Chris’ birthday #43

Today is Chris’ birthday so yesterday he, Sierra and Mark, Corey and his family and Niki and Alexa were over for a birthday dinner.
As usual lately, Corey and his group showed up first and he and Stacey went right to the kitchen and started working chopping and skewering etc. Corey, I think, has become the “official” barbequer.
We ate chicken kabobs and roasted potatoes and squash and a myriad of other goodies.
Later in the evening Chris put a DVD of various family doings including of Walt Disney World on the TV and we all had a good laugh. Bailey really enjoyed the parts about her at Disney World.
At one point Niki who is eight months along and has dropped was laughing so hard that “Baby” was bouncing up and down like a basketball. I, of course, pointed it out to which Chris ran and got his camera and things escalated from there.
Early into the video there were several dance recitals of Alexa when she was really little and was spending more time tying her shoes and watching the other girls than she was dancing. She got a kick out of watching it and started dancing “live” in front of the giant TV. As I mentioned in an earlier report, for a five year-old she really has some moves.
For about ten minutes of the video there was a “horror movie” made by Sierra and Molly a few years ago. What a couple of goofs. At the end Molly was hanging from my “ducky” tie in the shower with Ketchup splattered all over the walls of the shower to represent blood.
Later Stacey posted the following on facebook:
"I am thankful for my family we had a dinner tonight and we laughed so hard."

Kaua'i, Hawai'i

Judy and I returned Wednesday from a week in Kaua’I, Hawai’I with our son Corey and his family. They returned later in the day. Judy and I flew via Los Angeles non-rev while they non-reved to Las Vegas on Delta then had had reserved seats on Hawaiian Air through Honolulu. On the way home they flew Lihui, Honolulu, Phoenix on Hawaiian then non-reved from there to Salt Lake after a night in a hotel. Grandpa Wayne picked them up and took them to his house where there van was. (He took them to the airport on their way going.)

We stayed in a luxury three bedroom condo(?) at the Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach Wyndham Grand Resort in 2-101, a ground floor three bedroom suite right next to the gate to the pool where we spent much of our time when were weren’t out running around. Jayden and Bailey especially made use of it. I suppose I was next.
One day they offered free paddle boarding lessons in the pool which we all took except Judy. Corey and I “turfed” it (couldn’t stay on because of our weight) but Stacey and Jayden and Bailey did really well and paddled up and down the length of the pool. Finally they quit so that others who showed up late could have a turn.
The first night (I think) we ate at Brennecke’s Beach Broiler; upstairs across from Poipu Beach. I had sashimi and Corey and Judy had the “sliders,” one hamburger, one pulled pork (if I remember correctly) and I don’t remember the other. I liked it but Corey wasn’t overly impressed.
The second night we went to the Smith Family Garden Luau including the Fern Grotto boat ride.
One night we ate at Roy's - Kahana Bar & Grill just down the road from our “hotel” in the Poipu Shopping Village. We also had Pupu dogs there and ate at Keoki's Paradise there.
When were on the north shore we ate at Kalipso Island Bar and Grill In Hanalei. And let’s not forget Bubba Burgers. We got shave ice and ice cream and the like here and there.
Most of our breakfasts and lunches we ate in the room. We bought a kitchen full of groceries at Costco coming in from the airport.
Probably the most enjoyable thing we did was taking the catamaran four hour sunset cruise from Eleele down the Napali Coast which included dinner. We sailed with Kauai Sea Tours on the 60 foot Lucky Lady.
side note: We were told by someone that a lot of "Utahns" move to Kauai after visiting there. 

MIGRAINE...but worth it

Jim is in town from Los Angeles for a couple of days so Molly is here. Austin is deer hunting with his step dad, Bob.
Yesterday Judy and I and Corey’s family minus Stacey who had to work at FedEx Office went to Won Won Wok for lunch. Last night we all plus Niki’s family met at California Pizza Kitchen at Fashion Place (Mall) for dinner.
After dinner, because Molly was here, Alexa said she wanted to sleep over at our house; she is getting really good about that; no fears.
Since Alexa was going to sleep over, Bailey decided she would too.
Way into the night there was a lot of giggling and laughing out loud.
This morning I woke up with a headache which soon turned into a migraine. There was a “band” around my head and I go really sensitive to light.
I didn’t go to church but climbed back into bed.
The girls started screaming and laughing and giggling. Niki and Gavin showed up to retrieve Alexa and stayed quite a while. Either Niki or Jim started pounding on the piano.
For a second I thought “Oh my head!” Then I thought, “Those are my kids and grandkids out in the living room together enjoying each other’s company…having fun together.” It is well worth the noise and headache.’
‘Good for them.”

