the Wilde Fouth: The Talent show

Part of the 4th tradition is a talent show that Sunday with.  Since Baby George was not here to show the West talent other West actually participated.  Here are some Talents that were shared.

Here are the Jeff Wilde family playing Patriotic songs on bottles.

Allison, Tony, and James singing a French Christmas Song "Il est Ne" 

To listen to what the song is suppose to click here.

Heidi, Allison, Charity singing "The Egg" from 1776.

 To listen to the real song click here

The Wilde Fourth: Purple Turtle

So after we are good and soak we go and consume so milk shakes, with fries as well.  They have a wide variety of milkshakes to choose from.  There are probably 8 booths at the Purple Turtle and right when it opens 30 or so wet people come in all kind of loud because it's a family get together.

 This is us waiting for our number to be called

This is what Michael's hair looks like after it gets wet and he does not blow dry it or straighten it.

The Wilde Fouth: Water Gun Fight

For the Water Gun Fight we go to a park; we go early enough so that there are no other kids at the park, therefore, we don't have to worry about hitting them.  Other rules are that you can't get people who are filling up at the water fountains, nor can you fire you gun into, out of, through, or over the safety zone (which seem to get bigger as kids grow up and have infants of their own). 

Michael thoroughly enjoyed himself.  He used his gun from his Zurg costume (see here). He pick to have a water gun instead of a nerf gun because he new the 4th of July was approaching.

Not a Wilde but a West--But really just a Kid

Dad pulling "You can't shoot me 'cause I have a baby". Ever one listen, well, except the baby's mother.

We had a lot more big guns this year

These are the traditional gun.  Some small gun bought at the Dollar Store maybe 10 years ago.

By the end Michael and pretty much anyone with a big gun or those people who resorted to cups were wet all over.

I, myself, only did one water gun full then I was done playing and I hanged out in the safe zone.  But I did get to swing which I like to do.

The Wilde Fourth: The Hot Air Balloons

So each year we go to the Hot Air Balloons at 6:30ish and have a Kiwanis Breakfast of pancakes, ham, banana, and yogurt. 

 We watch the Balloons being blown up and fly off, then we head to Discovery Park and have a Water Gun fight.  After that we go to Purple Turtle and have a large Shake.  However,  This was not a typical year because the weather was not right for the Balloons to take off so they would blow them up and then take them down.  They do the Balloons 3 times and only on the last day was the weather good enough for the balloons fly off.  And the Wilde Family had already decided to do Discovery Park the next day.
I got pictures of the Breakfast but not of the balloons

Yeah, Amy really is not a Wilde, but family nevertheless.

Baby is a Wilde though he may think he is only a West and Johansen.

the Wilde Fourth: Patriotic Service

First thing was the Patriotic Service.  It was in the Marriott Center.  They had the regular parts, the prayers, posting of the colors, pledge of allegiance, national anthem, and the tribute to the branches of the military (where they play the song of the different branches and people in the audience stand up if the have family serving in that branch.)  Steve Young spoke. He knew someone who was recently wounded during his service to the USA.  The soldier spoke of his experience.  Michael was touched by his speech because the guy became blind because of his service (some time in January I think) and he just got married to his wife 2 days before this event. Then there was a speech contest winner that spoke. After that there was a musical performance where they would narrate a story of historic people (John Lathrop, Mother of Lincoln, and John Newton and William Wilberforce) then play a song that would go with it done by Alex Boyé (singer, and MC), George Dyer (singer), Jenny Jordan Frogley (singer), and Jenny Oaks Baker (violinist).  It was a very good Service. 
As a side note Alex Boyé came to one of Allison'sYouth Conference back in NC

Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom, and Michael and me were the people that went.  I tried to take pictures but I couldn't really get good ones, I was sitting in my seat while taking them and could not get the right angle.

West Family Reunion: Pie Eating Contest.

There was a Pie Eating Contest!  There were 3 heats: little kids, the brothers, and every body else.

The Little Kids were allowed to use their hands if they wanted to.

I am under the opinion that messy little kids are cuter than bigger kids.

 

The preparing

The going

The ending

(The do look funny, but not cute)

'Show me how the piggies eat'

No one was close in beating Cousin Michael.

West Family Reunion: Marshmallows

Uncle Charles (I'm pretty sure) brought a couple of Marshmallows Guns.  Very entertaining is so many ways.

Here are some cousins sporting the guns.  I'm pretty sure they are trying to hit me.

The old game of trying to catch it in your mouth.

 We have a 'not far enough'

A 'Too far'

And a plain 'I just missed it'

The Quest for the Penny

So, it turns out that I have the ability to edit this blog as well. Anyway, here's the story of Pizza Hut and the Penny.

It all began when we received some Pizza Hut coupons in the mail. Seven of them on a sheet. I didn't care for the coupons, but upon a quick glance, I noticed that each one said, "Cash redemption value 1/20th of a cent." And I had seven of them right there. I figured there was a good chance that some of my friends had received the same thing and I could get 20 coupons together. Alas, nobody I asked had received the flier. So we just stuck the sheet in a drawer. But, one week later, another sheet arrived in the mail, and another the next week. So, I had 21 coupons with a cash redemption value of 1/20th of a cent.
So, here I am standing there with my three sheets of coupons. I took these 21 coupons to Pizza Hut and attempted to redeem them for a penny. However, the manager shut me down and told me they "don't do that". He also refused to tell me the store number. So I called the gift card hotline and asked to be transferred to the complaints department.

The complaints department said they'd get back to me, and they also gave me the store's franchise number. On the way home, I happened upon a sign advertising free legal service. So I asked them about it, but they couldn't help me. All I got was a sticky note, not exactly helpful.


The next day, though, I received a phone call from Pizza Hut's corporate office telling me they were expediting my complaint and that I should receive another call later that day. I got that call -- from the Regional Manager of all the Pizza Huts in Utah. He asked me to explain to him what this was all about. I told him how I was trying to get a penny for my coupons and he told me that in his 36 years with Pizza Hut, nobody had ever tried to do that. He asked what my motivation was for this, and I said it was just for fun. He then asked what he could do to make it right. I just told him that I wanted a penny and that I'd take cash or check.He then told me that he was going to call the Vice President of Marketing in Dallas for further instruction on what to do and that he'd get back to me.

Two days later I received a phone call from the manager of the Pizza Hut I that I originally went to with my coupons. He told me they had something for me and that I should come pick it up. I grabbed my coupons and went on down.

So they had a plaque for me with a penny embedded in it.

In the end, yes, you can redeem your coupons for a penny, but it's not an easy trick.

West Family Reunion: Fire

We had a fire and hot dogs and marshmallows (we found these giant marshmallows, so we had to get them, but they were really too big, but that just means they're for Wests) and chocolate and grahams crackers.  Personally I just like having a fire/playing with fire.

Roasting marshmallows

A marshmallow on fire.--Always fun to watch

Aunt Kathryn, Mom, and Charity enjoying various parts of the whole fire experience.

West Family Reunion

June 26 we had a West Family reunion up in Hobble Creek.  It was a lot of fun.  Lots of activities.  Here are some pictures of some people playing 500.

Michael throwing

Bunch of People fighting over catching it

Wait for it. . .

No No! Run for it.

Hot Springs

We went up to the hot springs with Erin and David.  It was a nice hike.  And We were able to mix the hot water with the cold water to make it nice water