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Monday, November 28, 2005
Weekend Update!!!
One holiday down two to go. We had a great thanksgiving this year. You can check out the pictures here. In the morning we went to Elicia’s parents for a Danish breakfast of ableskevers, which look like this.
It tastes a lot like an elephant ear from the fair. Very good.
Than we went back to my house to finish getting things ready for dinner. It was kind of stressful. I had to keep reminding myself that we were on no schedule, relax and have some fun. We deep fat fried a turkey, wow, this is the third turkey we have done like this & I will never roast a turkey again. We had both of our families & Elicia’s grandma over. Dinner went great, & after it was football & coffee while the girls schemed their black Friday attack plan.
Friday I watched the kids while Elicia was shopping & tried to work some on a video job I am doing. It wasn’t a very productive day with a 4 year old & a 3 week old. I did manage to make some killer turkey & slider soup. Those of you not from Michigan a slider is a home made noodle. Than when Elicia got home she offered to go back into town so I could go to Sears to check out the tool sales. What a wife. Honestly she rocks, the way she takes care of our family & home. I love her. You could not ask for a better wife & mother.
Saturday I had an early band practice & than I came home & installed some snow fence. Those of you from Michigan, Iowa has nasty wind storms when it snows. So in an effort to save some shoveling & snow blowing & put snow fence up. Later that night we watched a few movies & than off to bed.
Sunday we went to church & afterwards Jeremy took my kids so Elicia & I could go out for our anniversary. Six years. Man time flies when you are having fun. Oh by the way happy birthday to my cousin, Michael Oliver. After our date we went & hung out at Jeremy’s for a while. I had to play with his new computer. Man I love technology.
It tastes a lot like an elephant ear from the fair. Very good.Than we went back to my house to finish getting things ready for dinner. It was kind of stressful. I had to keep reminding myself that we were on no schedule, relax and have some fun. We deep fat fried a turkey, wow, this is the third turkey we have done like this & I will never roast a turkey again. We had both of our families & Elicia’s grandma over. Dinner went great, & after it was football & coffee while the girls schemed their black Friday attack plan.
Friday I watched the kids while Elicia was shopping & tried to work some on a video job I am doing. It wasn’t a very productive day with a 4 year old & a 3 week old. I did manage to make some killer turkey & slider soup. Those of you not from Michigan a slider is a home made noodle. Than when Elicia got home she offered to go back into town so I could go to Sears to check out the tool sales. What a wife. Honestly she rocks, the way she takes care of our family & home. I love her. You could not ask for a better wife & mother.
Saturday I had an early band practice & than I came home & installed some snow fence. Those of you from Michigan, Iowa has nasty wind storms when it snows. So in an effort to save some shoveling & snow blowing & put snow fence up. Later that night we watched a few movies & than off to bed.
Sunday we went to church & afterwards Jeremy took my kids so Elicia & I could go out for our anniversary. Six years. Man time flies when you are having fun. Oh by the way happy birthday to my cousin, Michael Oliver. After our date we went & hung out at Jeremy’s for a while. I had to play with his new computer. Man I love technology.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Back Pain...
What a weekend, Elicia’s grandparents & family came over on Saturday to see the baby & I went to the last class for Highest Call Saturday night. Sunday after church we went to my parents for our annual tree party. Each year around thanksgiving we all get together & set mom & dad’s tree up. It has become a tradition. We had a great lunch & watched some great football. Go Colts!!! They are 10-0 after this weekends victory. I am going to call it now; they are going to the Superbowl. I had a fairly good headache & had taken some of dad’s pain meds to numb my head & they ended up kicking my butt. We went home around 8:30 & it was lights out by 10.
