Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! We took off Wednesday afternoon for New Jersey, which ended up being an 11-hour drive (which meant we arrived at the house at 1am). When we woke up on Thanksgiving (at 6am), we took off with Grant's Uncle Lee for the City to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. If you watched the parade on TV, you'll know that it was a very cold, wet day. We were soaking wet, but we were troopers, and made it through the whole thing. It was an amazing experience!

Blogger did let me upload photos this time, but didn't put them in the order I wanted. So, to save myself some frustration, I'll leave them, and just explain as I go.

This one needs no explanation. It's Snoopy in all of his enormous glory!
Here we all are (technically the day after Thanksgiving, but the meal was just as big as the actual Thanksgiving dinner the day before. The picture's blurry, but that's Uncle Lee and Aunt Liz at either end of the table. To the right of Uncle Lee is his son, Russell, his daughter, Lisa, Lisa's son, Tommy, Aunt Liz, Lisa's husband Angelo, me, and Rusell's wife, Corinne. Got all that? Good. There will be a quiz later. There are some kids missing in this picture, but that's the best picture we have. This is Grant and Russell, playing Polly Pocket with Russell's daughter, Alethia (who is the cutest, sweetest 2nd cousin anyone could ever have!).
Here I am in Times Square, right after the parade finished. Oh, it rained pretty much through the whole parade, but stopped when the parade was over...go figure!
Here we are trying to keep dry, without much success, during the parade.

I'll post more pictures later of our other adventures, so stay tuned.

My favorite subject: FOOD!

I've been eating alot of good food lately, so I thought I'd share...

Favorite ice cream: Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide. Megan, in my opinion, it beats Breyers! Although, you (strangely) don't like chocolate, so you probably won't like it. It's Irish cream liquer ice cream with chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, and a coffee fudge swirl. I'm not a coffee lover, so I can say that the coffee flavor in this ice cream is not at all overpowering...it's just the right amount.

Favorite side dish: Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Grant and I have had these 3 times in the last week. Delicious and healthy - what more can you ask for?

Favorite pizza: Pepperoni and Feta Cheese from Ha Ha's Pizza. I went to this pizza place the other day for lunch, and they had the best toppings for pizza, and the best lunch deal - A slice of pizza with 2 toppings + a fantastic all-you-can-eat salad bar (with some of the freshest ingredients I've ever seen on a salad bar) for $5. It was awesome.

Favorite breakfast dish: Blueberry French Toast. I had this at my friend's shower a couple of weeks ago, and it was the most delicious french toast I've ever had! If you want the recipe, let me know. It's different than regular french toast because it's baked in a casserole dish. I prepared it last night, and we'll eat it this morning. I'm hoping it turns out as good as the time I had it!

You know you went to PCC when...

Found this list on myspace. I know most of the people who read my blog don't know too much about PCC, except for what I've told them, but I get a huge kick out of this list. Specifically, the ones I've bolded.

1. The term "prayer closet" has a negative connotation.

2. You think an evening of bowling and miniature golf is a good date.

3. The coolest thing in the world is wearing jeans on a Saturday morning.

4. You know that the worst way to end a semester isby hitch-hiking home.

5. You always wondered where really bad white basketball players went when they died.

6. You hate pilgrim outfits.

7. A suit + three church services + 100 degree heat =spring break

8. You catch yourself trying to wear a tie with a flannel shirt to work.

9. You cut your grass three times a week.

10. You think something special is about to happen when your church sings "Blessed be the Tie."

11. You will not take the elevator to your third floor office.

12. You know how to hide your car in any situation.

13. Two words: "Presidential prerogative."

14. You still get to church 30 minutes early.

15. You know that story of the "Banana-man."

16. you actually wanted your younger brother in the same room as you.

17. you are the only straight person who goes out of their way to get to a gay beach.

18. you are still afraid to record anything funny on your answering machine.

19. you have ever been severly punished for watching television.

20. you expect a day off of work after each big project.

21. you still take only one of everything.

22. you have ever paid 25 dollars to suffer severe muscle cramps from rowing a canoe for 6 hours.

23. you have a phobia about stickers on your vehicle, and you hate Crown Victorias.

24. You feel slightly violated each time you get on an elevator with a member of the opposite sex.

25. Your vacuum cleaner has a name.

26. Your neighbors have observed you closing all the blinds in your house about the same time every night.

27. You have ever borrowed a roll of toilet paper from your next door neighbor.

28. Your umbrella has a name and phone number (not necessarilyyours) permanently written in marker.

29. You have something in your home that you bought at a lost and found sale.

30. Your heart still skips a beat when your pastor tells the congregation to shake hands while the choir sings.

31. You find yourself standing in front of a vending machine with three quarters and you can't figure out what to do with them.

