Viva Las Vegas

Greetings from....Springfield. This isn't false advertising. Abby and I leave tomorrow for a week in Vegas. Before you get all jealous and say you want to go with us let me explain why we are going. We are going for the "New Product" launch for promotional products. Yes, there is actually a convention each year to show the latest and greatest in PEN technology -- as well as clothing, mousepads, mugs, coasters, post-it notes, and everything else you would possibly want to put your logo on. Very glamourous! It actually is a lot of fun, but miles and miles of walking looking at "trinkets-and-trash", "gadgets-and-gizmos" or whatever else you want to call my job.

It's been an interesting last month around the house. Abby got sick two days before Christmas and finally felt better last Sunday. Of course, I started feeling bad on Tuesday and got struck with the bug real bad on Friday. It's still amazing to me that with all the technology, science and medicines in the world we still don't have a way to defeat the common cold. Sure, we can cure E.D. -- but still nothing for the flu?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! And now Abby is starting to have a sore throat again....

Anyway, thought I would share a story from this past Thursday. On the second Thursday of each month we go to Branson for a gathering of folks with adopted kids from America, Ethiophia and Rwanda. Most of the couples have blogs -- which we have linked on our sidebar. Anyway, we usually travel with Rob & Julie Neal, and of course their adorable son, Caden. Well this time we decided to stop at Ruby Tuesday's for a quick dinner on the way.

Abby and I have decided that the best way to learn about becoming a parent is to watch other people in action -- learn from their experiences, good and bad, and try to do the best you can. So, here's the lesson from Thursday: A 2-year-old, if given a small (open) cup of ketchup, can make said ketchup disappear from sight. And Caden did this with four adults watching him. So the waitress brings all our food and brings Caden his grilled cheese and fries....along with the cup of ketchup. (C'mon, who gives a cup of ketchup to a toddler?) Anyway, so we are all sitting there eating, talking and watching Caden. All of a sudden Caden asks Rob for "tetchup". As Rob goes to show him that he has some on his plate we all realize that the ketchup is gone. We all scramble around looking for it on the table. Then Rob finds it. Perfectly splattered on the ground right next to Caden. And when I say perfectly splattered I mean perfectly splattered. If Roger Clemens' had thrown the cup of ketchup 90 mph it wouldn't have sprayed farther than Caden's masterpiece. We soon realized why the carpets in Ruby Tuesday's are dark. A quick once-over with the napkin and the ketchup was gone. Gone being a key word. I'd say more like smeared into the dark carpet -- but out of sight, out of mind.

Oh the stories we'll have.