It's A Wrap, Jack...

It is just about time to wrap up this "thread" regarding our trip to "The Jack" this year... WOW - as I look back at our posts on this blog, what an tremendous experience my family & I have been living!! This has truly been "da bomb" (according to Reid & Caleigh)...

We have had such a good time with this that we have decided we will keep this blog going... Mostly BBQ in nature, but not too "serious" in content... So make certain to mark this blog... With "BBQ season" basically winding down for us now until next March, there may not always be as much "excitement" as there has been as of late... But around the "Hoochie House", things are rarely dull...

In a nutshell, it was a fantastic journey that we will never forget... I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I hope we get the opportunity to go back someday... I feel there was some "unfinished business" we left on the table in Lynchburg that we would someday like to go back and "clean up"...

But I'd also hope other BBQ cooks from our area of the country also get the chance to go someday as well... To our knowledge, we were the very first team to ever represent Utah at "The Jack" in the 21 years of it's existence... And we want to see that continue... Competition BBQ is relatively new in this area of the world - and in 4 short years, we are already developing the kind of talent in this area that can compete at this level... And I don't think it will be very long at all before we see a team out of this area that will be a legitimate "big dog" in competition BBQ...


I'd also be lying if I didn't admit that I felt we had done much better than our scores reflected... And that we were disappointed that we didn't bring home any "hardware" this time around... We truly felt we had cooked "lights out"... In looking at our scores, at least there was consolation in the fact that we really did impress 4-5 of the 6 judges in each of 4 meat categories... And impressed them enough to see a slew of "8's" and "9's" from them (a "9" is the highest score possible)... But there was always at least 1 judge we just didn't impress enough... I am certain that when you are judging 60 of the better/best teams in the country that it is tough - and perhaps even "little things" become "bigger things" - and/or the subjective aspect (i.e., personal taste preference) of BBQ judging comes a little more into play... If you get to go to The Jack and hope to take a "walk" on the stage, you most definitely have to learn how to "please all of the people all of the time..." We are most definitely up for that challenge... (Click on the image of our brisket turn-in for a better close-up view...)

In closing, we were proud to represent the state of Utah at The Jack this year... There was definitely some "luck" in getting invited - but we feel it also took a little more than just "luck" for us to have gotten there, too... We want to thank so many of you who have wished us well and/or who have supported us with your emails and phone calls over the past few weeks... We also want to thank so many of you who have been following our blog who actually stopped by at The Jack to say "Hi" and wish us well... I have a debt of gratitude as well to my brother-in-law, Guy Davis, who helped me out a lot as I was just learning to BBQ... To Bill Milroy (Texas Rib Rangers), Donny Teal (Buffalo BBQ), and Rod Gray & Johnny Trigg (Pellet Envy & Smokin' Triggers) for all that they have shared/taught me in classes over the past several years... I have truly learned from some of the very best... And especially to my close friend, Ed Roith, for his support and mentoring...

My many thanks also to my BBQ "family" for the warm friendship and camaraderie they continually extend to my family and me... These "wild & crazy" people who have a passion for the "low & slow" come from all walks of life - doctors, lawyers, teachers, truck drivers, nurses, carpenters, computer programmers, you name it... They are great folks - and my "family" continues to grow wherever I go each year...

My special thanks to John Garlinghouse with Seaboard Foods - and to Christy with Paradise Meats in Kansas City - for the championship meats they provided me with this year at The Jack... And to my close friend, Bob Murphy - aka "Souperman" - who has bailed me out more than once this past year with his support and occasional use of his restaurant facilities!

And I can't forget Ori Hoffer with Park City Television, and Ann Johnson with KPCW radio station, for their wonderful interest and local media coverage with or efforts!

And last but not least, my many thanks to my wife, Venssa - to our 3 wonderful children - and to our family/friends/patients in Park City, Salt Lake City, and literally from all over the world - that have somehow come to see me as a "champ" of sorts...

A man could not be any more fortunate than I have found myself to be!...

The Jack - Part Four - No "Kiss" - But Lots of Hugs...

Our overnight cook on Friday was rather "unremarkable" for the most part... Just a long night... With my Stump's smoker, I rarely have to check on meats throughout the night - that is, at least when I am cooking at home for family/friends. But when cooking for a competition - well, the ol' adrenaline is generally "flowing", and it was definitely flowing at The Jack. Venssa and the kids were all pretty much asleep by midnight... Venssa & our oldest son went back to the hotel, but my younger son and daughter decided to stay with me that night at the camper... They slept quite well, but I probably didn't get more than 2 total hours of sleep that night... And that was in 20-30 minutes increments here and there... Nothing was going wrong, mind you... I was just a little "wound-up"...

A light rain began again at around 4 AM - contrary to the weather forecast from earlier Friday evening... Not anywhere near as heavy a rain as it had been early Friday morning - but just enough to create a little "mud & mess" again... While it would stop by daylight, Saturday remained overcast and cool throughout the day...

Venssa and eldest son returned to the site at around 8 AM, just in time to help get the chicken going... My pork butts and briskets were well on their way to being done, and my ribs were coming along quite nicely... Life was good...

On Friday night, we had found out they were moving the turn-in times back 30 minutes compared to a "standard" KCBS competition... I had already typed up my cooking "schedule" (in & out times, resting times, prep for turn-ins, etc) based on the "standard" times... No problem, though... I had my "schedule" saved on my laptop computer... Venssa would simply make the time adjustments for Saturday, and re-print the schedule back at the hotel before coming out to the competition site...

Yeah... Right... No problem... Especially for "clear" and "rested" minds... Which Venssa and I were running just a little short on when she returned back to the hotel late Friday night... She got part of the "schedule" adjusted properly - but either due to a computer "glitch" or human error, the final 2 hours of my cooking schedule on Saturday was still just like the original...


We got through our first turn-in - chicken - with
no problem... And it looked gorgeous... At The Jack, you have to prepare both white and dark meats, and enough for 7 servings... This is a departure from the traditional KCBS cook, where we can cook either dark or white meat (most cooks will cook thighs) and we only have to have 6 servings... So getting a combination of both meats, providing 7 servings minimum, and making it look real nice in the turn-in box was a "challenge"... But Venssa, as usual, worked her magic - and we felt we had a "home run" right off the bat... (Click on photo for a better view)

But it was somewhere during getting our ribs ready for the next turn-in that I began to realize that something with our re-worked/re-printed "schedule" was not quite right... It had me doing certain things long before they were due to happen... I said something to Venssa, and our 2 weary minds finally figured out that the last 2 hours of the schedule were still incorrect!... Luckily we caught the error, made our adjustments with a pencil, and got back "on track"...


