Top 5 Best Fireworks Shows

Happy day after 4th of July everyone!! Also, a special birthday shout-out to my little brother Grant who turned 19 yesterday (gulp). Happy birthday man, I l0ve you.

During last night's fire work show, I got to thinking of all of the other firework shows that I have been to during the course of my lifetime. Here's a quick list of the top 5 firework shows I've seen:

5. Tucson - I admit, this isn't due to the fireworks as much as it id due to the memories. For quite a while, we're talking half a decade or so, I would always be in the middle of my tune-up for July 4th. We would head up to the top of a parking garage connected to the hospital and watch the show on "A" Mountain. I usually had my family around plus my trusty IV pole.

4. Newport Beach - I saw this show about 3 years ago the day before my best friend's wedding. I remember it being quite a long show and the reflection of the colors off of the water was quite amazing.

3. Boston - Boston scored big points with their harbor fireworks show that I took in. The colors reflecting off of the water was cool, but the most amazing part was the shapes they were able to create in the sky. We're not just talking stars and a smiley face, I remember the American flag and a cat :)

2. Shanghai - I have a confession, this wasn't for 4th of July (you probably figured that out due to the location) it was for New Years. I had to put it up here though because the show was absolutely amazing. I was on the 22nd floor of an apartment building and the explosions were happening at eye level and about 100 yards away. It looked like some of them were going to fly into the apartment. It. was. awesome.

1. New York City - If you're only going to go to one 4th of July show, this is the one. I've been there quite a few times for Independence Day and the firework show seems to get better every year. My buddy had an apartment overlooking the East river which held the three barges responsible for the show. Between the best grand finale I've ever seen and 1000's and 1000's of people chanting U.S.A in the streets, it's by far the best one ever.

What about you? Where did you see the best firework show ever?

2nd Ultrasound Update!

Yesterday, Mandi and I woke up nice and early in anticipation of our second ultrasound. If you guys remember from a couple of weeks ago, actually last week, we had our first ultrasound at about seven weeks pregnant. At that time our little peanut was about the size of a blueberry, which come to find out was about 9 mm, and we're proud to report that he/she is now about 15 mm! We went in with some of the same emotions that we did last week not exactly knowing what to expect and hoping for the best. It's always an interesting feeling when they first start the ultrasound because, at least in our experience, the first thing we see is what looks to be an empty black sack. It must be the way that the ultrasound instrument is pointed at first because now we're two for two in that empty black sack containing our little baby.

We were able to see the heart beating fast again, this time 167 bpm and our doctor informed us that right now our baby is mostly made up of his or her heart. Everything else is very normal and he is very pleased with the progress. Mandi definitely has less bloating in her stomach and is visibly more comfortable when walking, sitting or standing. The decrease in the bloating of the belly is most likely due to some of the fluid in her ovaries and cysts, following the egg retrieval, are now starting to lose fluid. We are now expecting any bloating from this point going forward to be a result of the baby which is bloating we will take any day of the week. So all in all, it was a very good second ultrasound and we couldn't be anymore pleased with the results. Check out our little seahorse below!

We are also able to meet up with some friends of ours in the CF community that we have had the opportunity to hang out with before near their home turf. We met up with the Koblers (Brian and Jen) for the first time in San Francisco at a CF concert series event last November or so. This time they alerted us that they would be in Scottsdale taking in a spring training game between the Giants and Rockies. They were nice enough to invite us along and of course we jumped at the opportunity to hang out with them and take in a ballgame. Neither Mandi or I have ever been to the ballpark in downtown Scottsdale and I must say it was quite a treat to be in such a nice facility. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us yesterday as it was overcast the entire day and it was raining before even the first pitch got off. The rain continued to pick up throughout the game and eventually the game was stopped in about the fourth inning with the Rockies handing it to the Giants. Luckily, the ballgame wasn't really the reason we were there.

We were there to hang out and talk with some friends of ours and had baseball as icing on the cake. Since the game got out early, we all headed to lunch to hang out and chat some more. Mandi and I love being able to get to know others in the CF community that we often exchange e-mails, Facebook messages and chats on CysticLife with but rarely get to meet in person. It's so nice to be able to "put a person" to just the face or the name that comes across our computer screens many times in our daily lives. The Koblers are no exception as they are very warm and friendly people who are fun to hang out with. As a bonus, we also got to hang with Grandpa Kobler and Brian and Jen's daughter, a young little cyster named Riley. She is as cute as a button and was definitely entertaining while we are all inhaling our pizza. We absolutely cherish opportunities like this and were very blessed to be able to hang with the Kobler clan today!

