Wave At The Bus

Week 24 - The Count

2012-03-01T07:32:00.003-07:00

"Those aren't big birds, sweetheart! They're giant vampire bats!"

-Indiana Jones

Week 23 - You Tortured Me?

2012-02-24T07:35:00.001-07:00

"You got to me? You did this to me? You cut my hair? You tortured me? You tortured me! Why?"

"You said you wanted to live without fear. I wish there'd been an easier way, but there wasn't."

-from V is for Vendetta

Week 22 - Trick or Treat

2012-02-16T07:35:00.001-07:00

"It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to one good scare."

-Sheriff Leigh Brackett in Halloween

Week 21 - Spy Dad

2012-02-06T07:35:00.033-07:00

"Our parents can't be spies... they're not cool enough!" -Carmen Cortez in Spy Kids

Week 20 - Great White Hunter

2012-02-01T07:35:00.001-07:00

Going on a lion hunt.
Gonna catch a big one.
I'm not afraid.
Look, what's up ahead?

Mud!
Can't go over it.
Can't go under it.
Can't go around it.
Gotta go through it.

Rose Parade Memories

2012-01-21T19:31:00.001-07:00

He just keeps waving! This time on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, CA

We've had some neighborhood busing problems lately. As in no bus.

There's been road construction at the top of our street and the bus driver randomly chooses not to pick up the kids at that stop some mornings. This has made it difficult to wave at the bus, when the bus doesn't drive up our street. Not to mention the "I need a ride to school" requests from Rain.

So, to keep things interesting here (although not as funny), I figured I could share a few photos from our Rose Parade trip, earlier this month.

Our seats were in the grandstands above this platform

Before the parade started we could view the floats lined up ready to go

Our favorite... American Fork High School Marching Band

And there's Rain, the trumpet player on the end closest to us, right behind the Tubas

Week 19 - Smokejumper

2012-01-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Everybody wants to be the guy with the chainsaw.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! May your 2012 be full of smiles and waves.

We are in Pasadena for the Tournament of Roses Parade. Rain (and the American Fork Marching Band) will be marching in the parade tomorrow morning. As the band left the hotel for the Santa Monica Pier today, Dale gave them a Happy New Year send off, dressed as Father Time. There were five buses of students, so we got a little more "wave time" than usual. Enough that I took a video of part of it (see below).

For anyone interested in watching the parade, they are scheduled to be 81st in the parade order. You can check here for streaming video info: http://www.ktla.com/entertainment/roseparade/

Waving!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T23:41:00.001-07:00

From our home to yours, wishing you a joyful Christmas!

With Love,

The Price's

Rain's gift to Dale.

Froggy Goes To School

2011-12-20T19:33:00.003-07:00

Happy 8th Birthday to Ryatt!!

Ryatt was thrilled to finally have his dad waving at him. Dale read the book, "Froggy Goes to School" to Ryatt's 2nd Grade class.

The morning of Ryatt's "at school" birthday celebration, Ryatt picked the book he wanted Dale to read to the class. When Dale saw what book it was, it was pretty much an obvious choice to pull out the Frog suit for the occasion. Walking through the school hallways was a wonderfully disruptive hit for many other students as well.

School's now out for the Christmas Break. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Week 17 - Snow Surfing

2011-12-12T07:25:00.003-07:00

"Snowboarding is an activity that is very popular with people who do not feel that regular skiing is lethal enough."

-Dave Barry

If you're not falling down, you're not trying hard enough.

Week 16 - Big Bad Wolf

2011-12-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"

"All the better to hear with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!"

"All the better to eat you up with."

And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up.

-from Little Red Riding Hood, Charles Perrault's version

Week 15 - Viking Wisdom

2011-11-28T07:32:00.001-07:00

Always rise
to an early meal,
but eat your fill before a feast.
If you're hungry
you have no time
to talk at the table.

- The Havamal (a Viking poem)

Week 14 - He Delivers

2011-11-21T07:30:00.002-07:00

What can Brown do for You?

Week 13 - Confession Time

2011-11-14T07:45:00.001-07:00

"A friend will tell you she saw your old boyfriend - and he's a priest."

-Erma Bombeck

The bus was late, so Rain and friends came looking for a ride

Then the bus showed up and they headed up the hill to the north bus stop

Week 12 - Grim Waver

2011-11-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

"You might be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later you dance with the reaper."

-Grim Reaper (rapping) in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Week 11 - Feeling Blue

2011-10-31T07:40:00.000-06:00

This Blue Man is missing his Group.

“Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again”

-L. Frank Baum (author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and other children's books)

Click play for a Blue Man Group commercial (and if you are totally lost about today's costume).

Halloween Countdown Report 6

2011-10-30T19:57:00.001-06:00

"You are a sad, strange little man,
and you have my pity."

-Buzz to Woody in Toy Story

-or Ryatt to Dale on Halloween Night?

Halloween 2010 - Our "big kids" missed out.

Last year Rain had a band competition on Saturday, October 30th. In "our neck of the woods" when Halloween falls on a Sunday, the Trick-or-Treating and celebrating usually takes place on Saturday. So Rain missed out, and with Rikki "off to college," our costume plans were scaled back to Jessie, Buzz, and Woody. Of course, these costumes were "replayed" in subsequent morning waves, with Woody and Jessie waving at the bus.

As the Halloween Countdown winds down, Dale set up our king of the inflatables, the T-Rex.

Rain and Rikki pose with the evil Barney

Our neighbors let us set up an inflatable screen in their yard, too. Rikki and Rain have fun as "themselves."

Rain represents the AF Marching Band in his band jacket. They won the Red Rocks competition on Friday (State Champs!!), and took second place in the BOA Western Regional Championships yesterday.

Dale talks Halloween with one of our many visitors

Halloween "Ready"

And now the cooking begins. Chili (Hawaiian-style) is served at our house. Dale's sister taught me well: hot dogs in the chili, and rice to serve it on. It's like a chili dog in a bowl. My sister will be bringing the corn bread.

Only one more day until Halloween!!

Halloween Countdown Report 5

2011-10-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

"A place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain... " - Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Halloween 2009

I think I've seen that dress somewhere before? Maybe on Day 66? And once again Rain shows what a good sport he can be. This costume really works well for the family, but you've gotta be a confident kid to go to school as the Scarecrow in the 9th grade. Ryatt was thrilled about "the medal" he got to wear as the Cowardly Lion.

Halloween traffic has begun to pick up in the neighborhood. As I arrived home from work the other day there was a small bus parked in front of our house. The local senior center hosted their own version of a field trip to check out the action. Dale must be a bus magnet.

This week’s progress report photos are brought to us by our new friend Eric Cory (ericcory.com). Enjoy the quality:

Graveyard

Gargoyle

Carriage Hearse

Looking in the back of the gray hearse

Gray hearse, looking in the side

Gray hearse

Kid Area - Inflatables

Days until Halloween: 3 !!!

Week 10 - On Frankie's Back

2011-10-25T07:45:00.000-06:00

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: [to The Monster] "Hello handsome. You're a good looking fellow, do you know that? People laugh at you, people hate you, but why do they hate you? Because... they are jealous. Look at that boyish face. Look at that sweet smile. Do you wanna talk about physical strength? Do you want to talk about sheer muscle? Do you want to talk about the Olympian ideal? You are a god. And listen to me, you are not evil. You... are... good."