Our ribs were just fantastic in our opinion... A good friend of mine - John Garlinghouse with Seaboard Foods - had obtained some drop-dead St. Louis cut ribs especially for me to use at The Jack... These ribs were the nicest we had seen all competition season, so we were stoked before they ever hit the smoker... We smoked them to perfection, and after cutting into the first rack and tasting them, we looked no further (we cooked 3 racks)... Turn-in #2 went down without a hitch... (Click on photo for a better view)

I need to stop for a minute here, and for both the "novice and the "pro" talk about "turn-ins" at The Jack... We have specific 10 minute turn-in "windows" for each meat... Typically chicken is first, followed by ribs, pulled pork, and finally brisket... At this event, chicken was due in between 12:25 - 12:35 PM, ribs between 12:55 - 1:05 PM, pulled pork between 1:25 - 1:35 PM, and beef brisket between 1:55 - 2:05 PM... Show up to get into the turn-in line exactly 1 second too late - and you are disqualified... Period... End of discussion... And/or drop your turn-in box on the way to turn-in (and yes, that does happen)??... Well, you can generally kiss your "appearance" score goodbye... Bottom line, you have to be on time - and be very careful on the way to turn-in...

Now - this is generally not a big problem at most competitions we have cooked at... Yes, it is not uncommon to have some of the public strolling about in the "lanes" between the cooking sites... But generally it is not a problem...


Welcome to The Jack, baby... There were upwards of 20,000+ people at The Jack by the time turn-in's began at 12:25 PM... And while the entire Jack Daniel's event was rather "spread out" over Wiseman Park, the "lanes" between the cooking sites more or less resembled a sidewalk in Manhattan at lunchtime! We learned from a "veteran" that we needed to have a "blocker" (or two) to clear a path for the turn-in "runner", armed with a loud voice or a horn - and a soft "nudge" if necessary to get our meats through the crowds and to the judges on time and in good shape. Our sons, Dylan and Reid, put some of their newly acquired football skills to good use - and made certain Venssa arrived safe and sound for each turn-in.

The 3rd turn-in was pulled pork, and it is generally the one that takes us the longest to get ready... Pulling and slicing the pork goes pretty fast - it is always getting it to look "just right" that can take extra time. We used some great pork butts from Seaboard Meats and Paradise Meats (out of Kansas City.)

Finally, it was time to slice the brisket and get it ready for the final turn-in. Brisket is somewhat like "Christmas" in that you never really know what you are going to get until you "open the box"... You just hope that Santa Claus knows you have been a good little boy that year! Santa was very good to us at The Jack, and we ended up with two great briskets... One was just a tad bit more juicy/tender with a better smoke ring, so we went with that one for our turn-in...

Venssa and the boys were just a little later than usual in getting back from the brisket turn-in... Naturally, my mind began to race that something had happened right here at the end of the cook - she didn't get into the turn-in line in time, or maybe dropped the box... It turned out they had just stopped to talk with another team after the final turn-in... Needless to say, I was quite relieved when I finally saw them back at the camper and knew everything had made it to the judges...

We went into The Jack feeling/hoping that we would do "okay"... But in all honesty, when we finished the cook, Venssa and I both looked at each other and felt we had just turned-in one of our best cooks ever... We felt we had "nailed it" for certain...

We took a few minutes to "collapse" following the final turn-in. Several good friends called (including one all the way from Japan), and we actually had several people who read this blog stop by as well to wish us well, too. What a surprise/pleasure that was! The walkways between the teams were literally jammed with people. Our children took out big trays of leftover BBQ into the crowds - and they were devoured within a few minutes.

We were "bone tired", but we knew we needed to get started with the clean-up... The Awards Ceremonies were to begin at 5 PM, and we knew it would be dark (and cold) if we didn't get a lot accomplished before 4:30 PM... But despite what our minds and good sense were telling us, our bodies were definitely dictating something else!


We got about 1/2 of our clean-up completed, and then made our way down to the Awards Pavilion around 4:30 PM - only to find it was already 99% full (a Jack "rookie" mistake for certain)... We finally found seats at the very back of the pavilion and settled in with high expectations... There were the customary opening remarks and acknowledgments... A men's acapella choir that sang a song or two... The presentation of the Muriel Roith award to the outstanding woman in organized BBQ in 2009... And an award for the best decorated cooking site at The Jack...

Finally, the food awards began... We waited anxiously as we went through the "Top 10" for BBQ Sauce (we came in 14th, which we were very thrilled about), "Cook's Choice" (domestic teams only - a smoked prime rib won that one), and "Home Cooking from the Homeland" (international teams only)...

Then we got to the meat awards... Top 10 places in chicken... And no "call" or "walk" to the stage for Hoochie-Que... Hmmmm...

Top 10 places in ribs... No "call" or "walk" to the stage... Hmmmm...

Top 10 places in pulled pork... Again, no "call" or "walk"... Sheez...

Top 10 places in brisket... Surely we were going to snag something here... Sadly, no "call" or "walk" there, either...

As the Awards concluded, there were lots of "whoops and hollars" by the winning teams - and a lot of backslaps and handshakes as we all said "good-bye" to each other... As I walked through the Pavilion to pick up my final scores, I felt rather "dazed"... But as I looked around, I noticed I was far from being alone... I saw quite a few "big name" teams standing around afterward with that same "daze" in their eyes, too... I am certain they all felt they had "nailed it", also... Only to go home most empty-handed... It was kinda like that first date with that really cute girl girl who thanks you for a great time - but then leaves you out on her front porch without so much as a little peck on the cheek as she heads into her house...


We finished packing up in the cold and dark, ate a yucky Wendy's burger (I really wasn't hungry, despite not having eaten anything all day other than tasting the Que we were turning in), and got back to the hotel around 10:30 PM. I slipped out of my dirty clothes, mumbled "goodnight" to Venssa and our children, and fell into bed. But before I could fall asleep - which wouldn't take long that night - I was "ambushed" for a group hug by my kids. We tickled and laughed and hugged each other - and before you knew it, any "disappointment" I had felt from that day disappeared... I fell asleep that night with my head held high, and a smile in my heart...

