Aliens!

I meant to post this a week ago, but this time of year there just isn't enough hours in the day. Tiffany's first appointment with the doctor went fine. Apparently everything is normal and healthy so far. Personally I think these sonogram pictures are scary. Tiffany is starting to get over the nausea (mostly), but she is still pretty tired. This morning we got out and ran a few errands. I think we may hit the mall this afternoon for a few last minute gifts. I can't believe December is halfway over. We are going to a Christmas party tonight. Don't worry--I will keep Tiffany away from the bar.

The Secret

OK, now that my mom knows, I guess it is safe to post on here. Tiffany is pregnant. Take a deep breath and read that again. Of course, some of you have known this for weeks and some of you have known for just hours. I figured the blog was a little stale, so this was the best thing we could think of to make life more exciting. Maybe we did it for German engineering. Whatever the reason, next summer we are going to have a baby. Life is always interesting around here, and we are looking forward to all new adventures. I attended my first rock concert when I was about 14. My baby isn't even born yet, and already he/she has been to two Metallica shows. At the very least, our child will have good taste in music. I'm actually hoping it's twins. We broke the news to my parents at their house on Thanksgiving. Why not? Tiffany's mom was there as well. In other turkey day news, my sister and her friend Ben made the trip from Colorado to be with us. This was also a surprise to my mom. I was beginning to think she might not be able to handle the excitement. We had a good time visiting with everyone, even though it was a quick trip. I probably should have taken some pictures, but I didn't. I am currently looking at new cameras though. I figure with a baby coming, we might need one. I would love to hear any suggestions on a good digital SLR.

The Day That Never Comes

We had a great time in Houston at the Metallica show. I will try to write more about that later. This is just a reminder post for a couple of things of interest. At least they are of interest to me. The first is the TV movie 24: Redemption on FOX tonight. This movie bridges the gap between last season which was a long time ago and the new season which starts in January. Seriously, everyone should watch this. The other thing everyone needs to know is that the long awaited Guns N' Roses album is out today. It's only available at Best Buy, so get yourself down there and buy one. This album is about 14 years in the making. I'm sure it will be excellent. Finally, Dr Pepper is giving away a free one to everyone in the United States. You have to get the coupon from their website (www.drpepper.com) and it has to be done today. That's all I've got for today. Have a great Sunday. If for some reason nothing in this blog appeals to you, you may want to look at the priorities in your life.

Quantum of Solace

Tiffany had to work today. I took the opportunity to catch the latest Bond film. I don't really have to convince you. You either like these movies (you're a guy) or you don't. Anyway, I thought it was another great effort from Daniel Craig. He is definitely the best Bond since Connery. I don't think it was quite as good as Casino Royale, but I feel like I got my six dollars worth. There isn't too much I have to write about this week. Not much happened at all. I did realize that there were a couple of things I forgot to mention last time. In addition to Election Day and the Metallica show, Tuesday the 4th was also our 8th wedding anniversary. Most of you already knew that, and this is not the first time we have spent such a romantic occasion at a rock concert. On a much sadder note, Michael Crichton died that day. If you haven't read anything by him, you are missing out. As is almost always the case, the movies do not do the books justice. I'm talking to you Jurassic Park. Seriously, READ it. I am sorry for the lack of pictures this week. I guess maybe I need to hire a photographer to follow me around--other than the paparazzi I mean. I'm in a weird mood. I actually do have one or two pictures to put up, but they are presently not on this computer. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you probably won't see those until after Thanksgiving. By that time I will probably have others to post anyway. Coming up this week is Metallica in Houston! Yes this is our fourth show this year. No we are not tired of them yet. As much fun as the Denver show was, I am really looking forward to this one. By the way, for anyone keeping score this is my 14th Metallica show and Tiffany's 13th. I will do my best to think of something interesting to say the next time I post. One final note: Congratulations to the members of my family who ran the marathon today in San Antonio. The only way I am running that far is if someone is chasing me. Even then I would probably give up. Either way, I admire all of you for doing it. I can't wait to hear all about it.

