Vacation Recap

I haven't gotten around to updating my blog about my vacation last week. My sister Susan summed it up pretty well. Here's an excerpt from her blog until I have a chance to post my own pics and thoughts:

Wow!! We just got back from an awesome week!! For the first time ever, my entire family spent an entire week together!! (Oops, I guess I don't mean entire....Bethie wasn't able to be there because she had just started her new job.)

It's funny to think about how much time my family spends together with my dad, brothers, sister-n-laws, nieces and nephews, hanging out at each others houses...but never have we attempted to spend an entire week together (I think it was for fear of killing each other after a couple days!) Surprisingly we did really well!!!

We stayed at two cottages (next door to each other) at Higgins Lake. The cottages were perfect for our families! There was enough room for everyone to eat comfortably, hang out when it was raining, play games at night, etc. When it was raining, the kids were able to go from one cottage to another to find different things to do (yeah for tv and video games....for rainy days only!!!) We were right on the water....with a huge grassy yard in between the cottages and the lake. It was the perfect setup!

Although the weather was far from perfect, we still had a great time!! Nothing like driving up in a huge rain storm, to start a vacation. We had three days where it rained off and on ALL day long and one day where it rained the ENTIRE day, other then that, we had great weather.

We started the week off by a small gift exchange. Dan and I both presented Dave with this shirt.....
....Dan gave him a child's small, I gave him a child's large. The picture above is him sporting the kids small. The picture below is possibly the most awkward picture taken all week. It's of Dan trying to help Dave get the small shirt on. Dave seems to be enjoying it. Alot.

Then Dave gave me my be-lated 30th birthday presents....

...some very large sunglasses, a very large grandma bra (not sure what I am going to put in there), shortbread cookies, some 'lovely' perfume, a beautiful lilac candy jar with nips in it, and certs. Everything my grandma used to love....perfect for an old lady, like myself.

The days were filled with swimming, playing games, playing cards, eating, tubing, riding on a boat, running around, reading books, campfires and whatever other crazy things the kids came up with.

Kris's cousin was kind enough to let us borrow their boat. What they didn't know was that it was going to break down after the first time we used it. Kevin, Dan and Dave walked the pontoon over to the marina to have it fixed. $250 some dollars later, we were back in business. Until it broke again the next day. At least Kevin knew what it was (the same thing as last time, but a different side) and was able to fix it for a lot cheaper.

The kids had a blast tubing on it. Yeah, we realize that a pontoon boat doesn't go quite as fast as a speed boat, but we didn't care. After puttering around for hours, the kids decided to get a little creative and did a free-style competition. Anything from standing up, to switching tubes to a hand-stand. I'm pretty sure Maddie wins the award for coolest trick ever (see picture on right!!)

All of the cousins got along awesomely! Everyone had someone to play with and there were really no major problems. Matthew won "the most patient cousin" award this week. He pretty much took care of Ben for us. Ben would drag him anywhere he wanted "Matt-chew" to go. Never once did Matt-chew complain. The funny thing is, Ben isn't really nice to Matthew, he likes to punch him, wrestle him, jump on him when Matthew's not paying attention, but Matthew doesn't care.

Because Matthew hung around Ben so much, he learned one of Ben's infamous faces....the "oh-dear-what-have-I-done??" face. Matthew learned how to use that at very appropriate times.

The water at Higgins Lake is the most beautiful water in the world. Except when it has the wonderful swimmers itch. Which it does right now. Miraculously, the kids didn't get it, but the adults did. Kevin and Dave got it from dragging the pontoon boat up to the dock so many times for us and for dragging it to the marina to get fixed. Some how I got it from walking in the water for 24 seconds to rescue a shovel that floated away too far and now am itching like crazy.

The only time we all left the cottages was to go putt-putt golfing and go-karting. (I think its pretty impressive that 7 adults and 11 kids were able to stay busy for 6 days and only leave one time!!) It was a miserable 19 holes to watch 10 kids play through. Ben thought the idea was to hit the ball as hard as he possibly could. We had to remind him countless times to hit the ball lightly.

Okay, I'm done giving the minute by minute descriptions. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this week.

Jon and I beating my dad and Judy in cribbage. That was the first time Jon and I had played in 15 years!

A sunset cruise on Higgins Lake. Before the boat broke.

Jon was on his best behavior this week. We think it was because he was solo-parenting and a.) didn't have time to cause problems and b.) he knew that if he did, no one would help him with his girls. (Little did he know, we would have anyways.)

We went out to the sunken island to swim around. Unfortunately it was a little too windy, the rocks had algae and the water was too cold. That meant no one wanted to get in. For the most part, the kids sat on the boat, waiting for us to leave.

Emily and Libby were brave enough to sit on the tube. Just not touch the slimy rocks.

Gabe tried to take his rightful place as king of the slimy rock, but Uncle Dave is much stronger (and has a beer in his hand)

Dave tried to convince the kids that there was buried treasure on sunken island. Apparently Matthew was the only one who fell for it. Him and Dave went out searching while the rest of the kids shivered patiently.

