Merry Christmas!

     Tis the season to be jolly!  For many of us Christamas is the favorite time of year and I am no exception, I love it!  It is the perfect time of year to get together with those we love and spend some quality time with them.  Maybe part of the reason I love it so much is becasue I usually get two Christmases!  This past weekend my brother Curt and his family were in town for an early Christmas as they are going to be in Butte the rest of this week.  It was great to see them all as we havent all got together in quite a while.  We hung out downtown most of the day Saturday doing some shopping and soaking up the Christmas spirit that the mall had to offer.  Then on Sunday we went over to mom and dad's for a big meal and gifts!  Everyone got really good gifts and even though I think my Dallas Cowboys stocking hat and coaster set was the best gift, Jaxson was the one who was most excited about his Thomas the train pajamas!  I will not soon forget the look on his face as he opened the box and imediately started saying, "train, train, train!"

     Of course once we had them opened we had to model them for everyone!  This is truly what the season is all about, seeing the joy on little kid's faces as they open up a carefully wrapped package with no idea what is inside but overwhelmed with the joy that they got a gift all to themselves, I never tire of watching this.  It makes me remember the true reason for the season which is celebrating the birth of Jesus and spreading peace and good will torwards others.  Doing kind things for others is something I believe is not done nearly enough in this world, I know I need to get better at it, and watching my niece's and nephew's open up their gifts reminds me of the joy something as simple as a pair of pj's can give a child!  I believe we can all learn something from that!  

     Tatum and Matt tearing into gifts!

    Aunt Kelli with her hands full:)

Remember, joy to the world, The Lord has come, let earth receive her king!  Don't let the real reason for the season be forgotten!  Merry Christmas to you all!

What a week!

     Man oh man what a whirlwind week I had!  It all started with my beloved Dallas Cowboys crumbling in the second half of their game against Green bay and giving away a win that I still can't talk about a week later!  What happened Sunday afternoon is simply inexcusable as a team and embarrassing as a fan, but even after such a horrible loss we still have a chance to make the playoffs!  Oh and as my lovely wife reminds me, there is more to life than Cowboys football:)  The silver lining to my teams collapse was the fact that we had our good friends the Ralstons staying with us for the night on their way over to MT for the holidays.  We had a great time with them, as we always do, and it was capped off my them giving me a mini Cowboys helmet!  It's a pretty cool gift that will surely be sitting right next to my little orange Cowboys fan every single game, and yes I checked to see if it would fit her and it's a hare too small:)

     Monday was spent cooling down from the football game, then packing for a work trip to Klamath Falls, OR.  Dad and I were scheduled to fly down there to work some claims but we knew we were in for a long day when our flight leaving Spokane was delayed an hour.  Any time two Gannon's are on a flight together you expect a certain amount of GL (Gannon Luck) to happen, but even we weren't prepared for what happened this day.  We made it to Portland just fine, an hour behind schedule, but no big deal because our connecting plane into Medford was the same aircraft.  So we went in and got a coffee and loaded right back on the plane.  I was seated in the very last row and in front of me were three flight attendants all dead heading into Medford for a break.  The flight attendant working our flight was in constant communication with these three, leaving me stuck in the middle to eavesdrop everything.  Normally I would have buried myself in a book but all they were talking about was the poor weather conditions in Medford and the chances of us even landing!  Turns out the fog was so bad that a plane coming from Seattle had already turned around and now these four ladies were talking like we had no chance to land either.  This was not really a big deal for me cause we could always come back later for the claims if necessary.  The scary part came when the captain came across the intercom and told us about the fog and that he was going to give it a try anyway.  He began his decent and just as I could start to make out tree tops and cars on the roads he powered back up and pulled back up in the air!  It was probably the eeriest feeling I've ever had being what looked to be a few hundred feet from the ground, then going back up!  We headed back to Portland, where Dad and I made some frantic changes to our schedule and got on a plane back to Spokane and cancelled the rest of our work trip.  I knew we had made the right decision when I spotted this on the plane while we were boarding.

     So because my work trip got cut short I was privileged enough to sit in the dentist chair for 2 1/2 hours and get two of my teeth prepped for crowns!  I chipped a tooth a few weeks ago and needed one crown anyway and they found a good sized cavity on the tooth in front of it so they decided to prep it for a crown also in case I decide to do a bridge.  Anyway, it was not exactly how I had planned on spending my Wednesday afternoon but hey, things could have been worse!  Luckily after the dentist chair I got a day to catch up on some work from home and my week came to a close in a good way, by Curt and his family coming over to visit for the weekend!  I went out and met them all in the valley yesterday and Jen and the kids shopped in the mall while Curt, Dad, and I hit balls at the simulator in Dick's Sporting Goods.  It was pretty cool, we had all three Gannon boys there and we got to show the pro at Dick's three VERY different golf swings that all have similar results!  The pro found himself in a lack of words when our loopy non-traditional swings produced favorable results on the simulator:)  It was a perfect way to end an eventful week!

Remember, sometimes a plan is made just to be broken up and remind us to slow down and enjoy life a bit!:)

What a day!

