Ribbons. Everyone gets ribbons. A ribbon for every lane in the pool. Little kids want one of every color. When they get bigger, they want all blue ones.
REI. I get all my "Life is Good" shirts from REI. I like wandering around, checking out all the cool outdoorsy stuff.
Hey, Andrew are you awake? My nephew, Andrew came to visit us for a week. I hope you had fun. Sorry about all the noise we make in the morning, but we are the cheapest accommodations in town. Come back soon. We'll leave the light on for you.
Gamers. Eli is showing his friend, Max, the ropes on a new video game. I read somewhere that to be truly proficient at something, you need 10,000 hours of practice. If allowed, Eli would reach that goal in 416.67 days.
Zoolander faces. Today is Father's Day and Brandi's 28th birthday, so we got together with the family. Getting the four Laudi kids together for a photo is rare. Getting them to be serious is nearly impossible.
BFFs. Our new cat, Oliver, has really taken to Ezzy. He has been known to give her a bath too. Marius, our other cat just tolerates Oliver. Maybe someday, they will be buddies too.
Welcome home. This little guy helps guide me straight into the garage. He dangles there right where in the middle of where I'm supposed to park. A little to the left, please. There. Perfect.
Favorite earrings. I don't wear much jewelry, but I do wear these often. I've had them for close to 20 years. You can bury me in them, but please wait until I'm dead.
Mendocino in the morning. I had to leave our camping trip early to go back to work. Mike and Eli get to stay until Friday. Life is not always fair.
Abalone diving. Mike and our friend, Ken went abalone diving today. Getting the gear on is as exhausting as the diving. They both caught their limit of three each. Good times.
Bicycling in Van Damme State Park. Eli, his classmate, Hana and I took a nice bike ride in the state park. The kids had to stop for a Hot Tamale break.
Kayaking in Mendocino. The tides are low and the caves are exposed. We kayaked into this one and found a little beach.
Fire on the beach. Our first night camping in Mendocino. Doesn't the fire look like a cello or maybe a guitar?
Copier casualty. My assistant called me to her office during half time of the game last night. Usually that means help is needed with the copier. My staff wanted to show me this little mouse they found dead in the copier tray. She swears he wasn't there earlier when she made copies. Our coworker was very helpful in disposing of the remains. The question is where are his rodent friends?
"Doggles". I saw this dog at swim practice this evening and couldn't pass up the chance to take a picture. I asked the dog's owner if the doggles were just for looks or if they had a purpose. He said that his dog likes to stick his head out of the car window and the doggles help prevent his eyes from watering. I would have said they were reading glasses, but that's just me.
Settlers of Catan. A board game that Mike and the kids play every once in a while. It's colorful and rather photogenic.
Team photo. I stood behind the professional photographer to take a picture of the swim team. Not bad for an amateur.
Debracing. I had my braces taken off today after 18 months. It's weird. My teeth are straight, but I think my face is crooked. I'm happy with how they turned out. They still have a little personality...like me.
Alien landing? No, it's the lighting truss for WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting). It's a lot of work so that you can see two guys pummel each other. "Tap out. Tap out. You idiot, tap out."
Rinse and repeat. Eli, you might not care that chlorine fades the color of your swimsuit, but did you know that it affects the elasticity too? I wonder if you'll care when you dive into the pool and your suit ends up around your ankles.
It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Eli and his friends decided to play with their Airsoft guns. The little pellets sting, thus the reason for the head-to-toe covering. It's a boy version of playing dress-up. They look a little scary, until you remember that, if anyone of them took a direct hit with a pellet, tears would be shed.
