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If my father ever wanted to retire and make a career as a fishing guide... he could definitely do it. He knows where all the honey holes are... and he has the determination to find fish, even when they're not biting. His racing hobby has slowed dramatically with the purchase of his boat, but I've got to admit that I've reaped the benefits from it. Dad, Raymond, and I went offshore on Labor Day weekend... and we caught some King fish. Here's Raymond with a nice one:
;)
Jonda and I also recently caught the triple overtime win the Aggies had over Fresno State. It was hot as hell, but it was worth watching the Ags bear down and grind it out on the football field. Since we graduated and don't go to every game anymore, it's somewhat of a treat to see one get to overtime. The fact they won it, only made it THAT much more enjoyable. Much thanks to Raymond and Cassandra for giving us their seats for the weekend!
Also, for those who don't know, I sold my Ford F150 Supercrew,and I bought a 2008 Nissan Altima. It's a HUGE change. I hate not having my truck. However, with a 65 mile commute each day, it didn't make sense for me to be driving a full size truck that I didn't utilize that often. The monthly payment and gas savings alone... will benefit us greatly down the road. Carissa however, misses my truck, she could see out the window much better.
Finally, with the Fall season here, Fantasy Football has begun, and Jonda would probably give me a hard time if I didn't mention how she is currently beating me by 40+ points in the Reliant league. She's doing really well this year... but we'll get to face each other again this season. This year I'm coaching the Golden Gnomes, ShAkE MoNkEyS, Lonestar Ninjas, and the Loose Cannons. My theory is that if I'm in enough leagues, I'm bound to win at least one. And if I don't, the cheese dip and lazy Sundays will be well worth it.
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The U.S. Government can't screw up the passport process any more than it already is... It cost me over two hundred dollars, three different trips to passport offices, and over 8+ hours of my own time to finally obtain one. Of course, I had already waited 8 weeks before going through the "emergency" process of getting it done 3 days before my flight left for Amsterdam. What was more disappointing is that the guy who checked it here in the Netherlands looked at it for all of 2 seconds. When I return to the U.S.... I think I'm going to make them look at it for a longer amount of time, so that I don't feel that my time and money were wasted in vain. Stupid passport.
As for Amsterdam, I'm on my last day here. I've been here for a week, and it has pretty much been "all business." We had one day off the day that we got here, but we were so worn out from the flight over that we pretty much slept through it. We did happen to check out the Heineken Experience (reads, had a few 'local' beers while touring an old brewery), and walked from one end of the city to the other. Most shops were closed because it was Sunday.
Before coming, I had been told that English was the primary language that was spoken here, and that Amsterdam was much like many of the big cities in the U.S. My perception was drastically changed once I got here though. I don't think any U.S. city comes that close to Amsterdam. The vast majority of people that live here know English but speak Dutch. And almost everyone here rides bikes to get from point "A" to point "B". We took taxis for the first two days, until we realized we could save money by taking the tram. I've almost been run over by bicycles at least 3 times. Bikes are everywhere.
There are coffee shops here, but they don't sell coffee... they sell beer and weed (some actually do sell coffee). You don't need to buy weed though... just go sit in one of these places for a little while and you'll come out smelling like you just toked a forest of the happy stuff. Even walking by them in the street you can often catch the distinct smell, and you can spot the stoners via their odor before you come across them in the crowded streets.
Stoner bicyclists are a major thing to watch out for... "Kamikazes on Wheels" as I like to refer them...
The food here is different. I've had Dutch, Chinese, Italian, and deli varieties. With most being pleasant experiences food wise. Unfortunately EVERYTHING is very expensive (reads $6 for a coke) and the portions are small. Many places do not serve tap water, and we didn't come across any place that provided free refills. And the most ice cubes I ever counted in my glass was four... with three being the average. If you order a beer here... you just say "beer please"... and you get a Heineken. I'm not sure if you're allowed to ask for other beers, I think it is kind of known thing that if you ask for a beer, you're getting a Heineken. Chris challenged me to find a Miller Lite, but I knew better than to even try. We ate at El Rancho one night where they served us tap water in an old tequila bottle with shot glasses. People passing by must have thought we were getting "wasted."
