Happy Birthday Corey!

My little brother (aka: Walter Payton) is 29 today.

Happy Birthday!

Merry Christmas!

A classic photo of my brother and I when we lived in Montgomery, IL.

I'm guessing this is the Christmas of '85, or maybe '84. That would make me 9 or 10, and my brother would be about 3 or 4.

Go Bears!

P.S. Yes, I'm wearing stirrup pants.

A classic photo

This photo of my brother and I reading in my twin bed was taken sometime in '87, '88 or '89.

I remember this was my room when we lived in Freehold, NJ, and we only lived there for about 3 years.

Oh yeah - that's my trombone in the left hand corner. And my brother is sporting some footy pjs.

My Favorite Photo

This is my favorite photo of all time.

That's my brother on the right hand side, with the wildly curly blonde hair.

Those kids in the awesome retro Brewers jackets are Tom and Jeremy, who lived across the street from us when I was in grade school.

My family is still close with their family.

Team Howald

Jonathan's brother got married about a month ago at the La Playa Resort in Naples, FL.

One of his genius ideas was to give everybody at the wedding a TEAM HOWALD t-shirt.

It made everybody staying at the La Playa resort mini celebrities. The staff knew who everybody was, and all the other guests at the resort knew that a 'Howald' was getting married.

Pretty cool stuff (I'm actually wearing my t-shirt right now!).

Huey's

Another Memphis original is Hueys - home of the #1 burger in Memphis.

Their "thing" is shooting toothpicks (you know, the toothpick with the little tassels on them that come in a huge burger?) into the ceiling.

I guess every year they take them down and donate $1 per toothpick to charity - or something like that.

Since I ordered soup (I was a little car sick), I didn't get a toothpick. Jonathan and Bailey (his 2nd cousin) both made valid (and hilarious!!!) attempts at hitting the ceiling, but to no avail.

Captain David (Jonathan's Army brother) shot about 5 into the ceiling. He was an all-star!

The Rendezvous

I really have a hard time spelling the word "Rendezvous".

Every since I met Jonathan, he's been talking about this ribs place in Memphis called the Rendezvous. In fact, his entire family always talked about it. I guess their great uncle used to have some connections, so even though there would be a 3 hour line to get in (seriously - who wants 3 hours to eat?!?), there would always be room for Jonathan's family.

As you can see from the photos, this place is in an ally. And not a "ally made to look nice because there is a restaurant there", it's just a dirty old ally.

It was a really cool place inside. It had junk all over the wall - I think it was all the owners collectables. There were photos of past presidents who had dined there, including senator (at the time) Obama.

Since *gasp*, I'm not a huge fan of ribs, I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. It was delicious!!!!

So if you're ever in Memphis and want to eat at a "classic Memphis establishment", find the Peabody hotel, then walk down the ally directly in front of it. Also, get there before 5pm (like we did), otherwise, be prepared to wait it out.

Go Grizz!

In February, we flew to Memphis for a quick 3 day weekend.  Jonathan's mom has 5 cousins there, and they all have kids in their early to mid 20's.  So there are a ton of relatives there, most of whom I have never met.

The cousin we stayed with works for FedEx (which is huge in Memphis), so I was secretly hoping he would score some free tickets to a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game.  The Grizzlies stadiums is called the FedEx Forum for crying out loud!

Well, he did not disappoint.  We got "player" tickets!!!  

Granted, I was secretly hoping to sit in the FedEx luxury suite (if that even exists - I'm guessing it does), but these tickets were still awesome.

We sat behind the lower section, in some folding chairs. It was actually the handicapped section. For the 2nd quarter the cheerleaders were standing behind us (literally RIGHT behind us). The 2 unmarried guys really enjoyed that (but not Jonathan ... right!?!?)

Isn't the 'woman' bathroom sign cute? I guess Memphis is the home of the blues, or Elvis, or something musical. I obviously need a Memphis history lesson.

Dudley Do Right's Rip Saw Falls

Pizza Planet!

The journaling says "Julie has been waiting for 3 long years to eat at Pizza Planet!"

Why is my text blue and underlined?  It's like it's linking somewhere, but I have no idea where.

Pizza Planet!

3 years ago when Julie came to visit she wanted to eat at Pizza Planet.  I agreed, but 'forced' her to run around the park a little while longer.  Then, when we were ready to eat, Pizza Planet was closed.

So this trip, Julie wasn't going to do anything else but eat at Pizza Planet!

Side note:  Pizza Planet is from the movie Toy Story.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pizza.  I figured it would be flat crust with bland toppings.  It was actually really thick crust (I love crust!!) and good pizza.  One small pizza was way too much food (Julie and I should've shared), but I shoved it down and made it my lunch/dinner, or lunner.

My brother, Corey, ate 2 full pizzas.

Universal Studios

(My brother purchasing his 2nd soft pretzel)

We all went to Universal Studios last Monday.  It was supposed to be not too cold, but 70% chance of rain.

(Julie and Mitch are the only ones on Dueling Dragons!)

I made everybody get up early, and we left the house at 8am.  We were  going commando style!  We only had 9 hours (9am-6pm) in both parks, and I wanted to do everything we possibly could.

(We are soaked after riding Rip Saw falls)

Little did I know that NOBODY was going to Universal that day.  

Seriously, there were NO lines.  It was amazing.  We walked right on to every single ride.  And I'm not exaggerating at all.  I couldn't believe it.

(Corey is not excited about riding The Hulk coaster)

That 70% chance of rain was correct - we were all soaked by the time we left.  But I think everybody had a fun time.

The coolest Christmas present ...

... besides the Wii Fit I mean.

Jonathan's brother is a Captain in the Army.  He graduated from West Point, so he 'had' to serve for 5 years.  His 5 years are over in May.

