Photo: freep.com

We, and 1,500 of our closest friends, were part of the on-field crowd when Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers took the stage at Super Bowl XLII. Even though we rehearsed it with the band three times, the band excited the crowd more and more each time and Sunday was incredible when 60,000 and a worldwide audience was included. We also had fun riding in school buses with motorcycle police escorts through Sun City, Surprise, and Peoria to Glendale. And yes, what a game that was.

Because we signed a non-disclosure agreement, we can't say what we are doing this weekend but it should be fun and cool. Here are some photos. Will post more later.

Here are a few of our friends.



Val expressing her opinion on something.

I was visiting Nate in San Diego this weekend since he had a business trip and needed company from one or both parental units. We had a great time, of course, but the highlight was the baseball game. Nate is a die-hard Yankees fan so the fact that the Padres were playing the current world champions Boston Red Sox was attractive to him and intriguing to me. We scored face-value tickets to the upper deck and had great seats with an unobstructed view of the field. The game had lots to occupy the sold-out crowd. There were two reversals of umpire calls, the second of which precipitated an ejection of Boston’s manager. Speaking of ejections, a BoSox fan behind us was eventually thrown out for dropping the F-bomb too many times in the family friendly confines of Petco Park.

Much to Nate’s happiness and every Boston fan's dismay, the Padres won 6-1. Nate had fun taunting the Boston fans pretending he was a Padres fan.

The overflow crowd was tense with anticipation. Excitement reverberated through the air as the sun began to set. We were enjoying a day at the races on Kentucky Derby day. But coming out of the gates were not thoroughbred horses, though some of these animals were highly trained and have winning pedigrees. This was the annual Cinco de Mayo Chihuahua races held in Chandler, AZ.



These racers weigh around six pounds and stand about 7 inches tall. Some dogs were remarkably fast while others stood at the gates in a typically confused bug-eyed shiver. Others decided to relieve themselves in the middle of the track. A chihuahua named Jewels was "crowned" the overall winner and received a trophy three times her height.



So we found a new way to celebrate Mexico's defeating the French at the Battle of Puebla. Watching 100 toy dogs battle for first place in the festive confines of the Chandler Library Plaza.

If you're like me you sometimes create catch phrases. My newest one has potential. Imagine you are with a co-worker discussing work and the conversations goes something like this:

Tim: FYI, that report needs to be on the Vice President's desk by 8:00 tomorrow morning.

Tom: FY-No!

If you have a catch phrase and would like to share, leave a comment.