Do you ever wake up with back pain? I just got a new mattress & I have been sleeping great, but this morning I woke up with this really sharp pain in my back. It felt almost like some one had taken a knife & thrust it into my back & turned it several times. Well I got up & took a shower, went down stairs & as I opened the front door I had a flier in my screen door. Now the pain of that knife in my back it me like a ton of bricks. It was like in the movies when some one gets stabbed & he drops to his knees & than the perpetrator thrusts one last time & finishes him off. As I read the note I understood what the pain was from. It wasn’t from my new mattress; it was from my best friend. I had been flamingo-ed. Man it hurts; I had to call the employee assistance program at work today for counseling. After I had helped in covert missions, after years of friendship, after purchasing flamingo insurance. My friend stabs me in the back. Oh the pain & emotional anguish. Oh well, touché to him he got me. He must have been feeling spunky because his bears won. It all goes to a good cause anyways.
This is probably the best week out of the year. We only have to work three days this week, than comes the food & football, woohoo I can’t wait. Elicia’s parents & one of her grandma’s & my parents & all the brothers & sisters & a dog are all coming to my house on Thursday. I can’t wait; I think it will be a blast. I love being with family.
Do you ever wake up with back pain? I just got a new mattress & I have been sleeping great, but this morning I woke up with this really sharp pain in my back. It felt almost like some one had taken a knife & thrust it into my back & turned it several times. Well I got up & took a shower, went down stairs & as I opened the front door I had a flier in my screen door. Now the pain of that knife in my back it me like a ton of bricks. It was like in the movies when some one gets stabbed & he drops to his knees & than the perpetrator thrusts one last time & finishes him off. As I read the note I understood what the pain was from. It wasn’t from my new mattress; it was from my best friend. I had been flamingo-ed. Man it hurts; I had to call the employee assistance program at work today for counseling. After I had helped in covert missions, after years of friendship, after purchasing flamingo insurance. My friend stabs me in the back. Oh the pain & emotional anguish. Oh well, touché to him he got me. He must have been feeling spunky because his bears won. It all goes to a good cause anyways.
This is probably the best week out of the year. We only have to work three days this week, than comes the food & football, woohoo I can’t wait. Elicia’s parents & one of her grandma’s & my parents & all the brothers & sisters & a dog are all coming to my house on Thursday. I can’t wait; I think it will be a blast. I love being with family.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Cold Enough To Freeze Snot
Well yesterday was pretty uneventful. We hit a high of like 27 degrees & I don’t think the wind chill ever came above 5 or 10 degrees. The wind was sustained at like 30 or so mph & gusting to 45 or 50 mph. I had to drain my waterbed in that last night. Not to long ago I noticed the structural beam in the living room starting to bow from the waterbed directly above it. A 100-year-old farmhouse was not built for all that weight. By my calculations I had at least 1,457.75lbs or more on that beam. We opted to get a traditional mattress that weighs quite a bit less. So I had to drain the waterbed last night & set up our new bed. To my surprise we slept pretty good, well as good as you can with a newborn.
This morning it was still freezing cold out. I went out & started my truck so it would be toasty warm when I left for work & when I finally left I got stuck. My sissy two-wheel drive little four-banger lightweight truck can’t take a little ice. My truck had been sitting in they yard since the storm came through on Tuesday. Well with the really cold temps & warm tires from driving home on Tuesday created a bond to the snow that was already on the ground. Since we have not topped 25 degrees since then the yard was fairly slick. Well I managed to spin & slide my way further into the yard. I was late & didn’t feel like messing with it. I shut it off, jumped in the jeep & it was off to work. I guess I will have to get Jeremy to bring all of his sand bags over so I have some weight to get out of the yard.
Only six more days until A-Day, Woohoo Alex-paloza is almost here. Let’s say you & me get the party started early, almost like a pre-celebration. It will be a short holiday, so lets start the party now. It’s like Christmas, the excitement builds & builds, you start listening to Alex-carols, & decorating for Alexmas. You bake all sorts of cookies decorated in Alex’s likeness, & send all your loved ones cards expressing your excitement & love for one another & the holiday. Alex just brings us all together. With all the hype & excitement the day arrives & it is everything you dreamed it would be & as the sun sets in the west everything just comes barreling down to a crashing end. The realization the Alexmas is over. You have to go to work in the morning & Alex is gone until next time, but when he returns the party starts again.
