So Sarah and I have begun doing daily crossword puzzles online. There is nothing better than taking a few relaxing moments to work my puzzle while sipping the morning cuppa Joe.
Now some may say I'm old, and to that I'd probably have to agree. I guess I am old. But I am also expanding my cranium at a much faster rate than you. I can feel the neural pathways widening as I whip out the answers! Besides, do you know what a policeman's club in Ghana is called? Didn't think so.
Anyway, they are fun, but I have noticed that a lot of the same clues and answers are reused. Each puzzle is written by a different person each day and some of them just blatantly rip off clues from the puzzles a couple days before. Come on people, don't be slackers. If you're gonna write a puzzle, give it your all! Don't cheap out and copy someone else's stuff.
Well just wanted to share. Plus Sarah got all excited when she thought I was going to blog and it turned out I was just reading others. So this is really for her. Sorry dudes.
Now, off to do my daily puzzle. Stinking work got in the way earlier so I'm behind a bit!
Ta Ta!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
SPRING HAS FINALLY SPRUNG!!!
Clear skies, sunshine and warm weather. That's what I'm currently enjoying. It seems our arctic climate has finally decided to shove off. No more overcast skies. No more rain/snow/hail. No more freezing wind. It seems we may finally be moving into the weather we should be having. Today is a high of 75, clear and sunny. This weekend, 80's and sunny! WOO HOO. Got a basketball game and BBQ lined up for Saturday. Got softball practice starting Sunday. AHHHH...I love this time of year.
In other news, Sarah is back on Facebook. It has been a difficult past month for her while she took her break, but things are now back in full swing. Be sure to drop her a line to welcome her back.
We have Ashley's friend Bradee staying with us this weekend while her parents are out of town. She'll be coming home with Ashley today after school and staying with us until Monday evening. Don't know how I'm gonna handle two teenage girls for an entire weekend....should be interesting. I can pretty much guarantee one thing for sure....I'll be listening to a heckuva lot more gushing of Justin Bieber than normal. Gotta steel myself.
Lotta changes around us lately...some good, some not so good. Change is a part of life, but that doesn't mean its always necessarily easy to deal with. But with change comes growth, and with growth comes strength. Gotta focus on the positive elements of change and let it build us up rather then getting mired in the negative and letting it tear us down. After all, its all part of God's plan and we just need to have faith that He probably has a pretty good idea of what we need! :D
School is almost out. Jaden will be done in a couple weeks. Ashley will be done shortly after that. We decided after much prayer and discussion to let Ashley attend Kuna High School next year. We secretly enrolled her when she was out of town and had planned to surprise her with an announcement in her yearbook. However with some of the more recent changes we felt that she should know early so she wouldn't be ultra depressed at never seeing her friends again. So now she is super happy. There are definately a lot of strings attached and she needs to prove she can handle it, but for now we're reassured that its the right choice.
Speaking of Ash, she and Sarah have started painting her room. Bright orange. BRIGHT ORANGE. I'll say no more. She likes it and that's all that matters.
Jaden is thriving in his Taekwondo class. He had a bout of wanting to quit and give up on it, but made the wise decision to stick with it. He doesn't like to practice, although he really doesn't practice much. But I think he's turned a corner. We kept on him and told him it would be a mistake to quit. Lots of friends and family said the same and he finally decided he wants it. He really wants his black belt! He didn't get to test in this last round for his next belt because we wanted to see more committment from him, but he is fired up for the next one and its a sure thing he'll advance. He knows all the moves, he just needs to focus on the discipline and self-control (which he is really starting to improve in) and then he'll be ready. So proud of him. Keep on doing your best little dude! He is also looking for ways to earn money for his training weapons. We'll think of some tasks for him to earn his sword and I promised I would buy his nunchuks when he earned his next belt. Good times!
I will be testing out my new wing recipe this weekend. I am hoping it turns out as good as I think it will in my mind. If not, I have a fallback plan. The Wing Off is rapidly approaching and I can't wait. Its almost doubled in size from last year and at last count we have 43 cooks participating. The are also adding judging and awards for the first time this year. Should be a blast! If you are around on June 12, stop by and see us!
Well I suppose I should get some more work done. Its a slow day but I need to finish a few things before we go grocery shopping. Catch ya later Blog land!
In other news, Sarah is back on Facebook. It has been a difficult past month for her while she took her break, but things are now back in full swing. Be sure to drop her a line to welcome her back.
We have Ashley's friend Bradee staying with us this weekend while her parents are out of town. She'll be coming home with Ashley today after school and staying with us until Monday evening. Don't know how I'm gonna handle two teenage girls for an entire weekend....should be interesting. I can pretty much guarantee one thing for sure....I'll be listening to a heckuva lot more gushing of Justin Bieber than normal. Gotta steel myself.
Lotta changes around us lately...some good, some not so good. Change is a part of life, but that doesn't mean its always necessarily easy to deal with. But with change comes growth, and with growth comes strength. Gotta focus on the positive elements of change and let it build us up rather then getting mired in the negative and letting it tear us down. After all, its all part of God's plan and we just need to have faith that He probably has a pretty good idea of what we need! :D
School is almost out. Jaden will be done in a couple weeks. Ashley will be done shortly after that. We decided after much prayer and discussion to let Ashley attend Kuna High School next year. We secretly enrolled her when she was out of town and had planned to surprise her with an announcement in her yearbook. However with some of the more recent changes we felt that she should know early so she wouldn't be ultra depressed at never seeing her friends again. So now she is super happy. There are definately a lot of strings attached and she needs to prove she can handle it, but for now we're reassured that its the right choice.
Speaking of Ash, she and Sarah have started painting her room. Bright orange. BRIGHT ORANGE. I'll say no more. She likes it and that's all that matters.
Jaden is thriving in his Taekwondo class. He had a bout of wanting to quit and give up on it, but made the wise decision to stick with it. He doesn't like to practice, although he really doesn't practice much. But I think he's turned a corner. We kept on him and told him it would be a mistake to quit. Lots of friends and family said the same and he finally decided he wants it. He really wants his black belt! He didn't get to test in this last round for his next belt because we wanted to see more committment from him, but he is fired up for the next one and its a sure thing he'll advance. He knows all the moves, he just needs to focus on the discipline and self-control (which he is really starting to improve in) and then he'll be ready. So proud of him. Keep on doing your best little dude! He is also looking for ways to earn money for his training weapons. We'll think of some tasks for him to earn his sword and I promised I would buy his nunchuks when he earned his next belt. Good times!
I will be testing out my new wing recipe this weekend. I am hoping it turns out as good as I think it will in my mind. If not, I have a fallback plan. The Wing Off is rapidly approaching and I can't wait. Its almost doubled in size from last year and at last count we have 43 cooks participating. The are also adding judging and awards for the first time this year. Should be a blast! If you are around on June 12, stop by and see us!
Well I suppose I should get some more work done. Its a slow day but I need to finish a few things before we go grocery shopping. Catch ya later Blog land!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
NFAF: Destination Detroit!
Well we're on the road towards hitting National Fine Arts Festival in Detroit. For one glorious week in August we'll be chillin' in the Motor City. We have lots of work to do before we get there, but we're well on the way and everyone is getting pretty excited.
We got our plane tickets last week which was awesome! Came in under budget too which is even better.
Had our ministry performance trip to Wilder also and rocked it! Those dudes really love seeing all the drama and sign stuff and they show their appreciation every time we go. Its truly a great thing to be able to take these things on the road and bless people outside of our little circle. We have a couple of performances at the District Council then I think we're done for a while. Maybe another chance or two over the summer but nothing concrete yet.
Now begins all the prep work though. We decided to completely revamp our large human video and we're going with the entry from last year. Its a lot of the same group and we got an invitation for it as well, but we have a ton of reworking to do to get it up to snuff. So we have a summer full of practices lined up, but it will be fun. Also have to work at rewriting the talking drama since we lost a couple parts.
When I'm not busy with practices, we'll be busy with fundraisers!!! Man, we have a ton of stuff lined up. We've had a couple parents step up and volunteer to spearhead some efforts in addition to our two main annual campaigns, the yard sale and the fireworks booth. The kids also sent out a ton of donation letters to family and friends. And we've got several other donation ideas in the planning stages. Lots of work to be sure, but its all for something great and I have faith that God will meet all our financial needs!
Oh yeah, got softball gearing up too. And basketball and bbq season. Got the Wing-Off in June and then me and my buddy Jason are taking our boys to see a Star Wars concert on Father's Day (I'm taking J and he's taking his nephews). Should be a blast.
Somewhere in there I hope to find time to sleep.