The Jack - Part Three - The "Big Show"

The Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue is held in Wiseman Park just behind the courthouse and town square in Lynchburg. It is a beautiful park with a nice open dining area where they hosted the check-in and cooks meeting, a large open pavilion where the judging and awards were held, a set of tennis courts where "bung toss" and "butt bowling" events for the public were held, two ball parks where they hosted a "country dog contest" and an amateur "backyard BBQ contest", and a small horse racing track where many of the Invitational and International teams had their sites. There was also another area of the park where various public vendors were positioned, along with some of the other invitational teams with the larger trailers and RV's.

We arrived with our "toy hauler" on Wednesday morning, and at the time there were maybe only 4-5 other teams that had arrived. We were located next to the "horse track", and just adjacent to the "International Village" which was on the field inside the race track.

After getting "settled in" on Wednesday, I returned to Nashville late that afternoon to pick up the rest of the family that had flown in. After a busy "touristy" day in Nashville (tour of the Grand Ol' Opry and visit to the Country Music Museum), we returned to the competition site late Thursday afternoon to find the park nearly full with competition teams and vendors, all abuzz with energy and excitement. It hit me at that moment that we indeed were finally at "The Big Show". The atmosphere was quite "lively", as several teams hosted "pot luck dinners" for their neighbors. We enjoyed a great fried catfish / fried okra / banana pudding meal hosted by some of our neighbors across from us (BadAzz Barbecue) who were there from Canada. There were plenty of "libations" and laughter to be found everywhere that night!!

The actual competition and other ancillary events began on Friday. We arrived from our hotel in Manchester (about 45 minutes away) at around 9 AM and finished setting up our canopies and site. It had been raining since earlier that morning - so things were a little muddy and damp to say the least. Thank goodness, however, we were in an area that drained pretty well compared to the sites of some of the other teams. The "BBQ Gods" smiled on us, though, and the rain and clouds departed around 1 PM. We ended up enjoying cool and clear weather the remainder of the day.

We devoured a most fabulous lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's (we sat "family style" with the "4 Legs Up" team from Kansas - last year's Jack Grand Champions - and had a great time), and then officially "checked in" at the Dining pavilion at Wiswman Park. We then went back to finish our set-up, and then attended the mandatory "cooks meeting" at 2 PM.

At around 4 PM, many of the teams donned their "festive attire", grabbed their team banners and flags, and began lining up for the traditional parade through the town square and to the Jack Daniel's visitor center a few blocks away. The local high school band led the parade, and all the teams tossed strings of multi-colored beads to the crowds as we paraded in front of them a la Mardis Gras style. It was quite the hoot!!

At the Jack Daniel's Visitors Center, there were buses awaiting the teams to take them up to a dinner hosted by Jack Daniel's at "BBQ Hill"... Food, an open bar, and a live band awaited the teams at a beautiful open facility that overlooks the Lynchburg "hollow". Unfortunately, children under 21 were not allowed to make the trek up to "BBQ Hill", so after the parade I took our kids to go get something to eat while Venssa went up with the others to get some photos. While I would have liked to have made the trip up, I was actually glad I didn't get to go, as it gave me some much needed time to start prepping some of my meats. I would find that several teams had left members behind for that very reason!

By around 7 PM Friday night, you began to see various teams returning and soon heard/smelled their smokers "firing up!" While there was still some jovial conversation to be heard, there was a very different "feel" to things on Friday night. The curtains were finally going up - the "actors" were taking their places on stage - and the show was about to begin. I don't remember being nervous - but I do remember feeling a little "edgy" and "ready" to be finally donning my apron, grabbing a hunk of meat, and "getting this on"!

(Make certain to not only view our slide show, but watch the You Tube video of the parade - we are in there!!)

The Jack - Part Two - The Teams

The 21st Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue hosted 63 domestic Invitational teams and 18 International teams at this year's competition. The 63 domestic teams represented the "best of the best" out of a KCBS membership that totals nearly 10,000 worldwide and based on the results of over 300 KCBS sanctioned competitions held during the past year. The competition also included last year's grand champion at The Jack (4 Legs Up - KS) and the winners of the other "premier" barbecue events held each year across the US such as the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Barbecue, the Memphis is May Championship, and the open division of the American Royal Barbecue in Kansas City. The International teams that were invited this year represented the countries of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

As is often the case with competition barbecue events, the team names are generally quite witty and/or humorous, and the sites where the teams cook can be quite quite a "production" and colorful. The teams also arrive in everything from large million dollar Prevosts or Blue Bird RV's down to a simple flat bed trailer and pop-up canopies being hauled by an older pick-up truck.

Regardless of how we got there - or how "simple" or "fancy" our team sites were - the relationship among the cooks at this competition was "tight" and friendly. There was a deep and sincere mutual respect for the accomplishments that had brought all of us together - and while many of us arrived as "strangers" to each other, we all left as "good friends".

The Jack provided each team with a nice banner to display at each team's site. Below are photos of some of the teams that were close-by to where we cooked at the Jack this year.

The Jack - Part One - Lynchburg

We have so many photos that we felt it might be best to post them in several "slide shows". Hopefully they will be a little more meaningful this way...

Lynchburg, TN, sits in a sleepy little "hollow" deep in the backwoods of south central Tennessee, approximately 90 miles south of Nashville. It is surrounded on all sides by tall rolling hills that are the home of stately farms/ranches with emerald pastures and white fences - and when the hills are not the site of a home, they are so densely covered with magnificent trees and vines that one cannot see beyond a few feet into the forests. It is not hard to imagine this area as being an excellent location to hide an illegal " moonshine still" from the federal "reveneurs" years ago...

From my observation, time has not disturbed Lynchburg very much over the years. The courthouse is still the center of the town and it's commerce (mostly tourist-oriented these days) - and most of the homes we saw near the competition site were built back in the 1800's. The "faces" may have changed over the years in Lynchburg - but very little else.

In the following photos, you will see signs we encountered as we entered Lynchburg, the old courthouse, many of the stores "on the square", photos of the Jack Daniel's Visitor center (which, believe it or not, we never found enough time to visit!!), and a photo of Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House (which is now a restaurant, serving some of the finest family-style Southern cooking we have ever eaten!! This is a "must-do" if you ever visit Lynchburg - and make certain to book your reservations well in advance!)

