It's not breaking and entering if you have a key.

It's hard to imagine that Mike and Beth are ever coming back. The group decided that we needed to get some inspiration. So we decided to go to the birthplace of inspiration. The place where hope has a name. And that place is called The Schwind’s home on Tanglewood.

We knew Mike and Beth weren’t home, but we still had a glimmer of hope that they might be. Once we realized they were not home…

Chris considered the meaning of life.

While the other three held a séance.

Aaron confessed to Chris that he was afraid he had forgotten how to trust since the honeymooners had left them. Chris was feeling the same way. So they did what any two normal, heterosexual males would do.

They practiced trust falls.

Aaron shouted, "Ready?" Giles whispered back, "trustttt."

As any good 4-H camper knows, a good old fashion trust fall bonds a group. The TF’s boosted the group morale. We decided it was time to let loose in Mike and Beth’s honor.

We headed down to the basement to taste Mike’s hand brewed beer…

In a fury of excitement, a conga line exploded on the dance floor.

Once the conga line slowed down we headed upstairs for some rest and relaxation.

Jenny noted that at least Mike and Beth could have left their home at a reasonable temperature.

So she did what any good friend would do while in someones home while they are out of town…she adjusted accordingly. Don’t worry Mike and Beth, if you have ever been in Jenny and Giles’ home, you know they keep it at a comfortable 51 degrees.

The girls were in the kitchen cooking dinner and heard something funny coming from the bathroom. They moved in to get a closer listen. They opened the door and…

All in all it was a pretty good night.

Don’t worry guys, we locked up.

120 ounces of Virginia Beach fun!

In efforts to try and forget the pain of another weekend without Mike and Beth, Jenny and Ross decided it was time to take a little power back. So they gathered Chris, Aaron and Dave and headed east to visit Thomas, Emily, and STM4. The eight members of Team Tower ended up at this beautiful little restaurant on a pier in the Chesapeake Bay. As the sun began to set over the bay, our mission became abundantly clear. We had to order something called the tower. The tower breaks down to about 120 ounces of bud lighty goodness. And so the tower came.

And went.

And as the old folklore saying goes, "When thou art finished with the first beer tower, thou should order another beer tower."

And so it went.

This is the point in the evening where things started getting a little crazy.

Giles saw this car on the beach about to run over some unsuspecting vactioners. The natural hero that he is, he lept out of his chair and
rushed towards the beach. That's when we realized that it was actually a 10 inch toy car on the ledge of the pier. So he drank two glasses of waterand tried to clear his head.

Luckily, Emily and STM4 decided to stay sober this night so they were willing to drive.

We decided it was time to go. The plan was to head to another bar where one can enjoy the art of man crushing the spine of another man…all for free. That’s right folks; we went to a bar to watch the UFC fight.

To get to the bar we piled into the car and were all hopped up on changing venues. We got in the car. Thomas put one of his world famous mix CD’s into the CD player. Salt-N-Pepa’s Push it came blaring through the speakers.


The car erupted into insane dancing, loud singing, and Giles moving his hips in unnatural ways. Ross was showing off her extensive lyrical knowledge while wildly moving her finger back and forth in Jenny’s face. Two towers later, we were totally pumped to be going on a car ride.

That’s when we turned out of the parking lot we were in, drove ten feet, and then turned into a strip mall that housed the UFC bar.

We went into the bar. Quickly things took a sharp turn for the worst.

Ross triple fisted pitchers.

And thomas went sleeveless.

Never in the history of the world, have these many t-shirts been unleashed on the unsuspecting public at one time:



At this point in time, things got nuts. We began betting with the pregnant woman at the table on who was going to win the UFC fight. Ross starting shouting at high volumes…"Bis-bayno!" No one was clear why.

At the end of the UFC bar experience we know three things:

1. Aaron and Ross left taking three dollars from the pregnant lady,
2. Jenny is bored out of her mind with man crushing
3. Dave made out with Teensy.

We weren’t really sure what to do. Mike and Beth could have told us, but we were once again lost with out them.

The dénouement of the evening went something like this. Dave went to sleep and Thomas, Aaron and Giles conducted crude experiments to see who could wake Dave up first. Emily and STM4 went to bed. Thomas attempted to have an extended conversation about the manufacturing of feminine hygiene products with Ross; and Aaron and Giles said the phrase, "the fact of the matter," seven hundred and twenty nine times.

