WAHHH!!! I want to see Elton John too!

Come on, let me go to the concert! I can do the Crocodile Rock! I bet Mike, Spike, and Alien can't do it. Saturday Night's Alright. I'm free that day! Come on, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. I'd be a much better date than those duds.

Rocket Man Here We Come

Mike: Daniel, My friend...

Spike: My name isn't Daniel.

Mike: Are you more of a Mad Hatter or Mona Lisa?

Spike: What are you babbling about now?

Mike: The Bitch is Back.

Spike: There's no call to get nasty.

Mike: No guys, we're all going to see Elton John in concert at Beasley on April 12th!!!!! The Rocket Man Himself. You know, Benny and the Jets.

Spike: For the last time, my name isn't Benny and I don't have a jet.

Spike: Also, are we going to be discussing these outfits at some point?  Not that platform shoes and rhinestones don't show off my spiky curves to perfection.

Strange Creatures of the Night

Spike: AAAAHHHHHH!!! It's Attack of the 50 Foot Woman!

Mike: AAAAHHHHHH!!! It's like some type of anti-Godzilla.

Spike: Any more B-movie references?

Mike: No, about out.

Spike: Who are these fetching creatures?

Mike: It has something to do with a sleepover.

Spike: What is a sleepover?

Mike: All I know is that it involves:

• Lots of giggling
  
• Not going to bed until yelled at
  
• Multi courses of junk food
  
• Being tormented by younger brothers
  

Spike: I'll call Alien and set a date for one for us.  Can I wear my frilly PJ's?

Mike: Quiet, I'm going to attempt to converse with these lovely ladies.  Hubba, hubba.  I think I'm in love.

Spike: You are so out of your league.  Not to mention species.

January 3, 2008 - Tamarack Here We Come

Mike: I hear the Shooks are going to Tamarack, Idaho for some skiing.  The resort is pretty new and has great reviews for awesome skiing so the boys and I think we'll come along.

Spike: That's some winter outfit Spike.

Mike: Thanks, I shopped at Tri-State for some fly winter duds to impress the babes on the slopes.

Alien: On my planet I would need a Driver's License to operate this stretch limo. 

Mike: That's why our planet is so cool.

Alien: It's just like a scene from Entourage.

Spike: Since when do you watch HBO?

Mike: Here we are at Idaho Airlines and Captain Polly is here to greet us for our flight.

Captain Polly: Sir, I'm sorry we don't fly to Tamarack, Idaho.  Move to a real state with reliable air service.  Have fun on your major interstate, i.e. two-lane highway.

Mike: This is outrageous.  At least the Thorsteinsons travel by air.  The Shooks drive - how quaint.  I'm sure it will be a great trip with 3 kids, 1 grumpy husband, 1 over-organized mother, and enough ski gear to outfit the US Olympic Team.

Spike: I'm not sitting next to Jennings, he talks too much. 

Mike: Now this is more like it.  A fine abode for me and my friends.  I could get to like this Tamarack place.  Who gets the master bedroom in the condo?

Tamarack - Powder, powder, and more powder

Mike: Man this is one cold seat.  It snowed so much every day and every night that it was unbelievable.  Great powder skiing.  I need a muffler for my tail.

Mike: Man what a view.  In the background you can see part of all the construction going on at the resort with new condos and part of the hotel.  Also the frozen lake was so pretty and you could see snow mobiles as well.

Mike: There were no lines at this resort and with all the high speed quads for lifts you could ski until you drop.  Mary got lonely so it was a good thing I was around on Friday to ski with her.  Saturday she skied with the Greens and it was snowing so much there were no pictures to be taken.

Mike: How high are we in the air?  Put me down crazy lady.  I don't have a death wish.  That safety bar is there for a reason.

Tamarack - The Apres Ski Scene

Mike: After that rough day of blitzing the powder it's sure nice to retire to the condo so enjoy the swinging Apres ski life.  The hot tub was so relaxing and the scene was beautiful with all the new snow.  Cold on my tootsies getting outside though.

Chocolate Mike and I discovered a new beer at the gourmet deli near where we stayed. The title of the beer made us giggle. Until James used those darn new reading skills and sounded out the label. "Isn't that a bad word?" he inquired. Doesn't he live for swearing like a sailor right now? How many times in the next 3 days did we hear that word? Is it a miracle that Jennings did learn it too?  Oops. No more funny beer labels for Chocolate Mike.

Mike: Great trip - where am I off to next?  Spains, take me away.

Tales from New Mexico

Mike: Well, here we are in Albuquerque, New Mexico! Man, it was an ordeal getting here. Our first line of business was to get a brew.

Spike: No kidding. Talk about travel woes!

Mike: We left Spokane okay, but it was snowing in Denver, so that meant major delays. When we landed in Denver, we waited an hour to get off the plane. Then, our flight was delayed 1 1/2 hour, so our overlay was 4 1/2 hours instead of 3 hours. THEN, once we got on the plane, we waited for two hours to take off. This was when Eric threw up, and Anita was bound and determined to get off that plane! But, she calmed down and we stayed on it.

Spike: Dude, maybe this is why one should not travel in the winter.
Spike: How about that hotel?