     Who knew two people could have so much fun in just 24 hours!?  This past weekend as you could tell from my previous post we were in Portland.  It was a relatively short stay but man did we fill it with fun!  We started our day by heading down to Voodoo Doughnuts in old town for some of the best doughnuts I have ever had, and I consider myself quite the connoisseur of sweets!  We then headed over to Ikea and made our way through the maze to find the platform bed frame we were looking for, along with a few other "necessities".  Next we went to the Oregon State Zoo where we pretty much had the place to ourselves because of the 19 degree temperatures!  Although it was extremely chilly, we still saw all of the animals except the lions, tigers, and bears.  Most of the animals were indoors from the cold but they had indoor viewing still so we got to see almost everything that we wanted to.  I think both of our favorites though was probably this baby elephant and his family.

     This little guy is only a few months old and the big ones you see with him are his mom on the left and his "auntie" on the right.  I guess when elephants are born their mom gets help form another female who is adopted into the family and considered the aunt, together they take turns protecting the little one its entire life.  It was pretty special to sit here and watch these magnificent creatures for a while!  We enjoyed every second of the zoo while we were there, then at the advice of my cousin Amber, we went down to a section of downtown that was full of little shops and restaurants all decorated up for the holiday.  We walked up and down the street hitting up all of the little shops and a couple big ones, like a two story Pottery Barn that I had trouble getting Kelli out of!  It was fun to walk around these stores with her and watch her design mind at work!  We then had an amazing dinner at one of the restaurants before heading back towards the house we had rented.  We capped off our day of fun by going to the Kennedy elementary school, sounds exciting right?  This is a school that was shut down in 1975 because it was too dilapidated to continue using and a local family bought the school and completely transformed it into a fun center!  Inside the school there are 6 pubs that each serve food, a restaurant, two event centers, a 100 degree salt water soaking pool, and a movie theatre!  We sat in the soaking pool for about an hour then got out and went to a movie where admission was $3, the popcorn was an affordable $4, and it's in the old auditorium where they've replaced all the original seating with love seats, couches and lounge chairs!  It was an amazing experience that we will definitely do again when we go back to Portland!

     Our busy yet fun day was finished off by relaxing in the quaint little rental house we had found, reminiscing about all of the fun we had.  Even though it was only a couple days it truly was one of the best vacations we've ever had!  There is so much fun stuff to do in that city that I feel like we could go back 10 times and still not even break the surface of all that we'd want to do!  It truly was on we will remember for some time!

Remember, everyday can be fun if you just open up and let it happen!:)

Another year!

     This weekend is kind of a big one for me as it got started on friday by me chalking up another year of sobriety!  It's been 11 years now since that fateful day North of Conrad when my life was changed for ever!  Almost every day has brought with it some challenges but thanks to an amazing support team another years worth of those days has come and gone.  Any recovering addict will tell you though that this is not a game that is winnable, we all only hope to make it to another day, one at a time!  So this day, I am writing this from a tiny little house that Kelli and I rented for the weekend in Portland, OR.  We'd never been here befroe and it is only 6 hours from Spokane so we decided to take a little mini vacation to celebrate my 11 years.  We got here yesterday and imediately went straight downtown to walk around and shop then try to find one of the restaurants that my cousin Amber recommended, she's lived here for years so she had tons of suggestions for us which was really great, and while we walked around we experienced more in about four hours than I have in the past month!  As soon as we parked we walked around the first block we looked up at the first giant building of the evening and it was the Church of Scientology!  We're not in Kansas anymore Toto!  As we walked past the front door I was hoping to see Tom Cruise inside greeting people but no such luck:)  We continued our walk through the chilly night air and headed up the street to try and find a place to eat.  Along our walk we came across something that made my day, Georgia's Grocery, conveniently located below Georgia's Hotel!  

     It's kind of hard to tell from this picture but there it is, mothers name in neon lights:)  We headed around the corner and found our place to eat, it wasn't on the options Amber gave us but we just stumbled upon it and had to try it out, Henry's Tavern.  Turns out Henry's is pretty dang good!  It's a sports bar on one side, restaurant on the other, and pool room upstairs with extra bar seating.  We sat upstairs in a booth with basically a coffe table, and we both ordered burgers cause even though there was steaks and other entrees on the menu, they advertised that the burgers were their specialty.  They didn't lie, Kelli had the blue cheese burger which she said was amazing and I had the stuffed burger!  A thick patty of beef stuffed with gorgonzola cheese, fried onions, and smoked bacon!!  It was literally the best burger I've ever had!  With full bellies we did some more sight seeing which included a home decor store Kelli has only seen on tv before, West Elm.  We made a pass through there and it was totaly worth it as I watched Kellis eyes light up like mine do at Augusta National!  We then headed back to the truck and made our way to our little house which is only about 15 minutes away from downtown.  We had a great nights sleep here now were getting ready to head back downtown for another fun filled day of exploring Portland!  

