Male Bonding

So at the bright and early hour of 7ish o'clock this morning, Striker and his buddies headed off on an overnight camping trip to Lake Mead. Given the amount of stuff they took, you'd swear they were going for a week...they were also picking up the boat on the way, so that necessitated the wakeboard.

Contents of the Pilot upon departure:

• 4 men (please note that 2 are above average size)
• 1 huge tent that probably sleeps 12 regular sized people (they wanted to be sure that they'd all be able to comfortably sleep together for proper bonding-yes, they actually gave me this reason when I suggested they take our 2 smaller and much lighter tents)
• 4 sleeping bags
• 2 queen size air mattresses
• 4 chairs
• 2 ice chests
• 4 backpacks
• 2 boxes of food and supplies
• 4 pillows
• 1 wakeboard
• 1 grocery bag full of adult beverage supplies
• 1 bag of beach towels
• 1 case of water
• 1 camping stove
• 1 First Aid kit (yes, the wife snuck that into the car) :)
• 1 large and 1 small container for hookah supplies

I love my Pilot!!!

Christmas Lights, The Finale

To answer yesterday's question...

Striker came into the house while hanging our Christmas lights and told me to come outside. When I looked up I saw the following:
Take a closer look:

Yep, Striker was moving along nicely when he realized that his convenient storage rack wasn't so convenient when you've already moved the ladder out of reach!

The good news is that the lights look awesome - thank you Bunny! I love you!

Coincidence? I Think Not!

Is it a coincidence that the day after my Steak Fries post the hubby finds out that his triglyceride levels are borderline high despite his daily dose of Caduet? What does this mean? Well, he's getting retested in a few months (since he thinks it's coincidental that he had dinner at Outback a day and a half prior and missed a few doses of Caduet in the weeks leading up to the test). The Wife thinks he should join her in moderating the amount of carbs, alcohol, and fats that he eats. I will be posting a poll for you to agree with me - I mean vote on the best course of action. :)

Proud New Owners of...

...our very own Wii Fit!!!!After we received a phone tip from a friend, we literally rolled out of bed and into our car on a quest for the elusive Wii Fit. (There's a reason no pictures of me were taken :) ) We got to the Target and entered through the bat cave entrance which allowed us to enter right by the electronics and prevent me from being distracted by the other lovely things that Target has to offer. We stood in line and worried that we might have been too late since there were only a few Wii Fits visible.
Then they rolled out a cart full of Wii Fits and piled them behind the counter. We were guaranteed to get one! I alerted our informant that she could release the hostage she was holding for us at another store (farther away) because we were going to accomplish our mission at a closer location. I then began sending alerts to others including Queen B and the KFujs while the hubby waited in line.
We have now arrived home after a brunch at In-N-Out where I am blogging and the hubby is playing Wii Fit. He's leaving soon to be out of town until Friday, so I figured it was only fair to let him play now before I monopolize it for the next 5 days. ;)

Congratulations to Striker!

XXXXXXXXXXXX

What does that mean? He bowled a perfect 300 game his first game of his new scratch league! Somehow I don't think they are going to like him much.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see it since the league doesn't start until 9:00 PM :(

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Four years of marital bliss have included:

• Three moves
• I just can't bring myself to count cars...oh alright, 4 new cars...I think
• Three different jobs for the hubby
• 1 major surgery for me
• Countless doctors appointments and tests
• 2 permanent medications
• Lots of bowling, softball, and water sports
• 3 furry additions to the family
• Countless scavenger hunts for misplaced items
• Countless hours spent blogging
• Thousands of discrete (and some times not-so-discrete) photos
• A few nice long relaxing vacations (with another coming up soon!)
• Lots of time spent with our family and friends
• 1 stupid nickname ;)
• Lots of love, laughter, and fun

I love you Bunny! :) There's no one else I'd rather spend forever with!



And now the story behind this photo: There is an alleged German tradition (or so I was told) that at weddings right before midnight they dress the bride in an apron and scarf and hand her a broom. Of course this tradition does not take into account the fact that I intended to hire a cleaning lady and quite simply hate cleaning. Being the sharing spouse that I am, I generously allowed the hubby to have the Haus Frau (House Wife) apron and broom.

This Post's for The Hubby

As I've probably mentioned a million times, the hubby misplaces things on a regular basis and - thankfully - I have a visual memory, so I tend to remember where I last saw the item in question. I admit, I often mock/torture him in the process. :)

Yesterday I had a moment where I thought that I'd lost my credit card (that I never use except for online purchases). I couldn't find it anywhere in my purse that I thought I'd put it. I alerted the hubby to my slight panic. It hadn't been used since June, so I didn't think I'd lost it anywhere in public.