This morning it was still freezing cold out. I went out & started my truck so it would be toasty warm when I left for work & when I finally left I got stuck. My sissy two-wheel drive little four-banger lightweight truck can’t take a little ice. My truck had been sitting in they yard since the storm came through on Tuesday. Well with the really cold temps & warm tires from driving home on Tuesday created a bond to the snow that was already on the ground. Since we have not topped 25 degrees since then the yard was fairly slick. Well I managed to spin & slide my way further into the yard. I was late & didn’t feel like messing with it. I shut it off, jumped in the jeep & it was off to work. I guess I will have to get Jeremy to bring all of his sand bags over so I have some weight to get out of the yard.
Only six more days until A-Day, Woohoo Alex-paloza is almost here. Let’s say you & me get the party started early, almost like a pre-celebration. It will be a short holiday, so lets start the party now. It’s like Christmas, the excitement builds & builds, you start listening to Alex-carols, & decorating for Alexmas. You bake all sorts of cookies decorated in Alex’s likeness, & send all your loved ones cards expressing your excitement & love for one another & the holiday. Alex just brings us all together. With all the hype & excitement the day arrives & it is everything you dreamed it would be & as the sun sets in the west everything just comes barreling down to a crashing end. The realization the Alexmas is over. You have to go to work in the morning & Alex is gone until next time, but when he returns the party starts again.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!
It was about 15 degrees this morning with a wind chill of 2 above. Last night the wind was blowing I bet a constant 50mph by my house. It was blowing hard enough to move all 200lbs of me across the yard.
Elicia had tried to start a fire before I got home & smoked the house out, so she put it out & I started one when I got home. When I went outside to grab more firewood. I noticed that my stacks along my fence had blown over. That’s a lot of wood to restack. They were probably 6 foot tall & 8 foot long, & I had three of them. Are windows I now know leak really bad I could feel a breeze coming through the living room. The wind was blowing hard enough that every once & a while the stove would let off a puff of smoke into the room. The air would come right back down the stovepipe. That made it difficult to keep a fire going. So after the smoke detectors went off I had enough. I sent Elicia & the baby upstairs & I took the burning wood hoping I wouldn’t burn the house down, out of the wood stove & threw them in snow bank outside.
It rained all morning & than it turned to snow by afternoon, so all that water on the ground first froze stiff last night. I tried to open the door on my truck this morning & it was froze shut. I took the jeep to work today so I would have four wheel drive if I needed it. The wind was howling out of the north so bad this morning that you could feel the truck loose traction. The roads were 100% snow & ice covered. Now, answer me this, if you just had a storm & the roads were completely covered would you not think the truck would be out putting brine down before the storm & salt/sand after the storm. Nope not in Iowa, I didn’t see one single truck on the road. This being the first snow of the year & Iowan’s who drive like idiots anyways not knowing how to adjust & drive safely in it, I was in danger a few times this morning. I will be staying off the roads until they clear up. Not that I am scared or can’t drive in it, but I am fearful for my vehicles & my family if I go out they. Those morons could hurt me.
Thanksgiving is next week, WooHoo, turkey & football, I can’t wait. Elicia’s family is invading our house this year. I am kind of excited, now before I say this I am a straight MAN, but I like to cook. So I am looking forward to cooking a turkey. This will be my first year. Grandma Ruby makes some slamin carrots & I have grandma Oliver’s pickles to complete the meal.
Christmas is approaching fast. I am been loading my iPod with all my Christmas music. I started listening to it the other day & it makes me want to put the lights up. I still think it is wrong to turn the light on or put the tree up before thanksgiving.