And we have a couple camping trips to squeeze in.
All in all just another typically busy summer, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
We got our plane tickets last week which was awesome! Came in under budget too which is even better.
Had our ministry performance trip to Wilder also and rocked it! Those dudes really love seeing all the drama and sign stuff and they show their appreciation every time we go. Its truly a great thing to be able to take these things on the road and bless people outside of our little circle. We have a couple of performances at the District Council then I think we're done for a while. Maybe another chance or two over the summer but nothing concrete yet.
Now begins all the prep work though. We decided to completely revamp our large human video and we're going with the entry from last year. Its a lot of the same group and we got an invitation for it as well, but we have a ton of reworking to do to get it up to snuff. So we have a summer full of practices lined up, but it will be fun. Also have to work at rewriting the talking drama since we lost a couple parts.
When I'm not busy with practices, we'll be busy with fundraisers!!! Man, we have a ton of stuff lined up. We've had a couple parents step up and volunteer to spearhead some efforts in addition to our two main annual campaigns, the yard sale and the fireworks booth. The kids also sent out a ton of donation letters to family and friends. And we've got several other donation ideas in the planning stages. Lots of work to be sure, but its all for something great and I have faith that God will meet all our financial needs!
Oh yeah, got softball gearing up too. And basketball and bbq season. Got the Wing-Off in June and then me and my buddy Jason are taking our boys to see a Star Wars concert on Father's Day (I'm taking J and he's taking his nephews). Should be a blast.
Somewhere in there I hope to find time to sleep.
And we have a couple camping trips to squeeze in.
All in all just another typically busy summer, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Open mouth, insert foot
Well I feel like a complete tool. I've had some outstanding issues at work and I've been waiting for another team to take care of their part before I could do mine. However, the issues were directly affecting stuff that I was responsible for and I was completely at the mercy of the other team's action before I could proceed. The issue had been open since November of last year and I'd sent repeated requests for updates and ETA for completion. The only answer I ever got was "it was pending". Anyway, long story short, there was one guy, Julius, who was the owner of the issue on the other team. The last update I got from him was just before Christmas. I sent several other emails since the first of the year and got no reply. Now this is an offshore team, so we usually have to stay on top of them to get anything done, so its not exactly a new situation, but I was starting to get a little upset. So today, I fired off yet another email and made sure to copy all the account management that would step in a light fires if needed, hoping to get some results. Open mouth......
A little later, one of the other U.S. L3 guys I work with on that team called me back and said, "Hey, did you hear about Julius?". I was like, "Uh, no. I haven't heard anything about him". And he said, "Oh, well he passed away on Christmas. I guess there was no formal announcement or anything but I assumed everyone on the account team had heard." Insert foot.....
Well we worked together and got the issue fixed, but I just felt bad. Its not like I said anything mean or hurtful in my email, but I was frustrated in my heart at the dude and assumed he was just being lazy or something. Anyway, I just feel guilty for jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst about someone. I didn't know the dude well, but we talked a couple times and he seemed like a good guy. My prayers go out to his family.
On a less somber note, the diet is going well. We had our weekly weigh-in today and I lost another 3 pounds. Sarah and I have started doing the Tae Bo videos too. That Billy Blanks...man he's crazy, but his stuff is legit. Its definately a work out. I'm not much of a jazzercise/exercise video guy though so we're still looking at getting the gym membership. Hopefully we'll be able to go down this week and get some details.
My wife and I have a new game we're passionate about. Its called Carcassonne and its some kind of card/strategy game like Settler's of Catan, or Ticket to Ride. I downloaded it on the Xbox a while ago but we just recently started playing. Its addicting and fun, and we have some pretty epic battles like we always do when we play together. Its just our competitive natures. I tried playing online, but I got my butt handed to me. There are some crazy dudes out there playing that game.
This week is full of more activities so we're busy busy busy. Not much time for relaxing though, but all the hustle and bustle keeps us out of trouble I guess. The weekend is going to be super crazy. We've got dinner on Friday at our friends' house. Saturday we have a special drama workshop/practice from 9-5, then we're having some good friends over for dinner that night. Sunday we have church, then the JBQ pizza and ice cream party, then going over to some other friends' house for Superbowl. Oh and Sarah has to clean the gym with Jess that night too. Whew! I'm tired just writing that out.
Well gotta run, but I hope you all have a fantastic week and remember:
Don't look like a fool with your pants on the ground!
(haha, love that old dude)
Later!
A little later, one of the other U.S. L3 guys I work with on that team called me back and said, "Hey, did you hear about Julius?". I was like, "Uh, no. I haven't heard anything about him". And he said, "Oh, well he passed away on Christmas. I guess there was no formal announcement or anything but I assumed everyone on the account team had heard." Insert foot.....
Well we worked together and got the issue fixed, but I just felt bad. Its not like I said anything mean or hurtful in my email, but I was frustrated in my heart at the dude and assumed he was just being lazy or something. Anyway, I just feel guilty for jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst about someone. I didn't know the dude well, but we talked a couple times and he seemed like a good guy. My prayers go out to his family.
On a less somber note, the diet is going well. We had our weekly weigh-in today and I lost another 3 pounds. Sarah and I have started doing the Tae Bo videos too. That Billy Blanks...man he's crazy, but his stuff is legit. Its definately a work out. I'm not much of a jazzercise/exercise video guy though so we're still looking at getting the gym membership. Hopefully we'll be able to go down this week and get some details.
My wife and I have a new game we're passionate about. Its called Carcassonne and its some kind of card/strategy game like Settler's of Catan, or Ticket to Ride. I downloaded it on the Xbox a while ago but we just recently started playing. Its addicting and fun, and we have some pretty epic battles like we always do when we play together. Its just our competitive natures. I tried playing online, but I got my butt handed to me. There are some crazy dudes out there playing that game.
This week is full of more activities so we're busy busy busy. Not much time for relaxing though, but all the hustle and bustle keeps us out of trouble I guess. The weekend is going to be super crazy. We've got dinner on Friday at our friends' house. Saturday we have a special drama workshop/practice from 9-5, then we're having some good friends over for dinner that night. Sunday we have church, then the JBQ pizza and ice cream party, then going over to some other friends' house for Superbowl. Oh and Sarah has to clean the gym with Jess that night too. Whew! I'm tired just writing that out.
Well gotta run, but I hope you all have a fantastic week and remember:
Don't look like a fool with your pants on the ground!
(haha, love that old dude)
Later!
Monday, January 25, 2010
All the latest and greatest
Well, I finished our taxes today. Hooray!! FINALLY! I always like to get them done as soon as possible so we can (hopefully) get a refund as soon as possible. Ended up owing a bit to state (again) but we'll get some back from federal so that's cool. Most of it is probably gonna go into the trip fund for TBQ and fine arts. But I did promise Sarah some new dishes and cooking stuff for the kitchen.
Speaking of fine arts, our drama practices are in full swing and things are starting to shape up nicely. Lots more work to do, but all the kids are excited about the dramas and are eager to make them the best they can be. Really looking forward to the finished performances in the spring and our trip to nationals in the summer.
Greta is a crazy fur ball, just in case you were wondering.
Weather is acting dumb again. It was warming up for a while, then it got cold and snowed again. Now its cold and overcast. Summer needs to hurry up man! I want to play some B-BALL!!! And BBQ. And swim.
Our diet is going well. Still want a big fat slice of pizza or a cheeseburger, but I'm being strong. Didn't even get popcorn at the movies the other day which was a real chore. We really need to get our gym membership so we can start working out in addition. Even though I may lose weight, I never feel like dieting really works unless I'm working out too. I don't want to just lose weight, I want to get fit. We're looking at signing up with Anytime Fitness. We like the flexibility with the 24/7 availability. I'm bummed there is nothing in Kuna with raquetball courts, basketball courts or swimming pools, but I also don't want to have to drive 30 min to get somewhere that does. So for now I'll be happy with weights and cardio only. Sarah just wants the tans so she's happy.
Speaking of movies, I took Sarah and Jaden to see Avatar the other day. I had already seen it but they hadn't so we decided to treat ourselves to a day out. Ash was at a friend's house so she missed out. I love that movie man. Its so cool. And the visuals are awesome. I need to get a 3-D tv now so I can watch all these cool movies at home the way they were meant to be seen.
Getting very excited for the final season of Lost to begin. Next week!!! Very anxious to see how they wrap everything up.
I need a haircut. Maybe tomorrow me and the boy will go.
Well I'm tired of typing now so I'm gonna sign off. Later dudes!