This morning I had the epiphany that it was in my wristlet in my purse. Yep, there it was! And so, this is me making fun of myself :)

Quaking and Shaking

Yes, there was a pretty good earthquake in Chino Hills today (details can be found here), yes, I live in Chino, and yes, everything is fine. Just like the fires in October, as soon as everyone hears that something happened in Chino, I start getting phone calls and emails. Thanks to everyone for your concern, but 3 things fell off of shelves, nothing broke, and the furries seemed unaffected by the whole event. It probably helped that my cleaning ladies were here for their monthly visit and the furries weren't alone without humans to "protect".

I was riding in the car with Rachel on our way to lunch when the quake hit. Neither of us knew what it was, but it felt sorta like Rachel's rear tires slid like we were on ice or in sand or something. We shrugged it off and figure it was just a pot hole or something.

We got to the restaurant and Kevin called Rach to see if she was ok, which is when we found out that it was an earthquake. I also pointed out that we were on an overpass over a rather large wash when we had the "tire issue". When I found out that it was centered in Chino Hills, I busted out Mr. Pearl to request that the hubby go home to check on our furry critters as I feared that something might have fallen over and trapped them or that they'd be panicked and scared. He BBM'd back that he was already on his way and I went back to my lunch.

Then it occurred to me that he had immediately left to check on the furries, but hadn't called or BBM'd me!!! Of course, as is typical after a quake, all of the phone lines were jammed. (This is further reason that everyone should have a BlackBerry or a Smartphone that can send email at the very least!) Allegedly, KT made a call to her mom DURING the quake...talk about quick reflexes!

I'm not irrational or illogical though - the brownie point that the hubby earned for going home to check on the "kids" cancelled out the minus point for not checking on me first. :)

Where there's a Will...

...There's a boat. Despite all of the people that voted "No" recently, the hubby will be trading in the Sea Doos and purchasing the boat tomorrow on his day off.

That means we'll be at the lake Saturday and possibly overnight to Sunday.

Company welcome!

"I Am Organized. Just Not Here."

As you had probably guessed, we will be purchasing a boat in the near future. (And no, I'm not pregnant yet - I'm just a sucker - besides, you all turned on me and voted with the hubby). Once the hubby decides he's going to buy a SeaDoo/Car/House/Boat he becomes obsessed with the idea until the deal is complete.

Today he took off from work (except for some interviews) to progress in the transaction process. Pretty much the only thing between him and a boat is: 1) me, and 2) the missing title to one of the Sea Doos.

The missing title wouldn't be a big deal, except that although we paid it off 5 years ago, the registration still shows a lien holder. This resulted in the hubby calling me at work (where I've actually been busy working lately - just ask Queen B) to see if I knew where it might be.

I've known the hubby for over 6 years now and I've spent just about the entire time utilizing my photographic memory to recall where he left various objects. The title of the Sea Doo falls into one of the categories where the hubby at one time professed that he was putting them in a safe place...and that's the last I remember.

The result?




After tearing apart all of our remaining BOC's (boxes o' crap that we have moved from house to house) we start to recreate the timeline of events. (BTW we've moved 4 times since we first acquired it.) In my head, I can see the Bert's Mega Mall folder that the title should have been stored in. I just have no idea where it ended up. I have an inkling that it's in our old desk that we left in Lake Elsinore, but I'm not certain that the title is still in there...after all, the hubby put it in a "safe place."

After discussing the possible locations or solutions (the bank that holds the lien is no longer in business and the loans were sold somewhere), I dissolved into hysterical laughter, when the hubby made this statement: "I am organized. Just not here. I'm conducting a seminar on organization at work."

I made him promise to use this story and these photos as part of his presentation. :)

Where there is smoke...

There are cupcakes?


Allow me to explain...

As is a fairly regular occurrence for me, I baked cupcakes for work last night. I started the oven to preheat and turned my back from the oven to create the batter. (It's really tough: open box, dump contents into bowl, add 1 cup of water, 1/3 cup oil, and 3 eggs, beat).

When I turned around to grab the cupcake pans, I gasped and yelled for the hubby. Why you ask? Because smoke was pouring out of the oven and filling the kitchen and dining room.

I quickly shut off the oven and then opened it, expecting to find something burning. Nope, no flames, just more smoke.

This is about the time that the hubby confesses that it's probably the drippings burning from the last time he broiled something. He used the cookie sheet without edges rather than the broil pan, so everything ran off the edges.