BAILEY ANN

Somewhere I mentioned how, after so many people saying so, Bailey blurted out, “I didn’t know I was soooo good looking!



Lately people have been commenting on her singing, (I heard her singing in the shower.) After someone said something about it a few days past, she got a look on her face that said, “I didn’t know I was such a gooood singer!

CATCHING UP...i.e odds and ends

first
I realized recently that my body runs on a two part cycle; three or four days of diarrhea and three or four days of wishing I had diarrhea. Sometimes there is one day of transition between the first and the second phase.
Second
I have been having some “interesting” dreams lately.
The last two nights were full of erotic dreams. (Yea, like I could keep up!)
The night before that I dreamed that Judy and I were in a small town in Australia. Judy took off and left me all alone. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before a pretty young lady (upper teens or lower twenties) came along and took my hand. We walk around the town as she pointed out the sights.
What do you expect from a 68 year-old man!?

NOW I REMEMBER....

Now I remember why I don’t do that anymore.
I don’t know what I did to earn it, but last night my back stiffened up and my leg was twitching. I couldn’t sleep. Finally at a little after two I took a muscle relaxant; the second in about a month. A half hour later I took a pain pill; the first in about a month.
A little later my body relaxed and I felt a pop in my lower back and I was soon asleep.


Wonderful except…


This morning I woke up around 9:30 feeling quite groggy. After staggering around for a while I managed to get myself together and I went to see “Uncle Tom” my chiropractor. He said my whole right side from top to bottom was tight…no kidding!
He fixed me up and off I went to Atlantis Burger in American Fork for a hot pastrami sandwich after which I came home a plopped back into bed for a couple of more hours.
Around 2:30; about twelve hours after my first pill I started feeling almost normal.

I wonder if it had something to do with the forty minute semi-brisk walk I took yesterday afternoon. Any way I reconfirm my vow never to take those pills again except when absolutely necessary. Not only do I feel better when I don’t take them but they seem to work better on those rare occasions when I do.
There go the odd jobs I planned to do around to house today.
Good night: 3:42 in the afternoon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!

Monday, October 03, 2011
A long fun day
I had trouble getting to sleep last night then at a little after six Chris texted me and asked if I wanted to drive the Alpine Loop with him and take pictures.
Judy heard the beep on my cell phone and woke me up. I texted Chris back and told him to call me. Anyway, he picked be up in the Macey’s parking lot in Lehi and off we went. We first walked a bike trail at Bridal Vail Falls then we drove up a side canyon at Vivian Park which was fun then off we went to “the Loop”.
Our first stop was Sundance. We got out and walked around and shot pictures. Then we stopped at various places along “the Loop” to take more.
Our last major stop was on a long un-paved side road that took us to the base of Mt. Timpanogos where we got out and took a bunch of pictures.
I have a new (used) SLR Canon camera that I got from Corey and Stacey. The family got me a long range lens for my birthday and gave it to me last night when everyone was over for spaghetti dinner.
When Chris and I were doing “our thing” I keep switching back and forth from my short range to my long range lens; what a hassle and if I were in a hurry I might miss something.
Oh well!
After the drive we met Mom and Corey and Greg and Niki and Alexa and Gavin for lunch at Joy Luck or as I call it, Sum Dum Luc.
I got Jayden and Bailey after school and took Jayden to the see “Uncle” Tom; Tom Allen our chiropractor. Jayden is doing well.
From their we drove to our house and spent an hour and an quarter wrestling in the pool.
Fun day.
Side note both hiking with Chris and wrestling in the pool I am holding up really well. In fact the last three or four weeks I have been doing so well that I have gotten off my pain pills, muscle relaxants and sleeping pills.
I am not breathing heavily hiking in the mountains albeit we didn’t take any strenuous hikes but I used to be huffing and puffing just walking around in the high altitude like at Sundance.