Happy Hour at Sonic!

I was thinking about creating a personality profile based on the flavor of drink one orders at Sonic.
If you order any of the main five (Coke, Diet Coke, D.P., Root Beer, Sprite) you are someone who knows what they want in life. You don't want fluff - only the facts. You probably like vanilla ice cream, all of your rooms are painted white and you have a neat hair-part on the side of your head.
If you add a flavor (cherry, chocolate, cranberry, etc.) You enjoy a little spice in your life... but, not too much. You probably have khaki walls.
Now if you cross the line and walk the wild side of slushees you have a predictable spontaneity about you. You enjoy living on the edge so long as you are anchored securely to the base. A brain-freeze now and then keeps you from losing it and 'sticking it to the man!'
If you order coffee from Sonic you probably need to join a 12 step program for addicts.
If you order a suicide, you need to move beyond the 1980's - the good old skating rink days are history. Stop tight rolling your jeans - Big hair is NOT in.
So, if you are one of the few that tells the little voice beyond the magic box to "throw a blended-up foot long chili dog in my cherry limeade," you are my kind of guy or gal. You know how to enjoy the finer things in life. You don't have walls.

Easter Lilies

It seems that we already had a blog under this title, but after checking it has not been used. I know... I know, it's pretty cliche, but it captures the weekend as well as any. We had a great Easter with my younger sister Rebecca and Shauna's sister Stephanie and her husband Chuck. Although the days were packed we were still able to get a little yard work done, a little International-Scout work done, some major work at the church, and a little more Scout work done before everyone departed on Sunday afternoon for their own homes.
Lily is quickly approaching her first birthday, and with Easter coming early this year, it seems all the more upon us. As of today she has officially taken her first 'steps.' This morning she took 5-6 steps, stopped to compose herself, and took 5-6 more before falling on her one-year-old tush. She has that look in her eyes that says, "once I get going you are NOT going to catch me."

Colorado Rocky Mountain High

So, I need a little help - the plural of moose is... mooses? meese? meeses? moosen? Whatever the case, we woke up early Sunday morning to a couple of moosen licking the salt off of our bus in Winter Park, Colorado. One of the guys in our group concocted a plan to corral the moose to one side of the bus, and when she wasn't looking, jump on her back and ride her down the mountain. Now, I don't know a lot about angry mother mooses - BUT, this didn't seem like the greatest plan ever devised. I did, however, go against my better judgment and encourage him to give it a shot. I can't think of anything funnier than a 38 year old man being stomped on by a big momma moose... after all I did need some new material for the blog.
The trip started off with typical Stockstillian flare. We bought a 1981 school bus off ebay for $1500 - flew to Kansas City and drove the bus back to Laurel. In our own estimation we figured if the bus made it back, it would have no trouble making the trip to Colorado. (I'm glad to say no problems in transit - 32 hours there and 34 hours back). So, we loaded up 22 people and headed west.
I guess as a dad there comes a transitional time where you move from the "superstar" (at least in your own mind) to the coach. For a couple of days I strictly hung out with Dylan and Micah - who are terrors on the slope. Dylan has reached a point of great confidence and spends most of his time skiing in and out of the trees. For Micah, this was his first time. So, on the last day I took him down a steep blue (intermediate) slope, and it became obvious the mountain was getting the best of him. We laid down in the snow, took a breather and looked up at the sky and made a plan.
"Micah, I want you to pretend this mountain is a giant dragon. All of these trees are like giant scales and we have got to get to the bottom and slay this mighty beast."
The sniffles stopped and his ears perked up.
"How do we do that?"
"Well, your skis are like giant swords and at the bottom you will find his head. I want you to take those blades and kill the dragon."
After a minute he thought that this was a great plan. He picked himself up, pointed his skiis straight down and took off. As we raced down the mountain I saw him zig zagging across the mountain shooting his bow and arrow at all of the crazy critters hiding in the forest.
It's in moments like this that you get lost in the greatness of being a dad. I enjoy snowboarding as much as any activity I do, but it pales in comparison to watching my kids experience life.
If you get a chance... head West (or East if you live in California) and spend some time with your family and the moosen.