Mr. Pig's Nightmare continues???

Here are some pics from the event......

And now some of my favorites....

 The dueling eye patches....

Damn, that ugly guy is one lucky SOB....

And now for a few thoughts on the future....

This year seemed like we had our shit together.  We divided up the work and all pitched in together to make this event happen.  That being said, it was still a lot of work.  And a lot of money.  And now with my co-host living a half a country away, maybe the pig roast has run its natural course??

On the other hand, during the event, Brian and Yvette Fisher started describing how pig roasts are done in Hawaii.  How it is a sacred event.  How they cook the pig, and how they serve it.  Then she described the entertainment that goes on with a traditional luau.  It sounds very interesting.....Jus sayin...

Then, this past weekend, at the Texas Equisearch Fundraiser, the family was walking inside when a couple stopped us and asked, "Aren't yall the people that have the pig roast?"  We said yes.  They replied "Next year, we want to come.  We drove by this year and it looked like so much fun!"  Also, on my tuna trip (maybe the next blog post?), one of the guys that I went with said that he had always wanted to come to a real pig roast.

Maybe it is a sign?  I guess only time will tell.

Pig Roast, The Squeakreal.....

Its 3/30, a full 11 days after the  2nd annual Mr. Pig's Nightmare on Elm.  I still can not think of it and not smile.

So, if you have read part 1 of the story, you know by now that my face was bludgeoned by an exposed tree root the previous day.  I spent Friday night lying in bed while all my friends were downstairs by the campfire boiling crawfish (that was my idea, BTW).  I am imaging them all singing campfire songs, holding hands, cooking smores, and having cocktails.  My pity party was only interrupted every 25 minutes by women coming upstairs to check on me.  I'm not kidding.  Every woman who stopped by our house that night came upstairs to see how I was feeling and if I needed anything.  While I am confident I didn't show my appreciation that night, looking back on it, I love each and everyone of you that care enough about my well being to bring me well wishes and words of encouragement.

Now, I woke up Saturday morning, the day of the roast, and was faced with a choice.  I could mope around, hiding my payment of stupid tax, or I could walk around, admit that I am not the first nor the last person to fall off a ladder, and not let the events of the previous evening ruin the event that I had planned for over three months.  I am sure glad I chose the ladder latter. 

After staring at my bulging eye for several minutes, I emerged from the bedroom and immediately went outside to see the carnage from the night before.  In addition to the party going on, the guys also put the pig on the pit around 11:00 the previous evening.  I wanted to see that bad boy sweating away in his own sauna.  It was beautiful.

Slowly, people started to rise and move, and after they stared at my eye for a few minutes, they moved on to what all we had to do today to get the yard ready to host over 100 people.  We set up tables, iced down drinks, set up tents (until the wind kept blowing them down).  We watched the pig and threw some more logs onto the fire.  Basically all the work was done until it was time for Mr. Pig to make his appearance. 

The invitation stated that the party started at 5:00.  Mr. Pig came off then, and Rick Burchfield, Ian, and Brian Fisher started carving.  They wouldn't even let me help lift him off the pit.  William and Trent each grabbed gloves and handles and helped with the lifting.  It really shows me what a great place we live in when everyone pitches in and helps.

Brian and Rick worked their butts off and we ended up with over 5 large pans of pork and 3 pans of chicken.  I took one of the pans of pork,  added some grilled pineapples and onions with some beer, and mixed in some salsa.  It turned out fantastic and, I think, was the biggest hit, food-wise, of the party.  I had also made three different kinds of bbq sauce during the weeks leading up to the roast, and everyone raved over my Carolina Gold sauce. 

The entertainment was awesome.  Marlina hired Ben Reyna to play some 6 string music Jimmy Buffet style.  Besides being a remarkable singer, he also lives across the street from me.  We thought he would enjoy having a gig where he doesn't have to travel.  I had sent him a few requests previously, as well as Katie.  Ben opened things up with Katie's song Guacamole.  A few songs later and he made me tear up when he sang Little Miss Magic for Katie and I.  I think the addition of the live music, especially by Ben, was the best difference between last year and this year.  Look for this tradition to continue. 

More to follow including thoughts about the future.......

Mr. Pig's Nightmare, or mine??