My Thought For The Day:
As you are sliding down the banister of life, watch out for the newel post at the bottom, it could cause serious bodily harm.
Elicia had tried to start a fire before I got home & smoked the house out, so she put it out & I started one when I got home. When I went outside to grab more firewood. I noticed that my stacks along my fence had blown over. That’s a lot of wood to restack. They were probably 6 foot tall & 8 foot long, & I had three of them. Are windows I now know leak really bad I could feel a breeze coming through the living room. The wind was blowing hard enough that every once & a while the stove would let off a puff of smoke into the room. The air would come right back down the stovepipe. That made it difficult to keep a fire going. So after the smoke detectors went off I had enough. I sent Elicia & the baby upstairs & I took the burning wood hoping I wouldn’t burn the house down, out of the wood stove & threw them in snow bank outside.
It rained all morning & than it turned to snow by afternoon, so all that water on the ground first froze stiff last night. I tried to open the door on my truck this morning & it was froze shut. I took the jeep to work today so I would have four wheel drive if I needed it. The wind was howling out of the north so bad this morning that you could feel the truck loose traction. The roads were 100% snow & ice covered. Now, answer me this, if you just had a storm & the roads were completely covered would you not think the truck would be out putting brine down before the storm & salt/sand after the storm. Nope not in Iowa, I didn’t see one single truck on the road. This being the first snow of the year & Iowan’s who drive like idiots anyways not knowing how to adjust & drive safely in it, I was in danger a few times this morning. I will be staying off the roads until they clear up. Not that I am scared or can’t drive in it, but I am fearful for my vehicles & my family if I go out they. Those morons could hurt me.
Thanksgiving is next week, WooHoo, turkey & football, I can’t wait. Elicia’s family is invading our house this year. I am kind of excited, now before I say this I am a straight MAN, but I like to cook. So I am looking forward to cooking a turkey. This will be my first year. Grandma Ruby makes some slamin carrots & I have grandma Oliver’s pickles to complete the meal.
Christmas is approaching fast. I am been loading my iPod with all my Christmas music. I started listening to it the other day & it makes me want to put the lights up. I still think it is wrong to turn the light on or put the tree up before thanksgiving.
My Thought For The Day:
As you are sliding down the banister of life, watch out for the newel post at the bottom, it could cause serious bodily harm.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Living The Dream
Do you ever dream? Do you ever think of how your life could have been different? Someone posed the question to me yesterday, if you could do anything in the world what would it be. I thought for a second & said, “I don’t know”. You know I couldn’t really think of anything. Is there a problem with me that I have never really dreamed of that? There is a song on the radio that says, “This is your life, are you who you wanted to be”. Did you think your life would turn out as it did? On our way home Elicia asked me “so you have never really dreamed” I replied, I guess I am living the dream. She asked what I meant & I said that the only thing I ever wanted in life was to be a dad. That was the only thing that I can remember dreaming about. So I guess I am living the dream I said. Are we not the model middle class American, a house, two kids, two cars, a dog & cat, an income, how many people dream about that?
As I listened to a passage of a book about making your life count, I had to wonder, does my life count. Am I just going paycheck to paycheck completely numb to everything? Has this world desensitized me?
It is a routine everyday, get up, go to work, come home, watch the news, play with the kids, go to bed & repeat. I have heard the saying “Live & Let Live” a few times this week, & it has made me question myself. Am I living? I liked in Jeremy’s post today the paragraph about Kyle Lakes & living. Is what you are doing with your life reveal Christ in you? Are you living? Are you dreaming & working towards your dream & does your dream line up with God & his plan for your life? When you die are your friends & family going to forget you, or will they say he/she really lived & made their life count. I guess I just have a lot of questions that I need to answer.
Sorry for the depressing post, but I have a lot of things causing me to ask some questions about myself right now.
On a lighter note I got word of mutiny among the ranks of the F.T.U. It seems the flaming-er became the flamingo-ee. It seems the leader never purchased flamingo insurance. I thought it was funny.
