This will, definitely, be a loooong one (and heavy on the pictures, too).

So, I'm needing to back way up here. Say about two weeks. I have been super swamped, and blogging just hasn't been happening. Well, I'm going to make up for that now. So grab yourself a nice cold drink, and get comfy. This is gonna be long.

8/27/2009 - Farewell to a friend. Yes. Sadly, CV decided to let Jordan (Coo-J) go. Long story short: they think the world of Jordan. He is very talented, and musically inclined. He has been an asset to CV. Austen and he are just as close as can be (like brothers, really), but some issues had arisen with scheduling of shows (Jordan can't play on Sundays) and the ability (or lack thereof) to get to practices consistently. Previously, they had found a bass player who was available to fill in for a huge Sunday show (Abigail Williams). He had come to a few practices, learned the songs immediately, and even added his own touch, and then the show was cancelled and he ended up not filling in. No biggie there. But even though this happened, he continued to really promote CV, even going so far as to sell several tickets for their upcoming show at Club Retro. Such a nice kid. Anyway, CV just had to make the hard decision that it was time for a change, and so that is what they did. So, it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Coo-J. He will be missed, of course.
Please say hello to Josh (aka Mosh). Yes, as always there must be a nickname, although I do believe he had this one before joining CV. He's right there in between Milo and Will. This was CV's first show at a venue in Stockton called the Burning Bush. (Picture credits: James Grant Photography).

Yeah, I love me some CV drummer. Can you tell? There were more cool shots of Austen, but I thought I'd stop at three for the blog post. 8/29/2009 - After a lengthy process, Darcy arrived for a fun visit. Of course, I had to take her to Petroglyph to paint my traditional plate. She started out doing a pirate theme. Bailey assured her that she could draw a ship, but then Darcy quickly realized that Bailey was really just messing with her, so she had to go a different route with her plate. She settled on a tropical theme. Of course, I got a great kick out of this. My plate (that I painted back in 2004) is also a tropical theme. I didn't let her in on this little tidbit until she was finished. Haha.

You can see a bit of her plate there (the sand). Once Bailey blazed through her project, she was happy to help Auntie out (minus a ship, of course).

This is Darcy's finished plate, a few days later. So pretty, and detailed!

Bailey decided on a turtle box. She loves all things "turtle", so this seemed fitting. You can see it there on the left. And can you see the pirate stencil on the right? Yeah, as mentioned ... that went right out the window.

That big 'ol mug towards the front? That's mine. Well, it's Shawn's, but I painted it for him. He's been wanting his very own coffee mug for work. Can you say "beer stein coffee mug"? Yeah, it's that big. It just might hold a whole pot of coffee. I wonder if his co-workers will appreciate that?

So here's Bailey's finished turtle box. Dang, dang cute, don't you think? I just love the finished products. It's always a fun surprise to go pick them up.

Here's the finished beer stein. I mean, coffee mug. Is it too over the top? I tried to go with manly blue colors, but couldn't help but adding some swirls and dots. Hey, it's better than what Darcy suggested ... writing I Love You, Babe! all over it. I did want him to at least use the darn thing. Haha.

9/3/2009 - Darcy headed home. We sure had a great visit. Lots of talking, eating (darn eating ... I despise you), Time Traveler's Wife while the kids were in school. Good stuff. And we miss her already!

I love the look on Darcy's face.

Love you, Darc!~

9/5/2009 - This should have been a blog post all its own. Sorry Aaron! Auntie spaced out, and was super busy the last few weeks. Well, this dude had a birthday. He's a sweetie, and I hope he had a great day. Sure wish we could have been there!

9/7/2009 - Yeah, yeah. This is an old photo. But I had to make note that Bailey just had her 1-year Anniversary on blogger! Go Bailey. She has managed to post 63 times! Of course, she hasn't updated it much lately, but it's still a milestone in my book.

9/8/2009 - Finally got around to getting the estimate on my car. Damn car. Damn car insurance. Such a racket. Anyway, the total? $973.47. And of course we'll be paying $500 for our deductible. Plus the insurance rates are going up (thanks, Austen ... haha).

9/9/2009 - I had grand plans to take 9 pictures on the 9th day, of the 9th month, in the 9th year. Kind of like last year on 8/8/08. Last year, I took 1 picture of the kids (in front of a little water feature at Prime Wok). This year? Not even one. The day completely slipped by me. So, in honor of 9/9/9, I give you this amazing photo by Dad. Love it.

Well, I do believe that's about it for now. Stay tuned. There might be more in the near future. Haha. Just kidding.