A baby on the way!!

That got your attention didn't it! No, we are not pregnant but we are going to have a new addition to the family in a month or two. Zoey is getting a sister and her name is going to be "Peanut". She a sable (light brown) Yorkipoo and is only 9 days old. I have enclosed a couple photos of her so you can see how tiny she is. Her mother is a minature Poodle and her father is a Yorkie. We will pick her up around spring break time and can't wait. I will update the photos as they come available.

Elijah is back to his old self and we are soooo glad! The kids did not have school yesterday due to snow, bummer for Mom and Dad. :( We sooo need a break and are starting to get cabin fever. They did have school today and it was nice to have some alone time with the wife (Kelsey).

I'm back to work tomorrow and I'm kind of looking forward to getting back to the old grind. I'm sure that the first day back I will eat my words.

Hope all is well in your world. C-ya.

Home is where the heart is!

I think that the title says it all. While it was great to be on vacation, it is greater to be home. All of our creature comforts and surroundings welcomed us home with open arms. A big sigh of relief could be heard as we pulled into the driveway of our lovely home. The flight home was OK but long. Not much turbulence to speak of but it seemed like it took forever for our luggage to come. A jam on the luggage belt was the cause and soon we were freezing our butts off outside awaiting for our shuttle to the hotel. Elijah was fine on the plane and Alysse never did catch his flu. We still have our fingers crossed hoping that the rest of us don't come down with it in the near future. Elijah is fine during the day but at night it is a whole different ballgame. His flu has turned into a severely stuffy nose and sinus. He/we had a hell of a time trying to get any sleep last night with his constant snorting and grunting. Kelsey was up several times during the night trying to re-position him so that he would not be so loud. Nice try! Kelsey, Alysse and I slept with a pillow over our head most of the night. Now that we are home, he has his own room and we hope that the night will prove to be uneventful.
Dealing with this makes us so grateful and can only imagine what my brother Mickey's family has and is going through. God Bless them and let little Cody get better soon and forever!!!
Little Zoey was sooooo happy to see her family. The whole family missed her and we talked about her often while on vacation. She would have had a blast on the beach! I wonder how much trouble you would get in if you smuggled her over there? Big I'm sure, just a thought.
Nana & Papa were the best hosts as usual and are still there for another week. I'm sure that they are relaxing now that they can have some peace & quiet for a while. They're the best in-laws a guy could ever ask for.
We returned to Washington to find rain and snow awaiting us, great. All is well the ends well.
Bye for now.

Homeward bound!

I can't believe what I'm about to say but "we can't wait until we get home"! Yep, I said it and wish it wasn't true. Elijah has had a viral flu for about the last 3 days. He has had a fever off and on but no vomiting, thank God. He has missed out on the beach and pool for the most part of those 3 days. We leave tomorrow and guess what? Alysse thinks she is getting sick. She said that her tummy hurts but I think she getting worked up about Elijah's sickness. Alysse is very in tune with other people's sicknesses and misfortunes. She hates to hear any animal or baby cry or appear hurt. She freaks out and has to leave the room. She really hated us talking about Elijah being sick and got all bent out of shape when we were brainstorming on how we were going to handle the trip back home.

The money that runs this island, Maui, is incredible and it amazes me how small their medical clinics are and back assward they are. It probably does not help that we are the big bad white people(howlies) and they could care less about us. I have been here 5 times and have just recently noticed how much the locals do not like us. I'm sure that they like the money that we bring into the communities but would rather have us not be here. I can see where having tourists around all the time would get old but money made this place what it is today. I will give you prime example. Buzz and I just went to the local "Safeway" to buy medicine and stuff and were basically treated like shit!! Now thinking back to the "Safeway" we have in Lynden, people would get fired if they treated customers that way. The girl made no eye contact with us and spouted off the usual banter of "Would like help out with that?" and "You saved $1.98." What can you do? I guess just be thankful for the life you live and the job that you have. Amen!! Pray that our flight back to Seattle goes well with the sick kiddos and all. Talk to you on the Mainland. Luv Ya.

