Happy 4th!

Thanks to the Armed Forces and their families for what they have done and continue to do! and....

HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY

Coming soon....

Bike "riding" without training wheels. After much pushing from the little 'uns, we have removed training wheels from the boys bikes. Not sure how long it will last, but at least the first couple practice sessions have gone well. The timing has worked out nicely as Alex's birthday present has no training wheels and I'm sure he'll want to ride it on day 1. We have some work in front of us.

I have video, but haven't figured out how to put it into a format this blog supports. More to follow.

Psi Who? on the Food Network...

So as I was drifting into oblivian trying to figure out the recent property tax reform bill.....zzzzzz and Alton was finishing up a "Good Eats" episode about peppercorns. Next up is "Dinner Impossible". Robert Irvine, described as the "James Bond and MacGyver" of the cooking world, is thown into some ridiculous situation and has to knock out dinner. He's been marooned on an island, stuck out in cattle county with Ranchers driving cattle and most recently in the U Penn Psi Upsilon Fraternity House.

Don't keep up with the ol' fraternity too much less the relationships with the NHP Phi Betas, but thought this was worth mentioning.

No idea what happened...way too far past my bedtime and honestly, it's a pretty lame show.

In case you are interested here are the airtimes on the Food Network, Channel 231 on DirecTV.

It's well worth tuning in for the first 5 minutes to check out the sweet digs the boys have up at U Penn.

AIR TIMES:
June 27, 2007 10:30 PM ET/PT
June 28, 2007 1:30 AM ET/PT
July 01, 2007 4:30 PM ET/PT
July 01, 2007 11:30 PM ET/PT
July 02, 2007 2:30 AM ET/PT

Jen is Officially Hired!

OK.....the light is getting brighter! Although Jen was on scholarship with Health First, she still had to interview to get a job on a specific floor and not get stuck....we'll there are lots of places to get stuck in a hospital. Since Health First has multiple facilities (over 20) in the area, she was very interested in getting into the hospital closest to the house and on a specialty floor within the hospital. AND......Surprise, surprise she got what she wanted.
She'll be working on a Cardiac Floor at Holmes Hospital and for more information, you will have to call her. We are all extremely excited, as "interviewing" falls off the list of things Mommy is stressed out about!
She will start in the new nurses class in September and work hand in hand with another nurse on her floor for three months as she learns the ropes and passes her NCLEX. Right around the Holidays she will probably make the switch to night shifts where she plans to work 7pm to 7am, 3 days a week.
We are all celebrating by heading up to Chicago and further Michigan for a week to see friends, family and just simply relax.

Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa

It was great as always to spend a week with Mom and Dad down visiting from Ft. Wayne. The boys slept for two days after a week of beach, pool and Zoo trips, gardening, monkey in the middle and chase! Jennifer and I could have slept for a week after late nights and "required" happy hou every night. Phew....the recycling guys must get a good idea of what goes on in peoples lives when they pick up.

Not much else going on. The boys are enjoying summer camp at the church and Jennifer is counting the days.....ok we're both counting the days. I believe it is less than 40 now. WOW!
We're just battening down the hatches for the next month until we are finally free of Mommy's school work and we can all relax a bit.

Finally some fishing pics!!

After a long and weather troubled spring season, we have finally broken through into the calm, fish hunting days of summer. It's unfortunate that we missed as much of the season as we have, but I'm doing my best to make up for it while I can. It's been a great couple months of offshore trips, inshore kayaking and evening a canoe trip with the boys where the lure of live shrimp was more powerful than the sound of oars slapping against the water and little feet scampering across the bottom on the canoe. That Redfish just couldn't hold back!
Enjoy the pics and remember that Florida is just a plane trip away.
As the water heats up, I'll move onto the beach where my goal for the season is my first Kayak Tarpon! The pogies were thick this weekend, and I was bummed to fight that fiesty Jack Crevalle thinking it was a Tarpon all along. I must have seen 10 in the water and the Jack just happened to be first to the hook. A week to help the arm recover and I'll be at it again.
Enjoy and stay tuned!

Mahi Mayhem

Offshore Red Snapper Slam!

Inshore Kayak Fishy Pics

First Surf Kayak Trip

This bruiser took up an hour and 40 minutes of my Sunday morning and left me with a very sore arm.

Another Successful Shuttle Launch

Hilton Head!! Aunt Lauren's Birthday

Garden news

Carrots are almost ready to pick, Sunflowers are opening, the cucumbers are coming to an end, we hope to have peppers soon and the tomatoes are about golf ball size. Should be ready to pick when grandparents start showing up for summer relief!

Pool day!

Last Day of School Alex

Last Day of School Brayden

Wildlife Central!

So the deer were fun for everyone a couple days ago, but I was a bit taken back when I walked out the back door this afternoon and heard a loud "thump" next to the grill. This little guy measured about 30" and is a friendly yellow rat snake...unless you are a rat. He was happy to head back into the preserve with a little prodding from the broom stick.

Garden Update

Our garden delivered it's first cucumber today, the tomatoes have started to flower, the sunflower buds are formed and we pulled the basil today to make pesto (also because we didn't really like the sweet basil and decided to replant a new variety)

Enjoy :)

Last soccer game and PARTY!!!

Team Picture

Mother's Day Celebration at School

Drought brings out the wildlife

Caught these two eating the pentas in the back yard, fortunately the garden didn't take a hit.

Crazy Few Weeks

Crazy couple weeks here in the Sunshine State. Jennifer finished up her last full semester as a nursing student. With only a short summer semester to go, all of us are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Yes, she is still sporting the perfect 4.0.....Nerd!

In lieu of "Beach Week" after graduation, we are headed up to the Northern climes to visit family following Jennifer's graduation in August. We are looking forward to spending a week between Chicago and Michigan. The Cheek family is excited as we will spend a couple days in Chicago with my Bro', Sis and her husband while we satchel Mom and Dad with a little babysitting duty! Then we will head up to visit Jen's extended family in Michigan for some pontoon boating, perch fishing, golf and more good old fashioned outdoor fun!

We celebrated our 3rd Annual fundraising event for the Zoo last week. Somehow, an open bar and a bit of peer pressure combined to make us the proud owner of another kayak! Yey! Don't worry, Jennifer didn't make out too bad with a new bracelet, and we took care of Alex's b-day with a new bike. Great evening with great friends. This event is such great fun every year and is just a wonderful example of why our family spends so much time supporting the Zoo. If you ever get the chance to see our little gem, don't miss it.

We are heading into our last week with Jennifer on vacation and I am already dreading next Monday. I have made great strides to get in some fishing while the opportunity has existed. Look for some new pics in the coming weeks as I try to get a chance to put everything together. My boat camera is still film....I know, get with the 90's! But there should be some good shots once I get everything developed.

Take Care and Love to all!