Venche's Housewarming

Venche has a new house, and it needed to be warmed ... so everyone came over for a warming and potato bar last Saturday.

The potato bar was super tasty, and featured three different kinds of onions.


There was karaoke in the basement...


...and games upstairs.

The house is cute, and so was the hostess. The made up game of "Fact or Crap" was much more entertaining than the real one.

Much thanks to Cornstalker for 2/3 pictures.

JNO Halloween Dance

Yes, it's that time of year, the JNO Halloween dance.

I thought SynopisDog as QuailMan was, as his favorite beer (ads) might say, "Brilliant!"


Spanky and Mae came as the Grim Reaper and a Demon. It was fun to see Spanky dance so much...


Rob as SpongeBob tries to absorb all the dancing he can.


This move is called the Donkey Kick. It's kind of easy, and can be worked into the song well and looks showy. Swing shorts are mandatory for poodle skirt wearing, embarrassable ladies.


Cornstalker and Viv made a return visit as French wine and cheese, but now with cool new shirts.


Pirates and gypsies don't mix... ...but everyone mixes well with Johnny Bravo baby.


I am not quite sure what I am doing here, but it looks like it must have been cool ... but not cool enough to get me a showing at the Jack & Jill contest.


Look who did place 3rd, Schmendrick, so our house did represent.


What the heck is going on here???


The same scrooges who didn't like my dancing during the Jack & Jill contest, didn't like Johnny Bravo either ... so these were the very deserving finalists for the costume contest ... and the winner was Ruth as OJ, the Omaha Jitterbug, congratulations to Ruth.

Many thanks to Cornstalker, SmileChild, and Cliffo for various photos used with vague mumblings of permission.

Scream like a little girl!

This is the sight out of the middle window of our office.

Run away! Run away!

Yes, the spider is about as big as that the height of that brick. According to our crack research team here at work, this is a spider of the genus Argiope, known in the U.S. as a Argiope aurantia - Black and Yellow Garden Spider. No worries, she is harmless. Sean sits closest to her and named her Fred.

October is International Birthday Month or something

Way back in July when I decided to stretch my birthday out over four or five days, I had no idea I would be starting a trend. The latest to take advantage of the multiple day birthday, Jenny Jitterbug.

This tale begins on Friday night, at Famous Dave's. I got there late, but only by about ten minutes, people were still ordering food. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then SmileChild was trying to butter me up, she couldn't make up her mind what to eat until I ordered, and then she got what I got.

This group looks familar, it's like they are at every party I go too.


Me taking the shot ... and the shot itself.


Maegmariel and Ben thought they could get away without being in any photos.


Jessica is looking much nicer here than the next time we will see her (this is called foreshadowing, it is a device writers use to keep the readers interest.)


Dan is telling Crazy Connie "...when you've been dancing as long as I have..."


Hey, check it out, a random friend from Great Adventures. Hi Erin! This photo has nothing to do with Jenny's party at all. I just put it here because I can, so there.

Eventually the dinner ended, and we all headed over to Jitterbugs to do some dancing, including the world famous birthday jam, which is nothing like raspberry jam at all.

Ben takes Jenny Jitterbug for a spin.


Friday, it's all out battle royale for the Dancing With Jenny Jitterbug title, who will wear the prestigious DWJJ belt and be champion!


Sheesh, Jenny Jitterbug will dance with anyone.


Not surprisingly, the jam ended with a shim-sham.

But wait, there is more! The following night Hugh sponsored a costume / birthday party at his "crib". Mae & I had another party to go to first, but we showed up and in style.

Okay, so after some crack research, I guess I should have been wearing a black t-shirt.


This picture makes me think of a mob movie, but I don't know why.


Have you ever seen anything so amazing in your entire life? I mean Rob put a lot of effort into that SpongeBob costume.


This one is just funny.


Vivian models some possibilities for her 'Christmas' hair this year.


I thought Viv & Cornstalker being cheese & wine was really creative.


Hey, check it out, Jessica has her tongue pierced, who knew?
As foreshadowed, not quite as dignified as the last picture she was in. In case you are wondering, Olin has an ice cube in the hand you can't see.

The crack research team here at The Onion Skin News has procured a picture of Olin the day after he met Jessica, let's see it.

Blue frosting on her face? That was good cake too, I remember it.
P.S. I think Olin likes her.


Happy Birthday Jenny Jitterbug!.

Much thanks to SmileChild and Cornstalker for allow me to liberally lift their copyrighted photos.

GAMe Hay Rack Ride

The GAMe Hayrack ride was last weekend. Let me be the first to say. I went to the event, but I didn't get on the hay rack ride, and I am most certainly happier for it. Why you ask, let me see if I can sum it up in one picture or less:

No need to elaborate, I hope.

The event was on the other side of the world, a place some call northwest Omaha. Actually it was a lot close to Blair at Santa's Woods. I got up there just in time to work the front desk for my volunteer shift. Meet and greet is a good volunteer thing for me to do.

Wow, I seem to remember Alicia awake the entire time.


Tamara: "Hey Vivian, I heard there is going to be a hayrack ride."
Vivian: "Really? I love those!"


Just a few people showed up. Bonus if you can find me.


SmileChild can't even wait for the hayrack to start moving before she causes trouble ... typical of her."

While the hayrack ride was out tooling around, about ten of us sat around and had some deeply intellectual discussions ... or maybe we just shot the breeze ... your call. When the rest of the hay covered people returned. There was a barn dance.

Dang it, I just can't make my feet do what I want them to do!


Bethany puts SmileChild and sRoys through the moves.


I'm not sure why, but Vivian proposed to SmileChild...


...she said no, rumor has it she likes someone else.
*What is more fun than incriminating-looking photos taken out of context?*

The only other fun thing of note was this:

Almost as funny as popcorn, maybe next time try water balloons. Happy Birthday!.

I would love to take credit for it, but it wasn't my doing.

Many thanks to Cornstalker, SmileChild, and LadiesMan217 for various photos used, as always more or less with comedic intent...

Laugh EVERY time

I could watch this a million times and still laugh.

*giggles*

Triple Happy Birthday

I swear SmileChild started celebrating her birthday at the beginning of October, at least it seems that way. The first thing on the celebration menu was SmileChild at Applebees Friday evening. I got there as quick as I could after work, about five minutes later than everyone else.

SmileChild and Bethany trying to decide which "Ultimate Trio" they are going to order.


Emma likes her hair played with, I love Emma's frizzy doo, what's not to understand?


It must have been birthday friends (bring your) relatives night at Applebees.

After we finished up our dinners, and headed over to the Eagle's Club for a night of swing dancing. SmileChild must have had about, oh, fifty friends show up, and unfortunately for lead-follow dancing balance, almost all of them were ladies.

We aren't sure what happened, but one thing is for sure Alissa didn't do it.


Amazingly enough, here is a picture of Olin not smashing cake in someones face.


ErinOneDay & SmileChild dancing ... with a lot less drama than the last time we saw them together at a birthday jam.

Mae & Bex showed up after the birthday jam at JNO, around 2300 or so. No one got pictures of them dancing??? No matter. Next up on the event list was the all-nighter at Spanky & Mae's.

Poor Gabe got caught in the middle of a Bex & Mae gigglefest.


He survived.


Since SmileChild doesn't drink, it must have been too much dancing.


I think playing Halo 3 on the big screen is a great way to celebrate your wife's birthday.


Usually they all sit at the bottom of the stairs, this time they chose the top. If you know why this is better, smile.

Once again another successful Triple Happy Birthday!

Much thanks to SmileChild, Cornstalker, and Cliffo for use of their photos, as always, more or less with permission.