The Wii Frenzy

Somehow I suspect that we are not alone this year, that many of you have just acquired or perhaps already acquired a Wii Game Console at your home. Santa brought ours and it has been quite the thing. Our family has especially loved the new Wii Fit and Balance Board. Here is a picture of Rebekah on a jog with Wii Fit, David is patiently awaiting his turn. Let us know if you have a Wii and are able to connect via the WFC. One other game the kids are hooked on is Animal Crossing: City Folk.

My Grandma Is The Best!

Jonathan found this trophy in the Disney store at Epcot Center and wanted to share it with his Grandmother because she is the best! We love you Mema!

Loving my kids!

The only thing missing from this picture is my beautiful wife who is behind the camera. One of our regular events is to visit Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights on New York Street. Well, here is a picture of my kids and I during our annual visit to the fun. We had a blast as always!

Feeling a bit Froggy?

We found a great thing to do in the Innoventions area of EPCOT Center of Walt Disney World in Orlando. There is a live game show presented by The Velcro Family of Companies that tells you all about hook and loop technology. At the end of the fun show (and who know if you might actually be pulled up on stage as a contestant too) you exit the theatre to find a play area with hook and loop shapes. You can make different color frogs with all sorts of accessories. Here are a couple of the fun frogs we created and then put on Mema Leppert's back as we went around the park. Lots of fun!

Faces around the World at EPCOT!

As you exit the newly refurbished Spaceship Earth in Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center, there is a new world globe that places your photo on the world for a brief moment. My family was ultra creative and selected different countries around the world, this picture has everyone's picture (Sarah, David, Rebekah, Jonathan, Mema and Me). See if you can find us all!

Merry Christmas - Love Mickey and Goofy

I felt this was appropriate for Christmas Day, it seems that Mickey Mouse and Goofy arranged for a movie wreath to be made and sent to you on this special day! This wreath is part of the Christmas decorations at the All Star Movies Resort in the main hallway. Enjoy and may all of you have a very merry Christmas!

France's Santa - Pierre Noel

On a recent visit to Epcot Center at Walt Disney World, we enjoyed hearing about all the Christmas Traditions around the world. This picture is of Pierre Noel, the French Santa Claus. Looks like he has been on a diet :)

Father Christmas - Papa Noel!

Merry Christmas to all! Here is a picture of Father Christmas, otherwise known as Papa Noel in Canada at EPCOT Center in Orlando. Most of the countries around the world in Epcot share their own Christmas Stories, what a treat this time of year!

Southern Christmas Wreath

Here's a look from inside out at the Antebellum Plantation main house at Stone Mountain Park. The house was decorated for Christmas and put us in the spirit. Take a closer look and you will see my two sons and I outside awaiting the ladies as they inspect every square inch of the home.

Smile, You're on Candid Camera!

The top of Stone Mountain outside Atlanta, Georgia is one of the most beautiful views I have seen in recent years. Looking down at the pitted top of the mountain, one would think they were on the moon. Looking out, one would know they were in the heart of America. Here is a picture of my youngest recording the view for his brother's video of our vacation. What a great family time we had!

Holiday Cheer? Christmas Elf? What?

We recently visited a great restaurant and out of nowhere came this perky guy. We're still not sure if he is an elf (actually he is too tall for that), or exactly what he could be classified. At any rate, he was very entertaining and fun! I wanted to share this picture in case you were ever approached by a Banjo Picking, Christmas Attired, person of the sort.

Our Rich Blessings!

Here is a great picture we took at the Stone Mountain Park over Thanksgiving of our kids. How richly blessed we are! This was taken at the old school house in the historic village. What a memorable walk down history - everyone should take some time to visit this neat place!

Have You Seen This Child?

On our recent camping trip to the great north country in Georgia, we were all browsing around a store in Stone Mountain Park when all of a sudden I ran into this GIANT carton of milk with a very familiar face on the side. Has anyone this face? He looks very familiar, and fortunately was found right after this picture was taken!

