Yes, another year has passed and the perennially handsome couple get to celebrate another happy year of marriage. Someday we hope they'll share the secret of their success, but for now we will simply give credit where it's due.
Dad - well done for putting up with Mum all these years. ;)
Much love!
C & M
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Introducing Sunny
Things were a little crazy last week so we decided to hold off for a bit before sharing the news that we have a new addition to the UlloaSullivan family.
We bumped into this young lady roaming around the SaveMart parking lot on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago. She had a note attached to her collar that simply said that she had been found roaming around town and had been left to fend for herself. I was inside getting some groceries when M spotted her and I came back out to the car to find a pair of puppy-dog eyes looking at me (M's that is, not the dogs) and the decision was made. We didn't hold our hopes too high until we visited the Vet and confirmed that she didn't have a microchip from a previous owner and then went ahead and had her registered with us.
She's a beautiful, friendly, mature 94lb Labrador that has clearly had puppies at some point. She loves attention, being brushed and jumping into Nick and Kate's swimming pool to cool-down/have a drink. She doesn't know how to play fetch, but has a very loud bark and sleeps by the back door during the day and in the new dog house we bought for her at night.
We're already in love.
We bumped into this young lady roaming around the SaveMart parking lot on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago. She had a note attached to her collar that simply said that she had been found roaming around town and had been left to fend for herself. I was inside getting some groceries when M spotted her and I came back out to the car to find a pair of puppy-dog eyes looking at me (M's that is, not the dogs) and the decision was made. We didn't hold our hopes too high until we visited the Vet and confirmed that she didn't have a microchip from a previous owner and then went ahead and had her registered with us.
She's a beautiful, friendly, mature 94lb Labrador that has clearly had puppies at some point. She loves attention, being brushed and jumping into Nick and Kate's swimming pool to cool-down/have a drink. She doesn't know how to play fetch, but has a very loud bark and sleeps by the back door during the day and in the new dog house we bought for her at night.
We're already in love.
What The Heck Is This?
I've noticed these things hanging around on the walls of our house in the morning and am a little bit freaked out. After all, they do resemble the infamous Preying Mantis and therefore strike fear into me; not to mention inspiring dreams of being devoured from the bottom up by a particularly amorous female that refused to believe that I wasn't actually of the same species. Of course, in my dream I also afraid of not being considered worthy of being devoured by an amorous female and therein lies a clue to my psyche.
Anyway, I don't think they are actually Preying Mantis' but a distant, slightly less formidable, relative. They could also be Preying Mantis Imposters - an insect that makes itself look like a Preying Mantis such that it can strike fear into other insects that might not be feeling up to being devoured by amorous females today. I'm just not sure. Unfortunately I'm not feeling brave enough to go and ask as I don't know how to tell the difference between a male or a female.
Anyway, I don't think they are actually Preying Mantis' but a distant, slightly less formidable, relative. They could also be Preying Mantis Imposters - an insect that makes itself look like a Preying Mantis such that it can strike fear into other insects that might not be feeling up to being devoured by amorous females today. I'm just not sure. Unfortunately I'm not feeling brave enough to go and ask as I don't know how to tell the difference between a male or a female.
This Is It! - A UlloaSullivan.Competition
For those of you that have been living under a rock or, perhaps, simply don't follow Pop Culture quite so diligently as we do here at UlloaSullivan.com, the 'This Is It' movie will be released on Oct 27th. It features footage shot during the last 3 months of MJ's life as he was preparing for the concerts in London. You can check out the trailer online here. It looks like it might be pretty good - even some of the concert rehearsal footage suggests that he may actually have been able to pull it off.Anyway, I have scored 4 tickets to an afternoon showing on Oct 31st (in spite of the widely reported sellouts) and will be offering them to a couple of lucky readers as part of a competition. More information on how you can win them - and the chance to spend the afternoon with C&M (which, let's face it, is the more exciting aspect of all this) - coming soon.
And if you want to know what the competition is any sooner than it gets published on the site, you're out of luck. So just beat it.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Miko
It is with profound sadness that I have to report today that Miko is no longer with us. It appears that she was hit by a car after being let out on Sunday night and roamed beyond the field of grape vines across the street.
Those of you who knew her know that she was at once both a trouble maker - constantly annoying Cornflake, finding unusual things to play with, testing our patience by trying to scratch the furniture when we were right there - and an incredibly affectionate companion - ear nibbling, cuddle loving and intense-face-rub demanding - to the people she knew and shy with/dismissive of the people she didn't.
She was Miko. We loved her. And she is already incredibly sorely missed.
Those of you who knew her know that she was at once both a trouble maker - constantly annoying Cornflake, finding unusual things to play with, testing our patience by trying to scratch the furniture when we were right there - and an incredibly affectionate companion - ear nibbling, cuddle loving and intense-face-rub demanding - to the people she knew and shy with/dismissive of the people she didn't.
She was Miko. We loved her. And she is already incredibly sorely missed.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Sunshine Returneth
For the past couple of weeks we have been working hard to avoid spoilers - we switch channels, hite mute or leave the room (if we can't find the remote) when the preview trailers for the first show appear in-between other shows, we tell relatives to shut-up if they start talking about the preview that they've seen, and generally threaten bad things to each other regarding what might happen to body parts or favorite guitars if one were to inadvertently let something slip. As you can see we're quite serious about this 'keeping it a surprise' thing.
