Mountsville, USA

Here Piggy Piggy

2012-01-30T18:59:00.002-06:00

This Saturday we picked up our pig. No, my wife would not let me get a real one. However, a couple of months back, we did place an order with McDonald Farms for one of their grade "A" pigs. We had Dewigs process it for us and I have to say it has been excellent. We ended up paying around $1.27/lb after it was all said and done. Our freezer is 14.4 cubic feet and it is about half full. My wife cooked a couple of the pork chops on Sunday for lunch and they were excellent. Pork chops for $1.27/lb, you can't beat that. 2 big slab of ribs are on the schedule for this week, hopefully. Next, we will be looking to get a cow.

Made in America.

2011-12-19T07:53:00.000-06:00

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821

The Ameraucana

2011-11-14T23:40:00.002-06:00

This is a video of the Ameraucana while I was building the new coop. If you turn up the volume, you can hear her.

More Pics

2011-11-14T23:15:00.001-06:00

Mack vs. Chicken

Jessica just loves it when Red digs in the mulch.

Barred Rock strut-tin her stuff.

The chickens automatically go to the coop as the sun sets.

The Dogs

2011-11-14T21:57:00.003-06:00

We were just hanging out one day watching the chickens.

Updated Pics of the Chickens by Will

2011-11-14T21:54:00.005-06:00

I got home one day only for my wife to tell me that the black chicken we had originally purchased had kicked the bucket. She went on to explain that she threw it in the trash can. If I ever end up missing, just look in our trash can. She didn't even put her in a plastic bag. So, we pulled her out and gave her a proper burial. Above shows the new Plymouth Barred Rock (from Newburgh, IN) and Red Star. Red is an original and is definitely the matriarch of the group. Red has even went so far as to catch a shrew/mole. I tried to get it away from her, but she would just pick it up and run away. The dogs gave chase because of the noise, but Red held them off. The shrew/mole was squealing, but she did kill it by pecking it too death. She tried to tear it apart to eat it, but I did manage to get it away from her before this could happen.

The picture above is of a Rhode Island Red that came from Newburgh, IN. She is the youngest of the group and has yet to start laying.

The best looking one is the Ameraucana which my father-in-law and I drove to Centertown, KY to retrieve. The first couple of days she hung out in the garage with me. Saws, drills, etc. didn't phase her a bit. In the background is the new chicken coop I built in order to give the chickens more room. It essentially matches the garage in color and design.

How to Find Mack and Minerva

2011-07-08T19:43:00.003-05:00

We adopted two kittens last October. They have grown up and are coming out of their shells. They have their own personality, but many things are the same. Every morning around 6am, they come into the room with the dog to wake us up. They all stay in the room until we are off to our daily activities. During the day, they tend to find their favorite hiding/sleeping spot in the house. Sometimes you tend to wonder if they slipped out the door when you where coming in or out because they are not present. Over the months, we have found a way to get them to come out.

5/ Go into a room and close the door. Wait 2-5 minutes and within that time frame, you will see little black paws reaching underneath the door.

4/ Have an intimate moment.

3/ Go to the bathroom

2/ Open the refrigerator door or the door to the washer and dryer

1/ When all else fails, shake the cat food bag. It doesn't seem to matter if the bowls are full and have been all day, they come running.

Getting Old Part 3

2011-07-01T21:25:00.006-05:00

Surgery was this past Tuesday. I noticed the pain in my left hip and left leg was gone when I woke up in the recovery room. That was the first thing I checked. I was up and walking within 5 minutes after getting me to a room and in fact, I got in trouble because they told me to walk around the unit, and I went outside and walked around the hospital. Needless to say, the nurse was not happy with me then and hooked my back up to the fluid/antibiotic machine because she knew I did not like dragging it around. I am at home and in some pain. However, this pain is no where near what I was feeling the weeks leading up to it. It's just a little stiffness. I am able to do anything as normal, but I cannot lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. I cannot drive for 7 days. I have a follow up today to review the sutures. He encouraged me to act as normal as possible with a few restrictions. The first day home, I was stiff, just because of the surgery, but no where close to what it was. Yesterday, I was doing everything as normal. Today, my pain is less than 1 and I have not taken any pain medication. The only time I have pain is after I sit or lay down and get up from either. It only bothers me for about 20 seconds. I cannot walk nearly as fast as I used to yet, but I am still healing. My worst day of recovery which was the day of the surgery was not even close on the pain scale. Before, I was taking 7.5mg Percoset every two hours and still had pain of 9.9 on a 10 scale. After surgery, my pain was 2 to 3 less medication.

In the future, he stated that cycling, swimming, and walking will be my best friends. I will not be allowed to do high impact activities such as running, jumping, or even lifting weights. He did say however, that I will be able to do push-ups, etc, and anything on the P90X program that does not involve the high impact. I will be reevaluated in two weeks and he says that will be when they determine I am eligible to return to work.

Overall, it was great. I woke up in the recovery room and immediately noticed all the pain was 99% better. Since the disc had been pushing on the nerves so long, they are still irritated and a little swollen and will get better with time. But no where near like it was. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

I researched this a lot as I d o everything before I had the surgery. It depends on 2 things. First, is the doctor good. Secondly, if you follow the doctors orders. Mom and I researched the doctor first and it is up to me to do the rest. I don't know if you have had an MRI or what type of surgery, but look for a good doctor.

Welcome to Getting Old Part 2

2011-06-21T16:50:00.003-05:00

I got to meet with the Surgeon yesterday thanks to the help of my Chiropractor. He wanted me to have surgery this Thursday, but I pushed it off to next Tuesday. I do not want to put anyone in a bind including my employer. He was very informative and went through alot of facts. Things that he informed me of:

1/ He stated it would be outpatient surgery and I should be home that afternoon.
2/ He also told me not to return to work for 4-6 weeks. However, I do have access to all my files at
home.
3/ I will no longer be allowed to lift weights and in fact, he wanted me to look more like a cyclist or
runner.
4/ 8 out of 10 patients have immediate relief. 1 out of 10 takes a little longer. 1 out of 10 have
more than one surgery.

So, we will see how it goes. I am hoping to be in the 80% bracket.

Welcome to Getting Old

2011-06-19T17:53:00.004-05:00

Its not a surprise to anyone that I have had back issues for 5 years now. In 2007, I had an MRI done and they told me that I had the arthritis of a 50 year old in my back. Since then, I starting going to a chiropractor that really helped the pain go away. Sometimes it would be 3 months and sometimes days. In February of 2011, I noticed pain traveling down the lower portion of my back, through my hip, and into my ankle. It would come and go without causing me to miss a beat. In May, I met with my doctor and he diagnosed it as sciatica. He gave me a prescription and sent me on my merry way.

