Broken Tail

I don't know how she did it... but somehow Hope BROKE her tail! This scrappy, adventurous, hyper, happy, sweet dog never ceases to amaze us... It seems like she got it caught in the door, but we are pretty certain that is not what happened because it would have been one of us and I think we would have known!

You know when you feel down someone's spine and you can feel each vertebrae, well thats how her tail feels until you get to the bent part it feels out of line. Crazy.

The good thing is she doesn't appear to be in any pain.

My first home improvement project

Since we didn't really have much experience with hot water heaters we just called a repair guy to come out on Monday.... in the mean time our friend told us fixing a water heater was relatively easy and we could probably do it ourselves... ha ha. So Kenny called and canceled our appointment with Brighams Plumbing (623 210 6444) and the guy told Kenny HOW to fix it! So when we got home late Saturday night we decided to give it a try. The first step was to drain the unit... drip drip drip... nothing was coming out. Great. We pulled out the heating element and warm water gushed out at us. Kenny pulled and pulled at the element and it wouldn't come out. It was so rusted and bent it wouldn't come back through the hole!

Heating elements : the left one is the burned up one, the middle one was probably still good and the right one is new

After dumping 50 gallons of water onto the garage floor the element finally came out and we could see what a mess we had. The bottom of the unit had collected about 10 inches of sediment over the 5 years we have lived there and NEVER drained the unit! We were pretty discouraged at this point and didn't know what to do never. Kenny called the plumbing guy back to let him know we would need him to come out after all... he told Kenny not to throw in the towel yet and gave him some additional advice on what to do. At this point if the project didn't work we would need a new unit (costing about $500) so we thought we mind as well try the project!





The goal was to get as much of the sediment out of the unit as possible. We could replace the element, but the would just burn up without getting that gunk out of there. Kenny got out the power washer for the car wash... we forced water into the unit through the drainage port... and it worked! It released the clog and out came white waterand TONS of sediment! We did this over and over for about 2 hours... We also used this ruler to scoop out the sediment

We cleared out about 90% of the sediment and added a few years of life to our unit! It was actually a really fun project!

We spent lots of time sweeping the water and sediment out of the garage... it ruined part of the paint and drywall around the unit and our drive way has a white 'stain' now, but it was worth it! We only spent $27 on parts rather than $500 on a new unit! Go team K!

I took this picture the next day... see all the sediment that ended up in the gutter at the end of the drive way

Suns- THE END

Well the season has come to a close... Its bittersweet really..

If I you were considering becoming a season ticket holder here are some pros and cons Kenny and I came up with -

- consider the cost- I know duh! But seriously we had planned on taking the light rail to the games to save on parking (since the light rail is free when you are going to an event at US Airways), but we did that umm lets see... zero times. We probably spent close to $600 in parking over the 40 games we attended. They offer package deals to Season ticket holders and if you can pay a couple hundred up front you can probably save $150-200. Also, be reasonable about food. Maybe you are one of those people that can go to a game and bring a bottle of water and be good for the entire 4-5 hours you are there, but we are not. I like to have a soda and or ice cream... easy $10 right there - per game and thats if you share! 


- consider the number of games- If we were to purchase season tickets again we would probably split them with another couple. 44 games is A LOT. Even though it is only one or two per week it ended up almost being more something we HAD to do rather than a super exciting (expensive) event we looked forward to. 


- the seats are small 


- location of the seats (we were behind the visitor bench) which meant we had to deal with crazy Spurs and LA Laker fans.... drama! 


Pros: 


- We had an event to take family to.  If someone is visiting from out of town, then you can treat them to a game.


- Seeing the stars in person that you watch on TV and hear about on the sports talk radio.  We got to see LaBron James play for example.  


- It was exciting to see the high caliper teams.


- It was an experience.  To be part of the games atmosphere was exciting.  

- The free giveaways.  We received 10 bottles or so of body wash, french fries from McDonalds, etc.  The best giveaway was throwing Subway sandwiches from the ceiling and they floated down by parachutes.  


