LETTERS FROM STEVO: Happy Birthday to Stevo's Baby Brother!

Every year on January 24th we celebrate the birthday of a special person. It is the day that Stevo's...ahem...little brother Big Dave was born. My birthday present to Big Dave this year will be my obligatory blog roast of him! I know him better than most, so this should be easy! I can sense Big Dave getting a little squeamish right about now...

Big Dave and I are just 18 months apart in age, so we bascially spent our entire childhoods together. Dave was tall for his age, so we were always the same size as kids. The closeness in size and age resulted in us often times being treated like twins by our parents and other people in our lives. We also fought constantly! It typically started with words and ended in physical violence. As time went on, we were often critized by Ol' Ern for our gigantic eating habits...we eventually had to resort to covert operations to obtain necessary nutrients (snacks) without Ol' Ern hearing us! For if we were caught, we should surely die! Viva La Revolution!!!

Character traits as a child- very ticklish, could make friends with anybody and had a great love of little lost puppies...he would bring them home and name them "Sport". He would love his "Sport" until Ma Busch sent the little lost puppy packin' down the road. He's always had a big heart and cares deeply for the feelings of others...some might say "sensitive"...until you pissed him off, then he turned into a dragon.

As a teenager, Big Dave frequented many girlfriends. His hobbies included Nintendo, making mixed tapes complete with Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Poison for his girlfriends and of course drinking Kool-Aid while watching his favorite movie, "Grease II". He also hosted numerous "chip N dip" parties to attract the ladies!

As an adult, Big Dave has grown into a fruitful and productive citizen (accessories include bachelor's degree, well paying job and family). He has become quite the banker financial economist...guy. He always did well in math and it is now paying dividends...no Dave, I don't need an explanation of how exactly it is paying dividends!

In summary, Big Dave is one of my best friends and confidantes...I tell him things I don't tell anyone else. I could write volumes on our childhood and the pychology behind it. He is absolutely one of my favorite people and if you haven't already met him, I highly recommend you go out of your way and make an effort to.

Quickie With Stevo...Musings of Mya

With Martin Luther King day freshly behind us, Mya learned a bit about him at school. To quote Mya directly..."Martin Luther King was a speaker, a leader, a man of great courage, a hero, wise and he makes us equal". Bud thinks Mya will have the world subdued and under her control by her early 20's. We'll just have to wait and see...

One of Mya's characteristics is her vivid imagination. This can be both a strength and at times a weakness. On Sunday afternoon, during the NFL's conference championships, Craig "He-Who-is-Learning-to-be-a-Team-Player" Thornton decided it was a good idea to show his grandkids "Spiderman 3". This is the episode with the villians "Venom" and "Sandman" and is rated PG-13. Mya was enthralled by the movie, but I could tell the villians were going to scare her later that night. I warned Craig this was a bad idea. Needless to say Mya was scared to death that night and had to sleep with me while Amy slept in Mya's bed! I had a problem with this on two levels. 1)- Mya is too young and imaginitive for this movie and 2)- this was being shown during the conference championships! Sad...I asked Craig if "The Exorcist" was on tap for next Sunday! Perhaps some readings of Stephen King!

Quickie With Stevo...Work Holiday Parties

We attended our first holiday party with my new company on Saturday. I've never really enjoyed work parties that much. Holiday parties are typically an HR nightmare...a molotov cocktail of racial tension, sexual harassment and table dancing. An old boss at an old company actually broke her nose from falling on her face after table dancing...and she was HR!

The party was at the University Club downtown. The theme was masqueradish with gambling sprinkled in. At first, I wasn't going to buy a mask for the occasion, until I found out the CEO was being adamant about it so I complied. Amy and I went to the happy, fun, party joint and bought mardi gras masks. The party was actually pretty fun. We ate good food, enjoyed good company and I learned how to play craps. Basically, I learned that you place your bet on some numbers, throw the dice and occasionally the dealer gives you a few chips back.

My co-workers also got to meet Amy. Frequent comments on Amy included..."how did you swindle her into marrying you!"..."you don't deserve her!"..."your wife is such a sweetheart!" I've kept my response consistent...a little charm can go a long way! You charm your way in, seal the deal, get her investment and BAM...hook, line and sinker! You like that? I have another saying, a confident look and a clipboard will get you anywhere!

LETTERS FROM STEVO...Is it really 2009? Relax, a bunch of dead people say the end of the world is 3 years away!