-from Young Frankenstein

"For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." -Victor Frankenstein

-from Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Halloween Countdown Report 4

2011-10-21T15:55:00.001-06:00

Who's Your Superhero?

A few years back we settled on a costume theme of Superheros:

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008 without the masks. Good thing Dale took off the glasses or we might not have known it was him.

Ms L and the 2008 preschool class

Ryatt's preschool class joined us for their annual field trip to our house:

Random Trick or Treater

I don't even know who this guy is, but he showed up at our house that Halloween Night (along with thousands of other Trick or Treaters). His costume was one of my favorites of the night. At our house, the rule is "No costume, no treat." And Dale personally hands out glow sticks to every trick or treater that comes by (well, once in a while we give him a bio break, but not often).

Last year started a new tradition. Okay, we didn't realize it was a tradition until it was repeated again this year. The first graders at the local elementary school (last year Ryatt was a first grader there) enjoy a Fall walking field trip, gathering leaves and seeds and other "nature items." It just so happens that our seasonal decorations have become a highlight of "the walk," as 130 plus kids run through the haunted houses and enjoy the "fog bubble machine." Seriously, this fog bubble machine is the coolest invention. It's a bubble machine, but instead of just regular bubbles, it uses fog juice, so when the bubbles pop, the fog appears and drifts away. Here are a few photos from this year's field trip:

Here come the little goblins

and then they were gone...

The First Grade Field Trip gave Dale a reason to hurry up with some of the decorations. Rain did a great job on the roof hanging creatures from the eaves:

Dale put up a sign, welcoming guests to walk around.

Notice the ghosts in the windows. They move and wave at night.

Many of these decorations involve robotics and animations. Dale puts a lot into the lights, motion, and sound.

Back under the trees are haunted houses for the kids to "walk" through. The grass in that area usually needs reseeding each year. And neighbor kids' bikes frequently line the sidewalk.

Days Until Halloween: 10

Week 9 - The Minnow

2011-10-17T07:43:00.003-06:00

Just sit right back
And you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip,
That started from this tropic port,
Aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailin' man,
The Skipper brave and sure,
Five passengers set sail that day,
For a three hour tour,
A three hour tour.

The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The Minnow would be lost.
The Minnow would be lost.

-Gilligan's Island

The bus came after all. They made it.

The bus was late today, so Rain and friends came back to the house, looking for a ride.

Halloween Countdown Report 3

2011-10-14T17:41:00.002-06:00

Halloween is just around the corner. No pressure. Our costume planning is still in the works. I think I've about given up hope of ever surpassing our costumes from Halloween's of years past.

In the words of Peter Pan, "Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you'll never, never have to worry about grown up things again." That sounds pretty good right about now.

Halloween 2007

On the other hand, my "grown up" perspective allows me to truly appreciate the joy and wonder in the eyes of my children.

The Halloween decorations are coming along. Dale is usually adding and enhancing all the props right up until Halloween itself, so if you choose to drive by for a look or a walk through our yard, you may want to wait another week. Or you can do as some Halloween fans do, and just swing by daily to see what's changed. We're getting to the point where many of the details can't be captured by a wide shot, so I've included a bunch of close-ups here. Click on each photo for a full size view.

It's quite the honor to get your family name on a tombstone in this graveyard

Days Until Halloween: 17

Week 8 - In N Out

2011-10-10T07:25:00.001-06:00

Get a taste of California!

(We're prepping for American Fork High School Band's trip to the Rose Parade! In N Out will be there.)

Week 7 - Tri Hard

2011-10-03T07:25:00.004-06:00

Swimming is the worst part of a triathlon. If you stop pedaling your bike, you coast. If you stop running, you walk. If you stop swimming, you drown.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
but I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep
and miles to go before I sleep.
-- Robert Frost

Week 6: Flashback Friday

2011-09-30T23:59:00.000-06:00

This week we take a look back at Days 23 through 27.

Honestly, it's hard to choose from these. They are some of my favorites (I wonder how many times I will say that over the course of these Flashback Fridays...). But really, they were starting to get fun, and funny, and Ryatt made his first cameo appearance this week. So here's what we have, and my thoughts. In a mixed up order:

Day 27: Where's the Snow? I'm starting with this one, because it's definitely not the winner. But I love the hat (yes, it's mine), and I'd like to point out how totally dated those skis are. They were mine as well. We bought them in 1988. Notice the color and design. Haha! I think Dale and I both got new skis that year (yes, he was an avid skier back in his two-legged days. And yes, he knows that he can still do it, but life if slower and more painful with one leg and he chose to focus on paintball instead of skiing. He'll get back out there someday). The skis did get dropped off at DI this past summer (in Utah, the predominant thrift store is called DI, short for Deseret Industries it's a great non-profit organization to donate your surplus goods). I wonder if they'll ever see the slopes again.

Day 24: Have a Groovy Day This was definitely groovy. And another one of those pieced-together get-ups brought to us by more than one neighbor (the hat came from one friend, the fur coat from another).

Day 23: Cowboy Up Loved this one--ordinary items put together in just the right way. The jacket and work gloves are Dale's, the hat is mine, and of course, the horse is Ryatt's. This wave was even immortalized by Ripley's Believe it or Not!

Day 25: Wham! Pow! Ouch! I do believe this was Dale's first wave "in tights." Certainly not the last. It didn't take much convincing to get him to throw on shorts over the tights.

Day 26: Batman AND the Boy Wonder Ryatt is usually asleep for the morning waves. Occasionally he'd wake up and watch out the window or glass door. He was so excited when Dale wore the Robin costume, because he's a big Batman fan, and had a hand-me-down Batman costume (used to be Rain's). He LOVED being part of the action.

And the winner is... Day 26: Batman AND the Boy Wonder because, as his mother, I just loved seeing the "little guy" out there waving at his brother and joining in the fun!

Halloween Countdown Report 2

2011-09-29T12:55:00.000-06:00

After a fun Halloween as the Incredibles (we even made the news! See video below), we thought it would be a fun tradition to have a Halloween costume theme for the family every year. Serious family unity here. This has the added benefit of providing us with festive Christmas cards each year.

And our 2006 Halloween:

Halloween 2006 - It's a whole family of pirates

Yes, Mele Kalikimaka is "the thing to say."

Looks a lot like our 2006 Christmas card:

Now for this week's Halloween Progress Report. My front lawn has quickly become a graveyard. Dale has added personalized tombstones, featuring many of our neighbors' names. Normally you wouldn't want to see your family's name on a tombstone, but it has actually become quite a sought after honor. I'll feature close-ups of some of those next week.

Wide Shot with Yellow Hearse

Graveyard

Days Until Halloween: 32

Week 6 - Ground Control

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-06:00

"The tower, the tower! Rapunzel, Rapunzel!"

-from Airplane

Tower voice: Flight 2-0-9'er cleared for vector 324.
Roger Murdock: We have clearance, Clarence.
Captain Oveur: Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?
Tower voice: Tower's radio clearance, over!
Captain Oveur: That's Clarence Oveur. Over.
Tower voice: Over.
Captain Oveur: Roger.
Roger Murdock: Huh?

-from Airplane

"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?..."

-Captain Oveur

Week 5: Flashback Friday

2011-09-23T17:47:00.000-06:00

Up for review this week... Days 18 through 22.