Well, the time was fast approaching for the 2nd annual Hoggatt Miller pig roast, which we affectionately titled "Mr. Pig's Nightmare on Elm".  I was very excited to have my partner in crime, Ian, flying in on Thursday evening.  And this year, as an added bonus, my friend from Norway, Stefan, also decided to fly in on Thursday.  As it happened, I sent Marlina to the airport to pick up Stefan, as I was headed to Brookshire to pick up a 100 lb roasting pig.  I was going to pick up Stefan afterwards, but I thought airport security might not look too kindly at a pick up truck with four hooves sticking up out of the back.

Well, we got the pig back home, iced down, soaking in a cold tub of apple cider and cinnamon while we waited on the Millers.  They got in late that night; Luke and Kate were both pacing the floor waiting on the taxi to arrive.  At one point, Luke just went outside to sit on the porch and watch the road.  They finally showed up and it was on!

Friday morning came and the real work had to get started.  The way I remembered last year, it was an incredible amount of work and there was almost no time to fool around.  The first stop:  Sam's Club.  Marlina made a list (why bother, men never stick to the list?) and the boys headed off.  We made it in and out in just over an hour, and managed to only buy a few items not on the list (I couldn't resist buying that big jar of dill pickles).  Next stop, Home Depot for the block to build the pit out of.  We got in and out of there in record time as well.  Things are looking great, I think that the extra help must be paying off.  Next stop, back home to build the pit.  I still had the blueprint from last year, and actually having the designer present while construction occurred sure seemed to speed things up as he was able to decipher what he meant to draw rather than just what was on the paper.  Things were going so smooth that we decided to stop for some lunch.  Next stop, Outriggers for beers and blackened shrimp tacos.  The food, the beer, and the scenery were outstanding.  At this point, we decided that things were going so well, that we had time to do a crawfish boil tonight and the pig roast tomorrow.  Next stop, Rose's Seafood for shrimp and crawfish.  Next stop, fire wood!  We headed down to Bacliff to the firewood store and loaded up $100 worth of firewood.   Two more stops to make and we were headed home.  First, we went to Matt's to pick up his tent, and drink a couple of his beers.  Lastly, off to the grocery store for more ice and some beer.  I can't believe how well this day is going!!

We made it home and Marlina, Ashly, and all the kids came outside to play while we upacked and got further set up.  We even convinced Dave and Alisa to come over and enjoy some outdoor festivities  (and I needed to borrow his crawfish pot).  Things were going so awesome that I decided it was time to hang up the zipline.  I had bought a zipline back when we lived at Shoreacres and we had it hooked up for the kids parties and what not, so I figured it was high time to set it up here in CLS.  I grabbed the ladder and got to work.  Just a few problems ensued....First off, as you have previously read, I had had a few beers up to this point in the day.  I hold steadfast in my belief that this was only a minor contributing factor to what occurred, not a major player.  Secondly, I grabbed a three foot ladder when I needed a six foot ladder.  Thirdly, you should never stand on the top step of any ladder.  Fourthly, you should always have someone there holding the ladder for you.  Fifthly, you should move the ladder when needed and never try to overreach.  Lastly, when your hands are wrapped around the tree and you wife asks you if that bush is poison ivy, you should calmly back away instead of jumping back and falling face first onto an exposed tree root.

Skipping ahead..............after I got back from the ER, where there were no broken bones or any structural damage of any kind, I went right to bed and began to think of how much of a dummy I was, violating all of the First Day of Safety Class rules.  At that point, I was faced with letting my stupidity ruin an event that I had spent months planning, or I could accept that accidents happen, learn from it, admit that I am not the first person to fall off a ladder, embrace the large pulsating mass below my right eye, and try and have some fun anyways at the pig roast.  I chose the latter, and I am sure glad I did.

The rest of the details of the night shall come on a different post.  Hope you enjoyed the roast as much as I did..

A

Parenting win!!

Every once in a while, you get to experience a "win" in your parenting.  It is a pretty nice feeling.

Last Sunday, we took the kids to their first rodeo.  Well, lets back up just a bit.  I am not a big rodeo fan.  Especially now that I have kids.  It is fun and all to watch the events, but fighting the crowds, the prices, the traffic, the drunks, the prices, the idiots, the teeny-boppers, the prices, and generally staying up late is not really my cup of tea.  In fact, I told Marlina, when she came across free tickets to a Wednesday night performance, that I was definitely not interested in going to the rodeo.  Additionally, the only way I would even consider going to rodeo this year was if she could get FREE tickets to a Sunday matinee. Well, on our way home from Church that Sunday morning, she got the call.  Free tickets were waiting for us in our mailbox.  Talk about a backfire!!

