Politics and Vacation

There are no two subjects on such opposite ends of the spectrum as these. Politics is the big deal today as the Florida Primary is wrapping up. It looks like McCain will be the winner here in the Sunshine State. Not a big surprise, but kind of disappointing for me as I voted for Romney and don't really care for McCain. I always liked Rudy, but since he has basically shit the bed the last month or two, I figured I would go with someone who had a chance of getting the nomination.

As for vacation, that is coming up on Friday. John and Pattymelt are flying into West Palm tomorrow at noon and I am in charge of pickup. They are going to be spending a few days with their wonderful (and unfortunately sick) grandson Z before we all head off on a big family vacation to Sanibel Island on Friday morning. It's Pattymelt's 60th birthday on Sunday and the whole Soderberg clan is getting together for a big party. I think the final number is 14 so it should be quite a little shin-dig.

Congrats to the Engaged Couple!

Congratulations go out from the Margarita Lounge to Tracy and Jeff on their engagement yesterday. Cheryl and I were at Casa de Hickman last night enjoying a few (too many) glasses of wine when we got the call from an obviously excited T. We both wish them all the best in their life together and we look forward to a trip to Cali later this year for the wedding.

The BIG Birthday

I know it is hard to believe, but Zach is one today! Cheryl and I had my family over last night for a small celebration. Zach was a little piggy and ate almost an entire cupcake with strawberry icing by himself. It was a rather messy situation, but it was hilarious. Both Cheryl and I are very thankful to have little Zach in our lives. While his first year has been tough at times, it is all worth it in the end to have a healthy smiling baby.

Zach's New Fire Truck

Zach received his first ride-on toy this Christmas from his Mimi & Papa. I'm not sure who has more fun with it - Todd or the Z-man.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to All....

Since I have been so incredibly busy the last few months, I figured that I had better wish everyone a Merry Christmas while I had a few extra seconds of free time. It just seems like all of our extra time is gone with big Z man now tearing around the house. No..he's not walking yet, but that isn't far away now and all I do is chase him and try to keep him from hurting himself. His big 1st birthday is coming up on January 13th! I can't believe how big he is getting....

In any case, Merry Christmas to everyone. If you are Jewish, Happy Hanukkah (which I guess is already over, so let's call it a belated Happy Hanukkah). Like many other people, Cheryl and I are giving thanks this year for all that we have. With everyone's crazy lives, it is often hard to sit down, relax, and think about how good we all have it. Gifts are great, but they are really not the basis of the holiday season...love is. So....take a few extra minutes out of your day and hug your wife and kids...hug your parents...hug grandma...hug your neighbor (not you Kris out there in the acreage...I'm sure that Charlie Daniels stinks). It is indeed a special time of year and the New Year (and more responsibilities and stuff to do) is just around the corner.....

FINALLY....A WIN!!!

I know it wasn't the Super Bowl, but it sure felt like it this afternoon at the Margarita Lounge. The Miami Dolphins finally won a football game today! It wasn't the prettiest win and they didn't beat a great team, but I will take it. Just the thought of going 0-16 and forever being known as the worst team in NFL history was really making me sick this week. I had nightmares about it on Wednesday Night (no kidding). I got so excited this afternoon after the winning touchdown that I scared the crap out of Zach. The poor guy started crying because I was so fired up. Sorry buddy...

While there is no hope of playoffs, at least one win looks like it will keep Cam Cameron in his job...at least for another year. If they are still this bad next year he will be gone. But even if the team ends up going 1-15 this year, I am comforted to know that there were lots of good teams that went 1-15. The Cowboys in the late 80s were 1-15 in Jimmy Johnson's first year and went on to win three Super Bowls. The Carolina Panthers were 1-15 and went to the Super Bowl a few years later. I just feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders....

On a related note, congrats to Mr. Hickman and his Browns. They are now tied with the Steelers and look like a lock to make the playoffs. I will definitely be rooting for Cleveland this postseason.

