Ikaikas First Steps and Beths First Marriage

Today we went to my brand new brother-in-laws baseball game. Hes going to play on the AllStar team soon. Yay! Heres a pic of the two boys who have foolishly signed on for a lifetime of Stransky family shananagins!

The "bride" and "maid of honor" (although shes not old enough so I was technically the witness)

This is what Sunday afternoons are all about. Brats with kraut and all the fixins along with cold beer in a coozie. Yum yum!

Ethans team won. It made up for the Brewers blowing it on Thursday.

A nice family picture. From left to right we have mom, Uncle Ken (dads brother), cousin Amber, dad, Mo, Granny, Grandpa (moms parents), Beth, Ethan, Ickey, myself, and Mr A.

Its interesting how the extended family was soooo small when I was young (11 of us total) and now it seems like we are growing every year! (I think there are 20 of us total now)

Beth and Ethans "blink and youll miss it" ceremony went down Friday morning. The big BBQ celebration was last night and it was fun fun fun! A true midwest marriage - there were brats and Miller Lite, 2 tvs with the Brewers game set up around the yard, tailgating games and a music playlist ranging from Elvis to Lynard Skynard.

BIG BABY NEWS!!!

Last night (7/11) Ikaika took his first steps! 5 distinct steps that I witnessed in their entirety. A friends daughter, Molly, was playing with something Ickey clearly found appealing so he toddled after her and stayed on balance. It was awesome! Both Mr A and I had discussed this beforehand and were in agreement that the baby would walk at some point during this trip. Unfortunately he hasnt felt like reliving this momentous achievement so I havent been able to get any hard evidence to post here.

Not only did this happen on the day of Beths wedding, it was also the same day (54 years ago) that my Uncle Bruce took his first steps. Granny remembered this only because July 11th is her stepdads birthday. Lucky day!

Fastest Nuptials EVER!!!

My sister and Ethan got married this morning. Literally 90 seconds long. It was the quickest 150 bucks that judge ever made. Then we went on a boat cruise around Lake Mendota where the bar was open. I ordered at least 15 different drinks, took one sip, then threw the rest overboard - JUST BECAUSE I COULD! Sisters orders.

Is She Really Going Out With Him (Mtv) is now my favorite show.

Pictures from Roadtrip 09

Casinos everywhere and I do mean EVERYwhere.

My dad wanted to buy this shirt.

Deadwood South Dakota - home of the "dead man's hand", aces over eights.

All sorts of crazy things at Wall Drug.

Why its called Big Sky Country.

The Squished Penny

We made it all the way to Billings, Montana on day #1, so today we did less driving and more stopping. Good thing since the constant carseat action is starting to give Ikaika some radical heat rash!

We are currently camped in a motel across the street from Wall Drug in South Dakota.

We went to the battlefield at Little Big Horn (more on that later), Deadwood, and Mount Rushmore - a very appropriate Independance Day. During the driving parts we had lively discussions on everything from private vs. public schools to American Indian relocation issues. Mo and I sang all the summer camp and/or patriotic songs we could remember. Dad delighted us with educational factoids about the places we were passing (without narraration a large majority of the drive just looks like land...lots and lots of land).

Its amazing how little this drive has changed since we did it as a family 20 years ago. Even the entertainment in the car is the same - hour after hour of A Prairie Home Companion!!! I have to admit that I wish I had refreshed my memory with relevant movie viewing before leaving Hawaii (Thunderheart, Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, etc). Luckily, between Dad, Mom, Mo, and the visitors center du jour there is plenty of information to go around.

I've started collecting squished pennies. Its 51 cents to make a little metal stamping of whatever place you are visiting. I thought it would be nice to start collecting something from the places Ikaika goes and when hes older he can either continue to collect it or at least he will have something that shows the places hes been. Even if he thinks its "lame" when hes older, its something for him to look forward to, something to hunt for when we travel, and in my experience the "lamest" things are the ones you remember most fondly. The squished pennies are available in a lot of locations (including the Waikoloa shoping center!), they are small, and they dont require any kind of knick knack shelf. Perfection. Im now a big fan.

Mo and I had a blast today tracking down the penny squishing machine everywhere we went and I cant wait to find one in Wall Drug tomorrow. That, and get a picture of the baby riding a jackalope. I think after that, my life will truly be complete.

I heart the Big Sky Country.

The Great American Road Trip

Myself, Baby Ickey, my little sister, mom and dad are all piling in Grandpas volvo today and heading out east on I-90. Off to Wisconsin to witness the marriage of yet another Stransky girl. Ive got a travel mug of coffee, a diaper bag and some Mp3s downloaded onto my phone so I guess Im all ready to go.

See you in 3 or 4 days!!!

Unusual Hawaiian Food Items

I found this in a Hawaiian language picture book from the library. These pages came from the "food/mea'ai" category. Anyone else find this strange?

2 Years and Counting!