Something Manly

So, I was watching the World Series of Poker last night and it struck me how the commentators...Lon McEachern and Norman Chad...make the professionals look like they are better than they actually are. There was a hand where it was obvious that neither player had a clue what their opponent had. For the entire hand, Chad tried to convince the audience that Harrington was "setting up" Varkoni because Harrington "knew" he had the better hand and was trying to maximize his win. However, it was completely obvious that Harrington had no idea what Varkoni had and ended up checking the river to be surprised that he won the hand. I am convinced I can play with these guys...they're nothing special.

Maybe it is the amount of online poker that I have been playing, but I feel luck plays more a part of the game than professionals try to portray. I need to get into some live games (if the wife allows) because I am positive that online play (no matter if it is Pokerstars, Party Poker or Facebook) favors the longshot rivers. Countless times, I have the best hand going into the final card and my opponent "miraculously" pulls his fifth club or completes his straight or finds the one in two cards left in the deck to make his trips. Playing online is killing my buzz.

I guess the moral of the story is that I can only trust a deck of cards and computers lie.

Lauren...can I go play poker?

Julie and Julia

Ya, so we watched Julie and Julia last night...I know, I know...it was the wife's pick. But, the movie struck me in two ways...

The first and most obvious way is that we need to cook more at home. I'm not sure if the movie is supposed to make you a fan of Julia Child, but I found myself becoming less of a fan afterwards. Nothing in the way the movie portrays her...well sort of the moment at the end, but more of the idea that I really don't care too much for French food. Maybe I haven't eaten the right type or amount of the delicacies, but when I'm thinking of something to cook in the kitchen, France does not come to mind.

So, I decided to buy the cookbook that the movie tries to debunk, "The Joy of Cooking". I texted Lauren and she immediately tells me that she already has it...only it's in storage. So, I might spend this weekend trying to locate the "Bible of all cookbooks" in the bro's garage.

The second way the movie struck me was that it was mostly about blogging and writing. Julie (Amy Adams) is not sure of herself and her writing and needs to be pushed back into the writing scene by her husband in the way of blogging. Now, in no way do I consider myself a writer and I really do not think I have much to say that is interesting to anyone but me. However, the movie made me realize that I need to put entries in this blog more often. It was not really a realization because I have always known that I do not write enough, but is was more of a push to do it...another push.

I have been reading a blog of a friend that I will not mention, however the blog is everything I wanted this blog to be, the only difference is that the writer is actually writing it. It is a mostly-daily account of all the stuff they and their kids go through and the thoughts, wishes, feelings, prayers and anxieties that the chaos brings. All of this will, no doubt, be held until the memory fades and they need to be reminded of the wonderful times they went through.

My problem is stage fright. The increasing nervousness that I devulge too much of myself or the fact that what I say is not interesting. However, last night I realized that it only matters to me. Twenty years from now, I will laugh at myself for being so stupid back in my thirties, but I will also be glad that I CAN laugh at myself.

Morro Bay

So, the family spent a week in Morro Bay. It included a lot of relaxing, biking, drinking, eating, wine tasting, laughing, crying, sleeping, sun tanning, jacuzziing, playing, driving and whale watching. It was a fantastic week and we were all sad to leave that awesome house.

Here are some pictures from the week.

Okay...I'll post something.

I didn't even think people still looked at this blog...at least I have one fan.

So, since the beginning of April, we...

...Celebrated Sam's Birthday Extravaganza. We stayed at Disneyland for a few days...Sam got sick. It was pretty funny (now, not then) because he went through this phase of eating too much and then throwing it all up. So, we were feeding him eggs for the first time and he was loving it. Then we went on the Mark Twain river boat...awesome parents, huh. Well, we were walking past Thunder Mountain when I hear Lauren say "Peter Peter Peter Peter". You know it is bad when other parents are walking by and upon seeing your vomiting child, they say, "Ewww".

Mom, Julianne, Jim and Nicole met us the next day for the Character Breakfast. We all had a blast, but most importantly, so did Sam.

Saturday, the Birthday Extravaganza continued. We invited Sam's closest friends (in other words...our friends) to a birthday party at Pat's house (across the street). It was a fun afternoon of just relaxing and having good conversation. It wore Sam out because he took two naps during the party.

