Bye Bye, Brook!

We're sad to see Brook go, but I think it was her time. And, it's almost Brian's time to overtake Chad for the lead. Only 13 points separate the two. Good luck gentlemen! There was lots of movement in the top 10 for the AIFL this week. Take a look!

Also, feel free to take a look at my favorite Brook White performance, from a few weeks back . . .

5 to 4

So, AIFL contestants, this week give me your Bottom TWO. 75 points for each correct guess, and a whopping 150 more for guessing who's going home! 300 points on the line. Good luck!

Restaurant Review: Pride Burger

Do you want some PRIDE in your burger?


We wanted some, so we gave Pride Burger in McKinney a try. Let me tell you, it was an experience.



This mom-and-pop establishment has the exact quaint, no-frills look that usually signifies excellent undiscovered grub. However, we discovered that sometimes a hole in the wall is just a hole in the wall.


The food was extremely average. It was the kind of stuff you can get at a little league concession stand.


Oh well, at least the kids liked it.


I think the only thing that Pride Burger has going for it is the atmosphere and the clientèle. If you want to get a good taste of rural North Texas, just come sit in here for awhile, y'all.


We overheard a unique conversation while we were there. A crusty-looking 50-something toothless gentleman was sitting in a booth just to the left of the proceeding picture. The pictured couple walked in, and the wife immediately recognized the fellow seated at the booth. Here's what we heard:

Lady: Hey, aren't you Glen?

"Glen" (Groaning and grunting): yeaaahhh . . .

Lady (somewhat taken aback): Remember me? I'm Melba.

"Glen" (Looking the other way): Uh huhhh . . .

Lady (clutching tightly to her husband): Uh, nice to see you again!

(Lady exits right while Glen continues gumming his chicken.)


And did we mention the free gambling machine? Wil sure liked it. Must be those Vegas genes kicking in.



So, do we recommend Pride Burger? No. Was it a once-in-a-lifetime experience? You betcha.

If you venture out and decide to swallow your *Pride*, say hi to Glen for us!!

Finally, New Results

Sorry for the delay. We now have the updated AIFL results! Brian has continued to close the gap by once again predicting the correct person going home. He was the only one to choose Carly! Good job, brother. Watch your back, Chad . . .

AIFL

We're coming down to the wire now! Who's your bottom three? Is Brook's "stop and start" going to send her home? Is Jason Castro's "my mom made me sing this song" performance going to send him packing? Will there be some shocker, with one of the Davids going home, because everyone assumed they were safe and didn't vote this week?

Anything can happen when Andrew Lloyd Webber gets involved!!

Send in your picks for the bottom three and who you think's outta here, along with any changes to your top 8.

Wii Will Rock You

Happy birthday Wilson!

Our boy is six years old, and had a great birthday today. He got donuts for breakfast this morning, had his class sing happy birthday to him at school, and ate some awesome chocolate fudge cake. But, the highlight of the day is most definitely his big present: the Wii.

He's been hinting and angling for a game system for a while, and his cool grandma, Brett's mom, hooked him up with the birthday present of his dreams. It's going to be plenty of fun for the whole family. Here's the evidence--


Wii like it very much.


Wii will not fight over whose turn it is, will wii?


Wii will not start playing too young.

Closing the Gap

Chad is still our top dog in the AIFL, but Brian G is closing the gap. I think America got it right when they sent Kristy home. By the way, the Gibbons also got it right by guessing the bottom three perfectly, including that Kristi was going home. Well done!!

Here is Kristy's best performance, in my opinion. It's her only great performance, from a couple of weeks ago.

Idol

So, what do you think about this week's show? Who's in your bottom three? If you're like me, you'll also want to shuffle some finalists around to salvage some points from your lineup. So let us know your predictions and changes. This week you get 40 points for every correct bottom three guess, and 80 for picking who's going home. 200 points on the line! Good luck . . .

One more question for you: Who was the coolest American Idol contestant ever? If your answer isn't Blake Lewis, you're wrong.

Here's a little flashback from last season, with Blake transforming a Bon Jovi song into a work of modern art. Enjoy!

How Close is Too Close?

Wil and Maisy LOVE their little brother Alton. Is it possible to love someone too much?

It's good when siblings are close, but how close is too close?

Is this too close?


How about this?


And this?



Wil and Maisy sometimes serenade little Ace with a variety of beautiful tunes, as caught on video:








Let's just say that sometimes Alton is overwhelmed with love from his brother and sister.

AIFL Shakeup

So, Michael Johns is gone. He was picked by half of the AIFL League to go ALL THE WAY! As a result, some people fell and others rose in the standings this week. My Bro Brian was the huge gainer, moving up from 7th to 2nd. Can you guess who was the only guy to guess the bottom three correctly? Yeah, Chad S. He's got the crystal ball workin'.

So, AIFL's that lost Michael Johns, are you going to make a big change for the coming week, or are you going to hold tight? Think about it, and try not to lose any sleep. Until next Tuesday!

By the way, WHO VOTES FOR KRISTY LEE, SYESHA, AND CARLY? How are they on longer than Michael Johns? Amazing.

Idol

So, who's going home? You have an extra day this week to send us your bottom three picks and any changes you want to make. As you ponder, here's my boy D. A. singing one of my all time favorite songs . . .

Have you Heard?

When was the last time you had an urge to see dead birds in a drawer? If you're like me, that urge hits quite often. Well, let's just say that my aviary corpse craving was satisfied as we went to visit the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney.

The museum is off of highway 5, kind of on the border of McKinney and Fairview. We had a great time, even though the museum is less than spectacular. The kids truly enjoyed themselves, and so did we! Here are some pics:

Maisy and Wil became real scientists, complete with lab coats. They were able to walk inside a dinosaur, discover buried fossils, see real live poisonous snakes, and look through a microscope.


My favorite room was full of "stuffed animals." Think taxidermist, not teddy bear. We could see dead birds in a drawer, dead frogs in a drawer, or dead bobcats behind glass! Wilson and Maisy were able to see a real dead cardinal. Gooooo Cardinals!

It was so fun that Maisy could hardly bear it!


After we left the animal morgue, we walked some cool nature trails. It was great, but not very stroller friendly (sorry for the jostling, little Alton). We saw some exotic marsupials and tropical birds in one of their little exhibits (kind of like a mini zoo), and then ventured down to a little pond full of turtles and birds.

The rain soon came and we had to head back. We really did have a great time, and I would recommend the place for a day out with the youngsters. It's not elegant, but it's educational and fun.

So the next time Texas roadkill doesn't satisfy your dead animal needs, head on over to the Heard Museum. Remember, you Heard it here first!

The Race is Tight

So, Chad is pretty good. He's the only one so far this season to guess the entire bottom three correctly, including who's going home. He's pretty much dominating. However, there are only 60 points separating 2nd through 7th. Some people's recent changes are really paying off!

On a personal note, it was fun being in the top ten while it lasted . . . I created this! Shouldn't I be good at it, or at least average?

AIFL

Good night of American Idol tonight! I very much enjoyed it, especially little Davey's performance. How about that Dolly Parton? I remember my mom had one of her albums when I was young, and I remember her singing some of the songs that I heard tonight. My mom's singing voice rivals that of some of the contestants. Just ask anyone sitting near us at church!

Anyway, please submit your bottom three choices, who's going home, and any changes you want to make to your top 8. This week you get 30 points for every correct bottom three choice, and 60 points for picking who's going home, for a total of 150 points if you get it perfect!

As for the changes, it's the same as last week. It will cost you 50 points for switching two people in your top 8, and 100 points for adding a new person in. Good luck!