Super Star Dad!

That’s right I am a “Super Star Dad”, that is at least in the eyes of my eight year old son. With a big grin on his face yesterday, he gave me a Father’s Day Card he made at School. On the front it proclaimed me a “Super Star Dad”, and in it were four "I promise" cards. The first one said that he promised to wash my car. This is good because I am on the once a year schedule, whether it needs it or not. Next, was the I promise to play soccer card. I think he knows how bad I want him to be good at sports. Then came the I promise to play a Wii game with you. Not sure if that was for me or more for him since Kelly limits the amount of time he can play video games. But, none the less I just downloaded the original Mario Brothers and this is about the only game I can play. Then came the wild card a blank I promise card…I guess this means I get to pick what I want him to do…. This is an easy pick for me – Walk on my Back!

Majesty

I was thinking last night, "what am I going to put on my Blog next?" First thing this morning I got my answer. The shower wasn't draining, the toilet was backing up, the bath tub wouldn't drain either. Next thing I know there is water pouring out of the vent downstairs in the family room....... the brown house had quite literally, run-a-muck! Yes that's right, it wasn't just water backing up from the drains upstairs and flooding through the vent downstairs but RAW SEWAGE! Now you may be asking yourself how did this happen????

With the kids being out of school Kelly decided they needed to start helping more with house work. One of Daimon's jobs yesterday was to empty the garbage can in our master bathroom. Are you seeing a connection here?........ Instead of putting all the trash in the garbage bag Daimon decided to empty half the the contents of the garbage can into the toilet just to see what he could flush down. After an unsuccessful attempt trying to fix the problem myself with a rented "snake" from Home Depot, Majesty plumbing came and saved the day. Like their card advertises they had me "Back on my throne in no time!". A new seal for the toilet, a freshly snaked drain, a call to a drywall repairman and we are back in business. Nevermind the hundreds of dollars it's costing me. That's what I get for making my kids learn the value of hard work!

Home Teaching!

We have a wonderful Home Teacher named Matt Gunn who comes every month. He always has a great message and tries to engage the kids. Daimon and Ellie always give him a hard time, and want to know when we are going to stop talking. It’s hard to be six and eight years old! So this month he took Home Teaching to a new level and found a creative way to keep their attention for the entire time of the lesson “Wakeboarding”! As you can see form the pictures the kids had a great time. Both of them were fearless. Matt gave them both a quick Wakeboarding lesson and they jumped into the water like they had done it a hundred times. I was very proud of both of them! They were both able to do it within one or two attempts.

Kelly showed us all up first she Slalom Skied – getting up on her first try. Then she dominated the Wakeboard like she had done it a hundred times. She always makes it look so easy.

As you can see from the pictures – riding the tube is the closest I will ever come to Wakeboarding. I like to call it “Wake Tubing”. I do believe that riding the tube was the hit of the day. The object of the game is to hold on for as long as you can before the driver of the boat flips you off. The kids loved it, heck I loved it! We were all sore Sunday morning…

How is Matt going to top this next Month????

Hell's Kitchen

What in the world is “Hell’s Kitchen” you might be asking yourself? Well, it is only the best breakfast in Minneapolis! I stumbled upon this restaurant on my way back to the convention center after having a wonderful lunch at a local bread company. It was a rainy day and the chicken noodle soup bread bowl with a turkey bacon sandwich hit the spot. I was exploring the city on my way, and I decided to take a different street back. I looked down the street and saw a sign that said Hell’s Kitchen. With a sign like that I just had to stop and look. A sign in the window stated that they served the best damn breakfast in town, and I had just eaten two mediocre breakfasts back to back at the hotel (sorry Hyatt). I started to get really excited! I took a look at the menu and I saw words like Lemon-Ricotta hotcakes, Mahnomin Porridge, and Carmel-Pecan Roll. I was sold!!! So I made a date with myself for breakfast the next morning at 8:00.

It was a little easier to roll out of bed the next morning, and get ready for the show knowing I was about to have the “Best Damn Breakfast in Town”! I met with Joe Pecha a salesman from our company the next morning in the lobby, and we made a bee line to Hell’s Kitchen. Now the hard part - what to get? If Kelly had been there, she would know what to get. I was all on my own. I scanned the menu until I found the heading “A Foodie’s Heaven”, and I thought to myself this is exactly where Kelly would start. Just then our waitress stopped by and I asked her what she would recommend.....her reply.......the Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes, Toast with their homemade Peanut Butter, and a Caramel-Pecan Roll to chase it down with. “SOLD”!!!