About this time the costumes were starting to pick up steam and creativity and the neighborly donations had begun. Which led to another sort of problem. Sometimes we weren't really sure what we had, and what the best use of various props and outfits might be. For example, Day 19 - Dressing Up for the Show was a bit of a combination of props. The hat and coat were loaned to us, but they definitely needed some bling. We don't have much in the way of bling, so Dale pulled an ornament off a paintball trophy and hung that around his neck. The cane he's holding is pretty cool, from his own collection of canes. I do believe it might be a special "sword inside" kind of a weapon cane. And those shorts? Well, yeah, I think he had those left over from the 90's.

Day 20 - Feeling Kind of Raggedy was a loaner costume, but I think he "borrowed" the sucker from a stash of Ryatt's candy. Ryatt doesn't eat much candy, so it tends to gather dust.

Day 21 - Go Padres! is not so much a costume but an everyday look for Dale. We both grew up going to the "Junior Seven Up Padres" games at Jack Murphy stadium. Driving there from our San Carlos neighborhood, my family would usually drive around a corner in Allied Gardens where there was this old hearse parked, full to the roof with old newspapers. Maybe images of that old hearse planted seeds for Dale. That, along with the fact that he's always thought of hearses as the ultimate surfing vehicle. And after the Padres games? Thrifty ice cream cones. At least that was my family's tradition. And on that particular day last year (September 23rd), the Padres really were in first place. Doesn't happen often.

Day 22 - Donkey Kong spawned a few discussions about the fact that we had Donkey Kong in the title, but the character was actually more of a Mario (red hat=Mario, green hat=Luigi?). But whatever. Maybe the title had less to do with the costume than the individual wearing it? I'll admit that Donkey Kong was more my era, and Mario Bros was my kids'. I was in junior high school when the first Donkey Kong arcade machine was released and in high school when my cousins (see Waving at Ozz) somehow got a full-size Donkey Kong machine at their house. So cool!

And this week's Flashback Friday award goes to.... Day 18 - Cleaning Up.

Not because it was the best costume (many people suggested he looked like Moses from a distance), but because having your dad wave at you in a bathrobe and shower cap is so much more embarrassing than the Chargers helmet could ever be.

Halloween Countdown Report 1

2011-09-22T07:10:00.000-06:00

Halloween is a really big deal in our neighborhood, thanks to my husband.

I used to think it was a "no big deal" and an "eat a bunch of candy" kind of a holiday. Then Dale bought a hearse. And parked it on our front lawn. And in a visionary "build it and they will come" sort of way... he built it and sure enough, they came.

So we dressed up for the occasion. And yes, I realize how lame my costume was that year. I was still getting used this "over the top" concept for Halloween:

Halloween 2004 - Pirates and Chargers

Pirates 2004

And who could resist a baby pirate?

Baby Ryatt- Post Trick or Treating and still smiling

Halloween 2005

I got on board a little more the next year. How could I resist? Our kids were the perfect ages and genders for this one:

The Incredibles 2005

And then it became a tradition. And our Christmas card photos. I'll dig up more pics for next week.

As for Dale's 2011 Halloween plans, here's this week's progress report. The rickety fence is up, and the hearses have taken their rightful places as lawn ornaments:

Step One - Hearses and Fence

39 Days until Halloween.

Week 5 - Family Business

2011-09-19T07:28:00.001-06:00

"Okay boys. Let's go make a withdrawal."

-John Dillenger

Week 4: Flashback Friday

2011-09-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

Up for review this week... Days 13 through 17.

By way of reminder, Day 13 was the Referee (Life's Not Always Fair). A possible tribute to Dale's dad, as Dale spent much of his childhood playing in the bleachers with his brothers while his dad refereed basketball games.

Day 14 was the first paintball gun day. Dale in his gear. If you zoom in on the back shot, you'll see his team name on the back of his jersey: Paraplegic Turtles. This one made it little tough to find something to say. What is there to say about waving at a bus with a gun in hand? "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" ??

Day 15 was our first (indirect) Village People reference. I really just felt like breaking out in a chorus of Y-M-C-A when I saw him out there. If only a few of the neighbors could have joined in as band members...

Day 16 was something of a nod to Rain's younger years. The dress-up cape and crown were simply child-sized. When our kids were younger and Legoland California was new, we "invested" quite a bit in their swords and shields and other costumes (like the pink princess on Day 10). Ryatt and his friends still use these props almost daily.

Day 17 came from Dale's motorcycle days. He likes to share the story that those fine leather gloves he's wearing still have dried blood on them from his own car versus truck collision. And that is the same helmet he was wearing on the fateful day, May 10th, 1992. He's obviously good at hanging on to the sentimental things in his life. But really? Wash the gloves already.

And this week's Flashback Friday winner is... Day Fifteen - Building Memories

Why? I just like the realistic look of the set up, down to the circular saw in his hand and the ladder in the background. Why else? Well at this time in "the waves" we had no idea of the impact this blog would have, on our lives or the lives of others. We kind of half expected that we'd do it for a month and be done. Or maybe just until Halloween...

Thanks for Building BIG Memories, Dale!

"Before" Pictures

2011-09-14T18:30:00.000-06:00

This is not the post where I tell about losing 80 pounds and running a marathon. Another day. However, this post does include "before" pictures! Before meaning before Halloween 2011.

It feels like Fall around here and our neighbors are beginning to wonder if Halloween is really right around the corner. Usually Dale starts decorating right after Labor Day (if not before). As of this morning, though, our yard shows no signs. Stay tuned for the progress, as I'll be posting weekly updates right here.

Soon. Very soon. There goes the lawn...

Before - Halloween 2011

And, as a bit of a spoiler... here's a glimpse of where it's headed. Halloween Night is a party in our neck of the woods:

Week 4 - Dragon Training

2011-09-12T07:30:00.003-06:00

"My name's Hiccup. Great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Parents believe that a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that."

-Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon

Week 3: Flashback Friday

2011-09-09T07:30:00.006-06:00

This week's Flashback Friday includes Day 9 through Day 12. A funny thing about this week is that this is when we got our first little bit of publicity. My sister, Suzanne, sent a note to her good friend Rebecca Cressman, who had gone to Patrick Henry High School with Dale (my alma mater as well). Suzanne told Rebecca about the daily waves, saying "Hey Rebecca... having teenage boys AND having gone to Patrick Henry with Dale Price, I know you'll appreciate what he is doing to make his son feel loved in the morning! Yes, Dale married my sister Rochelle and they live in AF." Along with a link to the blog. The next morning Suzanne sent me a note saying that Rebecca was going to mention Dale "on the air" on FM100, a local radio station. Here's how that "mention" went:

And of course, being the technological wizard that I think I am, I recorded the streaming audio from the FM100 Internet stream and, after getting permission from Rebecca, I posted that audio to YouTube and subsequently shared the "mention" on my facebook page. Here's a glimpse of the response we got from facebook friends (click on pic to view original size):

Now, I'd like to point out that right there, on September 9th, 2010, my friend Marianne "called it." We laughed at the suggestion she made, but she actually said, "He's going to end up on Good Morning America. . . :o)" Who knew? Well, apparently Marianne did.

On a similar note, last week we had a comment on the Flashback Friday post that went something like this:

The Reverse-Dad said... When you got on TV I heard some comments that I didn't agree with saying  you were intentionally embarrassing your son to teach him a lesson, did  you feel they were valid at all? Were you trying to teach him  something? I read your story and the vibe I got was "Fun Dad wants to  engage his son and doesn't care what anyone else thinks!" 

