Roller Babies: Overachieving Pre-Toddlers

Thanks for the tip Bishop! Enjoy all!

Let's Get it On...A Puppy Love Story

I learned a very valuable lesson today about my puppy: humans are not that far removed from other species regarding love and relationships. From first sight to sealing the deal, dogs share some common behaviors with us. Abby, with her stud Ajax, helped me understand the love progression through the following (NOTE: NOT INTENDED FIR YOUNGER READERS):

1) Love at first sight isn't for everyone. Sometimes a little warming up is necessary and circling your mate along with standing nervously stiff while your mate returns the favor can help break tension.

2) Baring your teeth doesn't always draw your love closer but displaying opposite emotions can be intriguing. Try showing teeth, but in the kind manner.

3) Play hard to get just enough to drive your mate crazy but not enough to drive them away. Keep them at a slight distance but allow them in close enough to nuzzle.

4) A bath or dip in the pool is enough to drive any love crazy. It's also enough to loosen you up. Just don't be too possessive of the water and let your mate soak a bit too.

5) When the time is right go for it. Of course having a bit of privacy is also grand, especially under the trampoline :)

6) Lastly, sleep it off in a nice air conditioned home while your mate spends the night in the grueling heat or in the doghouse. They'll appreciate the next experience that much more.

Hopefully day 2 for mating will be just as enjoyable for Abby and we'll have a few (8 to 15) labs in a couple of months.

Irony in Contextual Ad Embedded in Obesity Article

Contextual Ads are the bread and butter of Google and other Ad engines. Obviously you want to drive readers of web content to relevant merchants selling something related to the content you're consuming. Do you recall the days of irrelevant ads on a page? Usually static, never changing and certainly not worth their value.

Today I happened upon an article posted by the Deseret News on obesity. While the article was interesting, the ad right in the middle of the article is what caught my eye. Below is the screen capture of the article and ironical ad. Enjoy!

Whirlwind Month and Not Quite Done Yet...

Those of you that know my family will appreciate our desire to just chill and take it easy for a while. Our mantra the last few years seems to be "cram in as much as possible in as little time available." This last month was no different.

From a nice Memorial Day weekend getaway to Nauvoo to a very long road trip to WA, we've been traveling and traveling still. In the last month we've driven over 120 hrs along 6000+ miles of America roadway. We've traveled through 11 different states. We've participated in funerals, memorials, scout camps, training, work related visits and have thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

For a couple of days, my family is separated from me which throws everything off for me. I'll join them again over the weekend and then separate for a few more days. Beyond that, Lord willing, no additional tragedies or emergencies will occur and we'll spend the rest of the summer pool side or in the comfort of our air conditioned TX home.

I do want to express with as much gratitude as I can muster through words, my sincerest appreciation for all of the well-wishes and prayers we've received over the last month. Having friends, both in the real world and in the blogosphere/twittersphere, express support to us has been incredibly supportive and helpful.

As the whirlwind of travel will soon dissipate, I lastly thank my dearest friend and wife for her constant nurturing care and patience through all of the insanity. Hang in there and see you tomorrow!