Damn, it's been a while!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Alright, finally getting a few minutes to blog… and tell you about my favorite time of year… CHRISTMAS!!! Well, at least my adventures in Utah during Christmas!!! Basically, the day that I flew in, I showed up early, it was really cold… and it was going to warm up the next day so that it could snow for 2-3 days straight… then go back to really cold. That’s weather in Utah in December, back to you Melissa!!! (“Thanks Steve, unrest in the Middle East as…”)

The first day, I stayed in Salt Lake City area… but my mom came and joined me, so we went to see some of the sights… like the Christmas Lights at Temple Square…

The next morning, we went to the fairly new Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, which is a LOT better than what the aquarium used to be in Utah… here are some pictures but… definitely check it out if you’re in the area…

Then we headed to This is The Place Memorial up in the foothills. This is the located where Brigham Young, leader of the Mormon party of pioneers that were cast from Missouri basically decided to set up shop for a new State of Deseret back when NOBODY was in the area, except maybe some Native Americans. Basically, after their long journey across the Rocky Mountains, they found a stream, saw a barren salty desert ahead of them as far as the eye could see (Western Utah & Nevada) and said, “This is the Place!” Probably followed by “F**k it, we’re done! Unload! I ain’t going any further!” Anyway, the Memorial is pretty cool and has a LOT of buildings that were built exactly as they were back in the day in surprising detail… and there was a cool train that took you around…

The next day, there was the Family Christmas Party with… I don’t know, probably 200 in attendance… kind of a small turnout this year… my mom is one of 17 children… and they’re all (grand)parents-plus now…

Then there was my brother introducing me to Playstation VR… and I was skeptic. I’ve used VR machines in the past… and it was pretty cool… but eh. HOWEVER!!! This Playstation VR setup… was pretty f**king awesome!!! My brother had no hesitations in putting me RIGHT INTO the freakiest stuff too… like an Underwater Shark Encounter, being part of a Saw-like scenario, open-heart surgery, all kinds of stuff. It was pretty cool! I highly recommend checking it out… but be prepared for some eyes adjusting headaches and stuff like that…

Christmas Morning was at my brother’s house…

Christmas Day was at my Aunt Pat’s house…

Christmas Night was at my Mom’s house… and Izzy & I got a GoPro Hero Session, a Christmas Ornament, some drinking glasses, and a horrifying unicorn mask. However, the snow was really coming down, so it was just me, my mom & my stepdad (sleeping) so we watched some movies…

 Then a few days later, back home with my lovely wife...

The next days after that, I was pretty sick (as was everybody around me leading up to it) so not much else to tell… but Christmas is amazing! I love spending time with my family! I miss those little sh*ts like all the time… and I’m sure they miss me too… but yeah, I was also glad to be back home to my wife after a week away! I kinda love & miss her too! CHRISTMAS!!! Anyway, love & miss y’all as well… and it’s among my resolutions to update this more often… but if you’re missing me, follow the Everything I Learned From Movies podcast(eilfm.podbean.com) and you know how to find me on Facebook. If not, reach out to me!!! I’ll get you connected on the latest info. Until then, have a great day everybody!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Mom's Summer Visit 2015

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

My family came in on Wednesday… and by family, I mean my mom, grandma, niece Kairi & nephew Vinny… and they spent the day at the Exploratorium with Izzy… here are a few pictures that she sent me to… I don’t wanna say rub it in while I was at work but… here are pictures…

 

On Thursday, I went to work again… while they went on an apparently badass Duck Tour of the Bay Area…

 

 

...and then I met up with them for the Bay Aquarium down on Pier 39…

 

On Friday, we started the morning with the World’s Best Taco Bell in Pacifica…

 

Then we made our way down to Felton for a ride on the Roaring Camp Railroads, where we took a steam train ride through the giant Redwoods…

Then we went to the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot to see… well, besides a poorly constructed cabin… some entertainment for the kiddies…

 

 

Then we spent some time at our hotel for the evening, the Santa Clara Marriott just a stone’s throw from the Great America Theme Park AND the new Levi’s Stadium where the “San Francisco” 49ers play football… here are some views from the room…

 

Saturday morning, we visited the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose so that the kids could see what they could do with nearly limitless funds & the worst contractors in the world… oh and maybe get a little freaked out about ghosts except that the tour was at 10 AM on a beautiful San Jose day… but yeah, we got to walk through the house and 110 or its 160 rooms (damn I gotta get in the gun trade) and here are some… well, very few pictures… because they’re not allowed… so check out past visits…

 

  

The plan after Winchester was to head to Santa Cruz to show the Boardwalk… but the traffic was all the way back to literally a mile from Winchester… so we decided to go check out more beach at the Taco Bell in Pacifica… because you really just need a beach…

 

…and the kids were a little pissy during Fireworks that night… mostly because it was foggy & the only fireworks going off were obstructed by the western hills of the Presidio… but whatever, ‘Merica!!!

 

Sunday we started down on Crissy Field and took the kids to the Museum of the Farallones…

 

… and then to the Palace of the Fine Arts…

 

… and then to Chinatown so the kids could get some souvenirs for their dad & we ate at R&G Lounge, expensive by Chinatown standards, but excellent.

  

Monday, I went back to work during the day, they went to Fairyland, but then we met up for dinner at Mel’s Diner for the last meal… and spent some time hanging with the kids… and basically just enjoying the last few moments with my family. I’m sad to see them go… but I’ll hopefully see them soon. There is the family reunion in September… so maybe I can work that out… we shall see. Anyway, I hope you had half as much fun as I did this week… or at least enjoyed some of the photos.

 

Podcast Update: We’re still figuring a few things out… like the name & format… but if this week weren’t so jam packed with activities, we probably would’ve had our first podcast interviews in my mom & grandma… but hopefully we’ll be able to get those taken care of soon. I had a heck of a time trying to explain to them what a podcast even was… but I basically told them “Don’t worry, it’s just an interview.” Anyway, more to come soon… including other interviews with local mini-celebrities… or at least interesting people.

 

So again, great trip with the family… and I hope they travel safely back home to Utah… and I hope to see them again very soon… usual family trip wrap-up. Tune in next time for… more thrilling adventures. Have a great day everybody!!!