IT IS SO.....

COLD!! Here is what we are up to today....





After 2 days of constant snow, wind and cold, Steffan and the kids decided to play in the 10-12 inches of snow we have in our yard. After all, what are snow days for? No school today, and time to Trick R Treat tomorrow and Saturday. What a fun week!

Just three weeks ago we were saying, "IT IS SO...."

HOT!!! We spent a full week in Florida, enjoying Disneyworld Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and The Beach. We went with my Mom and Dad, and Cory and Tiffany and their kids. Everything was absolutely perfect! (If we could have only lowered the heat by about 10-15 degrees!) The kids were so good, especially considering the heat and Tiffany and I were the master planners, so we did not miss anything! There were a few long days in there, but it was worth every minute.



Mya's favorite rides were Splash Mountain, It's a Small World, The Tea Cups, and the Haunted Mansion. She loved meeting all the characters and getting autographs.





Peyton's favorite rides were It's a Small World and the Dumbo Ride. His favorite character was Ariel for obvious reasons (see the picture!). He also loved meeting Mickey and having the same mouse ears as Mickey.





Steffan's favorite rides were Aerosmith Rockin' RollerCoaster, Tower of Terror, Everest and Splash Mountain. Mostly he liked taking the unsuspecting kids on the roller coasters to see their reactions. Peyton could care less, nothing really bothered him except walking. And Mya was usually hiding her face or burried in Steffans shoulder in fear. But she also enjoyed the rides for the most part, except for Everest, which proved to be a bit much for Jaxon and Mya. Steffan's favorite character was Sleeping Beauty.



My favorite part of the trip was seeing the delight and enjoyment of the kids, and thinking back to the days of Disney when I was a kids. I love It's a Small World, and also all the Roller Coasters. Of course the shopping was great too! The character's were great, especially the ones who could actually talk and interact with the kids. It made it so magical! It was the greatest adventure and vacation we could have asked for!

LETTERS FROM STEVO: Parent/Teacher Conference?

Let me just start by saying you should see the ear hair I'm growing! Man, I'm getting old and goin' down hill fast! Poor Amy! What's next? Prostate issues?

We are going to Disney World in a couple of weeks and I've already been telling the kids that if they don't go thru the haunted house, we are putting them up for adoption! Just try me...they know I don't bluff!

As mentioned in my previous blog...Mya has a BIG personality! I just needed to re-iterate that before writing this post. We met with Mya's 1st grade teacher for Parent/Teacher Conference this past week...who I will refer to as X. We enter the classroom at the appointed time...mid morning, yes I'm missing work for this. As per the stereotype, we have to sit in kid desk chairs...Apparently, Mya's personality is a trite too large for her teacher, though she appreciates it, I think she has a hard time managing it. X seems to enjoy Mya's conversational abilities, for example, Mya telling her about hot tubbing in the mountains. However, she doesn't appreciate Mya calling her out on giving out too much work! Or, sighing when it's time to say the Pledge of Allegiance. The trick to Mya is you have to gain credibility with her...she won't just automatically listen to you because you are an a-dult! Inherently respecting authority is not an inherent trait in our little family. So if we respect you...consider it a major compliment!

So, we've been "counseling" Mya to be a better listener to X. I use the word "counseling" losely...it's more like threats of violence! I think it's sinking in too! She's making a concerted effort to behave appropriately in 1st grade. For example, X uses a "behavior ladder" to gauge good behavior. Today, Amy asked her where she ended up on the ladder. Mya responded to Amy that she ended the day at "Super Choices"...meaning she was good. She then tells Amy that X hadn't noticed how great she was all day, so she made a point of reminding X of how good she was today...bartering for some good placement on the "behavior ladder"...some politicking if you will.

Mya then convinced us tonight that we needed to go to Chick Fil-A because all the kids from school would be there and she could see all her friends. So, we go and find out that Chick Fil-A was having some sort of event partnering with the school and of course EVERYBODY was there! Mya got her chance to work the crowd and hangout with her friends...there is no introvert in this girl!

LETTERS FROM STEVO: The Miseducation of Mr. Peet!

It's no secret that Mya has a BIG personality. She is a girls girl, feminine to the core. I love this about Mya and would never try to take her extreme girlishness away from her. However, being the little brother of Miss Mya can be a daunting task! There are times I feel Peyton gets lost in the madness and we don't let his personality shine enough...and then you add the clingy mama's boy factor that boys his age are known to show and I'll admit, there are times I have a hard time knowing how to handle him. I am not a kid person and will never pretend to be one, so this stuff definitely puts me out of my comfort zone!

Well, tonight was a step in the right direction. We have Peyton in soccer this year for the first time. I took him to his first practice...he did fine. Amy took him to his second practice...he was clingy. We took him to his first game...clingy. So, we decided I'm going to take him to practice from now on. I took him tonight...once again, he was fine.

