Jazz Fest '09

Dallas Mike and I have been to many a Jazz Fest in New Orleans. It started out as the guys with Brett and Ross and turned into a couples gig with Jamie and V. It had been a while since we were there and it was time to hit it again. We invited Cul-de-sac Mike and Shannon along since they had never been.

Our fav band Wilco was playing on one of the stages on Saturday. Long story (but very funny) short Jamie and V. managed to get a back stage pass while the band was on stage. We passed the the ticket through the fence one by one and all ended up in the V.I.P. section partying with the band's family. It was a riot. It was a blast. It felt like we were 23 again.

On our trip we ate like Kings and Queens. We partied like it was our last week-end on earth and devoured Gumbo from a bag. It really was a great week-end.

I'll try and tell the story though the pictures:

The Gang!

The best grub in New Orleans?....only Camellia Grill

A product of the Grill (killer omelet and grits). Oh man!!!

A little hair of the dog, thank you!

Dallas Mike and some guy in the Quarter.

This was the way we came to know Cul-de-sac Mike on our trip

Shannon & Jamie

Mmm, love rules!

Travelin' NOLA style

Dallas Mike and V.

You can't see in these pictures but we camped out RIGHT next to the Daiquiri stand before the band came on. We had to quench our thirst some how. It was hot!

This was the best we could do (and stay close to the Margarita's & Daiquiri's) until....

Did someone say Hall Pass?

The girls and their accomplishment (Thank you very much)!

No really, they were super proud of themselves. Definitely a story for the ages.

It hasn't been long....

Yeah maybe it has been but I've been a busy man.

So I'll try to catch up on some of the stuff that's been going on over the past two months.

From the last post, we lost a great guy at the end of March. Brett was Ross' best friend and as all should know Ross has been a large father figure in my life SO that made Brett my Uncle Brett for all jokes and pointing of blame growing up. I knew him since I was 15. He was a big fan of music, life and individuality. He was a great soul that was truly unique and truly nuts.

His funeral was the best send off I've ever been a part of. We could all be so lucky as to have such a large (300+) turn out of friends. In true Brett fashion the night was filled with great food, great friends, lots of booze, and the end of the night turned into a jam session with Ross as the band leader.

Ross and I hit the town the night before and everywhere we went we insisted the tab was opened as "Elliot". His drink was Greyhounds (vodka & grapefruit). We informed all the bartenders that they were now called Elliot's and we ordered them as such all night.

All that have drank with me know that I have always drank the greyhounds. It came straight from copying Mr. Elliot (I couldn't drink Ross' Dewar's).

Leading the band...

No, no, that's not Mick and Keith.

Peace.Love.One groovy guy...

Crazy "Uncle" Brett

Peace.Love.Brelliot.

March 30, 2009 In Memoriam

(Yeah baby, it was always the shoes...)

Play Ball....

Well, not to sound old but I can't believe this day is already here. Hami is in T-Ball. His first game was last night and he was pumped up to be playing. He is on the Katy Yankee's. It is quite a spectacle to watch these 4-6 year old's run around and "attempt" to play ball. Hami was excited that his team won (weird how the other team also won) and said he can't wait to play the next team so they can " beat them real bad".

Proud father moment: Coach singled out Hami as having the best play of the game. Hami chased a ball down in center field, ran down (and tackled) a runner at second, then ran into home plate and almost tagged out the other runner.

Hami is the one adjusting his "goods" while on base!

We are proud of our boy!

RODEO (adult night) again y'all!!!!

Wow, so we are really becoming Texans again. Last Tuesday we were at the Rodeo for the 3rd time this year and I think there is one more visit on the schedule. This time though? It was adult FUN night!!!

Mike (Chicago Mike) & Vanessa are good friends of ours. We've known them since Chicago (hence the nickname Chicago for one of my 4 Mike's) and they now live in Katy (about a mile away). I consider "Chicago" Mike to be my mentor in the "adult world". He got me into the mortgage industry in Chicago and taught me all I know about business. Vanessa is defiantly one of Jamie's closest friends. Anyway, the girls are big Keith Urban fans and there was no questions as whether the four of us were going or not when we saw him on the rodeo schedule. It was also Vanessa's first rodeo.

Keith rocked, and the company was great, as always. We drank $8.00 long necks and wine, ate BBQ, pissed off a long horn, jumped around (and got kicked out of) other peoples seats, stood up (the girls, not Mike & I) and danced the whole show. The girls corrupted a 6 year old boy, lost a cell pone and found it again. Really, it was a great night!

