LETTERS FROM STEVO...Chip & Dip Benders and Broncos Cheerleaders!

Yes, that is Peyton beaming and blushing with the Broncos Cheerleaders. He also managed to give them a kiss on the cheek! I've got to hand it to him, the boy has got some game! We were able to attend a Broncos family day at Mile High stadium (that's right! I said Mile High, not Invesco!) The festivities included three of my favorite things: food, football and cheerlead...EERRR...family! There were lots of games and BBQ sponsored by Brother's BBQ. And best of all...it was free. If it's free it's for ME! The kids got lots of free gear and got to meet Miles the Broncos mascot. I wanted to get a picture with the cheerleaders but I figured that would increase their suspicion that I'm just some dirty old man. I imagined them reciting some sort of "code of conduct" that discussed a "zero tolerance" policy in regards to "sexual harassement of any kind" and "creating a hostile work environment" which would result in my immediate expulsion from the peremesis. So I basically refrained from even giving them eye contact. Such are the personal battles within me! I am not a dirty old man! Not yet anyway...wait 'til I'm about 50ish. Peyton, on the other hand, can pull off the, "look at me! I'm cute and innocent!" act until he's a pre-teen at least.

Now for my analysis on the "chip & dip" poll. Based on the sampling, which is completely statistically insignificant, I have come to the conclusion that a variety of people read this blog! Perceptive, I know... Those who may have answered that they did in fact throw chip & dip benders are acknowledging that they were perceived to be really cool in junior high. I'm sure many pre-pubescent, voice-cracking, physically awkward, orthodontia faced colleagues attended. For those who anwered that they did not because they weren't cool enough...well, they were probably right. And thinking back on junior high...that probably isn't a bad thing! I count myself in this category with pride! For those who wanted to, but their parents thought chip & dip benders to be of the devil...all I can say is, your parents probably sucked majorly. It is my humble prayer that you didn't turn out as lame as your folks! And finally, for those who threw this party of potato chip & dip deliciousness, but no one showed up except your grandparents...all I can say is, your grandparents were probably a lot cooler than you and showed up to your party out of pity. In summary, let me just state for the record that there was no right answer to this poll because it is impossible to be cool in junior high. There are two types of junior high kids, those who tried to be cool and those who knew it wasn't going to happen no matter how hard they, or anyone else for that matter, tried!

LETTERS FROM STEVO..."Ode to Stevo" written by Edgar Allan...BUD???

Let me just start by saying we will not be implementing a playlist on our blog per the response I got from you. I have nothing against those who do playlists, it's just not our thing. Now, I am posting a poem that was written as a roast about me. Some background...I found out last week while talking to my grandpa, Bud Underwood, that he has a knack for writing poetry. Who knew??? Ma Busch didn't even know! So, I requested that he write a poem that roasts me and I would put in my blog. Well, apparently my wish was his command because I got it in the mail today! So, without further notice...I present "Ode to Stevo" by Bud Underwood.

One day he came a struttin'

Out of old New Mexico

Down there where the pinion

And that wild cactus grow

He ambled up to Ohio

To try to save a soul or two

Where he learned to watch the Buckeyes

While filling up the Mormon pews

Well, he didn't become a yankee

So we really have no fear

'Cause his heart remained Dixie

With those Tennessee Volunteers

Now he didn't care for Abba

Singing of the Dancing Queen

Or any of those cowboys

Twanging up the music scene

So he looked around

And I guess he had to settle

'Cause he ended up a jamming

To the sounds of heavy metal

Then he met that pretty Amy

And that really changed his tune

'Cause she showed him pretty quickly

Who had really hung the moon

And so we wrote this little song

From brother, friend, or granny

To show how much fun it is

To roast his big ol' fanny!

Thanks Buddy! I owe ya!

First day of School!

Mya's First Day of Kindergarten....

Told by Mya:

"Once upon a time there was a girl named Mya. Mya went to Kindergarten for the first time. She had a great teacher, and two friends. Lauren and Ella. She had a great day, and her favorite thing to do was play and play. She also had lunch with her friends. And she learned to climb a pole. She loves Kindergarten."