Family Hug Fest!

This is one of the best sights for parents, seeing all three of their kids loving on each other in a group hug. This was snapped during our recent Thanksgiving trip to Stone Mountain, outside Atlanta in Georgia. Both boys hugging their sister, who was a bit down, hoping to revive her spirit - I know it worked cause giggles soon followed this picture!

Florida in Georgia - Huh?

On our recent camping trip to Stone Mountain Georgia, Sarah and the kids took this great picture as they climbed to the top of the great Stone Mountain. Can you believe it, a little stump of Florida (albiet in reverse) growing in the mountain. Just proves you should always keep your eyes open, you never know what you might find!

Stone Mountain Family Fun

What a great time we had as a family over Thanksgiving camping at Stone Mountain, Georgia. We might be looking a bit rough here, but here is a glimpse at some of our fun at Stone Mountain Park over Thanksgiving. It was BRRRRR cold at first, then got rainy. This is the cold part. I love this picture because David tries sometimes to get in the back of other pictures with odd looks on his face, and he did it again. Not to mention this is a great picture of Rebekah and me. I know you can barely see it, but Stone Mountain Park, specifically The Crossroads, was covered with more Christmas lights than ever and it was beautiful. I'll add more pictures soon.

Happy Jambalaya!

We recently took my father-in-law to Harry's for his 65th birthday celebration. My oldest son ordered Jambalaya and in it he found a large piece of chicken. After eating the chicken, it left the impression of a slight grin... what you see is what resulted a few minutes later! You can't help grinning at Jambalaya when it is grinning back at you! Yummy.

The Christmas Spy!

Today Jonathan and his school friends kicked off the holiday season with our annual lighting of the downtown square. With this big event, many local performers and schools get to showcase their talents. Jonathan and his schoolmates did just this. Below are a couple of videos that let you see the fun that was enjoyed by all. They all did a fantastic job!



In addition, here is another performance the same day with JPL.

Lots of Fun with Anagrams!

Have you ever played around with the letters in words to make new words. Well then you have found the anagrams included. One of the first ones I remember was "Race Car" and how it simply spells itself backwards. Along those same lines, anagrams can go much further. I recently watched a documentary called "Word Play" which tracked some fierce competetors on the Scrabble board game circuit. It seems that anagrams, and the ability to decode them, are a necessity to be successful.

Some funny anagrams I found:
Sarah Palin ~ A sharp nail
i love you ~ O! Evil you
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ~ Mr Jock, TV quiz PhD, bags few lynx
The Spotman and His World ~ Damndest whiplash or not

If you want to try and create some anagrams (it is very fun), there is a web-based generator that will take any word or phrase and give you back the anagrams it can make. Click here to visit the website of Sternest Meanings and their anagram generator.

Another great repository for everything anagram and to download free software, visit Anagram Genius by clicking here.

The WillYou Project, Will You?

The WillYou Project was created by Johnny Chung Lee in 2005 until someone decided to submit it to a web referral site and it received widespread notice. This project is actually a website where visitors submit (anonymously if they like) submit words to complete the following phrase: ________ will _________ you

The website goes through a slideshow of phrases that have been sumitted by visitors and also has a submit section at the bottom so you can be a part as well.

Click here to visit the WillYou Project to read and perhaps write!

For a little more detail on the background of this project and other related projects, please click here.

Paint This Town with a Slingshot!

This event is a few years old, but the idea takes us back to our childhood. Also, the video below is lots of fun. The inventor Johnny Chung Lee and friend Joshua Atlas were involved in a public art demonstration on May 6, 2005 in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Both men designed a giant slingshot as part of a public art expo to involve the Pittsburgh community in turning a high-rise into one of the largest art displays before it met it's demise being demolished. The two men with community members placed large paintballs in the slingshot and hurled them on the side of the high-rise building.


Click here for a gallery of pictures about the event.

