In my opinion, it is best served with whipped cream on top. So smooth and creamy...yummmmmmm.....
And don't get some namby pamby, sissy-sized custard. Treat your body right. Custard does wonders for your physique. Why, look what it's done for me:
And a bingo card to fill out.
We were promised that if we filled out the bingo card, we would win a fabulous door prize. I wanted to go for a blackout, but as you can see, there was too much to do and we ran out of time.
First, we stopped at the booth that Kenta's friends were working at (think: science fair for college students). They all work together in a group called "Atmospheric Radar Research Center" (ARRC). What they do, I don't really know. I just went to the booth to get a sticker on my bingo card. Here's Kenta posing in front of the group's poster:
Next stop was to see a local celebrity:
Yes, my friends, that is Rick Mitchell of the KOCO-TV First Alert Storm Team. And by the way, pregnancy and camera phone pictures aren't good for your self-esteem. I promise I look much better in real life. Moving on....
Then, we went up to the seventh floor observation deck to check out the view. We didn't see any storms, but we saw a whole lot of rooftop and Highway 9.
(sorry about the picture quality - all we had was Kenta's cell phone).
After that, we made a few more stops to collect some stickers. Then we went outside to see the weather balloon launch. Apparently every day at 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. a weather balloon is released from the weather center. It has all these sensors and things that measure stuff in the atmosphere (that's the really diluted version of what happens - if you want more details, ask Kenta). Anyway, they did a few special launches that day during the festival. They didn't have any of the sensors attached to them, but you still get the point of what the balloon is and does.
As you can see, it was a beautiful day for weather balloon launching.
And, as was promised, there were storm chasing cars on display:
Apparently these guys are on the Discovery Channel quite a bit. Check out the hail damage:
There were some pretty fancy schmancy cars.
One of the highlights (for me, anyway) wasn't even weather related. As I was going about my business, I saw a very (fortunately) rare creature out of the corner of my eye. Its very appearance terrified me, but I couldn't take my eyes off if it. Kind of like driving by an accident. I followed it, trying to capture footage of it on the cell phone. My first two attempts proved to be futile:
The creature proved to be very elusive and was being followed closely by more mature guardians. It wasn't until we were out in the open that I was able to capture this rare photo:
It's tragic, but true. Under the Mullet Classification Section III, No. 21, this would be described as the "parental negligence/child abuse" mullet. I haven't seen one of these in years. I thought that they had become extinct in this part of the state. I guess the weather festival affected its migratory pattern. Kenta was not very happy about me following this kid around. I was more worried about his WWE-looking dad finding out that I had taken a picture of his son and beating me up for it. I managed to get the picture without them finding out. If anyone knows this child, please take some scissors to that hair and put him out of his misery.
So, all in all, it was a fun date. I met a celebrity, saw a weather balloon launch, followed a mullet, and perhaps best of all, we won a set of magical plastic cups.
When you pour something cold into it, it turns blue. Cool, huh?
That's Kenta on the right, by the way, and his sister, Ami, on the left
This is my Mom and Dad (circa 1972) with Doug and Shelly - long before I was ever a gleam in their eyes.
Eventually, their families were complete:
Hoods, 2004
One by one, their children have left home, (hopefully) taking with them all of the principles and values that they tried so hard to teach. It's been fun to watch our siblings become parents themselves and to see them doing the same things that our parents did with us - even the stuff we *swore* we would never do. Like make our kids walk to school if they woke up late, skipped seminary, and missed their ride (Shelly, Mom would be so proud of you for doing that). In fact, I find myself doing things everyday and thinking, "ohmygosh...I'm turning into my mother!" But I'm okay with that - you saw the pictures. She's one foxy lady:)
So when times get tough and I think I'm at my wits' end with the kids, I know I have two very capable, wise, and experienced mothers I can turn to (among all the other sisters, in-laws, and friends).
There you have it. Our parents are basically amazing. Am I bragging too much? Oh, well. I don't have any kids to brag about yet, and our parents brag about us, so why not return the favor? They've survived parenthood and are now reaping the spoils (i.e. grandkids).
Michaelsens, June 2006 (three grandsons have been born since then - and, of course, more on the way!)
And if you still don't believe our parents are great, just ask one of their other (collective) fourteen children. Or twenty-five grand children. I'm sure most of them would agree :).
But please don't let that stop you from passing along your parenting tips. Our parents weren't perfect, by any means - and like I said, we are very open to creative ways to teach kids. In fact we found this little gem on the internet. (you will probably have scroll down to the bottom of the page to turn the music off first
Sorry :). I couldn't resist. It cracks me up every time and it seemed appropriate for this post. But I promise that I really won't take advice from a cartoon dressed in a Mexican wrestling suit. That's what the brain filter is for, remember?