Mike: Yeah, it was a dump. I knew we were in trouble when the shuttle bus had a sign that said "Best value in cyberspace."

Spike: And, there was even a gator that chased us around the bathroom.

Mike: Spike, you idiot! That was just a toy that Anita bought.

Spike: Yeah, but there WAS that fuzzy thing in the closet. It could've been a decomposing alligator body.

Mike: Spike, this is a desert! Besides, it was cleaned up by the maid.

Spike: An action shot of me bravely going after that alligator.

Mike: Give me a break! Do I have to tell you again that it was a TOY?

Spike: Maybe, but it was out to get me.
(Mike groans)


Spike: Here I am, conquering the Beast.

Mike: (groans again) Spike, was your egg dropped before you were born?

Spike: No, why?

Mike: Never mind.

New Mexico Tales: Sandia Tram

Spike: Hey, check out my spikes. You can tell I've been working out.
Mike: Where am I?
Spike: ha ha- you fell off, wimp boy!
Mike: Well, anyway, this was a fun tram ride up the Sandia Mountains.
Spike: Yeah, we even met our first fan.
Mike: Yeah, the chick operating the tram really liked us.
Spike: Yeah, she was really interested in our blog. Anita even gave her our website address.
Mike: Maybe we can make her the President of our fan club.

New Mexico Tales: Taking in the Sights

Mike: Here are Tyler, Eric, Ramie, and Sarah with us in Santa Fe.

Spike: Sure, you forget to take a picture of Mike falling off the gondola, but you manage to take a picture of this?
Mike: Ha ha- Spike, you look to be in a "prickly" situation. Ha ha
Spike: Shut up!

Mike: Is this dude a relative?
Spike: I don't know. I think he's a Komodo Dragon.
Mike: Well, he's just a young chap, then.
Spike: Mike, you're such an old geezer.

New Mexico Tales: Headed South

Mike: Todd's dad wanted to see more of New Mexico, so we headed south to Carlsbad Caverns. It was a long 5 hour drive! We went through Roswell.

Spike: Roswell? Isn't that where the aliens crashed?

Mike: Yup. We even visited the UFO museum. But, mostly Roswell is just another town.

Spike: Yeah, with creepy space aliens.

Mike: You don't actually believe in that stuff, do you?

Mike: This is the official Greeter of the museum.
Spike: He's creepy!
Mike: He's also not real, dumbass.

Mike: AH! They do exist!
Martian: AH! They do exist!

Martian: Now, THIS terrain is much better! Thanks for letting me tag along. That field in the desert was a total drag.
Spike: Hey, don't thank me- if I had my way, I'd report you to the military.
Mike: So, I just have a question. What's the deal with crop circles?
Martian: Oh, that. Well, since the crash, I haven't had a lot to do.
Mike: So, they're a result of your boredom?
Spike: Hey, I need an outlet for my creativity! I'm an artist, you know.
Mike and Spike: Whatevah.

Martian: Wow! We're mountain climbing! Just like home!
Spike: Nice try, green guy. This was at the Botanical Garden. It's just a fake rock.
Mike: Spike, be nice to him. He's homesick.
Spike: Give me a break.

New Mexico Tales: More Sights

Mike: This Sex Appeal Detector was at White's City, by Carlsbad Caverns. Seriously, this "town" was a hotel, a gas station, a restaurant, a grocery store, and a museum. I felt like I was at a roadside attraction in the 50's. It looked like that was the last time they did any maintenence work. But, the good news is that I broke the machine I was so off the charts in sex appeal.

Spike: You wish! You didn't even put a quarter in it!

Mike: Well, that's how sexy I am: I didn't need a quarter.

Spike: Whatevah.

Spike: My fortune- "you will find a way to ditch Mike and the Martian in the cavern."
Mike: Hey, I heard that!
Martian: Cavern? Is that by Venus?
Spike: Now THIS is a cave! WOW! You could have a whole city down here!
Mike: Yeah, now we know where to hide when the aliens invade.
Martian: Hey! Didn't I tell you we come in peace?
Mike: Wow, this stingray is out of this world!
Martian: No, I'M out of this world.
Spike: Geez, calm down, green boy- it's just an expression.
Martian: Oh...well...I'm still cooler than that slimy thing.
Mike and Spike: Whatevah!

Tales from New Mexico: Finally Home!

Mike: Well, we're finally home! What a great trip!

Spike: Yeah, but there's nothing like being home after an adventure. Hey, Mike, what ever happened to your pink suitcase?

Mike: Oh, airport security took it. Apparently, it's illegal to carry on a suitcase full of water.

Spike: (groan) Mike--- how stupid can you be?

Mike: Hey, I was worried that I would get thirsty in the desert!

Martian: What a ride! I'd never been on a plane before.

Spike: Oh no- not him! Mike, you didn't tell him he could come home with us, did you?

Mike: Well, I felt bad. He had been wandering around a remote desert for 60 years. Give the dude a break, would ya?

Spike (to martian): Why didn't you just call the mother ship to come and get you?

Martian: My cell phone battery died. Besides, coverage was spotty at best. Geez, you people need to evolve a little more. I feel like I'm in the dinosaur times.

Mike: There were dinosaurs on Mars?