Click here to visit Johnny Chung Lee's site dedicated to the event.

Take a few moments and watch the video below for a first-hand experience.

Amazing Steadycam by Johnny Chung Lee

I have found myself quite impressed by Johnny Chung Lee and the experimental and low-cost inventions he has designed. I shared in a previous post how he could take a Wii game system and turn it into a smart whiteboard.

Here is another great idea by Johnny Chung Lee, the low-cost steadycam. This can be put together for very little investment. Click here to get the full story. Send any pictures or videos you may create!

Amazing Wii Inventions!

A friend of mine passed along some information about Johnny Chung Lee, a modern inventor. I am so impressed with his mindset and out of the box thinking. His website (click here) gives you the software and other information to perform and create many of the inventions he mentions in the video below. Enjoy!

An Inside Look at My Hand Surgery

Yes, this is an edited look at my hand surgery for those of you with tempermental tummies. Despite how this may look, that is NOT blood you see, instead it is Betadine (sp?) used to clean my hand thoroughly before the surgery began. The hand on the top with the glove is my surgeon, the thumb below is mine. I have more spectacular shots, but thought this was the most appropriate for the blog. My surgery was to remove a small ganglian cyst that had grown to the size of a marble at the base of my index and second finger of my left hand. Not sure why it happened, but it happened quickly. Everything went well, and I am currently bandaged as I type. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers! Sarah was able to be present for the procedure and could see the inner workings of my hand.

My Son is Crazy but ... Promising!

Yes, it is true! My Son is Crazy but ... Promising is the newest production by Vanguard High School Players (VHS Players) and opens next week, November 20, 21, and 22, in the VHS Campus Auditorum. This is a high paced comedy that will have you laughing all the way home. We are very proud, we think, that our oldest son David is playing the part of the Crazy son.

Please join us at this fantastic event, the more the merrier! Click on the image below for the promotion poster and more information about cost (it's a deal!). We'll see you there!

Go Flamingo Man, Go!

Look very close, this is a very rare species that has not been photographed very often - this is the Flamingo Man!

On a recent visit to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival I found myself chuckling when I saw this guy in a full sprint for the bathroom. I guess if you have to go, it really doesn't matter what you are wearing, I can only imagine the snickering that took place while standing at the urinal. Go Flamingo Man, Go!

Entertaining Rachel Ray!

It is like one of those amazing dreams you start in middle school and never seem to get out of your head. Well, here is proof that a dream can become reality! My longtime friend Jim recently entered Mario Batali's Ultimate Grilling Challenge with a short video. The challenge was simple, submit a video of an original dish created on the grill with some Italian connection. Jim, a longtime lover of food and cooking, took the challenge and with the help of Pam, his wife, submitted the video below. Well, to make a long (but exciting) story short, Jim won the whole challenge. Part of his spoils was to attend a NASCAR event at Texas Motor Speedway and to grill with Mario Batali and Rachel Ray. I think these couple of pictures truly show the highlight of Jim winning the Grilling Challenge. Thanks Mario Batali for selecting Jim Webster for this, he truly deserves it, and thanks Rachel Ray for hanging on Jim's every word, you rock!

Click here to visit Jim Webster's Gastroblog for a more detailed overview of the whole experience!

Jim's Original Video Entry:

The 39 Clues - Hints, Links, Codes and Help!

If you have read or are currently hooked on Scholastic Books' series The 39 Clues, here are links that will provide more insight, access to pictures, details of the cards, player hints and, in some cases, even additional codes that cannot be found elsewhere.

Rick Riordan is the project manager and main author Scholastic selected to oversee this unique project. Rick wrote the first book in the series, The Maze of Bones, and plans to author other books in the 10 book group. The second book is titled One False Note,written by Gordon Korman, and book three is written by Peter Lerangis titled The Sword Thief. Additional authors are listed in the links below.