Well, actually, since I copied and pasted that, the question went exactly like that. Since this is a common question, I thought I'd say something about it here: We weren't trying to teach any lessons. I think lessons were learned (like how to laugh at your dad and appreciate his love without being ashamed of him), but the lessons were the bonus, and Rain pretty much knew that stuff already. We were mostly just laughing with our son, putting a smile on his face. There weren't a lot of kids on the bus, and many of them knew us already anyway. I had one friend tell me (after the first three days) "Tell Dale THANKS! My daughter refused to ride the bus until she learned what Dale was doing. It's so great!" We like to laugh and we like to laugh with our kids. Waving at Rain was simply a way of laughing and smiling with him each morning. The costumes were not so much costumes (in the beginning) as they were just silly props and kids dress-ups from the toy box. We didn't know how long the waves would continue. We kind of thought we'd go until we ran out of toys, making sure we got a curlers one in there and a shaving cream one, and then quit before it got too cold and dark to stand outside and take pictures. We definitely didn't think we'd be doing it all year. And so that's how it began, along with the deep thoughts and planning (or lack thereof) that went into it.

With all that said, our Flashback Friday award goes to "The Pink Princess!!" aka "Day Ten - Have a Princess Perfect Day" This was the first girly outfit, generating a lot of smiles and laughter.

Uncle Alejandro

2011-09-08T17:30:00.001-06:00

This one takes a bit of explaining. The setup: Rikki is a Lady Gaga fan (see Day 117). We'll start with that. Not Rikki's typical genre of music, but she loves her talent. Last summer (2010) we drove to San Diego for a family reunion. Having grown up in San Diego, we often joke about Dale being mistaken for being Mexican instead of Hawaiian. Rikki put Lady Gaga's Alejandro song on, and we all sang along. We then joked about calling Dale by the name Alejandro.

Our Norton Family Reunion was a pretty big gathering. My parents had five children (and a Native American foster sister for many years, but that's yet another story). We were all there with our spouses and our children (with the exception and a shout-out to my niece Emily who had already left for college at BYU Hawaii). So, two grandparents, five children, five children in-law, and seventeen grandchildren. Yup, 29 out of 30 of us. And we spent all week together. It was awesome.

Dale told the nieces and nephews that he was no longer "Uncle Dale," but they should now call him "Uncle Alejandro." And so they did. Laughing at him and with him the entire week. At the end of the week I put together a slideshow of some of the festivities and included a special little segment just for Uncle Alejandro. It's silly, but so are we. Here's a link to that segment:

So... when Dale dressed up in a Mexican poncho on Day Five, we had to give a little shout out, chuckle, and tip of the sombrero to Alejandro.

And as long as I'm tipping sombreros, I'll give a big booyah to the best Spanish teacher I know. My little brother, Senor Norton, teaches high school Spanish for Mesa Public Schools in Arizona. Check out his podcasts here or search for Norton Spanish in iTunes.

Week 3 - It's a Habit

2011-09-06T07:30:00.005-06:00

"Somewhere out there is a lady who I think will never be a nun. Auf Wiedersehen, darling!"

-The Baroness in The Sound of Music

Week 2: Flashback Friday

2011-09-02T07:15:00.003-06:00

For this week's Flashback Friday, I'm choosing from Day 4 through Day 8. The first week of school was a short week, so our numbering is a bit off. Keep in mind that everything was still in the very early stages here. This whole Wave At The Bus thing was not premeditated. It just evolved. We weren't even really in full blown "costume" mode, just random objects and toys from around the house. Which is why I give the Flashback Friday award to Day Eight - You Light Up My Life.

Maybe I liked this one because I was out of town, so it was the first (and only?) photo I didn't take (our neighbor Mark filled in for me on the camera). When Mark emailed me the photo I laughed out loud at the silliness and the simplicity of it. And sometimes it's the little details that really make these good--Dale is wearing a shirt that Rain once gave him for Father's Day. His shirt says "World's Greatest Dad."

And, by way of honorable mention, this week's runner-up is: Day Five - Adiós mi querido hijo. I loved this one because we have an ongoing "Alejandro" joke in our family. I'll spill the beans on that in a future post.

Believe It Or Not!

2011-09-01T18:45:00.009-06:00

Last week we spotlighted Dale's appearance in the pages of the National Enquirer, with Arnold and Anthony. This week we found his caricature on the same page as slugs and roundworms. Much more respectable.

I love the great job the artist did on Dale's prosthesis and slipper. Ryatt was thrilled that his stick horse "Dusty" was represented.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Daily Cartoon

http://www.ripleys.com/weird/videos-and-oddities/cartoon-09012011/

Week 2 - It's Not Easy Being Green

2011-08-29T07:25:00.004-06:00

"If God had wanted us to be concerned for the plight of the toads, he would have made them cute and furry."

-Dave Barry

Week 1: Flashback Friday

2011-08-26T18:40:00.003-06:00

A new tradition. Each Friday I'll pick a (possibly favorite) wave photo from last year's corresponding school week and share it with you, along with some additional commentary. This first week, our favorite wave photo goes out to Anakin Skywalker. We could say it all began when Dale and I innocently waved at Rain's bus on Day One. Or we could say it all began when Dale quietly declared "game on" and donned the Chargers helmet on Day Two. But really it was Day Three that got the waves going. It wasn't until Day Three that I pulled out the camera and said, "I've gotta take a picture of this one!" [The Chargers helmet just wasn't that far out of character for Dale. He and his brothers have been known to gather around the TV in their Chargers jerseys. They even have some game where they take turns wearing the helmet. Not quite sure of the rules on that one.] And yes, that does mean the photo for Day Two was a "retake." I missed the original shot, so I made Dale change into the Charger's clothes from the day before for a photo.

And where did the encouragement come from? Facebook friends, of course. Before there was the blog, there were chuckles on facebook. Here's the first post:

Then it was officially the start of the blog. With fun encouragement from one of my sisters, Suzanne, I spent about 15 minutes creating the blog on Friday morning (the third day of school).

So today's Flashback Friday Wave goes out to Anakin Skywalker. The Force was stronger than we knew.

Enquiring Minds Want To Know

2011-08-25T17:45:00.003-06:00

We were a bit surprised last month when our neighbors came running over with a copy of the National Enquirer. Who reads that newspaper?? Ruth and Mark say they got it from a relative who happened upon it in their break room at work. Not a newspaper my company keeps in our break room.

We were even more surprised when they flipped it open to pages 18 and 19. There he was, somewhere between Arnold and Anthony... my husband, Dale Price. You'd think they'd broken the story, and they really could've made it good... "Man caught with his shorts around his ankles, waving at the bus." But no, this time the headline read: "Dad's Crazy About His Kid!" Not really something to be ashamed of. Yes, they simply regurgitated the story that was originally told by our local papers and news stations. Nevertheless, "you know you've made it big when..."

Fame and fortune don't always go together. In Dale's case, he got a little fame, but we're still waiting on the fortune.

