Drop your sword: A contest for my generation. Have fun storming the castle!

(On the flip side, how could this possibly be the 20th anniversary of The Princess Bride? Inconceivable! Boo! Booooooo!)

Oh my goodness me, I can hardly wait for Tuesday! This album is gonna rock the house, no doubt about it. I keep thinking that I need to get over my obsession with Alison Krauss, but then she comes out with a roots-rock duet album with the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Now how can I get over that? It's just too good...

This is so disturbing, on so many levels. Who keeps a leg in a cooker?

I vow to be a better blogger. In the meantime, contemplate how much a person has to love Bruce Springsteen to tattoo this on his back:

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Things my Dad has taught me:

- How to waterski (this was a very vital skill in my childhood)
- Roman numerals (I have no idea why I remember that)
- How to write an outline (a dying art, I fear)
- How to tie a uni-knot, bait my hook, cast, set the hook, land the fish, and release (and yet, I still let him do all of those steps for me, aside from the casting and catching)
- The joy of a well-told story (stay away from smartweed!)
- The importance of altruism
- Ethics
- That even the slightest Southern accent can't hide behind the phrase "right nice white rice"
And so, so much more. Thanks, Dad, for setting such a great example for life. May your birthday be the best yet!

After a great week with the family in Albuquerque, I headed to the Snowbird Resort outside Salt Lake City, Utah for Holly and Michael Pierre's wedding. It was quite the treat to be in such a beautiful place with good friends. I gotta say, having a wedding at a resort is a genius idea! We didn't have to leave the grounds the whole time, it was like a mini-hideout spot. And because everyone was staying at the lodge, I ran into wedding folk everywhere I went (that is, the pool or happy hour), so I got to know more of the bride's friends, some of the groom's friends, and even family members! It was a great way to bring everyone together. And have you ever been to a wedding where you get to spend the morning of the wedding day hanging out pool-side with the bride and the wedding party? I don't think you have. And even if you have, was your pool-side-bride hanging out time in the middle of the mountains? I don't think it was.

Morning of the wedding day: Leah (friend), Holly (bride), Emily (narrator), and Kristen (sister o' bride) handing out in the hot tub.


(This is the first time in my life that I've gone to a pool surrounded by pine trees instead of palm trees.) Holly and Leah:

Kristen, Eric, and Holly: less than half of the Riedelbach children.

Such a relaxed bride and groom, just hours before the ceremony.

So pretty.

And just because I can, another great video of Simon:

Ok, alright. Sorry about the long blog hiatus! Here is what I have done with my non-blogging time:

1. Returned from Europe
2. Washed clothes
3. Flew to Colorado, spent a few days with the Lanes and some Austin folks in Durango
4. Drove to New Mexico with the Lanes
5. Spent a week in ABQ with the whole family
6. Flew to Salt Lake City for Holly and Michael Pierre's wedding
7. Flew to State College
8. Washed clothes
9. Drove to New York City, picked up Sam, spent night in McLean, VA
10. Drove to Southeastern North Carolina
11. Ate BBQ
12. Took a census of wild horses
13. Ate BBQ
14. Ate BBQ
15. Attended a Durham Bulls game
16. Ate BBQ
17. Ate BBQ
18. Drove through Asheville, was underwhelmed
19. Ate BBQ
20. Drove back to New York City, hung out for an evening with Columbia gals at the Heights
21. Drove back to State College
22. Piled dirty clothes on floor, as yet unwashed

I have been busy! And I actually under-reported the amount of BBQ that I ate, how you like that? There will be lots of blog updates to follow about all of that insane traveling that I have done, and for now I'll share pictures from the first trip: DEN-ABQ.

First stop, Garden of the Gods in Colorado. That was some kind of landscape! We were there just in time for sunset: great for viewing, not so great for photographing.

Next, a week in Albuquerque with the whole family. We ate at Frontier Restaurant again, one of my ABQ favorite spots. Yum, huevos Rancheros. Yum, John Wayne.

What's up with the unattended buns in the middle of the street? I'll watch those, sir.

You know, I've never really had any interest in owning/ displaying a cow skull on my wall, but maybe that's because I had never seen one that was BEDAZZLED. Talk about classy!

And, of course, I spent some quality time with the family. Simon is always a hoot, and Mom and Dad aren't far behind.

Check out the size of the zucchinis that Maria grows! This one is almost as big as sweet lil Si!

To further illustrate the giantness of the zucchini, and to test blogspot's new video feature (that's right, you better prepare yourself for some fantastic videos), for your viewing pleasure, I present Simon Versus The Zucchini, a film that reflects on the genius of miraclegro, home gardening, and the impending terrible twos. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.