Nedbery

I have a pretty cool announcement that I don't know how many of you already know, but now that I am about to blog about it, I guess you could say it is officially official.

I have signed with New Growth Press to publish my second book/first novel! It's called Clay. I think the title will stick. The title of my first didn't. Over the next couple months I'll be keeping you posted on the progress. I'll probably also post excerpts for you. I love feedback!

- especially while I'm hacking away at it in hopes to make it Newbery caliber. I confess I dream to win this award. I confess I have little hope in succeeding.

However, I was able to entice the world famous and close friend Elizabeth Northcutt Williams to take a picture of me for the jacket sleeve. Not bad if I do say so myself.

I am also harnessing the karma of past winners by reading through as many as I can this summer. Last week, I began this undertaking with The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois (1948), The Giver by Lois Lowry (1994), and Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (1928).

I recommend them all - the Balloons and the Giver, with more gusto. However, the Pigeon book (it is seriously about a pigeon) did have a few meaningful moments for me. I've quoted them below for you (in case Gay Neck never makes it around to your reading list).

Most portions have to do with courage and fear. (You can tell what I'm needing right now.) Here you go:

"You must know, O Jewel amongst hunters, that no animal, nor any man, is attacked and killed by an enemy until the latter succeeds in frightening him. I have seen even rabbits escape hounds and foxes when they kept themselves free of fear. Fear clouds one's wits and paralyses one's nerve. He who allows himself to be frightened lets himself be killed." p. 55

"Here let it be inscribed in no equivocal language that almost all our troubles come from fear, worry and hate. If any man catches one of the three, the other two are added unto it." p 128

"Infinite courage is in all life. Each being that lives and breathes is a resevoir of infinite courage." p 172

"May the north wind bring healing unto you,
May the south wind bring healing unto you,
May the winds of the east and west pour healing into you.
Fear flees from you,
Hate flees from you,
And suspicion flees from you.
Courage like a rushing tide gallops through you;
Peace possesses your entire being,
And serenity and strength have become your two wings.
In your eyes shines courage;
Power and prowess dwell in your heart!
You are healed,
You are healed,
You are healed!
Peace, peace, peace." p 175-6

PLEASE SEND ME YOUR FAVORITE NEWBERY RECOMMENDATIONS!

I will also receive your prayers!

Thanks.

Not Fade Away...a Dave Dave Original

I don't know if this is funny because I'm Dave Dave's daddy, or because it's funny.

Kentucky Derby 2011

Another Kentucky Derby has come and gone. This year, as in years past, we mixed mojitos, fixed Texas caviar, and watched the greatest two minutes in sports. Lia tried this new artichoke dip, that was new, but the big difference this year was that we decided to invite some of Lia's coworkers and their young families to join in the festivities.

Mary, Ellen, and Meredith work with Lia. Their husbands were out front playing cornhole. Out there, the competition was tight, but as it turned out, not photo worthy.

Ashley is not a newbie to the Kentucky Derby mojitos. She and Blake are mainstays, in fact. But she got in not because we love her, but because she also works with Lia. Blake and I were also playing cornhole. We were also not photo worthy.

The kids had a giggle-fest in the backyard. Anna Rose instigated it by making "underwear soup". I'm not sure I can explain. But it does probably explain why Anna Rose's underwear is on the ground instead of on her booty. Someone must have considered this photo worthy.

And now, for the actual race. It was won by longshot Animal Kingdom. The horse was chosen by none other than my son David. He is here celebrating a well-deserved victory. He'll be buying my lottery tickets for now on.

Love and Hate

Lia loves Spring. She has opened the windows and filled our house with flowers. She spends her free time with her garden. She spends her free time at night, reading about gardening. She spends her morning thinking about what she can do in her garden later that day. You get the picture. The woman loves growing things.

I wouldn't say I hate Spring necessarily, but I have a hard time loving it. I've discovered I have a hard time loving something I'm allergic to. Like cats. I don't like them so it's a good thing I'm allergic to them (if I wasn't, we'd own one, I'm sure). So allergies are not all bad. I'm getting off track.

I'll stay off track. Here are a few photos from the Lillie's Friends race last week:

That's me, celebrating my third place finish! Brian Amrich is in the background eating a well-deserved donut. He finished first in the unofficial yet prestigious stroller division. Below is a better picture of him, Erin and Emerson (the winning rider).

The thing is Spring is beautiful and it makes my eyes water, not to mention that it also makes me sneeze and itch all over and feel sick and want to die. Besides that, Spring is great.

(my kidsz have turned into thugz)

Lia asked me two days ago when I was going to finish landscaping around our play set. I almost cried. But I set right to work. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Oh," I said, "I couldn't think of a reason to put it off."

We went to a Delane and Elyse Clark's farm to feed goats. Dave Dave liked the horses better than the goats.

I've been thinking about love, lately. It's Spring after all. I sort of have this idea that you show someone how much you love them by doing things that you hate to do. So I've been doing a lot of yard work lately.

This morning I had a little epiphany. I realized that love doesn't always have to be like that. When Anna Rose wants to show me love she picks a flower from out in the yard and says, "Here, dad, you can have it." "Thanks," I say. Inside I'm saying, "If she makes me smell this thing, I'm going to sneeze." But also inside I'm saying, "I'm glad my little girl loves me." So anyway, back to the epiphany. Here it is: I realized that sometimes I should allow myself to love Lia the way I want to love her.