32. You are in bed by ten each night and wonder why you everthought lights out was too early.

33. You have a button on your car radio programmed to 89.5 FM.

34. You still place any name tag you're asked to wear"high and right."

35. You know what happens when you mix honey and coffee creamer.

36. You still buy your butter in little packets.

37. The letters DHA, DC, CPO, and PH mean something to you.

38. The word "socialed" still carries with it a bad connotation.

39. Before moving out of your first apartment, you asked your landlord for a"pre-check."

40. You know exactly how long a gallon of milk will stayfresh on ice.

41. You still abbreviate Thursday with the letter "R."

42. To this day, whenever you walk by a fountain, you have to fight an uncontrollable urge to dump a box of Tide into it.

43. You know exactly how many days there are between Labor Day and Christmas.

44. You still limit all local calls to 30 minutes.

45. You can say that you have stood in line for half an hour for a corn dog and a moon pie.

46. You have no idea what the words to the college hymn are, but you know exactly how many verses it has.

47. You have been told you cannot take a final exam because of an outstanding fifty cent library fee.

48. You know how to operate a Macintosh computer.

49. You know that the stairs in the DHA are called monumental because they are the only stairs that men and women use at the same time.

50. You know the slang term for the fountain outside of the Commons.

51. You still consider getting mail a social event.

52. You know the location of every restaurant in western Florida that has an all-you-can-eat special.

53. You yawn at the mere mention of the word "vespers."

54. You sing nearly all congregational hymns faster than the rest of your church.

55. You go to a church single's function and ask "When do we play the hand-holding games."

56. You know what the Greek word "logos" means.

57. You know who Sally, Bill, and Russ are.

58. You think it would be fun to make the new guy at work eat a goldfish.

59. You think that Bob Jones was a false prophet.

60. You have seen a preacher use a cow's tongue as a sermonillustration.

Feeling Proud

I have a tendency of not following-through with alot of things that I set out to do. But, I'm proud to say, that since I've been here (3 months today), I have completely read 3 500+ page books (the last 2 being over 600 pages)! This is a huge accomplishment for me.

It's all because of this book club.

Now, the books haven't been the greatest (although I really did like The Historian), but that's beside the point. I finished them. And this most recent one (The Other Boleyn Girl), I actually finished on time for the book club. We meet tonight, and I finished it this morning.

I don't say this very often, but I am, indeed, proud of myself.

Picture

This is the picture that I wanted to attach with my previous post.

Chuck Norris writes about Chuck Norris facts.

**I have the PERFECT picture for this post, but it's not letting me upload it right now. So, keep checking back for it - I'll keep trying.**

Someone from my Myspace posted a link to this article, and I thought I should post it here, since our "group" back in Albuquerque was so obsessed with all the Chuck Norris facts. I was going to just send out an email to the people who I thought would be interested, but it gives me something to blog about, since I haven't blogged in a week, and I have nothing else to write about.

I noticed he didn't mention anything about fearing Grant's guns...that one must be true.

This article can be found here.