Speaking of fine arts, our drama practices are in full swing and things are starting to shape up nicely. Lots more work to do, but all the kids are excited about the dramas and are eager to make them the best they can be. Really looking forward to the finished performances in the spring and our trip to nationals in the summer.
Greta is a crazy fur ball, just in case you were wondering.
Weather is acting dumb again. It was warming up for a while, then it got cold and snowed again. Now its cold and overcast. Summer needs to hurry up man! I want to play some B-BALL!!! And BBQ. And swim.
Our diet is going well. Still want a big fat slice of pizza or a cheeseburger, but I'm being strong. Didn't even get popcorn at the movies the other day which was a real chore. We really need to get our gym membership so we can start working out in addition. Even though I may lose weight, I never feel like dieting really works unless I'm working out too. I don't want to just lose weight, I want to get fit. We're looking at signing up with Anytime Fitness. We like the flexibility with the 24/7 availability. I'm bummed there is nothing in Kuna with raquetball courts, basketball courts or swimming pools, but I also don't want to have to drive 30 min to get somewhere that does. So for now I'll be happy with weights and cardio only. Sarah just wants the tans so she's happy.
Speaking of movies, I took Sarah and Jaden to see Avatar the other day. I had already seen it but they hadn't so we decided to treat ourselves to a day out. Ash was at a friend's house so she missed out. I love that movie man. Its so cool. And the visuals are awesome. I need to get a 3-D tv now so I can watch all these cool movies at home the way they were meant to be seen.
Getting very excited for the final season of Lost to begin. Next week!!! Very anxious to see how they wrap everything up.
I need a haircut. Maybe tomorrow me and the boy will go.
Well I'm tired of typing now so I'm gonna sign off. Later dudes!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
My real post....
HAHAHA, that last post was too funny. I just had to. Man I love Ackbar, and that line is classic!
Anyway.
Yo, what's up bloggerville? Me I'm just kicking it in 2010 (that's two thousand ten, not twenty ten btw) and starting up another amazing year.
We had a great Christmas and really enjoyed our vacation time with family and friends. We had so much fun and really loved being able to just sit back and relax a bit. After all the hecticality (NEW WORD) of the past year it was a breath of fresh air to just put everything aside and get reinvigorated.
The New Year was rung in with family and friends once again and we had a blast playing games and snacking all night. I am not allowed to say we were "partying" because apparently that can only mean we were drinking. At least that's what my wife and daughter informed me of when I spoke those words to the Starbucks drive-thru attendant. My deepest and most sincere apologies Ms. Starbucks Drive-Thru Attendant. Please do not get the wrong idea about us and please continue to supply me with ultra delicious coffee treats. Thanks.
I also recently celebrated my birthday, but again, I did not have a party. Please bear that in mind. There was no booze, so it was not a party. :D (Prediction Alert!!! Very soon you will hear the sound of what you may believe to be a branch cracking very loudly....in fact it will be my wife slapping me for being sarcastic....but hey, at least I'm blogging so I should get some credit).
Back to my b-day. I had a great lunch with the fam, then cake and a small "gathering" back at the in-law's dwelling. On my actual b-day Sarah made me a delicious breakfast then took me out to a movie (Sherlock Holmes which was sweet!!) and shopping. Good times.
Now today happens to be my daughter's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!!). She is 14 and growing up so stinking fast. It would almost make me feel old if I wasn't such a dashing young buck still. We will be celebrating by having a party....er....gathering....of family and friends here for cake and ice cream. Then tomorrow she gets a girl's day out with shopping and lunch.
Tis the season of birthdays for sure and this marks the beginning of our marathon. In the coming weeks we have something like 13 birthdays to celebrate....crazy busy but all good.
BTW, did you hear about them Broncos? WOO HOO!!! They won the Fiesta Bowl again and remained undefeated. It wasn't as memorable of a game as the one a couple years ago, but it was still good and will undoubtedly do great things for their football program. Can't wait for next season! I'm finally stocking up on BSU apparel also. I have been the only member of our family to not have any BSU clothing but that will change. I snagged a sweet fleece and will be picking up a couple hats. Now I'm an "official" fan!
Well, my blogging reservoirs are about run dry now. I'll close in saying that I pray you all have a very happy and blessed new year. I look forward to all the exciting new adventures that await us in the year ahead and I'll be sure to blog about them all.....but probably 2-3 weeks after the fact, hahaha! Until next time America!
Freedom is what you do with what is done to you.
Anyway.
Yo, what's up bloggerville? Me I'm just kicking it in 2010 (that's two thousand ten, not twenty ten btw) and starting up another amazing year.
We had a great Christmas and really enjoyed our vacation time with family and friends. We had so much fun and really loved being able to just sit back and relax a bit. After all the hecticality (NEW WORD) of the past year it was a breath of fresh air to just put everything aside and get reinvigorated.
The New Year was rung in with family and friends once again and we had a blast playing games and snacking all night. I am not allowed to say we were "partying" because apparently that can only mean we were drinking. At least that's what my wife and daughter informed me of when I spoke those words to the Starbucks drive-thru attendant. My deepest and most sincere apologies Ms. Starbucks Drive-Thru Attendant. Please do not get the wrong idea about us and please continue to supply me with ultra delicious coffee treats. Thanks.
I also recently celebrated my birthday, but again, I did not have a party. Please bear that in mind. There was no booze, so it was not a party. :D (Prediction Alert!!! Very soon you will hear the sound of what you may believe to be a branch cracking very loudly....in fact it will be my wife slapping me for being sarcastic....but hey, at least I'm blogging so I should get some credit).
Back to my b-day. I had a great lunch with the fam, then cake and a small "gathering" back at the in-law's dwelling. On my actual b-day Sarah made me a delicious breakfast then took me out to a movie (Sherlock Holmes which was sweet!!) and shopping. Good times.
Now today happens to be my daughter's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!!). She is 14 and growing up so stinking fast. It would almost make me feel old if I wasn't such a dashing young buck still. We will be celebrating by having a party....er....gathering....of family and friends here for cake and ice cream. Then tomorrow she gets a girl's day out with shopping and lunch.
Tis the season of birthdays for sure and this marks the beginning of our marathon. In the coming weeks we have something like 13 birthdays to celebrate....crazy busy but all good.
BTW, did you hear about them Broncos? WOO HOO!!! They won the Fiesta Bowl again and remained undefeated. It wasn't as memorable of a game as the one a couple years ago, but it was still good and will undoubtedly do great things for their football program. Can't wait for next season! I'm finally stocking up on BSU apparel also. I have been the only member of our family to not have any BSU clothing but that will change. I snagged a sweet fleece and will be picking up a couple hats. Now I'm an "official" fan!
Well, my blogging reservoirs are about run dry now. I'll close in saying that I pray you all have a very happy and blessed new year. I look forward to all the exciting new adventures that await us in the year ahead and I'll be sure to blog about them all.....but probably 2-3 weeks after the fact, hahaha! Until next time America!
Freedom is what you do with what is done to you.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Still here....
Yup, I'm still alive. Just haven't had much time to visit Blog Land lately. If you read Sarah's posts you know we have been hyper-busy. Today is pretty quiet though so why not bust out a quick blog right?
Jaden and I finally got our hair cut last night. HALLELUJAH!!!! We are no longer shaggy wolfman beasts. I was to the point where I was ready to take the clippers and just buzz both our hairy noggins....but my wife, being the wise woman she is, put a stop to that right quick.
We took the kids out and finished up their Christmas shopping last night too. They had fun picking stuff out for each other and for Sarah and I. They are quite the avid shoppers! So now we are "officially" done with all our shopping. Just a few more things to wrap and then "that's a wrap", HAHAHA!
I had my performance review at work this week and got great marks and a high rating. Always more to improve on so of course I have some goals to work towards next year also. Looks like they want me to start heading into more project management/transition work so I'll probably be heading in that direction too. The great news is the company approved bonuses this year! Its been a rough year and we weren't really expecting a lot, but I was actually very surprised at what we got. Unfortunately its pretty much all spoken for since we need new tires on the car and some maintenance, but thank God for providing the means!
In other news, sort of related, my vacation starts on Friday!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!! Man do I need a break. I'll be off until Jan. 5th and I am so flippin' excited I could explode. Its pretty much the only real vacation I've been able to take this year where I can completely disconnect from anything even remotely work related. That is a truly great thing! No cell phone, no laptop, no being on-call....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I'll be kicking things off on Friday night with Ashley's TBQ Christmas party. I have somehow been convinced to participate in the talent show portion where we have to perform to an assigned solo and group song. Its gonna be fun though. Then on Saturday, I'm meeting my buddy Jason for breakfast in the morning. We're going to some place downtown called Goldy's that is supposed to be amazing. After that we're catching Avatar at the IMAX in 3-D which should be totally awesome! Super stoked for that. And finally, on Saturday night we have the annual Christmas party at the Scott's house. Always a good time filled with friends and family, food and fun. Not a bad way to kick off a vacation if you ask me.
