Hurley: October 2005

We took the family to the cottage on Saturday and Sunday. You'd think we would get to kick back and relax. Nope. Peter raked the whole yard and then we spent most of the afternoon burning leaves. We all stunk like campfire the whole ride home!

Catherine dives into the leaves.

Quite a pile of leaves!

Off for a hike around the lake

Check out the view on Sunday morning (before all the leaves got raked up)

Here's Ellie's new slippers. Hmmm...seems like we're a bit obsessed with black cats. It's ok, since it's halloween!

The whole family around the table at the cottage. We're just sitting down to a dinner of steak and baked potato. yum

Friday night at Hersheypark. It was fun, but really chilly!

Mo' from the limo. Left to Right it's Big Mike, Rubble, Miller and Joanna.

Carvin' pumpkins for halloween.

El and I traveling in style in the limo!

Mike Miller + shots + Gavin. This can't end well....

Mike Miller's going-away party was a drunken barn dance. Oodles of fun. Big Mike decided to smash miller's face into the cake. I almost wet myself i laughed so hard!

Dave, Carrie, Me and Nick. I guess we traded hats, since i'm wearing Nick's and carrie's got mine on.

Here's "Steve 2" Last year we named our jack-o-lantern "Steve". I have NO idea why. However, we set him near a heating vent and he died quickly. Poor Steve. Here's the 2005 version.

Well, i've finally wrapped up my "Wedding Tour 2005". I think we attended 6 or 7 weddings this summer. Honestly, i've lost track. However, here's what i've learned.

1). be the first wedding of the year. For the first wedding, we were all pumped up and loving the roadtrip/ceremony/reception. by the end of summer...i was strolling in halfway thru the ceremony with my fly open. i just didn't care anymore.

2). alert your guests if there will be no alcohol. please, for the love of everything sacred...give us warning. i fully respect the right of a new couple to host a dry party. however, give the rest of us a chance to nip over to the bar across the road and grab a swift pint before dinner starts. i went to TWO dry weddings this summer. by the end of each one, i was sucking on the cherry cordials hoping that the liquid center contained some sort of alcohol. (it doesn't)

3). please tailor your guestlist to meet the expectations of your wedding. if you're looking for a refined, proper affair, don't invite your redneck drunken friends. and vice versa. FYI...i'd rather party with the LATTER, not the FORMER.

4). If you have a small child, be prepared to miss the ceremony. If lil' johnny starts crying...LEAVE the church. don't put him on your shoulder and expect him to shut up. it's not happening. walk out front of the church, entertain him and don't annoy the bride/groom/families who are trying to enjoy the ceremony. also, don't wait til lil' johnny breaks into a full-fledged wail...when he so much as whimpers, out the door you go. If you're worried about missing the ceremony, watch the video.

5). If your ceremony is longer than 30 minutes, please reward the guests with an open bar. Long ceremonies suck. No one is THAT interested. Brides and Grooms don't even remember what happens during the ceremomny anyway, so make it quick. My friends Rob and Maggie had a FOUR MINUTE ceremony. best wedding ever. loved it. cut to the chase. "I do, I Do, here's the ring, kiss, birdal march, reception." bada-bing.

6). The bride and groom should be the last people to leave the reception. If people still wanna dance, then you better oblige. Don't think so? Fine, i'm taking my expensive gift back. You paid for the hall/DJ/band/liquor...USE IT!

7). Be friendly. I drove four hours to see you. I better get a hug, handshake and 30 second conversation that inclludes the words "i'm so glad you made it". Acknowledge my presence, if only briefly.

8). Comedy is good. If you're planning a somber, proper ceremony..you're boring. i fully believe that the marriage is doomed if the priest doesn't crack a joke.

9). Please don't schedule your wedding on the weekend of a big event. The following qualify as "big events"

PENN STATE V. OHIO STATE.
STEELERS V. BROWNS.

10). I own TWO shirts and tie sets. therefore, i'm wearing one of them to your wedding. I don't care if i don't match the colors. Here's a hint, make your colors Dark Green/Gold or White/Red, and i'll match perfectly.

11). at a recent ceremony, one young girls CELL PHONE WENT OFF. legally, the bride can shoot you if that happens. The world WILL survive without you for 30 minutes, so turn your cell off. Unless you're a trauma surgeon, in that case...just put the phone on vibrate.

Another week, another wedding! Can you believe it's ANOTHER wedding this weekend? It's the 5th or 6th one this summer/fall. I'm running out of gift ideas. How many different wedding gifts can you find? geez.

Here's a hint:

If you're planning to get married, make sure you're the FIRST person to get married that year. If you're the tenth wedding, then you're gonna' get the bottom of the barrel for wedding gifts. the FIRST person gets a nice wine and cheese set...the FIFTH person gets a beef-log from Pepperidge Farms.

What a horrible sports weekend! My beloved Nittany Lions lost on the LAST PLAY! Not only did they lose, but they also got bit by the injury bug. On Sunday, my beloved STEELERS lost in Overtime (yes..i know that Ben and Hines both weren't playing...but it still sucks!). The nascar race on saturday night was nothing but a "flat-tire-fest". Ugh...

Luckily, i had a good round of golf, or else i'd be in therapy already..

OK...this was the WORST sports weekend.

Penn State lost a heartbreaking game...The Steelers lost in overtime...the NASCAR Race sucked (damn! i blew my tire!). Grrr...

Thank god i had a good round of golf on Saturday morning. Without that, i'd be in need of "sports therapy" today.

I've now reached the "fluffy" stage. I'm growing my hair back out after shaving it off for the summer. After about 5 weeks, it's fluffy and sticking up. Great. Luckily it's getting cooler so i can wear hats all the time. I figure it'll be ok by my birthday! Only 4 weeks to go! Get your gift now. haha.

Hmmm...wondered why my computer was running a little slow. I thought i might have a virus, but apparently it's got fleas. Do you know how hard it is to get black cat hair out of a keyboard? Grrrr...

Thanks to LAUREN, the KISS-FM Web Princess for making the obvious joke: "how cute, your cat is chasing the mouse". (insert rimshot here)

I discovered something new today. i'm NOT the only guy who uses those "Biore Nose Strips" that clean your skin. I asked about it on the air, and guys called me. Apparently there's a few other guys in tha' burg who use them! Yay. i'm not that wierd. i feel so much better.

Here's an interesting approach to working out. I'm at home, and i was lifting. However, instead of drinking water/gatorade/etc..., i've got a cold Molson. So i'm burning calories by lifting, and gaining them by drinking beer. Hmmmm...maybe this is why my workouts are less than effective (yet extremely rewarding!).