So we got to Disney last night, and were out bright and early.  The boys and I went to Hollywood Disney, where it rained a lot.  We went back to the cabin to dry off and then we went out to dinner.

Izzy and Jenny went to get a princess makeover, and they had Izzy do hers in the shop window, because she was the cutest girl there.  (I already knew that).  There are some studio shots of her that  look great, and I’ll upload them when I get them scanned, etc.

I hope everyone is having a good time; as long as it quits raining, we’re going to have a great time!

When I was growing up, I lived close to my cousins Gene and Carolyn.  We were all around the same age, and we spent a lot of time together.  He lived out in the country, and we used to have a great time playing in his barn and the creek by his house.  When we were a little older, we’d sneak beer back out to the barn and pretend we liked the taste of it.  He was really funny and smart, and he had the same attitude about college I did:  like me, didn’t bother with graduating from college in four years – we took the scenic route and had a lot more fun than our more studious relatives.

After he graduated, he got married to a really beautiful girl, and moved out to Colorado and had a bunch of kids.  I haven’t seen him in a while, but we would trade email every month or so; he recently ran in a marathon to celebrate his 40th birthday.

A couple of weeks ago, he went to the doctor because he had some headaches.  They didn't think it was all that serious, but things got progressively worse, and after a few CAT scans and MRIs and all that, he started to get confused and have some other troubling symptoms.  So he went to the hospital about Friday, and never really got better.  He’s on a ventilator now, but from what I hear they’re about to turn it off and then he’s going to die.

I guess the takeaway from this is that you never know when you’re going to die, and you better make sure that you’re ready to go.

Here’s a picture of him with Eric from a couple of years ago.  I probably have some newer ones around, but I don't really feel like looking anymore.

So this morning Izzy was as sick as they come…she finally quit puking long enough to take some Motrin, and now she’s running around like normal.  She decided to dress up as a princess, and Jenny helped her put on some makeup to complete the outfit.

I love modern pharmacology.

Last night Izzy came and got in bed with me at about 0500, and then threw up.  This is a further re-affirmation of Bill’s Laws of Parenting #1 (kids will come to find you when they have to throw up, so you can share the experience with them).

So she’s been pitiful all day.  Luckily, Jenny is here, so she can give Izzy that special attention that only mommies can give them.  I hope she gets better soon though, because she’s been miserable all day. 

Knowing the way things work around here, all of the kids will end up sick at some point over the next week.  That will be fun.

(You can tell Izzy is sick in this picture because a) her eyes are closed and b) she’s lying down, instead of running all over the place.)

Most of the time when Jenny’s gone, I sleep up in the attic (heck, I sleep in the attic a lot – I don’t really like sleeping with someone else (of course, there’s sleeping and then “sleeping”, which I am in favor of.))  Anyway, Izzy misses her mommy (who is in Washington until Friday), so she wanted to sleep with me.  Because I am horrible pushover, I let her.

We got back from camping earlier today, and I’m TIRED.  The trip itself was pretty good, we got there about an hour before dark and had time to setup our tent and make sure we knew where we were going.  The biggest problem is that it rained from the time we got there until about 6:00 this morning.  Everything and everyone was soaked through and through.  Towards the end, Eric had enough and was ready to leave, and I have to admit I was about ready to go as well.  Some of the scouts are spending the night there tonight too, but the temperatures are supposed to drop into the 30s, and while I can handle being COLD or WET, I don’t really like being cold AND wet.

The only other bad part was that no cars were allowed within about a mile of our campsite, so I got to carry it all in and out.  Next time, I’m getting the boys their own backpacks so they can carry their own stuff.

This is the boys early this morning, about an hour after it quit raining.   Note that Eric picked his own clothes out and not only did he not bring his scout stuff, he’s wearing JAKEs shirt.

We’re going camping tonight, and I have almost all of the stuff ready.  Looking at the weather, I see:

Rain AND wind.  Hooray.  The only good thing I can see is that it’s supposed to be kind of warm.  We got the tent out yesterday and set it up to make sure we knew how to do it, and I had the guys get all of their clothes ready.  They’re excited; I hope their excitement lasts when they see how wet it is.  I’ll be taking a camera to record the trip for posterity.