The following links should be helpful and insightful. You may want to bookmark or add this page to your favorites so you can easily find it in the future.

Please email me or leave a comment below if you find any additional links or corrections needed for this page. Enjoy reading and playing!

39 Clues Official Sites:
The 39 Clues - Official Website
Arena 39 - Online Games and Puzzles
Double-Cross - Card Game

Official Scholastic Sites:
Scholastic's The 39 Clues Ink Splot Blog
Official The 39 Clues Site
Nessie Lives Site
Scholastic FAQ about the series
Scholastic's Site
Scholastic's Press Release

Fansites:
TheSpotman's 39 Clues Help
Wikipedia 39 Clues Site
Shelfari's 39 Clues Group
Bruce's 39 Clues Wiki Site
39 Clues World Site
39 Clues Spot - FanPop.com

Forums:
39 Clues Forum - Unfiction.com
39 Clues Forum - FanPop.com

Other 39 Clues Stuff:
Borders - Free 39 Clues Card
Borders - Meet the Cahills
Unpublished Ben Franklin Letters
Quizilla - Test Your 39 Clues Knowledge

Videos:
Scholastic Interview with Rick Riordan
Borders Backlot Interview with Rick Riordan
The 39 Clues - The Hunt Begins
BlipTV Interview with Rick Riordan
The 39 Clues - Teacher Video
The 39 Clues - Newsdesk
Clue 1
Clue 2
Clue 3
Fan Cheats 1
Fan Cheats 2
Reilly's Moscow Jail Cell Code

Other Related Sites:
Rick Riordan's Website
Rick Riordan's 39 Clues Page
Rick Riordan's Myth and Mystery Blog
Variety article - Dreamworks / Steven Spielberg 39 Clues movie
Variety article - Jeff Nathanson as 39 Clues screenwriter

Author's Wikipedia Sites:
Rick Riordan (Book 1 Author)
Gordon Korman (Book 2 Author)
Peter Lerangis (Book 3 Author)
Jude Watson (Book 4 Author)
Patrick Carmen (Book 5 Author)

Rachel Ray and Mario Batali at the races with Jim and Pam!

Jim and Pam Webster flew off to reap the spoils of winning the Ultimate Grilling Challenge on the Mario Batali website. This has been an experience of a lifetime as Jim got to meet not only Mario Batali, but also Rachel Ray. Here is a picture of Rachel Ray and Mario Batali at the event.



Jim and Pam have been treated as VIPs throughout the whole event, check out Jim's blog for details of every moment, don't miss any of the fun! Click here to visit http://jwscoop.blogspot.com/ Below is a picture of Jim and Pam with the Texas Motor Speedway behind them, can't you almost smell the rubber burning! Congrats Jim, we're very proud of you! For a more direct link to the events of race day, click here. Here are a couple of additional links with pictures that Jim sent to his paper:

Grilling with Mario and Rachel Ray and PSPWP on the grill!
A Day at the Races
Greetings from Texas

The 39 Clues - The Maze of Bones!

Wow! The new book by Rick Riordan titled "The Maze of Bones" is part of a 10 novel series to be written by several combined top authors called "The 39 Clues." My son found this Scholastic release at his school book fair and has become totally enveloped. It reminds me of the Harry Potter reading frenzy. Jonathan has read nearly half of the book in one night and cannot wait to read more. The best way I can describe this book / series so far is like a Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew on steroids. This is a fast paced spy story based around the Cahill family who have connections to many of the most important things and people in history. This book teaches readers about many historical figures and fictional, while throwing in an online aspect as well. Visiting the official website, www.the39steps.com, will let you open a free account and begin collecting trading cards (also available for purchase) to assist you with finding the 39 clues. Some clues will only be available online.

This web-based connection allows readers to explore the story further while organzing their clues. This is a fantastic idea. The next book will be released in early December and will be written by Gordon Korman titled "One False Note." If you haven't read this book yet, or want something to inspire your child to read more, this is the series!