Saturday, January 5, 2008

Fast, Furious, Fitness...

...that's the motto of the USA Racquetball Association and today I received my offical membership card. So now I'm a card carrying member with all the privileges. And what are those privileges, you may ask? Well, I was afforded the opportunity to pay 35 bucks. I get a copy of Racquetball magazine. I get 10% off at choice hotels. But mostly, it's just prestige. Yeah, right. Would you really believe anyone goofy enough to paste these kinds of pictures on his website?

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

ShoutFest '07

This year I once again volunteered for ShoutFest '07. ShoutFest is an annual New Year's Eve event for the youth in our community. There is food, video games, fingrnail painting, food, dodgeball, coloring, laser tag, food, Christian rock bands, basketball and food. At midnight there is a worship service with our premier christian band, The Rebellion. This year I wimped out a bit, though. I only stayed til 2:30 am. In the past, I've stayed for the duration, but then my New Year's Day is wrecked. I think this was a good compromise.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

New Work Clothes

Since I work at home, I'm often dressed in "less than conventional" work clothes. Initially, when I started the home office thing, I would shower, shave and dress and start my day just like I was going to the office. After a few months of that, I wisened up. For Christmas this year, I got a few new uniforms and some new footwear which is just perfect for the current corporate culture.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Guitar Hero^TM

ManHead got what he really wanted--Guitar Hero. Of course, he already had the game on his PC--which was pirated from the internet. He had a borrowed guitar from a friend. So, he was able to play already. The game he got for Christmas; however, was actually purchased at a real store and had all the features--which is a plus. Additionally, he was able to personalize his own guitar--which makes makes it all worth the price. Now, while he majors in Guitar Hero in college, he can actually do the homework.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas

May God bless you and your family during this Christmas and throughout the new year.

Friday, December 21, 2007

LW's Surgery

Well, I've always thought she had a screw loose, but no longer. Today, during surgery #3 following her auto accident last year, they have taken all the hardware out of Lovely Wife's leg. Originally, they thought they would keep it in, but her recovery was going slower than expected and she was still in considerable pain, so the doctor decided to take it out. After the surgery the doctor handed me hardware (ugh!) and told me that he thought LW would see a distinct improvement. I hope he's correct.

Monday, December 17, 2007

LD's New Job

Much as I wanted to announce this to the world with much fanfare, alas, Lovely Daughter was uncooperative. She wouldn't smile and pose with her first check. She wouldn't even tell me much about it. Well, that's teenagers for ya. I think it has something to do with selling shoes. I'm still proud of her...but don't tell her that.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

2007 Virtual Holiday Tour

It's time once again for the Virtual Holiday Tour. Lovely Wife spends countless hours decorating our abode and, since we're basically shut-ins, there is no one to see it. That's why I'm bringing it directly to you. So sit back and make yourselves at home and enjoy LW's handiwork.

As you can see, I've been living in a virtual winter wonderland these past few weeks

...and to all a good night.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Auto Mechanic

The Car: A 1995 Chevrolet Corsica (Cayenne Red), 6 cylinder, roughly 170,000 miles.
The Symptoms: Temperature gauge fluctuating rapidly--sometimes reaching overheating levels, white smoke (and a bit of moisture) from the tailpipe, heater doesn't work and runs rough when started.
The Diagnosis: Well, my first thought was thermostat--mainly because it's a fairly easy and cheap fix. Then I did a bit of digging on the internet and realized it is a leaking head gasket.
The Cure: K & W Nanotechnology. Flush the cooling system and radiator, pour in the magic sauce mixed with water, let the car run for 40 minutes or so, then let cool for a day. The next day, drain, let dry and refil with coolant. Voila! Leak Sealed. Heater works. Temperature gauge is steady. Runs great. I'm a genius!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Rams vs Packers

Think of it as Man vs Wild where the hapless rams are the poor man and the Packers are the "wild". Yes, we were trounced. It was, after all, to be expected. It's always great to have the Packers in the house though. Their fans are so...unique. I guess you would have to be somewhat crazed to sit in Lambeau Field in January. Maybe it's all the cheese. I saw cheese hats, cheese belts and even a cheese bra. The best thing though was to be witness to Brett Favre surpassing Dan Marino as the NFL's all-time leading quarterback in passing yards. The whole stadium (half of which were Packer fans anyway) erupted in applause and a strobe of camera flashes. By the end of the game, when "wild" was up by three touchdowns, all I could hear were the Packer fans yelling "Go Pack Go". Never before has the opposing teams rallying cry been so predominant.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Christmas Party

Well, I was supposed to go to a Christmas Party this evening, but I'm mired in work. We're supposed to get 4 to 8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow, so I'm on snow detail. Everyone is supposed to write an original Christmas poem to read at the party. Since I already had mine written, I had Lovely Daughter read it. Wanna hear it? Ok, here goes:

A Christmas Poem

So nice to be here amongst all of our friends
And I want to say "thank you" to our hosts, the Lynns
It's not often I get to write poems
Except those to loved ones displayed in our home
So I'm glad for the chance to show off my wit
I'll try not to bore you...not one little bit.

