P.S.

By the way.......I have switched my photo blog to wordpress. I have heard decent things about it, so I thought I would give it a try. The new address is gprphotography.wordpress.com. Come on over and check it out!!

Zoo and MOA Fun!!

Saturday we went to the zoo with some friends, and I just want to say........IT WAS A BLAST!!!

We started out with some lunch in the shade by a neat little pond. We had great conversation and got to watch the kids get comfortable around each other. When we were finished we headed up the hill and off to the entrance of the zoo.

Once in the zoo we ran into some flamingos.





After the flamingos, we made our way around the zoo to see many other animals. Some of these included some sea lions..........






......a giraffe and a tiger........






.......and a cool little water wheel....





We also got some sweet shots of the kids!









And, of course, one of our family.





Then on Sunday we ventured out to the MOA (mall of america). We met my mom and aunt, had lunch, shopped a bit, and then walked around the amusement park a bit. Ellie is still to short to go on any rides, so we didn't get to do that. ~side note: can you believe that she can't even ride any with her parents??~ Anyways, here are some pics from today.









We have some more pics that have not been put on the computer which will be added soon.

That is about all for now. Hopefully everyone had a good weekend.

Greg

New car and Fiesta

Well at 3:30 today I packed Ellie up and we got into the van to head into town. We met up with Scott and Kris at the car dealership that Scott works at. Last week Kris and I were VERY close to buying a 2004 Buick Rendezvous. Then we talked to Scott. It was then we found out the very disturbing past of this car. It had been a rental out in New York and had a lot of problems. Thank goodness we found out about the car before we took the plunge. Did I mention that we were on our way down to sign the papers when we found out about the Buick?


Well long story short, we looked at a few different cars and have settled on a Chevy Malibu. We are running all the numbers and probably won't find out if it is ours until Monday. If we get it there will be a longer post with pictures then.


Then we went to our local mexican restaurant for some good food and good cheer. We met up with Daddy-O, BOO BOO, KT, Scott, Kath H, and our family from Ohio Jim and Yvonne. We had lots of food and drinks and laughs. It was a good time, and also it was nice to spent some time with the family.


Here are some photos of the night.

That is that. We are off to the zoo tomorrow to meet some friends and have some fun. Then Sunday we are meeting my mom and aunt at the Mall of America. Should be a fun filled weekend.

Greg

My Crazy 8's

I've been tagged by my blog friend from Scotland (how frickin cool is that!!) Amanda X over at Penny 'n' Pounds! It's a tricky one but I will try my best to come up with some new things:)

Eight things I have a passion for~

1. Dt. Pepsi. I love it and drink it every day. If I don't get one, I am grumpy.
2. I love gum. I chew it all day, everyday. It gets expensive, but I hate thinking I have bad breath.
3. Ellie. I have so much love for that little girl, it is crazy.
4. Bowling. Love it, just don't love the long season anymore. I also love to play softball, but have yet to find a team to play on here in MN.
5. Guns. Handguns specifically. I am not some nut jobs who needs to own 700 of them. But they are just so damn sexy. I want one really bad, and some day (soon I hope) I will be buying one. Do you think this has something to do with the profession I am in and want to move on to? OK, you may all think that I am crazy now:)
6. My Job. I have some really frustrating days at work, but overall I love the job I do. I try everyday to learn as much as I can, and do the best I can.
7. My family. They are the world to me, and I never want to disappoint them.
8. WWII. I love to read, watch, look at, and learn all I can about this war. I am not sure why, but I cannot get enough.

Eight things I would like to do before I die~

1. See Europe. Mainly the route from Normandy to Berlin and other places where the war took place.
2. Run a full marathon
3. Visit all the national parks in the US. Oh, and take pictures, of course:)
4. Own a pair of Jimmy Choos. Wait. That was Amanda's.
5. I want to take my daughter to Disney World while she is still a kid.
6. Get a job as a police officer.
7. Compete in a triathlon. Even if it is a mini one.
8. I also would like to grow really old together with my wife.

8 things I say a lot~

1. You got to be F**king me.
2. Allegedly
3. I love you (always to my daughter, and I should say it more to the wife)
4. REALLY?!?! (in a sarcastic tone)
5. Hands behind your back, palms facing out, thumbs up, and turn your head to the left.
6. ELLIE!!!!
7. Do we have enough money to get.....
8. I'm just sayin.....

8 books I have read recently~

1. Ricochet by Sandra Brown
2. Shoot him if he runs by Stuart Woods
3. Silent Prey by John Sanford
4. Copper River by William Kent Kruger
5. Phantom Prey by John Sanford
6. Broken Prey by John Sanford
7. Naked Prey by John Sanford
8. Short Straw by Stuart Woods

Eight Movies I have seen Eight Times ~

1. Band of Brothers
2. Tommy Boy
3. Dirty Dancing ( no I am not gay, my mom loved this movie and we watched it a lot when we were kids)
4. SuperTroopers
5. AnchorMan
6. Eddie Murphy: RAW
7. Ratatouille
8. Dora's summer adventures (remember I have a 2 year old!!)