Easter at the Ericksons. Anna Rose got a Zsu Zsu pet in her Easter basket because she loves them.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it's important to figure out (try to figure out) what it is that Lia really wants. I think that's great. And I also think it is important to show her that I love her by slaving away in the yard. But I think, in addition to these, I should give myself permission to buy her this dress that I know she will look drop dead gorgeous in, even though she told me she didn't really think it was her style.

Because love needs to just come out of you sometimes. I need to stop worrying about how it's received. Sometimes you just have to do it because you feel it.

Cheesiest picture of all time? Yay or Nay?

Same goes for Spring. I am going to love it because Lia loves it. And I'm going to work in the yard because I know Lia will appreciate it. But I'm also going to take my Claritin and secretly hope for summer to come and not feel bad about it.

My Kind of Mustache

Lia refuses to let me grow a mustache, and for good reason: they look bad on my face. I mean bad. Not bad meaning good, but bad meaning bad.

She says they scratch her face. She also says that they erase the little handsome-ness I do possess and replace it with a major overdose of shady-ness. Two decent reasons, which is why I do not grow a mustache even though I am so attracted to the idea of them. I mean, come on, mustaches are cool...at least that's my idea of the people who can wear them well.


The truth is I wear them poorly. Even my wife looks better in one than me. After this picture, she told me to get this one off my face immediately.



So I did.

Family Camp Part 2 - Fred Gimble

Are we making trouble? NO! Are we blowing bubbles? NO! Are we sizable dimples? NO! Are we a facial pimple? NO! We are Fred Gimble, stunt men extraordinaire! Hollywood knows us and we know Hollywood!

Perhaps you have seen us before without knowing it. Here are a few photos from some of our favorite scenes.

This one is my brother Fred, sitting in for Gene Kelly in one of the most iconic scenes in film history. Gene had a cold that day, so my brother friend had to be the one to get wet!

This one is from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was a tough shot for me. The glare was amazing, and I had to make sure I took that fake bullet just right with all those people in the background. That's actually my brother Fred in the burka stage left.

This is the stinky cheese scene from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Fred's finger smelled for a month after this shot. When you get into this business, no one ever tells you this stuff. But it's not that glorious sometimes.

This is me, Fred, in the movie Princess Bride. You see Robin Wright's face right here? She's not even acting. We were just having a fight. I had stiffed her earlier with the bill from breakfast, and she was ticked. I said, listen Robin, you get paid like 10,000 times more than me, the least you can do is pay for my Grand Slam. You know what that comment got me? Pushed down a hill!

One of our favorite men in the business is George Lucas. The guy is a genius. Here is Fred on the set of Stars Wars, Episode II: the Attack of the Clones getting ready for one of the many fight scenes we have done over the years.

This is a rather painful shot for me to watch. Here I was after sliding down on my web. I got rope burns on my thighs, all the blood in my body has rushed to the top of my afro, and I'm about to finally get a kiss from Kirsten Dunst, and Tobey Maguire comes out from his pimped out trailer after his two hour long pre-shot massage and takes all the glory. I'll never forgive the guy. Never!

To give you a sense of how seriously my brother takes his job, he actually gave himself rabies to prepare for this scene.

In the movie, Woody hangs here for something like three seconds. But for those three seconds of film, I had to hold this position three hours!



Needless to say, it's not easy assuming all the risks and getting none of the notoriety.

But hey, that's show business.

Family Camp Part 1 - Hex Caliber

This is Abby, Deanne and Niles. We were at Family Camp last weekend. Abby and Deanne were campers. Niles and his brother Austin were air band rockers. When you put them together they became Hex Caliber. And they have one thing to say: "Let's Rock!"

The last three years they've won the WABC (Weaverville Air Band Championship), but try as they may they have failed to win the attention or the affection of the most beautiful and talented lady rockers in the universe - Foxy Loxy.

To make matters worse, their Big Mama keeps telling them to cut it out with their silly shenanigans.

Just when they thought they had come up with the song to win Foxy Loxy's hearts, Big Mama takes their instruments away!

Niles is at his wits end, but Austin helps him see the light.

Real instruments or not, the show must go on!

To Hex Caliber's surprise, Foxy Loxy loves them the way they are!

Lois and Austin share a kiss to last a lifetime. Roxy tells Austin he rocks.

Big Mama cries because she is so happy. All her life she has been trying to raise her boys to see the light, and they finally do!

Key the dance party, Andy Barnhill aka DJ Beardhouse!

Disney Part 3 - "His Eyes"

Does this count as a first kiss?

I think so!

Getting ready to go on Safari in the Animal Kingdom.

Look Daddy, there's a giraffe outside our room!

Call me Mr. T. (Tea Cup, that is).

Check out my fat ride.

It's a small world.

Daddy, can we build a house like the Swiss Family Robinson's in our backyard?

Sorry Cinderella, I'm taken. And these bacon and eggs rock!

Should I tell him that this is not actually Marlin and that those pebbles he is feeding him aren't actually fish food? Nah.

There's something about a kid in a onesie.

Hopefully the monorail is as fun as waiting for it.

I love how he still is holding his car.

I think the boy likes ribs.

Yes, the boy most definitely likes ribs.