On My Way! Goodbye, Jude! Goodbye, NJ!

It's a good day to be in an envelope, with the weather being so nasty and all. Jude's mommy took me to the post office and sent me to the next kid. Jude was sad to see me go- although probably not as sad as she was. They sent me off with a picture (Jude wrote his name and drew a flower) for the next kid and some very goofy memories of NJ. Where am I off to now...?

(As you can see, Jude's mommy posed me so the name of the next kid, which they wrote on top, would not show. Diabolical!)

Jersey Boy

Jude's mommy doesn't fashion herself a true "Jersey Girl" or anything. I mean, she doesn't have the hair poof, she doesn't go tanning (well not all the time), she CAN pump gas and she doesn't wear velour track suits. However, she does love what a lot of girls around here seem to love- giant hoop earrings. And because I can't really fight back, there was nothing I could when she put them on me and took a picture. How embarrassing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tease my hair and get my nails done. This "true Jersey experience" these two are fashioning for me is getting kind of old.

One more diner picture

Just because! :-)

Another NJ "Staple"

So, it's winter. This fact was made clear to me on the day of my arrival. I hear a lot of talk of "the shore." It seems like the fine residents of NJ like to "go down the shore" in the summer. I guess there's the ocean, bars, clubs, the boardwalk, guidos.... But, it's too cold for us to do that. Jude's mommy seems to think this is the ultimate NJ activity. Since we can't do that, we decided to hit another NJ favorite- the diner. Diners are extremely popular around here. There at least in every town. In fact, NJ has the most diners in the world and is affectionately as "the diner capital."

So, here we are, at a favorite diner of Jude and his mommy: The Whippany Diner. Jude got his usual grilled cheese, side of fries & chocolate milk, while Jude's mommy ordered some disco fries to "be authentic." Yeah, okay lady. Who are you kidding? Like it was such a sacrifice! Don't know about disco fries? Well, here you go. Click here. (Jude's Mommy is also a big fan of Greek omelets and Greek salads, in case anyone is wondering.)

We colored, ate and even got ice cream. As we were leaving, the owner gave Jude a lollipop. Man, Greeks are the best!

Note about the fries: Jude's mommy thinks they should be made with mozzerella and was a bit appalled by the American cheese. But like the trooper she is, she ate them anyway.

That was easy!!

The excitement don't stop!! Today, Jude's mommy took me to work with her. She works at Staples, home of the famous "Easy Button." I pressed it a couple of times and met some folks in the document and print business. But mostly, I've been chilling on her desk helping her with customer service. She doesn't work in a store or anything, so there's not a lot of action around here. She said something about some training going on and complained that all the visitors were probably going to drink the half and half. Jude's mommy really likes coffee. Thankfully, she hasn't made me field any calls or do any forms proofing. Maybe later she'll get me something from the vending machine.

One thing I have noticed about Jude's mommy- she really likes pictures. Her cube is a full-on celebration of Jude and her family and her friends. Maybe she'll put my picture up after I leave. Oh, and she gets easily distracted. Hence, the giant rubber band ball she made me pose with. Legend has it, she works on it when she's on the phone with customers. Is that service or what?

I can't wait until this hump day is over. I was promised a trip to the diner (so NJ!) with Jude. I can't wait!

Bowling

What better way to spend Valentine's Day then at the Hanover Lanes in East Hanover, NJ?? Jude and his mommy took me bowling last night. I really wanted to participate, but they didn't have shoes in my size. Instead, I just hung out and watched Jude try his hardest to get an 8-pound ball down a really long lane to knock some pins over. I have to say- despite his small stature, he did pretty well. And his mommy and I both agreed that he looked quite nice in bowling shoes. (His mommy also wanted me to mention that she got 132, which is an all time high for her. I like to think I'm a good luck charm of sorts. Oh, and she does *not* look that nice in bowling shoes.)

While spectacting, I decided to pose for a few pictures. I like to think they represent the true bowling experience. I mean, really, what's a trip to the bowling alley without pizza & beer?

Warm Monkey

Jude is discovering what many before him already know- I'm cozy to snuggle with (in Jude's mommy's bed). I'm also warm, just in case you want to saunter around at home with no shirt on.

Jude's Daddy

I hope to spend some time with Jude's daddy while I'm here in NJ. Also, I hope to visit New York City. But in the meantime, here is a picture near Jude's daddy's house, with a view of NYC in the background.
Note: Jude's mommy apologizes in advance for her crappy photography. She asks that you don't judge Jude or my time her by her complete inability to take decent photos.

Valentine's Day with Just Kidz

I stayed home on Thursday, not doing much. Jude's mommy said that Friday would be an exciting day for me. It was the day of Jude's Valentine's Day party at his preschool. Not only was I excited to eat candies and cupcakes, but I was also looking forward to meeting some of Jude's school pals (and some of his cute teachers). This is one of Jude's best friends, Dhara. I enjoyed my computer time with her in the morning. She's a very sweet little girl. I also enjoyed snuggling in the lap of Jude's favorite teacher, Miss Kim. Isn't she cute? Mommy told her about our project and she told all the kids about my adventures so far. Little did I know that all the kids would want a piece of me during the school day. Jude was very protective of me, though, and it was him who I got to snuggle with at naptime.... while we watched Scooby Doo. Naturally...