lost somewhere at Red Rocks

Last weekend we flew out to Denver for a couple of days. Callie picked us up at the airport and after eating some lunch we headed up to Morrison to visit the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. The weather was gorgeous, and we had a great time walking around up there. One of these days I hope we can make it back for a show. We spent a couple of hours there before driving up to Evergreen to see Travis and Andrea. Kristi and Ian were there, and we had a great time visiting with everyone. After a game of Scrabble in which the girls were clearly cheating, we went back downtown to Callie's place. Monday while Callie was at work, Tiffany and I walked around Cherry Creek and caught a movie that afternoon. I may have been duped into going to a quilt shop as well. We had dinner with a group of people at a place called Spicy Basil. We all ate way too much, but it was delicious. Tuesday, in addition to the election, was another exciting day. Tiffany and I spent the afternoon downtown at the 16th Street Mall area. My friend Brad and his wife met us for dinner before the Metallica show at the Pepsi Center. We haven't seen Brad in about 5 years, so it was great to catch up. As always, the Metallica show was fantastic. I think everyone had a good time, but I know that at least two of us did. Wednesday was a long day of travel, and we were glad to be home.

a case of the Mondays

I always hate to go back to work on Monday morning. We spent the weekend in Dallas. Saturday was Edgefest 18. I haven't missed one of these in several years, and I wasn't about to start with this one. Apparently plenty of people decided not to attend, as this was by far the smallest crowd I have seen at Edgefest in a long time. For those unfamiliar, Edgefest is an all day concert event held annually (usually in April). For some reason this year they did it twice. Despite the small crowd, and maybe because of it, we had a terrific time. The bands we saw this year were Seether, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Toadies, Staind, Offspring, and Stone Temple Pilots. I've seen almost all of these bands before, and they were all good. Here is a little blog factoid: the first and last time I saw Stone Temple Pilots was November 16, 1996. I know because I still have the ticket stub. Back then the Superpages.com Center (which used to be the Smirnoff Music Center) was still called the Coca-Cola Starplex. I wouldn't bet money on it, but I think it may have been the first rock concert that Tiffany and I ever went to together. She will probably correct me after she reads this. Women remember everything. She did drag me to see George Strait and Brooks & Dunn before good taste prevailed. After the show on Saturday, we spent the night in Frisco with Sarah and Josh. Sunday morning they made us waffles and we watched the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I thought it was hilarious. Mom, don't rent it. We left around noon to run a few errands before heading home. Coming back around to Monday, it was a pretty boring day until about 4:00 this afternoon. I got a call from our realtor with an offer on our old house. At 5:30 I was signing contracts. They still have to do an inspection and all of that mess, but barring any major tragedy our house is sold! It it s huge relief to be out from under that mess. I do not recommend making two house payments if you can avoid it. Anyway, it's getting late and Tiffany will be home soon. I'll ask her about the concert.

I Am...I Said

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." --Samuel Langhorne Clemens

October has nearly come and gone. It has been fairly relaxing for us. Up until this past weekend we have done very little of note. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the next few weeks will be quite a bit busier. I will do my best to keep everyone informed. Starting off, we just got back from Oklahoma. We bought my Dad tickets for his birthday to see Neil Diamond in Oklahoma City. Neil is 67 years old and showing no signs of stopping. We all had a fantastic time, even though Tiffany and I were amongst the youngest people there. Actually there were people of all ages there, but a lot more gray hair than the shows that we usually attend. The show was a little over two hours and a great mix of old and new songs. If given the chance, I would see him again.

Earlier in the day, we made a stop at the Oklahoma City Memorial site. The memorial was quite impressive, and there was a nice museum with tons of information about the bombing and the building itself. I just don't understand how anyone could kill innocent people like that. I have included a few pictures which will probably not do it justice. There is a reflecting pool between two walls. One wall has 9:01, which signifies the time before the bombing. The other wall reads 9:03, and represents the time afterwards in which the world would be forever changed. The chairs outside represent the 168 people who died in the blast. The shorter ones represent children. I would definitely recommend seeing this to anyone who makes it to Oklahoma City. It really gives you a lot to think about.