Peyton is also a total shrimp! I don't think he eats enough food of substance...i.e., protein! He's typically on a diet of empty carbs. After practice, I drove thru Wendy's and bought a cheeseburger and chili. We shared the meal of good growth oriented protein and much to his surprise...Peyton actually liked the chili! I then let him take a bath and after the bath, I let him chill out with me and watch some TV. Now, typically, Peyton only gets to watch Mya's girly chick shows...Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, etc...gag me now, I'm nauseous! Do you think we turned it on to Disney? NO! As I was flipping thru the channels, he would give me his opinion as to whether or not he wanted to watch whatever we stopped on. I flipped to Spike TV and Ultimate Fighting was on...he wanted to watch it! I swear he did! I'm not making this up! "They're punching each other!" "They're wrestling!" I explained to him that it is a game and he got a kick out of it! After the bloody clash, we watched some Cartoon Network until the girls got home.

It's times like these when he makes me proud!

LETTERS FROM STEVO: Working Class Hero Part IV- My last blue collar jobs!

For my final installment of "Working Class Hero" I'll condense my final blue collar jobs into one post. Interspersed with the Ice Plant, since it was a seasonal job, I worked for a Navajo sculptor named Alvin for a couple of months. He would create native dancers and other emblems of the Navajo Nation out of rock and take them to Phoenix to sell at an art gallery in Scottsdale. He was a phenomenal artist and my job was to cut the base of the rock per his design and set the stage for his work. Especially on deadlines, we would work up to 16 hour days. I would start the day making a fire in the shop, he would then draw lines on the rock showing me where to cut with the saw. Alvin also had a small sweatlodge on his property and one day he decided we needed to enter the sweatlodge and pray to be cleansed. My day started with chopping wood to build a large fire that was used to heat up the volcanic rock used to heat and steam the tent. After working on that and various other projects during the day, we placed the rocks in the tent, poured water over them to create steam and entered the lodge to pray. He prayed in Navajo and I sat there with my hands stingin' from the steam seaping into my blistered hands! It was a neat experience I will never forget!

Following my two years in Ohio proselytizing, I returned to Farmtown and landed a job at a furniture store called Haelig-Meyers. I worked in the warehouse with about 6 other Navajo dudes...I was the only white dude. It was a blast! This was the most physically taxing job I've ever had. Re-arranging the warehouse, unloaded shipments, deliveries, etc. My '76 F-150 had no power steering, so driving home at night with sore forearms was painful! We goofed around a lot as well though...there was always music in the warehouse, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy, Metallica and the guys loved my Ozzy impersonation! One day during down time, we decided to knock each other out by choking each other. I was instructed to hold my breath, stare at the light and a guy would choke me. It took him a while to knock me out because I would keep laughing...but eventually he got me! It was then my turn to knock out a co-worker named Avery. We both stood as I wrapped my hands around his neck and squeezed with all my might...he immediately passed out and went limp, I caught him before he hit the ground, but it freaked me out! I suddenly had visions of "manslaughter conviction" dancing in my head! One of the traditions on the team...call it a "team building activity" was to jump a guy on his last day of work, if he was resigning! I had been there two months and was resigning to move to Utah. On my last day, I went on a delivery into Colorado and we locked the key in the truck and it took all night to get the truck unlocked. Apparently, my co-workers waited quite a while for me to return so they could give me the customary send off, but we didn't make it back until about midnight that night...too bad!

My last blue collar job was my first job in Utah. I was hired to work for Bear Creek Country Kitchens, a dehydrated soup/food manufacturer in Heber City. My initial position was on the "clean up crew"...errr janitor. After three months, I was taught how to drive a forklift and was promoted to the shipping/receiving docks. I interacted extensively with truck drivers...classy people! I worked there with a good buddy from Ohio who went by the name "Skirt"...we had another co-worker named Braden who was a total hippie, complete with the thick beard (we called him Moses...he called me Hollywood...no idea why) We would all play basketball after work and I soon gained my typical B-ball reputation! The owners son, the General Manager, would also play. One day, I was approached by the company owner, an old cantankerous man who, as he approached me, said "I heard you're a mean son-of-a-bitch on the basketball court!"...to which I replied, "you heard right!" I think my response threw him off and he immediately turned around grumbling something as he walked off. We worked long hours, weekends...I once worked a 20 hour day! We went to Jazz games, threw hay at the owners ranch, I was once referred to by my boss as a "22 year old snot nose with an attitude!"...which in retrospect was completely accurate! I never said anything that warranted termination, I would only push the envelope just enough to make my point and piss off my supervisor, who was a 29 year old snot nose with an attitude!

In conclusion, I think the reason I look back at these jobs with fondness is twofold: 1) Physically demanding and rewarding. 2) I could do and say things I can't anymore, due to having much more responsibility now. I guess the trade off is now I have company directors and managers coming to me for advice, whereas back then I was just a goon. Memories....

LETTERS FROM STEVO: An Epidemic Sweeping the Nation!