Sick in paradise

Well, the name says it all. Can you believe that one of us has gotten sick while in this awesome place. The trip has been great and weather has been perfect. poor little Elijah has come down with a stomach flu that has been passing thru the island of Maui. We think that he got it from the pastor of a small local church that we visited the other day. The pastor was hacking and coughing thru the whole service and we shook his hand as we left, little did we know. We took Elijah to the local urgent care office and got little to no help there. The Doctor(Quack) basically said that it would have to run its course and that antibiotics would only make it worse. He seems to be feeling a little better and we only hope that he gets well enough to fly home on Sunday. We are really hoping that the rest of us don't catch before we leave. The funny thing is is that the kids usually get sick the day before we leave on a big trip and not while on it. Oh well, lets hope for the best. On top of that, Elijah lost a tooth over here. That's not bad considering the tooth fairy screwed up and left a lot more money that he should have. I guess it is better to do somethings in the light. :) I guess the extra $ should help him get better sooner.
This all seems like small potatoes to what Diane, Mickey and Cody are going thru. I can barely get the kids to take their vitamins let alone a lot of meds like poor little Cody. He is such a trooper and strong little man.
We fly out Sunday and get in late that night. We will spend the night in the hotel and head to Janean's house the next day to pick Zoey. The kids really miss her and so do I. Maui is great but there is no place like home for home bodies like us. Luv to all and talk to ya soon.

Maui Wowie!

What a great time we are having here in Maui with Buzz & BA. The weather is perfect and the kids are having a blast! Elijah has really taken to the ocean this time and we have to drag them out kicking and screaming most evenings. Kelsey and I are just content sitting on the beach or by the pool watching the kids have fun. No stress or rain to bring us down. Buzz and BA are the perfect hosts as usual and we are so very fortunate to be able spend time with them here. I will update the pics as the days go by. We don't have a lot of stuff planned but a couple things here and there. We are going to see the Shanghai circus tomorrow night and then the awesome Maui aquarium on Tuesday. We wish all of you could be here with us to enjoy this awesome place. I'm sure that all of the kids would have a blast. I will try and update this again soon but don't blame me if I get distracted doing other things. One thing is for sure, I'm glad that I didn't waste to much of my time watching those shitty NFL games today. The Giants and the Patriots in the Superbowl? Sounds like the Boring Bowl to me. I won't even care who wins that one. I really wish Brett Favre would have made it one last time. Of well, better luck next time.

Inalienable Rights!

It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything but here it goes. Inalienable rights, we take a lot of our rights for granted and normally don't know how good we have it until it is taken away from us. Basic rights and needs are acceptable to most of us.

Let's talk about rights in other countries. Are we guaranteed certain rights while visiting other countries? Yes, for the most part but what if they don't let us into their country? Now that's a whole different ball of wax!!

I have traveled all over the world via the military and never once did I feel that it was MY right to go to that country. It was a right to ask permission to enter that country and once inside I was expected to abide by their rules and regulations or else. Or else I would be kicked out and refused admission for future attempts.

It just amazes me and pisses me off when people from other countries come to this country, my country, and assume that they have a right to enter it. Many of them are criminals and have no intentions of following the rules. Most of them are law abiding citizens but still feel that they can come and go as they please.

The fact that many of our politicians are representing foreign nationals on our tax money really pisses me off as it should you!

When I went to other countries, I made it a point to get the type of money needed for the trip. Not so when they come to the U.S., they expect us to have a bank on every corner for them so that they can change their money whenever the need to.

Just like the boy scouts say, "Be prepared".



Enough about that, we leave for Maui on Friday and can't wait. The rain has been coming down pretty steadily lately so we are ready. No work, no stress and no cold! Aloha!!

Zoey will be staying with Kelsey's sister Janean in Seattle while we are gone. She is very easy to take care of and if she does make a mess, it's easy to clean up! :)