We always have so much fun with Christy and Gabe. Gabe is so sweet with Sam and gives him hugs and points to his stinky toes. The other day we went to Marbles Museum. The last time I was at Marbles, I was going into labor with Sam and went into the hospital that night. It is fun to revisit it with little Sammers not kicking me from the inside.
Since we will soon be moving to Colorado, we decided to fit in a beach trip while we still can. We finally made it to the Outerbanks at Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills.
We got to see where the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur) did the first flight.
Here is the 180 pound, 12 horse power engine.
This is a replica of the plane. It weighed 600 lbs and had a wingspan of 40 feet. They flew it on Dec 17th 1903 at a speed of 6.8 mph.
Orville and Wilbur flew it 4 times that day ranging from 120 feet to 852 feet.
This is the place of take off and it shows markers of where they landed.
Sam's future is so bright... he has to wear shades.
Then we let Sam dip his toes in the ocean.
We also went to Roanoke Island which is best known for its historical significance as the site of Sir Walter Raleigh's attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in 1585 and 1587. The fate of the final group of colonists has never been determined. Stories about the "Lost Colony" have circulated for over 400 years while archeologists continue to work to resolve the mystery.
Here are the remains of their fort.
To end the trip we went to a seafood buffet and had all-you-can-eat CRAB LEGS. YUMMMMM!
While down in Tallahassee Dr. DR (Cheyn's Dad), Ridge, and I got to go to the BYU FSU game. I have been looking forward to this game since 2007 when I found out BYU would be playing close to Cheyney's parent's home. Ridge hooked up us with some tickets that were right behind the FSU bench at the 40 yard line. Ridge was such a sport. He really didn't have a dog in the fight but wore BYU blue (...and Gator shoes).
We all went tailgating before hand with some FSU boosters. Everybody was really nice and friendly, except for the occasional weirdo. Alcohol helps in the becoming weird process with some. We sat in the FSU section and everyone was really nice there too.
The stadium was awesome. It had 88k seats. There was a giant bronze sculpture out front with real flames coming from the top of the spear. The stadium was huge with giant jumbo trons and lots of pageantry. The stadium was an awesome temple to college football.
Inside the FSU band, and the horsemanship of the mascot were great.
Now on to the game. Great second quarter, but BYU has a lot to grow and rebuild this year. The temperature was 95 degrees and just when I thought I couldn't take the heat anymore, shade fell on the side on which we were sitting. I was very glad we went; it was a fun experience.
One of Sam's favorite things to do is take a bath.
My mom and dad loved every minute.
And here is Sam with one of his girlfriends, Sara. She is 3 weeks older than Sam. I know they knew each other in heaven because when they first saw each other they just stared and then Sam smiled and Sara reached out and held his hand. Pretty sweet.
One week till the start of BYU's football season. Every year I like to use a post to predict how BYU will do this year, and talk about the team we follow. I've loved BYU since I was a kid, Cheyn enjoys some games, and Sam is being raised right, so we got a family full of Cougar fans.
This year I am actually headed to a road game in Tallahassee, where BYU will take on Florida State. I have been looking forward to this for years and our friend Ridge hooked me up. Can't wait! Dr. Dr. (Stan) will also be in attendance.
This has been an interesting year for BYU. They are coming of their fourth season of being ranked in the top 25, and beat three ranked teams last year. Their top RB, QB, and All-American TE from last season all went to the NFL. The offseason has had some interesting twists and turns. The University of Utah has been invited to the Pac 10. Currently BYU has been mulling over going Independent, so the fans can actually watch more games and BYU can get more money and a better schedule.
This season's team should be young and talented, but a bit inexperienced. BYU is known for their potent offense and history of QB's, and there is competition this year to who starts at that position. This will probably be the main plot line this season. Most predict the Freshman QB Jake Heaps to be in charge of the offense by the end of the season. The Defense should be better than usual this year. They are well coached and BYU has an excellent history of consistent achievement, so don't expect BYU to fall off much this year.
Last year I predicted a 11-2 BYU and was right on. This year, I think BYU will still do well, but more in the neighborhood of 9-10 wins including the bowl game. FSU and TCU should be the toughest opponents and they may slip up somewhere else along the line, probably at the start of things.
So were ready for another fun season of following and cheering for our Alma Matter.
Sam asked me to apologize to many for the accidental spit up or poop. Even though he is advanced, he hasn't quite gotten his bodily fluids under control as of yet.
