A Wedding With A Side of Peas

Hooray for Cassie and Chris! They were married this weekend in a blur of asparagus, cucumbers and turtles. Their wedding was at Turtle Bay Museum and featured green bridal sneakers, a soaked groomsman, and centerpieces full of any green thing Mother Nature could think of: bell peppers, limes, avocados, grapes, beans and broccoli, to name a few. It was all very fun and of course, we didn't take a single photo, but we did bust a dancing shoe or two! Congrats Jonesies, have fun honeymooning and enjoy your last few West coast days. We can't wait to visit you in future East coast travels!

TOP 5 SLASHIES

A Slashie can be anything/actor. The following are those who manage to do both somewhat respectably (VERY rare). While folk like Dan Marino claim Slashie-hood, i made a rule that everyone had to have at least 2 experiences wherein they played someone other than themselves. And the 2 careers had to, for the most part, coincide, so Ronald Reagan missed the list.

TOP 5 SLASHIES

Willie Nelson: singer/actor
Steve Martin: actor/novelist
Mos Def: rapper/actor
Mikhail Baryshnikov: ballet dancer/actor
Barbara Streisand: singer/actress (i know, but i wanted at least one woman on the list! and she's got 2 Oscars and a bajillion Grammys)

i know there's a ton more out there, but my brain is fried. You're welcome to improve the list.

A billion points to whoever can think of the best multi-Slashie! i.e. Jane Fonda: fitness guru/model/actress/rabble rouser/writer.

Sheeps

Every couple months someone gets married, and in the months between someone starts a blog. The latest:

http://mattandbrendafer.blogspot.com (includes pics and news from NY)

http://jasonwinterniemeyer.blogspot.com (Winter may be the one having to bring home the bacon, but her reading list sounds much more fun than J's)

http://whitney821.blogspot.com (an experiment in commitment (as in, to her blog, not her fiance!))

Geek Is The New Black

All is right with the world, because on last night's Average Joe finale, Anna picked Average Nathan over Model/Actor Rocky (a slashie!), breaking Rocky's heart and proving that nice guys CAN finish first. i think the victory had less to do with Nathan's charms and more to do with the fact that the producers finally picked a hot girl who actually had a soul. Anyway, it was clear that Nathan was the better man when he quoted Khalil Gibran from memory and Rocky made up his own soap-worthy sound bytes ..."With passion comes chance." (it looked like she threw up in her mouth a little bit) So keep wearing your headgear and working on your magic routine, all you junior Joes out there, your blinded-by-love girl will come.

A Giant Weekend

Rachel and Jason came up North to visit us! They crashed at our place, gave a pint of blood to Cosmo, went to The City w/us, and endured the world's hottest game of mini-golf (i lost) (by alot) (i suk at mini golf) (but i can't stop loving it) (it's my abusive boyfriend) (altho it'd probably call ME the abusive one) (but i digress). We smartly avoided buying the expensive Giants tickets and opted for the nosebleeds, which became an even better idea when the Giants lost 16-4. Poor, poor Giants. All that stadium and no talent.
Anyway, we had a super time, and to any other San Diegans who might want to go to Heaven, we're free every weekend in August and it's my birthday-month, which means 31 days of pee-your-pants-fun, all the mini golf your mom can handle, and cake and wine for every meal!
-kal

TOP FIVES by kallie

From now 'til i stop, Friday is Top 5 Day, wherein i submit a list of the Top 5 Best Of Something. (not to be confused with My Top 5 Favorites of Something) The Top 5 Bests are those that exemplify a mastery of craft. i don't dare chose the Top 1, so they're always just in random order. Feel free to disagree; i love suggestions.

The Top 5 Novels present a mastery of story telling in addition to a mastery of the use of English applied correctly to said story. There are others who offer fantastic stories (Bradbury), or exceptional writing (Divakaruni), and possess qualities of both, but it's my list and i picked these 5.

TOP 5 NOVELS
------------
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest::: by Ken Kesey
The Princess Bride::: by William Goldman
East of Eden::: by my boyfriend
A Prayer for Owen Meany::: by John Irving
To Kill A Mockingbird::: by Harper Lee

i venture say that Irving and Kesey capture top prizes, but so much of a novel, more than any film, is the moment in life when you read it, b/c it's far more than 120 minutes of your time and effort. So i really don't know how much "Owen Meany" deserves my constant adoration, but until i'm proved wrong it's there. "Catcher in the Rye" and "Mockingbird" battled fiercely, but in the end i had to admit that Boo Radley was more of a story than even Holden Caulfield.

The Spanish Branch Sprouts Again!

New cousin alert! Josiah Michael Leon was born to Tracy and Javier yesterday, adding another small dose of chili into the chicken noodle soup that is our family.

Cognitive Breakfast

From Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz":

"I was talking to a homeless man at a laundramat recently, and he said that when we reduce Christian spirituality to math we defile the Holy. I thought that was very beautiful and comforting because I have never been very good at math. Many of our attempts to understand Christian faith have only cheapened it. I can no more understand the totality of God than the pancake I made for breakfast understands the complexity of me. The little we do understand, that grain of sand our minds are capable of grasping, those ideas such as God is good, God feels, God loves, God knows all, are enough to keep our hearts dwelling on His majesty and otherness forever."

Another One Bites The Cake

Congrats to Whitney and Tannen, even though we don't have a picture of him. But this pic has Whitney in a wedding, so pretend either Travis or Kane is Tannen and you'll be on the right track.

WHIT AND TANNEN ARE GOING TO BE MARRIED IN MAY AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA KISS AND HAVE HIPPY BABIES WITH SOUTHERN DRAWLS! YAY!