I'm wasn't sure about my feelings regarding Valentine's Day, at first. And it was a little tough fighting off the advances of four-year olds all day. But look at all the candy Jude and I scored! Bananas? Bring on the conversation hearts! I hope every day with Jude involves this many sweets. (And in talking with Jude about his likes and dislikes, I think that's what he's hoping for too.)

Miles in the Garden State

I'm finally out of that mailbox! I could barely breathe in there. I left Denver and made my way to see Jude in NJ. Too bad Jude's mommy barely checks her mail. Finally, Liam's mommy had to send out a gentle reminder for someone in the northeast to check to see if I was there.

So, last Wednesday-during a blizzard I might add- I finally arrived at Jude's house. He was instantly smitten me with. I was more interested in seeing what's doing in Dirty Jerze. First, I see this- they weren't kidding about the snow. Here is the view from Jude's balcony.

Since it was a snow day, I also got to see what else Jude likes to do when he's at home- watch movies. From what I overhear his mommy say, it seems like he's going through a bit of a Scooby Doo phase. Hey, that's cool. I have no issues with dogs. Something tells me that during my time here, I will be watching a lot of Scooby.

Miles Visits a Famous Landmark

Liam's parents had big plans to take me to one of their favorite places during my first weekend. Unfortunately, they said they get a TON of wind at their house because it is so close to the mountains. The day we were supposed to go, it was so windy we had to cancel. Liam's mom was afraid I'd blow away.

So I stayed an extra week. Sorry!

Anyhoo, we were able to finally visit RED ROCKS ampitheater. It is pretty famous for being the site of a lot of concerts, especially a very famous one by U2, filmed in 1982. Liam's dad had a ticket to that show, but his mother wouldn't let him go. He is still upset about that one!

Here I am, hanging out with the statue of a Civilian Conservation Corps worker who helped build Red Rocks during the Great Depression.

Liam's mom said she used to go to a lot of shows here when she was young, starting with Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1985. Ha! She also said that at least two people I might be lucky enough to visit have been to Red Rocks ... Amanda (Matthew and Andy's mom) and Doni. In fact, she said she and Doni were once at a Radiohead concert together and didn't even know it until years later!

I am at the very back of the theater here, looking down on the stage. Just think, The Beatles even played here once.

I had a pretty big scare during our visit. I lost my grip on the top rail, and fell onto the seats below. I distinctly heard Liam's mom and dad laughing because I feel so dramatically.

Luckily, Allison came and rescued me.

Now here I am, looking out the back side of Red Rocks at the view. Wow! Thank goodness I didn't fall on this side!

Finally, on our way down the mountain, we stopped so I could do a little rock climbing. This is Strictly Forbidden for humans, so it was fun to monkey around a little while everyone else watched.

The Science Fair

We had a very busy and crazy evening at the Kendallvue Elementary Science Fair! I have never seen so many moms, dads, grandparents, and kids, all pushed into one gym together. My goodness!

Here I am, looking over the Fair.

And here is Allison with her project. She learned why leaves change color in the fall. And I heard she even won third prize. Wow! She and her parents were all so proud!

Liam showed me around and also posed with the project. It was a good time. I wanted to eat the bananas, but they were part of the project. Did you know that bananas turn from green to yellow the same way that leaves turn from green to other colors? I learned a lot!

Miles Arrives in Denver

I arrived in Denver on January 21, a little shell-shocked from travelling from warm Florida to cold Colorado. I met my new friends, Allison and Liam.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did notice it was a little harder to breath than I was used to. And very dry. But I quickly adapted.

My new friends immediately showed me around their house and introduced me to some of their closest friends: the cars, Thomas the Tank Engine trains and -- of course -- the Barbies. I settled right in and joined in playtime.

Liam even let me help his favorite racecars -- Lightning McQueen and friends -- race in the Piston Cup. Wow! After the big race, it was time for bed, and I was ready for new adventures the next day, when we visited Liam's preschool.

Here I am with Liam and his two teachers, Ms. Danni on the left and Ms. Gayle on the right. Liam's mom said Allison used to have these same teachers when she was in preschool, and that they are old friends. We are particularly close to Ms. Gayle, who knew Liam from the time he was just one year old!

The teachers were very excited to have me spend the day with the class. In fact, they had all of the students in Liam's class draw pictures of themselves having adventures with me. The teachers gave the pictures to Liam's mom. Some of the pictures were pretty great!

I was very exctied to spend the rest of the day with Liam at his preschool and -- after school -- I also went with Liam to daycare. We spent the day at Ms. Colleen's house, drawing, playing and having a ton of fun. Here I am with Liam, Allison and Ms. Colleen's whole family!