Yes, you heard me! I have no choice but to report on a dangerous new disease that has reached epidemic levels! Chances are, you know someone who has it...in fact, chances are, you have it! It hasn't reached Amy and I yet and it is my humble cry to the Almighty that it never does! Nothing in our current healthcare system could cure it and the currently proposed Obamacare in it's present form has no language regarding a cure or a solution to this mutation of the human condition...

So what is this disease you ask? It has been labelled "Schizo-iPhonia" by the American Psychiatric and Geriatric Association or APGA. Schizo-iPhonia is an incurrable addiction/fascination/obsession with the iPhone. According to the APGA, this condition has reached epic proportions. The condition has reached every conceivable demographic in this nation and is spreading like the Swine Flu in Mexico...but is more dangerous to humankind. Symptoms include but are not limited to...buying a new iPhone, compulsively downloading new "apps" for the iPhone and blankly staring at the iPhone during what would normally be productive activity...for example during a game of domino's with your family in which you should be paying attention to strategy and otherwise socially interacting with your family!

See those two people with their iPhones talking to each other? Schizo-iPhoniacs can commonly be seen discussing their iPhones with all its features and their latest downloaded applications with other Schizo-iPoniacs. The APGA advises that you do not approach this conversation or attempt to engage the Schizo-iPhoniacs as the experience will leave you bewildered and bored to tears. Some Schizo-iPhoniacs have been compelled through similar experiences to go out to their nearest Apple store and purchase their new obsession immediately!

In conclusion, this new electronic contraption of the most sinister intent has entranced millions of people. Once upon a time, Americans were simply "Cell Phone Degenerates"...we now have to contend with Schizo-iPhonia in all it's dark, touch screen glory. As for me, I will stick with checking work emails on my Dingleberry Curve.

LETTERS FROM STEVO: The Football Madness! It's like a brain hemorrhage that won't stop bleeding!

Like Pavlov's dogs I am salivating at the upcoming football season that looms like being at the bottom of a water slide as Big Dave is merrily lumbering down! It is certainly the most wonderful time of the year! Unfortunately, I will not be able to continue my blog titled, "Stevo's Football Madness". I just don't have the time this year. I feel like I've barely got time for this blog. I've got work, kids, working out, watching football, fantasy football (the Avis boys invited me back), college pick 'em, rituals of the occult, reading Mein Kampf and of course, lest we forget, Guitar Hero: Metallica...I'm just a lot busier this year than I was last year! Now of course, if anyone wants to take over the blog, I'm open to it. And of course, I'm more than happy to beat on Cory and "Enlarged Prostate"...you know who you are...at college pick 'em again this year. Here is a list of my favorite things during football seasson:
- watching football on Saturday
- watching football on Sunday
- watching commentary on football
- working on the lineups of my fantasy football team
- wondering if I have Asperger Syndrome as it relates to my obsession with football
- eating wings and watching football
- watching football in my man cave
- driving Amy nuts with non-stop football
- playing football, especially Turkey Bowl tackle football in Farmtown! Set it up Big Dave!
- I guess playing "flag" football with people here in suburbia

Now I will make my pre-season predictions. Let's start with college, my favored game, conference champions are as follows:

ACC- Virginia Tech
Big East- tough one, but I'm going with West Virginia
Big Ten(eleven actually)- Penn St. possibly another shared title with the Buckeyes
Big 12- Kansas in the north, Texas in the south-this was a tough one, flip a coin between the Horns and the Sooners-right now the best single division in the land.
Mountain West- sorry Mormons, I'm going with TCU this year, but BYU was a close second.
SEC- my favorite conference! Gators in the east (duh!) and LSU in the west...this is gonna be a fun division to watch this year! Another coin flip between them and Bama.
PAC 10- USC until they decide otherwise. But they'll lose another game they're not supposed to...happens every year.
WAC- Boise St. until they decide otherwise...they need to move to the Mountain West...wouldn't that be fun?

Florida v. Texas in the BCS Championship with the Gators winning again! Sheeeesh, this is way too easy...Urban Meyer needs to retire!

Now for the NFL:
This is an impossible league to predict in the pre-season because of parity and injuries.

Your Super Bowl contenders in the NFC
Philly
Chicago
New York Football Giants
Dallas
Arizona...bit of a long shot
Carolina

Your Super Bowl contenders in the AFC
New England...guess who's back?
Indianapolis
San Diego...won't be 8-8 this year, but they still have Norv Turner as their coach
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Tennessee

My pre-season Super Bowl prediction (subject to change around week 9) is:
Philly v. New England, with the Pats winning it all...but again check back in midseason!

So there you have it. Merry football season and happy buffalo wings!

Quickie With Stevo: Batman and Joker Public Service Announcements

Big Dave was in town a couple of weeks ago and introduced me to these viral videos called "Batman and Joker Public Service Announcements". Click on the link below to check out all the PSA's. Topics include sexual harassement, bike safety, heavy lifting, UV protection and how to throw a spiral. It's funny...

http://www.funnyordie.com/search/a?q=Batman+and+Joker+PSA