Thanksgiving Day Triathlon!

On Thanksgiving morning, Kimberly and Cassidy competed in the local triathlon! They had been training for a while, and did an awesome job. I personally don't know why anyone in their right mind would even consider subjecting themselves to the pain & agony of a triathlon, but what do I know.

Here are the girls right before Cassidy's triathlon began.

Cassidy (& some sexy dude in all black) on the "run" portion of the triathlon. Kimberly informed me 5 minutes before Cassidy started that a parent could go with them if they'd like (hint, hint).

Here we are towards the end of the 4 mile bike ride (I was riding a huffy mountain bike pulling 100 pounds of kids behind me...I literally thought I was going to die).

Here's Kimberly passing everyone up on the swim portion of the adult triathlon.

Motoring by at an average 20 mph on the bike.

What a hottie...flying by so fast in the run portion, I couldn't get the camera ready fast enough.

Here are some of the amazing triathletes after the race. Dave and Karin Rusick with Kimberly. I think Karin finished 1st place in her group, and Kimberly finished 3rd in hers. And Dave didn't finish in last place (there was a 1-legged 75 year old woman that he beat out). I must admit, I was pretty impressed with how well they all did (including Gina, Big Red, & Chris).

PS - For those of you who were wondering, I finished first place in the kids triathlon. I had to trip a couple of 6 year olds in the run, and push over this one kid on his bike, but I made sure to bring home the gold.

Coast to Coast Business Trip

This week I was able to attend a couple of conferences (one on each coast). The week started out at in Chapel Hill, NC. The UNC campus was beautiful...the only drawback is that I froze my butt off! I'm definitely an warm climate guy. So it was nice to finish the week at a conference in LA.

Here's a shot of the Carolina Inn where I stayed...it was a beautiful building that has been around since the 1920's (a lot of the campus was very old, but kept up well over the years).

It's been a while since I have seen the leaves change colors...in AZ we only have 2 seasons ("perfect" & "hell")

I was able to pick up a sweet ticket from a scalper while at UNC to watch the basketball team destroy Kentucky

A panoramic shot from my room in LA. The Denver Nuggets were actually staying in the hotel one of the nights I was there. I ran into Carmelo Anthony in the elevator - and as you would expect, he asked me for my autograph. Sometimes it's so annoying...it feels like I can't go anywhere without being harassed.

Real Cruise Pics...

So here are the "real" cruise pics several of you have been asking about. We went to the Easter Caribbean (San Juan, St Marten, St Thomas). Royal Caribbean cruise line is amazing, and we had a great time.

This is our ship, the Freedom of the Seas - currently the largest ship in the ocean.

The ship almost sank at one point. An iceberg came out of nowhere and struck the ship while Kimberly and I were making out in the back of a "Model T Ford"...it was all a blur - so I don't remember much, except there was a lot of condensation on the windows & something about a handprint on the glass. Anyhow, this is me pondering how cold the water below must be (you know that Eastern Caribbean water is a frigid 70 degrees).

This is everyone else getting ready to jump ship as well (can you spot Waldo? He looks particularly nervous.)

What a cute couple...

This is what led to the episode in the Model T Ford...

A night pic of one of the forts in San Juan. We were there on election day, and to say the locals "get excited" about their right to vote would be a gross understatement. They were driving recklessly (not that there's anything wrong with reckless driving) all over the city waving flags and honking their horns non-stop. I have never seen so many people so excited about election day.

We saw this couple with their blatant, crude public display of affection. "Get a room, really! There are children around." Some people...

This is a panoramic photo I shot from one of the mountain tops in St. Thomas...it was amazing!

This is a pic of Meghan's bay, one of the "Top 10" beaches in the world.

Pretty self-explanatory...us, in St. Marten.

Does Kimberly look HOT in this picture, or what?! I definitely got the better end of that deal!

This is me showing off my "tool". We went on a zipline tree-top canopy tour...it was pretty cool.

This is me on the Flowrider on our ship. It's a surf-simulation machine. We had quite a bit of fun on this. If you look closely, you will see that I'm drenching Dr. Rusick. He was too scared to ride it. :-)

This is our waiter (Kenan) & assistant waiter (Vincent). They were awesome, especially Vincent. He went out of his way to learn our names and chat with us every night. He even adopted one of our group's favorite past-times - making fun of Brett.

Here's Brett with his nightly "Shirly Temple" - with the umbrella. Sometimes he just made the jokes too easy.

Hot girl + hot car = Great picture (I have another one like this, where she's laying across the hood in her bikini, but I decided not to post it on our blog).

Ice skating...one of the many activities to do on-board the ship.

My wife made me post this photo. I don't really want to talk about it. And yes, that is the Ship's Cruise Director standing in front of a big screen TV showing something in instant replay in front of the entire ship. End of discussion.

A shot of one of the pools just prior to the "bellyflop" competition.

Please look closely at the similarities of the following 2 photos. He wanted to take his shirt off, but his wife wouldn't let him.

Everyone right before one of the production shows they held each night.

Us in the dining hall.

This is a shot of all the men on karyoke night. As you will see, Dave, Tony & I are more focused on singing than dancing. Brett (a former boy-band member) was focused entirely on "busting a move". Please note where he has his left hand, and how he is biting the lower lip - both intended to make the 14-yr old girls scream. He is clearly a former boy band pro.

Me and the hotest wood pirate I've ever seen.

P.S - I bought the shirt she's wearing from the gift store...no reason...not expecting anyone to model it for me...just thought it was a nice shirt to hang up on my wife's side of the closet...seriously...I'm not expecting anything...

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.

I've realized that I need to go to Europe (so I can check some things off my list), and I'd also like to go bungee jumping and fly in a helicopter. Things I'm not dying to do - run a marathon, be transported in an ambulance, or be fired from a job.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (in the shower)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (golf is an "art", right?)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (just a "total eclipse of the heart")
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Jalen Rose)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (well, I assisted)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument


Jason

Cruise Pics...

We just got back from an Eastern Caribbean cruise with some friends, and everyone has been asking to see cruise pics, so I have attached an assortment below:

I saw this little guy walking down the hallway, and told him he had to stop because I wanted a pic. Really? Who sends their 7 year old for 2 cartons of cigarettes?!

This was a cruise guest we seemed to see EVERYWHERE...someone in the group affectionately dubbed her "giraffe woman". She was 6'8".

Here are some "EYE CANDY" pics for ya'll:

They fed us really well on the cruise ship!