Here is Shannon on the computer (probably fixing my financial screw-ups). She's been having a tough time at work lately, and I know my overspending for Christmas doesn't help with her sanity. I just wanted to say I'm sorry, but you're worth it.
So I got my kilt back last week and I'm very happy to have it. I gotta tell you, I don't wear my tan original much anymore (it's a little big) so it seemed like I only had one kilt. They just stitched it up (which Shannon could have done) but it only cost $5 for shipping and they fixed it for free. Thanks to Joe at Utilikilts for all of his help.
This is me and Taylor in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle (yes I wore a kilt). We had a great time, and learned a few things too. Such as; Sleeping Beauty's Castle was not wheelchair accessible and there was no way to put in an elevator, so they had to close it. The Monorail is a very complicated system, and it's not easy to pull off a train to work on, so in the off season (now) they only run one train. Also, those damn pins cost too much. When you buy 1 or 2 it's no big deal, but when you walk around the park and see more and more. That crap adds up, and you don't notice until later and you have no money for food.
This is California Adventure in the day (well, dusk).
This is California Adventure at night (well almost night, Ca Adventure closes at 6pm in the off season).
Yes, we do the character breakfast for my benefit not the kids. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a breakfast buffet. I like to see the kids (not just my own kids) reaction to the characters walking around and coming up to them at breakfast like it was normal. So cut me some slack, this is where Disney magic really happens. Oh yeah, some rides are hard to get on when you're wearing a kilt. 'Nuff said!!
It starts with this washing machine, never buy this "Kenmore Elite" no matter what the fuck Consumer Reports says about it. (BTW they rated it #1 for 2 or 3 years, bullshit!) I loaded it this morning and set the timer, so it would be done before I got home. When I opened the door I knew something was wrong.
I saw my brown Workman kilt in the front but it didn't look right. I pulled it out and saw a huge tear. Right across one of the pleats. This is not the first time this washer has torn our clothes. We had 2 of Shannon's shirts torn and 1 of the sheets for our bed.
This is Morgan and Taylor handing out candy to our first trick or treaters of the night. After this was taken, Taylor and I headed out and Morgan stayed home w/Corinne. Taylor had to pee about halfway through so we came home. Morgan went out with us the rest of the night.
Morgan wore the same costume as last year, but I don't think it will fit him for long. I wore them out, I asked them if they wanted to keep going but they said they were tired.
Taylor was Catwoman. She looked great, and for the first time I can remember she was warm. Shannon made her boots and hood part of the mask. Look at her belt, its a whip (nice touch).
These were our pumpkins, Morgans on the left, mine in the middle and Taylor's on the right. We carved these on Saturday night. we normally carve pumpkins at our friend Ryan's house, but this year he couldn't do it. So everyone came over here, and we carved them downstairs. The tile was easy to clean and everyone had a good time. I wish Shannon was here to enjoy Halloween with us, but we'll just have to have a bigger Halloween next year.
Shannon's out of town, so I took the kids out to D&E's for the corn maze. When we got there we found this. Apparently, they bought a manure spreader. WOW!!!! is all I can say. A whole machine dedicated to spreading shit.
So Taylor, Morgan, and I jumped in the back of the truck. Darryl hooked-up the poo thrower, and we drove out to the field. Darryl hops out of the truck and flips the handle. He climbs back into the truck and off we go.
Look at that poo flying through the air. It has these tines on the back, so you could say that the shit really hits the fan. I swear monkeys at the zoo are jealous. It's quite the sight, I have to say. It will save them a lot of time cleaning up after the horses. Lets face it there is nothing like flying crap. It's craptastic.
These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago at Steve's house. We had another crab boil for his birthday. No crayfish this time, as they to much work and not enough meat. We had a ton of crab, shrimp, clams, and 1 lobster. delicious.
This is Peter, Steve's brother-in-law, I had him try on one of my kilts and he wore it all night. He said "I thought it would be comfortable, but it's more comfortable than I thought it would be". Steve's brother Philip tried it on later, and his girlfriend looked at him with pure lust in her eyes. I've actually never seen anything like it. Peter's wife Jen said he would be getting one for his birthday or Christmas. I'm not exaggerating about the lust thing, she almost needed a drool cup.
Well, the crawl is next week, and I am looking forward to it. I will drink to Becky's memory, and finish someone elses drink in her honor. Shannon might not be able to come because of work. But she said she might try to trade days or shifts with someone. I hope she can because I like to have her around. Sometimes she says she feels like an outsider because she doesn't get to hang out with the group (because of work), and I understand this (I used to work crappy shifts too). But when she's not there, I think of her constantly (maybe not constantly , I sound like a total PW sap, but a lot). Hope to see you at the crawl next year Kelly.
This is my new 'Workman Utilikilt'. Pretty cool? Yes, thank you. Shut up, it's been years since my legs saw this much sun. It's gonna take some time to get them tan. My new kilt is an early Christmas present (I know it's reeeaaalllyyy early) and it has some nice features.
The hammer loop is adjustable. So it can hold my 2nd favorite tool (shown), or a Dewalt drill. It's made of 100% cotton duckcloth, so it's nearly indestructible (Superkiltman). I plan on wearing it to work in the yard tommorrow, hopefully it won't be as hot as today but at least I'll have A.C.
Two fat back pockets. Which kilt should I wear on the crawl?
So ever since we got back from vacation I've been looking at real estate prices in Seattle. I know we can't move, I think Shannon's mom might kill us. (I live in fear for my life, really) I was just interested how much a house would cost. Well then my friend Steve told me it rains like 300 days a year (oh yes, I forgot). The only reason is to be closer to the utilikilts store (I'm so selfish). 
Maybe I should open a store in town? Utilikilts has a wholesale program. I could sell boots and kilts and belts and kilts and shirts and kilts and stuff and kilts...Another pipe dream. Oh well next week I'm back at work, in pants.
Shannon's going to tell you about our trip to Canada. Our visit with Kelly, Paul and the kids, but my destination was right here. Everything before and after are just blurs.
Here are Taylor and I modeling my new kilt (the Survival kilt). Everyone in the store was wearing a Utilikilt of some kind, and when I walked into the store, the owners wife said "welcome to Mecca". Otto helped me pick it out and try it on. They have no dressing rooms. So you unsnap your kilt, they wrap the new kilt around you, and the old one falls to the floor. Very clever.
I made Paul try on the old one. I don't think he has the stones to wear it out in public. You should notice that in the picture above I have removed the cargo pockets. I wore this kilt golfing the next day. First time I've ever golfed, I think I need some clubs.