The moment I have been waiting for finally arrives, and I was not disappointed. My taste buds went wild with every bite I took. This must be the euphoria that all Foodie’s look for. I was in heaven! The Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes were dusted with powdered sugar and covered with berries. Every bite melted in my mouth. Next, I tried the Caramel-Pecan Roll. What a combination toasted Salty Pecan’s and Homemade Carmel Sauce – Loved It! Now to my favorite the Home Made Peanut Butter!!! Now you might be saying to yourself how could Peanut Butter be that good. Here are the Ingredients: Roasted Peanuts, Peanut Oil, Brown Sugar, Honey, Salt, and Spices. They leave the peanuts in a crunchy form and the Honey and Spice are oh so “Nice”! Well you are just going to have to take my would for it, or you can ask Kelly because it was so good that I bought her a tub of it. I also brought her a Caramel-Pecan Roll home. I knew she would love it! Some men bring flowers and some bring food. You just have to know the way to your women’s heart! And anyone who know's my wife knows that food it definitely the way to hers!!!!!

http://www.hellskitcheninc.com/

P.S. You can order their Peanut Butter on-line….

Minneapolis

I am in Minneapolis this week working a Tradeshow called AIHCE (American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo). It is one of the best show we do all year. As much as I hate being away from my family. I love traveling to new places, and so far it has been a fun trip. I flew into town Sunday afternoon at about 2:00 PM. I checked into the Hyatt and went straight to the Convention Center to set-up our booth. After that I went on a wonderful run around the Lake of the Isles in the middle of town (seven miles). I love running in new cities! I think that it is awesome way to get to know a new place, and get a feel for the people that live there. Minneapolis is full of bike and running paths. This path I found in a issue of Runners World. The lake is surrounded by some of the best Real Estate in the city. I felt like I was running in a Thomas Kinkade Painting. I came across the Spoon and Cheery in a park on the way to the Lake. It is just one of hundreds of sculptures around the city.



Monday night we found a Southern Brazil Traditional Restaurant called Fogo de Chao. The menu features unlimited servings of 15 different delectable cuts of fire-roasted meats, a sumptuous buffet of gourmet salads and fresh-cut vegetables, and a variety of Brazilian side dishes.
Each guest uses a two-sided disk to control the pace of their meal. The green side signals the Gaucho chefs to bring out skewers of sizzling fire-roasted meats to carve at the table. The red side indicates a stopping point. Turning back to green lets the Gaucho chefs know to start offering the meats again.
The traditional side dishes of warm cheese bread, fried bananas, crispy hot polenta and seasoned mashed potatoes are automatically brought to each table and replenished throughout the meal. Let’s just say that my disk spent a lot of time on the Green side. We had to go on a six mile walk along the Mississippi River to burn all this food off.

Fathers & Sons Campout 2008

Daimon and I had a wonderful time at this years Fathers & Sons Campout in the Pima Mountains behind Miami Arizona. Daimon has been looking forward to this since last year, and for that matter so have I. I am really trying to enjoy these years while he still thinks I am cool to hangout with.

We left at 4:45 PM on Friday and stopped at Jack in the Box on our way up. The "Tube Steaks" that the Elders Quorum where serving just didn't sound like they were going to hit the spot. We got there around 6:30 and set up our tent. A special thanks to Kelly's Dad for that and the sleeping bags. I can't forget the sleeping pad he gave me, it made for a good nights sleep. I sat around and talked with my friends and Daimon played with fire sticks all night long. Yes, I am Dad of the Year.... We got to sleep around midnight and slept good until the birds started churping around 5:30 AM. Nature..... "Watcha-Kunna-Noo"? We ate breakfast around 8:00 thanks to the High Priest Quorum - Breakfast Burrito. While they were cooking the sausage they dropped the pan, but don't worry they picked it right up and put it back in the burrito without even cleaning it off. Let's just say I had a little grit in my burrito!?!?!

This is what Daimon had to say to Kelly on the way home via email.

Hello mom I hade a great time at the father's son's . me and the boy's did fire sticks .we also eat smores.I was fun.
-Love Daimon

A little note from mom...... Ellie and I went on a special mother daughter date with friends while the boys were away. We had a lovely dinner at Carrabba's and then went to the mall for Ellie and her friends to pick out some new "dangley" earrings. We made a stop at Ben's sister Amy's Gelato shop for dessert! The night was a big hit! I knew there was no need to worry about Ben and Daimon..... Ben had done some grocery shopping for the two of them before they left. All the food groups were accounted for. His shopping bags consisted of Ding Dongs, chewy Chips -A-Hoy, chocolate chip granola bars, BBQ pringles, cheez-it's, sour patch kids, sunflower seeds (can't forget the nuts for protein) Oh yes..... and some orange and grape crush soda! I was so proud of his "cooking" abilities I may decide to have him do the shopping for the family all the time!

Ellie's Kindergarten Graduation

Well, Ellie passed a milestone in her life yesterday (Kindergarten Graduation). We are very proud of her!

The Name In a Nutshell!

Watcha-Kunna-Noo is what Daimon would say when he was two years old instead of Watcha Going to Do. It would make Kelly and I laugh all the time, and it has become a family phrase now. When life gets crazy sometimes all you can say is Watcha-Kunna-Noo....