Scarecrow Festival 2008

Here are some pictures of our fun at the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. This was a few weeks ago but I figured it would be fun to see.

The Long Awaited... HAWAII!

I have been talking about this trip for over a year and we went several months ago and lots of people have been asking for pictures. We finally got all of our pictures digitally and I finally found a slide show program I really liked. So, long story short, here they are.

I want to tell you some of our favorite highlights too. We had a really packed week so there is a LOT to tell so I will keep it to the highlights.

Our first day in Kauai we checked into our condo and then went to one of the best places to eat on the island called The Bull Shed. It is right on the ocean front. I don't say beach because there is no beach just a rocky cove. But we got a seat right on the ocean front where the waves crashed against the window. The Bull Shed isn't much to look at but it has some of the best food on the island. Their Teriyaki Steak is amazing. (Below is a picture of me just outside the Bull Shed throwing rocks into the water. They never grow up ladies).

The next morning was our first full day in Kauai and we took off early to pick up our river kayacks. We took those up the Wailua river to a stony beach and then hiked to Secret Falls. I am sure there is a true hawaiian name for the falls but that is the only name we could find anywhere. The falls are supposedly an ancient sacred place but the Hawaiians only feel it is sacred if people continue to visit it. I will get those pictures from my mom and post them here at a later date.


On the way back from the Secret Falls we went a little further up the river and found a little cliff to dive from and a tree with a rope swing. Pretty refreshing after a long hike.


The next day we went to Kipu Falls which is a little secluded falls in the middle of an old sugar cane fields. It is more of a locals' hang out but it was awesome for Camille and I to jump off the falls and swing from the rope swing. My mom and dad played photographers since jumping off cliffs was not their cup of tea.


On the 4th we went to the Lihue soccer stadium and watched the fireworks.... right up until the tsunami hit us.


On Sunday we went to church followed by a drive up Waimea Canyon. It is amazing to climb almost to the altitude of Utah from sea level and see how quickly the scenery changes. It was also awesome to see from north to south both coasts from on point at the top of the island.


The next couple of days were spent snorkeling, going to the spouting horn, walking along beaches. We snorkeled in Poipu and ate at Brenneke's. We went to Hanalei and Ke'e Beach and snorkeled at Tunnels. There were tons of fish and reef to see. It was really refreshing to just float in the ocean and watch the life around us.


One of our favorites was the morning we took a boat along the Na'Pali coast and got to snorkel with all sorts of wildlife including Honu or Green Sea Turtles. We did not get any pictures of them sadly but it is something I will not soon forget. They really don't swim but rather fly or glide through the water. It is pretty amazing to see.


We then took a helicoptor tour around the island. We went on a helicoptor with the doors off which was amazing. We were literally hanging out over the waves. We got to see a lot of places we had already been to and talk more about them from a different angle.


Later that day we went to the Fern Grotto and the Smith Family Luau. It was a lot of good food and a lot of fun. My parents had been to Kauai a few years earlier and had been to a different Luau but said the Smith Family one had it beat hands down.


On the last day we took one more drive up Waimea Canyon to look across the island again and see everywhere we had been. It was amazing that we had nearly seen everything on the whole island in only a week. We were kind of sad to know it was all coming to an end.


It was a trip to remember and I really can't wait to go back. Until then here is another set of pictures that I took with my SLR on the trip.

National Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008

Once a year comes a holiday so savy that men cower in fear... it is official "Talk Like a Pirate Day". As is tradition on this day one must engage in all of activities of our swash-buckling fore-fathers. The first thing to do is get yer own pirate name:

My pirate name is:

Dread Pirate Kidd

Like the famous Dread Pirate Roberts, you have a keen head for how to make a profit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

To get yer Pirate name visit: http://www.piratequiz.com/

Also be sure to visit one of our favorite "Talk Like a Pirate Day" websites for all sorts of fun and games: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Don't forget to see what yer Pirate personality be:

You are The Cap'n

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scalawag who stands between them and unlimited power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. You are the definitive Man of Action, the CEO of the Seven Seas, Lee Iacocca in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You’re mission-oriented, and if anyone gets in the way, that’s his problem, now isn’t? Your buckle was swashed long ago and you have never been so sure of anything as your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off his head if he shows any sign of taking you on or backing down. If one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.


What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Happy Pirating me maties!

The Haderlie Birthday Cake

Since there are several birthdays in Camille's family in March and April they are doing a big party today for all of them. Camille decided to put her cake making skills to the test yet again and created a really springy cake complete with daisies. This was our first attempt at some harder flowers.

All of the cake is covered in a white fondant to make the pastel decorations stand out. The bottom tier has colored squres with the center cut out in a flower and decorated with polka dots of the same color.

This close up shows the intricate lavendar piping that Camille did to create this band around the middle tier. Additionally there are pearls of buttercream setting off each of the tiers and the second tier band. This was a really cool feature that I was really happy she came up with. You can see it from a distance in the other pics and either close up or far off it looks amazing.

The sides of the thrid tier are decorated with differently cut colored stripes. On top of the third and top tier is a collection of white and lavendar two-part daisies with yellow buttercream piped in to make the core.

All I can say is that my wife continues to impress me with her creativity and talent at this whole thing. This cake is the same size as our first one which the first time took us 12-13 hours to complete. She did this one in about half the time. We found that making the bottome tier from rice crispy treats and covering it with fondant saves a lot of time and gives a very firm and stable base for the rest of the cake... plus we have not finished all of one of these cakes yet. All I can say is that Camille is amazing.

An inside joke for BGM

This will make no sense at all to most people but for those select few you will need to pull yourselves off the floor after you have seen it. Thanks to Shawn Jensen for sending us this amazing video. We miss you at Bill Good man!

Introducing... The Faux Hawk!

Yeah I caved but I also look pretty freaking sweet (as on animated north easterner would say). I thought I would do a little homage to Steve-O and NOT get it tattooed on my back... sorry Jackass guys, a ridiculous pic is as far as I go.

EAT YOUR HEART OUT SEACREST!!

Camille's Birthday Concert

HAPPY 26TH BIRTHDAY CAMILLE!!



We went to the concert that Camille has been waiting for since she was 12. We saw Alanis Morisette live from the third row last night. Thank you Mark and Michelle for awesome tickets. In addition to the incomperable Alanis Morisette we also saw one of my new favorite bands MuteMath and a classic favorite Match Box 20. Here are a few pictures.



Happy birthday to my sweet wife and I hope she had loads of fun at our 4 hour concert event!

Planet Earth

If you have not seen it already you need to check out Discovery Channel's Planet Earth. I have been watching it for the past few weeks and it is amazing. I have already set aside the money to get my own DVD and hopefully I will get an HD TV soon so I can see all of the clarity of the images.