Dog techno

This weekend my parents and kids and I drove to Denver for my niece's sealing. It was fantastic! You may be wondering why I would title a blog about something so spiritual "dog techno," and you'd be right to wonder. Unless you know the Dunfords.

Some random notes from the weekend, which I realize if you weren't there won't mean much, include:

• Driving through the wind-swept plains of Wyoming. Twice.
• Nelson's sick story
• Dog techno (next time I will record it)
• "Celebrity sighting" of Chloe and Barrett
• Hunter's belly button surgery
• FOOD to die for (and from, most likely)
• "Minnie"
• Laughter (so much laughter. I love spending time with this laughing family)
• Expensive pit stop
• Imaginiff...
• Smiling Eliza
• Boxing boys
• Tom's high school yearbook ("It's ok, they're just pictures. It's not like they're real people or anything.")
• Sandra giggling because she almost snuggled me
• Inexpressible joy
• Calling Ryan a big baby
• Jesse's "jet black" hair
• Carmen tired but still muscling through "Catch Phrase," much to our delight
• Tom talkin' biking with Jeanne, our Musketeer
• Jeanne referring to herself as a Musketeer for the rest of her stay
• Max commenting on Riley being a "fine gentleman"
• Grandpa's desire to leave at "4, 5, 6 in the morning. Those would all be fine," and finally leaving at 6:40
• Chloe's haircut
• Lauren
• Susan and Tom, the hosts with the most
• Isaac challenging Riley
• Barrett's frozen hands from eating ice cream with them
• Learning from Max that duct tape was invented during WWII for ducts in ships
• Dad reading and chuckling at "The Dancing Wu Li Masters." I highly recommend it, and he said he would give it a "7." High praise, indeed.

And so much more that can't be written. Gatherings like these are a slice of heaven on earth.

I love pie

The cute little pie song Andie MacDowell sings in "Michael" just about says it all:

Pie, pie, me oh my,

Nothing tastes better, wet, salty and dry.

Apple and pumpkin and mince and black bottom,

I’ll come to your place every day if you’ve got 'em.

Pie, me oh my, I love piiiiieeeeeee.

In preparing for Thanksgiving, my mother has been trying to find out what kind of pies to make. Ed loves pecan, and I'm a sucker for cherry, and she had said she had some butternut squash that she made up into a pie recently that was really good. I told her today that maybe we should ask the boys what kind of pie they want, since it's really a good thing to think less of oneself (don't you agree?).

Riley said, "Just a minute, let me ask Lennon" (more of the thinking less of oneself, hurrah), to which Lennon replied, "Cinnamon pie!"

I have no idea what cinnamon pie is, but it sure sounds good. Think we could work it into the pie song somehow? After all was said and done, Riley admitted that he was really hoping for some pumpkin pie. Think he'll be able to tell if Grandma substitutes butternut squash? :)