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We've finally reached the conclusion of my 'Mustaches for Kids' journey; my upper lip is clean-shaven and as bare as a baby's bottom.

See, I can say stuff like that without raising eyebrows now that I no longer have my creepy mustache. But that's not entirely fair to the mustache... we've had some good times together over the past month. And I have felt much more bad-ass the past 30 days:

A small sub-set of the Raleigh chapter of 'Mustaches for Kids' met up at Lynnwood a few nights ago for our mustache finale (i.e. the opportunity to openly mock & ridicule one another).

That's me, Justin and Trey. They said I should win due to sheer hilarity, but I think Trey actually had the "best" mustache. Of course mine does look awful in poor lighting. I had Anna take one of me sitting in my car the next day and I think it turned out quite a bit better:

I do want to thank everyone again for your generous contributions (and I will get your receipts to you!) - hopefully we've helped some kids out, while having fun along the way. Ok - enough mustache talk... on to Wolfgang.

Wolfgang requested one final picture with the mustache:

Must... keep... partying!

A couple of nights ago we visited our close friends, Leigh & Mickey, for an exciting night of boardgames and finishing off the New Year's keg. Their dogs, Duke and Daisy, will be familiar to those of you that have subscribed to Wolfgang's blog in the past. Of course Wolfgang is thrilled anytime he gets the chance to play with other doggies, and this night was no exception. They went at it for several hours before Duke and Daisy had had enough and curled up for some rest:

Wolfgang, tired as he was, wasn't quite so willing to take himself away from the party. Instead he wedged himself between 2 couch pillows, propping himself up, and dozed while still being able to see what the humans were doing at the table. Last pup "standing"!

A Wolfgang Welcome

One of the coolest things about Wolfgang is the way he greets us with such enthusiasm. I'm usually first home from work and take Wolfgang out for a walk. After his walk, he'll perch at the top of the stairs waiting for Anna to arrive. Below is never-before-seen footage of a genuine 'Wolfgang Welcome' from Anna's point-of-view:

Son of Mustache (Weeks 3 & 4)

Apologies for the delay in getting updates for weeks 3 and 4; with the holidays upon us things have been busy. Progress towards my goal of $500 has been steady: as of this post, I'm in the $350ish ballpark. I would like to thank everyone that has contributed for your generosity and remind those that have not contributed (you know who you are) that we only have a few more days that donations can be accepted. If you still want to donate, send a check (made out to 'N.C. Children's Promise') to me @ 5450 Echo Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC 27612 ... ASAP!

On to my progress. You'll see that the mustache is coming along nicely. I feel that I've moved out of the 'Hitler' stage with the edges coming in more fully, though Anna now believes that I've graduated into the 'child molester' category... sigh.

Regardless of how much pride I take in my own modest progress, I was reminded on my trip home this Christmas that I have a long, long way to go if I ever hope to gain entry into the prestigious Teague Mustache Hall of Fame:

In the above picture you'll see, from the left: my father, me (mustache padiwan), and my uncle Doug. Dad and Doug have been sporting mustaches for as long as I can remember and their experience shows. Though it would seem that I would have a genetic advantage in growing a spectacular mustache (some might aruge that it's my destiny), I fear that I've been cursed with a thin beard (and mustache).

The holidays provided us with many opportunities to relax and stroke our sweet mustaches while deep in thought.

A Wolfgang Christmas

Wolfgang was happy to travel home for the holidays. He enjoys the extra attention that he receives, getting to play with our family members' dogs, and of course... the car rides:
Cannot wait to get there...

What sort of Christmas would it be if Wolfgang didn't get a stocking?

As you can see, Wolfgang enjoyed his very much!

After the festivities, it was time for a nap as Wolfgang was all tuckered out:

A Wolfgang Will Do Anything for Food

The following video demonstrates just how food-motivated Wolfgangs are:

Though there's still some work to be done:

Week 2

I'm happy to report that the first week of my mustache growing has been a smashing success! I've received compliments, awestruck gazes... a few jealous glares as well if I'm not mistaken... it's been a good week for me and the 'stache.

You'll notice in this close-up (sorry for the blurriness... it was late and Anna was a bit hasty with the photography as I was delaying bedtime) that the mustache is coming in very nicely. I'm still unsure as to how I feel about the way it grows upwards towards my nose... I mean, what do I do with that? Let it fill out? Shave that part? Maybe I'll google 'mustache etiquette' and see what I find.

Proud of my progress:

I'm finding myself spending a great deal more time deep in thought and stroking my mustache these days:

Wolfgang's a fan too! (If he looks pissed off in this picture, that's because he is. I woke him from his pre-bedtime nap to take this promotional photo and he was not understanding. I had to remind Mr. Wolfgang that "it's for the children" and we can't let sleeping stand in the way of our goal.)

On the subject of Wolfgang, guess who got groomed this week! Anna loves the decorative bandannas they put on him, but they rarely last more than an hour or so before Wolfgang chews them off.

They cleaned up his beard nicely...

A funny story about Wolfgang: He has a mini tennis ball that he loves playing with; see if you can find it in the picture below:

Can you see it? He's pretty proud of it. Sometimes when we won't throw it for him, he takes to throwing it up in the air to himself. He's recently learned that he can push it off the 2nd level to the entry below and then run down to retrieve it. I've captured this activity in the below sequence of pictures:

Quite pleased with himself.

Check back next week for another update!

Starting Out

Greetings friends and supporters of my Mustache Mission! As promised, here are the initial pictures of my (nearly) bare upper lip. Looking back on these will allow us all to fully appreciate the magnificence of my full-grown 'stache at the end of the month. Anna took these after ~ 3 days of not shaving. (That's me not shaving... not sure if Anna had shaved when she took these or not.)


A view from a distance:


A close-up:




My sexy pose:


And of course we'll be tracking Wolfgang's beard progress. (I'll be up front with everyone here and now: WG's beard is unlikely to change drastically. This just gives me an excuse to share his aweseomeness via some pics until I get his blog back on track.)

His 'look at my butt while I chew' pose:




And now he's noticed the camera:


This is the last picture I took before he trotted over and tried to chew the camera:

Stay tuned! Week 1 progress will be posted soon.