Hoochie On the Tube!!

Well, we got back home at 1 AM early this morning (Tuesday) from "The Jack"... We have a ton of "stuff" to share, but it is going to take me another day to get it all sorted... So hang tight... For those of you who just want the "down & dirty", we ended up finishing more or less "in the middle of the pack"... We will go into more detail regarding how these events are scored, photos of what we turned in, etc... Overall, we were very pleased with what we turned in to be judged... In our opinion, it was perhaps our very best cook this season... We only wish that 1-2 of the 6 judges that tasted our meats had been a little more impressed (4-5 out of the 6 certainly were!!)

In the meanwhile, this segment was filmed right before we left for the Jack, and was recently featured on the local Park City television station (PCTV)...

We're Here!!!....

Well, Team Hoochie-Que is finally here in Tennessee - and wow, was that ever a LONG drive!!... I pulled out of Park City on Sunday morning at around 10 AM (much later than I had hoped/planned)... Had to stop just outside of Evanston, WY, for about an hour to rearrange the load in my trailer (too much weight at the back end, causing the trailer to "fishtail" around)... Stopped for the night in Cheyenne... Left early the next mroning, and spent a LOT of the day traveling though Nebraska, and stopped for the night east of Kansas City... 15 hours of driving that day, so I was pooped that night!... I pulled out the 3rd morning, traveled through 4 states that day (MO, IL, KY, TN), and arrived in Manchester, TN around 6 PM that evening.... This portion of the drive was my favorite by far... The countryside from Southern Illinois through western Kentucky into Tennessee was simply beautiful... I crossed the Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee rivers that day, and for an ol' West Texas boy whose closest early childhood experience to a "river" was an irrigation ditch - well, these rivers were breathtaking...

Manchester is the closest town to Lynchburg that has any hotels of any sort to stay in, and is about 45 minutes away... I got up not quite as early yesterday, and made the drive into Lynchburg... The short trip was simply beautiful, and right out of a painting... The entire area is lush with trees and vines and plants of all sorts, and the colors are just beginning to turn into brilliant reds and golds... Ol' Jack sure knew where to set-up his first still - because Lynchburg is definitely WAY BACK in the woods!!

I got my trailer to the site at the Jack (only 3-4 other teams were there - mostly from distant locations such as Alaska and British Columbia), so I had plenty ot space and time to get my trailer into it's location (I am horrible at backing a trailer!!)... After setting the trailer, I did a little "looking around" in Lynchburg... Which can easily be done by foot, and was really nice... The weather was perfect, and the little town is already bustling in preparation of the crowds that will descend upon it in just a couple of days...

I drove back into Nashville later yesterday afternoon to pick up the rest of the "team"... It certainly was great to see my wife, Venssa, and the kids!!! It is funny how after 3 days of basically no one to talk to other than yourself how thrilled one is to be back around family again - even with all the little fights and squabbles that come along with it all!! It was after dark when they arrived, so they were unable to see an awful lot last night... We stayed here in Nashville last night, and are going to try to make a quick tour of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Museum today before heading back down to Lynchburg this afternoon... This is a beautiful, vibrant city from what I have seen so, and we will undoubtedly not even come close to seeing everything here that we would have liked to... Oh well - guess I will have to try hard to come back to the Jack another year!!

More to follow - and yes, LOTS of photos to share in the next few days...

(And BTW - I have not given "birth" as yet to "Jack" or "Jackie"... At least not to my knowledge... I have not been hurting, but haven't seen anything pass as yet, either... Am drinking tons of water and taking my Flomax which my doctor gave me last time I was passing a stone, and it helped a lot... Am hoping I don't go into "labor" over the weekend!!!)

Kind of pretty, huh? To the untrained eye, one might think you were looking at some sort of coral... Or perhaps some sort of geological wonder...

Well, it is a "wonder" all right... But more along the lines of, "I wonder why the h*$#! this had to happen to me right now!.."

What you are looking at, dear friends, is a kidney stone. For the past 15 years or so - and about 3-4 years apart - I have had the "pleasure" of giving birth to one of these little babies... The "labor" associated with one of these generally begins in the middle of the night, and can last 2-4 days... And as is the case with the birth of any baby, there is nausea and phenomenal discomfort associated with the process... However, unlike the birth of a human baby - where doctors can administer an epidural or other wonderful drugs to help a woman with her labor pains - modern medicine offers very little to date to help a poor soul deal with the pain associated with birthing a kidney stone... Conventional pain meds such as ibuprofen (Advil) or Tylenol - or even narcotics such as codeine - won't even touch this "demon child"... And in talking with a few unfortunate women over the years who have given birth to both types of "babies" (fortunately for the female gender, kidney stones are far more frequently a male kind of thing) - well, the overwhelming consensus was that when it comes to pain, they would choose giving birth to a child any day of the week over having a kidney stone...

Guess who sat bolt upright about 1 AM this morning, with that "familiar" nausea followed by an intense pain that begins in the lower back and then translates down into the lower abdominal region??? Right or left side - you take your pick - as you have a kidney in both locations... For the record, this one happens to be a "righty"...

As I write this, I am in-between the "waves of pain" that come and go every few hours as the stone navigates it's way down from the kidney, through this tiny little tube call the ureter, and eventually into the bladder... There, the stone sometimes likes to "roll around" like a marble for a period of time (my last kidney stone hung around in my bladder for over a week), and then begins the 2nd half of the "trip" through the urethra and out of the body at some point in time...

By the way... Did I mention that anatomically the male urethra is much longer then a woman's? And that this rather pretty "geologic formation" is more like a "sticker burr"? Yeee haw....

Historically, the first 24-48 hours of this whole process has generally kept me in bed on a heating pad and/or in bath water that is as hot as I can stand it, drinking as much water as I can stand, all in a rather futile effort to get some relief from the waves of pain and pass this spiked bowling ball out of my body as quickly as possible... And there within lies a little "problem" - I am due to pull out first thing on Sunday morning to head to Lynchburg... And I have a TON of stuff still to do in the next 2 days!!! This"beautiful" little object in the photo is suddenly REALLY complicating our trip to compete in the Jack... I have to be on the road by Sunday (it is a 25-26 hour drive) in order to meet the rest of the family when they fly into Nashville on Wednesday... There is a possibility it could cause me to have to miss the Jack all together...