Tourism must be a huge revenue for this area, as there were people from all over the world. You can typically tell who the tourists are too, they're the ones the bike riders despise because they're walking in their lane... or covering up their stoplight. (yes, I did this too...sorry locals)
Other things I noted:
I had to pay to get into a casino. 3.50E or approximately $5.
So I had already lost money before actually putting money in the machine. Of course, putting money in the machine lost me more Euros... and it’s hard not to think of Euros like dollars.
The red-light district actually has red lights, but it looks similar to other parts of the city, with people of all ages walking about. It looks like lingerie mannequins in the windows... and then you suddenly realize they're moving, and winking, and dancing. It doesn't seem to faze the locals though, they're obviously used to it. Their cable television contains nudity, and it was weird watching an unedited version of MTV and Comedy Central.
The tram system here is awesome. Trams are on almost every street, easy to get on and off of... and fairly affordable, charging you for the particular distance you plan to travel. The only problem I had with the tram is that on day three, a tram had evidently hit a bike rider further up on our line. Our tram detoured into a residential neighborhood, and kicked us off. We had no idea what was going on because it was all done in Dutch. Luckily, Phil, a coworker here in Amsterdam, called us on the cell and let us know what happened. We walked the 1.5 miles the rest of the way. In Houston, it would have been a horrible walk, but the 60 degree weather was very pleasant here... all week long.
Although this particular day a tram had an accident, accidents with trams are very rare in Amsterdam. This amazes me because they have so much traffic and share the roads with cars and many bikes. Why can't Houston use this technology? It could easily be implemented Downtown...
I've seen exactly two pickup trucks, a 1990 Chevy Z71 and a 2005 Ford F150. I've seen exactly one SUV, a pathfinder. EVERYTHING here is tiny cars... and I mean tiny. Some of the cars are smaller than bicycles even smaller than golf carts. That said, there are many high end cars here. Many Audis, BMW, and Mercedes. Almost all of the taxi cabs are BMW, Mercedes, or Cadillac.
I think the reason for the small cars is to cut down on emissions/pollution. They're very energy conscious over here. It took me a whole day to figure out that I had to insert my room key into the wall at my hotel room to turn on the lights. I actually thought they had a timer so that they only worked at night (natural sunlight comes in the windows). They also have multiple "flush" types on the toilets to help conserve water. It is also kind of weird looking out of my temporary office window because I'm on the seventh floor, and I can see modernized wind mills for miles. It all seems smart; I'm only assuming we will begin to become more conscious about such things in the U.S...
The internet is a cool tool for communication. A phone call home costs me $6 for the first minute and $2 for each additional minute... but with an open network connection, I can wirelessly communicate via microphone and actually see Jonda and Carissa via webcam for free. That said, my hotel had NO open connections and charged ~$50 for a single use or $120 for weekly use of their internet.
Sports aren't that big here. However, the people here LOVE soccer.
Everyone here wears really cool shoes. I don't understand why cool shoes haven't come to America.
All shops open around 9ish and close around 6ish. That means all shops. Restaurants are open later, but forget shopping. It is kind of weird because there are tons of people in the streets, but everything is closed. There are a few souvenir places that remain open near come of the centers and tourist areas, but for the most part, everyone shuts down early.
All in all, I feel like I've missed a lot of Amsterdam. I didn't get to see the inside of the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Franhuis (Anne Frank House), or the Rijksmuseum. I didn't take a bike tour, and I didn't get in a boat on the canal. So I've got lots to do if I ever return...
However, I have learned that I should appreciate my free refills, my big food portions, my large car, my beautiful home w/yard, and the many things that America offers, because not everyone is afforded the same things as us. I'm looking forward to returning home to my Route 44 Cherry Coke w/Lemon.
Amsterdam as a city is absolutely beautiful, the people here are friendly, and the hospitality is wonderful. I would recommend it as a vacation spot for anyone considering going, and I appreciate the opportunity that I had to come here.
