Whoa. Chris Cornell does Jimmy Gnecco??

One of my favorite pop songs from recent history is a tune called "Someone to Die For," which was originally released (I think) on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack, sung by a man named Jimmy Gnecco. Gnecco is a fantastic singer, but this is the only song I've ever heard him sing.

Recently, I discovered something EVEN BETTER: a demo version of this song, sung not by Jimmy but by one of my all-time favorite musicians, the incredible Chris Cornell.

Check out what he does with this unbelieveable tune:



(FYI - only the audio is "Someone to Die For." The video seen here is for the song "Preaching the End of the World.")

Peyton Everett Gillman!!!

He's here! and I called it! a week early! So I was all set up to be induced on wednesday the 17th, but someone decided to come the day before! It worked out all to well. I had just finished wrapping things up at work, Jason had done the same, cleared his schedule. Sydney was being pickup by gramma and grampa and being brought up to the house later that day. I called Jason and said, hey, let's go to lunch before our last doctor's appointment. I met him at his work, we drove over to Cafe Rio, ordered lunch, sat down and.....I looked up and said, um, I think my water broke. Niether one of us even got one bite of our food! So Jason said, let's go and we got in the car and went to the hospital. I wasn't even having contractions until we were maybe half way or more to the hospital. We were admitted at close to 1:00pm and I delived the baby at 3:24pm! It was crazy! If anyone wants more details than that I'd be more than happy to share. Especially the "and that's what Rice Krispies decided NOT to use as there slogan" comment from Jason. So without further ado, here are a few pictures. And since I don't know how to place pictures at the end of my writing, I'm sure you will have seen them before this blog, but I'll try, ha!

Well, there are a few pictures. There a a couple more worth posting, if I can't get them in this post, I'll try another!

It worked! Can't wait to see you all!

Gimme Peyton!

Put that kid up here! Pics! Pics, I say!

Utah State Fair

So today we went to the fair with Gramma and Papa...interestingly we bumped into Jenn and Stephen at the end of our day too! Not much to say other than we walked around and Sydney was completely worn out due to an over-night stay at the grandparents the night before and then no nap before going to the fair. But we had fun! Here are some pictures!

On another note, I made the valances for the baby's room, totally makes the room! And I ordered on ebay a really awsome airplane mobile and 3 vintage airplane drawings. Just need to hang those when they get here and figure out a name for this boy so that I can hang up his name like I did for Sydney. Letters hung on the wall, I think this time, instead of ribbon like Sydney's, I'm going to use shoe laces! Any day now he is welcome to make his arrival!

Oktoberfest--see below

So one thing I forgot to add about the other day was that fact that I saw two guys with a large beer in both hands (yes drinking from both of them) and wearing a BYU hat! AND on a Sunday! ha! Okay, so here is the picture of Jason and Sydney going down the alpine slide. Hope this works!

Oktoberfest

So last Sunday Jason, Sydney and I decided to drive a few miles up the canyon to Snowbird resort for the annual Oktoberfest! It was a nice cool day and when we got there the music was blaring, people walking around with beer in both hands laughing and smiling. It was beautiful up there, it has been a while since we'd been up the canyon. We walked Sydney around the booths and let her bounce in the inflatable bouncy thing and the big inflatable slide. Then we had some lunch in the big tent where there was a band playing silly songs, yodelers, a yo-yo champion, really old people dressed in German outfits dancing and we ate some weird chicken/apple sausage thing. We got Sydney a potato pancake which was basically hashbrowns and eggs shaped into a pancake....I ate that too, she didn't like it. She wanted to get her face painted so we took her to the booth and said just her cheek, thinking she wouldn't like it as soon as the artist started. But, she loved her butterfly and wanted the other check done as well, so she got a flower on the other side. We walked her over to watch people going down the alpine slide and zip line. She wasn't interested in the zip line, said it was too scary for little kids, but we kinda talked her into riding the alpine slide with Jason, showing her all the little kids riding and smiling with their daddies. She got excited to do it. We bought the ticket and then she and Jason had to ride the chair lift to the top of the slide. I watched them get on, noticing her apprehension, but as soon as they sat down she started to smile! She yelled down to me "Hi Mom!! This is fun!" It was so cute, smiling all the way up. I watched for them at the top and finally it was their turn! I watched them come around the bend and the smile on this girl's face was the biggest I have ever seen! Jason said that she was saying "weeeeee" and whooping all the way down! She smiled and me and yelled and as soon as she got off she ran up to me yelling "I did it and it was so so fun!" We spent 4 hours there and it didn't even seem like it! What fun! Of course, dumb me, I didn't bring my camera, so we decided to check out the pictures they take of you coming down the slide. I said that if it was decent and it didn't cost a ton, I'd buy one....so I did! It's framed on a shelf in Sydney's room, and since I just put her down to sleep I can't go get it to scan it in, but I'll try later. Just wanted to tell you all how stinky cute she was!

--shari

Mt Tam Scramble

You can't really say I ran the Mt Tam Scramble. Yes, I paid my entry fee. Yes, I laced up my running shoes. Yes, I made it to the starting line and took off when the guy shouted, "Go!" But what happened after that couldn't really be called "running."

The 28th annual Roger Gordon's Famous Labor Day Trail Run Hill Climb (aka the "Mt Tam Scramble") is a footrace like no other. You start early in the morning in the lazy town of Mill Valley, and head to the top of Mt Tamalpais by any and all routes available. Marked, signed trails are the slowest way to go. Runners scramble over rocks, brambles, bushes, poison oak, rubble slides, and dirt like powdered sugar to get to the tip top of East Peak. At many points (okay, at most points), the trail is too steep to run. You're either hiking and breathing like a freight train, or on all fours, scrambling like a Neanderthal and collecting scrapes and bruises. Touching the old wooden door of the fire lookout tower (built in 1937) constitutes the "finish line." There are no aid stations on this 2,500' +/- climb. The race isn't really sanctioned. You show up, pay your entry fee, sign your name in a notebook, and check your name off that same notebook once you get to the top. Your "racing bib" is a popsicle stick with a your place number written on it, which you're handed upon touching the old wooden door. There's no real route, so winning times mean nothing. Nobody's certain exactly how far they went, just that it approximates 3 miles. And since it's a non-sanctioned race, once you're at the top, well, you gotta find your own way down. Most runners either run to the bottom (on an eaiser route, of course), or run west to Portrero Meadows, where the after party commences.

It was the silliest, funnest, most random, most rewarding race I've ever done. :) Congrats to J and A who ran it with me, and congrats to whoever earned bragging rights this year.

- Steph