Next week will be pretty busy but still fun. We're going to my cousin's house on Wednesday to make the tamales for Christmas Eve, then back there again on Christmas Eve night for our celebration with my dad's side of the family. We're staying the night at Sarah's parent's house on Christmas Eve and spending Christmas day over there. Then the day after Christmas we're going to my grandparent's house to have Christmas with my mom's side of the family. Busy times but it will be great to hang out and visit with everyone. Then its on to my birthday....not totally sure yet what we're doing for that with the family, but I think I'm gonna have a dude's party over here the following weekend. Should be good times, even though I'll be a year older...boo.
Other than that (yeah right, will there be any time left? lol) we're just planning on relaxing and spending time together enjoying our vacation. I'm hoping I get some time to finish my book too. I've been reading the new Stephen King novel "Under the Dome"....great book so far but its LOOOOOOOOOONG! 1000+ pages! I'm a busy dude and the Kuna library only checks out for 2 weeks at a time so even reading as much as I could I was just a little over halfway finished when it came due. I tried to renew it but there were like 5 people with it on reserve so they wouldn't. I didn't really want to wait over a month to finish it so I was bad and decided to keep it and just pay the late fees. Now I'm under the gun to finish though so I gots to be speedy! Only got about 300 more pages to go though so I should be done soon.
Well, that's it for now. In the words of Tiny Tim, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!". See ya'll around blog-ville!
Jaden and I finally got our hair cut last night. HALLELUJAH!!!! We are no longer shaggy wolfman beasts. I was to the point where I was ready to take the clippers and just buzz both our hairy noggins....but my wife, being the wise woman she is, put a stop to that right quick.
We took the kids out and finished up their Christmas shopping last night too. They had fun picking stuff out for each other and for Sarah and I. They are quite the avid shoppers! So now we are "officially" done with all our shopping. Just a few more things to wrap and then "that's a wrap", HAHAHA!
I had my performance review at work this week and got great marks and a high rating. Always more to improve on so of course I have some goals to work towards next year also. Looks like they want me to start heading into more project management/transition work so I'll probably be heading in that direction too. The great news is the company approved bonuses this year! Its been a rough year and we weren't really expecting a lot, but I was actually very surprised at what we got. Unfortunately its pretty much all spoken for since we need new tires on the car and some maintenance, but thank God for providing the means!
In other news, sort of related, my vacation starts on Friday!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!! Man do I need a break. I'll be off until Jan. 5th and I am so flippin' excited I could explode. Its pretty much the only real vacation I've been able to take this year where I can completely disconnect from anything even remotely work related. That is a truly great thing! No cell phone, no laptop, no being on-call....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I'll be kicking things off on Friday night with Ashley's TBQ Christmas party. I have somehow been convinced to participate in the talent show portion where we have to perform to an assigned solo and group song. Its gonna be fun though. Then on Saturday, I'm meeting my buddy Jason for breakfast in the morning. We're going to some place downtown called Goldy's that is supposed to be amazing. After that we're catching Avatar at the IMAX in 3-D which should be totally awesome! Super stoked for that. And finally, on Saturday night we have the annual Christmas party at the Scott's house. Always a good time filled with friends and family, food and fun. Not a bad way to kick off a vacation if you ask me.
Next week will be pretty busy but still fun. We're going to my cousin's house on Wednesday to make the tamales for Christmas Eve, then back there again on Christmas Eve night for our celebration with my dad's side of the family. We're staying the night at Sarah's parent's house on Christmas Eve and spending Christmas day over there. Then the day after Christmas we're going to my grandparent's house to have Christmas with my mom's side of the family. Busy times but it will be great to hang out and visit with everyone. Then its on to my birthday....not totally sure yet what we're doing for that with the family, but I think I'm gonna have a dude's party over here the following weekend. Should be good times, even though I'll be a year older...boo.
Other than that (yeah right, will there be any time left? lol) we're just planning on relaxing and spending time together enjoying our vacation. I'm hoping I get some time to finish my book too. I've been reading the new Stephen King novel "Under the Dome"....great book so far but its LOOOOOOOOOONG! 1000+ pages! I'm a busy dude and the Kuna library only checks out for 2 weeks at a time so even reading as much as I could I was just a little over halfway finished when it came due. I tried to renew it but there were like 5 people with it on reserve so they wouldn't. I didn't really want to wait over a month to finish it so I was bad and decided to keep it and just pay the late fees. Now I'm under the gun to finish though so I gots to be speedy! Only got about 300 more pages to go though so I should be done soon.
Well, that's it for now. In the words of Tiny Tim, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!". See ya'll around blog-ville!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Awesome weekend
Well we had another great weekend, although it was another busy one.
Friday we had some friends over for a movie night and watched the new Star Trek. Love that movie! Its seriously rad. On par with Wrath of Khan. If you are any sort of fan of sci-fi you should check it out.
Then on Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to the downtown Edwards theater. Our friend invited us to a private screening of A Christmas Carol which was super cool. It was a pretty intense movie (very closely follows the book) and had some amazing visuals. After that we took a trip over to the hospital and saw our new nephew Cash and visited with Jon and Deanna for a bit. Bob and Vicki showed up too so we got to see them for a while before we left. When we finished up at the hospital we stopped off at Java downtown and grabbed some joe. Totally love this place now since trying it in Twin Falls. I had another Bowl of Soul and there is nothing better. Just wish we had one closer to our house....although that might be dangerous.
When we got home, Sarah and the kids relaxed a bit and I went out shooting with my brother. Its been a while since we got to hang out and I enjoyed catching up with him. Of course, we blasted the junk out of lots of stuff too which always is a good time. He has a buddy that owns a bowling alley so he got some old pins that we shot at. Those things are dang tough by the way. We also shot the rifles at some metal targets and shottied some clays. Muy bueno!
I got home to a rearranged living room that I almost killed myself on. Sarah and the kids are getting geared up for Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving so a little reorg-ing of the furniture was in order.
Matt and Laura came over for dinner that night and we had some delish pork roast, veggies, salad and bread. They also brought over some butterscotch brownies that were quite tasty. We hung out and visited and played Scrabble the rest of the night and fought back the urge to puke since we all ate so much. It was fun times though...been too long since we got to hang with them too.
I ended up having to work a few a while on Saturday night/Sunday morning so I didn't get much sleep. Got up Sunday and we were all totally beat. Went to JBQ practice and then just came home and crashed. Ended up having to work more on Sunday too but for the most part it was just a relaxing day. Ash ended up going to stay the night at a friend's house so Sarah and I just chilled with Jaden. We had a picnic dinner upstairs and watched Star Trek again (Jaden decided to give it a shot and now he loves it too!) and then he and I played ninja/karate/army fighting. Basically rolled around on the floor wrestling and shooting each other with Nerf guns. Fun stuff.
This week is gonna be super fun. Can't wait for Thanksgiving and hanging out. Ash is already on vacation, mine and Jaden's starts on Wed. Looking forward to just relaxing, visiting with family and friends, doing a little shopping with my babe and hopefully seeing a movie with some buddies. Oh and we also get Sarah's new puppy on Friday. Gonna be a great week! Catch ya'll later.
Friday we had some friends over for a movie night and watched the new Star Trek. Love that movie! Its seriously rad. On par with Wrath of Khan. If you are any sort of fan of sci-fi you should check it out.
Then on Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to the downtown Edwards theater. Our friend invited us to a private screening of A Christmas Carol which was super cool. It was a pretty intense movie (very closely follows the book) and had some amazing visuals. After that we took a trip over to the hospital and saw our new nephew Cash and visited with Jon and Deanna for a bit. Bob and Vicki showed up too so we got to see them for a while before we left. When we finished up at the hospital we stopped off at Java downtown and grabbed some joe. Totally love this place now since trying it in Twin Falls. I had another Bowl of Soul and there is nothing better. Just wish we had one closer to our house....although that might be dangerous.
When we got home, Sarah and the kids relaxed a bit and I went out shooting with my brother. Its been a while since we got to hang out and I enjoyed catching up with him. Of course, we blasted the junk out of lots of stuff too which always is a good time. He has a buddy that owns a bowling alley so he got some old pins that we shot at. Those things are dang tough by the way. We also shot the rifles at some metal targets and shottied some clays. Muy bueno!