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We took a family vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee this week. Fifteen of us camped out in a gorgeous wooden cabin on a hillside over looking the town. It had a beautiful view. We were on the back porch when someone asked how the Smokey Mountains were named -
“The name of the area comes from the natural haze that often hangs over it. As in the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, hydrocarbons produced by trees and other local vegetation—as well as higher humidity—produce a bluish cast to the sky, even over short distances.”
;)
We saw this haze quite a bit over the five days we were there, and the views were breath taking. Beautiful trees, rivers, rocks, and mountains provided for a relaxing and entertaining get-a-way.
Day zero was getting ourselves to Tennessee. We had never traveled via airplane with Carissa before… We soon found that three suit cases, a car seat, a stroller (the big one), and a kid, can be a handful. However, we made it to Knoxville, picked up Beth and the rental car, and headed east. We checked into the house, and visited with everyone before having very good roast and retiring to our rock concert in the movie room. We spent the evening playing Guitar Hero. Our family made quite the band. Thanks to Nic for letting us play with her Guitars. Congrats to Austin and Joey for rockin’ the house.
On day one, Jonda, Beth, Carissa, Veronica, Nic, and I ventured off to Dollywood. I wasn’t exactly excited about going, but once I got there, I had a ton of fun. The Mystery Mine roller coaster was explosive, and the Tennessee Tornado officially made me dizzy. Carissa enjoyed riding the pigs and ducks, and like her dad, she hates bumblebees. The park was fairly clean, and all of the people who worked there tended to be pleasant and friendly. I was impressed with Dollywood… and would easily recommend it to anyone looking to have a nice theme park experience.
Day two was spent craft hunting off of Hwy 321. There is about 8 miles of craft stores full of all types of items. Jonda enjoyed the glass blowing and got a pretty ornament for our Christmas tree, and Carissa and I enjoyed the old fashioned soda shop. We spent the evening having dinner at the Dixie Stampede. It was the North vs. the South in a competition of horse riding, ostrich racing, pig flying, chicken chasin’, toilet seat throwin’ fun. Plus the food and company were great to boot. It was hillbilly, but it was fun.
Day three we had photos at the river and enjoyed a fruitful breakfast picnic. I liked to complain a lot about taking photos on vacation, but the photographer was actually great at what she was doing, and we got them done very quickly. It was a nice experience. We then went on to take Carissa on her first adventure to a full fledged aquarium (she’s not quite old enough to go white water rafting with everyone else). The Ripley’s aquarium in Gatlinburg was awesome. A 340 foot moving sidewalk propelled us through a tunnel where we had face-to-face encounters with snappers, tarpons, grunts, squirrelfish, giant stingrays, sawfish and...very large SHARKS. This was also the day that we strolled through downtown Gatlinburg to enjoy the small shops, home made taffy and chocolate covered pretzels, and all the touristy hot spots. Unfortunately, the day ended on a rather scary note. We had planned to have a tasty steak dinner complete with cheese cake and black berries when Carissa suddenly got attacked by a black bear chair. She slipped and hit her head on the side of the chair which caused a rather short, but deep cut along her forehead. Day three was the magic number. Three hours in the emergency room and three stitches later, Carissa was officially “better” and the three of us were officially tired. Actually it was four of us, because Beth came along to help us keep our sanity. Carissa was a super trooper though, and deserved all kinds of praises, lollipops, ice creams, and balloons. We settled for chicken nuggets and a cold coke from McDonald’s instead, and headed back to the house for a reheated steak and those black berries and cheesecake. Mmm mmm good.
Day Four was actually our travel day home, but we drove up the mountain to Cades Cove before turning back. We were worried we wouldn’t have time to do the full loop before flying back. Instead we came back to town and took the Ober Gatlinburg tram up the mountain to the black bear habitat. Carissa liked seeing the lazy bears… and the cool breeze on the tram was a welcome relief from the hot weather.
