First Evah Contest!!

Happy New Year everyone....it is time for a celebration!! In honor of the New Year 2008 and my new found love of blogging, I am having my First Evah Contest!!! And the prize is this.....

...a bag of Belly Flops from the Jelly Belly Factory!! Belly Flops are Jelly Bellies that are "irregular", i.e. not perfect. Since I am "not perfect' (sshhh, don't tell anyone!!), Belly Flops are my favorites. You never know what the flavor is, some are big, some are small....I love them!!

So, all you have to do is post on your blog your funniest or cutest picture of your 4-legged protege, or your 2-legged protege. I have 2 prizes, one for the 4-legged variety and one for the 2-legged variety. Of course you have to link to my site...AND leave me a comment to let me know that you are entering my First Evah Contest!! Good luck, and I can't wait to see your pics...

Oh...if you don't have a blog....get one, I highly recommend it...you will never scrub a toilet again!! But seriously, you can still enter, just leave me a comment with a link to your picture!

Destination: Fairfield

Off we went today on another adventure....today our minivan took us to Fairfield...first stop...

...The Jelly Belly Factory! Step through the doors with us and enter into another world...

....where Jelly Bellies hang from the ceiling...

...and you can sample any flavor you like, or all of them if you so choose.

Our first stop at the factory was to take a tour of the facility. Unfortunately cameras were not allowed on the tour...I guess they don't want any Super Duper Secrets exposed...but we got to wear these cool hats. Great fashion statements!! We learned everything you ever wanted to know, and then some, about making Jelly Bellies. Basically they throw a bunch of sugar in liquid and solid form into huge machines...and a few flavorings and colors, and voila...Jelly Bellies!!


The kids made a new friend...isn't he cute??

And we got a free bag of Jelly Bellies after the tour was over...and the tour was free....can't beat that bargain.

Did you know that President Reagan loved Jelly Bellies and he had a special Jelly Belly holder on Air Force One so the Jelly Bellies wouldn't spill during turbulance? That picture of him is made of Jelly Bellies. They even have a whole gallery of art done completely in Jelly Bellies....sorry no pics....the gallery is in the Super Duper Secret part of the tour.


Remember how I said that the tour is free and the you get a free bag of Jelly Bellies?? Well lookie here...the tour ends in the gift shop!! Imagine that...rows upon rows of Jelly Bellies. Your "free" tour can end up costing you a pretty penny in the shop....but look at all those beautiful colors...how can you resist them?

What would any normal 7 year old boy do with Jelly Bellies? Why make them into fangs of course.....how do their brains work? I would never have thought of that!!

So we had our tour, had our free Jelly Bellies....we are ready to be off and onto our second stop of the day...

....Scandia for a game of Miniature Golf.

Our game started out on the right foot, or should I say tee? Daddy gives his son some golf pointers, we actually attempt to keep score! But, alas...we are pretty crappy at miniature golf...so our game quickly deteriorates into.....

...How Fast Can We Put Our Balls Into The Cups And Be Done With This Game?? I think we finished our 18 holes in about 15 minutes...mind you our first 3 holes took about 7 minutes to complete...so let's do the math...that leaves....oh, about...11 minutes for the remaining 15 holes....I think we set a speed record!!

And while we are speaking about speed...let's race the go carts! Look in the above picture...who do you think is having the most fun? Hard to tell isn't it? Look at the younger one...see how his mouth is open? This is what he told me on the drive home.....verbatim..."Mommy, I had my mouth open the whole time we were racing and my spit fell out of my mouth and drooled on my shirt. It was awesome!!" Once again, the musings of a 7 year old male brain. I give up trying to figure it out!!

Then we have this sweet young lady. Look at how safe she is driving. Both hands on the wheel, watching the road. Not talking on her cell phone, wait a minute, she doesn't have a cell phone yet, sorry. Anyways, this is the epitome of a safe driver. Mouth is closed, no drool on her shirt. Perfect....
...until it comes to parking and she crashes into the wall! That's OK honey, parallel parking takes a bit of practise. No worries....this strapping young fella will help you!! Just keep smiling honey....you have at least 4 more years to practise before you can get your driver's license.
How about a nice game of bumper boats. Look at that little boy's face..."I'm gonna get you Sissy!!" Well the truth of the matter is this...that little boy got stuck behind that island in the back and his Sissy had to rescue him!!