Dale didn't make the cover

But the National Enquirer did call him CRAZY (6/27/11)

Week 1 - The First Day of School

2011-08-23T09:30:00.008-06:00

Rain's facebook status last night:

As of a couple days ago, Rain wasn't going to ride the bus this year. As the school year got closer, he changed his class schedule and his plans and he'll probably be riding the bus at least half the time. Then the bus schedule was finalized and posted online. As Rain's facebook status points out (above), they changed the route again! Last year he got on the bus at the top of our hill, then rode past our house. This year he still gets on at the same stop, but the bus (with a different driver) approaches the neighborhood from the opposite direction and goes UP our hill to pick him up. He won't be on the bus when it passes our house. Now some of you have suggested that Dale should wave at the bus even if Rain isn't on it. Wouldn't that just make Dale that "creepy guy" waving at kids on a bus?

Bus drives by our house without son on board

Rain getting on the bus

Another option: the bus stop before our house is a little farther (and the other direction) than the stop Rain usually gets on. This would require Rain to leave the house a bit earlier in the morning. We'll try to convince Rain to use that bus stop once a week.

Some movies should never have sequels. And some projects were never meant to be re-created. We'll see how this shapes up. In the meantime, here are Rain's traditional "first day of school" photos:

Rain takes pride in never being late

First day of 11th grade. Captain America Fan (see Day 65)

At least he waves back. It's the next best thing to blowing kisses.

When Ryatt woke up this morning, I gave him a hug and kiss and reminded him that today was his first day of school (2nd Grade). He smiled and said, "the moment of truth!" (seriously, the first words out of his mouth). Ryatt's first day of school photos:

Laughing at Dad

The "Moment of Truth"

Waving goodbye and walking in while music plays

Buses are Born

2011-08-19T18:15:00.006-06:00

Rain and I went for a bike ride on Saturday. He's working on his cycling merit badge (for Boy Scouts) and needed another 25 mile ride. We headed out towards Utah Lake, riding through the farmlands. As we neared what is sometimes called the "Bus Barn." Rain hollered over to me, "Look, it's where the buses are born!"

Dale's year long example kicked in--Rain can't help but wave at the buses!

Whatta sport

Is he smiling because he won't be riding the bus this year?

Soul Surfing

2011-08-16T23:15:00.019-06:00

This post isn't "Dale's leg amputation story" (although I will get to that someday). We watched the movie Soul Surfer tonight and I thought I'd post a few thoughts about it while it was fresh in my mind. First of all, it was an inspiring, feel-good movie. Dale was born in Hawaii and we love the beauty (and feel, and smell, and TASTE) of the islands. But Dale didn't enjoy the movie.

It's been 19 years since he lost his leg (in a motorcycle accident) and a lot of the details have faded with time. This movie brought many of them back. Some of the pain points were obvious to me, others were more personal to him. When Helen Hunt (the mom) receives a phone call and then speeds towards the hospital, I felt that. Following the ambulance to the emergency room, not knowing if your loved one will live or die, well yeah, I felt that too. Watching as Bethany (lying in the hospital bed) reaches over to where her arm should be, only to feel the void, well that's worse in real life.

After "the accident" Dale picked himself up and carried on, playing in a paintball tournament (on crutches) just three weeks later (ignoring the ooze of the wound). Then a couple months later he wore his "first prosthetic" for a softball tournament. He had been pitching from a wheelchair, but for the championship game he really wanted to stand on his own (without crutches), so he duct taped a 2 by 4 to his stump and pitched the game "on two legs."

Life does go on. And yet life is never the same, for the disabled or their loved ones. Dale has become an expert at explaining his "robot leg" to kids in the grocery store, but no one in our family gets used watching him suffer through very real "phantom" pains.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that sometimes it takes a movie to remind you of what a gift life is. And sometimes all it takes is watching your husband put on his leg in the morning.

Our little family in the hospital

Crutches

Upright for the first time

Longing for his brother's leg

Stitches ready to come out

Stumpy

Waving At Ozz

2011-08-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

I have a cousin named Ozz. It’s not the name his parents gave him, but crowned upon him by one (or more) of his six brothers (just guessing that it wasn't his sister). These are the same cousins that gave my little brother the name "Dee," although he doesn’t have the letter "D" anywhere in his name. Ryan = Dee and Tom = Ozz. Go figure. My cousin Ozz grew up near us in San Diego, California, but now lives in Utah, too. Last month Ozz (aka Tom) provided me the key to his house so I could pick up a classic turntable/stereo console that once belonged to our grandparents. Dale was thrilled when I opened the garage door and revealed "the surfboard." Not just any board, but a much loved and used board. This would’ve made a good prop for one of the "170 Days" of waves.

Dale was also pleased to find a precious box of Wheaties. Go Tony Gwynn! Go Padres!

Dale once said, "You never know what you'll find in your neighbors' closets." We can extend that to their garages as well. Here’s waving at you, Ozz! I hope we remembered to shut your garage door behind us.

Wave at the Pioneers

2011-07-24T22:00:00.001-06:00

Our Family's Float

Happy Pioneer Day! Today is the day that Utahns commemorate the first group of Mormon pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley (July 24th, 1847). Unique to this holiday is the fact that we celebrate "what is virtually the exact moment of [Utah's] settlement, a moment that marked the end of an arduous trek, and the beginning of an ambitious undertaking." (KSL editorial on the subject). What does this mean for those who live in the area? It's a state holiday and kind of like another 4th of July, but with a pioneer/cowboy twist. Fireworks are legal and parades abound. Our neighborhood had a celebration yesterday with a breakfast, a family parade, and fun and games for all (face painting, balloon animals, and old-fashioned pioneer games--like the stick pull).

The band led the parade

The "marching band" led the parade, followed by kids on bikes and "covered wagons." Our family (well, Dale, of course) put together a float. We were the pioneers in a boat; fishing as we cross the ocean and narrowly dodging being eaten by a shark.

Shark Attack

Rain and Friends

Paddling and Fishing

Stick Pull Game

Wave At The Band

2011-07-15T18:00:00.018-06:00

Smile and wave!

Parade Season is officially here. Since Rain joined the Marching Band a year ago, I have been to more parades than I had ever been to in the rest of my life combined. I don't remember going to parades as a child. Do they even have parades in San Diego (my hometown)? Not that I ever heard of.

Utah does parades. We have parades for every occasion, including occasions that aren't really occasions. Our hometown parade is known as the "Steel Days Parade." American Fork used to have a steel mill. Sort of. Technically the steel mill wasn't really in American Fork, but in a nearby town of even smaller size. But I digress. There's the neighboring Lehi Parade, the Freedom Festival Parade, the Days of 47 Parade, and the Highland Parade. And those are just the ones that Rain's band marches in. While we've been to all of the aforementioned parades, we have not yet been to the Raspberry Days Parade, nor the Onion Days parade, nor the Strawberry Days parade. The list goes on...

Parades. Good times. Sunshine and summertime.

Heading to the Freedom Festival Parade

How We Spent Our 4th of July Weekend

2011-07-08T19:30:00.000-06:00

Summer's flying by.