This week, I met with my doctor on Tuesday and he no longer believes it is sciatica since it is still causing issues months later. It was really slowing me down because I felt like I could not put any weight on it and my back pain was getting worse. He ordered me to get an MRI on Thursday, gave me a prescription for Lortab, and said would contact me with the results. I had also told my chiropractor as well because he was concerned that my visits were more frequent and did not seem to help.

Friday morning, I went to the chiropractor. As he proceeded to work on my back, he asked if I had my MRI and of course I told him yes. He sent the assistant for the paperwork; he read it and ordered the assistant to pull it up on the computer. Here I am lying face down and he is clicking through the file, when out of the blue, I hear him say "Oh shit." The problem with that is he doesn't cuss. I realized technology is just amazing as he asked me to look at the file. It basically looks like a 3-D image of my spine and you can even do a birdseye view. Here is what he showed me:

1/ L1 was moved forward and up, pushing on the disk between L1 and L2.
2/ I had a bulging disk between L4 and L5, so bad that it had taken up 3/4 of the nerve cavity and pushing all the nerves into that section.
3/ All the disks above L5 were full of fluid.

He looked at me and said 9 out of 10 people with this condition have to have surgery and he immediately ordered his assitant to set up an appointment. I also had my medical records and MRI from 2007 sent to him as he had requested.

This Saturday night, the pain was so intense that it woke me up. I have been sleeping on the floor as the chiropractor had suggested. I could not get up off the floor and it nearly took me 15 minutes. It was so bad that I woke Jessica up in the other end of the house. Evenetually, it let up enough to where I could go to sleep.

Sunday morning, the pain was back and I told Jessica we needed to go to the ER. We arrived around 10:30 and the lady at the desk said "You seem to be in extreme pain, I will get you in right away." Of course, they asked me a ton of questions in the triage and I mentioned I just had an MRI. They send me back to a room. 15 minutes later, a nurse walks in and says "I reviewed your MRI and there is no way Lortab is going to prevent that much pain." She also went on to say that I will be having surgery as well. She had the assistant give me a shot and prescribed me with Percoset and Valium. As we got into the vehicle at 11:30 (can you believe it only took us one hour in the ER), I immediately noticed the pain going away. Although I feel some, it is not even a 1/10 of what it was and it felt good to walk.

Hopefully, I will find out tomorrow when I will get to see the back surgeon and when I will have the surgery. The nurse said in the ER I would be in the hospital for a couple of days (which sucks), but I would be back up and going within a week or two. However, it would be months before I reach a full recovery point.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-16T21:35:00.009-05:00

Since the kids will be with their father this weekend, they went ahead and gave me their cards. The Eldest brought this to me:

How thoughtful. She even put "Red" and "Black" chicken (we got them two weeks ago) on the card. She knows how much I like watching them. Then the youngest brought me this with a straight face. He worked on it in total secrecy, which is a big deal for him:

You have got to be impressed with the humor from a 9 year old.

The Chicken Coop

2011-05-24T19:07:00.002-05:00

Scenery on the Way Home

2011-04-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Baseball time

2011-04-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Out of three scheduled games, we've gotten one in. The practices haven't fared much better with all the rain, either. Not even sure if we'll get practice in today - and we're supposed to have another game tomorrow.

This is the first regular-season that the kids have pitched to each other so it's a little more exciting but the games stretch on a little longer. It's neat to see how big the kids are now and the skills they've developed.

At the game, #1 son played catcher. Loves it.

He also pitched and did a pretty good job too.

My Mancave....by Will.

2011-04-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

I had the mancave painted to better match the house vs. that yellow metal with gray trim. It turned out better than I imagined.

I put the outside lights on a timer so they automatically come on at dusk and shutoff at a predetermined time.

Catching up.

2011-04-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

1. We have a 9 year-old in the house. We celebrated it again this week with a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods- thanks Greta!

2. The Eldest went to a Sweet 16 party of one of her friends. Theme? Beauty and the Geek. The girls dressed up and the guys (and the gal's parents!) geeked out.

3. Our boys' basketball team went to the Sweet Sixteen this year, and we went up to watch them play at Rupp.

4. Cats are doing well. Sometimes we come home to this:

Please excuse the watermark. I didn't realize I had exported them with it on there until later.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:36:00.000-06:00

For the second year in a row, Will has proven himself as The King of Valentine's day.
Sparing the details, I will say that he:

plans his scheme(s) in advance.
shows his creative side.
researches extensively for just the right words to say.
carefully orchestrates the steps in his scheme for maximum results.

The goal for this year? Uncontrollable laughter. Needless to say, he got it. I had tears in my eyes.

I know this is all cryptic, but it's better that way. Trust me. Really.

Sunglasses?

2011-01-22T20:47:00.001-06:00

Mack and Minerva

2011-01-17T10:55:00.001-06:00

Let's say that in the past 24 hours, they've settled in.

After seeing these two kittens Friday night, reading about how they came to the shelter (found in ditch, bottle-fed by foster mom) we ended up back at Petsmart on Sunday afternoon to adopt them.

The funny thing is that we saw them Friday night on a "let's go to Petsmart and look at the cats" whim, then Saturday we went our separate ways, not even talking about them; Will was in Cynthiana all day to help his mom, and I cleaned house then drove to Edmonson Co. for a photo session. Sunday, after church and Cracker Barrel (yum. just saying.) we happened to end up in Petsmart again. (what a coincidence!) Now, I love surprises. Love. When he turned to me and asked "So, what do you think about getting a cat?" I froze, just like when he proposed to me, hoping to freeze the moment. After what seemed like an eternity, I barely muttered a positive response that likely didn't convey my excitement, which is the story of my life. Minutes later, the paperwork was filled out, free kitty litter and food selected, and we headed out the door with this brother and sister in tow.

Cat Camp

2010-12-23T08:06:00.000-06:00

We're watching Mom and Dad's cat again for a few days. He's had a pretty good time.

Update

2010-12-21T21:41:00.001-06:00

Every once in a while, I have to clear photos off my phone, and realize that they've been there a while. Tonight was no different. A glimpse into the past few months:

The World of Outlaws race was rescheduled for October 17 this year after being rained out in April. We took the kids. Jacob? Impressed. Caitlin? Well, let's say that she entertained herself by counting mullets and camo shirts. It was a good time, though.

