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| Hola People! Welcome back.
Well once again, time has gotten away from me and it has been nearly five months since my
last update. I just turned two years old and promised myself that I would get this updated
before then. Well I missed my deadline, but only by a few days. So here goes! The big news since the last update is that we took a really, really long trip this summer. My parents decided that I needed to see more than just the good old U.S. so we headed off to Hungary for a little vacation. It was a very long flight; I think around 16 hours. We flew from Juneau to Seattle first. We spent a day with my Grandma and Grandpa and went driving around looking at some neat farm country. I was going to go for a horse back ride too but helmets were required and they didn't have one to fit me. So no ride, but I did get to pet the horse and that was cool! So the next day we boarded an Alaska Airlines jet and headed to San Francisco. From there, we connected on British Airways aboard a Boeing 777 to London and then to Vienna, Austria, our final flight's destination. That night, we were suppose to meet up with my Grandpa and Grandma from Ohio in Hungary, but after we cleared customs and came through the main terminal doors, we were pleasantly surprised to see Grandma, Grandpa and our good friend Laci there to greet us! It was really a good thing too, because we could use some help with our copious baggage ensemble. My Dad said there's enough stuff in there to outfit an oxygen assisted Himalayan expedition or a La Cage Aux Follies dance troupe, take your pick! So with that: Look out Hungary, here comes the Murphy! We picked up our rental car and made our way to Szilsárkány, Hungary, which is where my mother's family is from. My Aunt Irma has a house there that she uses as her vacation chalet and she had a bedroom all ready for us. It's really a neat house and the whole yard is covered in flowers. No grass, no shrubs, just flowers! She even let me pick all the flowers I wanted. We made Irma's home our central location as we went about visiting all over Hungary. I never imagined all the friends and family my Mom and Dad have over there. I also didn't know that my Mom & Dad could speak some Hungarian, enough to surprise lots of people: Not too many visitors speak Magyarual. We had an awesome time in Budapest and went on a day cruise up the Danube River with my cousins, the Hajdu family. We also spent the day at their vineyard in the hills overlooking the city. That was awesome! We picked grapes and flowers and even got to check out the wine cellar. It was really fun! I had a fantastic time in Hungary and can't wait to go back again. We departed on September 5th and spent the next night and day in Vienna, Austria. My Dad had it all figured out. We could go see where Mozart composed his music, the Hapsburg's Schönbrunn Palace and lots of other historical sights around the city. But a strange thing happened on our way to get "cultured": We ended up at the Wiener Prater, a huge amusement park in the middle of Vienna. So unless Weinerschnitzel, a bier garten and ferris wheels qualify as culture, you know what we did! Even though I was too small to go on the rides, my Mom and Dad told me all about them, cause they had been there before and had been on nearly every ride! They also promised we would come back when I was older and tall enough to go on the rides! Needless to say, we had a fantastic time. We departed Austria on September 7th, nearly a year to the day after the 911 tragedy. Besides from a British Airline flight attendants ill attempt at humor (threatening to kill a fellow passenger) and me coming down with the start of "The Norwalk Virus" our return trip was non-eventful. September 7th is also my Dad's birthday and he turned the big 40 this year. My condolences Dad! We had an overnight at my Auntie Lydia's in California and then returned home and resumed daily life in our little Douglas hovel. Most of this summer's weather pretty much sucked: Life in a rain forest you know. School has been very good and I am learning more everyday. We do all kinds of fun stuff including neat things like baking bread! In the fall, we had a Halloween potluck with all our neighbors. I attended as a Japanese Sushi Chef, just like the Iron Chefs on the Food Channel. We made another journey South around the beginning of November. My Dad scored an excellent seat to go see The Rolling Stone's Forty Lick's Tour at the Tacoma Dome, so Mom and I escorted him down there. It was fun being involved with the festivities leading up to the concert. My Dad says I am still to young for concerts, so Mom and I went and hung out at the Border's Book Store, which is really fun too! My Dad said he was so close to the stage, that he could see all the wrinkles on Mick Jager's face! Wow! That's really special Dad! NOT! I also got to work at our pizza place and make dough and I even delivered two pizzas: Scored about four bucks in tips! Sweet! Anyhow, in a nutshell, that about leads us up to right about now, Christmas time! We had a real nice Christmas with lots of friends and neighbors. Christmas morning was spent with my Mom and Dad just sitting around and visiting. I opened all my nice presents from my Grandma and Grandpa from Ohio and then went over to my Douglas Grandma and Grandpa's house and got to open more stuff. Wow! You know, I'd been hearing quite a lot about someone named Sandy Claws and I was really beginning to wonder who this guy was. I went and sat on some guy's lap the other day and my Mom and Dad said that he was Sandy Claws. But when I went back in on another day, a different guy was there and his name was Sandy Claws too. So I don't really get it, but I do know this: He gave me a bitchin' bright red Radio Flyer tricycle for Christmas! I can't quite reach the pedals but when I do, you better be ready. A red streak is all your gonna see! So friends, that about summarizes my latest adventures. It really just barely scratches the surface but in this business you have to preface things. Winter has finally started and as I write this a nice blanket of white is covering the frozen ground. It's a nice change from the rain. There are lots of adventures I'll have to save for the next installment, like having cookies at our new Governor's house or getting to tour our new, nearly completed ice rink, the Treadwell Arena: Gretsky's records are going to have some stiff competition from the Murphster! I hope your New Year is everything you wish it to be. Take care everyone and remember to grab the bull by the horns! Love, Murphy "25 Pounds of two fisted fury" Want to email me? murphy@alaskafirst.com |