Highlights (that I remember):

Coming or going?

The Girls at the wine garden...

Hey Mike, um we don't drink those things here in Texas....

Mike & Vanessa

Me & her....

A girl and her (disturbed) longhorn...

Coolest guy in Country music...

No, we ain't haven fun yet....

The Dudes Road Trip!!!!!!!!!!

O.K. over the last few weeks as I told some of our friends that Hami and I were traveling to Baton Rouge, LA. (300 miles away) to see the Monster Jam truck show, I got quite a few laughs about it. So here it is- Hami is into the Monster Jam Trucks BIG TIME. This is bigger then Star Wars was and bigger then anything else the dude has ever been into for five minutes. It's good clean all American fun. The shows are very family oriented, run by a bunch of good ol' boy grease monkey red necks. I could think of a lot worse company to be around or shows to waste our money on. I don't want him getting into the wrestling thing with girls jumping around, falling out of their bikini's and guys that are so geeked up on steroids that they don't even notice those girls in their bikini's. So yes, our house will be a Monster Jam house as long as I can keep Hami focused on it. Besides, I always wish I knew how to work on cars and I secretly always wanted to be a redneck. The worst thing to me that he can get out of this is that it's cool to drink beer and take cars apart. I'll take that any day. Harley's and monster trucks here we come.

If you don't know what The Monster Jam and Monster Trucks are they are obnoxiously jacked up pick ups that go around crushing, climbing and pulverizing junk yard cars. I don't know all the rules but I think that the more damage you do to the obstacle cars (and your own truck) the more points you get. It's the American way man! Someone smart enough to realize that people would actually pay to see this stuff got it all organized about ten years ago and started the Monster Jam. It's basically like a circus for these trucks. They try to make it like there is a competition but I haven't figured out the purpose of that yet. Just wreck something already.

The other cool thing about this is that Hami looks at it like it is just something for me and him. No moms aloud. Priceless! So long story short, Hami has been doing good in school and his reward was he and I going to the Monster Jam show in Baton Rouge on an over night road trip.

Here are some highlights:

304 miles or bust!

Chillin' in the Hotel

"This is the biggest boat I ever sawed"-Hami

Of course I got Pit Passes so we could see the trucks up close and meet the drivers before the show. What kind of Dad do you play me for?

Most of the trucks only stand 15 feet tall

Driver for Bad News truck

Driver for Destroyer. Hami's first truck he knew by name.

Driver for the 199 truck. (He won Rookie of the year last year)

This is Mark McDonald from Oklahoma driver for Minimizer. I know this because Hami know this.

The bike's came out and did tricks between truck stuff. Every time this guy drove by Hami pointed him out and said "Did you know I got to ride on that bike?"

I went to Baton Rouge and all I got was this Monster Truck Hot Wheel.

Some of the action:

The DUDES!!!

I just thought this was the best. I'm in Louisiana, I'm gonna eat. I ventured off the highway a bit to a organized "hole in the wall". Only in Louisiana can you find a kid's menu with boiled crawfish on it. Very Nice!

You may be asking what Jamie did while we were gone? Sit at home and iron my socks? Hell no! Replant the flower bed she's been wanting to do? She's got all spring to do that! Call 4 girl friends over and kill 9 bottles of wine? Bingo!!!!

YEE-HAW!!!

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is here and The hottest ticket in town was for The Jonas Brothers! They played last Sunday to a sold out (seriously 75,000 people, mostly screaming girls) show. We loaded up the truck with The Clul-du-sac clan (Cul-du-sac Mike, Ms. Shannon, and their kids Blake and Emily) and headed down to the fun. It was Fried Twinkies and Fried Snickers for me and Cul-du-Sac Mike. Tight pressed Wangler Jeans (in 80 degree weather? come on!) and cowboy hats for Jamie and Ms. Shannon. Tons of rides and games at the Carnival for the kids, and dare I forget-

THE JONAS BROTHERS!!!!!!

Hami's first Carnival Prize. Popping a balloon with a dart.

Bumper cars with Blake.

Hami could not believe he got to drive his VERY OWN CAR.

I'm feelin' ya brother!

One happy dude!

The Cul-du-sac gang

Almost show time

The band hits the stage (6:15PM, very Rock-n-Roll!)

Movin' & Groovin' with Emily

Isn't it really all about the girls!

-Good times for all.