That night, we hoped in our car and headed up the 15 freeway for Vegas. Since Sam turned a year, we were able to turn him around in the car seat and he loves it. He slept most of the way (that was the plan) and upon seeing the lights of Vegas, he says, "Oh, WOW". My feelings exactly, son.

Vegas was great...we met up with Pat, Tammy and Tim for some catchup. I played some poker and took their money and then went to the craps table and took some more money. Lauren doesn't seem to mind me gambling as long as I win...funny, huh.

...went to La Quinta for our anniversary (four years already). It was just one night, but it was a good night of good food and a bed to ourselves. It was hotter than hell, but it was relaxing.

...sliced up Sam's mouth. On May 20, Sam went in for his surgery on his tongue. He was born with a short frenulum...like I did. I had mine cut when I was seven or eight and we thought it would be best if he got his done when he can't remember it. So, he did it and was a champ. I think it was harder on his parents, but he might argue that. The entire procedure took 30 minutes and he was grumpy that day, but he was back to his normal self in a day or two. But, he still does not trust doctors yet.

...got kicked out of grandma's house. The end of May brought the house/grandma fiasco. To make a very long story short...Grandma decided she wants to sell her house, so she is kicking us out. We scrambled around looking for a month to month apartment and Lauren finds one that is owned by our good friend. Perfect!! So we spent the last two weeks of the month packing up and moving out. We are still in boxes at the apartment, but it is great to be out from under the thumb of grandma.

The whole situation was very tense and stressful, but it has turned out to be a blessing. Sam is a completely different baby...he sleeps through the night, he doesn't take his pacifier anymore and he has weaned off mom's...you know whats. I am also a completely different person...I can sleep through the night, I don't need a pacifier to be put to sleep and...I won't comment on the third thing.

So, that is where we are. I know a one-year collage is extremely overdue, but we just his one year pictures and they are magnificent. Lauren had Sam go through a few costume changes and he was a great show for all the mall patrons that passed by Picture People.

Sam is quite a ham...which makes me such a fan.

These boots were made for...

...walking...and that is what Sammy is doing. Officially, his first step was March 1, but he has spent the entire month taking two, three, four steps and then lunging into the nearest set of arms. Now, he is getting more confident and has stopped the lunging and is able to stop walking and then continue again when he wants. I must stress the "when he wants", because he really only walks when he feels like it. He likes to cruise around furniture, walls, doors...anything that can get him to point B. We are not sure if this is good or bad. We like the fact that he is progressing fast...just not too fast.

He has also been watching "Your Baby Can Read". It is yet to be decided if he can read before two, like Dr. Titzer says...but we are giving it the old college try. The videos are teaching him how to clap, wave and put his arms up. Whether he is reading the word, hearing them say it or watching the kids on the screen do it is yet to be determined. We think he was born a genius, so he'll probably be quoting Poe by Halloween and Shakespeare by Christmas.

The house situation is still, well, a situation. Grandma is getting appraisals on the house while we rush to get all her stuff sold. It could probably take a year to sell all her stuff to her satisfaction, but there will come a time when she will say "Just get rid of the stuff". That day will be a family holiday in the Johnston houses.

Twenty five days til the first year comes to an end. It sure has been a fun, stressful, quick, amazing, life-changing year that is sure to get more interesting. God only knows what Year 2 has in store for us. Stay tuned...

Nine Month Collage...

Filler...

So, I'm working on a new collage since Sam has turned nine months...but, until then, I should update on his progress and ours. We went to the doctor for his nine-month checkup and they tricked us by saying Sam gets a break this trip with no shots. The sneaky bastards did not pump Sam full of vaccines, but just happened to mention to us that we would have to take him to the labs for blood work. NICE! Much easier than shots!

But, he is well...19lbs. 2oz. and 29 inches tall. The doctor thinks he is progressing nicely, but he is on the smaller size (25th percentile). We think this is since he has not been eating enough solids. He is a very picky eater, like his mom. So, that is our goal in the next few months...fatten the boy up!

At home he is crawling as fast as a lizard and has just started getting the confidence to stand up without holding on. I think he is up to about ten seconds before he gets scared and drops to the floor. God help us when he starts walking. When picking furniture, we were not too baby-conscious, but he has adapted well so far.

He was finally baptized on the 24th. He was the oldest in the ceremony and he behaved like the older gentleman that he is. We were worried he would cry like a baby...wait...never mind. So, he is completely devoid of original sin from those naughty ancestors and all his sins from here on out are of his own volition. Enjoy them son, but don't go overboard.

