we're not in Kansas anymore

I'm finally updating. Did you miss me??

There are two things I want to update about -- the first is a concert that we went to in February. Starlight Mints played for the first time in a few years at a little place in Denton called Hailey's. I was so excited!

Random trivia: I first learned about Starlight Mints on the way to a record store in Lancaster, PA. I think it was 2002. I wrote the band name in lipstick on a piece of paper in my purse.

First opening band was boring, so I won't discuss them. The second opening band was completely ridiculous as you can see by this video:



Yes, that is a girl dressed as a robot singing in a robot voice and dancing like a robot. Novelty bands piss me off, but it was pretty funny. She also had a zipper dangling from a hilarious location!

Starlight Mints were super fun. I'm definitely also going back to Hailey's when Calvin Johnson plays there. I couldn't get any good pictures, but here's a video of them playing Submarine #3. They played it very last, and I think they knew everyone was waiting for it!



Okay, now to the second topic. Last weekend we decided to take a road trip to Kansas City to see Maryland play Memphis in the NCAA tourney. Random! It was so fun and I loved visiting KC.

Jen should move there. She recommended a delicious BBQ place called Jack Stack, and I abandoned all food inhibitions at the door. It was soo good. Maryland ended up losing horribly to Memphis, but we had a great time and driving through Kansas was quite an experience.

We also ended up sitting next to a couple that was from Maryland but lived in Omaha, Nebraska. I scolded them when they said they thought Saddle Creek was just a neighborhood. But they did know what Sokol Undergound was.

Enough text, here's the good stuff!


How many dirty jokes popped into your head after reading this gas station sign? I think this was in Okmulgee, OK. Or something like that.




Downtown Kansas City!!


The "line" to get into the Sprint Center. March Madness, baby!!






A view of the Sprint Center!


A so-2003 mirror picture.


Kansas City at night, a little blurry.


















Kansas made me want to ride around in a Conestoga wagon. For sure.

Lil' Man

As some of you may know, last Friday Chief was neutered and had his dew claws removed (all four of them as opposed to two for most dogs, because he had six toes on his hind legs). Since then, he's been a little bit depressed because of his E-collar. However, we have a few shots of him post op. He's been back to the doc twice to get his legs retaped. I actually like them because he looks like a horse.

Pre surgery mis-chief.



Poor guy had to limp for an hour or two



Keeping up his spirits, smiling for the camera



In other news, it looks like both Maryland and Virginia Tech sucked it up enough to qualify for the NIT this year...again. Really neither has an excuse to not make the tournament. I think it's safe to say they are just dumb. It's a shame too, Gary Williams and Seth Greenberg, their coaches, deserve much better.

No Lost this week, what will we do!

Welcome to America!

It has been extremely long since our last update. We have been very busy as the Roney family came to visit Texas. Instead of explaining our daily agenda, I will just show you all the pictures. Most are self explanatory anyway. They are all from our weekend in San Antonio. Hope you enjoy!

The Guenther House, our choice for breakfast



The birds were creeping me out!



George trying to explain to Mom...tough job.



Well I'm a king bee



El Mercado



Reunited



San Antonio makes it pretty easy to take pictures





I remember



Nat forgot



Along Houston, our hotel and the Majestic



78 point deer



Inside the Buckhorn



There are rattlers all over Texas



Notice the score



Long Legs



Short Legs



The Original Mexican Restaurant



On the riverboat tour







I wonder who is the family rebel?



Then there's this guy...



The 2ft thick building



Mardi Gras! I got some beads!



Don't even ask, because I don't know



The foreign, communist, rebel cowboy. How do you make your jeans look like you wear them every day???



That's it! Please comment all you want.

Chief Update, Plus Some

This is mostly a visual update, meaning very few words.

We had an extreme storm the other night, the southern part of the storm that brought major tornadoes in Oklahoma. This is my not so great attempt to capture the drama of the evening.



