A;lot’s happened. So here we go…

Candyce’s Birthday Week
I’ve dedicated last week to celebrating Candyce’s 22nd birthday. Each day of the week I tried to do something special, all leading to Thursday night when we made dinner at my house. We had so much fun leaning back in our big chairs in the backyard sipping wine and eating our favorite things.

We had her birthday dinner on Thursday night even though Friday was her birthday because I was scheduled to travel to St. Louis this weekend. But earlier in the week I figured out that I wasn’t even going to St. Louis, which sucks because Candyce planned a trip to San Diego to spend the weekend with her family, rather than sit at home all alone on her birthday. So I booked a ticket to San Diego and prepared for the grand surprise.

It was a thrill to drive Candyce to the airport, knowing that she thought I was hopping on a plane to St. Louis. I printed out my boarding pass and then showed it to her. Her jaw dropped and she looked at me like something was wrong and right at the same time. An hour and a half later, we’re having lunch in La Jolla overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Random Fun and Inspiration
One thing I love about weekends in San Diego is I usually get a lot of creative inspiration from unexpected places. Like after lunch we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped off at surf shop. I was excited to look at how surfer and skater clothes are evolving. For the past five years, it’s been the same thing: T-shirts with logos. It was a bore to look at new stuff because it was never new. But now it’s getting more edgy and artsy. As a designer, it was inspiring to flip through racks of clothes.

We did a few fun things over the weekend that stick out: Saturday morning cartoons, a soccer game, and college football. I haven’t watched Saturday morning cartoons in a long time, but I couldn’t believe how many shows from my childhood they’ve reinvented. I don’t know if this is a new thing, but they have a new G. I. Joe called “Sigma Six” with the same characters from 20 years ago. Except now the animation is a mix of cell-shaded 3D and traditional animation. The scenes were more dynamic and explosive. It was quite a creative upgrade from the original show. I’m almost 27, and I think I’m going to Tivo that show. They also have a newer “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

The next fun thing was later that afternoon seeing Candyce’s youngest sister play soccer. She’s maybe eight years old, and to watch little girls that age play soccer is just funny. They have so much energy and emotion and still manage to have fun. Her team name was “The Jolly Ranchers” and the other team was–get this–”The Smashing Pumpkins.” How cool is that? I sat in front of Billy Corgan five years ago at the MTV Video Music Awards. I wonder if he knows that little girls soccer teams are naming themselves after his band.

Candyce’s dad is the coach, so I had fun with that. I showed all the exaggerated responses of a soccer mom. The other team would get close to scoring on us, and I’d stand up and throw my hands in the air, and turn my back to the field, pace around in circles, and then sit back down before doing it all over again. I’d run up to John after a time-out and harass him about his team’s performance. I’d yell out stupid things that made no sense: Give ‘em the heater! Don’t make the monkey mumble! Get ‘em on the up swing! I’d encourage random girls on the field.

The last fun experience over the weekend was watching college football with the guys. I love college football, but I’ve been so busy traveling over the past several years that I’ve had no chance to watch games except in bars at the airport. So to hang out with Danny, Johnny, and John on the couch in front of the big screen was a lot of fun.

September 11
Yesterday was September 11th, so I started the day by praying the rosary while I walked around the neighborhood. I don’t know how to deal with commemorating a day like that, but I figured prayer was the best I had do give. It was the perfect morning too. The air was chilly enough to make the morning sun feel good on my shoulders. I love the fall.

Last night was the very first Life Teen Mass at St. Pat’s, Candyce’s family’s church in Carlsbad. Candyce’s mom has worked hard for two years to make this day happen, so it was really beautiful to be there when it all finally came together. I was asked to speak at the beginning of the Life Night to get things started. I was so impressed with how many kids came for the night. This is the beginning of a very good thing at St. Pat’s. It’s going to become a fun, loving, and exciting place for teenagers. It’s going to become my church when I’m in San Diego.

Back in Arizona
This morning was kind of random. John had rented an Impala earlier in the week for a business trip, and we used it to get to the airport. But as we were loading in, I heard him talking about treasure hunting with a friend on his cell phone, and those conversations always go one for a while. So I asked if I should drive, and he handed me the keys. It was such a random experience having my girlfriend’s dad in the back seat of the car while I drove his car.

Back in Arizona…Candyce and I went to Einstein’s for a late breakfast before I dropped her off at school. It was a good day at work. Even though I was tired from lack of sleep, I was refreshed by a fun weekend. It was fun catching up with friends at the Studio and getting back to work.

This is going to be a big week of loading the online store on lifeteen.com during the day, and at night working on the re-launch of nomoho.com.