So the earth has revolved around the sun one more time...Excellent! Let's celebrate like it's a miracle this has occurred! I have a hunch it's going to do it a few more times before its all said and done...just call it a hunch. I keep seeing this History Channel advertisement for a show about all the alleged prophecies for the end of the world in the year 2012... The Maya's, Nostradamus (no Thornton clan, I didn't say Nordstrom's...relax, there's no sale going on). I have a feeling Nostradamus is going to lose what little credibility he has left in 2013...we can probably quit talking about the Maya around that time as well.

I don't do new years resolutions as I'm not really a goal oriented person (I wander aimlessly thru life and occasionally happen upon success). With that being said, let's look at some New Year's resolutions and goals for Stevo & friends in 2009!

- Craig "Curlz for the Gurlz" Thornton did a 3 minute plank the other day at the gym...impressive! He has resolved to up that time to a 5 minute plank by year's end.

- Amy resolves to let Stevo out of the doghouse for the first time in almost 9 years and finish her memoir titled, "Living with Stevo"

- Peyton resolves to be gentler with grandma Shirley's cat...no chick casualties either!

- Mya resolves to conquer the world with her wit, charm, indominable spirit and talent for B.S.!

- Bud resolves to learn all the dance moves from "Mama Mia"

- Ma Busch resolves to put an end to her QVC purchasing habit and move to more modernized online shopping...does Hobby Lobby have a website?

- Big Dave resolves to become the next Milt Friedman/Warren Buffet/Adam Smith

- The Thornton/Carlson clan resolves to single handedly keep Nordstrom's in business through this tough economy

- Brother Mike resolves to stop "surfing the web" and sleeping so much and to finally take his wife out on a real date

Last but certainly not least, Stevo resolves to do the following:

- Provide more fodder for Amy's above mentioned memoir
- play on the church basketball team, "You tell 'em I'm comin'...and I'm bringin' HELL with me!!!"
- Go a year without buying any shoes
- Make sure Cory finally gets to see "The Godfather"...both I and II...ok, maybe III too!
- And of course, provide you all with more "Letters from Stevo" and "Quickie with Stevo"

LETTERS FROM STEVO: Consider this your Christmas Card!

In the festive spirit of this time of year we would like to wish everyone who laboriously reads this blog merry Christmas and happy holidays! May your flimsy New Year's resolutions sputter out and die a quick death! 2008 was a great year in the Busch family! It was a great year for you too in that you have been blessed exceedingly with the birth of "LETTERS FROM STEVO". Amy and I would now like to submit to you our "brag letter" because YOU need to know just how awesome WE are!

Peyton- Let's see, he turned 3 this year...and um...hmmm...destroyed a few things, had a few THOUSAND temper tantrums and FINALLY learned to read, write and sing opera (for those of you who have heard his screams!)...sheesh it's about time, we thought he'd never learn! He says and does the most adorable things. Recent memorable quotes have included such priceless gems as, "NO!" and "AHHHH!" (with a stomp of his foot)...he's so coordinated! He's also dabbling in body building and floral work.

Mya- Turned 5 this year and now knows everything, just ask her. She is currently studying, Chinese, Spanish and algebra in her kindergarten class. She is so smart...I'll bet her IQ is astronomical! For those of you who know Mya, her real passion is sports and athleticism! She loves running...she starred on her soccer team this fall...she earned the moniker, "The Anchor". She runs so fast, it doesn't look like she's even moving! And did we mention dancing? She participated in a strenuous interpetive dance competition. She has two trophies thus far! Way to go Mya!

Amy- Where to start on Amy...hmmm. She continued her readings. Books she completed this year included, "The Catcher and the Rye", The Magna Carta and "Wealth of Nations". Amy has had the opportunity to serve in church as enrichment coordinator this year and is thankful that so many women were enriched by her coordination. Other eventful activities this year included going to Las Vegas to scrapbook, celebrating her "dirty thirty" and charity work which involved rescuing wounded barbie dolls. Amy had a great year with IBM as well...she is seriously the BEST salesperson in the world!