Part 1. We built a fence. Not your typical, "keep the dogs in and neighbors out kind of fence," but a "hide the lawn art" kind of fence. You see, for many years now (8? 9?) Dale has exuberantly shared his love of Halloween with the neighbors. He's just an exuberant kind of guy. This love of Halloween has earned our house the unofficial title "Halloween House" from many locals. It’s one of those local little secrets. As in, everybody in our neighborhood knows about it (and many outside the neighborhood), but apparently our city leaders don’t. So we were a bit surprised when we were given "two weeks notice" to remove a couple hearses from our backyard. Our beloved city inspector deemed them a nuisance and shared with us the city ordinance that says we cannot have inoperable vehicles on our property. Inoperable vehicles or lawn art? It’s all a matter of perspective. Upon further reading of the code, we learned that we can have up to two inoperable vehicles if they are behind an opaque fence. Dale’s commitment to his Halloween fans continues as we chose to spend our 4^th of July weekend building "the fence." Many thanks to the neighbors who helped out (Jeff M, Mark H, Jason N, and Jeff M some more).

Stay tuned for the October update, when we learn whether "storing" these vehicles in the front yard for the Halloween season creates any additional city concerns.

2004 photo of Hearse #1 in front yard

2004 photo of Hearse #2 in front yard

Part 2. As if building a fence wasn’t enough, we also ridded ourselves of a couple old couches. You know your couches need replacing when the basement couch is far better than the upstairs couches. When my mom first learned that Good Morning America was interviewing us in our home last June, she exclaimed, "Not on those ratty old couches of yours?!" So, frugal as we are, we wouldn’t want to buy new ones. We pulled the old couch up from the basement and accepted a friendly donation of another couch from some great friends. The "worst" couches were appropriately loaded into a trailer to take to the dump. We obviously couldn’t take them straight there, though, as the dump was closed for the holiday. So where to? The neighbors up the road! We heard they were having a fireworks party, so Jeff and Dale dressed up for the occasion (tipping their trucker hats to Day 144 – Trailerhood), piled all the kids into the van, lit the blow torch, and brought our own comfort seating the to the party!

A Serious Lawn Couch - Heading to the Fireworkin'

Watch (listen?) for more of the "Dale and Jeff" show on a series of upcoming podcasts… coming soon…

There's An App For That?!

2011-06-30T21:33:00.023-06:00

Yes, it's true. The new, best place to check out all of the 170 Costumes is on the Wave At The Bus App on your very own iPad!

Umm, yeah, wish I had one (an iPad, that is). I bought "the App" for Rain's iPod Touch and Rikki even spent 99 cents of her own money to buy it for her iPhone. It's really cool! It includes all of the costumes (in higher-res than the blog), along with the blog quotes from each day. And it includes a special feature that I'm looking forward to... a "SUBMIT" button. Here's the deal: snap a photo of you or someone you love waving at someone else you love and send it to us! Tell us anything you'd like about the photo and who knows, maybe your smiling, waving self will appear here on the blog!

So buy the app, laugh at the costumes, and share a few "Waves" with us.

Click here to go to the Apple store and get the Wave At The Bus App for your iDevice.

Home Screen

Sample Wave Screen, with captions turned on

Oh, and the app also allows you to search by keyword, scroll through the list of days, or select a date to see what the costume of the day was for a particular date.

And for fellow Android users: yes, we're working on it.

Wave At The Wife

2011-06-26T18:00:00.006-06:00

School's out. No bus. My "toad" of a husband shows his support at the Ragnar Relay.

Pausing for a photo

Family Support at Snowbasin

Assuming my usual pose, I whipped out the camera and took a picture of Dale waving at me in costume. With all the crazies at Ragnar, he actually fit in quite well. For the non-running crowd, the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay is a 192 mile foot race, with 12 person teams running day, night, and then the next day. Each runner on the team runs three “legs” of the race. I was Runner 12, so I ran Leg 12, Leg 24, and Leg 36. Dale says all this talk of “Legs” makes him jealous. Not to run one, just to have one.

Waiting for me to arrive

Dale and Ryatt greeted me, waving their support, at Snowbasin Ski Resort. I was just finishing my first leg of the race, a nearly 5 mile climb (with over a thousand feet of climbing, ending at an altitude of 6400 feet). My next “legs” would be 6.75 miles at 4:30 am (including another 650 feet of climbing into the town of Oakley), and 7.2 miles at 3:45 pm (a scenic Park City trail run from Deer Valley Ski Resort to Park City High School).

This was my second year running this Ragnar Relay, and the thing that surprises me the most is how little the race is really about running. Maybe it's because we're not "in it to win it." I’m spending 30 hours in a van with some of my best friends (or soon to be best friends), yet I’m only running for less than three hours of that time. There’s not much sleeping going on. The hours are filled with supporting your teammates on their runs, eating, laughing, talking, laughing, some attempts at singing, followed by more laughing, and “visiting the dunnies.” [I had an Aussie on my team, teaching us fabulous slang from down under.] In short, it was just an amazing girls weekend.

"Van Two" Teammates

Have a Funny Day!

2011-06-19T22:00:00.002-06:00

"What a dreadful thing it must be to have a dull father."

-Mary Mapes Dodge

Happy Father's Day! We celebrate with a few father stories from our family:

Rikki:

"I remember my dad taking me to a movie in the middle of the day when I was about six years old. We walked into the theater, and it was totally empty. My dad told me that he rented the entire theater just for me. I felt like a princess. I was so excited that I spent most of the movie running around the theater and sitting in every single seat."

Rain:

"My dad ordered a cake for my sixteenth birthday. The cake he ordered was this little kid's dinosaur cake. I guess he was trying to embarrass me, but by now, there's not much else he can do. My cousins thought it was pretty funny, and so did the lady checking us out at Costco."

Riot:

"My dad went to my school for my birthday. He read my favorite book to my friends in my class. He was so funny."

Dale:

"I was raised by a single dad, who was raising three boys on his own. He was always there for us and our countless ballgames. One year, I was playing Little League baseball as a Catcher. There was a play at the plate, and it was really close. The runner slid in and knocked me down, the Umpire called him out. The stands erupted in cheers. And then I noticed that I had dropped the ball. I picked it up quickly and nobody had noticed. I then turned around and told the Ump that I had dropped the ball. The runner was called safe and the fans went silent. That was how the game ended. Afterward, my dad told me he had never been more proud. Thanks, Dad, for instilling in me a love for sports and teaching me to own up to my mistakes. Happy Father's Day."

Rochelle:

My own father never waved me off to school in a costume (no regrets there). He did, however, spend many mornings helping me fold newspapers for my early morning paper route, teaching and loving through action and example. My dad had his own favorite goodbye phrase, and it continues as a morning farewell in my own home: "Have a funny day!" Thanks for your sense of humor and "knee-slapper" jokes, Dad. May all our days be funny.

Frogger

2011-06-12T20:25:00.018-06:00

"Eat the fly! Eat the fly!"

Crossing the street in New York City is like a real-life game of Frogger.

I like to call this the "whoodathunkit?" NYC trip. This blog started as a way to share my funny husband with family and friends a trip to New York and countless interviews was not part of that plan. With just a couple hours notice to get on the plane, Dale and Rain spent two days in New York City for their appearance on Good Morning America. While there, they were also able to interview with CBC TV (Canada), Inside Edition, FoxNews.com, Fuji TV Network (Japan), and RTL Television (Germany). Our German friends provided Dale with this fantastic frog suit and had him waving at spectators in the park (Rain said it was funny!).

Dale managed to find a bus to wave at. Rain was NOT on this bus (NYPD):

Other photos from their "whoodathunkit?" NYC trip:


Rain at the Good Morning America Studios


Rain in GMA's "Green Room"

Abracadabra Costume Shop with Inside Edition


Near the USS Intrepid

Dale waving from Time Square

Our other kids didn't get quite as much media attention, but they were featured on our local ABC station the night before the GMA showing (cute interview).