For the 12 or 13th year, I played in our brass quartet at KWC's Madrigal Dinner. It's always the first weekend in December, and it's an annual fundraiser for the college. I played when I was there as a student, and I remember seeing my classmates up there singing. Now I see my former students involved with the production. Sheesh.

Jacob is in his Star Wars phase. He draws Boba Fetts everywhere, and created this masterpiece last week on my board at school.

Caitlin got braces Monday. I snapped this photo on the LAST DAY of her life (for the next two years, anyway) that she wouldn't have braces. *sigh* She should be finished up with them her junior year, just in time for senior pictures. I'm sure it'll be here all too soon.

Christmas Photo Fail. But not totally.

2010-11-28T22:29:00.000-06:00

One would think that my kids would naturally agree to have their picture taken. No fooling around, no weird expressions. Note: ornament above Jacob's head was distracting - it was a picture of him. We had to switch it out since the irony was too much to bear: a photograph in a photograph! Argh!

One would think they wouldn't get a weird attitude or anything when I'm trying to document a precious moment.

One would think that they would, in fact, cherish this special moment in time, and gaze lovingly upon their mom while she clicks the shutter...

But then again, it wouldn't be normal if it didn't take 60 previous shots to get to this one.

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T08:49:00.000-06:00

To our Veterans past and present - we thank you for your sacrifices great and small. Sometimes words aren't enough.

Something about this commercial cracks me up.

2010-10-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Latest Project

2010-09-19T21:04:00.001-05:00

What does one do when he has nearly one hundred Jeff Gordon cars?

Well, one goes about learning how to use a planer, planing down sawmill lumber that Dad had sawed on his sawmill. Then one measures and figures out how to arrange the shelves to accommodate the different packaging on the cars.

The Mayor of Mountsville and I put these up Labor Day weekend. All the shelves have Lexan fronts and backs, and the sheet on the front slides out.

We put up the remaining three cases last weekend.

Grace.

2010-09-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

As things go, this whole idea of grace never ceases to amaze me. Really.

Several months ago, Will and I were talking to another couple, and we happened to talk about how much humans have screwed up over the years (think Israel, Moses, etc...). We couldn't get over how God kept forgiving His people, and gave them chance after chance to repent and come to Him. At one point, one of us asked how He could do this. The reply (and I cannot forget the look on her face) was simply "Grace. His grace."

Her response took me aback. I was blown away. Even now, when I think about that conversation, I am still amazed. The idea that God's grace is enough to allow for all of my human, selfish, stupid, disobedient moments? Even when they're more than moments?

Yeah, it's enough.

For even me.

Isn't that amazing?

Mounts Family Reunion 2010

2010-09-06T07:57:00.002-05:00

Click photo above for link to web album.

What a great afternoon of food, family, and fun! The chicken was fantastic, the side dishes divine, and the desserts were to die for. The weather was perfect, and the kids certainly made good use of the spacious yards. Thank you to those who provided everything that made it such an enjoyable time.

Today is Another Day of Celebration

2010-08-24T20:58:00.006-05:00

Today, my mother turned 59. The reason I bring it up is because 20 years ago or so on this same date, I ran into my mother's bedroom as a young child wishing her Happy Birthday on a Saturday morning. And of course, at that age, I was still in the starting stages of the grooming process and really cared about nothing but toys, cartoons, and playing. However, I asked my mother how old she was. She replied very swiftly "29." Now, I didn't think much of it until my Aunt Connie came over as she did many Saturday mornings. I ran up to my Aunt and said "Did you know it was Mom's 29th birthday?" My aunt Connie replied, "Who told you that?" I said "Mom did." She replied, "Your mother is not 29, she is 39, she fibbed to you." I bring it up because it's just one of those memories of growing up in our household in a very small town.

I called my mother this morning to wish her Happy Birthday. And of course, she is always excited to hear my voice. Why? Well, because I dislike talking on the phone as much as I dislike driving, or listening to arrogant socialist Obama or one of his tax evading, corrupt idiots speak. But, its a special day for her and I pushed my issues to the side. Not that I hate talking to anyone or her for that matter on the phone, but rather I like to talk to people face to face so that I can see their reactions. I had sent her a cross that she can set out in her landscaping. Not only is she a music box collector, but since I developed her landscaping years ago, she has gathered a huge assortment of yard ornaments/figurines, including a life-like cat that I will share another time. It was one of those things that I was looking for the right present, but yet wanted something that was important. I had been trying to find just the right thing and it drew me to it considering all the circumstances that have been brought into her life since February.

I talked to her for a while, but something she said has just stuck with me all day. As I wished her Happy Birthday, she said she was happy to make it this far given the circumstances. Now, I responded with her miraclous recovery is the result of only one thing, God. And God has a purpose for her to fulfill. Now whether that purpose is to help others deal with cancer, return to church regularly, shower her son with gifts (I just threw this one in here), keep me in line, or to encourage people as they face difficult hardships in their lives that they cannot rely on mankind but rather turn to the Creator and ask for help, that is up to her to find out from God. God has an agenda for us all and if we stray from that, he provides subtle hints. Most of the time, we miss these hints and sometimes it takes big pushes or some type of message or loss to understand that we have veered off course. Or maybe, its just that he wants us to help others and the only way we can do that is to experience something for ourselves.

I am no means a perfect person or great servant to the Lord, but I try. However, I recognize that he is the Creator and only he can fix the problems we incur. I remember a couple of years ago, I didn't see the subtle hints. God sent me two messages I couldn't miss. It started at work and since college, I guess I would have considered myself an Atheist. I was at work, talking to the controller and the CEO at the time. We got into a pretty heated debate about God and of course my discourse about how there couldn't be one. I left work and I got onto the on ramp to get onto the bypass. A semi would not get over in the far lane to allow me to merge and I was running out of road. So, I had to slow down, which is hard for me considering the tickets I have received, and started to speed up in the left lane to tell the semi driver what I thought. As I sped up, so did the semi which just infuriated me even further. The speed limit is 50mph, but we got up to about 70mph. The semi was red and he was pulling a big chrome milk container. As I looked at it in my fury, I read what it said. In two foot tall blue letters on the tank read "Jesus is the Answer." It kind of shook me up, to where I actually slowed down. I asked myself is this a coincidence that less than 5 minutes ago I basically said there was not a God? I got off on the Frederica exit and turned left to head down 431. I had to stop at the light underneath the bypass. I looked at the car in front of me and noticed the license plate. It read, "He is #1." By this time, I freaked out, but didn't tell anyone for a day or so. It takes alot to get me shook up like that, but it grabbed ahold of me. I knew immediately, I had to change my thought process. We as a people and a country must change our thought process.