Uncle ching-bonk and Allie

Gangsta-Allie

After the first day, we passed the job of sun-screen applier on to someone else, other then Emily.

Like I said above, the kids got along so well. Emily and Allie played super well together until one little misunderstanding happened. Dave and I were listening to the girls tell what was going on.

Emily says, "Well, Allie was getting on my last nerve."
Allie (not sure what that meant apparently) says, "But I didn't know. I didn't see it!"

It was all I could do, not to bust out laughing!!

There are so many other funny things that happened this week...most of them are inside jokes....some aren't. For instance, when playing speed scrabble one night, Kevin called my dad, "Daddy." That went over really well with all of us. We will NEVER let Kevin forget that. We mentioned it as often as we possible could this week.

All week long, my kids (Allie and Ben) were having the hardest time remembering Aunt Cathie and Uncle Dave's names. Half way through the week Dave decided he wanted them to call him Uncle "Chick-bonk" (that is what Emily used to call Chipmunks.) I dunno why. Just because. He was giving Ben candy every time he called him that. So by the time we got home, Ben remembered that his name was Uncle Dave (or Chick-bonk.) I still think Allie is confused.

So yeah, we had a great time. We are already planning on doing this again next year!!

Alright. I think that is all. I'm sure I have lots more things to add...just can't think of anything now.

You can see more pictures here and here.

My sister is odder than me, but I'm working on a cool 'stache

Loaded for bear...and vacation

We headed out for our family vacation today. My whole family will be up at Higgins Lake for the week at two side-by-side cottages my Dad rented for us. Aside from Iowa and some smaller trips, this the first time we've done a week long trip like this as a big family. We're all taking turns with meals and 'drinks du jour'. My Dad and Judy are joining us for part two of their honeymoon, which could be awkward, especially as the rooms have no locks on them and we'll be sending the kids to knock on their door repeatedly.

Emily's Creepy Dollar Store Purchase

Nate's Football Workouts

Nate and I have started doing his pre-season training for Football which starts at the beginning of August. We did this same thing last year and his conditioning had a big impact going into practice. While other guys were throwing up on the sidelines or passing out form the heat and exertion, Nate kept going.

We're spending about 30 minutes per day doing the types of activities that I do with Kirk over at Triad. Lots of body weight training, things like bear crawls, crab walks, push-ups and other plyometrics with lots of jumping and running. Each day I try and push him just a little bit harder. Nate's the kind of guy who pushes himself hard with this. If I ask him to do 15 push-ups, he'll try for 20.

Football starts August 3rd and goes five days a week for two hours a day until the first game. Nate can't wait. He was a defensive back most of the year, playing offense occasionally. He's hoping to play more offense this year. My brother Jon is in town now and hoping he can maybe help coach, or at least call plays down from the stands.

Lunch date with Emily

Em and I went out to McDonalds for lunch and then to the Dollar Store to do some high end shopping. I made the rookie mistake of not bringing socks for Em so we bought a high quality pair of magical socks for $1 from McDs. We had some darn good sundaes to top it off. I'm a huge fan of their honey mustard crunchy chicken wraps.

Morning Workout

I'm still moving forward with my 1/2 Marathon workout schedule for the run in late August. I think I've pretty much overcome my sore knees and my bruised ribs don't hurt that much while running (I sound like an old man talking about my injuries). I've been trying to exercise at least five days a week, most days doing some kind of cardio (biking or running) combined with lifting a few days a week. In my workouts, I've been focusing a lot more on lean muscle mass and trying to build definition rather than bulk, doing lots of high reps and super-sets, not to mention going to Triad for the 6am workout from Hell at Triad. I've dropped quite a bit of weight. At my heaviest I was at 208. I was still at a 34" waist, but my pants were tight. At my lightest, I'm now at 188.

This morning, I got up early to beat the heat and got my longest run ever at 9.1 miles. I've been averaging between 7 1/2 to 8 minute miles for my shorter runs of 3 or 4 miles, and was surprised that I did my 9 mile run at a 9 minute/mile pace. 9 miles was tough, more mentally than physically. I can see myself doing the half marathon without dying, but I couldn't imagine doing a full marathon. The monotony seems like it would kill you.

I've been reconsidering doing a mini-triathlon, ever since Cathie's Dad spent some time helping me figure out how to swim in a way that I won't drown. I've swam a bit since then found three things:

1. I don't float.
   
2. Form is important
3. Swimming 50 yards is hard. Swimming 1/2 mile will be even tougher.

I'm going to try swimming some at the lake while we're on vacation and see how it goes. My brother-in-law Kevin and I are both training for the same events so it'll be nice to have someone to go running with in the morning.

Emily and her friends

Emily loves her friends as much as she loves animals. The only phrase she utters more than "Can I pet your dog?" is "Can I play with a friend?" From the moment Emily wakes up, she asks this question. One day after playing friends the entire day, we had this conversation:

Emily: "Dad, can I play with a friend?"
Me: "Em, you're going to bed in 15 minutes."
Emily: "Ok, I'll just play with a friend until bed time."