I got home to a rearranged living room that I almost killed myself on. Sarah and the kids are getting geared up for Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving so a little reorg-ing of the furniture was in order.
Matt and Laura came over for dinner that night and we had some delish pork roast, veggies, salad and bread. They also brought over some butterscotch brownies that were quite tasty. We hung out and visited and played Scrabble the rest of the night and fought back the urge to puke since we all ate so much. It was fun times though...been too long since we got to hang with them too.
I ended up having to work a few a while on Saturday night/Sunday morning so I didn't get much sleep. Got up Sunday and we were all totally beat. Went to JBQ practice and then just came home and crashed. Ended up having to work more on Sunday too but for the most part it was just a relaxing day. Ash ended up going to stay the night at a friend's house so Sarah and I just chilled with Jaden. We had a picnic dinner upstairs and watched Star Trek again (Jaden decided to give it a shot and now he loves it too!) and then he and I played ninja/karate/army fighting. Basically rolled around on the floor wrestling and shooting each other with Nerf guns. Fun stuff.
This week is gonna be super fun. Can't wait for Thanksgiving and hanging out. Ash is already on vacation, mine and Jaden's starts on Wed. Looking forward to just relaxing, visiting with family and friends, doing a little shopping with my babe and hopefully seeing a movie with some buddies. Oh and we also get Sarah's new puppy on Friday. Gonna be a great week! Catch ya'll later.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
PAY DAY!!!
Our newest little nephew, Cash, arrived today. He was delivered this morning and weighed in at 7lbs 15oz. He is healthy and both mom and baby boy are doing great. Congrats Jon and Deanna on your new bundle of joy. Can't wait to see you all and meet the new little guy on Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Jaden and his blog and other random stuff
Jaden is so excited. He is getting his very own blog right now. Sarah is helping him set it up so watch out for an invite. I can't wait to see what types of things he blogs about. The very fact that a 7 year old has a blog is pretty amusing to me. Love that dude.
I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! So excited. Can't wait to sit down to dinner with our family and eat all the delicious grub. Sarah and I are also contemplating going out on Black Friday to do some shopping. Its been a long time since we went out together and it might be nice to just hang out. As long as she gets coffee and breakfast she's good to go. Even though we got all our Christmas shopping done already (yes you heard me!) there are still a few deals that are too good to pass up.
I busted out some of my old comic books last night and looked through them with Jaden. He was beside himself with joy. I had some dupes of several issues so I gave him a GI Joe comic. Now, you may not know but my son is turning into quite the GI Joe fan. He loves the toys and the cartoons. So when he got his very own GI Joe comic (just like daddy used to read when he was a kid) you'd think he won the lotto. He's been very careful with it and is putting it back into the plastic bag when he's done reading so it stays nice. He also informed me that he no longer wants to save his money for GI Joe figures, now he wants to save it for comics. HAHA...makes me laugh. He totally reminds me of me when I was a kid. I also got a super awesome score for one of his Christmas presents but I can't talk of that now....shhhhh.
We sat down and watched our Little Peeps the other night (its our family show) and its kinda depressing to watch that family going through the stuff they are now. Its very obvious that the parents' relationship is strained and its starting to affect the kids. Just hope they can work stuff out and stay together. Always sad to see families fall apart.
I think I need to have a poker night again soon. I have some buddies that have been asking and that I haven't seen in a while. One of my friends is going through some tough times with medical/health problems right now and he was asking me the other day when we can get together again. He's at a place right now where he needs to surround himself with friends and positivity and just try to have some fun. I really want to get everyone together just so we can hang out with him. Hopefully the schedule will permit...maybe in the next week or so.
Well I guess that's enough random stuff for now. See you all around blog-ville.
Later!
I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! So excited. Can't wait to sit down to dinner with our family and eat all the delicious grub. Sarah and I are also contemplating going out on Black Friday to do some shopping. Its been a long time since we went out together and it might be nice to just hang out. As long as she gets coffee and breakfast she's good to go. Even though we got all our Christmas shopping done already (yes you heard me!) there are still a few deals that are too good to pass up.
I busted out some of my old comic books last night and looked through them with Jaden. He was beside himself with joy. I had some dupes of several issues so I gave him a GI Joe comic. Now, you may not know but my son is turning into quite the GI Joe fan. He loves the toys and the cartoons. So when he got his very own GI Joe comic (just like daddy used to read when he was a kid) you'd think he won the lotto. He's been very careful with it and is putting it back into the plastic bag when he's done reading so it stays nice. He also informed me that he no longer wants to save his money for GI Joe figures, now he wants to save it for comics. HAHA...makes me laugh. He totally reminds me of me when I was a kid. I also got a super awesome score for one of his Christmas presents but I can't talk of that now....shhhhh.
We sat down and watched our Little Peeps the other night (its our family show) and its kinda depressing to watch that family going through the stuff they are now. Its very obvious that the parents' relationship is strained and its starting to affect the kids. Just hope they can work stuff out and stay together. Always sad to see families fall apart.
I think I need to have a poker night again soon. I have some buddies that have been asking and that I haven't seen in a while. One of my friends is going through some tough times with medical/health problems right now and he was asking me the other day when we can get together again. He's at a place right now where he needs to surround himself with friends and positivity and just try to have some fun. I really want to get everyone together just so we can hang out with him. Hopefully the schedule will permit...maybe in the next week or so.
Well I guess that's enough random stuff for now. See you all around blog-ville.
Later!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Turn the page....
Well it has been a very eventful past couple of weeks and now the Mendiola Family stands on the verge of yet another new chapter in our continuing adventure.
Today, in case you didn't know, marks that last day for Sarah at her job. She put in her notice a couple weeks ago and we are finally making the move to bring her back home once again. Its where she belongs and where she always wanted to be. After today she can now go back to doing what she loves which is being the best wife and mommy she can. I sure do love you babe and I'm so happy for you. (And yes, of course I want you here!!!)
This week Jaden also began his homeschooling. Its been a weird schedule since Sarah has still been working and all of his school materials haven't arrived yet. But so far he seems to be loving it. He thinks its so cool that he gets his own computer and he can just do his work on the couch in his pajamas. He got to participate in an online meeting with other students yesterday and thought it was the greatest thing! Last night we got the first shipment of materials which included all his textbooks, workbooks and supplies. It was like Christmas! We got two large boxes (addressed to Jaden so he felt super awesome) and all gathered around to unpack them after dinner. It was quite the event. His computer should arrive next week and then we will go about the process of figuring out where to set everything up. So far its looking like I'm going to be evicted from the office which may pose some challenges for my work, but we'll figure it out. Bright spot: I will possibly be upgrading our wireless network. Hooray for new gadgetry!!!
So much change all around us right now and at times its overwhelming. It seems like every day some new, major event is taking place. Sudden shifts that we may have seen hints of but didn't expect. Things that catch you off guard. And some things that you knew were coming but not when, and when they do hit it makes you think "Really God? Now?". Its truly a season of change right now and its in full swing. It can be jarring and might catch you unprepared but through it all there is a hand to steady our way. A bright beacon is visible if you look for it and the Lord will lead you down the path He has chosen. You might not be ready, you might not even be aware of the road, but through faith you will arrive at your destination safe and sound.
I had so much trepidation around Sarah leaving her job and the kids starting homeschool...so many things whirling in my mind. We had a plan and it wasn't time yet! We had a schedule mapped out. We had dates and tasks to complete in preparation. There were committments that had to be met first. How would bills be paid? How would we fit everything in? This can't be right, ITS NOT TIME YET!!! We were getting caught up in the storm of changes raging around us and I didn't feel ready.
But then a strange thing happened. I prayed about all this more and I suddenly realized that all the plans and schedules and preparations we had didn't matter. Those were our plans. Those were our hangups, our path. God was telling me, "These are MY plans for you. This is MY path". After I understood that everything became clear. I could see His hand at work all along and how He allowed everything to fall into place as He always does. At that point, my outlook changed completely. I no longer feared the change, I welcomed it. I felt a weight lift as I discovered I no longer had to worry about all the details, God has a plan and we are on His path. I became excited and found myself looking forward to this next chapter. I have no doubt there will be challenges, but I also have no doubt we will meet them head on and overcome them!
Sometimes I need to be smacked over the head in order to see clearly, but when I do its a sight to behold. I'm so thankful for everything He has done and continues to do in our lives. God is indeed wonderful and its amazing to watch him work.
Today, in case you didn't know, marks that last day for Sarah at her job. She put in her notice a couple weeks ago and we are finally making the move to bring her back home once again. Its where she belongs and where she always wanted to be. After today she can now go back to doing what she loves which is being the best wife and mommy she can. I sure do love you babe and I'm so happy for you. (And yes, of course I want you here!!!)