8 people I invite to do this Meme ~

1. Captain
2. Rachel
3. Chas
4. Christy
5. Alfred's Mom
6. Teach (when she gets her new computer)
7. Nellie
8. And Miss again!!

It would be fun to see what you guys have for answers but don't feel like you don't have to!

Greg

I have been tagged by Rachel, and am finally getting to it!

Here are the rules…

1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


My 7 facts are:

1. I am not 4 foot 11 and 3/4. I am 5'11" but always tell people I am 6' tall.

2. I LOVE Dt. Pepsi. I cannot remember a day when I have not had at least 1.......or 4:)

3. I swear to much. I think it happens because of where I work. I have always used swear words, but not near as much as I do now. Very hard to control with a 2 year old in the house.

4. I used to run. In fact (even though my pic does not look like it) I have run a half marathon. I would like to run another, in fact I it is one of my dreams to run a FULL marathon. I just can't seen to find the motivation, or the time for the training anymore :(

5. I love photography. I never in a million years thought I would be into this, but I am hooked. I can't wait until I can get my camera out and snap off some shots. Everywhere I go now, I look for photos to take.

6. My parents divorced when I was 10. My dad remarried soon after the divorce, and then promptly put his new family before his REAL kids. I am pretty sure my sis has never forgiven him, and she certainly has not forgotten. I occasionally speak with him over the phone, but have not seen him in well over 2 years. I thought that once his biological son had a child he would want to be more involved for his granddaughter's sake.

7. I also never in a million years thought I would have a blog. Never thought I would enjoy having a blog. And certainly never thought I would consistently take care of a blog. But again, I love it. I really love getting comments from all of you!! It is like a whole new world of friends from all over. Who would have thought a guy who grew up in the northwoods of Wisconsin would have "blog friends" or even know what a blog is!!!

Now I know all of you are so excited for a tag so here it goes:

1. Tanya
2. KT
3. Miss
4. Nellie
5. Sco-T
6. Fragments
7. Ka-T's Cup

And thats about it. I should post more tonight!!

Greg

Rainy and cold Tuesday

Today was seriously 55 degrees, cold, windy, and rainy today. Is it really June?

Oh Monday.....you make a good first day off.

It was a long weekend at the jail. Nothing really happened and it was quiet all weekend. On Saturday I got to work intake from noon to 6pm. It was pretty slow, and I booked 2 people. One of those 2 people stayed with us, while the other one got to go home.

The one that stayed was quite interesting. He was picked up for having a lot of meth on him and he had obviously been up for days on end. When he came up the elevator, I let the deputy who brought him in go and do his paperwork, which is what I normally do if the new arrest is not combative. Well all this was fine and dandy until I asked him to empty his pockets. This is where the whole thing started to get weird.

When he emptied his pockets he had the normal stuff like a wallet and some paper. But one thing went into the bucket that made me go "hmmm". He put a c**k ring in the bucket. Yes a c**k ring. Do I need to explain what one of those is? If so, email me and I can explain.......I think. Quick explanation is that a c**k ring is used for enhanced pleasure during whoopee.

Ok so this was weird enough, but it really did not phase me. What I found next is what made me really go "HMMMMM".

I started doing my pat search and I felt something in the back of his pants. I immediately told him not to move and put the handcuffs back on him because I was not sure if what I felt was a weapon or not. When the cuffs were on, I asked him if he had any weapons on him or more drugs that I should know about. He said no. I then asked him what was in his pants then. He told me he did not know what was back there. HUH? What? So I start to check and see what is in his pants. What did I find? What was it, you ask? It was a bright, metallic turquoise vibrator. Yes, this man had a vibrator wedged in between his butt cheeks.

I was stunned.

I quietly put the vibro friend in the bucket and finished my search with nothing else weird popping up.

Later on while I was booking this guy in, I looked at him in what must have been a puzzled look because he said "whats on your mind?"

I told him that I was not trying to be rude, but why on earth did he have a vibrator in between his butt cheeks. I had to try really hard to not laugh because this guy was very defeated and down in the dumps. He simply replied that he had no idea why the vibrator was in his pants. Confused, I asked "how can you not know you have a vibrator in your butt cheeks?"

Then he gave me the most honest answer I think I have ever heard in the jail. He told me he had bee up for almost 3 weeks straight smoking meth. At this moment is when the AH-HA light bulb went on in my head. It all made sense now. If I was up for 3 weeks straight smoking drugs, I suppose I would also have no clue why there was a vibrator stuck between my butt cheeks!!

Man I love my job sometimes. Not many people get this kind of entertainment at their jobs!!

Meth is the most evil drug I have ever come across. I cannot believe how bad it messes people up.

So after Saturday, I am grateful for a nice quiet Monday at home with Ellie. Speaking of which, we started her quiet time for her nap about 5 minutes ago and she is already out. Looks like I will go outside while she is sleeping and get a start on mowing the lawn.

Have a great day and don't misplace any vibrators!! :)

Greg