Next came the announcement to the kids that we were going.  This was after a week of pestering Dad that "all the other kids had gone to the rodeo already, so-and-so got to ride a bunch of rides at the carnival, they got to eat cotton candy and ice cream, and there are kids who ride sheep!  I want to ride a sheep!  Pleeeasssee!!!!!"  Well, now that I was cornered by my wife who secured the free tickets to the matinee, and the kids who desperately want to go, I had no choice but to follow through.  I said "Hey kids, how would you like to go to the rodeo today?"  I was immediately greeted by cheers and hoorays , and even some shouts. 

Then came the dreaded "Changing of the Mind".  After we got home and changed clothes, Katie decided that she didn't want to go to the rodeo.  On top of that, there wasn't anything that anyone could do to change her mind.  She wasn't going to go.  Keep in mind that five minutes prior, she was the one who was whooping and hollering about how much fun it was going to be and that she was so excited. 

At this moment, I almost slid into default mode where I just make the kids go and I tell them that "you said you wanted to go, and Mom got tickets, so by-golly, we are going and you are going to like it".  I don't know if it was the calmness I was feeling upon just returning from Church, or all the parenting podcasts I have been listening to, or the Captain and coke I was sipping on, but for some reason, I decided to try a different tactic.  I called Katie over to me, go down to her eye level, and plainly asked her, "Katie, do you not want to go to the rodeo because you aren't really sure of what a rodeo is and you are a little scared of that?"  She nodded.  "Katie, has Dad ever taken you some place really bad and scary?"  "No."  "Don't I usually take you places that are fun and exciting?"  "Yes."  "I am asking you to trust me that you will like this once you give it a chance.  Do you trust me?"  "Yes."  "Well, then, lets go to the rodeo!"  "Ok Daddy!"

And with that, we went and everyone had a blast.  Even grumpy old Dad.

Mardi Gras

Andrew here to share a little story I found to be uplifting....

This past Sunday, Marlina wanted to go down to the Mardi Gras kid's parades in Galveston.  A fun little event, the local Krewes put on a couple of different parades around the Strand that benefit different charities ( I think this year it was for the Sunshine Kids).  Basically a bunch of open-air buses drive around and throw plastic beads out the windows and the tops for the kids to fight over.  There was Luke, Katie, Cameron, Julia, Caleb, James, and baby Nora, along with the older "kids" Marlina and I, Christina and Billy, Travis and Leah.

As the buses made their way around the Strand, I had a blast just watching the kids catching the beads.  I watched as the older boys edged to the front of the crowd, nudging the smaller girls out of the way.  Then I noticed that Katie and Julia had a way of dancing behind the boys that made the bead throwers throw the beads over the boys' heads.  Then more beads got tossed and the boys loaded up.  Before long, each had a long beard of beads that would make Mr. T jealous.

The intermission came and the adults had a few beverages while the kids circled around and "traded" beads.  Now, what makes one set of plastic beads that someone threw off a moving vehicle more valuable than another set is anyone's guess, but they seemed to have some system worked out.  Then came the second round of parades.  As the buses slowly passed us this time, I again noticed that the boys edged up front and the girls were behind.  This time however, Luke was doing something a little different.  As each bus passed us, he worked real hard a getting a set or two of beads thrown his way.  However, as the bus passed, he look across the street, picked out a little girl, and slung the beads along the ground in her direction.  The other side of the street jumped and screamed and fought over the beads that Luke had slung over there.  I watched him do this four or five times.  He never chose the same girl, and he never threw the beads in the air where it would hit someone in the face.  He quietly caught the beads, waited for the bus to pass, then slung them along the ground to someone whom he had chosen out of the crowd.  I finally stopped him and asked him why he was doing that.  His reply?  "Dad, I have enough of these beads, and those kids over there look like they need some.  Besides, it is fun watching them fight over them!"

Its fun watching them grow up and develop personalities.  #OneProudDad

Where's the party?

I am so excited!  I am going to see Madonna tonight with Christy, Kelly and Robin at Toyota Center!!!  

School days, school days

After a long, fun-filled summer, Luke and Katie had to jump back into the real world this week with our regular schedule.  They have done a great job and have hardly complained at all.  We are very lucky because both kids are generally good at getting to sleep and both are early risers like Andrew and me, so that definitely helps!  

Here they are on the first day of school.