Written by Kenny and Amanda (I wrote all the cons and Kenny wrote all the pros lol, but we both agree on them!) 

T*A*N*G-O

Tonight Kenny and I tried our hand (or should I say feet) at ballroom dancing using our Groupon for Fred Astaire dance studio. The deal gets you 2 private lessons, a group lesson and a party for two for just $10. Our instructor was amazing and had us laughing a lot! We learned that the woman is always right and the man always leads... but some women want to always be right and lead : ) We tried the Fox trot, Tango, Swing and Rumba. We both really took to the Tango and Rumba but the Fox Trot there was a little bit of toe smashing. Unfortunately the private lesson was only 20 minutes and just flew by! The instructor then wanted to give us a sales pitch on continuing classes at the studio... it was $245 for 5, 45 minute classes... Although, this is something I really want to do, and Kenny is willing we just don't have the time or money to devote to this right now. Since it is on my bucket list we will revisit for sure! We decided to just stick with using our Groupon and maybe go to the Buffalo Chip on Thursday nights for their FREE dance lessons! Next week I think we are going to try some Country style dances.

Kenny Kruger

Although, we grew up states apart my cousin and I ended up being two peas in a pod! We have lots of the same interests, opinions and attitudes about things. When we were kids we didn't spend much time together because I was mostly playing with his sisters! When he was shipped to Irac and Afghanistan I worried about him often and took turns with my mom and grandma occasionally sending care packages to him.  He was there for our wedding and we were there for his. When he came to visit a year ago after our grandpa passed away he and his family stayed with us, but we still didn't seem to have as much time together. I have always liked him, but it feels like this is the first time we really got to know him and we just clicked. 

He is so down to earth, funny and just seems to fit in everywhere you go. He has a great attitude and always sees the positive! He sees the potential and the good in people... not their faults or short comings. When things go wrong he doesn't waste his breath complaining. (I even asked him about that and he just said, "Lifes is too short to and things could be worse")  He is defiantly a "Yes man" and ready for most any adventure, but still makes smart and logical decisions. He has great stories to share, but won't dominate the conversation or make your experiences/stories seem any less important or less interesting. He is humble, yet proud of his accomplishments and where he is at in his life (I think that is a hard balance to find). He has a huge heart and cares so much! 

The guy just brings out the best in everyone. My grandma was so happy to see him and is so proud of the man he has become. She just lights up when he is in the room. My mom adores him and can't say enough good about him. When my brother was up at the hospital he told my grandma how 'cool' Little Kenny is and wished he didn't have to leave (kind of a big deal, because my brother doesn't usually dish out compliments like that). 

We were all SO sad to see him go home! When we all said our goodbyes I told my Kenny I was going outside because I might cry (which I did)  and he replied, "Heck I might cry too!" He has plans of moving back to Arizona in the near future and we hope that comes true... 

Kenny's 30th Birthday - the actual day

Little Kenny and I decorated Kenny's office with lots of balloons and this awesome doorway the night before. Plus I left him a giant bag of popcorn and huge muffins to start his day. 

When he came into the office he found his cubicle like this: 

For lunch a group of us took him to the Tilted Kilt... Umm not my favorite place... the waitresses dress pretty inappropriately and the food is expensive (but hey it wasn't my bday lunch) He had a nice meal chatting with friends though. 


He got lots of calls and text messages with birthday wishes and a funny card from the other Kuhns. Last year we rented a car for Kenny's b-day and this year we rented a boat! We will be using that sometime this summer : ) 

After work we headed over to grandma's to spend time with her, Little Kenny, Uncle Rick, Aunt Mei-lan and my cousin Chris (so nice of them to all come in for Kenny's birthday lol) . The guys went to the airport to pick up Chris and us women 'cooked' up some pizza. I ended up spending $50 on the pizza and wasn't very happy about that, but hey how often do you get to have dinner with that many out of state relatives for your birthday!  They bought Kenny and oreo ice cream cake... probably his favorite! Yummo! 