Here comes another wave of pain, so I am closing this for now... So stay tuned, as this could get real interesting...

In The News...

Hoochie-Que is "in the news" here locally. We made the Salt Lake Tribune - their online blog yesterday, and the actual newspaper today. They made a couple of small mistakes, though... They erroneously stated that Venssa is a "medical doctor" (nope - not a "real" doctor - "just" a dentist! ) - and they commented that we received our invitation to the Jack via a "random drawing". Some teams indeed get to the Jack that way - but nope, we won our invitation outright this year! No having to go through any drawing for us! But hey - we were still very thrilled that we received the coverage! Here is a link to the article that appeared in the blog and the newspaper: Salt Lake Tribune blog

The local Park City television station and good friend/patient Ori Hoffer are coming by on Thursday to do a special interest segment on us while we are doing one last practice cook in preparation for the competition. After that cook, it will then just be a matter of getting things cleaned and packed up, our lists double checked, and then getting ready to hit the road on Sunday for the 26+ hour drive.

It just really "hit me" this afternoon that this "dream" is truly about to take place in our lives! Since receiving our invitation in early September, the whole situation has been a little "surreal" in all honesty... And in my mind until today, it has always been "still a few weeks off"... But the hour is now near at hand!! I feel a little "edgy" - but not nervous... I figure "edgy" is good...

The weather forecast for Lynchburg for next weekend is not looking too hot right now... A 60% chance of showers is in the forecast - and it looks like I may have quite a bit of rain as I travel to get there... Uggh... Oh, well... My smoker is heavily insulated, so I won't have to worry about temperature fluctuations like some teams may run into... Here's just hoping for a decent site location there in Lynchburg on relatively flat and/or well-draining ground!! Better remember to add rain boots to my packing list, too!

2 Weeks & Counting...

Well, it is getting to be "crunch time", as "The Jack" takes center stage two weeks from today (Oct. 23-24). In light of all that has been going on in our lives in the past couple of weeks, I feel like I am a little "behind" in terms of my practice and preparation at this point in time - but what else is new?! In my 4 years of competing, I never have felt that I have walked into a competition as fully prepared as I would have liked. In fact, more often than not I am the guy pulling into a competition at "dark-thirty" and scrambling to get things set-up while the other teams are already well into their cookin', story-tellin', and occasional whiskey-drinkin'! I have done a fair amount of cooking for some groups over the past few weeks, so it is not like my pit/"skills" have been idle... And I will be doing a full "test run" tonight, and then another later this next week - so we should be in good shape before heading to Lynchburg.

Besides - as I mentioned a couple of posts back, I know I am already a "Grand Champion". So while I normally might have been getting most "anxious" right about now, I am instead feeling rather "at peace" with things. Not a "laissez-faire" state of mind - just one at peace...

Update on Reid...

WOW!!!
Our family cannot even begin to express our thanks and gratitude for the outpouring of prayers, emails, phone calls, and posts to this blog that we have received since our son, Reid, sustained a head & neck injury at a youth football league game nearly 2 weeks ago. Friends, both "new" and "old", have reached out to us from literally all over the world. What a testimony it is to God's love and kindness that is alive and well in the hearts of so many people out there...


We are most happy to report that Reid is doing very well!! He was pretty darn sore in his head/neck region at first, but that is slowly and surely disappearing. There has not been any further paralysis or numbness in his arms or legs, either. We went back to the doctor a little over a week ago, and everything checked out "picture perfect".

Yes, he has returned to football practice - but, by in large, he is still in "non-contact" mode. Coaches Mike / Bob / Jesse /Spence are all being very careful to make certain he heals fully before allowing him to resume full contact again. That any and all of you reading this that have children in organized sports could have a group of coaches as great and as wonderful as these guys have been!

Again, we can never thank enough the hundreds of you who have kept our son in your thoughts and prayers. May God bless each of you!...

And the World stood still...

Just as many of us navigate our way each and every day down the streets and highways that connect our homes and businesses, we also tend to weave in and out of the "busy-ness" of our lives... For many of us, we "zig" and we " zag" throughout our hectic days as we attempt to meet numerous deadlines - and/or as we rush to get to various places "on time" - and/or as we rush out the door at 5 PM to head home and begin our "2nd jobs" of starting dinner, doing the laundry, trying to help Johnny or Susie with math problems we ourselves thought we would never see again once we left high school or college, etc, etc...

And somewhere between 10 PM and 2 AM on many nights, we finally "fall apart" - only to hop up at 5-6 AM the next morning to jump back on our "roller coaster" again... That is, until life hits the "emergency brake" on our roller coaster... And forces our us - and our busy little worlds - to stand still...

As I posted a few days ago, this past weekend we were "practicing" getting ready for the Jack by cooking for our 12 year old son's football team and their families following their big game on Saturday afternoon... Upwards of 100 people maybe... Not really a big deal, as I on occasion have certainly cooked for bigger crowds... Our son, Reid, is perhaps his Dad's biggest BBQ "fan" - and he had been bugging us to cook for his new team/friends since early August... I must admit that while I felt I would get just a little bit of "practicing" in as I cooked for his team this weekend, I also saw this "practice" as more of an "inconvenience"... Just another "addition" to my hectic list of things to do that was already long and growing... I must also admit that I have been just a little too busy as of late to see what I and/or this event actually meant in the eyes of my son... It was just another "challenge" that I needed to deftly weave in and out of as I negotiated the "rush hour traffic" in my life right now...

So there were pork butts to cook and pull... Invitations and maps to print and distribute... Canopies and tables to set-up... Drinks to ice down... Numerous last minute trips to the grocery store to pick up this or that which we had forgotten on earlier trips... And despite the fact that we had begun this whole process on Monday of this past week - in a "well-planned" attempt to not be rushed at the last minute - we inevitably found ourselves still scurrying about like lab rats on Saturday morning as we were attempting to wrap things up before making the 30 mile drive to Oakley, UT, for the football game... And it probably should not come as a "surprise" when I relate that my wife and our 14 year old son ended up staying behind to "finish up" the final touches for the party as I rushed to get Reid (and his sister) to his mandatory pre-game warm-up activities on time...

I also confess that I found myself "grumbling" as we sped to his game... "Why couldn't we have done this another time... I have so many other things I truly need to be doing right now..." Grumble, grumble, grumble...

