Bonfire of the Vanities

My step-son, Ian, was married this weekend.

But before that, there was a rehearsal. And after the rehearsal, there was a party at the home of Ian's dad in Rock Island, Illinois.

They had a bonfire going in the backyard while we were eating and standing in the yard. Quite a few kids were running around chasing each other through the lawn and burning off energy - having just come from a church rehearsal that afforded them no such opportunity.

All in all, it was a very cordial, relaxed atmosphere.

Then the fire truck arrived, blowing the horn with all the lights flashing.

The fire truck pulled into the parking lot behind the neighbor's house, near the bonfire.

Apparently, the neighbor had called the fire department complaining about the size of the fire.

The firemen were kind of apologetic about being there and did a token spraying of the perimeter (in case the neighbor was watching). Then, the firemen let the kids hold the hose and do some of the spraying. At this point, one of the firemen had a pretty good idea which he thought might keep the neighbor from calling in a complaint in the future. He asked all the kids, "Does anyone want to get up in the truck and blow the horn?" Excitedly, the kids took their turns sitting in the firetruck blowing the horn.

After all of this, with the firetruck diesel engine idling and lights flashing (still parked behind the neighbor's house) - it only seemed polite to invite the firemen into the house to wash up and fill up their plates with barbecued pork sandwiches... which they did.

Rock On

Molly has the ring.

So, the rock is on her finger.

I don't know when the wedding will be...but I have heard the word, "February" spoken around here with some frequency the last couple of days.

I also don't really know where it will be...but Molly has been looking at several potential outdoor wedding locations here around Phoenix...soooo, I think that likely means you should all start writing to Santa asking for plane tickets to Phoenix for your Christmas present.

The Man with a Mission

Do you notice anything unusual about this man?

OK. He's holding a red rose. True.

Anything else?

That look in his eye?

The expression on his face?

That's the unmistakable look of pending commitment.

Shortly after this photo of Matt was taken, he surprised Molly, my niece, by asking her to marry him.

Yep. That's a commitment.

Matt flew from Chicago to Phoenix yesterday to surprise Molly while she was playing and singing on stage at Cornerstone Church. Molly thought he was in Chicago when he walked into the room and boldly went up to her on stage, dropped down to his knee (at this point there was applause and whistling from everyone watching), offered the ring and popped the question.

Judging by the reaction of them both - they don't seem to fear commitment.

Sarah Plain and Tall

Jeans and a Movie

How do you get in to see a movie for free?

Back when I was a youngster, there were a couple of creative options. You could buy a ticket for one movie, then after it was finished you could slip into another theater to watch a different one. Or, a bunch of us (I mean "them") could pool our (their) money to buy one ticket, then that guy could let the rest of us (I mean "them") in through the fire exit door.

I only know these things because of all those ne'er-do-wells that I was in school with, of course.

Anyway, tonight we discovered a much easier (and completely legal) method.

Try on a pair of jeans.

Yep. That's it. Go to the mall, find the store that was giving away a free movie ticket for trying on a pair of jeans and walk out with a free ticket. If you actually bought some jeans, they would give you two free tickets.

Currently, I have no need for another pair of jeans or a second ticket. But I'll put on a pair of pants to see a movie for free any day.

Palin Power

Knock Before Entering

Last night, Cathy decided to take a shower before going to bed.

Everything was fine until she pulled back the shower curtain only to discover the tub was already occupied.

A scorpion was in there waiting for her.

I was able to dive in there and overpower that poisonous little devil with the sole of my sandal.

No one was harmed (except of course the scorpion).

My brother aptly observed how fortunate Cathy was. When Dylan was visiting here, we had to hike halfway up the mountain to finally find a scorpion. Cathy only had to go as far as the bathroom.

The Arizona Tourist

Yep.

That's my wife visiting Arizona. She will be here all this week checking up on me. We were able to travel up to the Grand Canyon for a little mini vacation together. It was a stormy day at the canyon - which made for some interesting views. You can check out all the photos on my web album.

This week will go way too fast as it is, so I have to stop typing to squeeze in every possible moment of quality time with my Mrs. Nass