Happy Birthday, Sanzo. Hope it's a good one.

Birthday gift for Sanzo, due to arrive today:
( See what's inside! )

Sent to Hakkai and Sanzo, to be distributed to the children at the orphanage:

( See what's in the box! )

Happy birthday, Hakkai!

Due to arrive tomorrow:

-one cookbook
-a puzzle
-a birthday card with a message inside:
Happy birthday, Hakkai!
-Cam

I'm all moved into my house now. I still have a bunch of boxes to unpack, and I have new furniture coming tomorrow, and I have to go shopping today and buy sheets and curtains and stuff like that. I'm pretty excited to be in my house, though. I'm excited to grill out on the deck. I'm excited to use my hot tub, too. Definitely didn't have one of those in the apartment. :)

I'm in Kansas right now spending time with the family. I can't believe Ryan is a year old already! Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think my nephew's pretty damn cute.

( You can decide for yourself. )

Things with the new house are going well. I installed the hardwood flooring in the living room with some help from Vala, and next week we'll be painting the bedrooms and the family room. I'm planning to move in next weekend. I want to throw a housewarming party on September 26th. If you think you'll be able to make it, let me know. I'll be barbecuing! :)

I have officially owned my house for five days now. I haven't moved into it yet- I want to lay a hardwood floor in the living room and I want to paint, and it'll be a lot easier to do those things before I move in than after. I'll be in my new house by the end of the month at the very latest, but I'm hoping to get all the work done within the next two weeks so that I can move in sooner.

Sanzo and Hakkai came to visit earlier this week, on Wednesday. It was great seeing them again and hanging out with them. I'm glad they got a chance to come out this way.

My nephew Ryan's first birthday is on September 14th, so I took a couple of days of leave to go out to Kansas and help the little guy celebrate. Nate and Lauren are throwing a party for him and they invited the family and some of their friends. Should be a good time.

Vala and I are catching a flight to San Francisco in the morning for Piper's reception. I'm sure I'll see some of you there. :)

Ugh. I never want to see red Jell-o again. I think I'm gonna be sick. At least the Marines didn't get any today, though.

Thanks for the kick-ass hat, Vala. :D

First off, happy birthday Piper! I hope you had fun celebrating.

My bid on the house was accepted! Closing will be at the end of this month. The seller has agreed to pay half of the closing costs, which is pretty cool. A home inspector's coming out on Tuesday to inspect the house. I already know it needs a little work, but hopefully it won't need anything major.

I put in a bid on the house I'm interested in.

I got promoted today! I'm a full bird Colonel now, not a Lieutenant Colonel anymore. There was a ceremony at work today and everything. :D

I'm still looking for a house. I've been looking for a while now, but I think I might have found one that I like. My realtor took me to see it on Sunday. It's a bit big for just me- 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. But it'll be nice to have the space if I have company, and I can always use one of the bedrooms for a workout room or a game room or something. Did I mention it has a heated 2 car garage? Lots of room for my baby, plus some left over for storage (or to restore another classic car if I'm feeling really ambitious), and I won't freeze when I'm working in there in the winter. It has a deck, too, which will be great for barbecuing.

[Filtered to Sanzo and Hakkai]

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I was wondering, what are your thoughts on international adoption and single parent adoption?

Words from chigong_master

Uncle: I'm the uncle of a beautiful little boy named Ryan. He's 10 months old, and my brother said that he's crawling now and that he said his first word last week. I don't see him in person all that often, but the webcam that Jou gave me lets me at least see him on the computer. I'm hoping to make it out to Kansas in September for his first birthday.

Chinese: I speak Chinese. I took it in college as my foreign language, and somehow it stuck with me. I was surprised at just how much of it I remembered when I went to visit Hakkai and Sanzo and could speak it fairly well.

Music: I have strange taste in music. I'm a fan of pretty much any type of rock: classic, alternative, whatever. I like some rap music, too, which is probably weird for a guy who's as old as I am.

Food: Nothing beats a good home-cooked meal. Particularly when it's barbecued ribs and corn on the cob drenched in butter in the summertime, with potato salad and watermelon and all the other side dishes that make for a great cook-out. And pie. Can't forget the pie. When I buy my own house, I'm inviting you all over for a barbecue and you can see what I'm talking about.

Home: Hm. Even though my family didn't move to Auburn, Kansas until I was 10, I guess I'd probably call that home. That's where I went to high school, and that's where my family still lives. Currently I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but I don't know if I really consider it home.

Words ( from Jou )
and ( from Sanzo )

I'm home now after being on leave for fourteen days. I was in China visiting with Sanzo and Hakkai, and I had an awesome time there. They're a couple of really cool guys to hang out with. Hakkai's a fantastic cook, and anyone who's not had the pleasure of eating something he's made is seriously missing out. I spent most of my days hanging out with them and the children at the school, and then spent the evenings at home with the guys. The kids were so much fun to play with! We played soccer and baseball, and I taught them how to play ultimate frisbee, which they absolutely loved. I told them a lot of stories, too. Hakkai and Sanzo said that I was a much more exciting story teller than what the kids were used to. I don't know if I succeeded in getting them calmed down and relaxed before bedtime, but they sure seemed to enjoy it anyway. Thanks again, guys, for letting me crash at your place for two weeks.

[Filtered to Hakkai and Sanzo]

Thanks also for letting me go along on your mission. I'm glad that I got a chance to help you guys out.

I'm in China! And despite the fact that my body's telling me that it's bedtime, it is in actuality only lunchtime here. Jetlag is a bitch. Anyway, I arrived safely and I have no idea what Hakkai and Sanzo have planned for the rest of the day, but I'm sure that whatever it is, it'll be fun. :)

Only 3 days until I leave to go visit Hakkai and Sanzo for a couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited about it. I've never been to China before, and it'll be great to see the guys again. I packed my stuff today and did a bunch of boring paperwork at work today so that I won't have anything to worry about until I get back.

[Filtered to Hakkai and Sanzo]

Hey, is there anything you guys want me to bring over with me that you can't get there? I got room in my duffel if there's anything you want me to pack.