Oakley is a quaint, rural community that is surrounded by mountains in the not-so-far distance... The skies on Saturday morning were crystal blue... The temperature was cool & crisp... The fields were green and manicured... The maples and "quakies" were beginning to turn brilliant reds and oranges and yellows on the mountainsides... Families and friends were out in force to support their young "warriors"... As I scanned the playing and practice fields, the numerous teams present proudly sported every color an eager child might have hoped to have found in a new box of Crayons... It was simply a gorgeous, colorful day for football - and in a most beautiful setting to watch/play... Norman Rockwall would have been very busy - and very happy - capturing this scene himself...

This is our son's first year to play football... And after 8 weeks of practice and hard work, Reid had come home late this past week to proudly announce that he had earned a starting position on defense... Cornerback... Mind you, at 12 years of age, our son weighs maybe 95 pounds sopping wet - so he is definitely on the smaller end of the spectrum for his age group... But Reid has also always shown a lot of "natural" athletic ability/potential - and heart - in any sport he has ever participated in... So while we were elated at the news he announced to us on Thursday after practice, we were not totally "surprised", either...

The game kicked off, and from the "git-go" it was evident that this was going to be a hard fought battle... Both teams were hitting hard, and both offenses were struggling to get anything going... At this age level, most offenses generally center around a running attack... Passing/receiving skills just haven't developed as yet - and when teams at this age level do pass, well - it is mostly "Hail Mary" in nature...

Both teams were going back and forth, and without a lot of offensive success... My wife and I were also busy trading cell phone calls back and forth regarding last minute details for the dinner immediately following the game... In all honesty, I was paying less attention than usual to the game... Early in the 2nd quarter, just as I had just gotten off the phone for the "upteenth" time, I happened to look up just in time to note that the opposing team had the ball and was running a sweep to the left side... I frantically looked through the maze of bodies - and there was Reid, right was he was supposed to be... Now - Reid was playing cornerback on the "weak side" - so plays normally don't come his way all that often... But here they were, rumbling towards him... Reid deflected the offensive blocker assigned to take him out of the play - only to now find himself face to face with a runner coming at him full speed... The running back was definitely bigger than Reid, and was coming at our son like a locomotive... Reid recovered from pushing away the blocker - had just enough time to square himself up - and courageously held his ground and hit this "Goliath" right in the numbers as his opponent charged full speed at him...

There was a sharp "crack" of the pads that was easily heard all the way across the field where I stood as I cheered my son. Reid was not able to totally stop the runner due to the runner's momentum (Reid didn't have any time to begin any momentum towards the runner before they collided) - but he slowed him and held on to him long enough that other team members were quickly there to finish the tackle. As I watched Reid following the play, it was quite evident that his "bell had been rung"... He went from being flat on the ground to getting up on all "fours" for a few moments... And then he slowly stood up... I am certain I must have exhaled a sigh of relief, although I don't really remember now... But after a step or two, he slumped back to the ground - and then he was flat on his back again... The "zebras" quickly noticed the situation and ran over to check on Reid - only to quickly summon over an unknown man from the sideline... Then an unknown woman was summoned from the sideline as well.... After just a few moments of looking at and talking to Reid, these "strangers" were quickly and somewhat frantically looking around, and soon motioning to our son's head coach to come over... All I could see between the bodies that were beginning to congregate around my son was that they were being quite careful with things in Reid's head and neck region...

My world suddenly stood still...

Quite still...

My mind and heart began to race... Do I stand here on the sidelines? Do I rush out onto the field? Do I call home? What would I say? Flashbacks of similar scenes from football games I have seen in person or on TV over the years flooded my scrambled thinking... Then I notice the head coach jogging over to our sideline.... Right towards me... Reid is still not moving... I remember feeling my entire body going numb...

I really don't remember exactly what "Coach Mike" told me... Something about Reid's neck, something about his left arm.... Something about Reid's arms and legs initially going numb, but him now at least being able to move his fingers & toes... But also something about Reid saying he still didn't have any feeling in his neck... Something about a lot of pain when he tired to move his head... Something about summoning emergency medical help...

He jogged back out to where my son lay... I then see a fellow parent who I know - Randy Barnett, who is a surgeon - coming out onto the field and briefly examining Reid... Coach Mike and Randy exchange a few quick words... Then Coach Mike waves to me to come out onto the field...

When I arrived at Reid's side, the tears and pain I saw in his eyes wanted to "break" me, too... There are "roles" that we as men and fathers are to assume at times like these... Roles of strength - and courage - and confidence/reassurance that "everything will be alright"... But I will also share that it was all that I could do to not to let my own fears overwhelm me at that moment... Nor to let my own eyes fill with tears, also...

As I kneeled next to my son on the field and held his right hand, my mouth and words were trying to keep him calm and assure him that things were going to be okay... At the same time, I could feel my heart and soul bursting with prayer just as hard and fast as they could go... When Reid wasn't trying to be tough and brave in light of the pain he was experiencing, you know what his biggest "concern" was? That I had spent my last couple of nights doing a lot of cooking just for him and his friends on the team - and how his teammates now might not get to come over that day to enjoy his Dad's "championship BBQ" following the game!! Here I am, trying with all my might to hold back a flood of fears and tears for my son - and here is Reid, worrying about a couple of "long nights" I had recently spent cooking for him and his buddies - and whether or not he might be able to "show-off" his Dad's BBQ to his friends...

It felt like at least a century passed while we awaited for the EMS personnel to arrive... And the trip back to the new hospital in Park City - maybe 30 miles away - seemed to go on and on forever like a stretch of road in the middle of West Texas... Fortunately, this new state-of-the-art hospital opened just this past week - otherwise it would have been a 60+ mile trip back to Salt Lake City... Which at that moment in time in our lives would surely have seemed like a trip to Mars...

Being that the hospital is brand new - and not exactly running over with business as yet - we received the "red carpet" treatment to say the least... And what a blessing that was... Other than a delayed "response" from the radiologist on duty that afternoon, Reid received prompt attention and wonderful care from everyone there... It was like they had been "rehearsing" and preparing for this very moment all for their lives...

About 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital, Reid's pain & numbness in the neck region had begun to significantly subside, the x-rays taken showed no broken bones/vertebrae - and Reid was able to walk out of the hospital wearing only a soft neck brace. Talk about your answered prayers...