Well, this was our adventure today....
Happy New Year everyone..

Oh, wait, before I forget...come back tomorrow for my first ever
CONTEST!!! THE PRIZE WILL BE SOMETHING VERY YUMMY....MAYBE, JUST MAYBE FROM OUR ADVENTURE TODAY!!
Come back tomorrow to see..

More funnies and a contest

Kelly is holding a contest...check it out...you can even win a prize!!
My fun monday post is below!!

Fun Monday

Welcome to another Fun Monday!! Peter over at Holtie's House is our illustrious host this week (Thank you Peter!). Our assignment was the following:

The task for Fun Monday Dec.31 is designed to do several things;
Finish the year with a smile on our faces.
Give us a use for that Fwd that’s cluttering up the inbox.
Put the fun into Fun Monday.
I want you to tell us your favorite joke and/or show usyour favorite cartoon, don’t worry if there is someduplication that just means more than one personfound it funny.So come on and regale us with your best joke and/or cartoon, remember its New Years Eve and we feel like a good laugh, before 2008 comes along and does its thing on us.

Well, I love a good laugh so I had a hard time just choosing one!! Here goes nothing...

How about a political one?

A lot of folks can't understand how we came
to have an oil shortage here in our country.
~~~
Well, there's a very simple answer.
~~~
Nobody bothered to check the oil.
~~~
We just didn't know we were getting low.
~~~
The reason for that is purely geographical.
~~~
Our OIL is located in
~~~
ALASKA
~~~
California
~~~
Coastal Florida
~~~
Coastal Louisiana
~~~
Kansas
~~~
Oklahoma
~~~
Pennsylvania
and
Texas
~~~
Our
DIPSTICKS
are located in
Washington , DC !!!

How about one about dogs....I love my dogs!!!

Ten Peeves that Dogs Have About Humans

'1' Blaming your farts on me..... not funny... not funny at all !!!
'2' Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG
'3' Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
'4' Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!
'5' Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.
'6' The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
'7' Taking me to the vet for 'the big snip', then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
'8' Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
'9' Dog sweaters. Hello ??? Haven't you noticed the fur?
'10' How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.
Now lay off me on some of these things. We both know who's boss here! You don't see me picking up your poop do you?



And finally, how about one that is about a dog AND a politician?



A young cowboy from Montana goes off to college, but half way through the semester, he has foolishly squandered all his money. He calls home. "Dad," he says, "You won't believe what modern education is developing! They actually have a program here in Bozeman that will teach our dog, Old Blue how to talk!""That's amazing," his Dad says. "How do I get Ol' Blue in that program?""Just send him down here with $1,000" the young cowboy says. "I'll get him in the course."So, his father sends the dog and $1,000.About two-thirds through the semester, the money again runs out. The boy calls home."So how's Ol' Blue doing, son," his father asks."Awesome, Dad, he's talking up a storm," he says, "but you just won't believe this - they've had such good results they have started to teach the animals how to read!"

"Read!" says his father, "No kidding! How do we get Blue in that program?"
"Just send $2,500, I'll get him in the class."The money promptly arrives.But our hero has a problem. At the end of the year, his father will find out the dog can neither talk, nor read. So he shoots the dog.When he arrives home at the end of the year, his father is all excited. "Where's Ol' Blue? I just can't wait to see him read something and talk!""Dad," the boy says, "I have some grim news. Yesterday morning, just before we left to drive home, Ol' Blue was in the living room, kicked back in the recliner, reading the Wall Street Journal, like he usually does. Then he turned to me and asked, 'So, is your daddy still messing' around with that little redhead who lives in town?"The father exclaimed, "I hope you shot that son of a bitch before he talks to your Mother!"
"I sure did, Dad!"
"That's my boy!"

The kid went on to become a successful lawyer

...... And now he is a Congressman



Hope you had a good laugh....now head on over to Holtie's House to visit all the other Fun Monday Participants and laugh some more!!

Birthday Month Tag/Meme

I have been lovingly tagged by Mrs. Such Simple Pleasures....here it is...the birthday month meme..

So, the rules for this meme are...copy and paste the 12 months and their characteristics. Highlight the traits that are yours and, of course, make some snide comment about it, or you can be serious, too...if that's what floats your boat. Then tag 12 of your closest and dearest friends...or, just randomly pick 12 blogs, or...a combo...! I don't feel like tagging anyone today...so if you feel like doing it...Just Do It...and let me know if you did!!

My birthday is June 16...let's see what it has to say about me, shall we?

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. I have lots of vision, great planning....it is the execution that I have a hard time with!

