Getting Back to Blogging

It's been a long time since I updated the blog, but I'm going to give it a new try with all my free time at home from the corona panic, especially now that school is over. I have to go from Oct. 2018 - May 2020, so a lot will be skipped, but bear with me. I also reverted the blog to public, so it should be easier to view.

Where Did February and March Go?

Somehow we lost Bobbins' photos for February and March. We took a great family trip to Tombstone, Sierra Vista, and Saguaro National Park in February which was a blast and quite memorable. Hopefully we can get the photos from somewhere. Julia left at the beginning of March, which was a real bummer, but it was good for her to get home to her mom and grandma. As I find anything else I'll try to put it up. But for now, on to April.

Picture Day Last Week

Had some trouble getting all the pic's and videos off Bobbins' iPhone, but imported all 1500 tonight, so I should be able to catch the blog up. As a start, here's a shot of the girls on picture day last week. MM even got selected to give a testimony about the school for the promotional video (not sure they'll actually use it or not, though). They are thriving at school, and we love it!

Restricted

Thanks to an old "friend" trolling this blog to cause trouble, we've had to restrict it to invited viewers only, with log-in's. I know it's a pain, but we need to protect ourselves. Maybe someday we'll be able to open it up again.

Happy New Year !

From our mall day (at PV Mall) last week. Here's to a blessed and prosperous 2017!


I crushed hard to have this blog updated by the new year, and I just made it in the wee hours of the 1st. I'm hoping not to fall behind on blogging again. These darn kids and all our activities don't make it easy.

Slacking

I know I've been remiss in keeping this up-to-date. We had some travel in late May and June, and Bobbins' phone broke, and we lost a bunch of photos and videos. Sadly they included JoJo's ballet recital and TK graduation. There isn't much excuse for missing July. I'll try to catch up over the next few weeks. In the meantime, here's a great pic of the 4 kids.

3 Owen Shots

 

You can just make out his first two teeth on the bottom.  They really stand out now.

The other day he grabbed a hold of my cheek, then got his mouth on it, and took a nice hard chomp.

I can assure you they're real teeth.


(by the way, this is the 1000th post on this blog)

Difficulties and Quotes

Been having technical difficulties at home for almost a month now.  The fan on our laptop went kaput, causing it to overheat quickly and shut down.  Then our Blu Ray and streaming player went out.  Got that fixed fairly easily with a google chromecast and a cheap new DVD player.  Just last week caved in and bought a new laptop after Bobbins and I unsuccessfully tried to fix the old one.  Bobbins actually got it working again, cleaning out the fan, but popped the keyboard in the process.  I'm currently backing up the old machine to an external hard-drive.  We should be back to full speed shortly, after vacation.

In the meantime, here's some quotes I enjoyed recently.  From the Catholic Sun's article on the canonization of John XXIII:

"In reply to a reporter who asked, 'How many people work in the Vatican?,' he reportedly said: 'About half of them.'"

"He once wrote: 'There are three ways to face ruin - women, gambling, and farming.  My father chose the most boring one.'"

"A Vatican official told the pope it would be 'absolutely impossible' to open the Second Vatican Council in 1963.  'Fine, we'll open it in 1962.  And he did."

From a review of Marriage and Civilization: How Monogamy Made Us Human, a new book by William Tucker:

"Tucker closes the book by posing a question:  Will we honor marriage or will we create a 'kind of state polygamy where women congregate around the major source of wealth--the government--while men slink off into their separate quarters to pursue a fading warrior culture--played out this time on video games?'  Will we honor the most noble aspect of human nature--one that doesn't come 'naturally' but requires work and rules to make us flourish?"

There's a Reason 'Bikes' is in the Title of this Blog

We ride our bikes a lot.  I love it.  People at work think I ride in just to save money (which is a large part of it), but I really just enjoy it.  I think we're passing it on to the girls.  I moby Josie on my chest and MM rides in a seat behind her mom.  We'd like to get one of those front facing seats that sits on the main crossbar and attaches to the handlebars.  In case someone needed an idea for MM's approaching 2nd birthday.

Last Sunday, for the first time, we hooked up the bike carrier on the Sequoia, loaded up the two wheelers and the dog, and headed down to the Arizona State Capitol.  There were only a couple other people milling around Wesley Bolin Plaza, a few tourists and some bums.  We looked at the monuments and rode around some of the neat old houses to the north and west.  It was overcast and a phenomenal day.

        

Email is so 2000

This NYT article is something I've been thinking, and practicing, for a while:  less and less email.  It's more time consuming, and dare I say arduous, than texting or blogging.  The main reason we started this blog was so that we could cut down on the mass emails to family and friends.  If you'd like to see/read what we're doing (and we'd like you to!), then check this common site.  It's too much trouble to put together emails.

Though I don't use it at home, I've started to use chat at work a lot more.  We just finally got it on our computers about three months ago.  Sad to say, I've even "chatted" people only 20 feet away from me.  It comes in very handy with people not in our building or in other cities.  Rather than have to look up a phone number, dial, put the card in, etc., you just pull the person's name up and type away.

I'm definitely not in the same league as the "Millenials," who text and facebook and twitter constantly, on everything.  We have a facebook account to see what Bobbins' friends and family are up to; I doubt we will ever start a twitter feed.  I'm sure ten years from now we'll be considered old fashioned and out of it for still blogging.  Who knows how quickly and effortlessly communication will move then.  MM and Josie will be "stuck" looking at their parents blog or sending them emails....

Random Thoughts

One of the great things about blogging is that all your thoughts, no matter how stupid, can be saved for posterity.

• If we were really slick, we'd have a twitter account linked but we're not that special yet.
• Bobbins has only gotten more beautiful and sexy, especially when playing pool and listening to 90s music
• The Expendables was pretty good, a great homage to 80s action flicks with some pretty sweet and crazy action scenes; was really glad to get out with my buddy Feather to see it today
• Never thought fatherhood would include trying to keep my daughter from touching the urinal while I peed in it.
• The best kids stuff (toys, clothes) are the ones you inherit from friends and family (thanks D and Reb for all the stuff yesterday!)

Here We Go

Friends of ours talked us into creating this blog, so here goes.  It will mostly be a vehicle to share our travelogues and events around our house or regarding our family.  Occasionally we, or I, will post movie reviews, good articles, and political rants.  Hope you enjoy it.