I had my first experience making homemade sushi this weekend for my daughter's school project. I had the rolling mat and directions from a book but I had never made maki before. I found a kid-friendly recipe and headed off to the store. The first grocery store did not sell nori seaweed paper so I had to drive to Fort Worth to go to Central Market. Is it really $2.99 for a single cucumber? So they are a little expensive but they had all the ingredients I needed. My wallet was $16 lighter leaving that store.

Don't be fooled by his claim that the price of gas made him do it. The truth is he has always wanted one and he just found a way to get one. John bought a black 2004 Mini Cooper. He took the conservative course and did not get the Cooper S. Maybe the price of gas did have something to do with his decision. The car is very nice. It has the double sunroof. The clutch is so short.

Tammy is finally back in the seat of her new Ford Expedition. After just over 2 years in the Freestyle we have relented and gone back to the larger vehicle. This is a 2008. It's just like her 2003 with a couple new features like a sun roof, heated and cooled seats, a backup camera, and my favorite feature, an iPod line-in jack.
If you want any ideas for a birthday present for Tammy, I suggest a gas card.

Sometimes cats do the darnedest things. My cat does not like to drink water from a bowl even if I refill that bowl every day. She prefers to get her water straight from the tap.

While in Las Vegas for a Conference a co-worker won two tickets to see KÀ at the MGM theater. I quickly stepped up and volunteered to use the second ticket. I have wanted to see Cirque du Solei for several years. Three years ago I actually bought tickets for KÀ but was coerced to trade them in for David Copperfield tickets.

Brandon started work today as a paid referee at the local soccer association. Yes, that's right, he has a job. Last month, he decided he wanted to be a ref and went through the clinic to get certified. He can work as a linesman or as a referee for games of youngsters younger than he is. Today's came was between two teams of 10-year-olds. At one point he had a coach yell at him because of an offsides call. Welcome to the working world.

The presents are all opened. The parents get to read the directions while the kids are busy assembling. Later today there will be the sounds of video games and movies but for now things are quiet. We enjoyed hosting a small Christmas dinner last night after church. Now we look forward to a relaxing day. Merry Christmas.

Missy went to a conference/competition with her dance troupe in Houston over the weekend. It was a very interesting experience. The girls spend all day in classes learning new steps and how to chain them together. In the evenings they complete with dances they work on throughout the year. After a full weekend of this and a long drive to and from Houston she and mom were exhausted.

Katherine Isabella was born today at 12:33. She has blond hair and weighs 8lbs 5oz. Mom is doing great. They will get to go home in 48 hours.

I was out this morning in the back year and I spotted the steam rolling off the pool dancing in the sunlight. The pool is about 76 degrees and the air is about 40 degrees. I took a quick picture with my phone but it does not really show the beauty. The pool is heated via a solar panel that keeps it warm about 9 months of the year.