So, before he left the Army, I asked for a "Howald" name patch.  You know, like the name patches on every Army uniform.  I figured I'd better ask now, before he can't get them anymore.

So on Christmas morning he hands me this large gift bag, and it's heavy.  I thought, "shoot - he bought me something when I didn't buy him anything.  Now I feel like a jerk!  All I wanted was a free patch!".

Inside the bag was a FULL Army camouflage uniform!  It's one he wore during his first tour in Iraq.  The coolest part about the uniform is the hat (which I'm fashionably wearing in the photo), complete with name patch.  The front of the hat has the little Army symbol for 'captain'.

The army shirt is covered in patches also.  And the camo pants even fit me!  It's super cool!

Merry Christmas!

As we all know, Jesus is the reason for the season ... but getting presents is pretty fun too!

Here are some photos from 12/23, when Jonathan and I exchanged our gifts.

Growing up, I never got (or wanted) a "big" gift.  I enjoy receiving small stuff.  Maybe it's quantity over quality (although all my small stuff is quality).

Notice we each bough each other hats.  I got a super cool Chicago Bears hat (from Walmart of all places!) and I got Jonathan 

a Rays World Series (there's a patch on the side) hat.

Ride 'em Segway!

Over the summer, when Jonathan's brother was on leave from Iraq, they all came to visit.

(from left to right, Jonathan's mom, Jonathan, his brother's fiance, his dad, his brother and me!)

We all did the Segway tour at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.

While it was a little pricey, it was a lot of fun!

Notice the giant 'off road' tires on the segways.  We could ride these things anywhere - grass, dirt, sand, over tree limbs (small tree limbs).

It was a really long tour too.  I highly recommend it!

Thanks!

Yesterday we spent Thanksgiving at Jonathan's grandpa's house.  We also celebrated his Aunt Barbera's birthday.  She's 90!  And she's not your average 90 year old - she still drives and is really active in the community.

Aunt Barbera made all us girls (there were 10 of us - various cousins of Jonathan's) knitted hats.  And they are super cute!

So THANK YOU Aunt Barbera!

You Man!

Remember I mentioned the "You Man" photo a couple posts back? The "You Man" originated with Julie and her brother Tom (I think?). The phrase comes from the baseball movie Major League. Julie and Tom both posed for a photo saying "Yoooooou Man" and pointing at the camera. Somehow, our family got involved and now we do it when ever we can!

Here are a couple more examples:

For some reason I'm the only one doing the You Man here. I'm also sporting overalls and a sweater. Not a great fashion year for me. This was right before Corey and Tom (Julie's brother) went to senior prom.

Here we are again (all saying "You Man!" this time) at Corey and Tom's high school graduation.

Totally Radical!

Julie already downloaded some photo from the '80s party!

Here is the entire group taking the traditional YOU MAN photo. It's a family tradition ... long story ...

For some reason we're doing a kick line. From left to right is Jonathan, Julie, me and my broth er Corey. Jean shorts or "jorts" as everybody calls them were very popular.

Here is Julie and her husband Mitch slow dancing - '80s style! Mitch was dressed up a little Bret Michaels and a little Miami Vice.

Balderdash!!! From bottom left: Tom (Julie's brother), Jonathan, me, Jeremy (Julie's other brother), Mitch and my brother Corey. When I was in 2nd grade Julie's family moved in across the street. Julie and I are the same age, and Tom & Corey are the same age. Jeremy is in the middle. They are pretty much my 2nd family. And Corey spends a lot of time with them b/c our parents live so far away.

Totally Tubular!

Last night (until 2am - yes, I stayed up until 2am!) my friend Julie hosted a party for my brother's 27th birthday. It was an '80s party. Unfortunatly Jonathan and I aren't really party animals, so we didn't come prepared with any '80s gear.

Thankfully, I had packed a cheesy '80s looking Kwaj t-shirt to wear. It was a size small. Since Julie let me borrow a polka dot tank top with bows all over it, Jonathan tried on my Kwaj t-shirt. It fit him like a glove ... a really tight glove. So Jonathan's got on the tightest t-shirt ever, and a mullet wig. The wig didn't last 10 minutes b/c he claims it was itchy. Jonathan was pretty sexy with a mullet! All the girls at the party sported side pony tails.

I discovered the wonderful game of Balderdash! It's hilarious. My cheeks were killing me the rest of the night from laughing. It's easy to play, but hard to understand. Basically, the person who's turn it is has a card. He reads a movie title from the card, like FANGS. Then everybody around the table makes up a quick synopsis (sp?) of this movie FANGS. For example: A small town in Nebraska is infested by tree snakes // A NYC Cop is actually a vampire and learns to love again // An unpopular teen turns into a wherwolf and learns to play basketball ...

These 'answers' are all read outloud, and you have to pick the real one. The person who was 'it' has the real answer on the card. Everybody at the table tries to pick the real synopsis of the movie FANGS out of all the fake ones. Again, it's fun to play but hard to explain via blog. I highly, HIGHLY recommend you check it out. It's a great game for about 4-7 people.

Today it's off to the thrift stores!!! Jonathan is really excited - not!

Sweet home ...

... Chicago!

Jonathan and I flew in to Chicago tonight. We landed at 9pm and we arrived at my friend's house at 10:20pm.

We have to wake up tomorrow at 6:45am in order to catch the train to Chicago! Tomorrow my friend who I'm staying with (Julie - check out her blog here) and my brother have to work, so I'm going to show Jonathan around Chicago. Not that I'm a great tour guide, I've only been there a handfull of times myself.

I've never seen that "bean", so I'm pretty excited.

Then we're celebrating my brother's b-day tomorrow night. Julie is throwing him an '80s party!

Good night!