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?

No Tricks, All Treats

Posted on November 4th, 2010 by Jean

My husband, the great white hunter, ran off to Williams, Arizona to look for Bambi, leaving the kids and I to fend for ourselves this past Halloween. My sister, upon hearing the news, volunteered to help me out, understanding the difficulty of combining Trick-Or-Treating, photography and cocktails. If anyone could pull it off, it was she!
 
On Halloween Eve, we carved pumpkins. The kids were troopers, but their little arms were clearly challenged by the whole poking/carving shebang. It was Team Mom & Pearl against Team Aunt Sunny & Natalie. Pearl and I were slow & steady, never losing our focus.
 

 
Natalie changed her stencil three times before ever lifting a tool. She declared it “fun” when Aunt Sunny took over carving duty.
 

 
By the end, Team Pearl was victorious for finishing first, Natalie was crying, and Aunt Sunny was armed and semi-dangerous. (Don’t hurt me, Aunt Sunny, for posting this picture!)
 

 
Fast forward to Halloween Night. The kids donned their super hero costumes and allowed me to staple the fake boots to their real shoes. Then we went Trick-Or-Treating at the casinos. Imagine entering the casino and filling your goody bags with chips. Nice! Ok, now wipe that image from your mind, and picture the reality. Ground level hotel rooms decorated in spider webs, black fabric, skeletons and ghouls. Hotel guests dressed in costumes handing out candy from their patios. Only in Laughlin?
 

 
The kids hit most of the displays in a 45 minute span, filling their satchels half way. We hoofed it back to our car, conveniently parked at the tiniest casino on this strip, the Regency. What can I say? Parking is plentiful, and the gift shop gives treats.
 

 
Back across the river to Arizona, we headed to Chili’s. The hostess handed us a “BOGO” coupon, allowing the kids to eat free. Apparently our server didn’t get the memo because he tacked on the extra ten bucks. My sister’s eagle eye spotted the discrepancy and saved the day. Look how else she saved the day, with refreshing margaritas.
 

 
Told you she could juggle it all.
 
• How was your Halloween?
• Is carving pumpkins overrated?
• What’s the best thing you ever took away from a casino?

 
To view more photos of the Laughlin Halloween Safe Street, visit our business blog, Around The River Blogs.

River Regatta

Posted on August 22nd, 2010 by Jean


I’m so proud of Tom (above in yellow shirt) for filming the Bullhead City River Regatta 2010. He took great video of the festivities. It was originally estimated that 11,000 participants floated nine miles down the Colorado River between Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona. Now numbers are closer to 15,000 people floating for 3-4 hours in 109° heat.
 
If you’d like to take part next year, visit the regatta’s official website or like it on FaceBook.
 
It took me a few days to edit the 90 minutes of video down to 4 minutes of highlights. So far, we’ve had over 3,000 views on YouTube. Everyone has been very positive, stating how much fun they had or how they won’t miss it next year.
 

 
If I were to float down the river, I’d need a buoyant tube, good friends, and cold beverages.
 
• Would you rather hover or float?
• If floating, what would you need to enjoy your day?

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