About time for a new post.....

Well, I have to say that I let the blog entires slack quite a bit. I figured it is time for an update on the life and times. There is a lot of news to report. The Fall of 2005 was a little slow. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving in our new home. It was one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I have ever had. The Hodgson and Grossman families joined us along with the ver popular Uncle Terry. Michelle cooked a fantastic turkey and everyone brought something special of their own to add to the feast. We all ate outside on our patio and enjoyed the warm weather, great company, and fantatic food. It was a really special day and I was happy to have spent it with my family and friends.

Not too long afterwards we had out first Christmas in our home. Michelle and the kids did some great holiday decorating. To clebrate the first Christmas we decided to buy a 10' tree since we now had room for one that size. We trekked on to Home Depot and found a perfect tree in the mix in only about 3 tries. Once the Home Depot guys put the tree on the roof of the car I knew I was going to have some problems. Being 10' the tree was a lot heavier that I was used to. To make a long story short, it took me about 2 days to get the tree set up in the living room with help from Uncle Terry. Also, most places do not sell tree stands big enough for a tree that size to be careful. I had to do some major modifications of the tree trunk.

On December 27 we headed oout to the East coast to visit my family. It was a nice trip. We spent the first few days in NYC and spent time in Little Italy, a whole day at the Natural History Museum, and a few hours to get to the top of the Empire State Building. Emily and Aengus had a great time, especially at the Museum. We took the train back down to NJ where we hung out with my Mom and Grandfather. Made a stop to see my good friend Phil and his family. Sadly enough, we all wound up getting a stomach virus and had to take Aengus to the hospital to get some fluids in him since his vomitting was horrible. By the time we had to get back on the plane for California the virus had passed and we were all feeling much better. It would have been crappy plane ride back if we still had the bug. Flying and puking ado not mix.

The end of the year saw our friend and colleague Karen Fergason, aka Fergie, pack up here stuff along with her husband Steve and head down to the Southern Hemisphere for a 7 month trek in New Zealand and Australia. They have been keeping us informed of their trip through their blog. The trip sound slike it has been a blast and they have taken some awesome photos. I warn you though, by looking through this blog you may find yourself longing to trek the Milford sound so badly that you pack up and take off. Which is not a bad thing.

Michelle and I went to the openeing of the Paul Smith store here in Los Angeles. I'm defintiely not about the fashion/clothing thing but it was a great place to do some people watching. Many interesting, and some down right crazy people, attend these things. Got to meet Paul Smith and have a quick chat. Free drinks and snack made things even better. Some of the clothes were cool but $300 for a shirt is a little steep. We had a good time with our freinds Michael, Gill, and Charlie. Michelle looked great all dressed up and was chatting with all kinds of folks. It was nice to go out without the kids for once.

Besides that things have been quiet. Some good things to note:
It has rained in Los Angeles, finally!
Super 14 season started up and the Hurricanes are on top right now!
Six Nations Tournament is in full swing. Let hope Scotland can take the title this year!
Today is Talk in Third Person Day! Please visit the official website and support the fun!

OK, that pretty much sums it up. We are all doing well and looking forward to some good times this spring. You may want to come up and visit us in topanga if you get the chance.