I love my mother and and could not imagine my life without such a loving, driven, patient (thank goodness for me), and family oriented individual. Plus, she has always been there by my side through the good times, bad times, and even with all the stupid things I have done in my life. Happy Birthday Mom from all of us and we are still Praying for You. God Bless.

When nature doesn't cooperate...

2010-08-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands. Or leaf blower.

Back to School

2010-08-11T20:13:00.000-05:00

For the first time, Caitlin rode all the way to school with me and went to my school with me! Yay! We have a third-grader and a freshman in the house. Jacob has reported that his day went great - they "didn't do any work today!" Caitlin, on the other hand, seemed a little stressed. Moving from a school of 300 to one with nearly 1700 kids is always a challenge. We've reassured her that it will get better, though. In three weeks, she'll have everything down pat.

Bluegrass Games, Lexington

2010-08-02T09:15:00.001-05:00

This weekend Caitlin's team played in the Bluegrass State Games, held in Lexington. She played games Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and three different locations: Kentucky Basketball Academy, Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School, and Lafayette High School.

Saturday we met Tiffany, a high school friend, who braved The Most Unlucky Morning Possible to meet us for lunch. She was gracious enough to endure my questions about photography and offer suggestions for growing my business - and it was wonderful seeing and chatting with someone so talented, heartfelt, and real.

After her game on Sunday, we stopped in a locally-owned bookstore of awesomeness, the Morris book shop. While we were there, I noticed that several of the customers are greeted by name, or at least a "I have the book you've been looking for..." Caitlin and I camped out in the humor section for a while and I ended up coming home with three books, pictured above.

Even though her games didn't go as well as she would have liked, the team is working on coming together more. Since their regular season hasn't even started yet, I'd say that the year is looking good!

The Painter Strikes Again

2010-07-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

We got a super deal on a little cart to pull behind the lawnmower, and we decided that it needed some sides. Mind you that this cart was NOT around during the hauling of 4 tons of rock during Spring Break, the 6 tons of rock we hauled in June, and several loads (close to ten?) of mulch from Spring Break on. I'm not bitter - no, not at all!

Anyway, Will did a fantastic job of building and painting the sides. My reaction was just what he thought it would be - a high-pitched, "Oh, those are soo cuuuuute!!" He has taken the dogs for rides in the wagon, but I don't think they're as impressed.

Breaking News in Volleyball

2010-07-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

As of 1 pm CST, we have a member of the JV Volleyball team residing in our house. Way to go Caitlin! She's the only freshman on there. Woo hoo!

Louisville Bound

2010-07-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

After lunch on Friday, we'll be heading up to Louisville for the state All-Star tournament. We play Friday at 8 pm and Saturday at 11 am and 5 pm. Sunday's games are single-elimination - of the top 8 teams.

On Thursday, Caitlin has volleyball tryouts for the DCHS team. We will know that evening how she did and if she'll be playing on the Freshman team again or if she'll play on the JV team.

Busy, busy days - but days that I wouldn't give anything for.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

And more baseball...

2010-07-01T22:43:00.001-05:00

We finished up regular season, and then headed into the tournament June 19. Well, Jacob's team stayed in the tournament and we played our last game Wednesday, losing the second time in a heartbreaker, 10-9. Last night and tonight he had tryouts for the 8yr old Cal Ripken All-Star team and made it. They picked 14 from 29 kids that had been recommended by the 12 teams in the West Daviess County League. The team plays their first game next Friday in Henderson, and after that it's off to Louisville for the state tournament. Way to go Jacob!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-06-24T09:09:00.000-05:00

Today marks our two-year wedding anniversary - a very good day indeed!

At least we didn't have a cake like this, right?

Sweet, Sweet Summertime

2010-06-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Caitlin played in a scrimmage game for DC. She's playing a different position, having moved from being a setter to playing front row (hitter) and likes it. It was a long day, but neat to see how much the team has improved over last year. She has another scrimmage this weekend.

Although our down time is interrupted by practices, conditioning, games, and VBS, we're making the most of the time at home.

Playing Catch-up

2010-05-23T22:13:00.001-05:00

A little over a month ago, we cat-sat again. Herman was not the least bit scared of Tess while she was lying down, but when she stood up, it was a different story. He really wanted to play - and she did too.

Baseball has started up again, so a couple of nights a week we're heading to practice and/or a game. Oh, and the person that Jacob's most excited to see cheering him on? Greta. He's been pumped that she's come to a couple of his games.

We have landscaped the entire house, and I've taken the requisite before-and-after photos, but I think I'll hold off on that post a little bit. We still have a drainage project to take on, and after that we can finish up out front.

I took senior pictures for a former student last week, and this was one of my favorites. I'm hoping to do more of these in the future! We had a great time, and Mother Nature provided some great light on a day that had been dreary.

Many apologies for the brief overview, but the last few weeks of school are always hectic. I'm posting now because I'm procrastinating; the literary analysis papers need to ripen a bit more.

Over and out.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

To our moms:
Thank you for making us who we are today. Thanks for putting up with us as we grew up and being great grandmoms to the kids as they grow up too.

We hope your special day was a good one.

Love,
Will and Jessica

In Memory of a Great Family Member and My Best Friend

2010-05-04T09:27:00.004-05:00

I have lost two great loves in my life. Gypsy died of cancer in October of 2007 and now Phoenix today, May 4. Phoenix was my first adopted dog back in 2000 during my Junior year at U of E. I got him when he was 1.5 years old and he put a special place in my heart. He opened my heart up to adopt other Dobermans that had been neglected, abused, or dropped off.

I remember getting him and how long it took the two of us to get to know one another. He liked to sleep with me, except that when I would wake up on the morning he was sprawled out and I was hanging off the edge of the bed. So, I got him his own couch that I placed in my bedroom so he could sleep next to me and a chair placed in the living room next to me when I would study. He loved to lay down next to you and snuggle. He also loved to lean on you or lay on your feet.

