Things Younger than John McCain

Ok, I'm publishing this at the risk of being ageist...
I stumbled on a new website http://www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com

Did you know that the following things are YOUNGER than John McCain?

1. duct tape
2. the LP record
3. York Peppermint Patty
4. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
5. the margarita
6. the flexible drinking straw
7. the Golden Gate Bridge
8. Mount Rushmore
9. McDonald's
10. Bugs Bunny
11. the Hindenburg disaster
12. polyester
13. the shopping cart
14. the automatic transmission (car)

And the list goes on... these were just a few that surprised me.

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

Today's post is dedicated to our eldest daughter, Natalie, in honor of her birthday! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!

Love,

D. & Michelle

Age 2:

College graduation...Halloween fun...Superstar!

Laughing at the family..

Quest for a healthy lifestyle

I need to lead a healthier lifestyle.
I need to eat better and workout on a regular basis -- not just for weight control, but for overall good health.
The two hurdles are that I just don't enjoy exercise. At all. And I love food. I mean food is one of life's greatest joys. I love it that much.

I have oodles of excuses for not doing it. Everyone does. But no more excuses for me!

Today, I begin documenting my progress. It will cause me to be accountable to myself if I write it down.

My goals:
1. Work out 30-60 minutes at least three times each week.
2. No more eating doughnuts. (The hotel we're staying at has a small breakfast buffet, with doughnuts.)
3. Eat a minimum of three servings of fruit or veggies every day.
4. Three days each week without red meat.

My goals aren't huge... I'm purposely setting small goals on my eating, because that will be the hardest for me to change. After 4 weeks, I hope to set higher ones.

(BTW, I rode over 12 miles on the stationary bike yesterday.... I've begun! :)

How do you "forget" to pay your taxes?

Per Newsweek's article, the McCain's haven't paid real estate taxes on a condo they own in San Diego county, CA for over three years. They claim their trust company never received a bill, so they didn't pay. Would that work for me, an average citizen? The odd thing about the article is the amount of taxes owed. In San Diego county, your taxes are a MINIMUM of 1% of the value of the property. Why is the property so undervalued on the books?? Seems a little fishy to me, John and Cindy...

http://www.newsweek.com/id/143775/

Elvis LIVES!

Elvis lives, baby.

He LIVES.

And right here in Dane county, Wisconsin!

Woo Hoo!!

We went to see an Elvis "Tribute Artist" (AKA impersonator) at a free concert in Black Earth, Wisconsin. I was skeptical. I love Elvis Presley's work, and I've never heard any one come close to sounding like him. I HATE it when someone butchers the King's songs.

I was pleasantly surprised by Tony Rocker and the Comeback Special. He hit the low notes perfectly! His rendition of American Trilogy was superb. If you closed your eyes, it could have been The King himself singing that song. Stage show was a bit lame -- too much of the judo moves. But the fans were freakin' hilarious!! Lots of blue haired women with scarves around their necks screaming for Tony to come touch their hand and kiss them.

My mom has always been a huge Elvis fan. She agreed that this guy was good... but "he certainly doesn't have Elvis' butt!" (He is a tad scrawny. :) Check Tony Rocker out.... he's playing all over Wisconsin, including the State Fair, and his songs are available for downloading on iTunes. http://www.tonyrocker.com/

End of an era, beginning of a new one

Good-bye Oregon. We'll miss our great oak tree.

On Friday, we loaded up four storage units with all of our worldly belongings and moved to a small hotel. On Saturday, we cleaned the old house and our storage units were put into warehousing space. As of Monday morning, we were officially "homeless". We sold the Oregon house and are waiting for the new home construction to be completed.

Although neither of us liked the floor plan of the old house, it does hold our memories. This was the house where our children went through adolescence. (Sometimes angry, moody teenage times... and sometimes very sweet and heartwarming times. :) Saying good-bye is bittersweet. We'll always hold the memories of the good times near, but are also looking forward to embarking on life's next phase and journey.

So long, good friend. Thanks for the memories....