Karin did not know that the kids and I did a photo shoot on Saturday morning, so when she came home from work and announced she wanted to try and get some fun pictures that night of the kids I saw some major rolling eyes from the two curtain climbers...However, kudos to them for keeping tight lips on our secret operation...
The main outcome of Saturday's shoot which captured around 150 pictures was that this whole photography thing is a LOT harder than it looks. Hats off to Lindsey and Sharon for what you guys can do with a camera...we're not worthy, we're not worthy!!
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. A special happy mother's day to my mom (call you later :) ).
Yesterday the kids and I had a little brainstorming session after breakfast to think about what to get or what to do for Karin. The kids wanted to buy Karin something so I asked if they had any money - they said no. Hmmm....back to the drawing board. So then we discussed some ideas on what to give Mommy that only they could do and that was within their budget. So we ended up utilizing our unique talents and skills to make something for mommy that she could never get in a store. You won't see to much of the Bransonater in these pics and videos. The boy sleeps...he sleeps a lot....
See below for the results of both our Video Shoot and our Photo Shoot. We actually had a really good time putting this together - these kids are getting too comfortable in front of a camera!
The actual flowers that are highlighted in our shoot will be in a vase that will be next to mom's bed in the AM - along with her photo collage...
Karin, it is not easy being a mom. Definitely an underappreciated job. Know that we love and appreciate you and all the selfless things you do to love us and to keep this house in one piece. I can't think of another woman who is a better businesswoman, caring mother, thoughtful friend, and loving wife. Happy mothers day.
Some people get all mad and cranky about getting work done on their car. Not me. I love it when things break. I get to go to my other office - located at Toyota of Concord. It doesn't even bother me that I am paying overinflated dealership labor rates. That's how much I enjoy my office away from home.
When you pull into the maintenance bay area a service person comes up and asks what you need - Today I told them I needed an oil change and an inspection.
Service person: "Ok, we will page you in the customer lounge when your work is completed."
James: "Actually I will be in the sales area in that back cube over by the door. Would you mind coming back and getting me when my car is ready?"
Service person: "Blink...blink...blink....ahh...sure."
James: (with big smile) "Thaaanks"
So back I go, past all those suckers in the customer lounge sitting uncomfortably close to each other, trying to look engaged in April's Good Housekeeping magazine, trying to hear themselves think over "loud cell phone talker" over in the corner.... Customer lounges are for losers!
I head back to good ol cubicle 0100A - my office away from home. Fancy 12-way adjustable mesh back chair, big SteelCase desk, phone, internet access...all the comforts of home. I am actually more productive at Toyota than in my own office...not sure why.... I love all the looks I get from the toyota sales people as they walk by. I just smile, kick my feet up on the desk, and continue on with my conference call.
The adventure continues... Today at lunch my buddy Todd came over and we hit the Highland Creek trails. We explored all new areas. I think the highlight for both of us was finding a big 11 acre lake in middle of the woods. This lake is going to have houses built around it in about 2 years (part of a new John Wieland development) and it is going to be awesome for whoever can afford the house and a shame for those of us that like to enjoy the natural beauty of the lake. Check out today's ride colored in green. We did 10 miles today. Have I mentioned that google maps is the bomb?!?
On Thursday at a small group I have been participating in all year with some of the Young Life leaders in our area, the question was asked "What makes you feel alive?" I had an easy answer after this past week of my new trail discoveries. I have felt like a kid again all week - I have had this "excitment in my stomach" feeling as I think about all the cool trails that are out there to discover... Yes, I feel totally alive when I am out in the woods - especially when I am exploring a new place.
When I came "home from work" today - I.E. - walked down the hallway from my office to the rest of the house, I was greeted by a plethora of signs that stated "No Guns" or "No Littering" or most unexpected - "No Rats"...
Ellie had been making them all afternoon - we have 20 signs like this posted all around the house. I asked her where she got the idea to make them and she just said she saw them somewhere. Then she begged me to keep them taped up on the walls for 3 weeks. Not 2 weeks. Not 4 weeks. 3 weeks.
After putting the kids to bed tonight I hopped on the bike and headed back out to do some more exploring. I was rolling by around 7:50ish. Today's trip was all on doubletrack/dirt access roads - a much different ride than the other day when I found the insanely good singletrack. However this ride was just as fun since I got to continue exploring new trails. I finished up around 8:40PM and it was way dark... An awesome way to end the day :)
See the orange below for where I explored today. The best part about this is that there is tons more to explore!!
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid we were always saving up our money to buy candy and ice cream from the ice cream truck that would drive around a couple times during the week. Firecracker Pops (the red, white, and blue ones that looked like a rocket ship), that fizzle pop candy, Choco Taco, banana and chocolate ice cream pop, and of course - lemon heads. I also remember only paying between $0.25 and $0.75 for this stuff.