What's made it extra difficult is our decision to not actually watch it tonight but to record it - or DVR it, as all the kids are saying these days - so that we can watch it with Charles and Smithy when they visit us for the BYODASI (Bring Your Own Dinner And Share It) evening tomorrow. As fun as we expect that to be, it will mean that we will have to run the gauntlet of people wanting to talk to us about it all day tomorrow - fairly easy for me as I will be working from home, but tougher for M as her students will likely not be aware of the avoidance plan (and consequences).
In any case, in case you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, the show is 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' and it's on the F/X channel (or on the DVD that you'll receive for Xmas if you live outside of the US.
Adios B@#$%^!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Cracked Code?
Millions of air travellers are rejoicing today that the follow-up to The Da Vinci Code - the book they bought in their droves a few years ago to help pass the time in airport lounges and in the air - was finally released today.
Apparently it is about the FreeMason organization and promises to lay bare for the whole world to see that notoriously secret-handshaking-and-apron-wearing society and their bizarre rituals/political scheming for once and for all.
I don't expect it to be a literary masterpiece, spur my understanding of existence or drive me to ever greater creative endeavours in my own right. But, just like everyone else who has ordered it from Amazon.com to make sure they have it on release day, I do want to be seen reading it on the plane next week and illicit the knowing winks and nods from my fellow travelers as we pretend to be part of a secret society all of our own.
I won't, however, be partaking in any form of secret handshaking with them. That, of course, is how Swine Flu gets spread.
Apparently it is about the FreeMason organization and promises to lay bare for the whole world to see that notoriously secret-handshaking-and-apron-wearing society and their bizarre rituals/political scheming for once and for all.
I don't expect it to be a literary masterpiece, spur my understanding of existence or drive me to ever greater creative endeavours in my own right. But, just like everyone else who has ordered it from Amazon.com to make sure they have it on release day, I do want to be seen reading it on the plane next week and illicit the knowing winks and nods from my fellow travelers as we pretend to be part of a secret society all of our own.
I won't, however, be partaking in any form of secret handshaking with them. That, of course, is how Swine Flu gets spread.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Happy Birthday Mark Anthony
Many Happy Returns!
Hope you have a great day.
Uncle C & Aunt M
Kitty M & Kitty C
Hope you have a great day.
Uncle C & Aunt M
Kitty M & Kitty C
Happy Birthday Reece
Hope you have a great day - look forward to seeing you soon!
Lots of Love,
Uncle C & Aunt M
Kitty M & Kitty C
Lots of Love,
Uncle C & Aunt M
Kitty M & Kitty C
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Playing the same song for 2 hours
At least, it seemed that way at the AC/DC concert in Fresno last night. I guess there are only a few ways to combine those three chords that Mr Young knows. Note to self: Learn a 4th chord.
I also think that I could quite easily have taken over from the bass player or the drummer for the entire show as their parts really weren't that complicated. Growing my hair or wearing jeans that tight would be substantially more difficult.
Good hanging out with Charles and watching the other clientele, but please don't tell Robert Eldridge that I went - he's probably still got that denim jacket with the AC/DC badge on it.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Gophers Be Gone
Having tamed the lawn - and made a promise to ourselves to keep it a reasonable length and weed free going forward - we've discovered some fairly extensive Gopher activity has been taking place while we've been distracted with all the other aspects of moving into the new house. There are little mounds of dirt scattered all over the place and you can feel areas of grass start to give way under your feet as you walk across the lawn.
I've not started having nightmares of the house sinking down into an underground Gopher den just yet but I figured that, seeing as they aren't on the Deeds and aren't paying the mortgage that they are the ones that have to go, not us.
Michelle and I discussed how best to tackle this and agreed that we should take a humane approach in the first instance and see if we can persuade them to settle elsewhere. And so it is that I have just picked up a couple of Exhart Gopher Mole Mover devices and installed them on the back lawn. I have an extra one for the front lawn also. We'll have to see how effective they are over the next couple of weeks or I'll have to head back to Home Depot and pick up the sulfur flares to drop down their holes and gas them to death.
To let them know how serious we are about this I have written them a short letter explaining our position which I have copied below for reference so that they can't say we didn't warn them.
---
September 2, 2009
Dear Mr and Mrs Gopher and Family,
Please leave, or else.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation,
Best,
Craig and Michelle
Miko and Cornflake
MOAB III planning has begun
That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen, with the house move and all the other excitement of the summer's adventures behind us we're now looking to the future and beginning to sketch out plans for what we intend to be the MOA-MOABs - MOAB III. An event so momentous it features not just one, but two milestone birthdays - Nick is turning 30 and Michelle is turning 40.
So, if you think you have what it takes to party like we party, block out your calendars for the weekend of December 4th through the 6th and get ready to take Vegas by storm.
More details coming soon via UlloaSullivan Adventures and your inbox.
So, if you think you have what it takes to party like we party, block out your calendars for the weekend of December 4th through the 6th and get ready to take Vegas by storm.
More details coming soon via UlloaSullivan Adventures and your inbox.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Happy 40th Birthday Helen
We know you're away (and probably won't be reading this for a few days) but we wanted to thank you for being brave and reaching this milestone before us.
Hope you have a great day/trip/year/life.
Lots of love,
C&M
M&C
Hope you have a great day/trip/year/life.
Lots of love,
C&M
M&C