keep on movin' and groovin'

I just booked my flight, and I'm leaving on December 26th, 2pm...destination McMurdo Base, Antarctica. And for the upcoming month before I leave, I'm taking two trips away from home. First, we're headed to Macomb, Illinois for the Thanksgiving holiday and also Liam's baptism. We are all very excited for our first big road trip...I just hope the weather cooperates! Secondly, I'll be headed to Lewes, DE to work at the U-Del marine lab facility. I'll be there until Dec. 9th learining how to use and install some monitoring equipment down in Pony Lake. So, I really only have about 2 weeks of actually being at home...holy crap!

And speaking of Pony Lake...Have you guys ever heard the one about the group of scientists who had to apply for special permits to SHOVEL a meter of snow and ice off of A LAKE in hopes that it will actually thaw this year? I'd love to tell you all about it, but I'm not sure how it ends yet.

So, in gathering my things for NZ and McMurdo, I was going thru my NZ pics from last year and I couldn't resist posting some of my favorites. I hope you all enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Aby (...and Liam too!) at Lake Wakatipu

 

these guys are amazing!

 

if only I could somehow put a saddle on this guy

 

Molokai Beach

 

Molokai Boulders

 

...don't mind if I do.

This may go down as the best thing I've ever done before noon on a thursday. 

Speights Brewery Tour

I don't remember his name, but I remember that I really liked our tour guide.
He gave us beer and stuff. 

Day Hike to Fox Glacier

Taken from the start of the hike... 

...and just for scale

notice the 'little' front-loader? 

Fox Glacier Hike

Here's a picture of Aby (and Liam!) on our hike up to Fox Glacier 

The Blue Pools

a quick day-hike on our way from Queenstown west to the Fox Glacier 

Keepin the toes warm

Thanks for the booties, Aunt Roxy! 

These two sure have a lot to talk about 

Liam and his new buddy Collin 

Aby&Liam hanging out at the park with Sarah and little Collin...he's just a week old! 

For real?

i admit that I ask myself that question more and more often these days as I read online news pages. But today's headline from the bbc was priceless:

"'Glow-in-the-dark pork chops' no cause for alarm, Australians told"

Yup, that's right. So you have glowing meat, and industry says no problem.. Although this bbc's inside source seems to suggest a little caution could be in order:

So the glowing can be a sign that the food is starting to go off and Mr George Davey (head of the New South Wales Food Authority) recommends consumers throw any luminous pork chops - or other cuts of meat - straight into the dustbin. "Remember this simple advice - if it glows, throw it."

If you really need to be told to be suspicious of fluorescent pork-products, I think you oughtta go right ahead and try some. let me know how it goes for ya.

(source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4442984.stm)

3 Months

busy busy busy, so this will have to be short. Little Liam turns three months old tomorrow, and we're all very excited. Honestly, it is just incredible how quickly this time has passed. I'm already thinking to myself "can't you just hold up here and stop growing". I'm definitely NOT looking forward to him becoming mobile!

Also, I bought a new camera yesterday in preparation for my trip back to the ice. It's official now, I leave on Dec 27th and will return mid-feb. So, check out the new pics and let me know what you think. I figure I have this next month to figure out how to use my camera...trial by fire.

Lastly, there are two things I think are worth mentioning....One is a great memory (or at least great in my own mind) I have from the Ween show and I just can't get it out of my head, so I thought I'd share this with you. It's near the end of an amazing 3-hr set and Deaner just shredded it up on johnny on the spot. Now people begin shouting other songs they desparately want to hear them play, when this stoned hippie literally in front of the stage shouts - "play johnny on the spot". Deaner causally leans forward, and within earshot of the mic, he says "Dude, we just played that one". Halarious.

And lastly, now that Liam is on his way to becoming a certified Ninja, I wanted to share with all of you one of the best websites of all time - www.realultimatepower.net. This website is really cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet. Go there right now if you haven't, you won't be dissapointed.

All for now, until next time....Dr.

why can't they make one of these for adults?

Hey everybody - I'm three months old!!

"I hereby submit my most adamant, and unsolicited protestations!!"....or something like that

hey, what's going on over there?

just fed

So Dad says "Hey Liam, make a cute face" and this is what I came up with. Waddhya think?

I'm down to singin' for my food...Look what they make me go thru just to get a bite.

lots to say!

big smile!

playtime with Momma!

in the sling (2)

hangin' out in the sling

Mr. Liam bustin' out some hip-hop moves. He actually prefers the old school drum and bass, and heavy dub.

Hey ladies, wassgoin' on? Wanna hit the dance floor? Yea, that's rite - I'm smoooth.

big sneeze!

Hey everybody, this here's my Momma. She and I get along just fine!

Master Liam doing his best pose of "Mr. Load-in-Pants" He's really quite skillled, you'd be surprised.

Some of y'all wrote in last time commented how cute I looked. I assume a big part of that was AH in the picture with his dorky cubs hat,(even with my skin condition I get more ladies than him)... but I assure you, I'm not all smiles and giggles!

They've elected me as the Minister of Fuss, or just "The FussMinister" is alright too.

one happy family!