Night time came, Aaron snored, cats roamed, and each person dreamt about what was to come in the morning…

Fourth of July

People always say the holidays are a lonely time. Well we found out the hard way this Fourth of July. We never realized just how hard it would be to be without them (Mike and Beth) during one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year.

It was tough.





So we did what any normal group of friends would do in that moment.














We went to Sportspage.








Jenny began working towards her goal of eating as many cheeseburgers as possible before Mike and Beth return. However this was a late revelation and sportspage turns their grill off sometime before 12:45am.

Her quick thinking changed this goal to as many chicken fingers as possible.


Current total: 4.


In their gloom and sadness, Jenny and Ross searched for things that would make them laugh.


So they turned to these guys.

They weren't much help (although the pictures in the background may have cracked a smile).

With nothing left but the shirts on their backs and their bar napkins, they created this:

An American Tale

In quiet desperation, Ross and Jenny put together a montage of Aaron's
search for Mike and Beth. We found that they lyrics of Linda Ronstadt
and James Ingram captured everything we were feeling at that moment.

We have also prepared a live version that involves:

1.) a slideshow
2.) Ross singing followed by Aaron's spoken word poetry
3.) Jenny using the art of sign language to express her true feelings.

But for now, enjoy.



Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight


Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there





And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star


And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky





Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

Here, Little Tent!

Update!

Back to the daily grind. Of blogging. Its Monday and things have been moving along in Richmond, Virginia. Jenny and Ross spent yesterday observing the third Sunday that Mike and Beth have been gone. I mean, really, who do these people think they are? They should be at work like we are at this moment…blogging.

Aaron caught a flight early this morning. While sitting in the tree last night, he decided that he was not going to take this anymore.

He booked a flight to Arizona to try and find Mike and Beth. He got distracted along the way bythe wonder of the "Navajo Taco."

Inevitable bathroom time in his future...no pictures available.

Once he finished up with the Navajo taco he moved on to the Grand Canyon. Beth and Mike were no where in sight. So he did some light site-seeing.

Aaron refocused and decided to visit the next logical place that Mike and Beth might be…Sedona? No. In route to Vegas? No.

Aaron went to Meteor Crater.

Much to his dismay, they were not there. All he could find was a large
hole in the ground and a bunch of cats.


















Strange but adorable turn of events.




Next, Aaron spent two hours walking around calling, "Here Little Tent!



Here, Little Tent!" After no response, he felt no choice but to begin checking inside each tent.








Still…no Mike and Beth



Aaron came home from the trip, once again distraught. Mike and Beth were no where in sight and to make matters worse Teensy hadn’t been around in days.



We aren't really sure where Teensy is, but we think it might have
something to do with Meteor Crater.

Saturday...twenty minutes later

So twenty minutes later and a lot has transpired.


Once we took Teensy (the small Asian woman Aaron adopted) back, Aaron's spirits were very low. In fact, none of us are well.

Aaron is refusing to come down from a tree until Mike and Beth return.

Chris Giles has assumed the fetal position under his back deck. Even fantasy sports or Popsicles can not lure him back into the house.

The worst hit by Hurricane Schwind has to be Bailey (The Giles family cat). Bailey is refusing food, water, or to come out of the backpack.

Never fear...this dude showed up. We aren't sure who he is, but he calls himself bull-shit and he brought Budweiser.

Jenny and I are going to go play some RockBand.

Just another Saturday in Exbury

When Jenny and Ross heard the news that Mike and Beth were leaving to go on a cross country honeymoon, they took it hard. They decided they had to take action. What were they going to do the whole five weeks while the Schwinds were gone??

Aaron was so distraught, that he adopted a small Asian woman.

So they did what any normal and well adjusted person would do. They started a blog.

Unfortunately, neither Ross nor Jenny know anything about starting a blog. So they tried to call Beth. Naturally, we were shocked when she didn't answer. So they studied a well known source.

Mike and Beth's blog.

Once we figured out what our blog should look like we decided to dive right in.

Once we sat down on the couch to get started...that's when the magic happened. Ross got tired. Jenny got thirsty.

At the end of the day, we took back the small woman. She was way too intense for this group.

After that we weren't sure what to do...

so we waited.

two hours later...no one had moved.

After our first exciting day of blogging. We are exhausted. But we are pretty sure that we are fulfilling out destiny by beginning the blog. More to come. In a few minutes.