Back on the baby front... We have another appointment for a third ultrasound next Thursday and we will for sure keep you guys up to date with the process. We're just praying for continued normal results and that our little seahorse grows and grows and grows until eight months from now that we're able to hold him or her in our arms. We feel so blessed to be able to go through this experience so far virtually unscathed and are just hoping that this trend continues. We know that it is ultimately in God's hands and we have the ultimate faith that He will provide the perfect outcome. We thank you guys so much for following along with us on this journey, checking in, sending us encouragement and just letting us know that you're there for us.

Rondi's Recipes: The Hamburger Cake

For our cousin bake-off on Thanksgiving, Mandi and I decided to make a hamburger cake. It turned out well...if by well you mean looked awesome but not tasting great :)

The ingredients.

Any vanilla cake and brownie mix will do.

The set-up.

The cakes.

The destruction.

Fondant burger toppings.

That seriously looks like a piece of meat.

Rockin' and Rollin'.

That's one good looking burger.

Serve with french fries (sugar cookies).

Amazing Race - Phoenix Edition

Yesterday, Mandi and I were fortunate enough to compete in an Amazing Race type of an event courtesy of my cousins Tim and Gina. They had bought tickets, but due to some conflicts in their schedule, the tickets got passed down to us. If you aren't familiar with the Amazing Race, it's basically a race around the world in which teams compete against each other by solving clues and taking on various challenges. Challenges such as trying to hit a target with a watermelon using a balloon launcher, which if you haven't seen this video, you NEED TO WATCH IT!

So anyway, we didn't get to do anything that cool, but we did have a lot of fun and didn't kill each other. We also stayed within about a 5 mile radius and didn't fly across the globe - maybe next time. Here's some pictures outlining our day and the race.

Everybody arriving and getting checked in.

Some last minute instructions before the race begins. BTW, we started in an REI parking lot next to a big mall.

This clue wanted us to take a picture with something that represents what happens between dusk and dawn. Thus, Twilight.

This clue wanted us to eat a tasty treat from something that started in Santa Monica, Muscle Beach in 1946. That something, "hot dog on a stick".

We had to find a juke box, make 4 new friends and take a picture.

They wanted to see a picture of a teammate with a "modern day Dandyhorse".

This was the toughest clue...it gave some crazy quote, we had to figure out that it was Barry Goldwater who said it, then we had to run quite a ways to find this stupid statue :)

Just livin' the dream.

Called for us to dress up in some "retro" gear.

The race ended with a "shapes puzzle" at Barrio Grill where we got to hang out and mingle with some fellow race peeps.

Out of 34 teams, Mandi and I finished a disappointing 4th place. We weren't nearly as prepared as some of these other teams which clearly had done this before. They were equipped with matching t-shirts, bus schedules, clip boards, fanny packs, you name it, they had it. We are already looking forward to the next race which is in March, and I promise the field that we will be more prepared next time!

BTW, if you want to check for an adventure race near you, click here for the City Scape website.

An Important Purchase!!!

Mandi and I made two of the most important purchases of our young lives a couple of days ago. Any one want to guess what it is? I'll give you some clues:

- We wanted to get to know our neighborhood a little better

- We needed another way to exercise

- We love the beach

- It brought us back to our younger years

Any guesses? Well, if you didn't see the pictures I attached first and you had some guesses, please feel free to let me know what you were thinking.

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Beach Cruisers!!! That's right, we bought some bikes that make it feel as if we're cruising along the beach. If you guys are interested in picking yourself up some of these tasty little treats let me give you a piece of advice...shop Target or Walmart. Bike shops charge a FORTUNE for these metal frames of goodness. At the big box stores you can snag one for around 100 bucks.

So far Mandi and I have cruised different parts of our neighborhood a couple of times and used our bikes to go and get the mail everyday. I mean, walking to the mailbox is so 2009 right?? Yesterday we stepped it up a notch and decided to ride our bikes to dinner. One thing I love about our new neighborhood is that we're about 1.5 miles away from all of the action. Seriously, you name it, and it's 1.5 miles away. Super Target, Super Walmart, Home Depot, Old Navy, Hobby Lobby, Sports Chalet, Chipotle, Jamba Juice, McDonalds, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Hi-Health and about 50 other stores, restaurants and banks that I'm forgetting or don't know the name to.

So last night we road our cruisers up to Native New Yorker which is a pizza and wing joint with franchises in Arizona and Texas. We took full advantage of their "after 8:30 half off of appetizers" special and went to town. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit and just relax with my wife :) Anyway, after devouring cheese sticks, fried zucchini, boneless wings and loaded steak fries, we hopped back on our bikes and headed home. It feels SO good to be cruising around on summer nights in Arizona. It's still a little hot, but you feel cool air beating against your body while riding the bike.

We look forward to other adventures on our bikes VERY soon....and we can't thank you enough Grammy for giving us the dough to make this purchase. Love ya!!!!