For Valentine's Day, I got Brittany a box of chocolates and some tulips. Roses are always way way overpriced so I went the cheap route. I think she likes it all equally the same.



We also went out to The Porch, and local restaurant that we've been wanting to try for a while. Last time we tried, the wait was two hours. Somehow though, Saturday's wait was none so we both sat down and enjoyed some peppercorn steaks. It was fantastic. On the way home, Brittany's favorite Dallas building with the square was celebrating with red.



Besides that we've been hanging out with the pup. Chief is the cutest of all but he's a little strange sometimes. Following are a couple of pictures and a couple of videos so you can see him actually moving around. He's a growing boy!









On a side note, Brittany's mom and Dave got me an arcade style golf game for by birthday. It hooks up to the television but is complete with one of the roller ball things to swing the club. I've always thought it was a very clever way to model a golf swing. Anyway, the game is classic arcade style...and very hard. As usual though, I am determined to continue until I am professional.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend with the loved ones. Upcoming is a visit by Mom, George, Nat, and Kim, meaning lots and lots of pictures.

I remember the Alamo.

Part Three: Finally

I promised to do the three part update about the holiday season, so this update will serve as the finale. Sara and Keith were able to visit us over the New Year and we did all we could to give them a taste of the Big D. Unfortunately we are not in possession of all the pictures, as they took as many as we did so here is my best shot.

We went to downtown a lot and visited the usual sites...Wild Bill's, the book depository, the little art alleyway thing, etc. These are a few pictures from our adventures.

Growl.



Just strolling round town



Always an easy picture



Now which one is Keith?



The Reunion Tower, our most recognizable building.



We also went to the stockyards, as is routine with our visitors. It is worth going at least once, so we make sure to provide that experience with our family.

I was not happy about the prison stripes.



Ahh, ribs.



We also did some shopping. Well, two of us did. The other two obviously need to rest our precious feet.



This is why I am afraid of birds



We spent New Year's Eve with them at The Old Monk. It was a great time but unfortunately I didn't have my camera. Although, the best part of the night wasn't even there, it was in downtown Dallas at 2 am, with Keith jumping out of the car to find a potty. Which Wich was kind enough to let him in and he relieved himself. I guess you had to be there. Brittany was also extremely entertaining that night.

Sorry this update came so late. We get busy sometimes and never get around to it. But now I did!

Bonus: This is my nephew Cameron playing golf with his new golf clubs. For some reason, Youtube chopped off the top and bottom of the video so you can't see everything. You get the gist though. We were teaching him to make sure he thanks the crowd when they clap for his accomplishments. He's a natural.

It's Just a Couple of Flakes!

Sticking with tradition, Brittany and I just got finished watching Groundhog Day for our February 2nd celebration. I've always wanted to go to Punxsutawney but watching the movie will do until then. It is one of Bill Murray's best.

Thanks to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday. It was a very good weekend. If only the Steelers didn't win. Saturday Brittany and I celebrated by going to Cheesecake Factory, and we made sure to get appetizers, meals, and of course cheesecake. Nothing beats that. Sunday we spent a lot of time wearing out the Chief, taking him to parks and getting him to run around. Here are a few shots throughout the day.

Here you can actually see his sixth dew claw. He has an extra one on each back foot.



Seriously??



The wildest wildlife you will see in Dallas, except of course for those coyotes that we've been seeing strolling around town.



Here is Chief getting tired. If only he was that tired right now!



For the evening, we went to a party for the Super Bowl. It was an interesting night meeting Chief with some strangers, but he handled it pretty well. As for the game, we all agreed it was about the most boring Super Bowl ever, and then came the fourth quarter. I didn't think I cared who won that much but when the Cardinals were coming back, I was really rooting for them. But, as a Ravens fan, I am all too familiar with Big Ben, and never doubted their inevitable comeback. Bummer.

Quick trivia:

The first few minutes of Groundhog day take place on my birthday, as does the entire movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Oh yeah, and Brittany got me Gobstoppers.