I’m taking Veteran’s day off again, like I do every year, under the “I’m a veteran, so I want Veteran’s day off” theory (also because I have to use a ‘floating’ holiday before the end of the year).  In the UK, the 11th of November is known as “Remembrance Day”, in honor of all of the soldiers who died during the first world war.  I’m watching the BBC’s The First World War on DVD, and it really brings home how horrible that war was for the European countries. We here in the US got off comparatively lightly, since we only participated in the last year and a half of the fighting.  I don’t think you can understand the politics of western Europe today without a good understanding of what an impact the ‘great war’ had on their institutions.  In France, for example, out of a population of about 40 million, more than 5 1/2 million were killed or wounded, most of them young men.  That's about a quarter of all of the males, not just the ones of military age.  To put things in even sharper focus, there have been about four thousand American soldiers killed since 2003 in Iraq.  During July 1916, during the battle of the Somme, over 19,000 British soldiers were killed in one day.

(This is the Cenotaph in London, put up to honor the British dead of WWI)

Next weekend Eric and Alex have a camping trip with cub scouts.  They have this rule where parents have to go too, I guess to keep the kids in line.  The last time I went camping was during the Bush administration.  And that’s George H.W. Bush, not his johnny come lately son.  I ordered a tent, a sleeping bag, and three sleeping pads from REI, and they’re here and ready to go.  I guess I should be happy that I get to sleep in a tent and not a hole in the ground, but I’m NOT looking forward to it.  Jenny was going on and on about how much she loved going camping when she was little, but she decided to forgo the camping experience now, so I’d have an opportunity to ‘bond’ with the kids.  I hate it when she does that.

Luckily, I was able to find some of my old gear that I can use, so I didn’t have to go and buy a backpack &etc.  I’m taking a camera so that I can record my first camping trip since 1992.  Hopefully, I won’t have to go again until 2024 or so (when I’ll be 60-ish).

I saw this over on my internet friend Rissa’s space.  It’s cheesy, but I’m trying to extend my lunch hour a little more and avoid working.

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing?   Yes!
2. Have you ever smoked heroin?   No way.  (Dumb question)
3. Do you own a gun?    Yes. You never know when you're going to need to shoot someone.       
4. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty?  Medium Americano
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?  Yes
6. What do you think of hot dogs?    Oscar Meyer or Hebrew National.  Boiled.
7. Favorite Christmas song?   "Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?    Beer
9. Can you do push ups?  I was in the army for 9 years.  I will NEVER do a pushup again.
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?   my wedding ring (Trick question...its my ONLY piece of jewelry)
11. Favorite hobby?   reading, 
12. There is no number 12
13. Middle name?   Eric
14. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
1. I wish Jenny would email me
2. I really should be working.  Lunch is over
3. Having school out on election day stinks.
15. What's one trait that you don't like about yourself?   I have tendencies toward OCD
16. Name 3 drinks you drink regularly drink:  Diet Coke, Coffee, Lipton Green Tea
17. Current worry right now?  That my refrigerator is going to explode
18. Current hate right now?  idiots
19. Favorite place to be?   Right here with the kids
20. How did you bring in the New Year?  Took care of Jenny (she was sick)
21. Do you like to travel?  yes!
22. Name at least three people who will complete  this.   None of them
23. What shirt are you wearing?   Yellow golf shirt.
24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?   eeewww, slimy
25. Can you whistle?   sort of
26. Favorite color?   Green
27. Would you be a pirate?   Software, Music or Ships?  No, No, Arrrr!
28. What songs do you sing in the shower?  Christmas Carols
29. Favorite girl's name?  Izzy or Jennifer
30. Favorite alcoholic drink:  lol.  All of them
31. What's in your pocket right now?   pocketknife
32. Best bed sheets as a child? We didn't have sheets.  We slept in a shoebox in the middle of the road
33. Worst injury you've ever had?  None
34. Do you love where you live? No
35. How many TV's do you have in the house? four
36. Who is your loudest friend?  I don't have any friends
37. How many pets do you have?  One 5 year old boy named Jake.
38. Does someone have a crush on you?   Ha!
39. What is your favorite book? All of them
40. What is your favorite candy?   dark chocolate
41. Favorite Sports Team?   1927 New York Yankees
42. What were you doing at 12 AM last night?   Sleeping
43. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke  up this morning?  I hate it when more than one kid tries to get in bed with me.

Yesterday we went to the “Munching in Marvin” contest at one of the local schools.  Eric and Jenny entered the Chili cooking contest, and Alex entered the baking contest.  All of them won:  Jenny and Eric won 2d place in their categories (Adult Unique Chili and Kid’s Chili) and Alex won Honorable Mention for his Fruit Pizza.  It was a lot of fun…the person who beat Jenny out ended up winning the overall contest, so she didn’t feel so bad.

Here’s both Eric and Alex at their booths, getting ready to serve to the judges….

Eric and Alex always like to see their picture up here…Jenny, not so much!