Ever seen a goldfish? Ever seen one swimming in a kids mouth?

I think this pic is kinda gross, but my objections were overruled, and so here it is. Its just Rayley munching on some goldfish crackers. Anyone reading this hungry yet? Didn't think so.

Like a Freak on a Leash

I've never been a fan of Korn for several reasons. First, whats up with the K? Are you trying to be scary? If you want to be scary, and use the word Korn, just make it corn, like "Children of the Corn." That movie series is so scary, I have never even seen it. Still, some feral children with scathes and reapers hiding in some tall corn killing a bunch of people frightens me to this day. I've never seen any of the films, and I haven't even checked it out on Wikipedia, but my fear is based on some assumptions based on some overheard conversations in junior high from some fairly credible sources. KORN. Is it an acronym? Kids' Own Runny Noses? Kentucky's Original Red Necks? I see a made-for-TV movie about a renegade band of biker dudes from Kentucky, black leather jackets on, with a really mean looking ear of corn embroidered under the letters K-O-R-N.

Now, the reason for the Korn references is simple. The band Korn had one major hit song, "Freak on a Leash." My little girl can seem like a freak on a leash. Thats the connection. Thats the whole entire reason why the above paragraph exists.

Ellen has finally discovered Target, something I was passively trying to protect my wallet from for the past few years. I've seen what Target can do to a woman. Suddenly, overpowered by the siren call of the simple red dot surrounded by a circle, a woman finds all sorts of crap she never intended to buy, that suddenly become "must haves." I don't want to hear any baloney about how a guy shopping at Home Depot does the same thing, because in those cases, the items purchased are actually useful, its just that sometimes I never get around to using them. Well, during one of Ellen's 3 sojourns to Target this week (yikes!), she stumbled across this monkey on a backpack thingamajiggy, which you fasten to a toddler. We have only used it for a day, but Rayley has already decided its not a good thing for her to be wearing. In one particular pic, you can tell that Mom is not too thrilled with having to hold back the reigns when Rayley wants to touch everything within 30 feet.

Totally Safe for All Infants and Toddlers!(PG-13)

Hmm, I wonder why its hard to find this floatation device in America? Could it have something to do with safety standards or the fact that we value human life? Take a look at this thing, it gives new meaning to the phrase "I'm going to ring your neck!" "Really, your going to ring my neck? Gee, thanks, I'll be able to enjoy countless hours in the pool now!" Rayley is our little tadpole, and she loves to paddle around any body of water in which its physically possible to do so.

When most people notice our little mermaid on the surface, they give this look of shock, curiosity, and then ask what the number is for Child Protective Services. If they would just inspect a little closer, they would realize just how safe and effective the neck-nut (thats what I call it, you know, donut for the neck) can be in teaching your little ones to swim. The only worry I have is that, in the unfortunate circumstance that Rayley is drowning some day, someone will toss her a life-saver, and she will mistakenly slip her head through it, and be confused that her chin doesn't naturally rest on it somewhere. Other than that, I'm trying to figure out how to market these things in the U.S. Liability insurance might be a problem though...

Oh, this post is rated PG-13 because Ellen just pointed out the kids making out in the hot tub in the background of one photo.

Cause she's proud to be an American!

Ellen is a Citizen of the United States of America! After 3 years of enduring marriage to me, studying and passing a civics test, and paying a lot of money to the U.S. Govt, Ellen took the oath and was naturalized on August 12th. Once we were leaving the ceremony site, Ellen actually expressed to me that she really likes the Lee Greenwood song, "God Bless the USA." She wants to get it as a ringtone on her cell phone. I think its a little strange to have that as a ringtone when its not around the 4th of July, but hey, I'm not a recently naturalized citizen, so who am I to judge?

Fish Night at Golden Corral

Somewhere within the extended family of my mom's, the idea has been planted that the Golden Corral is the next best thing to a Ruth's Chris or Morton's for dinner. I can't quite figure out where this idea originated from, but the fact that it exists within the collective conscious of the Sprague clan (my mom's family) is undeniable. It was merely 12 years ago that we all gathered for a Thanksgiving feast on the plains of Oklahoma. Did we sup at a warm and inviting farmhouse dining room table? No! We settled for the formica-topped glory of the Enid, OK Golden Corral. This, at least for me, was a travesty, but one I could forgive. It was the most convenient way to ensure everyone got enough to eat, and that we would all have time to enjoy each other's company, without having to cook and clean for two days.

However, this year's gathering in Utah was different than the 1997 Thanksgiving conclave on the western fringes of Oklahoma. Utah offers much more dining options than the GC, and much better ones, I might add. Most Utahns' themselves would say that the Chuck-A-Rama is a better buffet option (although thats like comparing poop to vomit). Within 20 miles of downtown SLC, one can find plenty of better places: bbq joints, Wingers (love them wings), Cafe Rio (mmm) and the decent chains we know and love, like TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, and even Applebee's. Now, some may argue you get more bang for your buck at GC, but I beg to differ. It was $30.00 for my sweetie and me to get dinner and drinks, and our best options were roasted chicken under the heat lamps and the bread pudding. (Buffet bread pudding is the best. Wait, its the only place I ever find bread pudding. Still, a soup crock full of bread pudding with some cheapy ice milk dumped on top is a special treat every belt-loosening glutton would devour with delight). STILL, for $30.00 we could have had some good entrees and maybe even an appetizer at another place.