Easily influenced by kindness. Very true....I have been known to change my opinions after having been shown a bit of kindness.

Polite and soft-spoken. Polite? Yes....soft-spoken - Never!!

Having ideas. Yes, lots...drive husband crazy with home demolition, I mean remodeling ideas.

Sensitive. Yes Active mind. Yes

Hesitating, tends to delay. No, not really, I tend to be more impulsive.

Choosy and always wants the best. Sometimes.

Temperamental. Most definitely...just ask my husband and kids.

Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. what do you think?? do I make you laugh...I know I make myself laugh!!

Good debating skills. Talkative. Yes, and yes....I love a good debate.

Daydreamer. Yes...I always have my millions spent from winning the lottery...unfortunately I never buy tickets!!

Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Yes, and yes....I feel very blessed to have some very good friends.

Able to show character. I think so....depends though which character - Happy or Grumpy?

Easily hurt. depends on the time of month.

Prone to getting colds. not so much anymore....when my kids were younger, most defintely

Loves to dress up. absolutely not...I love my pajama pants and tshirts. I never, never, ever wear heels anymore....

Easily bored. Fussy. sometimes, depends on mood, weather outside, the stars positions, the shape of the moon, I guess the answer is yes!!

Seldom shows emotions. nope....I wear my emotions on my face!! I am not a good poker player....even if I knew how to play!!

Takes time to recover when hurt. I would like to say yes, but unfortunately this goes along with the impulsive side!

Brand conscious. Executive. nope and nope, could care less...I don't even know what most of the brand names are...except for Target brands!! in fact if "everyone" is doing something or wearing something you can bet your sweet ass that I will not....I guess this also goes along with the stubborn streak below.

Stubborn. you betcha.....absolutely....just ask anyone!!

So what does your month tell you about yourself? Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this and let me know if you do it!!!

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Destination: San Jose

Our adventure for today took us down to San Jose to see the awesome BBC Production of "Walking with Dinosaurs" at the...

...great venue BTW, it was my first time going there.

We found our seats and they were awesome...row 14 from the arena...right there in the action. We sat back and were enthralled by an incredible production.

The technology was amazing. The dinosaurs were life size. The building shook when they walked, your heart hammered when they roared. You heard the footsteps before you saw the dinosaurs...amazing. The narrator was a "paleontologist". You can see him in the lower right corner of the above picture. This also gives you the scale to how humongous this production was.
They even had flying dinosaurs.
During the entire production, the paleontologist told us about the dinosaurs and about the different eras...it was educational and entertaining!!I can't remember the name of this one...but I do remember that he was an herbivore.
Of course, no dinosaur show would be complete without an appearance by the infamous T Rex. This is a mommy T Rex....it appears her baby (a little brat!!) gets himself into a bit of mischief and she arrives just in time to save him...a little drama to go along with the entertainment and education!!

Momma saves him and they live happily ever after, that is until the huge comet plows into the earth and all the dinosaurs are annihilated....at least that is how their story went!

I highly recommend this show if it comes through your city. I believe it is touring the US now. It was incredible....our whole family loved it!!

Destination: Oakland Hills

It was a cold and foggy day today. The perfect day to go to the Oakland Hills to visit the.....
What a wonderful museum!! We hadn't been there for a couple of years and it was the kids first choice for an outing today...actually their first choice was the San Francisco Zoo, but unfortunately it is still closed after the tragic tiger attack....so off we went to the Chabot Space and Science Center....come along with us...
There are some very cool exhibits at this museum...lots of info about stars and planets, imagine that!! My brain always go into Information Overload at these places so after I read a few informational placards and my brain started to hurt, I decided to devote the rest of my time to picture taking.
I found my son pondering the effects of dry ice and its gaseous emissions. This exhibit fascinated him for about 15 minutes...he sat there just like that and stared at it. He was so excited when the large piece dropped in....I had to pry him away. Shoot, if I had known it was so easy to get his attention I would have had dry ice on hand years ago!
Now this was interesting....I think these are the emissions that emanate from our bedroom on a nightly basis. How it ended up at the museum is beyond me....do you think I have any proprietary rights over this?Did you know that asteroids and meteorites are made out of metals, mostly iron? I didn't either....this was the last bit of information my brain could hold today....after this display I was officially on Information Overload.