He was always excited to see me when I got home, even till the last days of his life. I remember during my Master's days my mom had bought a variety pack of oatmeal (24 packages). When I had got home that night, there was a trail of oatmeal from the kitchen counter into the living room. There sat Phoenix on my couch with a bag of oatmeal hanging out of his mouth. He had that surprised look on his face with that tilted head as to ask the question "What's wrong with this?" I couldn't help but laugh and I asked him "What, you couldn't find a flavor that you liked so you opened all the packages?" He dropped the package that was in his mouth and laid his head down on the couch. I will never forget that.

Phoenix has always been by my side through the roughest of times, especially working forty hours a week and working on my masters every night for a year. He was there when I started and struggled through my career, but he always knew when something was wrong. He would always lay his head down on my lap. He loved Gypsy and when we got Tess after Gypsy's death, you could not separate them. They wrestled and played in the yard like big kids. They truly loved one another. Even though he was 12, I was always optimistic that he would make it much longer because the Dr. said he was in great shape for his age. I didn't know that today would be the last. I laid across his lifeless body this morning crying my eyes out telling him how much he meant to me and that I loved him dearly. Time stood still.

I am thankful to God for letting me be apart of Phoenix's life. I know that God know has two great dogs walking around beside him in heaven. I am looking to God now to heal the pain and sorrow in my heart. Phoenix just wasn't a dog, he truly was my best friend and I always thought of him as my first born child. I always wanted him to have a great life and I hope that he thinks that way. God works in mysterious ways and with Phoenix, he opened apart of my life that I will never forget. God also opened my heart up to saving other Dobermans. As I write this entry, I can see him know leaning up against God to be petted. As God reaches down to stroke is beautiful body, Phoenix starts to lay down on God's feet. Phoenix, I miss you and love you so much.

Spring Break, Days 7-10

2010-04-12T13:41:00.001-05:00

Thursday, gravel and rock day, was cool and cloudy. I rented a dump trailer (very cool) and used it to haul two tons of gravel for the turn-around spot and two tons of river rock for the pool area. We will definitely rent it again when we get more rock and mulch later. I got to go to the gravel place and drive amid the tri-axles and semi trailers hauling sand and rock. Needless to say, I felt pretty small. The guys in the scale house complimented the trailer, though. That was cool.

On the second trip, I got the river rock and simply dumped it in the driveway. Our original plan was to be able to dump it closer to where it was headed, but the 2 1/4 inches of rain the night before changed that plan for us. I got to shovel every bit of the brown gravel by hand, wheelbarrow it over to the pool, and dump it. Note the small rig with the ramps over the walkway. Let's just say that pushing a wheelbarrow full of rock is difficult if you're trying to go through soaked mulch and loose gravel. The rig worked beautifully, if I do say so myself.

In addition to spreading gravel, I also buried two drainage tiles that will take the water from the downspout and hopefully (!) to the driveway.

Friday of break, we had an official day off, then Saturday we worked on our patio. We've changed the color, opting for a lighter tan instead of the orangy color we had before. We painted steps to match, too. Sunday, we took off the pool cover, and we'll be wrapping up the patio project and the pool opening this week. Pretty productive week, eh?

Spring Break, Days 4-6

2010-04-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

Monday I rented a sod remover. Simply put, it's one of the greatest time-saving lawn devices I've ever seen. It was worth every penny! One of the great things about the house that Will and I liked was the fact that the landscaping (or lack thereof) provided a blank slate. This week, we did some drawing on our blank slate, putting in beds that got mulched or rocked. Here's some of the work in progress:

Yes, the kids were put to work. They were a big help and hung in there even though it wasn't too easy. We made a few trips with the new wheelbarrow (above) then decided to go for the four-wheeler and trailer route. Jacob then became The Driver, and his motivation improved dramatically.

It took all of Monday and most of Tuesday for sod removal. We found out that cutting the sod was the easy part; the more tiresome parts included picking it up, loading it on the trailer, and unloading the trailer. Late Tuesday we were able to move several loads of river rock from the front beds to the pool area, getting ready for mulch on Wednesday.

Wednesday was mulch day. I went to Watkins, loaded up Will's truck and a trailer, and drove back home with the intent of getting everything unloaded before the rain arrived. We got it all unloaded in time, and things are looking better.

Now with the mulch down, it's easier to visualize the beds and plan what to plant. If there's anything that resists dogs lying on top of it, let us know....

Spring Break, Days 1-3

2010-04-12T12:13:00.002-05:00

On the first evening of Spring Break, a Clone Trooper set the table for us.

Saturday we ran a few errands then enjoyed the beautiful weather. We went to church Saturday night, and enjoyed a very tasty supper at Cracker Barrel with Greta and Aunt Connie. Greta brought us a basket filled with chocolate, including some AWESOME Stephen Libs Chocolate that we had to try out. There were so many yummy kinds that we decided to slice off pieces of each and make a study of it.

Sunday we spent time outside, enjoying the great weather. We got everything ready for the following days' adventures, taking up edging in the front and prepping other areas.

Short trip down memory lane...

2010-03-28T20:28:00.001-05:00

I was looking through one of my external hard drives tonight and found a few gems and thought I'd share. Before Will became a Kentucky resident, I'd come up to Indiana every other weekend and we'd get into our fair share of adventures. One of the weekends I came up, we rode four-wheelers to Griffin, IN, and I brought the camera. Behold, I give you the Wabash River, August of 2007.

Good times.

Latest Additions

2010-03-21T17:39:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Will installed the latest two additions to the homestead. The first one to arrive a few weeks ago was the Purple Martin house. He's been itching to put up a Martin box, and picked one up while out and about with Dad. Listed as a feature of the house are the railings that "keep young Martins from falling out of the house."

Well, after that, Will learned about Bat boxes from someone at work. After a bit of research, he learned more about bats and how beneficial they are. Cue the Bat Box:

Making final adjustments to the box. Dad welded the poles and Will painted them.

Now we sit, waiting, watching, wishing we had binoculars to check out the incoming birds and bats. Word on the street is that we got them up before the birds have migrated up this way. Stay tuned.

In the news this morning....

2010-03-07T07:20:00.005-06:00

Click on Image for Exploded View

Chicken Barbecue Pizza. Alternate title: The Reason Will Loves Me

2010-03-01T21:13:00.000-06:00

For lunch Sunday, I made my first-ever attempt at Barbecue Pizza. We liked it so much we had it for supper tonight. It's very simple, which is a must for me if I'm going to try a new recipe. Now, I know that some of you in Readerland are saying, "Jessica, really? You've never made this? What kind of cook ARE you, anyway?" I'm going to go ahead as though there are no naysayers out there and walk you through the process.