As part of our summer program, we have six weeks of family service, which is very interactive for the kids and entire family. They were telling the story of the ten lepers Jesus healed. Joe asked the kids, what would be the first thing you'd do after being healed of this horrible disease. Kids responded with, "Tell my family" and "Say thank you." Emily leaned over to Cathie and whispered:

"Go play with a friend."

I guess even leprosy can't keep Emily down.

Girls Night Out

Maddie, Em and I had to run to the store to get a couple of things. On the way, we rolled down the windows and cranked the music and sang at the top of our lungs. I know that I'm a Dad of two girls when we played Complicated, High School Musical and Sk8tr boy and I knew every word - and sang each one badly.

Fez, Rod, Evan and Chris can't wait for HSM3

Two of Mexicos greatest exports

Velocity 2008 Video Recap

Here's the video we're showing in church today as our recap from camp last week:

Family Fourth American Idol

As part of our Kurt Family Fourth tradition, my Dad decided to add a new set of festivities: Kurt Family American Idol Karaoke. If you know one thing about the Kurt's it's this: we're all tone deaf, but like to sing (except Maddie). On our long family car rides to Iowa we would have family talent shows. I would often sing Kenny Rogers, "The Gambler" (while Jon and Dan mocked me by doing choreographed motions). My Dad would do an operatic version of "Little Boy Blue" and Dan would do his favorite, "The Little Seed is Planted in the Ground" - complete with motions as well. My Mom somehow was always the impartial judge and got out of having to embarrass herself.

My Dad had planned this for months, asking each family to have an act. He sent out a list of songs from the 1950s asking each family to be "In it to win it". We went out and picked up our own Karaoke CDs to add to the fun. We even had judges. I was able to be Idol Judge Simon, complete with tight shirt, nipples and rude comments. Beth pointed out that I have an Australian accent.

My Dad and his fiancee' Judy kicked it off with "Home, Home on the Range". I laughed so hard that I'm pretty sure that's where I damaged my rib further. I'm sure my Mom was looking down from heaven laughing her head off and saying the occasional, "Day-vud".

My brother Dan asked his siblings to sing the Irish Ballad, "Danny Boy". Wow. Bad. We had christmas songs, dinosaur songs and even baseball songs. Matthew did his best Elvis impersonation and Maddie did 'Girls just wanna have fun'. Dan and I helped push her performance over the edge as backup singers.



The guys did the most amazing melodic version of Sweet Caroline - complete with choreography, harmony, melodies, falsettos and audience participation. Neil Diamond would have been proud.
After the votes were counted and then corrected (Jon took votes as they came in, crossed them out, and put his name on them) - Maddie ended up as the winner. Matthew came in second and the guys came in third place.

As you can see from Mike's pants, Mike laughed so hard that he peed himself.

Note all of the red cups in the guys hands throughout the event.

Kurt Family Fourth of July

We had our annual Kurt Family fourth of July, with an even bigger crowd than ever. The Mike Koch and his wife Sarah came in from Chicago and we had my Dad's fiancee Judy's family was there as well. The Kurt side had planned on being on it's best behavior. In the past, we used to have a bounce-house at Maddie's birthday party. We would take bets on how long it would take my brother Jon to make a kid cry. People bet against it happening since Jon is a new man after being in Memphis and having two kids (ok, no one really bet against Jon making anyone cry). Jon did not disappoint. Three minutes in, Jon had hurt yet another kid, and they had no problem coming out and letting us know.

Dan introduced a new drink to the family, bringing a big 'ol cooler full of a drink called hop-skip-and-go-nakeds. The ingredients are asfollows:

20 cans of beer
1 Half Gallon of Vodka
1 Can of Sprite
1 Can of Frozen Limeade

They were very tasty for a hot day like this. Note the red cups throughout the pictures. You might think my nephew Shabadu (aka Matthew) was sneaking sips of them with the picture below, but no, this is just the way Matthew rolls.


Emily had some of her ususal drama. Not having any girls, my brother Dan thought he'd try and use his oldest-brother-authority and try and clear things up. At some point he told me that i was grounded and Emily seemed to be happy again.

We celebrated Susan's 30th birthday, Maddie's 10th and Reagan's first.


Dan and Jon took a number of romantic rides around the neighborhood, all while singing the song "A Bicycle Built for Two". Susan kept wearing this mask all day and walking up to strangers and asking them to wrestle.

Later that evening we headed out to the fireworks in Okemos. The kids played while we waited for the Fireworks to begin.


You're not a Kurt unless you try and get into another person's picture. Dan and Susan were no different.



The fourth of July is really just an excuse for our family to get together and hang out. We just love spending time together. Judy is learning the Kurt family sense of humor, including posing for this picture (complete with gang signs, cell phone and shades), knowing full well this picture would be on a blog.

A couple of years ago, I brought my camera and played around taking time lapsed pictures. From then on Susan always makes fun of me taking pictures of Fireworks, randomly sending me pictures anytime she sees firworks. This picture is for her:


You can see all of the pictures (include 3 more pictures of fireworks) here.