Told by Mom:

I am not sure how time flew by so quickly, but here we are! Mya was so excited for Kindergarten, but of course a little nervous too. We walked to school from my Mom's house, although she wanted to ride her bike. We took a couple of pictures, although the sun was really bright and right in her eyes. She was so excited to see she had some friends in her class. And her teacher, Ms. Frankenfeld is amazing. She is so personable with the parents and so personal with the children. She is just perfect for Mya. She even asked Mya to bring her new favorite book to school tomorrow, since Mya just figured out how to read it. "The Foot Book" by Dr. Seuss. Yes, she really can read it. I am amazed! Yes, I am an annoyingly proud mom! So, we branched out to a new book, "I Wish for a Fish" tonight. She can do pretty well with it too. I am so proud of her, and hope we can somehow teach her to love to read. So far, so good!

So, after we met up with her class and teacher in front of the school, Ms. Frankenfeld told the kids to hug and kiss their parent's goodbye. Mya got this look of fright in her eyes, but said goodbye, found her nearest friend from Preschool, Ella, and grabbed her hand and walked into the school. They paused for one last wave goodbye. And yes, I did cry a couple of quick tears. It surprised me a little, since I have been taking her to some form of preschool/daycare since she was 2 months old, but this is a big step. I am so happy for her! And for a few months I was happy for me and my wallet! But then I added up the full day Kindergarten and the After school program, and I am not really saving a dime! Oh well! Kids will never get less expensive! ;)

Quickie with Stevo...blog playlist??

As I have examined other blogs I have noticed that many create playlists of songs that play while the blog is being viewed. This got me thinking...should we implement a playlist? If so, what songs should we choose? I'll of course consult with Amy since we are a...ahem...team. But I want others feedback as well. Please post a comment and let us know 1.) if we should post a playlist and 2.) what songs should we use? I want your feedback!!!

Rain, Rain Go Away.....

As everyone knows, by the name of this post the Sun is always shining in Colorado! We rarely go a day without glimpse of sunshine. And our Sunsets are simply amazing! We have over 300 days of sunshine every year, which I have come to rely on. I love it! I crave it! You think I would have an abundance of it right now. It is August, our hottest month. We are used to the stray afternoon thunderstorm, but what we are experiencing now.....UGH! We are in the middle of a freak rain storm! And we only have a high of 50 degrees! I never thought in my lifetime I would see people in sweatshirts and coats in August (but anything can happen in Colorado, right?). It started on Thursday, lasted all day Friday, and they are forecasting an entire day of rain today, and more rain tomorrow! 4 Solid days of rain?? in Denver?? in August?? Impossible, right? After the hottest July on record, with over 25 straight days of 90 degrees or hotter (many in the 100's), I was feeling very spoiled. I just love it that way. We went boating at the lake, swimming, to the park, or generally outside everyday. No need to wash the car, just sit back and enjoy the sunshine! It was just GREAT! I know not everyone appreciates this type of weather. The grass and plants were certainly suffering. My Grandma Shirley has been praying for a blizzard. And apparently her prayers go straight to heaven! We have a road closed today in the mountains due to 30 degree temps and over 6 inches of snow. I know we need the precipitation. But still, this is getting ridiculous! I was already feeling rather irritated with life this week, and this weather is pushing me over the edge. I need a good dose of sunshine! I will have to wait, there is none planned today and maybe none tomorrow. If it weren't for 2 crazy kids, I would still be in bed - sleeping or reading or watching a movie. I could never survive the Northwest! Although, I hear they are supposed to reach 100 degrees in Seattle today, something is wrong with this picture..."The Sun is shining in Seattle"?....no way!!??

LETTERS FROM STEVO...It's time for ACTION!!!

...And I am a man of action! And I call all who are reading this quaint little blog to action in the name of Amy! As many of you know, Amy is a very passionate person. And every once in a while a "hot button" issue will come along that gets Amy's dander up. This particular issue has been weighing on her mind recently so I decided I would take matters into my own hands and sound the trumpet! Now, one thing I decided as I began posting on this blog is that I wouldn't get into politics...well I'm diving head first into the shallow end of the pool and no one can stop me! You're probably wondering what the issue is right?