This week Jaden also began his homeschooling. Its been a weird schedule since Sarah has still been working and all of his school materials haven't arrived yet. But so far he seems to be loving it. He thinks its so cool that he gets his own computer and he can just do his work on the couch in his pajamas. He got to participate in an online meeting with other students yesterday and thought it was the greatest thing! Last night we got the first shipment of materials which included all his textbooks, workbooks and supplies. It was like Christmas! We got two large boxes (addressed to Jaden so he felt super awesome) and all gathered around to unpack them after dinner. It was quite the event. His computer should arrive next week and then we will go about the process of figuring out where to set everything up. So far its looking like I'm going to be evicted from the office which may pose some challenges for my work, but we'll figure it out. Bright spot: I will possibly be upgrading our wireless network. Hooray for new gadgetry!!!
So much change all around us right now and at times its overwhelming. It seems like every day some new, major event is taking place. Sudden shifts that we may have seen hints of but didn't expect. Things that catch you off guard. And some things that you knew were coming but not when, and when they do hit it makes you think "Really God? Now?". Its truly a season of change right now and its in full swing. It can be jarring and might catch you unprepared but through it all there is a hand to steady our way. A bright beacon is visible if you look for it and the Lord will lead you down the path He has chosen. You might not be ready, you might not even be aware of the road, but through faith you will arrive at your destination safe and sound.
I had so much trepidation around Sarah leaving her job and the kids starting homeschool...so many things whirling in my mind. We had a plan and it wasn't time yet! We had a schedule mapped out. We had dates and tasks to complete in preparation. There were committments that had to be met first. How would bills be paid? How would we fit everything in? This can't be right, ITS NOT TIME YET!!! We were getting caught up in the storm of changes raging around us and I didn't feel ready.
But then a strange thing happened. I prayed about all this more and I suddenly realized that all the plans and schedules and preparations we had didn't matter. Those were our plans. Those were our hangups, our path. God was telling me, "These are MY plans for you. This is MY path". After I understood that everything became clear. I could see His hand at work all along and how He allowed everything to fall into place as He always does. At that point, my outlook changed completely. I no longer feared the change, I welcomed it. I felt a weight lift as I discovered I no longer had to worry about all the details, God has a plan and we are on His path. I became excited and found myself looking forward to this next chapter. I have no doubt there will be challenges, but I also have no doubt we will meet them head on and overcome them!
Sometimes I need to be smacked over the head in order to see clearly, but when I do its a sight to behold. I'm so thankful for everything He has done and continues to do in our lives. God is indeed wonderful and its amazing to watch him work.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Stupid Myths
I am always fascinated by what people choose to believe. Superstition, myth, legend....its all basically some dumb story that if you ever stopped to think about it would make absolutely no sense. But, for some reason, people are gullible enough to think they are true.
Some examples.
Chain emails. The idea that forwarding or not forwarding a simple piece of electronic mail will have any affect on your life one way or the other is absurd. And if you don't immediately call 10 people in the next 5 minutes and tell them this, your hair will turn purple. Seriously. My friend's roommate's cousin's uncle's mechanic had it happen to his wife.
Black cats. Cats of any color do not cause bad luck, they are just really annoying and pretty much useless. Also, if you let a cat cross your path without kicking it you deserve bad luck. The same goes for walking under ladders, breaking mirrors, etc....all bunk.
Free (insert random popular product here) just follow this link! If you subscribe to the age old theory that time is money, then right off the bat this is flawed. Clicking on a link to obtain something free takes time, time is money, money equals cost therefore your item is not free. If you don't agree with that motto, then have fun filling out the multiple subscriptions and offers you will be led to and the countless junk emails that will follow all in the name of a free (probably refurbished) bit of techno gadgetry that may or may not ever actually materialize. Bottom line: if it were truly free it would just show up on my doorstep.
Googling Google on Google will break the internet. Really? Wow, if you believe this then its quite possible you may be beyond help. I can tell you with certainty that it will not break the internet. I'm sure Al Gore would have thought of that before he created it.
Rebooting will fix your problem. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks Microsoft.
Step on a crack, break your momma's back. I am fairly confident that if this were true kids would never be allowed to leave the house.
Elvis is alive. No, he isn't.
Don't open an umbrella inside. It's not bad luck, you will just have a harder time getting out the door.
The Tooth Fairy. First of all, this is just plain freaky. Why would you want a kid to believe that some magic sprite comes into your room at night and takes an old piece of your body that you have stashed under your pillow? (Side note: if something falls off my body it either needs to be a: re-attached immediately or b: thrown away if its no longer of use. I would never think it appropriate to put it under my head and go to sleep.) Secondly, why would the T.F. pay you for an old tooth? What does the T.F. do with them? Make dentures? Sell them on the black market? Harvest them for DNA to make clones? Think people. Think.
Everyone has a doppleganger. This is the notion that somewhere in the world you have a double or a look alike. Somewhere out there, there is duplicate you. Preposterous! These doubles are simply the clones the T.F. made from your tooth DNA. :D
Amazing what people will believe.
Got a good stupid myth? Do tell.
Later everyone!
Some examples.
Chain emails. The idea that forwarding or not forwarding a simple piece of electronic mail will have any affect on your life one way or the other is absurd. And if you don't immediately call 10 people in the next 5 minutes and tell them this, your hair will turn purple. Seriously. My friend's roommate's cousin's uncle's mechanic had it happen to his wife.
Black cats. Cats of any color do not cause bad luck, they are just really annoying and pretty much useless. Also, if you let a cat cross your path without kicking it you deserve bad luck. The same goes for walking under ladders, breaking mirrors, etc....all bunk.
Free (insert random popular product here)
Googling Google on Google will break the internet. Really? Wow, if you believe this then its quite possible you may be beyond help. I can tell you with certainty that it will not break the internet. I'm sure Al Gore would have thought of that before he created it.
Rebooting will fix your problem. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks Microsoft.
Step on a crack, break your momma's back. I am fairly confident that if this were true kids would never be allowed to leave the house.
Elvis is alive. No, he isn't.
Don't open an umbrella inside. It's not bad luck, you will just have a harder time getting out the door.
The Tooth Fairy. First of all, this is just plain freaky. Why would you want a kid to believe that some magic sprite comes into your room at night and takes an old piece of your body that you have stashed under your pillow? (Side note: if something falls off my body it either needs to be a: re-attached immediately or b: thrown away if its no longer of use. I would never think it appropriate to put it under my head and go to sleep.) Secondly, why would the T.F. pay you for an old tooth? What does the T.F. do with them? Make dentures? Sell them on the black market? Harvest them for DNA to make clones? Think people. Think.
Everyone has a doppleganger. This is the notion that somewhere in the world you have a double or a look alike. Somewhere out there, there is duplicate you. Preposterous! These doubles are simply the clones the T.F. made from your tooth DNA. :D
Amazing what people will believe.
Got a good stupid myth? Do tell.
Later everyone!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Week End
Well this week is finally drawing to a close. Its been a hectic past couple weeks actually but lots of things came to a head this week. Lots of things also got resolved and there are some changes coming down the road for our family.
For those of you that haven't read Sarah's latest blog, you can read that for more info. Long story short, Sarah is leaving her job on Nov. 1 to stay home more and we're moving Jaden into home school now rather than waiting until next year. BTW, if anyone needs, or knows of someone who needs, a house cleaner let us know. Sarah is going to be starting up her cleaning business again and will be accepting new clients soon.
As I said, long couple of weeks but we now have a sense of peace about a lot of things that were on our hearts and minds. God is good and He provides a way even when we might not be able to see one. We have faith that we're making the right decisions because we're following His will. And I know everything will work out perfectly according to His plan...although maybe not the way we think it should.
I for one am happy to put this week behind me. We have the wedding of our wonderful friends Jen and Eric to look forward to on Saturday and no extra commitments this weekend. We are ready to spend some time in the company of friends and enjoy some much needed rest. Next week is a new chapter and the future is filled with adventure and change. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings our way!
For those of you that haven't read Sarah's latest blog, you can read that for more info. Long story short, Sarah is leaving her job on Nov. 1 to stay home more and we're moving Jaden into home school now rather than waiting until next year. BTW, if anyone needs, or knows of someone who needs, a house cleaner let us know. Sarah is going to be starting up her cleaning business again and will be accepting new clients soon.
As I said, long couple of weeks but we now have a sense of peace about a lot of things that were on our hearts and minds. God is good and He provides a way even when we might not be able to see one. We have faith that we're making the right decisions because we're following His will. And I know everything will work out perfectly according to His plan...although maybe not the way we think it should.