TOP: Me, Kenny Kuhn, Kenny Kruger, Aunt Mei-Lan, Chris
BOTTOM: My Mom, Grandma, Lucy and Uncle Rick 

30 things I love about Kenny

To Kenny : 
30 things I love about you (in no order) 
- your handsome goatee and ridiculously awesome white teeth 
- your incredible, big, kind heart
- you can fix everything!
- you are hard working 
- never want to take anything that you don't earn 
- you are amazingly supportive of my crazy ideas 
- you love me for who I am 
- how you laugh out loud to the TV 
- that you make up silly nick names for me 
- you patiently deal with my mood swings 
- how professional you are in your job and that people enjoy being audited by you
- you always share 
- how you wrestle with our nephews 
- your sense of humor (most of the time lol) 
- your sense of responsibility 
- that you wash our clothes every week and never complain about it 
- that you mostly always give in to me 
- your generosity 
- the way you always take care of people if you can (fixing things, mowing, giving rides etc) 
- that you still call your grandpa Bubba and your grandma Nana 
- that you can drive anything! 
- you don't quit  
- your integrity 
- how its not about the money it actually is the thought the counts when giving you gifts 
- that you actually listen when I need to vent 
- I love that we can still talk for hours 
- how excited you get about little things (iced tea, popcorn) 
- your handsome eyes and how they kind of change with your mood 
- that you still compliment me and notice little things 
- how you take care of me 


:Love, Amanda 

It's the C word

Thursday morning our super duper fun week took a dreadful turn when we were told our grandma has lung cancer. It was an unexpected blow since the day before they had told us she had bacteria in her lungs and a few weeks of antibiotics should clear it up...which apparently is also true. We (Kenny, Little Kenny, My mom, Brian and I) were all there when the oncologist came in to talk with grandma. The first step is to get a PET scan and determine if the cancer is localized to her lung or if it has spread. The scan will also help determine what stage the cancer is. Once he determines if the cancer is localized the best treatment option would be to remove that part of the lung. Unfortunately, that is not an option for my grandma and she will have to turn to radiation or chemotherapy if she decides to fight it. The Dr. also told us the treatments aren't as harsh as they used to be and have minimal side effects (grandma is very worried about losing her hair). At this point he is guessing she has had the cancer for at least 5 years and it is probably slow growing. 

We all got to ask our questions and I guess mostly the answers we want will come after the PET scan. Dr. Rakkar seems very nice, patient and we can understand him which is always a plus. 

Everyone is pretty shaken by the news but we managed to have a good evening together. The guys went and got Sonic for everyone because grandma was craving a hot dog : ) Uncle Rick and Aunt Mei-lan arrived tonight as well. 

Rock Climbing - Spider Man

Brian and Little Kenny bouldering 

This month AZ on the Rocks is having a food drive and in exchange for bringing in items you receive a FREE day pass equipment included! We totally had to take advantage of such a great deal! Brian, Kenny, Little Kenny and I had a blast climbing the walls!

Brian

Brian 

My brother was insanely good at it ---how annoying that he is good at everything---, but I loved when my brother said, "See I could totally be in the Army." (fingers crossed). He was like a spider climbing up the walls... I guess this is an activity that pays off being strong and only weighing 140 lbs!

Me

My brother said later that he was impressed with how well I did, because girls usually don't have much upper body strengh... I am choosing to take that as a compliment! LOL

Little Kenny climbing and Brian belaying

Kenny 

After about an hour and half of climbing we were beat so it was time to eat! We went to Luke's of Chicago (yes the same place we went the last time we went rock climbing). The food was good but the company was better. Little Kenny got it right when he said my brother is so funny because he is so quick (minded). He is constantly coming up with something and has us all laughing most of the time. When we were about to leave Kenny dared my brother to get the waitress' phone number for my cousin and he would pay him $5. Well if you know my brother you know he won't back down from most challenges, but this one took a little extra coaxing so Little Kenny and I each put in $5 too.  He did it!  The part that is funny is that he did it with no shoes on... He had been walking around in his socks 'letting his toes unfold from the climbing shoes' lol. Great memories.

