An open letter to Twilight fans.

I have been meaning to hit publish on this post for awhile.....

****Edit****

I knew my understanding of the book was bad, but apparently way off. I guess the vampire is the one that has captured the hearts of the ladies. Question is now edited.

Preamble: I've never read the books but I have lost my wife to them for weeks at a time. I have had a few discussions with my wife about the general plot and what has made her somewhat fanatical in her reading and evangelism, but I have a feeling those were only 'surface scratching' discussions. I would like to think I generally understand the female species, but I definitely don't consider myself an expert. Since I am literally one of the only males that I know of that Blogs (99% of the time to keep a record for my family) I figured I had to turn to the female masses for answers.

I'd like to think of myself as a pretty dedicated, serving partner in marriage. I do dishes, fold laundry, take care of the yard, earn a decent wage, change diapers, etc.

I take my wife on a date a few times a month, tell her she looks hot (well, she is), shop for her clothes and give her constructive feedback, no lazy "uh,yeah, looks good hun", comments, but real "those pockets sit too low on your butt and doesn't give it the justice it deserves" type comments.

With that in mind here is the question that I believe can improve marriages and relationships forever:

What is IT that the vampire does that makes you so enthralled? That damn vampire is doing something that EVERY SINGLE woman wishes WE didn't do, did more of, differently, better. Single handily the vampire/book has seems to be speaking directly to women in a way maybe only Oprah can. (Your answers must be specific, as you can see I listed specific contributions I feel I make to my household, the bat has to be doing something specific that you have smiled about.)

All answers are valid as the female species is diverse and complex so different answers will apply to different marriages/relationships. Please forward my plea to friends, family, any reader of 'the books' and ask them to shed some light for me. In return, I promise to mail the findings to the 99% of males that I know that will never read this blog so they can somehow be more 'vampire' like for you to.

Thanks,

A vampire in training

No-Cal

After our trip to Blackrock Ranch we spent a few whirlwind days in Northern California. We hit Six Flags Marine World and checked out a bunch of rides and the marine shows. The killer whale was impressive, but the dolphins were our favorite. Gracie and Lucas decided they wanted to get wet so they moved down to the front, we stayed high and dry. Here's the ladies waiting for the show to start. Brad and Rachel's brother in-law Scott is a fireman in Sacramento so we stopped by his station for a tour. The kids were in heaven, especially since 2 calls came in while we were there and the firemen had to run around and jump in the ambulance and everything. Here they are in the back getting a tour of the ambulance.We went to Santa Cruz where we used to go while living in San Ramon. It was a perfect beach day and the kids had a blast.

Blackrock Ranch

We loaded up the family for an old school road trip and headed south. Once we hit the Oregon California border we headed to the coast and went through the Redwood Forest. Britney remembered doing it as a kid so we 'took our time' and went the coastal route. Yes, that is my small family at the base of Paul Bunyan's Ax. Britney remembers going here as a kid and wondering what the big round things were hanging from under Babe the Big Blue Ox :-).

We stayed in a little coastal town called Crescent City and checked out some marine life and local food. Here we the kids are outside the restaraunt.

The first night we 're-arranged' the hotel room and pushed the beds together so we could all watch SYTYCD together (if you don't know the acronym don't worry).

We pushed on through to the Sacramento California area where our friends have access to a 1,300 acre 'ranch' that has a private lake and endless trails. The kids had a blast with the 11 other kids in the group. Here they are loading up in the mule to head down to the lake.

The kids had a blast riding on the jet ski and getting pulled in the tube.

It was a blast to see our good friends, hang out and catch up. Our group is getting big with all the kids, but it is still a blast and a trip we hope to make often.