Well we are getting hit with our first snow right now. Here was my weather email this morning, Prepare for winter! Rain will change to snow this afternoon, but the winds present a big problem by tonight with gusts near 50 MPH. Look for 2" to 4" of snow around the metro with high winds creating treacherous travel conditions. A winter storm watch is in effect from tonight through tomorrow morning. How wonderful, I love Iowa. It was 70 degrees a week ago. Living out in the country now with no wind block & the wonderful winds of Iowa (we are the windiest state in the us with exception to IL & the wind from lake Michigan) I am kind of scared not knowing how bad my driveway & road are going to blow shut. We will see in the morning.
As I listened to a passage of a book about making your life count, I had to wonder, does my life count. Am I just going paycheck to paycheck completely numb to everything? Has this world desensitized me?
It is a routine everyday, get up, go to work, come home, watch the news, play with the kids, go to bed & repeat. I have heard the saying “Live & Let Live” a few times this week, & it has made me question myself. Am I living? I liked in Jeremy’s post today the paragraph about Kyle Lakes & living. Is what you are doing with your life reveal Christ in you? Are you living? Are you dreaming & working towards your dream & does your dream line up with God & his plan for your life? When you die are your friends & family going to forget you, or will they say he/she really lived & made their life count. I guess I just have a lot of questions that I need to answer.
Sorry for the depressing post, but I have a lot of things causing me to ask some questions about myself right now.
On a lighter note I got word of mutiny among the ranks of the F.T.U. It seems the flaming-er became the flamingo-ee. It seems the leader never purchased flamingo insurance. I thought it was funny.
Well we are getting hit with our first snow right now. Here was my weather email this morning, Prepare for winter! Rain will change to snow this afternoon, but the winds present a big problem by tonight with gusts near 50 MPH. Look for 2" to 4" of snow around the metro with high winds creating treacherous travel conditions. A winter storm watch is in effect from tonight through tomorrow morning. How wonderful, I love Iowa. It was 70 degrees a week ago. Living out in the country now with no wind block & the wonderful winds of Iowa (we are the windiest state in the us with exception to IL & the wind from lake Michigan) I am kind of scared not knowing how bad my driveway & road are going to blow shut. We will see in the morning.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Monday Update
I have started a crusade to investigate & expose Alex’s stalker. Most of my job is investigative so if you are Alex’s stalker, I would be worried. If you want this to stop before your name is plastered all over the Internet than drop me a note & I will end this. If you want to continue to play this game, than get ready to rumble.
If you have any information that can help in this investigation or would like to become a member of the Stop Alex’s Stalker site & contribute to the cause, than click on my profile & send me an email. In your email please include your email address & I will send you an invitation to the site.
Girder Music Update
I sent an email to Whitecross & voiced my opinion & told them what has happened & I got a return email almost immediately from Greg Hays apologizing. He stated that he was sending my cd & offered me a free cd from their bargain bin. That made me happy, but I am still a little scared to order anything else from them yet. I still have not received the cd, but if he sent it like he said it should be here in the next day or two. Don’t boycott Girder yet Angie. Whitecross is a really good band & has made some awesome music over the years, especially the new 1987 cd. You can’t go wrong with that cd. It would make a good Christmas present. I already have that one, so buy me like the In The Kingdom, or Unveiled cd.
I had a pretty busy weekend & it went way to fast. My father in law helped me install some sconces in my living room & I installed the actual lights yesterday & they look awesome. Very cozy with a fire in the wood stove.
I have a butt load of firewood (if you have a big can, than that is a lot of wood). My brother in law showed up at my house last night with a truckload of wood. I think I am set for the year. I might go get a few more truckloads & stack in my basement so when it is snowing & freezing cold out I wont have to take my slippers off to get wood.