I thought Pluto lost its planet affiliation....maybe they changed their minds...or maybe (GASP!!) the museum is not up to date!! I want my money back!My kids willingly crawled into this Black Hole and I thought to myself "Yes, free at last!!". I was shocked when they came out. Talk about false advertising....geesh....another reason for a refund.I guess I can just blast them into space...unfortunately this rocket was bolted to the floor and I forgot to bring my socket wrench. Note to self: Always pack socket wrench in purse.I didn't know this either, did you? I wonder if we get to name the star we are made out of? Oh wait..are these the stars we can purchase and give as gifts? Commercialism is everywhere!More hands on exhibits....here we are in the solar system....I am standing near the sun warming my buns....did I mention it was cold outside?I guess Michael was cold too....he is warming his buns now and I have migrated down to Neptune.
We ended our day watching the Dinosaurs Alive movie on their awesome 3D planetarium type movie screen. It was an incredible show....and it was a perfect segue into our adventure for tomorrow.......Stay Tuned....

Destination: San Francisco

Another fun adventure was had by us today. We let the kids bring a friend and off we went to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. We crossed the Bay Bridge and glimpsed the City....the above is one of my favorite views into the City. It is almost like magic...after you drive through the tunnel on Treasure Island, you emerge to the above gorgeous view. You can imagine all the fun adventures awaiting you in the magical city of San Francisco. Tonight we only had one destination, one adventure waiting for us....
We took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe on Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. We arrived early hoping for a short wait, they are notorious for waits of an hour or more. Luckily, we only had a half an hour wait....perfect!! It allowed us to get acquainted with some jungle friends....
Here was my favorite...his name is Freddy. He was a friendly amphibian...look at the lovely smile on his reptilian face.

This fine gentlemen here is Herman. He was very friendly, a little too friendly you might say. When the boys approached him he blinked his eyes and moved his arms towards them. The boys jumped about as high as Freddy jumps. Poor Herman, he was only trying make friends with them. I felt kind of sorry for him.
This is Penelope. She was not very friendly unfortunately. Of course I don't think I would be very friendly either if I was her. Imagine having to perch on an imaginary branch 24/7....it is enough to give any girlfriend a headache...just look at her, she has migraine written all over her face, look at her eyes.
This fine little chap is Frankie. He was very friendly as you can see by his soft gentle expression. Look at those eyes, so peaceful, so kind. He was so enamored of the boys that he had to show it. He lifted his trunk to show them a huge smile....the boys were not quite sure what Frankie's intentions were so unfortunately they jumped back in horror and hurt poor Frankie's feelings. Poor little guy, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Luckily his mom was right there next to him and comforted him as only a mother can!

Look in the trees...see those two guys....they are Milton and Horatio. They are two wild and crazy blokes. In fact I was leery of getting too close to them....look at that devilish smile on Milton's face. I wisely kept my distance!
The fish.....such peacefulness....watching the fish lazily swim...the bubbles floating to the surface...the beautiful colors of the tropical fish....I could watch them for hours...in fact I did because our 30 minute wait promptly turned into an hour and a half wait!!
Luckily I had this to watch. It kept my blood pressure and my sanity in check....I kept my serenity!!

Finally, we were seated. And look where we were seated, right next to my Serene Place, My Happy Place!! Wonderful! We ordered our meals.....ate our real food in great anticipation for dessert because a trip to the Rainforest Cafe would not be complete without a .....

...VOLCANO!! The above delectable dessert is called a volcano and consists of ice cream, brownies, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, and whipped cream....YUMMY!!! It is huge...we all shared it, we all loved it...we demolished it.

This is all that remained of the VOLCANO!! It erupted, it flowed, it is now on my hips!!

We drove home over the Golden Gate Bridge....I tried to get pictures but it was dark and rainy and the pictures didn't come out. We drove over 3 bridges today and only payed one toll!!

Another great adventure....stayed tuned for more....we take lots of day trips during the Holiday Break every year...we will actually do something every day after our daily chores are done!!

A quick announcement before I complete this post....there will not be a Friday Funny Post tomorrow....I am saving it for the Fun Monday Post on Monday!