Last year, you'll remember, we wanted to come
In fact, I had RSVP'd with a poem
But alas, poor Kristie was involved in a wreck
And we weren't able to make it, oh heck!
But we heard all about it—it sounded like fun
And we knew that this year we just had to come

So allow me to tell you a story of mine
It's about a young lass, who’s had quite a hard time
She was minding her business, doing her chores
Preparing for Christmas, attacking the stores
When all of a sudden her whole world was changed
The driver was careless—or maybe deranged

Last year, she was injured quite badly you see
The bones were all broken, the ankle, the knee
The two operations have been a success
But have left her with pain and a bit of duress
And the ankle keeps swelling, and giving her trouble
But I've seen her endure, amidst all her struggles

And through it all this girl has shown me her mettle
She pushes herself through the pain and the hurdles
She rarely complains, in fact she feels blessed
She has family and friends and church and the rest
But mostly she has her strong faith in our Lord
It impresses me and so and I want her tale told

This story has meaning--so you'll want to abide
To know God means you'll have strength to survive
He provides for us all and He gives us our strength
To live in His will and endure all our pains
So be thankful for all you've been given this night
And thankful, above all, your loved ones know Christ

And so Christmas was a bit different last year
It was not filled with the usual cheer
Each year I'll remember that one fateful day
When our lives were changed in so many ways
I saw in this woman I loved, such strong faith
And I know why I'll love her, 'til my dying day

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Ice, Ice, Baby

It was a very long lived event. Rarely do such storms last on the order of days, but this last ice storm to hit the central plains was one such storm. The worst of it was west of us where the temperatures were a bit colder, but we certainly had our fair share. The best thing about an ice storm is the aftermath. It's spectacular. All the trees look like they're made out of glass. When the sun comes out, everything shimmers. It's truly beautiful. Of course, I probably wouldn't feel this way if I had no power or heat.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

KidStuf

For those of you who don't know, my alter ego is Grandpa Henry. That's the character I play in our Children's worship program called KidStuf. It's a great program that highlights a virtue each month, such as patience or initiative, and has Bible stories and skits and songs to explain and emphasize the virtue. My skit character, Grandpa Henry, is usually on stage once or twice a month. I also do off-stage voiceovers and whatever else needs to be done. It's a lot of work and a big time commitment (I'm in for a year--minimum), but it's worth it. We're a fairly small church, so putting on a new production each week is a big job for us. Luckily, we have lots of good people who are willing to commit of themselves to make it happen. Lovely Wife also gets a cameo appearance as "Samantha Spade".

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Advent by Candlelight

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

L.D.'s Pizza Fiesta

Since Lovely Wife was off doing her doings, Lovely Daughter and I were on our own for dinner. I had made dinner for the last few nights and so I told here that dinner was her responsibility. Knowing that she generally only makes sandwiches, baked desserts and the occasional "fazoo of one large donkey" I knew I was taking my chances. My laziness overcame my culinary caution. Then, she had a marvelous idea. Homemade pizza! Lots of toppings. Olives and onions too. Was this my daughter? She trooped to the store and got the fixin's and made the best pizza I've had in years. Well done L.D.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanksgiving '07

Thanksgiving was fairly simple this year. No visitors. No friends or extended family. Just the four of us. We watched the traditional Thanksgiving Parades. Cooked a big turkey. Ate like fiends. Watched football and took a nap. And, as we always do, we recounted the many reasons why we're thankful on this day. We were certainly glad to see ManHead home from college. We even made a wonderful sign for him and hung it on the mantle. Over the weekend, we each had a hand at some colorings--some of us were more persistent than others. Mine was the one with the tie.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Women's Retreat

Have you ever wondered just what goes on at a women's retreat? Well, I think I have been given a glimpse. This weekend, Lovely Wife scurried away with some women from the church for a retreat at Windermere. It's a beautiful Baptist conference center tucked away in the Lake of the Ozarks. When the men had their retreat there last year, there was waterskiing and sports and such. I guess the women found other things to do.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Halloween

Another successful Halloween. We got rid of most of our candy--yeah, I just let them take a handful, much to L.W.'s chagrin. I took pictures of some of the more fanciful costumes this year. We actually saw some pretty good ones, but mostly those were from the younger crowd. I hate to see teenagers with like just a hat on expecting to get candy. My favorite costume of the night had to be this guy. He was VERY authentic.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Sayonara Subway

Lovely Daughter has ended her long and glorious reign as "Sandwich Queen". Subway was her first job and she worked there for about a year and a half. Her departure was relatively uneventful; however, I'm sure that she will be sorely missed. Although she never had an official title such as "Assistant Manager" or "Shift Manager", she opened the store, closed the store, took inventory, made schedules and generally bossed people around. Her "I Got This" catchphrase exudes confidence and will take her far in life. Bravo on a job well done L.D. And, since you owe me money, I hope you find a new job soon.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Upward Award Celebration

Our Upward soccer season is finally over. Truth be told, it's been a very long season for me. Mostly because the drive was about 40 minutes to the games and the practice. A little more than I'd anticipated. The one thing that always amazes me is how much these boys learn in 8 short weeks. Even when they're clowning around in practice and I'm thinking that they're not even listening, during the games I see some of them doing the things I've been trying to teach them. Hey...they were listening. The biggest challenge at this age is to convince them not to crowd around the ball but to stay in their position. Some of them were actually doing that. Amazing. Today was the Award Celebration. Each team is introduced and their team picture is shown up on the screen as they come running in. I think they cheered the loudest for my team, The Inferno. During the celebration, there are cheerleaders, some worship songs and Harvey the Juggler. He even juggled fire. Then, the gospel message. That's the thing about Upward--it's all about sharing the gospel. If you've ever been interested in a program such as this, you should visit their website.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Hey Nineteen

BoyHead Manhead turned 19 on the 8th. Since he was away at college, we waited until today to celebrate. Presents, cake, food...the usual stuff. I'm thinking that he's getting towards the end of the traditional celebrations--we're definately not doing the clown and the pony thing again next year. But, I suppose as long as he's willing to come home that we'll be willing to sing Happy Birthday to him on his birthday. Congratulations ManHead!