Gender cakes

I was watching the Dugger family reality show "18 Kids and Counting" on Tuesday night. The show is about Jim Bob and Michelle, an Arkansas couple, who have 18 children and - God-willing - plan to have more. Who's reality is this, again?

This particular episode was about Josh, the Dugger's oldest son, and his wife Anna. They're expecting their first child and they decided to find out the baby's gender, not in a doctor's office but in a cake.

It's true, and it can happen to you. Here's how: Instead of telling the future mom and dad, an ultrasound technician calls a baker. The baker makes a cake for the expectant parents and dyes the cake batter pink or blue. When the happy couple cuts into the cake, the baby's sex is revealed.

Being a reality couple (or the kids of one, anyway) Josh and Anna chose to cut into their cake on the "Today" show. So, the show's viewers got to find out along with the couple. Reality stardom isn't for everyone.

(Warning: spoiler coming) Josh and Anna's cake was pink. It's a girl!

(Warning: bad pun ahead) Of the various ways to find out a baby's sex, learning through a delicious baked good certainly takes the cake. Though I'd probably pick a more private moment than a national TV show offers.

I get paid for this. Sort of.

I had a great time last week making a video with some co-workers. Actually, I guess it would be fair to say I bulldozed my way onto the video and bossed everyone around. I know you're all surprised to hear that.

Unfortunately Jeff isn't in the video. He does work with all of us, though. In fact he supervises Joe and Nick, the two guys in the video. So, as you will see, he really has a tough job.

Enjoy watching!

The outdoor games are hot

Jeff and I went to the Aflac Outdoor Games today. The what? You know those lumberjack events you see on ESPN2, or maybe it's ESPN3? Burly men stand on logs while chopping them in half while other guys run up trees. Yep, those outdoor games.

Those ax-welding men were pretty impressive, but the real stars — at least in my mind — were the ones who had four legs. Dogs ran obstacle courses, jumped more than seven feet high and leaped farther than 20 feet. No, not all at the same time.

I was jealous of those cute and excitable little pups. No, not because of their jumping ability. It was about 1000 degrees outside and the competing dogs got to jump into a pool, which is exactly what I did when I got home.

Dress the part

My sister and I always make sure that we're appropriately attired. Here we are at Brew at the Zoo, a fundraiser for the Atlanta Zoo. Guests walked around the zoo while drinking brew. Get it? The zoo with beer tents. Fun!


I am a cheetah. Obviously. Jeff is a white man who likes wild cats.


No, silly, that's not Anne. That's a real zebra.


There's Anne. It's hard to tell from this photo — don't drink and snap — but Anne is wearing a Zebra-print top. Oh, and she's kissing a giraffe. She thought it was a real giraffe — don't drink and kiss either.

Accidental fun

When things don't go as planned, there's only one thing to do: celebrate.

Jeff and I went to Victoryland in Alabama on Saturday to bet on the Belmont horse race. After helping our friend Alan move, we were a bit short on time. We arrived at Victoryland with just enough time to bet or get a beer. Luckily, there were two of us. I headed for the bar and Jeff went to place our bets.

The woman taking bets misunderstood Jeff. I wound up getting a ticket for horse number 2 (Dunkirk) instead of my desired horse number 10. Thankfully I had that Bud Light so I wasn't too upset. I threw my support behind Dunkirk. When he started the race in the lead, I was afraid he'd fade fast. Fortunately, he didn't. Dunkirk placed. (That means he came in second in horse terms.) I won $9. If I'd actually placed the bet I wanted, I would have won... nothing. Happy accident!

After we collected our winnings (Jeff won $13 on Summer Bird. We're high rollers, I know.) we drove to Montgomery for a Biscuit game (minor league baseball). Imagine our surprise when we arrived at a closed stadium. Oops. Looks like we misread the schedule. Fortunately, we saw Dreamland barbecue restaurant near the stadium. It's well-known as one of the best BBQs in the South. We snagged an outside table, grabbed some extra paper towels and consumed some delicious barbecue. Another happy accident!


Dawn's ribs, slaw and fries.


Jeff's chicken, sausage, mac & cheese and potato salad.


The only thing left was this lonely piece of white bread.