Since getting home last night, we have had an outpouring of phone calls from coaches, teammates and their families, close friends, and family regarding Reid's condition... The president of our youth football district, Dan Garcia, also showed up about an hour after we arrived at the hospital - and stayed with us for well over 2 hours until we received the good news that the x-rays were negative and that they were going to let Reid go home... Definitely not your standard/"obligatory" 15-20 minute visit to wish a speedy recovery to some kid and his family that he did not know from Adam before that afternoon...

When I awoke on Sunday morning and gazed out our bedroom window, the skies seemed just a little more blue... The maples and "quakies" in view were just a little more red and orange and yellow than I had remembered from the day before... And as is generally the case when our "world stands still", I am a much different person today than I was yesterday... I am so very thankful for the blessings God poured out on our son and our family yesterday...

And it's kind of funny... While in the midst of all that I thought was so very "important" leading into the events of yesterday, I received an "award" from those happy blue eyes of my son as he lay motionless on that field - a "trophy" that even a Grand Championship at the Jack will never even come close to equaling...

In case there are any other competition BBQ teams out there reading this, I hate to tell you this... But I have already "won" the Jack... And I have also "won" any other contest I will ever cook at again in my life... That's right... I am already the "Grand Champion" if I ever happen to cook against you...

How's that you say? Because my "judges" are my children - my wife - my friends... I am their "Grand Champion"... And there will never ever be anything any more important to me... Until this past Saturday afternoon, I don't know if I had truly taken the time as of late to stop and fully realize/appreciate this...

I almost missed one of the most important "walks" to the award stage in my entire life... But thanks to a most wonderful Father in Heaven, I didn't...

I am truly blessed, folks... And so are you...

(Our many, many thanks to the "unknown" EMT guy and the nurse who just happened to be on the sidelines and first arrived on the field to attend to our son... To Reid's wonderful Judge Bulldog coaches - Mike Clark, Jesse Eskelson, Bob Pelley and Spence McKean - who have done such a beautiful job of coaching Reid so far this year, and were there for our son when it really counted on Saturday... To Dr. Randy Barnett - we owe you BIG time - 2x now!... To Dan Garcia, Judge District president... To whoever provided that pink blanket to keep my son warm and dry while he lay helpless on the ground... To the entire ER staff at the new IHC hospital in Park City... And to Reid's teammates and their families, and to so many of our family friends, who have called/emailed / held our son in their prayers... Again, we are so very blessed because of ALL of you!!)

Drs. Michael & Venssa Knight
Dylan, Reid & Caleigh
"Hoochie-Que"

Practice, Practice, Practice...

Thursday night, 11:30 PM...

Well, I am out "practicing" this evening... I got home from a busy day/week at work, trimmed and rubbed 6 pork butts, got my smoker fired up, and got the butts on about 9:30 PM... For you "locals" who are following my blog - well, you better turn off the salivary glands... This Que will go towards feeding the 22 boys (and their families) who play football with our "middle" son this Saturday afternoon following their game with South Summit (their team is undefeated so far this season!)...

So - no public "tastings" as yet... Sorry :(

Tonight I am "tweaking" the combination of woods I use, along with monitoring my "fire management" just a little more closely... In competition BBQ, a cook not only needs a great rub and sauce - but it is also critical to figure out how to achieve the best smoke flavor/balance (just like wine, every wood has a certain "character" to it) - and how to get just that right amount of smoke in the different meats (too little and the food tastes rather "blah" - too much and the food will be "overwhelmed" or bitter)... In my opinion, the best BBQ not only has great flavors that are derived from the rub and/or sauce - but also has a distinctive "dash" of smoke that lends itself to being what I might call "fiery"... But that "fiery" flavor is not to be confused with being "spicy hot", either... It is a very distinctive component of good BBQ - and it totally comes from the woods used and the "flavor" of smoke they produce... So I am working on that via the combination of woods I use...

Fire management is also pretty crucial as well... It plays a big part in the "quality" of the smoke that is produced... If you read enough books on BBQ, you will often see the "best" smoke coming described as "blue smoke"... Now - over the years years, I don't know if I have ever truly seen any smoke coming out of a smoker that I might term "blue"... Maybe I need my eyes checked... Scary thought considering that by day I am a dentist, huh?... Anyway - what they are referring to is a light, "clean" smoke... Not a smoke that is "billowing" out of the exhaust - nor a smoke that is yellowish (I have seen "yellow smoke")... Typically, smoke that is "billowing" and/or that has a yellow tint is the result of a fire that is not burning cleanly (typically the fire is not hot enough and/or is starving for oxygen and/or the wood is not cured and/or you are trying to smoke with a wood that has a lot of "sap" such as pine)... Trying to achieve a light, clean veil of smoke without getting the temperature of the smoker too hot - well, that is one of the "tricks" that has to be "mastered"... And even though I have been doing this for a while, it is something I am always trying to get just a little better at...

I will let you know how things turn out when I pull this pork tomorrow... As of right now, it sure smells great!

Who the heck is this "Lem" dude??...

Well, as I was about to fall asleep Wednesday night, my wife gently tossed me a large envelope we had received in the mail that day from the Jack Daniel's Distillery. In it was my official invitation to The Jack this year (as seen to the right - click on the image to enlarge ), along with some other material regarding the teams who had been invited, hotel info (as of last week, the closest hotel rooms were already 25 miles away), a parking pass, etc... The invitation is on "official" Jack Daniel's stationary, with some sort of gold foil raised lettering at the top that is beautiful. Without a doubt, my invite will find itself in a frame and on a wall before long.

With this having been said, however, I must admit I was still just a little disappointed. Why? Because "Jack" didn't sign it... When I was younger, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy signed letters and notes to me... Now that I am an "older" kid who still has his "toys" - and who is indeed "living the dream" by going to the Jack this year - you would have thought they could have appeased the child in me just a little... And found some kinda "Jack" out there to have signed my invitation... I mean, they had his picture there and everything - so why not his signature???

Maybe "Jack" will be there to greet us when we check-in...

There was also something else a little "weird" with my invite... While they have "Jack's" picture on the stationary, they also have some other dude's name next to the photo, and they list him - and not "Jack" - as "Proprietor" of the Jack Daniel's Distillery... Some guy named "Lem Motlow"... Like, what is that all about? Was/is "Jack" akin to the Easter Bunny or something?