Meal worms grow into beetles

If you kept leaving me voice mails last week, upset at the fact i wasn't calling you back, you are either a) Whitney, or b) no one else because Whitney was the only one.

i was at camp all last week, out in the wilds of Nevada City where no cell phone dare venture. i played counselor to a cabin full of Oroville girls, who decided before they went to bed at 2 am that 5 am would be a super time to get up and take me with them. Special points for Bethany who managed to fall out of her top bunk and still look cool. i got to hang out with Ash and Herms all week, get shot in the leg by the camp director, break three tents, eat enchiliadas disguised as Martian baby food, and watch teenagers enthusiastically gobble meal worms. It is a testament to the power of God that we can tell them 'Jesus loves you so much! Now eat meal worms or no free time!' and they still keep coming back, year after mealwormy year.

What i learned at camp: Our grandparents' generation was 68% Bible based, meaning their morals and lifetsyles. The Baby Boomers are only about 33% Bible based. We, Generation X, are estimated to be at 16%. The experts (whoever they are) hypothesize that the generation born after 1984, today's high school and college students, will only be about 4% Bible based when they grow up. Does this mean our granchildren will be a part of the 0% for their generation?

Anyway, i'm back and have only a few battle scars and a missing pillow case to show for it, but good times were had.


kal

Lodi's Aaron Kantar Leads 2005 Poker World Series

I can't believe this. I have been hearing about this guy from some of the girls here at work. I heard he was doing well. I checked on the official world series of poker website and saw to my astonishment that not only was he doing well, but he has made it to the final table and is the chip leader! The final round starts tonight at 4:00pm. Check it out if you can. Lodi is making its mark!

Lodi News

2005 World Series of Poker

Kane & White Wedding

Jeff and Erin, thank you both for all the memories.

The Blacks

Does anyone know how to get in touch with Breanna and Shane? They have been in Rocklin for a while now and Kallie and I want to go see them, however, we have no way of getting in contact with them. Any one have any numbers or emails for them?

Todd Collins

http://www.tdcollins.com/

A creative site from Todd Collins, designer, photographer and composer. Sample all three at his site.

Foth of Hool-i

For the weekend of the 4th we tagged along with Jesse and Lyn for good times in Monterey, complete with bikers (about 3 gazillion of them, give or take) and Pablo Francisco. We walked around Cannery Row and went to the Aquarium where Lyn served as tour giude to all things fishy. We ate caviar and shark fin soup then left in search of salt water taffy and dinner. (most of you know that i would consider a half pound of taffy dinner, but pizza works just as well) i was walking on air the whole time, being that Cannery Row is in my Top 5 list of Best Books Ever and that somewhere inside me that masters thesis on Steinbeck is still floating.

Josh and i left the Rostens in Steinnery Row to make it back in time for church and Aunt Jackie's Pre-4th 4th Party. Bailey and i had fun sidewalk chalking for tips and i made 87 cents. (i had to give her 70% since we were using her chalk) Someday i will have to learn to draw something besides giraffes and lions. But if it ain't broke...

Monday meant hanging out with Kallie T. and watching Cosmo and Tiger rumble/run in circles. We are proud to say that Cosmo wears the pants in his cross-species-same-sex-relationship with Tiger.

Sunday i will be picking up Herms and Ashley and we 3 will broil away the next week with a few hundred high school students and some unstable youth workers. You can send me camp mail and cookies at:
Kallie Markle
c/o Sac Senior High Camp
15742 North Bloomfield Rd.
Nevada City, CA 95959

Check on Josh while i'm gone!

-kalpal

p.s. Mrs. Trihub, if you are reading this you need to email your roommates so they know you're not pregnant.

Free To A Good Blind Kid!

courtesy of david

Mmmm...Apple-y

Two Wednesdays ago i flew to Minneapolis for the National Right to Life Convention. Minnie: Thanks for the fun mall and holding off on the snow for a weekend.

i got back and was able to see Josh for a whole day before he left for Kane's week-long bachelor party in Yuba City. (WTF?) Tuesday's root canal went badly.....There were 6 pill bottles lined up on the counter and i had some of each in me. This led to barfing and mayhem, as Vicodin wreaks havoc on my brain. I.e, when the UPS man brought the new clothes i'd ordered online, i burst out sobbing.

i stayed home Wednesday to hang out with my pills and pillow. i didn't even leave my bed to watch Ellen. Same story Thursday, which also involved getting lost on the way to the bridal shower and rear-ending the World's Needlessly Meanest Man.

Friday i was able to finally see all the friends that had been in town since Tuesday, and Saturday the girls and i saw Bewitched before going to the wedding. Good movie, great wedding. Who knew not-dancing could be so fun? Josh and Scott gave a fantastic toast and we all went to Niemy's after and had more fun, complete with ping-pong and twirling. Sunday morning: breakfast at Cassidy's, where apparently they're only used to serving midgets and starlets, cuz we were all still pretty hungry after our egg.

It was good to spend time with people we hadn't seen in a while, like Laurie and Unfried, and since the Alexanders are East Coast-bound, it was time well spent with them as well. And now we have proof that NorCal can be just as fun as San Diego, so there.

YAY FOR MATT!

Our smart friend Matt Alexander got into Columbia University Medical School!!! WOWIE!! Matt and Brenda have just a few weeks to get everything together and hauled off the New York City, so get your QT in while you can. i'm thinking that unless someone is getting married next spring or summer, (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) we should plan our reunion for the Big Apple, i hear they have good hot dogs there.

Congrats Mattpal! Can't wait to come visit!

kal and josh

Leroy Jenkins

Just plain funny. This makes me think of what us guys would be like on XBOX live.

http://flame.tiefighter.org/WoW/1115793473.wmv

George Lucas, be advised

The Josh and Kallie responses to 'Did you like Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith?'

josh: i did and i didn't.

kallie: the next time i see George Lucas i will kick him in the ear.