at our newfound interest in this newer cat Cooper. She started to reiterate all of Luna's great qualities when I stopped her and asked if it would be okay for us to adopt both cats. Her eyes brightened, and she looked like she wanted to hug me. Needless to say, we were very popular with the staff at the shelter that day. They were all so relieved and happy to hear that someone was taking Luna home. To add Cooper to the list of adopted cats that day was a bonus.

Anyhow, Daisy Luna and Duke Cooper as we call them on the rare occasion they need scolding, are now a part of our family. They both have all their claws and not a child has been scratched nor a piece of furniture shredded. They act like brother and sister, though Daisy is supposed to be around 5 yrs old and Duke between 1 and 2. Duke has gained 6 pounds and weighs in at a very healthy 16 lbs. He is a true little tiger. Daisy has a much smaller frame, but has her share of padding at 11 lbs.

Here are some recent shots.

Good thing for the lizard he's on the outside of the screen.

Sorry, Duke...it ain't gonna happen.

Daisy just being adorable.