The issue at hand is traffic light ignorance. You see, Amy takes issue with any car that is stopped too pre-maturely at the light. Stopping pre-maturely at the light fails to trigger the light to change...allegedly. I have been told many times as we are driving that if I would just pull up a few inches the light would magically turn green! The conversation usually goes as follows (I've already pulled up to the light and we are waiting, some more patiently than others, for the light to turn green)..."You need to pull up closer to the light." My response, "I'm close enough." Amy's retort, "no you're not, you need to move up closer so the light will sense that we're here and will turn green." Through situations like this I have been educated as to the ways of the traffic light. I also hear about it when we are behind a car that is at the front and the light hasn't changed in 5 seconds. "They need to move up! They're not far enough up to the light!" Who knew this??? I sure didn't! And by the looks of it there are possibly millions of others who don't know this either! I know what you're thinking...something must done, but what?

My proposal is that we create a fund that can shed light on this topic and educate (or opiate) the masses! We'll call it the National Traffic Light Education Fund, or NTLEF! All donations payable to Stevo. Also, we need to write our Congressmen...state and federal! If you're a Democrat, make it a federal issue, if you're a Republican, make it a state issue. This issue transcends party lines and must be addressed immediately! We must act! Think of the children!

Quickie with Stevo...stump Stevo???

If you want a chance to stump me, you'll get a shot by going on to my football blog (http://stevosfootballmadness.blogspot.com) and learning how to sign up for "Stump the Stevo". It's just a friendly little game of college pick 'em and it's FREE to do! Do you have what it takes to beat me at college pick 'em??? Well...do ya punk???

LETTERS FROM STEVO...Praise ye bw-3! We know we are not worthy to partake of thy delicious wings!

I served my two years in Columbus, Ohio, the birthplace of Buffalo Wild Wings! Of course, 11-12 years ago it was a fledgling chain of outstanding and thoroughly delish wings called "Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck" or "bw-3". The restaurant was started by 2 truly inspired dudes who I believe were in the Cleveland area. Needless to say, I dined there numerous times during my tour of duty! Every Tuesday was 20 cent wing day which was perfect for my meager, middle class (no extra funds from the fam) budget. As the resident zone leader, it was also imperative that I drag my fellow colleagues to this place...It didn't take much dragging as they were just as a big of fans! I lived in an apartment with 3 other dudes and we created our own bw-3 shrine that we frequently prayed and sang praises to with zealous fervor. The prayer/praise typically went as such, "Praise ye bw-3 for we know that thou art the greatest and thou maketh the most delicious buffalo wings!" We, as well as the other 200+ dudes-in-ties even had our own nickname for the restaurant...b-dubs.

There are now b dubs all over the country including 3 in my general vicinity! Needless to say my little family and I eat there every so often. Amy does boneless and the kids typically eat mac-n-cheese. I'm a spicy garlic guy myself...though back in the day I could handle the "blazin" but my palate has been de-programmed from the hottest of spices ever since I left New Mexico. But at any rate, we went to a new one tonight to break it in. Amy orders her usual combo of spicy garlic and Asian zing. Peyton decides he needs to try the wings! He licks them, takes little bites and of course it burns him! He whines a little...then takes another bite/lick...whines again...then proceeds to go at it again! This vicious cycle goes on for a while as Peyton just keeps burning himself but is so stubborn he has to keep trying it again! Dude is nuts, but he won't stop! I think by the end of dinner, he had drank all four of our drinks! As we walked out, Amy asked him if the wings were hot, to which Peyton in his 3 year old voice replied, "they're not hot, they're spicy!" I have to give Peyton credit, I wouldn't have done that at that age or even much older! Dude has some serious huevos! Or, issues depending on how you look at it!

Quickie with Stevo...mixed tapes!

Congratulations to Emily for finally picking up her much anticipated new book, "Breaking Wind"... I made Amy a playlist on my ipod that she can listen to while she runs. It reminds me of the teenage years when people would make mixed tapes for the objects of their affections. It typically involved some hair band ballads, some Chris Isaak and maybe even a little R&B depending on how into diversity you were! I recall Big Dave making numerous tapes for his women...it worked for the first couple of days, then they were usually broken up after a week, two weeks tops. I never made mixed tapes for anyone...mainly because I was too much of a retard to attract anyone of the opposite sex. The playlist I made for Amy is definitely not of the Chris Isaak variety. She wanted something to get her fired up while she goes on her runs, so I included a variety of "fire it up" music that includes Metallica, Slayer and Rage Against the Machine. I slipped the Slayer song in just to see how she would react and she actually likes it!