shawna smooches a swine ...

For 5 weeks, our middle school youth group held a KISS-A-PIG fundraiser. Before and after service, donations could be made into the jar of any staff person; the one that raised the most would be the one to kiss the pig. Much to Shawna's dismay, she collected the most money ($296.99). Overall, we raised nearly $800. Here's a look at the event.

don't waste your time ...

So, Shawna and I - along with friends Rob and Jen - went to see MacGruber ... if you haven't seen it yet ... don't. If you're not familiar, it's based on the MacGuyver-like character from Saturday Night Live. The previews looked funny and the reviews were good -- one critic called it "the best movie since Wayne's World." However, it was over-the-top with gratuitous, unnecessary vulgarity. In my opinion, it overshadowed the comedy. Not worth your time or $9.50.

off to phoenix ...

Today, at 10:20am, I dropped-off Shawna and Alyssa at the airport for their 11:40am flight to see family (Trisha, Scott, Cohen, Lindsi and Eric) in Phoenix. At 3:50pm, they finally boarded their plane. Apparently, their assigned plane was deemed "unsafe" and so another plane had to be flown in ... which took all day. By God's grace, Alyssa [and Shawna] coped "well" with the 4 hour delay.

so, what's new ...

So, last night, I woke up to Alyssa screaming in her bedroom -- as if she had seen a monster (it's ironic I thought that ... keep reading). I opened the door to find her standing on her bed with her eyes wide open. I immediately ask what was wrong. In between her gasping to catch her breath, I hear: "There's monsters in my room." So, we spent the next 10 minutes walking around her room, inspecting under the bed and in the closet and even behind the bookshelf to ensure there were no monsters around. Satisfied, Alyssa was quick to slip back to sleep before I had even left the room.

i'm not ...

I am many things ... I'm a husband, a father, a son, a grandson, a youth pastor, a radio personality, an uncle, a brother-in-law and a fisherman, to name a few. What I have recently learned I am not is fit ... Wii Fit, to be exact. As posted in April, we bought a Wii. Soon after, our friends let us borrow their collection of games and their Wii Fit board. It was not long after inserting the disc into the Wii console that I realized - this was a not a game. Instead, this was a shot of reality. Before you can even consider what activity to do, Wii Fit analyzes your body and gives you a Wii Fit Mii (character) that best respresents your current state. You'll notice I have not posted my Mii character here.

vacation recap ...

Here's a recap of our Mengle Family Vacation ...

vacation update ...

Vacation is going great ... daytime highs have been in the low 70s with sunny skies. Yesterday (Friday), we went to SeaWorld; I'm happy to report there were no Shamu accidents.

Today (Saturday), we traveled north to Disneyland. We started the day by attending a Princess Breakfast hosted by Ariel. Alyssa was beside herself when princess after princess appeared to meet and greet. In all, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mulan stopped to say hello.

While in Disney's California Adventure, we had a chance to check out the new attraction ... well, new to us ... Toy Story's Midway Mania in 3D (which explains the glasses).