Bottom layer is the pre-fab pizza crust. It claimed it was low in carbs and calories, so that's enough for me. This summer I'll buy the smaller ones and put these on the grill, loading them with cheese and veggies. I picked up the thin crust, because that's how we roll around here. It's got a great flavor.

On top of the crust, smooth some Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue sauce. That stuff is the best ever, hands down. Everything tastes better with a little Sweet Baby Ray's.

Find some chicken (Mom, this means with no bones) and mix some Sweet Baby Ray's in with it so it's all barbecue-y. I used pre-fab (canned) chicken since that's what we had, but I can't help but think about how yummy it would be with roasted chicken that's been pulled apart. Note to self: try with leftover roast chicken next time.

Top the chicken with red onions, bacon pieces (pre-fab, I know), and mozzarella. The bacon wasn't in the recipe I found, but I figured I probably couldn't go wrong. We all know that the basic building blocks of matter are butter, salt, garlic, and bacon.

Bake the pizza for about ten minutes, then broil for the last minute or so to brown the top.

That's it! It tastes better than it looks and makes the house smell fantastic.

Everyday is another day of insanity

2010-02-22T18:21:00.009-06:00

Every day I watch the news to see what other ignorant thing is going on. Today's big thing was the government sanctions put on to credit cards. Now, the quote was from a Senator "that the credit card companies charged $7 billion in late fees last year. These sanctions will prevent that." Are you serious? Are we so naive to think that they won't think of other ways to obtain that loss? They are already talking about raising rates no matter if you pay on time or not to recoup this money. If the person was charged a late fee then that means they couldn't afford it. So why did they keep adding purchases to it in the first place? I used to be one of these people and my wife and I have pledged not to ever get in that situation ever again after we paid ours off in 2006. This is why we don't have credit cards. What happened with the simple concept of living within your means?

Now, my wife and I have an exceptional income. Everyday, I see people leaving these expensive houses and going to work in their expensive vehicles. Some of them I know and know their income. I know that we couldn't afford it so I don't understand how they do it- plastic cards, extended payment terms, etc. And we wonder why foreclosures and bankruptcies are up. Because they had every paycheck spent before they got it and what was left went on a credit card. Our system continually allows them to do it. My buddies dad told me probably 15 years ago that "a house purchase will be one of the most significant purchases of your life. A smart man would only purchase a house in which the payment (including taxes, insurance, etc) was 25% of your take home pay." Now, I am not a smart man, but this man was giving me a life lesson and I was going to take it. That stuck with me for years and was the only consideration we used when we were deciding about how much we could spend. Just because you like the more expensive doesn't necessarily mean you should get it. One of the stupidest commercials I have seen was the Credit Card commercial where it talks about split payments as a new feature. One of the items this idiot scrolls through was a coffee. He couldn't afford to pay cash or with a debit card so he is deciding if he wants to split the payment for a coffee? How ignorant is that. This is probably one of the same people that calls in to Dave Ramsey everyday on 1280AM or 1490AM. Dave has become a millionaire off of people like this and they can't understand how. It's Common Sense.

I can also understand that if you have an emergency where you don't have the cash, but whatever it is has to get fixed. For example, a transmission going out of your car, refrigerator goes out, etc. and it costs $2000-$4000 to fix. However, pay it off. Don't go to the furniture store because you would like to have a new bed or living room set. Don't go putting new clothes or other items on it to "keep up with the Joneses." I highly suggest to these people to read one of Dave's books or attend one of his seminars. I guess my whole point to this rant is that our government should be focusing on the economy, jobs, reducing the national debt, and the wars. Take care of those first and we can discuss the others later.

The Newest Member of the Family

2010-02-18T20:15:00.005-06:00

I actually got this truck over in Festus Missouri (8 hours round trip) the last week of January. It was an older gentlemen (one owner) who traded it in on a new F150. It was $1,000 cheaper than what it would have cost me around here. So, Chris S. (our electrician) and I set out at 4am on a Saturday morning. It cost about $200 to pick it up, so I saved around $800. I had my usual things done to it as well:

Dual Exhaust
Tinted Windows
Stainless Steel Nerf Bars (installed myself)
New Tires
Husky liners (installed myself)
K&N Cold air intake (installed myself)
Changed the spark plugs (done by a mechanic)
Changed the ignition wires (done by a mechanic)
Flushed the radiator and replaced thermostat (did myself)
Flushed front and rear differentials (did myself)
Flushed the transfer case (did myself)
Flushed the transmission (did myself)
Replaced brakes and rotors all the way around (did myself)
Replaced the passenger side door actuator so the passenger power locks work (did myself)
Changed the oil (did myself)
Bug Deflector (installed myself)
Painted the receiver (did myself)
Ventvisors (installed myself)

All these items needed to be done as apart of the 100,000 mile service requirements. And it needed it. I also took apart the front grille and painted the inner grille back to black from where it had faded to gray through the years. And of course, my wife was right there beside me helping me along the way.

Playing in the Snow

2010-02-16T10:06:00.001-06:00

We've had no shortage of legitimate snow days since December, missing three days last week and two days this week. Last week we got 6-8 inches of snow, and this week I think we got about 5.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:29:00.000-06:00

Catsitting

2010-02-12T07:58:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, we babysat (catsat?) the cat for Mom and Dad. They had gone to Florida to see family and celebrate their anniversary. As a result of this four-day adventure, Will and I have learned that The Cat, Herman, outranks us all. Phone calls home were like this:

Me: "How is Florida? Did you all make it through the airports okay?"
Dad: "What's the cat doing?"
Me: "Herman slept most of the day, then played with the kids."
Dad: "Did he find his litter box okay?" (Dad hands phone to Mom)
Mom: "How is Herman? What has he been doing today?"
Me: "Herman's fine. Would you like to hear about the dogs or horses?"
Mom: "Oh, Herman's so funny when he plays with the dogs..."

All things considered, it was a good experience. How can you not like a face like this?

Thirty-five years later...

2010-01-25T05:00:00.002-06:00

Thirty-five years ago Mom and Dad tied the knot in Reed, Kentucky.

