McJeffrey

Posted on September 8th, 2013 by Jean

McJeffrey photo McJeffrey_zps64b3f8b5.jpgMcJeffrey
noun
1. Icon of MySpace
2. Gentle Giant
3. Friend 
 
In 2003, Tom Anderson co-founded MySpace. Tom was every new member’s first MySpace friend. Our second friend may very well have been Jeff McCullough, a.k.a. McJeffrey.
 
Jeff’s blog posts were the highly anticipated, Top 100 Reasons To Love MySpace. The “reasons” were us, his MySpace friends. We’d climb the list, or fall a few spots, but the worst feeling was missing the cut altogether. I’m not sure the formula he used to calculate his favorites, but just stopping by his page to say hello was enough for reentry.
 
In 2009, after a post which Jeff had spent four hours compiling was eaten by MySpace, Jeff opened a Facebook account. Many of his friends had already made the switch, and it wasn’t long before Jeff posted his Top 100 Reasons To Love Facebook.
 
Jeff quote (revised) photo McJQuote_rev2_zps0d84491a.jpgIn January of 2013, Jeff announced the adventure of a lifetime. He planned to travel cross country to meet those of us whom he had only known through the computer. On April 25th he gave his 30-day notice at work. By May 18th, he had posted his travel route. Prior to departing Sacramento, he spent ten days visiting with friends and family. Then he was off to Portland, Oregon Seattle, Washington Boise, Idaho Las Vegas, New Mexico Phoenix, Arizona, and finally to my hometown, Bullhead City, Arizona!
 
A few days prior to his arrival, Jeff sent me a Facebook message with his “digits”. I quickly texted him so he would have mine. My husband, Tom, used his comps to secure Jeff a river view room at the Riverside Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. Jeff’s Greyhound bus pulled into Bullhead City Thursday night, and Jeff boarded the (free) water taxi to cross the Colorado River and debark at his hotel. After checking in, he texted us that he had arrived. We let him enjoy a solo evening to which he expressed much gratitude.
 
Friday morning, after taking the kids to school, we met Jeff at the hotel gift shop. Tom was first to spot this giant of a man. At 6’6″, Jeff towers over most. He shook Tom’s hand, and gave me a bear hug. Then we were on our way to breakfast at D’Place in Fort Mohave.
 
We learned more about Jeff and his journey over omelets and egg sandwiches. Then Tom took Jeff 4-wheeling on quads to the river. Poor guy took a tumble, something Tom still feels awful about.
 
In the early evening, while our babysitter watched the girls, we took Jeff to the Avi Resort & Casino. We hoped beginner’s luck would be on our side, and made our way to the empty craps table. Although we had a few good rolls, we all left the table empty handed. We were a little luckier with video poker, especially our guest who hit four 2’s for $50.00. Tom secured Jeff a comped room at this resort as well. After returning to our home briefly to retrieve his bag, Jeff settled in for the evening.
 
Saturday morning we prepared toast, bacon, and fresh eggs for Jeff and ourselves. We then posed with Jeff for our obligatory photo before Tom drove Jeff to his next stop in Henderson Nevada.
 
Meeting McJeffrey 2013 photo MeetingMcJeffrey2013_zps36b5d74e.jpg
 
To follow Jeff on his journey, send him a friend request at Facebook.
 
• What one question would you ask Jeff?
• Would you ever quit your job, and leave the comforts of your home to travel cross-country on a journey such as this?

Sea World San Diego

Posted on July 15th, 2011 by Jean

On the second day of our San Diego vacation, we visited Sea World. Sweet ticket deals are available on their website.
 
We entered the park at 9am and made our way to the Dolphin Encounter. The trainers were whistling, making arm movements, and sending the dolphins from one side of the tank to the other. We enjoyed watching the dolphins, and felt such joy just being in the park.
 

 
As we left the dolphins, we ran into some Sea World mascots. It took a lot of coaxing before our youngest agreed to stand near the penguin with the creepy eyes. Too bad we didn’t see the super-cuddly & cute Shamu mascot.
 

 
Making our way to the park’s Sesame Street Play Zone, and we rode all three kiddie rides.
 

 
Now we were ready for a thrill, and headed to Atlantis, the water roller coaster. It turned out to be a little too intense for our oldest daughter. There’s an elevator that the roller coaster cars enter to be brought up the tower for another drop. It was very loud and dark in there, which sent our daughter into a panic. With tears streaming, she finished the ride, only to find out the ride broke down. We were stuck in our seats for about ten minutes until employees made their way to us and released the seat-bars holding us in.
 
Finally free, we sat on a nearby bench. Hubby and youngest went in search of cotton candy to bring the smile back to our oldest’s face. We sat, enjoyed the candy, and people-watched before entering the Arctic Zone. We passed the ride & movie portion, and went directly to the animals. The belugas had a baby one year ago, and it was just darling! The walrus now had 2 short tusks (3 years ago it had one long & one short).
 

 
Just found out some facts about the baby beluga. Her name is Pearl! Her adoptive mother is Allua.
 
Next stop, the Calypso Smoke House for lunch! The kids had chicken & fries on commemorative Shamu plates, while hubby and I split a sampler plate. It was all delicious and worth every penny.
 
Now you’d think we’d be refreshed and energized after stopping for lunch, but quite the opposite happened. The kids started complaining that their feet hurt. Not wanting to leave the park just yet, we noticed a show was underway, and climbed the stairs to available seats. The show was called Blue Horizons, combining “sea & sky”. We watched as costumed performers bounced like yo-yo’s on wires. Tropical birds flew across the stadium, pilot whales and dolphins swam and leapt.
 

 
Trying to fit in one more experience prior to leaving, hubby took youngest on the Rip Tide ride while oldest daughter and I shopped for last minute souvenirs.
 

 
As we made our way to the exit, we heard barking – sea lions and seals. You can buy fish to feed to them. Some lay around, some swam, and others begged (barked) for food.
 

 
We were really dragging now, after just 3.5 hours in the park. We got our hands stamped just in case we wanted to return that evening, but for now we wanted to relax in our hotel room.
 
To be continued.
 
• How long do you typically last at a theme park?
• Have you ever been stuck on a ride?
• What is your favorite animal at Sea World?

San Diego Vacation – Day 1

Posted on July 4th, 2011 by Jean


 
We just returned from a quick trip to San Diego. From the minute we pulled up to the harbor and saw this incredible ship, we knew our vacation had begun.
 
The Maritime Museum of San Diego currently has three ships and two submarines on display. Tour tickets range from $8-$14, but it costs nothing to view the ships from land.
 
Personally, you wouldn’t catch me inside a submarine. Nothing against subs. I just wouldn’t want to be in a confined space anywhere let alone submerged in the ocean.
 
A short walk from the museum and also on the harbor is Anthony’s Fish Grotto. Looking at their website, I see they were voted Best Seafood 14 years in a row. The girls and I grabbed a table, and Tom ordered us clam chowder, fried clams, chicken & fries, beer, wine and soda. Everything was delicious!
 

 
Hopping back into our vehicle, we went a short distance down the road to Seaport Village. We loved going through the shops, seeing the beautifully manicured landscaping, the twinkling lights wrapped around the trees, other tourists milling about, riding on the 100+ year old carousel, and choosing delicious treats at the Candy Shack.
 

 
We settled back into our hotel room wanting to get plenty of sleep for the next day’s excursion to Sea World.
 
To be continued.
 
• Do you have any summer vacations planned?
• Have you been to San Diego?
• Seafood – yeah or nay?

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