I for one am happy to put this week behind me. We have the wedding of our wonderful friends Jen and Eric to look forward to on Saturday and no extra commitments this weekend. We are ready to spend some time in the company of friends and enjoy some much needed rest. Next week is a new chapter and the future is filled with adventure and change. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings our way!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Busy times.....
Man we have been so busy lately. Our schedules have gotten so crazy lately that I just feel like we need to unplug and take a vacation.
I mean, we're always busy, and as it gets closer to the holidays that only increases, but it seems like lately we've just had so much more going on.
Work had been a bear, and I know that's probably a lot of it. I've been so busy lately working 9-10 hours a day, plus weekends. Last week was extra insane...pulled a couple really late days, plus I was on call. This week (so far) seems a little more manageable, but we found out that the support transition that will free up a lot of my day to day time is now postponed until the first part of next month. But at least I will stay occupied right?
We had Ashley's first TBQ match on Saturday which was fun. She was rockin' it and quizzed out a couple times as well as took individual high score in several matches. So far she seems to be much more comfortable than last year and doing WAY better all around. She really likes it too which is great. She gets to hang out with good people, fill herself with the word, and gets to have some healthy competition. I'm glad she found something she enjoys. She took 3rd place individual over all, and their team tied for first place with win/loss record but took second based on total points. Not too bad for the first match...especially considering her team only has two people now!
Saturday night was my friend's bachelor party. We all went over to his place and had a lan party which was fun. Lots of junk food and soda and video games. I had to bail early (if you call midnight early) since I had stuff to do in the morning but it was a good time. They ended up playing until about 5am which is crazy if you ask me (that's my inner old timer talking) but he had a blast so that's what matters. Next weekend he becomes a married man.
Sunday we were super busy. We had our normal JBQ practice first thing. The kids are all doing so well and studying lots. They were all buzzing in and getting answers....so proud of them. We brought in Trouble and had them play the game by answering correctly. The boys were talking smack (of course) and were in the lead at first, but the girls came back and destroyed them. Pride comes before the fall fellas. But they had fun and Sarah brought them treats which they loved. Of course, we didn't bring anything to drink so I had to run to the Chevron and grab some juices.
After that, Sarah and I were responsible for running kid's church this week. The kid's church is temporarily without a pastor so we volunteered to help out this week. Well, according to Sarah I volunteered and she was just my helper. So anyway, right after JBQ we had to start setting up for that. It went well, and they all seemed to have fun....we even got a kudos from the pastor's son which was cool. I enjoyed it, but I can't see us doing it all the time, especially with all the other stuff we're already involved in. Sometimes I feel we're stretched too thin as it is, but we were glad to help out.
Sunday afternoon was supposed to be my resting time, but Sarah wasn't feeling well so she went to bed. I took Ashley to TBQ and then Jaden wanted to play some videogames with his dad so I played with him a bit. I started to finally doze off a bit around 5:15 but then Ashley was home and it was time to start thinking about dinner and stuff. Oh well, that's the life of busy parents. I can sleep when I'm dead! HAHA
Sarah made some super yummy chicken noodle soup for dinner and I made some biscuits and a chocolate cake for dessert. So glad its getting cooler and we can have soups again. Looking forward to making my creamy tomato soup soon....AW YEAH!!!!
This week the kids only have school Mon - Wed and then they are out for their fall break for a week and a half. We have parent teacher conferences on Tuesday (can't wait for Sarah to meet J's teacher....note to self, stay between them to minimize any possible damage), and I think I have a dentist appointment sometime this week too...hooray for that. Wednesday is BSU family football night at the church. Snacks, fellowship and the game on a giant screen...doesn't get much better. Then on Saturday is the wedding. Lots to do. Busy, busy, busy. But it keeps me out of trouble.
Oh yeah! The best thing is our fast is over on the 15th so that means this week I can finally have coffee again!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!! I have missed coffee. I'll have to take Sarah for our free Starbucks. Can't wait!
Well I better jet, work beckons. But I leave you with this. My devotional talked today about Barnabas (whose name means "son of encouragement") and how we should try to be an encourager. You can be a Barnabas, an encourager, because everybody needs encouragement. And everyone needs help. Everyone stumbles and falls in some way, shape, or form. Everyone has their down days, even the heroes of life. They may wake up on the wrong side of the bed, be feeling a little cranky, or don't always have the perfect answer for every question. They are human like you are. They need someone to just encourage them. So be an encourager.
I mean, we're always busy, and as it gets closer to the holidays that only increases, but it seems like lately we've just had so much more going on.
Work had been a bear, and I know that's probably a lot of it. I've been so busy lately working 9-10 hours a day, plus weekends. Last week was extra insane...pulled a couple really late days, plus I was on call. This week (so far) seems a little more manageable, but we found out that the support transition that will free up a lot of my day to day time is now postponed until the first part of next month. But at least I will stay occupied right?
We had Ashley's first TBQ match on Saturday which was fun. She was rockin' it and quizzed out a couple times as well as took individual high score in several matches. So far she seems to be much more comfortable than last year and doing WAY better all around. She really likes it too which is great. She gets to hang out with good people, fill herself with the word, and gets to have some healthy competition. I'm glad she found something she enjoys. She took 3rd place individual over all, and their team tied for first place with win/loss record but took second based on total points. Not too bad for the first match...especially considering her team only has two people now!
Saturday night was my friend's bachelor party. We all went over to his place and had a lan party which was fun. Lots of junk food and soda and video games. I had to bail early (if you call midnight early) since I had stuff to do in the morning but it was a good time. They ended up playing until about 5am which is crazy if you ask me (that's my inner old timer talking) but he had a blast so that's what matters. Next weekend he becomes a married man.
Sunday we were super busy. We had our normal JBQ practice first thing. The kids are all doing so well and studying lots. They were all buzzing in and getting answers....so proud of them. We brought in Trouble and had them play the game by answering correctly. The boys were talking smack (of course) and were in the lead at first, but the girls came back and destroyed them. Pride comes before the fall fellas. But they had fun and Sarah brought them treats which they loved. Of course, we didn't bring anything to drink so I had to run to the Chevron and grab some juices.
After that, Sarah and I were responsible for running kid's church this week. The kid's church is temporarily without a pastor so we volunteered to help out this week. Well, according to Sarah I volunteered and she was just my helper. So anyway, right after JBQ we had to start setting up for that. It went well, and they all seemed to have fun....we even got a kudos from the pastor's son which was cool. I enjoyed it, but I can't see us doing it all the time, especially with all the other stuff we're already involved in. Sometimes I feel we're stretched too thin as it is, but we were glad to help out.
Sunday afternoon was supposed to be my resting time, but Sarah wasn't feeling well so she went to bed. I took Ashley to TBQ and then Jaden wanted to play some videogames with his dad so I played with him a bit. I started to finally doze off a bit around 5:15 but then Ashley was home and it was time to start thinking about dinner and stuff. Oh well, that's the life of busy parents. I can sleep when I'm dead! HAHA
Sarah made some super yummy chicken noodle soup for dinner and I made some biscuits and a chocolate cake for dessert. So glad its getting cooler and we can have soups again. Looking forward to making my creamy tomato soup soon....AW YEAH!!!!
This week the kids only have school Mon - Wed and then they are out for their fall break for a week and a half. We have parent teacher conferences on Tuesday (can't wait for Sarah to meet J's teacher....note to self, stay between them to minimize any possible damage), and I think I have a dentist appointment sometime this week too...hooray for that. Wednesday is BSU family football night at the church. Snacks, fellowship and the game on a giant screen...doesn't get much better. Then on Saturday is the wedding. Lots to do. Busy, busy, busy. But it keeps me out of trouble.
Oh yeah! The best thing is our fast is over on the 15th so that means this week I can finally have coffee again!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!! I have missed coffee. I'll have to take Sarah for our free Starbucks. Can't wait!
Well I better jet, work beckons. But I leave you with this. My devotional talked today about Barnabas (whose name means "son of encouragement") and how we should try to be an encourager. You can be a Barnabas, an encourager, because everybody needs encouragement. And everyone needs help. Everyone stumbles and falls in some way, shape, or form. Everyone has their down days, even the heroes of life. They may wake up on the wrong side of the bed, be feeling a little cranky, or don't always have the perfect answer for every question. They are human like you are. They need someone to just encourage them. So be an encourager.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Blog #2
Well this is some sort of personal record. I don't think I've ever blogged two days in a row.
Not much to talk about today. Sarah helped me redo my blog page so now its not so boring. Not sure I'll keep it that way but its better than it was. Thanks babe!