We then attempted to let the oven self clean (which I've never done before) and apparently the fact that it smoked even more and had to be stopped was to be expected.

I ended up taking my batter over to my aunt's and using her double oven. Now I just need to clean the oven....yuck!

(Note: Further proof that we share a brain, Queen B has the original post with this name.)

Yet Another Reason I'm a Sucker!

The alternate title could read: "Further Proof that the Hubby Knows How to Con Me Into Anything".

I came home from a very lovely baby shower for one of our friends (they're having twin girls - congrats Stabio & Konrad Families!) and was met by the hubby with the following:


The boat

Boat Specs

Boat Financing Option

Convincing Suggestions (Queen B how much do you love that it's a WikiHow?)

I knew this was coming...he's his father's son after all. A few weeks ago when the hubby and I were at the lake on our stay-cation with the Sea Doos, I made a comment that we'd need to trade in the Sea Doos and get a boat when we had kids. That's all it took for him to do his research and submit his proposal.

It's only a matter of time before I cave, but I thought I'd prolong the inevitable by having an official poll. Please place your votes on the right.

New Kolbow Family Tradition

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this up, but below are 2 links to video that document parts of the 1st Annual Kolbow Family Fireworks Extravaganza. Footage includes special guest, LilDahl.

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

BTW, the Champ and I have declared next year a competition between the Dahl and Evans sisters. Expect more fireworks, more video, and more entertainment by LilDahl!

Fireworks Festivities

Last night was the first time the hubby and I had hosted a fireworks extravaganza. Granted the extravaganza consisted of just us and my sister, but it was rather entertaining. The hubby has promised to get the video up on You Tube and when he does, I'll post the link. In the meantime, here are some photos:

Breakfast of Champions

On Saturday, the hubby and I went to IHOP for breakfast. Guess who had what:

A) eggs, hash browns, and sausage
B) orange juice
C) wheat toast, dry
D) omelet (egg beaters) with ham, peppers and onions, and salsa
E) chocolate milk
F) chocolate chip pancakes

Some clues: Both of us are on meds for various diet/health conditions. Only one of us is actually eating the diet to match the meds. :)

Signs of Workaholics

Both the hubby and I were working simultaneously today...and we're both on vacation for the rest of the week. Sigh...

Hi, My Name is Jenn Ann...

...and I'm a Guitar Hero Addict.

Let's just say that I spent a good portion of my weekend playing Guitar Hero. Let me also clarify that I only play bass and only on Easy - but the hubby and I did pass it together yesterday!

The hubby on the otherhand is a Super Duper Addict. He professed to me Sunday morning that he wasn't going to play at all on Sunday because his wrist hurt. About 30 minutes later, I said that I wanted to play and he joined me (of course). He then proceeded to play many more songs throughout the day.

And yes, he was warned that I was going to blog about our addiction. :)


BTW, if you don't have a Wii, I highly recommend that you get one. Wii Fit is a MUST buy!!!!

Kindred Spirits

While driving with the hubby to go bowling on Sunday, I took a picture of a few license plates, including this one (yes, it's IMAGIN3):

We pulled up to a traffic light and the driver's door of the car next to us opened. (In case you are wondering, the driver opted to open the door rather than roll down his window because he had one of those roll up shades typically used for children/infants or by Asian people.) The little old man - whom I believed to be a Veteran by the bumper stickers on his car - leans out and waits for me to roll down the window...

Little Old Man: I get the H2O, but what does CPA mean?
Hubby: (thinks for a second) Oh, it means Certified Public Accountant - I'm an accountant for a water district.
LOM: Oh, I get it! (rolls up window, drives off chuckling)
Hubby and I: (Laughing hysterically)
Me: Catch him! I need a picture of his Prius!

Happy belated Memorial Day, Mr. Veteran-Fellow-License-Plate-Lover!

Holy Tornado!

Toto, we're not in Kansas...in fact, we're in Moreno Valley, California. This picture was taken by someone who lives in the same neighborhood as our first house (now rental).

When I heard the news report on the radio driving home and heard the proximity of where it touched down, I knew it was right at the freeway exit to our old house. I took out Mr. Pearl and went to ABC7 and freaked when I recognized the neighborhood in the picture.

How happy am I that we moved?

Viva Las Vegas

I promise to resume normal blogging activity tomorrow when we get home from Vegas. We have a great system going right now - the hubby wins money, and I spend it on tickets to shows! Last night we saw LOVE. Tonight it is Mystere. Thanks Bunny!