Well, I did a little Googling - and yes, Virginia, there really was a "Jack Daniel"... Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel to be exact... One of 13 children... And he indeed established the Jack Daniel's distillery when he was at the ripe old age of 16 (or 20, depending on your source regarding his date of birth... Supposedly his birth records were destroyed in a courthouse fire...)

Now - Jack never married (from looking at that bush on his upper lip, I figure the women in his life probably complained that his mustache tickled just a little too much) , nor did he ever have any children... But he DID have a nephew - Lem Motlow. Turns outs Lem was pretty good with numbers and ciphering, so before long he was doing all the accounting for the distillery.

Due to failing health, Jack eventually gave Lem the distillery in 1907. Talk about your "rich uncle stories"... Jack died in 1911, allegedly due to "blood poisoning" from an infection originating in his foot. Story has it that Jack had a safe with a combination that he never could remember, he got angry one day when he tried to open it and failed - and he kicked the safe! He hurt his toe - infection set in - and well, that was that for ol' Jack... Good lesson in anger management I suppose.

In 1910, the state of Tennessee passed prohibition laws preventing the legal distillation of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Lem moved the distillery to two locations - Birmingham, AL, and St. Louis, MO - although the production at these sites had serious quality issues, and a bottle of Jack from these locations was never sold to the public.

Before Lem and crew could get their act together at either of these sites, national prohibition was signed into effect in 1919 (18th Amendment). In 1933, Prohibition was repealed (21st Amendment) - but Lem was still unable to resume the distillation of Jack Daniel's in Tennessee due to state prohibition laws that were still in effect. Somewhere along the line, ol' Lem got himself elected as a state senator, and he work to repeal these state prohibition laws in TN, and production of Jack Daniel's resumed in 1938.

However, due to cash flow problems, Lem could not wait the normal four years for the Jack Daniel's whiskey to age in the barrels. So he began bottling some of the whiskey after only twelve months. This would be distributed as "Lem Motlow's Tennessee Whiskey". The first bottling occurred in November, 1939, and continued until 1986. A bottle of "Lem Motlow's Tennessee Whiskey" is today considered a "must have" by all serious Jack Daniel's collectors.

Distillation ceased nationally again from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II. When quality grain became available again after the war, operations resumed in 1947.

Lem died in 1947 - but his efforts to keep Jack Daniel's whiskey alive were not forgotten. When the company was eventually incorporated, it was done so as "Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc." This has allowed the company to remember and honor Lem in their marketing to this day.

(On a side note, advertisements from Jack Daniel's also continue to this day to state that Lynchburg only has a population of 361 people - when the 2000 US Census actually shows a population of 5740. This population "claim" is still made because the entire label on a bottle of Jack Daniel's was trademarked in the 1960's when 361 was more or less the population in Lynchburg. If Jack Daniel's were to change the label today to more accurately reflect the population in Lynchburg - and/or delete the reference to the population in Lynchburg - well, it would require applying for a brand new trademark and forfeiting trademark protection. So - Lynchburg will always have a population of 361!

And if there weren't enough twists already in this story, Lynchburg today is in a "dry county" - so you can't buy any Jack Daniel's in any retail store locally... The distillery, however, by state law is allowed to sell a commemorative product to the public at the distillery - so the "Gentleman Jack" and "Jack Daniel's Single Barrel" products are available at the distillery's White Rabbit Bottle Shop.)

"And now you know the rest of the story..."

Bright Lights & BBQ???

Don't know if this is for real or not.... Found it the other day on a BBQ "chat forum"... Knowing BBQ folks are known to tell a tall one now and then - well, odds are this is just someone blowing smoke - well, you know where...

Anyway - someone is saying the bookies in Las Vegas have already established "odds" for the favorites to win the "Jack" this year... Personally, if anyone is interested in a piece of this action, I think you might be better off placing a bet on your kid's Pop Warner football team this Saturday...

But in case this is for real - and if you are really needing a little "action" above and beyond college/professional football right now - here are the "odds" that were posted... And BTW - Good luck!!!

3 - 1
Bubba Q
Munchin Hogs
Cool Smoke
Iowas Smokey D's
Dr. Pokenstein
Home BBQ

4 - 1
4 Legs Up
Four Men and a Pig
Pellet Envy
Swamp Boys
I Smell Smoke

5 - 1
Cancer Sucks Chicago
Parrothead Smokers
Ulcer Acres/Twyford
Bare Bones BBQ
Jacks Old South

7 - 1
Blazen BBQ
Rhythm and Que
Wild Bunch Burners
Quau
The Heat is On

25 - 1
The Rest of the Field (including "Hoochie-Que")

"Honey, where is the Pepto?...."

You know - sometimes you just ought to heed the old adage of "Be careful of what you wish for - you just might get it"!!

This past Thursday - when the official list of the teams invited to the 2009 Jack Daniels World Championship BBQ competition was made public - well, it also released a "flock" of butterflies in my belly as well. (Do butterflies fly in "flocks"?) While we had known since earlier this summer that we might have a shot at going to the "Jack" this year, the reality that it was truly going to happen suddenly hit home on Thursday afternoon as well. There was joy and excitement for certain - but I would be lying if I didn't admit that there was also a "pit" of sorts in my stomach as well as I reviewed the other teams that we will be competing against on October 23-24.

Wow - here were real-life, nationally prominent/ranked BBQ teams on the list such as "Jack's Old South", "Pellet Envy", "Swamp Boys", "Bub-Ba-Q", "Rhythm ‘n QUE", "Parrothead Smokers", "QUAU", and "cancersuckschicago.com" among others! There were also really solid "regional" teams we have competed against over the past few years on the list as well - "Otis & The Bird", "Team Ida Q", "Blake's BBQ", "All Hogs Go to Heaven", and others. Teams that have won a LOT more frequently than we have. And to add to my "acid indigestion", some of these teams are THAT GOOD that they have been to the "Jack" 2-3-5-7-12 times!

While these funny sounding team names may not ring a bell with many folks, it is indeed somewhat akin to being told your "Adult Mens' Saturday Flag Football Team" is facing Florida, Texas, USC, Alabama, and Ohio State in late October - and all at the same time on the same day!! Sheez - talk about your "David & Goliath" type of scenario!...

Oh well... I just have to keep remembering that there indeed IS a good reason we were selected... That these teams all put their pants on one leg at a time, too ... And, oh yeah - that David DID whip Goliath...

"Burp...... Honey, can you pass me just a little bit more of the Pepto, please?...."