For the Fourth of July this year we hung out with family again in Virginia, including Valerie's cousin and her family, who recently moved out here from Utah. Every year it rains on the Fourth of July without fail, thunderstorms and all, and so why should this year be any different?

We got to watch a fireworks display nearby put on by the county but afterwords, when we were planning on lighting off our arsenal of buy one-get one free fireworks, the heavens opened up on us again and we were rained out. Ergo, this year we will be lighting off fireworks on the 5th of July!

Here are some thumbnails I took with my Nikon on a tripod. (Links open in flickr)

Labels: family, holiday

Happy Thanksgiving to all out there. I hope everybody ate lots of turkey and took a good nap between football games just like I did!

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Valerie and I went with her brother's family to Williamsburg, Virginia where we stayed at Great Wolf Lodge. The Lodge, aside from being a really nice lodge, has an attached waterpark. We all had fun riding the attractions.

At the end of the night Saturday night the Lodge had a "turkey race" for the holiday. They took as many rubber-duckie-looking turkeys as there were rooms reserved and slid them down a waterslide and into the lazy river. The first turkeys to make it to the end of the lazy river got those who stayed in that room number a prize. First prize was a free stay at the Lodge, second prize was $100 off a future stay, and third prize was $50 off a future stay.

Our turkey came in 10th. However, seven of the nine who finished higher than us were not in attendance to receive their prize, therefore the prize continued down to the next person who was in attendance. After nine turkeys were called, they called Room 1101 and Valerie and I won $50 off a future stay at the Lodge!

I have some pictures below of the entire Thanksgiving weekend. You can view the entire album on Flickr.

Labels: holiday

Happy Holidays to all - hope everybody's Christmas went well as we look forward to the new year.

Valerie and I didn't travel far again this year and helped out her brother and his wife with their twins this Christmas. Of course, Santa came for their 6 year old, Ellie and everybody enjoyed watching her excitement develop as Christmas morning neared.

Valerie's brother, Brandon gave his wife these hideous, used, $1.50 earrings from the thrift store for Christmas and all his wife could muster besides a smile was the fact that they were "nice." It was hilarious because I knew what was coming. He had wanted to make her wait all day but couldn't bear seeing his wife so upset any longer so he moved up the plan.

He told her that he had forgotten a gift in the car, and came back in the house and presented his wife with a KitchenAid mixer - exactly what she had asked for. She was so upset/happy that she actually shed tears. All the time we were all laughing in the background because her reaction had sealed the deal. It was a great surprise for her.

Valerie and I had a good day too - we mostly helped out with the twins ("Tank" and "Mouse") and watched Ellie enjoy her Christmas.

The twins are hysterically different and do NOT even look like they are related! Korbin a.k.a. TANK - eats non stop and is built like a tank while his sister, Shannon, a.k.a. MOUSE eats small amounts and then quits, burps, takes a nap, then eats small amounts again, and repeats the process until her bottle is gone.

We're going to sit back and enjoy the rest of the holiday. Hope everyone else's holiday was very merry.

Labels: holiday, winter