Laser Tag

I’m so lame with my personal blog. This has been in my “saved” drafts since October 2009. This is not a spot for up to the date information!

Laser tag was not originally on my 40×40 list. However, I’m adding it in. It is something everyone should on their “list” of things they want to do.

It was my oldest son, Peyton, ninth birthday over the past weekend. I really don’t know what I was thinking but we let him invite 4 friends to go play laser tag in lieu of a “traditional” family party. Since my little brother’s birthday is just the next week, we combined groups and he invited 3 friends too.

IMG_1761

For those of you just joining in, my little brother is 21 years younger than me. I have a daughter that is older than her “uncle.” Peyton and Braden are exactly 51 weeks apart and routinely share a birthday party for convenience. They are more like brothers or cousins than uncle/nephew.

Our vehicle consisted of Bryan, Peyton + 4 friends, Sofia, and me. Uh, yeah, I heard my lifetime quota of  balls and stinky farts in that 45 minute drive. Apparently, my son is very normal because all of his peers talk about the same two topics.

Because I had Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupons, (imagine that, right?)  and only nine eligible kids to play Laser Tag, we had a spot each game for an adult to play. Bryan reluctantly took the duty first round. I knew he would love it, though. He was the sniper and you could see him hopping around as much as the kids.

IMG_1767

Same with dad/grandpa.  He was overheard from the observation deck hollering, “So this is where all the weenies are!” They pretended like they didn’t really want to play but the little kid came out in all of us.

Finally, it was my turn. Somehow I ended up on a team with all adults and the NINE boys in our group were on the opposite team. Needless to say, once one of them hit me, they surrounded me and wouldn’t go away!

I will say it was one of the best nights in a long time. I should have played more than one game but it was hot, I’m aging, and hopelessly out of shape. It is a fun way to get your adrendaline up and spend quality time with the kids. Somehow Laser Tag did not end up on my 40×40 list but it should have been.

Oh, and the little boys had fun too! (wink)

Eli was almost old enough to play but it was probably better he didn’t. I don’t think it would have been a safety issue for him but here’s the scene that played out in my head. Eli gets shot in laser tag. He can’t shoot anyone else for those 10 seconds so he gets upset. Ridiculously upset, which is the only way he works upset. Threatens to throw his gun out at the kid who got him and then gets us all kicked out.

Or maybe he would have been perfectly fine and oblivious to the fact that he got shot.  He will have to wait until he is six to find out!

Sofia played some arcade games and kept turning in her points for candy. Candy is her number one priority in life so she had a great night.

Of course, any kind of event involving my little brother, Braden,  is not complete until he throws up, which he did right before we were headed into eat pizza!

Wordless Wednesday: The Little Things

These are the things interesting to an almost 4 year old.

IMG_0999

IMG_1002

IMG_1012

This one has been digitally mastered to hide the subject’s flaws a bit.

This is what happens when you get busy

You don’t even realize that your chair looks like something has been chewing on it.

Maybe something was….we do have four kids in the house.

Christmas 2008, my mom bought us this chair.

IMG_1391

Because she couldn’t stand to look at these anymore.

IMG_1388

Somehow I just didn’t notice how nasty it looked until she pointed it out.

IMG_1389

P.S. It only took until September 2009 to get the chair up. On a chance visit, my mom couldn’t stand looking at it in the box anymore so she put it together.

That is what happens when you get busy. You don’t even notice that your chair has been chewed on.

Thanks, Mom!

Start Your Tractors Boys

“Start Your Tractors.”

The chant from the Guerin fans near the end of a high school sectional championship game.

Is this an insult to Tipton County?

Agriculture is an integral part of Tipton County life. Our county ranks first in the state of Indiana as having the highest percentage of prime farmland acreage, and therefore, agriculture represents the largest single land use in the county. It is on this land that not only the highest yields per acre in Indiana are produced, but also some of the top yields in the nation. We have consistently ranked among the leading counties for our impressive return in the production of corn, soybeans and wheat in Indiana. Source: Tipton County Ag Business

Today, much of Tipton County is still rural farmland. We are proud of farmers in Tipton County. They are hard workers with values. This is your insult? Really?

Tipton County is still mostly farmland . At one time, Hamilton County, was mostly farmland, right? Now it is filled with housing division after housing division, strip malls, and traffic. We love our farmland in Tipton.

My retort would have been: “Start your daddy’s Mercedes.” But I wouldn’t because that has nothing to do with the actual game being played. Maybe, an “airball” or a “you got swatted” or even an “overrated.” But why insult the tractors?

I’m not sure there was even a player from a farming family on the team. All the boys I can think of are “city boys.”

Onto the actual game.

Guerin is a good team, don’t get me wrong. They played hard and tough. They had impressive three point shooters. Really, I was impressed. Not surprised because we watched them come back from at least a ten point deficit against Madison Grant.  I knew they would bring the three point ball on Saturday.

We started the game out hot and then somewhere during the first half went cold. Everytime we started to get fired back up again, we would be brought back down by a shrug your shoulders foul.

You do have to question it. The foul situation that is. Tipton was called for almost twice as many fouls as Guerin. (Tipton 25, Guerin 14) Let me tell ya it was a physically game. It just wasn’t as one sided as those stats are portraying. I’m browsing the stats for the other games in our area and the foul situation for almost every other sectional championship game is very even. It seemed these one particular referring squad we had the entire sectional game really had it out for us.

In these types of situations, it can mess with your psyche. If one team is allowed to play a more physical game and the other is not, it can affect the outcome of the game. I’m not making excuses, I’m sure we could have played a better game but you have to take this into account.

It was an exciting, entertaining season. Indiana high school basketball is inexpensive entertainment and excitement.

Tipton loses only two seniors, including a Ohio University bound Ethan Jacobs. We will come back strong with a great line up of seniors.

Oh, and Greg Dickey, Sofia still thinks you are the “awesomest”!

Hillbilly Wet Bar

Hillbilly Wet Bar

Wordless Wednesday: The Chicken Limo

IMG_0987Classy, eh.

I look like an Alien

Sofia is just getting into drawing people. Here’s how she depicts our family.

Sofia Art Work

No arms. Just heads and legs. Apparently, my head looks like an Alien head. Plus, she giggled and gave me a nose on my forehead.

Daddy has special hair.

There is a few extra people in there. Apparently, she wants a baby in the house.

Uh, sorry, that isn’t happening.

We had some good laughs over this family portrait.

Not Ready for the World to Read?

“I have a blog but I’m not ready for it to be public.”

Oh, the shame, the horror. You could hear the gasps in the air.

To say that phrase at a blogging conference. Who would dare say such a thing? Blasphemy at a blogging conference.

Understandably, it was one of the people working to organize the conference. They weren’t there primarily as a blogger.

Of course, upon meeting anyone at a blogging conference, you want to know what their blog is. She said she had a personal blog but wasn’t ready for people to read it yet.

I completely relate.

Even though, I have another blog, which gets thousands of hits every day, I’m not ready for the world to read my personal blog. If someone stumbles upon it fine, but I’m not out there advertising it to the whole world.

First of all, why would anyone really care. Second of all, there are other sites that do the personal stuff much better.  Plus, will people still like me knowing all of this here?

I applaud those who do and can take the heat on their personal thoughts and life.

Even here in my personal space, I still feel I censor my thoughts and feelings. As a matter of fact, I have several “unpublished” posts ready to go when I’m ready. Will people still like me if I post all of my personal thoughts?

You know though. It’s okay. It is okay to have a blog and not want the whole world to read or have anyone read it.

When you are ready, you will know.

Google Analytics Alternative