So I (me, their BFF Jamie) was invited to guest blog while the Babs are on vacation. Here's my vote on what they're doing right now.

Hailey: She's suffering her usual ADD and not allowing any time to just lay out and do nothing. Like you're supposed to do on a cruise. She was sorely disappointed to find out the cruise ship doesn't come with a 65-mile bike trail to ride with her 65 year-old riding companion (I'll let her blog about that one later). Secretly she's gulping down "virgin" margaritas while coaxing Steve to have just one. Or five. Okay, maybe she's just dreaming about gulping down said margaritas. But still. So far she's played BINGO, shuffleboard, gambled, miniature golfed, danced in the disco, done aerobics, lifted weights, shopped in four gift shops, flipped through 7 magazines (who has the patience to read those?) and made 57 friends. And that's just because it's day #1.

Steve: He's trying to pretend he's relaxing with his iPod and Tevas but really he's drumming up Dominos jingles and acting out VW commercials in his head. On breaks he's scouting talent for said jingles and commercials in the buffet lines and on the karaoke stage. Not much luck so far. If only they'd won those darn "Head On" migraine commercials! At Hailey's request he's gotten a wax but the sheer pain of the first rip was so unbearable he politely declined the rest of the session and is sporting a sweet diagonal hairless void across his back. (But it's okay because people just think he wears his manly messenger bag so much that it's worn the hair right off. Boy he's a hard [shirtless] worker). He's thinking about the "formal" dinner tonight because he has always wondered about those people, you know, the ones who really bust out the formal wear (most of it a decade out of style) and pay $85 for a corsage made out of peach carnations. At least they're serving lobster, am I right folks?

Neither of these two will allow themselves one morning of sleeping in because Hailey's up and at 'em regardless of her locale (it's a Keith thing) and Steve has jingles to write, remember? And that is my vote on what the Babs are up to. Yours?

It's due time for a vacation.

Tomorrow morning I will board a plane to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I will then soak my life in eight days of sun and fun. I will not check my email. I will not answer my phone. I will not think about work. I will wear sunscreen. I will consider getting my back waxed, per Hailey's request. I will be adventurous. I might even wear a pair of Tevas or something. That's the beauty of vacation. It's all so care-free. Go ahead, ask me if I care.

YOU: Hey, Steve. Do you care about anything on vacation?

ME: Nope.

YOU: Are you really going to wear Tevas?

ME: If I do, I won't even care about it.



(PS: While I'm gone, Jaimerly Jaimes might guest blog.)

You know you're in LA when the following conversation with a cab driver takes place.

CAB DRIVER: "Where to?"

ME: "Viceroy Santa Monica, please."

CAB DRIVER: "Can do."

(Editor's note: There are two kinds of cab drivers. Those who want to talk to their passengers and those who don't. If it's the former, you can usually tell within 20 seconds of the cab drive. This driver was certainly the talk type. And talk he did.)

CAB DRIVER: "Where you coming from?"

ME: "Denver."

CAB DRIVER: "Ahh, I used to live in Denver."

ME: "Really?"

CAB DRIVER: "Yeah."

BEAT OF SILENCE.

CAB DRIVER: "Got myself a sexually transmitted disease in Denver."

(FREEZE IT. What in the world am I supposed to say to that?)

ME: (silence)

CAB DRIVER: "And I got it from a guy who was with the girl I was with a month earlier."

ME: (Silence)

CAB DRIVER: "I got a shot of penicillin though."

ME: (Silence)

CAB DRIVER: "I lived in Las Vegas too."

ME: (Silence)

CAB DRIVER: "I went to this place called the Green Door."

ME: (Silence)

CAB DRIVER: "I don't think it's a gay place. But you can be gay in it."

Yup, another video of my kids.

This one is a benchmark piece. Our littlest is finally starting to walk. I've posted it over on Hailey Happens. So click on over and check it out. While you're there, make sure to tell Hailey how awesome her blog is. She's got what doctors call a little bit of an inferior blog complex. Bless her black and blue heart.

You never know until you try.

This weekend, Hailey startled me with a question. "Will you dye my hair?" Why is this so surprising? Well, she's never spent under $170 on getting her hair colored - always by a licensed professional, mind you. So why this sudden change? It turns out she couldn't find a Boulder hair colorist who didn't use eco-friendly product. And, as we all know, eco-friendly product doesn't last as long. So what happened? How did it all end up?

Watch and see...

It's an overly proud father moment once again, folks.

This monthly installment of Overly Proud Father is brought to you by Shrek 7. In theaters now.

Hello, and welcome to Overly Proud Father. I'm your host, Steve. Not only am I the host of Overly Proud Father, but I'm also a father. Today, we're going to take a look at some kids being incredibly remarkable and/or incredible. Before we get started please take note that these children are extremely gifted and probably the best in the world, so please, do not let you children attempt this at home.

We'll start with Jamison. The toddler heartthrob sensation has been sweeping the nation via his carseat. Here he is now getting ready for a cross-state jaunt to grandpa Keith's. "Yeah, that's right. This car seat is facing forward. That's just how I roll."


And then there's Berlin. At the ripe age of three, Berlin has set her sight on being the youngest climber to ascend the Lady's Slipper in South Africa. Here is a recent training session.


Truth be told, we were at the recreation center and Berlin saw the climbing wall and wanted to give it a try. Before we knew it, she was ringing the bell at the top. Fearless. In fact, a little too fearless for daddy's comfort.





Well, that's all the time we have for this edition of Overly Proud Father. Tune in next time as we talk more about my kids who are possibly the most incredible kids in the world.

I made the news.

The advertising news, that is. Found this little blurb in an industry publication this morning. Made me all warm inside. AdWeek