Update 6/13/11: Dale is out working in the yard and a neighbor stops by, congratulating him on the recent publicity. Neighbor asks Dale, "So what are you doing now?" Dale looks down at the pooper-scooper in hand, back at the neighbor, grins and says, "livin' the dream."

Clarifications and Explanations

2011-06-05T17:15:00.007-06:00

First of all, we’d like to give a shout out to the Greater Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority Station 116. As our publicity has grown, Dale’s brother, Terry (a firefighter/paramedic at the fire station there), has been receiving unending grief from his fellow firefighters. To that we say, “Keep it up!” And thanks for helping us out with Day 62 and Day 64.

We enjoy reading the comments posted here on our blog. We have read each and every one. Thanks for the enthusiasm. We also feel that we may need to clarify a few things.

Cost: We have spent less than fifty US dollars on costumes and props for this blog. Most of these costumes were borrowed from neighbors and friends (you’d be surprised what your neighbors have in their closets!), or found in our costume boxes from years past.

Other children: Yes, we have other children. Our oldest, Rikki, is a sophomore at Utah State University. She is majoring in Computer Science. Our youngest, Riot, will be entering 2nd grade next year. He does not ride the bus. You can see him joining in the waves on Day 26 and Day 128. Rain is the middle child and does, in fact, like his name. His full name is Makani Rain Price, but he has gone by “Rain” for most of his life.

Photo by Nathan Petty

About Rain: He is genetically predisposed to having a good sense of humor. He’s a fun, likable guy, with a 4.0 GPA in Honors classes. He plays the trumpet in the American Fork High School Marching Band (state champions). He’ll be marching in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade (in Pasadena, California on January 2, 2012). And he’s on the verge of earning his Boy Scout of America "Eagle Scout" award. And yes, he did laugh at the waves. If you look closely at some of the pictures, you’ll see that he and his friends were waving back. He knows how to laugh. He’s a great kid.

Guns and camo: Some have wondered about the many posts of Dale in camouflage, and the pictures with guns. Dale used to own a chain of paintball stores, aptly named “Pegleg Paintball.” Being in the paintball industry for over twenty years, he has accumulated quite a variety of paintball clothing and, let’s just say, a few paintball guns. He’s an amazing airsmith and has fixed just about every paintball gun ever made.

Dale: is now a stay at home dad, actively parenting our three kids. He’s a pretty decent mechanic, landscaper, housekeeper, trophy husband (complete with a kickstand), and an amazing dad. We've been happily married for over 22 years.

Rochelle: I have an M.S. degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Brigham Young University. I’ve worked at ProModel Corporation for the past twelve years. I enjoy running, cycling, and laughing with my family. I took the pictures, found silly things to say about them (although many left me speechless), and posted this craziness to the blog.

Political correctness: We realize that many of these waves are not politically correct. We never claimed to be PC. For goodness sake, it’s humor people. Good thing we aren’t running for office of any kind. Although we did get a laugh out of a recent Tweet that said Dale should be “Ruler of the World.”

-Rochelle

Day 170 - The Pirate's Last Wave

2011-06-02T07:37:00.021-06:00

Dale's true identity as a pirate has finally been revealed. And how do you know if you are a pirate? You just "Arrrrrrrr!!"

Since today was the last wave, I thought we should take a minute to review a few Pirate Rules (as found on tensionnot.com) and discover how Dale has either obeyed these rules or, in pirate-like fashion, totally disregarded them.

1. When fishing, a pirate uses either a sword, a knife, or his bare hands. Use of a hook is only acceptable in the event the pirate is missing a hand. (see Day 121, Day 113, and Day 93)

2. Parrots are the preferred pirate companion (see Day 134). Monkeys are an acceptable substitute, unless they fling their feces at people. Then they are an awesome substitute.

3. No pirate shall ever sit on a toilet seat, for any reason. (see Day 167)

4. Pirates never use the words "fresh" or "feelings," and certainly not together (as in "I have that not-so-fresh feeling"). (see Day 149)

5. Peglegs must be made of timber or some other suitable wood. Plastic, ceramic, porcelain, or metal peglegs are utterly unacceptable, simply because it complicates the use of the phrase "shiver me timbers."

6. Pirates do not wear eyeglasses or bifocals unless they are looking at a treasure map, and even then they are allowed only a monacle. Any comments about "Mr. Peanut" while wearing the monacle are prohibited. (again, Day 167)

7. A pirate must never visit a tanning salon. If he is not already tan enough (Day 123) from searching for treasure, he hasn't been searching hard enough.

8. A pirate may never wear another man's clothing, unless he first kills that man. [Day 19 --what man would be caught dead in those clothes?]

9. No pirate may do the arm movements for "YMCA", or engage in country-western line-dancing. (see Day 15, Day 23, and Day 32)

10. Under no circumstances is a comb-over an acceptable pirate hairdo. [Bad Hair Days? He had a few... see Day 52, Day 49, Day 48, and Day 39]

11. Only a pirate is capable of killing another pirate. If you are not a pirate (let's say a ninja) and wish to challenge a pirate, they have a word for that. Corpse. [Did somebody say Ninja? see Day 147]

12. Three-cornered hats, headbands and bandanas are the only acceptable headwear for pirates. Fedoras, bowler derbies, baseball caps, mickey ears, top hats, sombreros, or anything with lace and flowers will be removed from the vessel-- head included. A grace period of one minute is allowed for hats looted from a tailory. [And a few bad hats: Day 98, Day 41, Day 28, and Day 154 for starters]

13. No pirate shall drink Grog out of a glass. Grog is only to be consumed either straight from the barrel, or from a mug heavy enough to to kill a man. (see Day 156)

14. A pirate shall never wear lipstick, nail polish, or capri pants. Actually, that kinda goes without saying. [Nothing in the rules about dresses? See Day 139, Day 146, Day 132, Day 130, or even just yesterday]

15. Pirates shall always wear boots, except in the case of a peg leg. Then one boot is acceptable. Flip-flops are right out.

[flip-flops? Well those would be EVERY DAY. This rule must not apply to Hawaiian Pirates, as Dale wore his "Hawaiian slipper" every day for the first 61 days. Then he mixed in other foot apparel as costumes required: Day 62 (boot!), Day 81 (clown shoe), Day 82 (boot!), Day 84 (boot!), Day 85 (boot!) Day 88 (board shoe), Day 89 (boot!), Day 95 (boot!), Day 96 (boot!), Day 100 (boot!), Day 101 (boot!), Day 109 (boot!), Day 113 (boot!), Day 116 (Spartan sandal), Day 140 (boot!), Day 144 (boot!), Day 148 (Leprechaun), Day 158 (clown shoe)]

Day 169 - White Wedding

2011-06-01T07:23:00.006-06:00

"There is nothin' fair in this world.
There is nothin' safe in this world.
And there's nothin' sure in this world..."

"Come on.
It's a nice day for a white wedding.
It's a nice day to start again."

-Billy Idol

Day 168 - Executive Officer

2011-05-31T07:44:00.003-06:00

"Let's see. Your science project involved radishes, did it not? I hereby appoint you my Executive Officer in charge of... um... radishes."