Today an ice cream truck drove by our house around 4PM. Just hearing that music blaring from the truck was really nostalgic. I thought about it for about half a second and then grabbed a bucket of change, the kids, and we ran out to catch him. This guy was driving like 80 MPH so he was long gone by the time we got there. Seems kind of wrong really...play the music, lure out the sugar starved kids, and then drive away before they can catch you...
We caught him on his way back through and Ellie got the classic drumstick and Ava got some big ol' watermelon Popsicle thing. I asked him how much and he said "one million dollars" - at least that is what I might as well have heard. $4 bucks - can you believe that?
After we sorted through our change bucket to actually find $4 worth of change, we sat under some trees and enjoyed our treats. Tonight during our bedtime routine when we talked about our favorite things from the day both kids enthusiastically told me that the ice cream truck thing was their favorite. I hope one day they have fun memories of getting ice cream from the ice cream truck just like I do.
Next time you hear the ice cream truck do yourself a favor; go open up a line of credit at the bank and then buy some ice cream. It is a walk down memory lane worth taking...
I have been hearing rumors of mtn bike trails in the woods close to our neighborhood for years. I never really gave the rumors much credence, but today I was blown away by what I found in the woods...
Not more than a 5 minute ride from my garage on all local rodes (one crossing), are some of the best mtn bike trails I have ridden in years. We are talking, lush, technical, tacky, singletrack. Unbelievable! I headed out at lunch today to do some exploring of the area and I simply took the first offshoot of the power line that I found and it turned into an hour long out and back trail. I could not believe it. We are talking multiple stream crossings, log hopping, serious descents and climbs...amazing. The dirt out there is super tacky - I don't think I lost traction once. A hill climbers dream.
I don't think I will find more singletrack like I did today (hope I am wrong) but I have not even explored 5% of the power lines yet. I can't wait to get back out there.
Green arrow is my house. Red arrow is where you get in. Red area is where the hour's worth of trails are found.
Wow did the kids have a blast today at little Jennifer Vasquez's birthday
party. Jennifer was turning 3 and their family put together a fun day for
kids of all ages. Punch, fruit, pizza, cake, water balloon fights, and a
Slip N' Slide...does it get any better than that?
Karin and I helped out by being a two person water balloon tying MACHINE.
We must have tied 100 balloons each. My fingers still hurt from tying so
many balloons.
What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon though. Perfect weather (sunny
and 80), the sounds of kids laughing and screaming with delight, and not a
care in the world. Awesome. Rare. Treasured.
* check out the movie of the Slip N' Slide action below...
The AIDS Walk and Munch was not single event (although I bet it would be a popular concept...). Sat morning we joined about 40 people from our church and 2000 others on a walk through downtown Charlotte to promote AIDS awareness. We THOUGHT it was supposed to be a quarter mile jaunt but it turned out to be a 2 mile walk. This was unfortunate as Karin had decided to wear her new burlap outfit (burlap is totally hip if you didn't know).
After the exhausting marathon walk we rode the new Charlotte light rail to Pike's Soda Shop to meet the Davidson's, Riley's, and Murphy's. It was there that many exciting things were discussed:
- Gray Riley has embraced healthy eating. He ordered a veggie burger. I guess this satisfies the next item?
- You should never order something at a restaurant that you can easily make at home.
- Jennifer Davidson puts ranch dressing in her egg salad recipe. Need to try that next time I make egg salad...
- Todd Murphy used to pass "water bottles" amongst groups of people. This is astounding considering his current aversion to germs.
From there we dropped off the girls to spend the night with Katie and Graham. Karin, Branson, and I then headed for Northlake Mall to see a movie - 21. It was pretty good. Does not need to be seen in the theater but should certainly be rented. Then we had dinner at Firebirds, grabbed Charlie Wilson's War from a local RedBox, I made Margaritas, and that was a day done right!
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Recent Comments
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Graham and Katie Clark said:
that is pretty painful pricing... but it'll be worth the memory for them - I bet they loved that! read more
on The Ice Cream Truck -
Graham and Katie Clark said:
too bad she wasn't on that kick when they stayed at our apartment... 20 signs could fully decorate a whole... read more
on Posted -
Graham and Katie Clark said:
that is AWESOME! I can't believe you get away with that. Nice work. read more
on My Other Office -
Frank Family said:
It's no wonder we Northerners get such a reputation for being pushy! :) read more
on My Other Office
James, your photography skills are getting better by the minute!! I'm so impressed:) read more
on Mothers Day