Just finished some Sara Lee lava cakes from Walmart. Nowhere near as good as the ones we make but they were ok. Now I need massive amounts of water to wash it down.
Got a nice surprise the other day at work. In recognition of my 5 year anniversary with HP I got a $100 e-Award. I redeemed it for a Walmart gift card and so we went shopping a bit tonight. I got the Wolverine movie on Blu Ray, some blank cd's so I can finally burn more, and some treats for the family.
Oh yeah! I FINALLY GOT MY HAIRCUT TONIGHT TOO!!!! WOO HOO!
I am no longer a shaggy beast. Jaden and I went to Sport Clips while the girls looked around at Bath and Body Works. When I told J we were going there he got all excited. The last time we went, we both got the deal where you get a hot towel and massaging shampoo and he loved it. So this time he asked if he could get his "treatment" again. HAHA, he's so funny. I can't say no to that dude so we both got the "treatments" and had a good time. Now we're back to our considerably less hairy dapper selves.
Sarah went to meet with Pastor Kris today and got to see the puppies. Well not really "see" them since they are still in their mom's tummy, but she saw lumps or something I'm sure. Anyway, she's totally in love with the dang thing and its not even here yet. I'm just glad she wants that for her Christmas present cuz there ain't nothing else I could get her that would top that. They should be born in another couple weeks and then we can bring her home around Thanksgiving.
With the weather changing and cooling off, everyone is getting into the soup making mood. I love soups man. Nothing better than a nice steaming bowl of soup and a hot grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. I want to have a soup potluck where everyone just brings over their favorite soups and we can sit around and sample all the goodness. We are also planning our kolache day soon too which I can't wait for. I sure do love those little balls of bready goodness.
My xbox is coming home! Yee haw! It died on me a couple weeks ago and I had to send it in for repairs. Luckily it was still under warranty so I don't have to pay a thing. Missed out on a couple weeks of gaming with my buds but that's the breaks I guess. It will be back in time for the party this weekend though so that's good. Sarah said I should have fasted games instead of coffee and that this is what I get. Hasn't been so bad though, I had a good "romance novel" to get me through it. HAHAHA
I am tired dude. I had just barely dozed off into a deep, relaxing sleep last night and then I got called for work. It was an easy fix and ultimately something I shouldn't have been called for, but sometimes that happens. When I came back to bed I could not get back to sleep to save my life. I couldn't get comfortable again at all and Sarah sounded like she was sawing down trees next to me. I finally did drift off but it wasn't nearly as good a sleep as before I was paged. When I get done here I think I'll go relax and watch a show or two and then go to bed. That sounds good.
Now that I have cd's again, I need to make Jaden his Ghostbusters cd. For some reason he loves the music and songs from Ghostbusters and begged me to download the soundtrack and make him a disc. He sure does love his music. I sometimes come upstairs and find him with a cd in the player and dancing around or playing along to Star Wars tunes.
Well, I'm about out of things to ramble about. I did get a cool scripture in my daily devotional the other day that I really dug, so I'll leave with that. Take care everyone and we'll blog later!
P.S. - oh yeah, Sarah hates the name of my blog page so I'll probably be changing it soon just so your aren't startled when it happens :D
Not much to talk about today. Sarah helped me redo my blog page so now its not so boring. Not sure I'll keep it that way but its better than it was. Thanks babe!
Just finished some Sara Lee lava cakes from Walmart. Nowhere near as good as the ones we make but they were ok. Now I need massive amounts of water to wash it down.
Got a nice surprise the other day at work. In recognition of my 5 year anniversary with HP I got a $100 e-Award. I redeemed it for a Walmart gift card and so we went shopping a bit tonight. I got the Wolverine movie on Blu Ray, some blank cd's so I can finally burn more, and some treats for the family.
Oh yeah! I FINALLY GOT MY HAIRCUT TONIGHT TOO!!!! WOO HOO!
I am no longer a shaggy beast. Jaden and I went to Sport Clips while the girls looked around at Bath and Body Works. When I told J we were going there he got all excited. The last time we went, we both got the deal where you get a hot towel and massaging shampoo and he loved it. So this time he asked if he could get his "treatment" again. HAHA, he's so funny. I can't say no to that dude so we both got the "treatments" and had a good time. Now we're back to our considerably less hairy dapper selves.
Sarah went to meet with Pastor Kris today and got to see the puppies. Well not really "see" them since they are still in their mom's tummy, but she saw lumps or something I'm sure. Anyway, she's totally in love with the dang thing and its not even here yet. I'm just glad she wants that for her Christmas present cuz there ain't nothing else I could get her that would top that. They should be born in another couple weeks and then we can bring her home around Thanksgiving.
With the weather changing and cooling off, everyone is getting into the soup making mood. I love soups man. Nothing better than a nice steaming bowl of soup and a hot grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. I want to have a soup potluck where everyone just brings over their favorite soups and we can sit around and sample all the goodness. We are also planning our kolache day soon too which I can't wait for. I sure do love those little balls of bready goodness.
My xbox is coming home! Yee haw! It died on me a couple weeks ago and I had to send it in for repairs. Luckily it was still under warranty so I don't have to pay a thing. Missed out on a couple weeks of gaming with my buds but that's the breaks I guess. It will be back in time for the party this weekend though so that's good. Sarah said I should have fasted games instead of coffee and that this is what I get. Hasn't been so bad though, I had a good "romance novel" to get me through it. HAHAHA
I am tired dude. I had just barely dozed off into a deep, relaxing sleep last night and then I got called for work. It was an easy fix and ultimately something I shouldn't have been called for, but sometimes that happens. When I came back to bed I could not get back to sleep to save my life. I couldn't get comfortable again at all and Sarah sounded like she was sawing down trees next to me. I finally did drift off but it wasn't nearly as good a sleep as before I was paged. When I get done here I think I'll go relax and watch a show or two and then go to bed. That sounds good.
Now that I have cd's again, I need to make Jaden his Ghostbusters cd. For some reason he loves the music and songs from Ghostbusters and begged me to download the soundtrack and make him a disc. He sure does love his music. I sometimes come upstairs and find him with a cd in the player and dancing around or playing along to Star Wars tunes.
Well, I'm about out of things to ramble about. I did get a cool scripture in my daily devotional the other day that I really dug, so I'll leave with that. Take care everyone and we'll blog later!
| That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. |
| — 2 Corinthians 12:10 |
P.S. - oh yeah, Sarah hates the name of my blog page so I'll probably be changing it soon just so your aren't startled when it happens :D
Monday, October 5, 2009
Under construction.....
My wife wants me to blog more so she thought that by removing me from our shared blog I might get motivated. Well I guess she was right cuz here we are.
Actually, I just love to make her happy. And for some reason, injecting my thoughts and unique brand of randomness into the internet world through a blog shaped needle is what would make her happy at the moment. That, and her new puppy which is already on the way so I kind of had no other choice.
Who knew setting these things up would be so much work! I felt like I was applying for a small loan with the amount of info they wanted from me. Thank you God for creating the dude who invented Facebook. Fortunately much of this personal info of mine was already out on my profile there. Thank you again God for creating Bill Gates and allowing him to add a copy/paste feature into Windows. Made my blog setup super fast!
So the title of this blog is "Under Construction". I chose this simply because I just created my blog (duh, no deep hidden meaning here). I don't have the nifty toys and gadgets yet that make this a World Class blog like my wife's, but I'm hoping she will be so overjoyed that I finally started one that she will volunteer without hesitation to deck out my page in equal splendor with all the bells and whistles. What do you say babe? :D
In the meantime, I have chosen "boring blog template #5" as my starting point.
Actually, I just love to make her happy. And for some reason, injecting my thoughts and unique brand of randomness into the internet world through a blog shaped needle is what would make her happy at the moment. That, and her new puppy which is already on the way so I kind of had no other choice.
Who knew setting these things up would be so much work! I felt like I was applying for a small loan with the amount of info they wanted from me. Thank you God for creating the dude who invented Facebook. Fortunately much of this personal info of mine was already out on my profile there. Thank you again God for creating Bill Gates and allowing him to add a copy/paste feature into Windows. Made my blog setup super fast!
So the title of this blog is "Under Construction". I chose this simply because I just created my blog (duh, no deep hidden meaning here). I don't have the nifty toys and gadgets yet that make this a World Class blog like my wife's, but I'm hoping she will be so overjoyed that I finally started one that she will volunteer without hesitation to deck out my page in equal splendor with all the bells and whistles. What do you say babe? :D
In the meantime, I have chosen "boring blog template #5" as my starting point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
