Halloween Hijinks!

Julie and I went to our ward's Halloween party last night. Our costumes speak for themselves. I fully realize that I will lose all dignity and respect by posting these pictures, but I already lost a considerable portion of it by appearing in public dressed like this. Why should I worry now? Enjoy!

Pooh Bear and his pot of Hunny. Go ahead. Laugh. Everyone else already has ;)

Chet and Meagan were a senorita and her pinata. If you hit him he threw candy. The kids loved it.

Nate and Nikki as Senator McCain and Governor Palin. Their break dancing moves put us all to shame!

The missionaries organized a pie eating contest. I lost. Spencer won. This doesn't bode well for the BYU / Utah game.

The baby continues to grow. Julie thinks she's huge. I think she's beautiful. The baby agrees with me!

The City of Washington

Recently, Julie and I decided that Phil, Erin, Olivia, and Sam needed a continuation of the steady stream of visitors they have experienced over the past month. We packed our car, fired up the new GPS, and headed south for DC. It took us just over 4 and-a-half hours to arrive and we spent the next two days leisurely enjoying the sights of our nation's capital. The trip was much too short to fit everything in that we wanted to do (and Julie is much too pregnant to race around seeing everything), so we are going to have to visit frequently and often! Here are some pictures from our trip. Enjoy!

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. We were able to see the changing of the guard. Very impressive.

Julie's cousin's name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We took a pencil rubbing of the name. I'm really glad we were able to see it.

The man, the myth, the legend, Abraham Lincoln. 'Nuff said.

Mount Vernon. Someday my house will look just like it!

Apples to Apples!

This last Wednesday, Julie and I accompanied our friends David, Jana, and Breyton Badger north into the wilds of Westchester County on an apple picking expedition. Our destination was Outhouse Orchards (with a name like that it had to be fun). After grabbing our bag and apple picking poles, we began furiously acquiring apples galore. We had a fantastic time and now have more apples than we know what to do with. It was good to get out into the fresh (er) air north of the Bronx and to reconnect with my outdoor roots. If you're ever in New York in October, I highly recommend picking some apples at Outhouse Orchards; at the very least you'll get to make fun of the name! Enjoy the pics.

Julie told me not to post this picture, but I couldn't resist. Those apples can be dangerous!

The perfect apple for the perfect lady!

And here we are with our bag of hard-earned apples. We only picked half of these; the Badgers picked the other half.

Laura's Christmas Present...For Last Year!

I have been crocheting for many years now. My first crocheting adventure was a scarf for a friend who was serving a mission in Iowa. I then started on an afghan that was long enough to fit a queen size bed. It became the afghan of many colors as I would add to it with left over yarn from different projects. It ended up to be maybe arms width wide and really long but my family still uses it on occasion. I recently picked up the crochet hook again and finished a scarf for Laura by putting flowers on it. I then decided to make my first hat with the left over yarn. It is a little big but I am proud of it anyway. I hope Laura likes it. And you get a new belly picture...I am HUGE!

Doctor's Orders!

The other day (Wednesday, October 1 to be exact), I meandered over to my doctor's office for a scheduled appointment regarding the sebaceous cyst on my head. He inspected it and scheduled me to have it removed in a week. Nothing exciting here, right? On the contrary, my loyal readers. After calling me into his office to get my family medical history for his files, Dr. Torres looked me in the eye and began the following conversation:

Dr. Torres: Do you drink coffee?

Me: Nope. I drink Coca-Cola though.

Dr. Torres: Did you have one before you came over?

Me: Yes.

Dr. Torres: That would do it. Your resting heart rate is 106.

Me (rather surprised): Oh.

Dr. Torres: I wouldn't want you to develop an arrythmia. You need to stop drinking caffeine.

Me (rather depressed): Oh.

Now, I've known all along that Coke wasn't particularly good for me. It has carbonation, sugar (unless you drink diet or Coke Zero), and caffeine, which obviously stimulates the body; I mean, that's why we're drinking it. Apparently, however, my body has reached the point where it just can't handle the quantities that I have been ingesting. Will it kill me? Probably not right away. Should I stop? I think so. I have been able to resist Julie's urging for two years, but when a board certified Internist tells you that you need to stop drinking Coke, well, the message might finally get through. So, my faithful friend of many decades, it is time to bid you a fond adieu. I will miss the rush of energy you provided, and I'm sure the Coca-Cola company will miss the money that I spent on you. Farewell and goodbye!

P.S. - Julie wants to take a poll: How long do you think Pat will actually stay away from Coke? Answer on the right and let her know!

A Bag-terrific Reunion!

Several weeks ago I received a voicemail message while conducting my Navy training in Newport, Rhode Island that made my day. It was the New Jersey Transit Office. It turns out that they had finally located the bag that I left on the train at Newark International Airport. They left a claim number and told me to come and get it. Today I finally had enough time to make the four hour round trip excursion to claim my property. To be honest, I had low expectations; I expected to reclaim the bag and, perhaps, my Theodore Roosevelt biography. Imagine my surprise when I received the bag and discovered that NOTHING was missing. That's right! Everything was in the bag that was in it when I lost it. My laptop computer, digital camera, neurology textbook, and checkbook were all accounted for. The checkbook even had all of its checks (although they're worthless now; we cancelled every single one months ago). Apparently there are still some decent people out there who will return a misplaced bag without emptying it of its contents, as well as some very professional New Jersey Transit employees. My faith in humanity is restored. The best thing is that now I can post some pictures that my negligence had prevented me from sharing for three months. Enjoy!



Here is a picture of Julie's pregnant belly at the beginning of July. She was just barely starting to show.



Here is Julie's pregnant belly as of a few minutes ago. Isn't she precious?



Here's the little guy at 19 weeks, which is about 13 weeks ago. Isn't he already the cutest little thing?

Here he is again, only this time he has his little fist next to his little nose. All together now....Ahhhhh! How cute!

Julie Loves a Man in Uniform!

Especially when that man in uniform is me! On Saturday, after a morning of painful study (who knew that the nervous system could be so complicated), I came back to the apartment and noticed a package at our door. After opening the package I was rewarded with my cleanly shaved face staring back at me; my Navy pictures had finally arrived. In the spirit of shamelessly sharing minute details of my private life (which is what blogging is all about, anyway) and to satisfy my undiagnosed narcissism, here is my favorite of the bunch. Topgun, here I come!

I also had one taken with a sword. I really like that one too.

Finally, Julie promised that she would post a picture of me with my buzz cut. I feel that I should explain the circumstances of this haircut...actually, I don't really know what I was thinking. I didn't have to get it cut this short. I must have had a flashback from Army basic training. Anyway, enjoy and please, keep the snickering to yourself ;)