The house is coming along. We had our first yard sale, which did not prove too fruitful. I keep telling people we are selling items for a purpose, not a profit. By the way, anyone want a 1964 Oldsmobile?...low miles! Financially, we are getting things squared away to buy the house, but that all depends on what grandmother thinks it's worth...we'll probably be moving in a couple months.

That's it for now...stay tuned for the third collage. Pictures are much tougher when your home computer is in a box.

Ya...it's been a while...

Well, we survived Christmas and New Years. Though, it was not looking good for a while. Sam got the flu shot in early December and then proceeded to be sick for about three weeks. It was not fun watching him try to breathe at night and drool all over himself because he did not know how to breathe through his mouth.

Then, Lauren caught a stomach...thing...and shared it with the rest of us. We spent the week of New Years on the couch or in the bathroom. It was sad to see Sam on New Years Day, when he greeted us with a nice present in the middle of the night. He was feeling so lethargic on Jan. 1, he would just sit in our arms and not move a muscle...totally not him at all.

But, we survived and even shared the fun with Aunt Chach and Uncle Jim...you're welcome.

So, the holidays are over and the house is back to normal...if you consider living in boxes and a house full of grandma's stuff normal. The yard sales start in February...and I'm looking forward to clearing some space for much needed elbow room.

The great thing about January is the shows are back. Has everyone been watching 24?...Awesome.

Well, not much else...but here is a fun picture to whet the appetite...

Lake Arrowhead and Santa

We spent the Thanksgiving weekend up in Arrowhead with The Family. It is capitalized now because it is has reached the over ten count. There were eleven of us up there in a great cabin by the golf course...(26669 Thunderbird for future reference). Lauren did not like the three sixes in the address, but it turned out to be nothing...just our souls being taken over by the devil, Lucifer, himself.

The cabin included a loft area for the new family...mostly for Sam. A great family room with big screen for us to watch the Notre Dame "Fighting" Irish get stomped and for the family band practice we call "Guitar Hero". It also included a great game room downstairs (yup...three levels) which included a pool table, bar and our new love...shuffleboard. I believe Jim is building his own shuffleboard at home...I think I saw large lumber in their front yard the other day.

The real reason we spend Turkey weekend up there is for the sales. Yup! Forget the family time and fun times with friends...it's all about shopping...40%, 50% 60%...oh my! Van Heusen, Jockey, Bass and Izod...the four horsemen of the apocalypse came down on our checking account. But we have a new wardrobe...so how can we argue?

This weekend also introduced Sam Johnston to Santa Claus. Here are a few pictures to document the occasion...

Seven Months...

Sam is seven months today and growing by the day! He is in the beginning stages of crawling. He doesn't crawl much when you are watching him, but when you turn your back for a minute, he is two feet away from where he was before.

He is also getting his next set of teeth in. He now has three teeth on the top and one more on the bottom to make it an even six. By the way...it hurts more when he bites you now.

This past month has been mobbed by the change of scenery. My grandma gave the okay for us to move into her house, get rid of her stuff to get the house ready to sell and be first in line to buy it in June. SO...we have been hurrying to move out of our apartment, move most of her stuff out of her very full house, and move our stuff in. We are almost done...but it seems like we have a long way to go. We have a deadline of Sunday, but it is really this Wednesday since we will be in Arrowhead this weekend. Most of us have moved so you will understand how hard it is to move into a FULL house...let alone an empty one. But we are making do.

The house is growing on us. I have to admit, that sleeping in their bedroom was a little weird the first time, but the more our stuff goes into the house, the more the house feels like our own. Lauren is starting to like it more and more also...mostly because of the closet space. Of course, there will need to be some capital improvements to make it our semi-dream house...but we'll wait on those until we make the first loan payment.

I just came back from a non-profit conference in Charleston. The conference was great...if you are interested in databases and non-profit fundraising...but the walking around downtown Charleston was the best. It's the second largest historical site (only Rome is larger) in the world. We took a carriage tour around the city and a walking tour at our leisure afterwards. We had a beer in a church and dinner at a Navy landing station (Fleet's Landing). A fun week, but it was tough being away from the family for so long.

Well, that is the most of it. We are looking forward to this weekend...partly for the weather, partly for the family fun, but mostly because it means we are done moving out of the apartment.