Our flight home was short and sweet. All in all, we had a great trip. Much thanks to David and Veronica for all of their hard work and money to put it together. It was great having the whole family together in one spot. Hopefully we’ll get to do it again soon.
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So it has been forever since I posted last. The lapse of time is based on many reasons:
A. Summer came and I've been playing (Schlitterbaun, Camping in Wimberly, Cajun Festival, Weddings, Fishing, Tubing, Zoo, Circus)
B. Not only have I been playing hard, but I've been working hard too. I'm six plus months into my new job in Sugar Land, and it's harder work than my previous "government" job.
C. The lack of technology factor. Believe it or not, the computer power at the Cherry house has been lacking. We just fixed that though with a few pc upgrades though. In addition, our website went down due to the poor service of our hosting provider. Supposedly this issue has been resolved. We'll wait and see.
D. A new side project that I've been working on in my spare time has also taken up some time.
F. All of the above.
That said, Carissa is also almost a year and a half old now. She demands much love and attention, and constantly out runs the energy of Jonda and I. It is a somewhat comical combination of everyone getting a "little older".
Here's a quick recap of some of the summer events that you might have missed:
Carissa has enjoyed her summertime with both her Grandma and Grandpa as Grandma has been able to have her summertime off.
She had her first trip to Schlitterbaun, Galveston and did really well. She also got to go camping in Wimberly, and she'll get to go on her first plane ride soon as we go on another family get-a-way to Gatlinburg TN. She crossed the state border for the first time a couple weeks back when she went to Lake Charles for the Cajun festival... she's becoming a pretty good little dancer.
Joey and Loni moved to North Carolina after he graduated from his F15 crew chief training. Loni is starting school this fall to become a cosmetologist. They now have a blog (check it out under the "family and friends" link on the right). I actually went out to Raleigh (they're somewhat close to there) on business last month, but I missed the opportunity to go out and see them. Lucky for me, they'll both be in Gatlinburg.
Beth looks like she'll be able to make it too. She's been traveling like a crazy person (as anyone who reads her blog can tell... she updates hers almost less than I update mine!). She basically lived in Detroit for a while, and now she's touring Calgery. Somehow North Carolina turned her on to beer. I'm hoping Canada turns her on to hockey so that she can explain to me what "icing" is.
Also, Ryan and Valerie finally tied the knot. They did it in beautiful fashion at the Methodist Church on Northgate in College Station. (again, Carissa loved to dance!) They got a new apartment fairly close to us, and Valerie just started a new job with KPMG. Now they get to carpool together! We couldn't be happier for the two of them.
There's actually a whole lot of stuff in between the last post and this one that happened, but I really can't remember it all. Our friends are finally starting to have kids. Dave & Tracy Thomas gave birth to little Natalie. I'm sure Carissa and Natalie will be future friends. Mary and Todd Limbaugh also had a little boy. Kimberly Doisy tied the knot, and had a beautiful wedding, and Jake Jones is supposedly house hunting in close proximity to my home (for those who don't know Jake, he is a very cool dude... and this could be very cool thing)
Not sure how WildCherry racing is doing. I think its on the back burner right now because a boat/fishing came into the picture, and the back up driver became a F-15 crew chief (I guess the mustang wasn't fast enough for him.) I look to see a future post on that website sometime soon.
Finally, I'll end with an announcement of what is up and coming: Jonda's Birthday!
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear Jonda,
Happy birthday to you!
As many of you know, Jonda's birthday is August 8th, of 1979. However, she is special because according to her, she wasn't born on a day. To her, it was more of a month long thing, so therefor, she doesn't celebrate a birthday, she celebrates a birthmonth.
So if you see Jonda at all this month, give her a hug, and congratulate her on being "old" like the rest of us.
Hope everyone is having a great summer. He's a few pictures of how we've been enjoying ours:
Camping in Wimberly TX.
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The Schlitterbaun Pirate - Arrrrgh
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The Wilkerson's - Ryan & Valerie
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Jake & Dee on the Comal River
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Carissa's first catch
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The curious child
;)
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