In the past 35 years, Mom and Dad have:

moved to the country
renovated parts of the house using a chainsaw as the primary power tool.
cut firewood
raised tobacco, thereby teaching the value of hard work and a good lunch
watched the three of us kids learn about everything from the results of a jump from the hayloft, how to aim a rifle or shotgun, and the circle of life
raised sheep. See circle of life comment above. Sheep have the smallest circle of life of any known mammal; they are born looking for a way to die.
laughed, and laughed well.
cut firewood
spent time riding horses and driving tractors
taught others about "slack in the chain." These "others" include the members of the family that lack a Y chromosome.
raised lab puppies
gone fishing together.
worked in fields that suit their talents and passions. Dad retired from teaching a few years ago, and Mom just retired from nursing. We're fortunate to have parents that truly enjoyed and excelled in their professions.
taught others about the Rule of Life. (ask Dad to explain it sometime)
watched their kids grow up, get married, and provide them with grandkids.
cut firewood
changed diapers of the grandkids.
taken the grandkids fishing, and watched boat float out into lake when eldest grandchild was supposed to hang on to tow rope.
taught the grandkids about shooting rifles and the circle of life.
set aside a special time once a week (to watch Jack Bauer)

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.

It's Been A Busy Weekend

2010-01-24T19:04:00.002-06:00

It all started on my quest to find a 1999-2003 Ford F150 4X4 extended cab or 4 door in good shape in either red, white, or blue. After 2 months of waiting, I found one in Festus, MO. The truck was $1,000 cheaper and it better shape than anything I could find in Owensboro or Evansville. So, Saturday morning, I got up and met Chris Sapp (our electrician) at 4am. We got to Festus by 8am only stopping at a drive thru for breakfast and to use the restroom at a Walmart. I met the dealer and test drove the truck. It is a one owner with 102,000 miles. Well taken care of on the outside with a small stain on the floor board in the back. We headed back around 8:30 am and arrived home around noon. Then, the fun began.

I had already ordered parts that arrived Saturday morning. First thing was the oil change. Then we put the K&N cold air intake system to increase gas mileage and horsepower. Then we put the ventvisors on and then put in the husky liners which covered that small stain in the rear. The dealer said the radio didn't work, but after Jessica got it out, it was clear that it wouldn't since it wasn't plugged in. We finished up the evening around 8pm by installing the stainless steel nerf bars.

After church on Sunday, I removed the whole grille in order to paint the inner grille that was faded from age. A trip to Autozone was necessary in order to replace the drivers rear taillight that was cracked. We also installed a new passenger side actuator so that the power lock would work. All that's left to do is get the windows tinted, install dual exhaust, and get a 100,000 mile tuneup. It will need new tires in about 10,000 miles. I am going to leave these items for the pros.

I made this meatloaf...

2010-01-18T21:33:00.001-06:00

...and it was good. I highly recommend it if you have a hungry husband, a finicky seven-year-old, and a thirteen-year-old with a hollow leg.

It's from the PioneerWoman cookbook but not on her site, or I would have bookmarked to the recipe. It may be difficult to see in the photo, but that's bacon across the top of the meatloaf drenched in Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.

Why my job rocks.

2010-01-18T20:05:00.000-06:00

1. Having today off. This means that as of right now, I'm actually up-to-date on all my grading. This means it's possible for the student with the 10% average to see that she, in fact, is failing my class. Since she'll hypothetically check her grades soon, surely she'll be concerned enough to start turning in assignments. We shall see.
2. Snow days. Snow day means that I can fix Will breakfast, see him off to work, then grade papers, spend time researching new 'stuff' to use in class, or put together desks. The kids are usually here, so that means playing Madden with Jacob or stealing Caitlin's ipod touch to play games.
3. I laugh every day. The people I work with are great, and the best time of the day? Lunch. The topics are unpredictable and unlimited. You know it's going to be a great 30 minutes if someone has to get up and shut the door to our office.
4. Spirit days = jeans = yoga pants. Don't question the logic. It just works.
5. Hearing students ask thoughtful questions because they're interested in the topic. This one doesn't happen often, but when it does, I savor the moment.
6. Teaching great kids. I realize this is sometimes debatable, and some semesters it's more difficult to say this and mean it, but it's true more often than not.

There are more, but I'm so excited about two spirit days in our four-day week that I can't think straight.

How to Build a Desk

2010-01-08T22:04:00.001-06:00

1. Request a snow day that will coincide with the delayed delivery date of desk purchased from Office Depot.
2. Be ready at 6:30 AM because the driver of the delivery truck said he'd be here at 7 am.
3. Wave 'bye to Will as he leaves for work at 7 am. Notice that Will did not happen to back into a delivery truck on his way out the driveway.
4. Start thinking about lunch and decide to try out a Cajun bean soup recipe. Research how to make beans less gassy, and implement Plan A for said bean soup. Rejoice in the fact that I have a larger soup pot and will splash less on the stove now.

5. Continue to check the driveway intermittently for delivery truck that was supposed to be here at 7 am.
6. In between glances out the windows, get sidetracked watching Youtube episodes of Inside the Actor's Studio when they interviewed Seth MacFarlane and other actors/voices from Family Guy. Answer emails from the Mayor (that would be the Mayor of Mountsville) while watching clips.
7. Notice a delivery truck pull up about 9:20 AM. The eagle has landed.
8. Mop up snow that the delivery guys tracked in.
9. Finish up the last segment of Inside the Actor's Studio - the questionnaire - and laugh out loud at the actors' responses.
10. 9:39: Send email to Mayor, telling him that the desk arrived. At this point, I realize that I have to get to work.

10. Make huge mess in family room unloading all the parts to the desk.

11. Realize I haven't eaten breakfast and the assembly directions would make fascinating reading while dining on Cheerios with cut-up banana. I found out that the directions are in three different languages and are not as fascinating as first believed.
12. Make a trip to New Mancave to borrow a hammer and tape measure. Make mental note to return tools before Mayor returns home.

13. Notice that the hardware is nicely labeled. This is a real class act!

14. Realize that it's deathly quiet in the house, so I play the latest episode of This American Life that downloaded Monday.
15. Make good progress on the drawers, and file cabinet. The pictures in the directions are excellent to follow.

16. Remind myself that I should get a job writing directions. The grammatical mistakes are amazing.

17. Continue assembling desk until it begins to look like an actual desk, then stand back to admire progress. Call and see if Dear ol' Dad will bring a sandwich, and take a break to chat and eat lunch with him.

18. Struggle with heavy top piece. Mutter to myself that I should have waited for the kids to get here so I can put them to work. Resolve to struggle again, and get the heaviest part placed. Got it.

19. Work on supper again, tending to the Cajun Bean Soup recipe I'm trying out. Decide to make PW's Rosemary Skillet Rolls and set them out to rise.

