The Adventures of Napoleon Dynamite

Dance on the Wall

2008-12-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

Napoleon is sorry not to have a post on the blog for so long! He's had a jam-packed schedule over the last month. Check out some of Napoleon's adventures in Israel. He got to sample some Arabic coffee (gross!!), hang out a bit in the Holy Land, and practice some of his dance moves on top of the wall in Jerusalem.

Free day

2008-10-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

A delay in one of our flights meant an extra touring day for Napoleon! Sweet!! First of all, he got put up in the local Marriott hotel, all expenses paid. He got a much needed extra night of rest, and he was pretty excited about staying at the Marriott since it is owned by the mormons.

The next day he got to ride the train into Amsterdam and bum around with some other members of the team. It was a great time! We did some souvenir shopping, walked through the flower market, ate at a restaurant, and took a boat ride. Napoleon got a little bit excited in the flower market when he saw these “starter kits.” At this point he got a little bit ornery and we had to practically drag him out of the store. After this episode, Napoleon was reluctantly relegated to the backpack. Overall, it was a good experience for him.

Later in the day we stopped in at a 24/7 prayer house known as the Tabernacle. Here we heard a little bit about the ministry there, and were even invited to spend some time in prayer for the city. Napoleon got a little bit uncomfortable at this point (remember he’s a mormon), but we’ll keep working on him.

Tour de Napoleon

2008-10-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

A very exciting day for Napoleon began at the Paris metro. There was no mistaking where he wanted to go. This was an extra-special day, to be in the country where his name was made famous!! Napoleon might have been a little bit intimidated, though. He kept telling stories about shooting wolverines in Alaska with his 12 gauge.

One of our first stops was the Basilique du Sacre Coeur . Check out Napoleon chilling out here. Next was Tour Eiffel! This was a definite highlight. Napoleon claimed he could climb up the outside of the Tower using some of his illegal ninja moves from the government. However, he doubted that Uncle Rico could throw a football over the top. Go figure…

Napoleon enjoyed his vantage point for most of our travels through Paris. The way he was talking, though, we made sure to keep a close eye on him.

Napoleon International

2008-10-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

That’s right, passport in hand, Napoleon is ready to take the sweetest jump he’s ever taken – over an ocean!! On October 17th, Napoleon got ready to leave the country for the first time! He’s on an extended trip that will literally take him around the world. The first day was like the longest day ever, with lots of walking in airports and an overnight flight. The first stop was Detroit, and then it was on to Paris. Napoleon almost got dehydrated from all of the moving around, but we had plenty of chapstick on hand to keep his lips from getting too dry.

Go West, Young Man

2008-10-05T14:33:00.001-07:00

The U.P. and Wisconsin had awesome fall colors that Napoleon sat up front to enjoy. Good thing we didn't get pulled over...phew! He was enjoying reading the bumper stickers until he saw this one. He thought it should read wolverines. "Ugh! Idiots!"

The boys were getting a little squirrely as we neared Minneapolis to attend the Desiring God conference and visit friends. A quick stop at a park was just the right thing! Napoleon told Abraham he could handle the height of the slide, so down they went. Abraham loved it, Napoleon said "Well, that was a complete waste of time."

We stayed with Blake and Melody in Minneapolis...they were really happy to have Napoleon visit and really sad when he had to go...

Our last big stop was to visit Andrew and Aaron at Dordt College. The boys were impressed checking out Napoleon's adventures online. Many stories were swapped of good 'ol times at Dordt, and we even got to visit some old buddies, Kraig and Danielle! Abraham enjoyed meeting their daughter Kyriana, but Napoleon was too sleepy (or maybe just shy) to visit.

One parting shot from our journey home...Napoleon wanted to see the Mississippi River but had a bit of a hard time climbing up to the window. Oh well, maybe on your next adventure, Napoleon. Have fun, behave yourself, don't forget your chapstick, and come again sometime. B-bye!!

Our First Family Road Trip

2008-10-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

All washed up we packed Napoleon and our things and headed north to Da Yoopers! Napoleon said the Mackinaw Bridge was flippin' sweet, eh!

FFA

2008-10-05T13:52:00.001-07:00

Next, we headed over to the farm. We parked by Uncle David's and asked if we could borrow their wagon. He said we could. Abraham then told Napoleon that it'd be nice if he would pull him into Shupe Farm town. Napoleon graciously agreed.
Our first stop was to see the chickens. Napoleon wondered if the chickens had large talons...Abraham wasn't sure.

Of course we had to stop by the milking parlor next. Napoleon was all over that place! He couldn't resist showing off his FFA skills a bit. He wanted us to take his picture by this cow so that he could show Pedro that she had six teats or something...

Napoleon did get a bit carried away cleaning up the parlor and ended up needing his suit washed up a bit. The guys were so glad he came by to visit...he even kept a runaway calf in line for awhile. Time to rest up for our big road trip, Napoleon!

Harvest Time

2008-10-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's harvest season here in The Thumb and Abraham and Napoleon really wanted to get in on the action. Napoleon insisted on riding on the chopper until he fell in and was propelled into the wagon full of corn silage... Somehow he survived the knives that chop the corn... He must have like used his secret ninja moves from the government or something...

Welcome to the Best State Ever, Napoleon!

2008-09-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Abraham was so excited the other day when he received a package in the mail. We love having visitors and were thrilled to discover Napoleon in the package! That sneaky guy...

Of course Napoleon wanted to go to the farm right away, so we hopped in the car. Napoleon got a little rowdy showing Abraham his skills while we were driving (Abraham quickly settled him down), so we decided the safest place for him to travel was in the diaper bag.

And Away We Go!

2008-09-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today we packed Napoleon up and shipped him off to his next destination - Michagan. I hope he doesn't feel too cramped!? We told Him where he was going, but not who he was going to meet...so it will be a big surprise when the box he travelled in gets opened.

Farewell from the Gutierrez family. We hope you have a fun time on all your adventures. Maybe someday you'll make it Los Angeles again.

Griffith Observatory

2008-09-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

This week, we took Napoleon to the Griffith Observatory - another LA landmark.

Napoleon particularly liked the view of the city from the top. You couldn't really see downtown very well, but it was still nice to look.

While Napoleon was taking in the view, Natalie grabbed him and thought long and hard before giving him a "wet willie."

Inside the Observatory, Napoleon found one of his all-time favorite heroes - Albert Einstein...he had to take a picture with him! It was a little embarrassing sitting on his shoulders, but Napoleon got over it fairly quickly.

The observatory was fun, but it was time to home. Big day coming up!

Hollywood Star

2008-09-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Living in Los Angeles, how could you resist not bringing Napoleon to Hollywood!? He was just itching to go! So this week, we brought him to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's probably the best place to start his adventure...at least that's what he kept telling me.

Here's Napoleon in front of Graumen's Chinese Theater.

And here he is posing for a candid picture by the Virgin Music Store on Hollywood Blvd.

Some of the highlights from His trip?

El Capitan Theater

Harrison Ford's Star

Frank Sinatra's Footprints

The Kodak Theater

In case you were wondering, we didn't see any celebrities! I think Napoleon was kind of bummed about that. Oh well, better luck next time...I guess.