*****

Have you heard of the "Chuck Norris Facts"?
There are more than 50,000 jokes making their way around the Internet that purport to be "facts" all playing off my movie roles as a "tough guy" and my history as a martial arts champion. But they aren't "jokes" to those who spread them – they're "facts."
Here are a few of my favorites:
"When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris."
"Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants."
"Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris."
These "facts" have become a phenomenon – a fad spread mainly by young people of high school and college age. It's hard to explain why these things happen – how they take on a life of their own.
Naturally, over the past couple years as this wildfire has been raging, people have asked me, "What do you think of all this?"
My answer is always the same: Some are funny. Some are pretty far out. And, thankfully, most are just promoting harmless fun. (But be careful if you go searching for "Chuck Norris Facts" on the Internet, because some are just not appropriate for kids.)
Being more a student of the Wild West than the wild world of the Internet, I'm not quite sure what to make of the craze of "Chuck Norris Facts." It's quite surprising. I do know that boys will be boys, and I neither take offense nor take these things too seriously. I'm so grateful for my fans. Who knows, maybe these one liners will prompt some one to seek out the real facts about me and the beliefs that have shaped my life and my career.
While I have as much fun as anyone else reading and quoting them, let's face it, most "Chuck Norris Facts" describe someone with supernatural, superhuman powers. They're describing a superman character. And in the history of this planet, there has only been one real Superman. It's not me.
Let me illustrate using a few of the claims being made about me in the various lists of "Chuck Norris Facts":
Alleged Chuck Norris Fact: "Faster than a speeding bullet ... more powerful than a locomotive ... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... yes, these are some of Chuck Norris' warm-up exercises."
I've got a bulletin for you, folks. I am no superman. I realize that now, but I didn't always. As six-time world karate champion and then a movie star, I put too much trust in who I was, what I could do and what I acquired. I forgot how much I needed others and especially God. Whether we are famous or not, we all need God. We also need other people.
If your whole life is spent trying to make money and you neglect the people important in your life, you will create an emptiness deep in your heart and soul. I know. I fell into that trap. I dedicated my whole life to fame and fortune. I had a huge hole in my heart and was miserable until I met my wife, Gena, who brought me back to the Lord.
Alleged Chuck Norris Fact: "There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live." It's funny. It's cute. But here's what I really think about the theory of evolution: It's not real. It is not the way we got here. In fact, the life you see on this planet is really just a list of creatures God has allowed to live. We are not creations of random chance. We are not accidents. There is a God, a Creator, who made you and me. We were made in His image, which separates us from all other creatures.
By the way, without him, I don't have any power. But with Him, the Bible tells me, I really can do all things – and so can you.
Alleged Chuck Norris Fact: "Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer. Too bad he never cries. Ever."
There was a man whose tears could cure cancer or any other disease, including the real cause of all diseases – sin. His blood did. His name was Jesus, not Chuck Norris.
If your soul needs healing, the prescription you need is not Chuck Norris' tears, it's Jesus' blood.
Again, I'm flattered and amazed by the way I've become a fascinating public figure for a whole new generation of young people around the world. But I am not the characters I play. And even the toughest characters I have played could never measure up to the real power in this universe.

House news

Well, I just got a call from our Realtor, but let me fill you in on what happened regarding the house since I wrote last:

1. Potential buyers low-balled us, big time
2. We counter-offered $7,000 higher than their original offer
3. They countered $2,000 less than our counter
4. We stood our ground at our counter
5. They didn't take it

So, now we're officially landlords, I guess. We had another possible renter that contacted us while all this offer/counter-offer stuff was going on. He was ready to move in ASAP. Hopefully he hasn't already found something else. If he did, then there's the first people who contacted us about renting.

I would have been very happy to sell, but this is what Grant wanted after he did quite a bit of thinking about it. In fact, just last night he was saying that he wished we would've just told the buyers that we decided not to sell after all.

Either way, I'm glad that we know, and I hope we can get all this renting stuff finalized soon.

Hoosier Country, Here I Come!

Well, I'm off to Indiana (the South Bend area) for the weekend after work today. My friend, Kellie, is having another shower, and it gives me an excuse to go see her again. I'll get back Sunday afternoon. It looks like I'll probably be seeing some snow when I go up there. Hopefully, it will hold off until I get there tonight.

In the meantime, if you're looking for some funny blogs to read, I recommend the latest entry from Megan, about the funny things that happen with new parents.

Also, the most recent entry from Haley, about the trials of a Southerner living in the Southwest. I feel your pain, Haley! I get okra from the commissary, but it's just not the same.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Halloween!

Well, another Halloween has come and gone, and I have to say, we truly love handing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters, and seeing all their cute costumes. There were definitely alot more kids this year, since we're living in the Air Force neighborhood, where there's at least 1 kid to almost every house.

And Grant truly loves dressing up. Last year, he was a Slim Jim, this year, he was (fittingly) a Woopie Cushion. I bought this costume for him last year right after Halloween. I didn't realize how excited he was to wear it - when I proposed having a small Halloween party (which we ended up not having), where everyone would have to dress as a couple, he told me that I would have to find something to go along with a Woopie Cushion, because that's what he'd be wearing.
And Watley really loves dressing up, too. Okay, not really. He hated wearing his Superman costume. And it didn't really fit him (he was too skinny for it!), so he kept coming out of it. And I was supposed to be Lois Lane, but I don't really think I pulled it off. After taking the picture, I ended up changing because the skirt was so uncomfortable.And once again, Grant shows his skills at pumpkin carving - carving 2 pumpkins this year! One is a spooky mansion, and the other I think speaks for itself.