Happy Halloween

Ode to Joe

I am a Yankees fan.
As far back as I can remember, I rooted for the Yanks.
I blame my dad. I credit my dad.
In high school, I was the only person in a class full of jocks that knew that Roger Maris, NOT Hank Aaron, broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record.
I know that right now it's far more fashionable to be a Red Sox fan. Whatever.
I visited Yankee Stadium for the first time in 1991 and, seriously, got teary eyed. They beat the White Sox that day and my then favorite player, Don Mattingly, drove in the winning run. I also saw Les Miserables for the first time that day so it seriously vies for one of the best days of my life. The 90s (especially the mid and late) were great times for Yankee fans. O'Neil, Jeter, Martinez, Williams, Rivera, to name just a few could do no wrong in my eyes. And, always, Torre. I honestly do not know how much difference a major league manager makes in an average game - or playoff series. It seems to me that, besides deciding when to bring in relief pitching (which can obviously have huge effects on a game) he has very little control over the outcome of the game. Sure, he can bring in a pinch hitter, he can signal a bunt, a hit-and-run, take a pitch - whatever. He has no control over whether or not his normally-great-in-the-clutch captain will hit into a double play instead of driving in a run or two. All I know is that Torre's record should speak for itself - 12 years: 12 playoff appearances. 6 World Series appearances. 4 World Series wins. Not too shabby. And then there are the un-quantifiable characteristics - his professionalism, the respect he receives from his players AND opponents - not to mention his fans in Utah. Class. It's what it comes down to and what I'll always think of Joe Torre. The man has class.
I will miss you, Joe.

I Got Tagged so now You're Getting Tagged

Tag You're It
Paris Soul Mate tagged Daph who tagged me... (Thanks, PSM)

Jobs I have had:
1 – Phlebotomist
2 – Burger Flipper at Raging Waters
3 – Manager of a catch-out fishing pond in Pahrump, NV
4 – Tech writer

Movies I could watch over and over:
1 – Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
2 – About a Boy
3 – Star Wars
4 – Legally Blond

Favorite TV Shows:
1 – The Office
2 – Lost
3 – Buffy Re-runs
4 – Seinfeld Re-runs

Hobbies:
1 – Saturday soccer
2 – Biking/Hiking
3 – Travel
4 – Scrapbooking?? (in spurts and now I'm thinking of going digital)

Places I have lived:
1 – Salt Lake City, UT
2 – San Diego, CA
3 – Lake Havasu City, AZ
4 – Pahrump, NV

Favorite Foods:
1 – Cafe Rio - Grilled steak salad
2 – Bankok Thai - Pad Thai
3 – BB's stir fry
4 – Chocolate chip cookies

Places I'd rather be:
1 – Sleeping in - anywhere
2 – San Diego
3 – Arches - camping (and sleeping in if possible)
4 – Some fabulous place in Europe or Australia or Brazil or anywhere I have never been before...

Websites I visit:
1 – yankees.com
2 – All of the blogs on my sidebar
3 – Chris's LJ
4 – FIFA.com

Who I am Tagging:
If you're reading this and haven't done it... YOU ARE TAGGED

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

5200 miles later, we pulled back into our driveway on Sunday afternoon. We discovered some fabulous new parts of the country during the past two weeks - here are a few more pics.

These water falls were off some completely tiny road in Wisconsin (I think) - they were amazing!

Michigan has a really cool sculpture garden complete with huge tree houses for the kids to run through and an excavating ground where they could dig for fossils.

Mid-westerners can hang at the beach - who knew?!

Fall is a great time to visit Nauvoo - no crowds, no humidity, no mosquitoes...

We made a side trip to Hannibal, MO - boyhood home of Mark Twain and Tom and Huck...

If you are ever near Omaha - visit the zoo!

We enjoyed the hospitality of several friends along the way and that was truly a highlight of the trip.

A few observations about 'the heartland':

• The before-mentioned beautiful scenery
• 'Fire danger today: LOW'
• People drive slower in the midwest - with the exception of the big cities, we noticed that once we passed Wyoming, we were always the fastest drivers on the road and we only went 5-7 miles over the limit
• Rivers, rivers, and more rivers - not to mention the 10,000 lakes

At this point, I'm a fan. Deli-Sub, it's taken me many years but I finally see the draw of Minnesota - HOWEVER, I'm still not sold on the winters!

Off the Beaten Path

So, since we left Wall, South Dakota, we have driven through the rest of South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. With the exception of a little jaunt to Minneapolis, we have pretty much avoided the interstate. Right now we are in a little town called Rhinelander, WI. Since Wall, I think we've only seen one 'out-of-state' license plate besides ours - it was from Florida.
Here are a few highlights thus far:
I think BB was feeling a little jealous of missing out on Pioneer Trek so he took the opportunity to pull a handcart at Martin's Cove (ours were a little heavier though :)
Devil's Tower
Mount Rushmore - or Mushmore Mountain as Anushka calls it - was definitely worth the drive to South Dakota.
The South Dakota Badlands
How many people have actually walked across the Mississippi River? We saw the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota.

Some of the beautiful fall colors of Minnesota. MB - we already know where we want to go camping with you when we visit!

Hello from Twins Territory

Just a quick note to say hi from 'the heartland'. We left Sunday and have been through Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and are headed to Wisconsin today. I'll post more later and add some photos (when we get an adaptor cord). Let me just say right now that I no longer think MB is entirely crazy for wanting to move to Minnesota. I'm still not sold on the winters but we have seen some amazing country around here!

Did You Ever Enjoy the Dentist This Much???

I have been very negligent as a parent in getting my kids (especially the eldest) to the dentist. Had I known the sheer delight they would find in the experience, I would have started taking them much sooner. Yesterday when I told Anushka that I was dropping her off at her aunt's house so that I could go to the dentist, she melted into tears. I couldn't understand this because she usually would rather just live with her cousins. Then I realized that she thought I was going to HER dentist without her. The office was set up like an undersea cavern - complete with Dori and Nemo swimming around in a big tank. Each chair was child-size with a flat screen above it where they could watch movies or play games while the dentist (dressed in Mr. Incredible scrubs) counted their teeth.

And finally - the reward for getting their teeth counted and shined:

Not bad eh? On a completely other note, we're leaving in two days for 'the heartland' as MB refers to it. Looking forward to seeing parts of the country we've never visited. We'll try to post as often as possible...