Pumpkin Maze

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Another year, another trip to the Del'Osso Family Farms Pumpkin Maze. I know... it's really a corn maze, but they call it a pumpkin maze. Mike, Shauna, Chris, Rachel, Maryssa, Shawn, Shawn jr, Natalie, Megen, Ken, KC, Jim, Junior, and Melissa joined Dawn and I and the girls for a trek through the maze. Dawn, Melissa, Emily, Shauna, Maryssa and Makenzy got out in just about 20 minutes while it took the rest of us just under an hour to find our way out. The maze seemed trickier this year - with a perimeter maze and one through the center. There were also three "bridges" which let us see over the top of the 20 acre field (not that it helped much as all I saw was corn!). Maryssa and Emily get quite a scare...

The haunted house was a lot better this year as they only let in small groups at a time. It kept the entrance completely dark and added to the fright. There were also a couple of new twists in the house this year, one of my favorites being the bathroom scene. Both times we went through in the afternoon, we had to physically push Emily and Maryssa through that part. Let's just say it was reminiscent of the Saw movies. Dawn and Emily went back in the evening for another walk through the haunted house and said they changed it up a little from earlier in the day.

Check out our pics here.

Great New Restaurant in Stockton

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Did Stockton really need a new pizza restaurant? We might be a little biased (we love pizza) but I think the answer is a resounding "yes"! Stockton has had the reputation of "restaurant killer" for sometime. Gone are the days of Shannons, the Hatch Cover, Bella Vista, the original (and we would argue, better) Cancun, even Red Robin couldn't last in Stockton. Through the years, we've seen too many restaurants come and go. Tonight, we ate at one that might just buck the trend.

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Cibo di Vino opened recently on the Miracle Mile, right next door to the Empire Theatre. Although there are other items on the menu other than pizza, it was, of course, the pizza that brought us. The service was great. We had reservations and got right in but would have waited under the name, Jessica Alba or Billy Bob Thornton - very funny. After we were seated, our waiter came by to take our drink order. Cibo di Vino had a great selection of wines and Dawn and I each enjoyed a "flight of three" sampler. The pizza was awesome - I would rate it right up there with Michael's and Dante's. Great wine, great service, great atmosphere, and great pizza.

Our first restaurant review earns 5 rolling pins!

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Check them out online - cibodivino.com.

Read the recent article in the Record.

Visit them for yourself: 1825 Pacific Ave, Stockton, California 95204

Podcast and New Media Expo 2007

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Dawn and I made the drive down to Ontario (California, not Canada) for the 2007 Podcast and New Media Expo. We have met a ton of other podcasters and are having a great time. Last night we met up with some other podcasters at the Couple Cast meet-up at the Ontario Mills Mall. It was great to meet Dan and Cj from Love Long and Prosper, Steve and Dawn from For What It's Worth, Matt and Amy from the Redboy Podcast, Rob and Tina from Learning to Fly Together and Barely from Barely Podcasting. There were a lot of other podcasters there but we didn't get a chance to meet them all.

It was great to finally meet Steve and Dawn from For What It's Worth. We have been listening to their podcast for a long time but really wanted to meet them to personally thank Steve for the Pizza Go Here art work. PGHandFWIW

Today, we met Chuck and Kreg from Technorama (and others), Doug Welch from Career Opportunies (and others), Shelly Brisbane fromShelly's Podcast, Rob Walsh from Podcast411 and Today in iPhone, Ken Ray from Mac OS Ken, Tee Morris from Billibub Baddings and Podcasting for Dummies, Adam Raimer from Mad Town Aces, Don McAllister from ScreenCastsOnline, Aaron from the Big Show, Charles Cadenhead from Mostly News and Desperate Husbands, and a bunch of others.

Congratulations to Chuck Tomasi on being named the co-author of the upcoming Podcasting for Dummies book, along with Tee Morris!

Tonight we had dinner with Steve Holden from Tech News Radioand the Jersey Boys Podcast and Mike Auzenne from Manager Tools. Afterward, we hung out with Victor, Adam, Steve, Chuck, Kreg, Mad Marv, Chris from Amateur Traveler, Steve from Geek Cred- thanks guys for letting us hang out with you.

Check out the pictures here.

Bring It On

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Soccer season officially kicked off today. Ha ha, I made a pun. Makenzy is playing on a bigger field this year with the U9 girls Diamond Queens under the direction of coaches April and Raymond. For the third year time in four years, Makenzy scored the first goal of the first game. The Diamond Queens played very well and ended the day in a 1-1 tie. maksoccer1

Emily's playing forward on the U14 girls Tidal Wave with coaches Robert, Scott and Dave. Today's game was played late in the afternoon heat. Emily scored the last two goals in the 4-3 win. Great job Emily and the rest of the Tidal Wave girls! emilysoccer1

click here for the pictures

Goodbye Auntie

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After her battle with cancer, our beloved Auntie Kelly (Jodi Johnson) passed away early this morning. Dawn and I got to see her and say our goodbyes last night. I held her hand, kissed her face and told her how much she meant to me. Although she was not coherent, she knew I was there and opened her eyes when I spoke. I have so many memories of Auntie Kelly and will find a way to share some of them here soon. I will always look back at her last few years with great love and admiration of her strength and devotion to her family.

Auntie, you will forever be in our hearts. We love you!

Thank you Uncle Dennis, for taking such great care of Kelly over the last few years. Your passion and love for your bride has always been an inspiration for me and taught me much about love and marriage. You are a gracious man, Uncle D.

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February 2002 - at the George Jones concert

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March 2002 - at the "Family Pizza place"

Stockton Record Obituary

Kelly, Jodi, Jo Retta, Joy, Auntie 12/25/1948 - 8/1/2007

Happy Anniversary

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Happy Anniversary to us! Lucky #13... yippee! Last night, Dawn and I went to downtown Stockton to have dinner and catch a movie. Recently, the city of Stockton put out the call for street performers. I wasn't sure how that would work until last night when we saw a great mime performance. This guy was very talented and got a lot of attention. The downtown plaza is a cool place and having performers like that really enhances the environment. Check out Mime Video 1 | Mime Video 2

Picture 1

We also watched a local punk-turned-bluegrass band, Lonesome Valley Shiners, perform a couple of songs as participants in the Music in the Square. They started late, a little after 7:30, which made for some not so happy people in the audience. Right before they went on, a volunteer downtown guide gave the band 5 minutes to start playing or they'd have to leave. The music was great; I can't wait to see what other acts are playing for the rest of the summer. Hey, I've got an idea, get The Grape down there!

After the entertainment we saw I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry... very, very funny!

Check out pics here.