Paragliding

So this was one of my wild hair ideas... I am constantly wanting to try new things and when I decided this was one of the things I had to do, my next step was finding someone to do it with me. My friend Jereme said no... I seriously still don't understand how he could jump out of a plane, but not off a mountain... Anyway, something made me think of my cousin Kenny, so I asked and of course he was on board! The Buywithme.com deal came through a few days before Christmas and I still hadn't bought my brother anything... SO I got him one too! He is kind of like that... up for anything. Once Little Kenny bought his plane ticket we made our reservations with FLY HIGH PARAGLIDING... (there is something about that name). 

The big day was supposed to be 04/04/11... got up super early, picked up my brother and got to the meeting area about 40 mins early. We were all eager with anticipation, but still decided to get a quick bit to eat at Cracker Barrel. We all ate light... except my brother. He acted like it was his last meal and we all found that pretty entertaining. 

We got to the meeting spot (a circle K near the mountain landing zone) and waited... and waited. Finally I decided to call and that is when I saw the e-mail from the instructor... the winds were too strong and not good for Paragliding... we had to reschedule. 

We drove all the way back across town and since I am low on vacation days I went to work.  The morning was not a waste though because we all had a great time talking and laughing. 

The NEXT day, Tuesday 04/05 we did it all again (minus the last meal at Cracker Barrel) with way less enthusiasm and met up with the guy... We were a little worried about his sketchy operation when he drove up. There were a lot of jokes told on the way there. We nervously dropped our car off at the landing zone and then we realized what was going to happen. In order to get to the jumping spot we needed to drive around South Mountain... if you are not familiar (like we weren't), its far. It took us over an hour to get to the top. Since you fly tandem and this is a one man operation guess how much time you have to wait in between each jump! PLUS guess who has to drive the instructor up and down the mountain! We ended up being there for over 6 hours and my Kenny had to drive 180 miles up and down the mountain!!  The dude was totally unprofessional and had such a thick accent we couldn't understand most of what he said anyway. 

The launch pad

My brother was up first. It was incredibly comical to watch him get started! Since the winds weren't as strong it took him about 10 tries to get started, and his ride was the quickest down, maybe 8 minutes or so. He said he liked it anyway. 

goofy 

Little Kenny waiting and taking pictures... on the edge of the cliff 

I was up next (we went in weight order- oh boy). We only had one false start and were up on the second try. It was amazing! When the sail (not sure what to call it so I am going with sail) gets filled with air it actually pulls you pretty aggressively in the wrong direction. Then you and the instructor have to have enough momentum to run off the cliff. Once you take off you feel like you are flying (well you are, so I guess it should lol) ! It is very similar to the end part of skydiving. Its quiet and peaceful as you float to the foot of the mountain.  My flight lasted about 10-12 minutes as we floated the .8 miles to the landing zone. When it was time for our landing I messed up. He told me to run when we were about 4 feet from the ground, but directly below me was a nice big cactus so I jerked to avoid it causing us to crash... I landed pretty hard on my knee (I had knee protection, but it had wiggled to the backside of my leg and didn't help at all). The 'sail' had tons of sticks and cactus parts in it. We cleaned it and bagged it up. 

Little Kenny was the last to go, after 5 hours of waiting (no complaining though). He was ready to go. His ride was the longest and they actually gained elevation, but still weren't able to cut through the mountains and over the towers like we had hoped. He really enjoyed his ride too. 

After we got back together in our car we were all starving for Mexican food and Little Kenny treated us all to Casa Carmen's for lunch. By then we were all totally exhausted! After dropping Brian off at his house we headed home and talked about going to a movie, but Little Kenny passed out on the couch ; ) so we decided to stay in for the evening! Kenny was so proud that we were able to wear-out Little Kenny!