If you have any information that can help in this investigation or would like to become a member of the Stop Alex’s Stalker site & contribute to the cause, than click on my profile & send me an email. In your email please include your email address & I will send you an invitation to the site.
Girder Music Update
I sent an email to Whitecross & voiced my opinion & told them what has happened & I got a return email almost immediately from Greg Hays apologizing. He stated that he was sending my cd & offered me a free cd from their bargain bin. That made me happy, but I am still a little scared to order anything else from them yet. I still have not received the cd, but if he sent it like he said it should be here in the next day or two. Don’t boycott Girder yet Angie. Whitecross is a really good band & has made some awesome music over the years, especially the new 1987 cd. You can’t go wrong with that cd. It would make a good Christmas present. I already have that one, so buy me like the In The Kingdom, or Unveiled cd.
I had a pretty busy weekend & it went way to fast. My father in law helped me install some sconces in my living room & I installed the actual lights yesterday & they look awesome. Very cozy with a fire in the wood stove.
I have a butt load of firewood (if you have a big can, than that is a lot of wood). My brother in law showed up at my house last night with a truckload of wood. I think I am set for the year. I might go get a few more truckloads & stack in my basement so when it is snowing & freezing cold out I wont have to take my slippers off to get wood.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
I'm Back Baby
Well after a long hiatus, I’m back baby.
In all of my gittiness I may have thrown my support in the direction of Girder Music & Whitecross a little to soon. On 10/5 I ordered 2 Whitecross cd’s from Girder music. My order arrived on Saturday 10/15, only receiving 1 cd I called Girder music on Monday 10/17. I spoke to the owner of the company, Greg Hays, & he apologized & said he would priority mail me the other cd on Thursday 10/20. Mind you Girder music is in Illinois & priority mail is only 3 days anyways. On Tuesday 10/25 I emailed Greg & ask about the status of my shipment. I received no response. Well this just mad me mad, so on Thursday 10/27 I sent an email to the ordering department at Girder & voiced my complaint They responded & said “Your CD was mailed as promised”. I asked them what date it shipped & they never replied. So I waited. On Friday 11/4/05 after weeks & weeks of checking the mailbox & finding no cd I sent another email to Girder, again with no response. Now burning mad & with out a cd, I called my credit card company & disputed the charge. I told them that I have made several attempts to get the cd I paid for & they are not responding to me. So I asked them if they would credit me back the price of the cd as Girder music was not holding up their end of the deal.
It is stuff like that that just burns me. What horrible customer service. It is a shame because Whitecross has such good music. I guess I will have to get all my music from Amazon & eBay. I am telling everybody I know to stay away from Girder Music. They are bad news.
In all of my gittiness I may have thrown my support in the direction of Girder Music & Whitecross a little to soon. On 10/5 I ordered 2 Whitecross cd’s from Girder music. My order arrived on Saturday 10/15, only receiving 1 cd I called Girder music on Monday 10/17. I spoke to the owner of the company, Greg Hays, & he apologized & said he would priority mail me the other cd on Thursday 10/20. Mind you Girder music is in Illinois & priority mail is only 3 days anyways. On Tuesday 10/25 I emailed Greg & ask about the status of my shipment. I received no response. Well this just mad me mad, so on Thursday 10/27 I sent an email to the ordering department at Girder & voiced my complaint They responded & said “Your CD was mailed as promised”. I asked them what date it shipped & they never replied. So I waited. On Friday 11/4/05 after weeks & weeks of checking the mailbox & finding no cd I sent another email to Girder, again with no response. Now burning mad & with out a cd, I called my credit card company & disputed the charge. I told them that I have made several attempts to get the cd I paid for & they are not responding to me. So I asked them if they would credit me back the price of the cd as Girder music was not holding up their end of the deal.
It is stuff like that that just burns me. What horrible customer service. It is a shame because Whitecross has such good music. I guess I will have to get all my music from Amazon & eBay. I am telling everybody I know to stay away from Girder Music. They are bad news.
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