Not feeling so well

For the last couple of days Priya has been pretty clingy since she's not feeling too good. She has some molars coming in, and has a cold on top of it. Which now means I have a cold too. So I am kind of worn out too since this was the weekend Tish was working, and I haven't gotten much sleep. In a way I'm glad it's going to be over soon since next Thursday we take a car trip to Toronto.

In other news, we will be taking a trip out to Texas next year as my cousin Rachel just got engaged. Congrats Rachel and Brett!!

10 points for guessing what's so strange about the above pictures and videos!


We still had fun in the evening checking out the brand new park in Munster. There was this steep slide that Priya went down a few times. She wasn't even the least bit fazed by the experience. We finally stopped because it was freaking Tish out more than Priya.

One Book Meme

So I have been tagged by Susanna with the One Book Meme. For all you illiterates out there, here is Wiki's explanation of a meme (hehe... don't worry... I had to look it up too!). Anyway, as I was reading through her list, I was thinking to myself - Gosh, I read soooo many books, but I hardly remember any of them. Guess what? Down at the bottom, I find my name. So here goes:

1. One book that changed your life: What's So Amazing About Grace? - Philip Yancey
   This book has done more than any other to bring into sharp focus what grace is, and how we are mostly ungrateful wretches living under infinite grace.
   
   
   
2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Not A Penny More, Not a Penny Less - Jeffrey Archer
   Inspite of being an ex-con, Jeffrey Archer remains one of my favorite authors.
   
   
3. One book you’d want on a desert island: Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson
   At 1,168 pages it's a science fiction book I abandoned a few years ago (it's a fairly difficult read). If I had all the time in the world, maybe I'd be able to finish it. By the way, the bible is not an eligible book to have on the island.
   
   
4. One book that made you laugh: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - Lynne Truss
   Ahhhh... this book is hilarious for all those who try to write well.
   
   
5. One book that made you cry [or feel really sad]: Why a Daughter Needs a Dad: A Hundred Reasons - Gregory E. Lang
   This was the hardest one. I don't really read autobiographies, and non-fiction all that much. So I had to throw in something here. I was reading this book at Borders during one of the weekends when I was out with Priya on one of our "dates." The emotional part was realizing all these effects that I can have on my daughter's life, and wondering how I was gonna do it.
   
   
6. One book that you wish had been written: The seventh Harry Potter
   
   What can I say... I am completely enthralled by the series. Well, the good news is that my wish will come true some day!
   
   
7. One book that you wish had never been written: The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
   Can we say booooooring. Even the title screams bad English. If you want action, check out Angels and Demons.
   
   
8. One book you’re currently reading: The Book of The Dead - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
   Just finished it actually. This is the third and final in the series featuring Aloysius Pendergast. I haven't picked up a new one since.
   
   
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: The Pursuit of Holiness - Jerry Bridges
   The title says it all.
   
   
10. Now tag five people:
    Ok this is the easy part. I tag TS, David, Christy, Michelle, and Elizabeth (at first I had more than needed, but then I thought I should leave some for other people to tag. So it's back to 5).
    

Wedding 1 of 2

We're back from the first wedding of the two long distance ones we have to go to. Tish's brother Shane got married, and we took a 7 hour drive to be there. We were right on the banks of Lake Huron.

Our little cottage

View from the deck

Priya lounging like the princess that she is

Cheerios and milk make for a delicious breakfast

The two sissies again

The kiss

New Look; New Technology; Back to the Beach

I just updated to the new Beta version of the Blogger. So far I like it. How do you like the new look?

I also signed up with MapStats. Check out the latest visitors in the side-bar. You can click on the button and it will take you to a Google map where you can see the cities where people are clicking in from. Very, very nifty.

Tish and Priya went back to the beach, this time with a few friends. Some more pictures from the beach.


This weekend we will be driving around 7 hours to go for a wedding up in Michigan. The Lord be with us.

Wide Awake in Minneapolis

Well.. not really. It just flowed from the earlier title. I've spent the last couple of days in Minneapolis. It was pretty much a wasted trip. The customer was not ready for me at all, so I've had very little to do. I've caught up a little on my movies - between yesterday and today I saw Miami Vice and World Trade Center. Both were OK - not too horrible, but nothing to rave about either.

This past weekend we went to the Lake County Fair. It was fun.

We caught up with the Leitzels

Priya picking out two ducks that will give her a prize

Priya's current favorite face to make - crinkly nose

Off for her first ride on the Ferris Wheel

View from the top

Sleepless in Cincinnati

I've been in Cincinnati for a few days already, and it's not going too bad. I miss Tish and Priya, though. I will be leaving again on Monday for Minneapolis, so that's probably bumming me out more.

In the meantime, I was at the theaters last night wanting to see Miami Vice. I figured it was better than sitting at the hotel. From across the theater, I could see the rides of Kings Island. The park was literally a quarter mile from where I was. So after some encouragement from Tish, I decided to have some fun. It wasn't a bad decision at all. It was around six when I went in. The ticket was discounted quite a bit, and the lines were almost non-existent. In fact, if I didn't want to ride in the front of the roller-coasters, then in almost all the rides there would have been no waiting. So here's a sampling of the rides I got on.

The Vortex: It was OK.

Delirium: My favorite ride. I went on this twice. It was simply amazing

Top Gun: Again, OK

Face/Off: This was pretty exciting

Flight of Fear: This was also very cool. The ride is in almost near-darkness with a lot of loops.

Xtreme Skyflyer: I've been wanting to do this kind of a ride for years. In this one, they rope you, take you up 200 feet up, and then you're supposed to rip a cord that releases you. Pretty unnerving, but totally fun!

Beach Babe

This past weekend was a busy one. On Saturday we went to the Indiana dunes for a day at the beach. It was a blazingly hot day. The temperature was around 100° (38°C) when we got there, but the water temperature was a balmy 75° (24°C). Priya had a great time there. As you will see in the video, parents are but a distraction to her enjoyment.

I am always amazed by what a brave girl Priya is. I took her underwater with me for a few seconds a couple of times just so she can see what it's like and start getting used to it. This was the first time she had been under. She was very, very surprised and quite startled. But she didn't suddenly go all hysterical and start throwing a fit.




Sunday brought about it's own excitement. We went to the Applebees in Munster for lunch. The service was horribly inefficient. But that was just the beginning. Priya got hot coffee spilled on her. It was some very quick thinking from Tish (who immediately threw a glass of ice-water)

that saved Priya from burning. But poor girl - scalding coffee, and ice water all within 10 seconds. Not a fun time. The funny thing was that people that were just walking in were looking at us horrified - look at these awful parents - taking their kid to eat out in nothing but a diaper!

Finally, as a special request from Lisa, please visit the Dananays blog and check out Julia. Lisa wants to see some more spots on her ClustrMap!!

Living the fun life

Here is Priya on a typical morning when she gets to watch one episode of her favorite show - the Backyardigans. Would you like some breakfast in bed, madam?


Here is a video of her taking Lily for a stroll.