-Captain Jean-Luc Picard

(sounds like the job title for the "expendable" crew member)

Day 167 - Dad's Outdoor Office

2011-05-27T07:30:00.006-06:00

It's tough to get privacy on the throne.

Day 167 - MJ

2011-05-26T07:30:00.007-06:00

"I'm not like other guys."

-Michael Jackson in Thriller

Day 166 - Chicken

2011-05-25T07:30:00.003-06:00

Why did the chicken wave at the bus???

Day 165 - Ariel

2011-05-24T07:30:00.003-06:00

Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?
Wouldn't ya think my collection's complete
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
Girl who has everything
Look at this trove, treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Looking around you'd think
Sure, she's got everything
I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I have whoozits and whatzis galore
You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty
But who cares? No big deal
I want more.

-Ariel in The Little Mermaid

Day 164 - Ursula

2011-05-23T07:30:00.004-06:00

"We wouldn't want to miss old Daddy's celebration, now, would we? Huh! Celebration indeed. Bah!"

-Ursula in The Little Mermaid

Day 163 - King Triton

2011-05-20T07:30:00.002-06:00

"I consider myself a reasonable merman. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed."

-King Triton in The Little Mermaid

Day 162 - Magic

2011-05-19T07:30:00.001-06:00

"Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Day 161 - Goooaaallll

2011-05-18T07:30:00.002-06:00

Life is like soccer. We need goals.

Day 160 - Batgirl

2011-05-17T07:30:00.003-06:00

"Chicks like you give women a bad name."
-Batgirl

Day 159 - Terry Potter

2011-05-16T07:30:00.002-06:00

A recent wave from Harry's long lost cousin, Terry Potter.

Day 158 - Clown Scare

2011-05-13T07:30:00.004-06:00

We have nothing to fear but fear itself... and clowns.

Day 157 - Werewolf

2011-05-12T07:30:00.002-06:00

"You really, honestly don't mind that I morph into a giant dog?"

-Jacob Black (Twilight)

Day 156 - Toga

2011-05-11T07:30:00.003-06:00

Friends, Romans, countrymen - lend me your bedsheets!

Day 155 - Secret Service

2011-05-06T07:30:00.003-06:00

Listening to Fox News in that earpiece?

Somebody is planning his next Tweet...

Day 154 - Mariachi Celebration

2011-05-05T07:30:00.004-06:00

"No, we will not die like dogs! We will fight like lions! Because we are... The Three Amigos!"

(or maybe just one)

Day 153 - Ultimate Band Dad

2011-05-04T07:30:00.004-06:00

A tribute to Utah's finest marching band, American Fork High School. The grand finale this year will be a performance at the 2012 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.

Go Trumpets!

View their 2010 State Championship performance here

Vintage American Fork High School Marching Band Uniform

Day 152 - Princess Leia

2011-05-03T07:30:00.000-06:00

"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee."

-Princess Leia

Day 151 - May the Force...

2011-05-02T07:30:00.000-06:00

"I'm not a Jedi because I like the hum of the lightsaber in my hand…and I'm not a Jedi because I like being a Jedi. I'm a Jedi because the Galaxy needs Jedi."

―Torr Snapit

Day 150 - Graduation Season

2011-04-29T07:30:00.003-06:00

"A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success."

-Robert Orben

Day 149 - Old Spice Dad

2011-04-28T07:30:00.001-06:00

“Hello, ladies, look at your dad, now back to me, now back at your dad, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a bus with the man your man could smell like. Anything is possible when your dad smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a porch.”

Day 148 - Feeling Lucky

2011-04-27T07:30:00.002-06:00

What do I look like, me lad? See the hat? The buckles on me shoes? Why, I'm a Leprechaun!

-Leprechaun movie

Day 147 - Ninja

2011-04-26T07:30:00.002-06:00

"Oh yeah? Who's the only one here who knows secret Ninja moves from the government?"

-Napoleon Dynamite

Day 146 - Gypsy

2011-04-25T07:30:00.004-06:00

Phoebus: You fight almost as well as a man.

Esmeralda: Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you.

-from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Day 145 - White Rabbit

2011-04-22T07:30:00.004-06:00

A different sort of Easter Bunny. And when it comes to waving at the bus, he's never late.

"I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date. No time to say Hello. Goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."

-White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland

Day 144 - The Trailerhood

2011-04-21T07:30:00.016-06:00

Lowering property values one wave at a time.

"It's a little piece of paradise way out here in the woods. There's always something going on down in the trailerhood."

-Toby Keith

Toby's Trailerhood video

Our neighbor really does host an online country music radio station: America's Country. He does not look like this.

Day 143 - Karate Kicks

2011-04-20T07:30:00.006-06:00

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
-Bruce Lee

Fear aside, I'd like tickets to the one-legged kicking contest.

Day 142 - A Birthday Suit

2011-04-19T07:30:00.000-06:00

Dale put on a birthday suit to celebrate Rain's 16th birthday. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that this was a family-friendly event.

Day 141 - Little Known Justice League Member

2011-04-08T07:30:00.003-06:00

Seriously? What's a Hawkgirl? Apparently she was friends with Aquaman:

Hawkgirl: He was happy at the end. I still don't understand why.

Aquaman: It's faith, Hawkgirl. You're not supposed to understand it. You just have it.

Day 140 - Bear Bait

2011-04-07T07:30:00.000-06:00

You don't have to outrun the bear.
Just the one-legged guy.

Day 139 - Pocahontas

2011-04-06T07:30:00.002-06:00

Can you wave with all the colors of the wind?

Day 138 - Art

2011-04-05T07:30:00.003-06:00

"Creativity takes courage."

- Henri Matisse

Day 137 - Hockey Time

2011-04-01T07:30:00.010-06:00

What do you call a pegleg guy on a skate?

A really bad idea.

(and a big shout out to all our Detroit area friends. Go Red Wings!)

Day 136 - Breakfast Milk

2011-03-31T07:30:00.006-06:00

There's something familiar about that face...

Day 135 - Beauty or Beast?

2011-03-30T07:30:00.007-06:00

Definitely a bad hair day for the princess. Who knew that Belle had a mullet?

Day 134 - Parrot Joke

2011-03-29T07:30:00.009-06:00

What is orange and sounds like a parrot?

A carrot.

Day 133 - Zombie

2011-03-28T07:30:00.004-06:00

Is that zombie thing really wearing knickers?

Day 132 - Tinkerbell

2011-03-25T07:30:00.007-06:00

A little pixie dust to help you with your math test.

Day 131 - Rhodesian Camo

2011-03-24T07:30:00.008-06:00

Camouflage from the unrecognized state of Rhodesia, today's Zimbabwe.

Day 130 - Snow White

2011-03-23T07:30:00.006-06:00

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to school you go...

Day 129 - Bowhunter

2011-03-22T07:30:00.005-06:00

"I've got the Bow and all the Gear
To take a Trophy buck this year.
In the receipts my wife has found
That deer cost me $900 a pound!"

Day 128 - Mini Me

2011-03-21T07:30:00.006-06:00

Red, White, and Riot!

Day 127 - Red and Black

2011-03-18T07:30:00.006-06:00

American Fork Caveman? Or just Caveman colors?

Day 126 - Luck of the Irish

2011-03-17T07:30:00.007-06:00

"They're always after me Lucky Charms."

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!