Glenn Beck

As some of you know, I am a fan of Glenn Beck. I wouldn't consider myself a raving crazy fan, but I think he brings up some good points on his TV show and he is entertaining. I think the main draw for me is the sarcasm he uses on a nightly basis...sarcasm is so under-appreciated these days. He must be doing something right because he just signed a new $50 Million contact for his radio show and there are three billboards with his face on them within 15 minutes of my house. And I live in a "blue" county surrounded by liberals! Gotta love it. Here are two pictures from Glenn's book signing in Jupiter on Friday. Kris and I drove up and stood in line for an hour, but it was a fun outing in general.

Back from the Dead

I apologize. I just realized that it has been over two weeks since I posted anything at all at the Margarita Lounge. I guess I have been too busy playing with Zach, watching the stock market get killed all day, and watching the Dolphins find new ways to lose games. Yes, it is quite a sad time to be a Dolphins fan in South Florida. 0-11 and only five games left to get a "W". While I'm not nervous yet, I will be if we lose to the Jets this coming weekend as they represent the best victim. Wish us luck.

Cheryl and I took a few pictures of Zach the other day for Christmas on the beach down in Delray. Here is one that made the final cut.....

The Happy Couple

For any of you that didn't know, Cheryl Zach and I went to Pittsburgh this past weekend for the wedding of the great K-Delish. Sorry ladies, he is now off the market. We had a great time. Here is a picture of Mr and Mrs Douglas at the reception.

Anyone want a shot?

Craig and I getting ready to dish out the shots at the reception.

Pre-Wedding

Kris and I in front of the hotel before the wedding. Does it look cold? Hell yes it was cold! It was between 35 and 40 degrees all weekend. Pretty cold for a Floridian...

Havin' a beer with the Boys

Zach hangin' out with Kris and I on Friday afternoon at Buffalo Wild Wings in Pittsburgh.

Cheryl gets her ass kicked...

My wife got her ass kicked yesterday by a guy named Dan. No, I didn't run out and kick his ass. Why? Because Dan is a personal trainer at LA Fitness. We finally broke down and joined last week. With a membership you get a free session with one of their resident meathead personal trainers. Dan decided that Cheryl should do about 10 sets of arm exercises yesterday morning. Not a good idea. She can't raise her hands past her ears today and I hate to tell her that it might be worse tomorrow. Hopefully she will be able to pick Zach up by the weekend.

On another note, we have some convection out there in the Atlantic! Excited T? It is pretty late in the season, but the forecasts right now say Noel will barely miss us here in South Florida. I am less optimistic as the dreaded "cone" has been moving closer to us all day. Just to be safe, I ran out to Publix and got some extra water, ice, formula and baby food for the little man.

RIP 2007 Cleveland Indians

I would like to give a fond farewell to my favorite baseball team. They got their asses handed to them last night by the Boston Red Sox 11-2. That wouldn't normally bother me, but after having a 3 games to 1 lead in the Championship Series it is pretty sad. Yeah, I know they are a young team. But to have your #1 and #2 starters pitch as bad as Sabathia and Carmona did is incredibly disappointing. It doesn't help that the team gave up 30 runs in the final three games either. Just to show that I am not a fair weather fan, I will continue to wear my Indians hat on the weekends while crying all day. Sniff-sniff....

Pictures from Hawaii

Below you will find some of our pictures from Hawaii. We took 230 pictures, so they all couldn't make the final cut. If you want an enlarged view of the picture, just click on it and a bigger version will pull up. Enjoy....

World Traveller

Zach the world traveller hanging out at LAX on our layover on Wednesday.

Big Z in the pool

A picture of the big guy swimming with daddy in the Salt Water Lagoon on Thursday afternoon.

Our Room

This is the view from our room on Friday evening. Not too shabby, huh?

Zipline Tour

Yep, thats me on the Kauai Backcounty Zipline Course on Friday Morning. Since Cheryl is afraid of heights, I decided to go on the tour with her Aunt Barbara. The zipline course is made up of seven lines, most which run between 700-900 feet. That's between 2 and 3 football fields in length and it is over the tree tops and a river. We both had a blast.

Poipu Bay

Cheryl took this picture on Saturday Morning while I was playing golf at Poipu Bay Golf Course. This is the same golf course that the Grand Slam of Golf was played on from 1994 through 2006. The course is really beautiful (and tough) and it seemed like every hole played into the trade winds. We won't discuss my score for the day....