Stevo- After almost 4 years at Avis Budget Group, Stevo was told he was so good it was time to "retire" and was handed a small check as a token of the company's appreciation. However, his personality and skills are in such high demand, he was recruited and paid a large sign on bonus to work for some company in Golden. Stevo has put aside his passion for football and taken an interest in the incredible sport of trampoline dodgeball...he's so light on his feet, teamates call him "twinkle toes" and "noodle" for his great flexibility. Stevo has also become leader of his Sunday afternoon Bible study group. Memorable events included watching the Vols become Gator bait and seeing Metallica with his "entourage".

We look forward to a great 2009! Future "LETTERS FROM STEVO" topics may or may not include, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, bio-chemistry and the sweet sounds of sea shells by the sea shore...We'll see you evolved amoebas next year!

Christmas time is here! (Amy breaks the silence)

When it is FREEZING here in Colorado, (after an incredible Fall) it is impossible to deny that Winter and Christmas time are here! We came home from a great Thanksgiving in New Mexico, and it was already December, so I immediately felt behind. (Yes, I always feel like I am behind!) My Mom and Dad had their house decorated even before Thanksgiving - so the pressure was on from the kids. They just LOVE Christmas. What kid doesn't?! But they especially love decorating (and undecorating, and decorating again!)


So, we finally got the tree up, the lights on, the ornaments in place, the garland on the stairs, and the stockings hung. I finally gave up on Steffan doing any decorating - I even put lights on the outside of the house. (Steffan hates all the decorating, but it must be genetic. My sister-in-law says the same thing about her husband, and she even got on the roof pregnant last year to get her house decorated.) But the kids LOVE it, so I let them go to town decorating as much as they want. This year we even got a Nativity from my Grandma. Mya and Peyton adore it. Mya even spoke about it in her talk last week.

I also got a lot of things done around the house this last week. I love to clean out the old toys and clothes of the kids and give them away to families in need. So, I took several days to go through EVERYTHING in their rooms. I like to include the kids in the action, so they understand that they need to give to kids in need. So, Mya jumped in and helped me out. You can see a picture of the chaos:


We had an incredible weekend this last week - doing all sorts of great Christmas things! We planned to go to the Zoo lights, but it was way too crowded. So we had to give up on that one....for now! But Saturday we went to Jen's Nordstrom store to wish her a Happy Birthday! And for their Christmas Party for the kids. We had a great time, and the kids always love to see their Aunt Jen. Then Steffan and I took Mya to the Nutcracker Ballet. (Yes, Steffan went to the Ballet see the proof below.) It was incredible, and Mya had a great time! Now she has to listen to the Nutcracker music each night, and play with her Nutcracker dolls.


After the Nutcracker, we met up with the entire family to go to eat at the Spaghetti Factory downtown and then go see the Christmas lights at the Denver City and County Building. This is an old Family tradition, and although dinner was a little crazy with all the kids, the lights were amazing as always! It really does feel like Christmas - I just love it!

LETTERS FROM STEVO: Gobble! Gobble! & other Random Warblings

We had a great Thanksgiving. We spent the lovely holiday in the thriving metropolis of Farmington. Big Dave and I played in a turkey bowl...and yes, it was tackle(because that is how we do it!). We stayed in our chairs, kept our hands up, kept our heads on a swivel and insert all the other football cliches here. The trip was good other than the flight home. Peyton threw a massive temper tantrum because he didn't get to sit by his mama. I was burning with so much fury, you could've fried an egg on my head! In other words, I was so angry, I wanted to shove gun powder up my nose, light a match and REALLY blow it! GRRR!

This last week, we went on a date night with the Shafs and the Cory/Tiff combo to watch the much ballyhooed "Twilight". I had heard of these illustrious books written by some mormon gal, but have not read them and was only vaguely familiar with the story. Emily in particular is a dedicated fan. The story is an estrogen filled teeny bopper's dreamland; full of unrealistic human behavior. An average girl with little personality being stalked relentlessly by a "dashing" young man of equally little personality but great looks. My favorite part was the vampire taking the girl up to the sunlight to show her what he really was. I remember thinking, "excellent! He's gonna be this cool looking demonic monster thing!" Well, not quite. Instead, he's "sparkly". Are you kidding me??? Sparkly??? Say it with a lisp for added effect. I often wonder what I was doing watching that movie that night...

On an unrelated topic, Mya needs to learn how to treat her boyfriends. This past week, one of her boyfriends complimented the dress she was wearing and she shot back that it was not a dress, but a skirt! It's called grace and tact Mya...sheesh! Even I know that! Graceless lady! You know who I am. You know I can't let you...slide through my hand!