We're back in California. But it was an eventful trip, full of firsts for dear Brandon. He shot his first deer (which impressed my dad), ate his first Krystal burger, tried boiled peanuts (he didn't like them, but they weren't the best or anything) and hit a bull's eye at 1,000 yards.

On New Years Eve we spent the evening with our friends Erick, Corrie, Mitch, Elan, Richard, and 50 other people we didn't know, throwing fireballs at each other. Great fun. During our stay, we went fishing in my dad's pond. Clay and Elizabeth joined us that afternoon. Clay rooted for the fish to get away while Elizabeth paddled around the pond in the boat. Brandon and I both caught a bass and a bunch of brim. We rock. We visited some friends in Florida during our last weekend there and ate large amounts of ice cream. We watched movies and played a board game, but the ice cream is the most vivid part of the visit.

During our stay I attempted to rename my sister's boston terrier, Maggie, a name that suited her better: Snort. Even though I called her Snort most of the time, I think my mother and sister still remember her original name. So my plan failed. But I do have some funny footage of Snort struggling to get out of a turtle-neck doggie sweater.

So now we're back, and hopefully our digestive systems will adjust to the lack of grease and sugar in our diets in comparison to the fried vitals and sweet tea we've injested over the last two weeks. It was fun to be immersed in redneck culture. No, really.