     Remember, some of the best days of your life are the ones that start out with absolutely no schedule:)

Winter is here

     We came home from a great weekend in Stevensville on Sunday and spent the majority of our travels on not so desire able road conditions!  It started raining I the morning and the closer we got to the apex of Lookout pass the more snow we ran into.  The roads were a little slick but they could've been a lot worse, still we came across two accidents.  Thankfully though we made it home safely, just took a little longer than usual.

     When we got home my relief from the roads was short lived as the local weather man informed us that it would be a while before we saw temps above freezing again!  The most frightening part of this news was the discovery that I think I might be getting old!!  A little blustery weather never used to bother me, now all I want to do is cozy up and stay warm!  So we spent last night out in the cold putting up a few lights, made some finishing touches to the inside Christmas decor, made ourselves some hot cocoa and did just that, cozied up!  And with a weather forecast like the one below I expect to see a lot more of this in our future:)

Remember, sometimes others don't understand your journey, they don't have to it's your journey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

     Well another Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and much like it does every year this day brings with it all the joy in the world as I share quality time with family, and get to watch the Cowboys play!!  The Thanksgiving day game has been played since long before I was a Cowboys fan, 1966 to be precise, but each year I am privelaged enough to watch it I feel that much more grateful.  Thanksgiving has long provided three of my favorite things all in one day, family, desserts, and Dallas Cowboys football!

possibly the best Christmas decoration ever!

     This year were spending Thanksgiving with the Dobsons over in Stevinsville and so far our day has gotten off to a typical Gannon type start.  I got up early and took the girls for a short walk so they could do their morning business and Duchess provided me with some unexpected challenges!  She's been taking an anti inflamatory medication after her eye surgery and for some reason it has not only reduced the swelling in her body but also turned her internal clock back about 10 years!  She has been acting like she's a puppy again, not listening, pinging off the wall with more energy than any mammal alive, and whining when she doesnt get her way.  Come to think of it, maybe she's just preparing us for a future child!  If so she's doing a good job cause almost daily since the surgery she has pushed my patience to the limit.  This morning all in a matter of 45 seconds she managed to hog tie all three of us, me, her and Kashi, with her leash not only once but twice!  Once she was untangled she drug me under a tree that took off my stocking cap, and hog tied herself again.  This time I left her hog tied, grabbed my hat, and headed for the house.  We got back to the house after Duchess hopped her way home, and as I untangled her for the third time I looked her in the face and couldn't help but feel thankfull for her, even with her newfound craziness:)  Mostly I'm thankful that she's done with the medicine now so hopefully she'll start getting back to normal.  Kashi has not gone without her share of craziness this trip either as yesterday when I went to load them in the truck she hesitated jumping into the pick up until after I went to give her some help, then she decided to jump in no particular direction and thankfully I was there to catch her in mid air!  I don't know if you've tried to catch too many 80 lb dogs lately but I wouldn't suggest it.  But between Kashi and Duchess and all of the craziness they bring to our family, we are eternally grateful for all of the joy they have brought us.  They have filled our hearts with more love than we could have ever imagined!

my cheering squad on my run this morning!

     So as I write this and lazily watch Donna scurry around the kitchen preparing our feast, I hope each of you has your own reasons for being thankfull today, whether its crazy dogs or big meals, I hope you all find some joy in your lives today!  I know I will.....as long as the Cowboys win:)

Remember, in the middle of all of the chaos today, don't forget what today is all about!  Count your blessings and pay attention to what you are thankful for.

Fun and games!

     Who says we have to grow up?  This evening Kelli, mother, Jill and some friends of theirs had the final night of a bible study they've been doing.  So dad and I decided to go get a bite to eat somewhere to give them mom and dads house without us silly boys getting in the way.  We had a good meal at Boston's while watching a little college basketball, then we headed over to Dicks Sporting Goods to kill a few minutes until the girls were done.

     

     The Dicks in the valley mall has a putting green next to their putter display and it only took dad and I about two minutes before we were in the middle of a putting contest!  We'd been there for about a half hour when an employee walked by and said, "putting contest guy?, I like it!"  We knew he understood, here it is 25 degrees outside and we were just a couple fellow golfers in dire need of some competitive action!  Well shortly after he saw us, and no doubt wanted to join in, we upped the anty by only allowing of the use of the same putter twice before having to switch.  One of the benefits of having about 20 different types of putters all around you!  We kind of lost track of score, although I'm pretty sure I had him beat, and almost an hour after we got there we headed home.  

     I couldn't help but think on the way back to their house to pick up Kelli about all of the putting contests I have been in with my dad.  I can't remember the last time he and I were near a putting green and didn't get into some sort of game.  And every time this happens I am immediately taken back to when I was a kid and he would have these putting games with all of us kids.  When I was younger it seemed like every ball that left the face of his putter went in the hole!  Not much has changed over the years, other than my competitiveness, he still seems to make nearly everything he stands over when he's playing a game against me!  These games always make me feel like a kid again and whether they're on the artificial green in a store, or on the practice green at Augusta National(a guy can dream right:), I look forward to having many more!  One of these days I might even beat the ol man!:)

Remember, if you start to feel like a kid again, don't panic, it's a good thing!  A very good thing!:)