Even though the bang for your buck theory doesn't hold with GC, it is the lesser of offenses committed there. This is because the worst part of a Friday Fish Night at the GC is the rest of the folks elbowing each other for the freshly reheated morsels of mass-produced "just like mashed potatoes" and meatloaf, since the fish sticks and miniature fried scallops have already been cleaned out. I have never seen more people genuinely excited at the prospect of eating as much as they could stuff in their guts...and I am a veteran gut-stuffer, going way back to my high school days, where the lunch buffet at Godfather's Pizza was a chance to prove your manliness, or sissyness. Friday night at GC, I saw young and old disappointed that the last stale taco shell was shattered into chips, leaving tons of over-seasoned ground meat product just sitting in its metal bin. As if the taco would have held together during the entire eating process, never turning to taco salad on the plate anyway. C'mon people, just dump the meat on your plate with some cheese and lettuce, and call it good. Quit stopping the line waiting for another sleeve of taco shells to be dumped in front of you!

Who eats those kind of tacos anymore anyway? I guess one of the perks of living in Cali is discovering that tacos don't come in a molded fried corn shell, but on two warm corn tortillas, with some lime, jalapenos, cilantro, and whatever meat you choose on it. I'm getting hungry just writing about it. Anyway, thats saying something when Jorge's Taco Truck at lunchtime beats a sit-down place packed with folks on a Friday night.

Anyway, I don't want to offend those who go to bed at night dreaming of the next trip to the Golden Corral, so I will leave with some positives: Bread Pudding, Ice Cream, and fresh baked rolls with honey-butter.

The Invention that Changes Everything!

OK, I realize that I am one of those rare men who post on a blog sometimes, and the post has nothing to do about sports, or hot chicks, although I do talk about steaks, ice cream, nachos, and other foodstuffs occasionally. As a man, I am prone to saying some really insensitive and stupid things sometimes. Case in point, I recently pointed out to my wife how well another woman in our ward seems to handle three kids at home while her husband works full-time. BAD IDEA. The aftermath of that comment I made is still being felt in the Newcomer household. No matter how much I apologize, the stain of that remark seems to linger, and there is no soothing laundry detergent for words that can get it out. However, I thought about a way to sort of heal the hurting words, the bitter feelings, a little better. Introducing.........




THE EMOTIONAL CAMERA.
The Emotional Camera (EC) would take emotional photographs of different moments in life. Equipped with a delete button, anytime a snapshot of bad emotions is taken, it can be quickly forgotten. With a special "fleshy tables of the heart" gajigabite memory, all the positive feelings, all the lovey-doveys and gooshy-wooshies, all the "awww...Trevs" and "You're amazings" would be saved. Then, in a moment of weakness, that moment where my mouth has formed words, and my tongue is in the midst of delivering said words, but my mind is just beginning to understand the emotionally traumatic impact of the words, I can relax. As my significant other begins to form a sad and dissapointed, even dejected face, I can whip out the EC. "Here baby, take a look at this one..doesn't that feel good? Remember how wonderful I was that time? Oh, look at this one here, when we had a wonderful time and I told you how beautiful you are, and how lucky I am to have met you, and how incredibly miraculous it was for me to somehow convince you to marry me..remember that. doesn't that feel wonderful?" (Actually, that last one might cause more bad than good, but you get the idea).

The EC would help promote marital health, good relationships, shiny happy people holding hands, everything good.

Now I just need to invent it.

Where do they learn this stuff?

Ellen likes to sleep with her arms covering her eyes. I have a theory of why Ellen does it so much. I figure she is so used to covering her eyes for the times I make a run from the shower to my dresser, that her body just naturally reverts to the same pose when she sleeps. Still, that doesn't explain why my 9-month old daughter does it. Is it in the genes?

For the other picture, I have no idea where Rayley learned to act like that. She barely knows how to give me a kiss, much less some young little studmuffin like Benji here.

Like a Stone Cut Out of a Mountain

 

 

 

 

When I first visited Ellen's famiy in Meinong in 2005, there were rumors about a new LDS chapel being built nearby. While driving around town, we stumbled upon this ginormous (for Asia) new jewel standing tall in the city. I thought this was a temple at first, with the large steeple and majestic form. We learned that it is large enough to support three wards, which is interesting since at this point in time, there is only a small branch there. "If you build it, they will come" seems to be the philosophy. The church definitely stands out amongst the older buildings of the area. The sign at the bottom is a warning to any construction crews that tobacco, alcohol, and betel nut are not to be used while working at the site. 

Scenes from Meinong, Taiwan

A rice paddy near Papa's home in Meinong.

This is a Pitaya (dragon fruit) vine.

Sunset

Trip to Taitung, Taiwan

On the southeastern coast of Taiwan sits the town of Taitung. We traveled down to Taitung to visit our friend Sho Sho, who just delivered a baby boy, the same day we arrived! We loved Taitung, with its gorgeous views of the eastern Pacific coastline. That's Grandma Chang holding Rayley. Is it me, or does Rayley look like my sister Lacey? I definitely see a resemblance.

Flowers of Taiwan

 

 

 

 

Here are some pics from Taiwan. The top shows a pic of our family in one of many flower fields near Papa's house in Meinong. Many people around Taiwan travel to Meinong around Chinese New Year to see the various flowers. The next two pics are of orchids from Papa's orchid farm. Finally, I just stuck a pic of Rayley and a cat in here for the heck of it.