20. Start work on the hutch.

21. Go get kids for the weekend. Upon return, work on hutch until the Mayor comes home. He's brought a new desk chair and plastic mat.

22. Put kids in charge of setting the table while I'm working on the hutch.

23. Eat supper. Note to self: three of the four attending supper approved of the soup recipe.

24. Finish hutch and have the Mayor help me place it on the desk.

25. Sit back and watch the Mayor get his nest made. He's really good at organizing spaces, so I let him work his magic.

That's it. There's nothing to it, really.

Snow Day!

2010-01-07T16:18:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:01:00.000-06:00

It's a rather cool milestone today; first Christmas together in our new house.

Since I've gotten to experience three years of Christmas with Will now, I've learned about certain traditions as we create our own. The most notable one is the fact that Will deems it necessary to watch A Christmas Story over and over starting on Christmas Eve night. Last night as we watched it (with requisite popcorn), I was reminded of just how much I love some of those one-liners. My number one favorite:

Ralphie (his dad is working on the furnace): In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan.

Number two favorite:

Ralphie (after getting in trouble for saying fuuuudge): Now, I had heard that word at least ten times a day from my old man. He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master. But, I chickened out and said the first name that came to mind.

Number three favorite:

Ralphie (checking out the leg lamp): Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

Here's to many wonderful memories for you, too, as you and your family celebrate the holidays!

This is What They Do: Saturday Edition.

2009-12-23T13:55:00.001-06:00

Most Saturdays, Will goes over to "see what Tom is doing." This usually includes activities such as burning brushpiles, burning boxes, burning anything not claimed, splitting wood, shooting rifles, shooting handguns, breaking things, fixing broken things, and/or going to Lowe's. Since it's wintertime and Mom and Dad heat part of their house with a wood stove, there's always firewood to be cut and split. This is just what they do. I've accepted the fact.

Cutting firewood means a trip to "the farm", where dad has a hunting lease. It usually entails a stop at a local convenience store to refuel with sugary, carb-laden snacks. The firewood lately has been made up of clearing up last January's storm damage on the main road.

Sometimes the logs have to be persuaded to come to the road. When that happens, Dad ties on the rope...

...gets back, and directs Will to "ease on back."

After Will has pulled the tree on out, the cycle starts again. They cut, and since I was along that day, I loaded.

Another stop on the way home for another sugary, carb-laden snack, and we're ready to split up the wood. It's what we do!

It's A Small World

2009-12-19T16:49:00.005-06:00

I have been working with Owensboro Community Technical College to set up training for our maintenance staff. With all the grants that Kentucky offers for continuing education, the company would only be out 10% of the tuition, so I ventured over to OCTC Tuesday morning to check out their electrical and mechanical programs. There is a great amount of technology that allows for online interactive training, not like that miserable online class I took during my masters.

However, as we had conversations over the hour, one of the three men said "Everything is black and white with you." He said, "The only other guy I knew like that was also a Mounts. Are you related to Red?" One man's name was Leon and the other Darryl. I am almost sure that's their names, but forgot the last. Leon was an electrician at Alcoa, he is retired, and is teaching the electrical program at OCTC. Darryl was a maintenance man at Alcoa, also retired, and is teaching the mechanical program. Both were intriguing men and told stories about Uncle Red and some of their past at Alcoa. They told me about how he was always on the go and about his sense of humor. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable morning.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

2009-11-28T08:05:00.007-06:00

Thanksgiving is always a good time of year. Not only do you get off work, but we always make the trip back to my homeland. It is always great to get back home to be around friends and family. Not to mention my favorite cousin's noodles. And her daughter surprised me with these delicious cupcakes. I could have eaten them all, but I started back on my P90X program again, so I am not suppose to eat any. But the temptation got to me. We brought some noodles and the cupcakes home and it was like blood in the water to a shark. Gone in no time.

Not to mention, Thanksgiving was my birthday. I am not too keen on holidays and don't want a big deal made of my birthday. However, you do get presents. My in-laws had gotten me more John Deere spray paint to keep the projects going. Jessica was thrilled beyond belief. My mother always goes out of her way to get me what I want; white t shirts, underwear, and socks. Now, some of you might think that's kind of boring, but to me, it's better than buying a new car. I will not purchase those things for myself; that's why it is so important. She also got me a gift card to one of the greatest stores on earth, Lowe's. I was able to purchase a Rubbermaid outdoor cabinet that I have been needing to put in the dog pen to store extra dog food, heartworm pills, dog shampoo, etc. So, it all worked out great. And not to mention the pumpkin cheese cake was incredible.

My co-worker Chris always goes shopping with his wife on Black Friday. Mainly, he goes just to people watch and is hoping one day that he gets to see someone get tasered. However, if you didn't know, most stores turn all their prices on online at 10pm the night before. And if you spend over $50, shipping is free. So not only can you get the sale price, but you can get it shipped to your house without having to deal with the long lines.

I say this, but there was one product on sale that they would not let you buy online. Home Depot had 16 gallon, 5HP shop vacs for $20. Now, I don't condone or support purchasing products at Home Depot. But, you cannot turn something like that down, especially when you have a small business. My intent was to purchase 6 for work (I would not buy it for my household even if it was cheaper than Lowe's). The store opened at 6am and I got there around 5:15am. I sat in the truck until about 5:45am and then decided to get in line. I was about the 30th person, but within another minute or two, there was about 200 other people behind me. The Home Depot associates did bring us ads if we wanted them and even told us where things were. To my surprise, just about everyone in front of me wanted the same shop vacs. They only had 52 in stock: that's it. So, my adrenaline starts to kick in because I just knew that I was going to have to steal one from some one or push them down to get it. My wife showed up and wanted to cut in line. Can you believe that? Wants me to let her cut in front of all these people that have been waiting longer than her and which would probably run over us because of this. I said she'd have go to the back of the line. That is only fair.

The doors promptly slide open at 6am. I felt like a running back breaking tackles and going for the winning touchdown. I am sorry to say that I moved some people out of the way. I reach the pallets of shop vacs only to have 4 Home Depot associates tell me that only two per customer. I immediately told them that it did not say that in the ad, but they told me that's all I could have. I grabbed two and pushed them down a side aisle to get out of the way. By the time I had turned around, they were all gone. It looked like people taking my favorite cousin's daughter's cupcakes. GONE that quickly. There was a guy and his wife standing next to me with their shop vacs. The boxes didn't have the handles in them, so we cut some. As we started moving towards the cash registers that were on the other side of the store, the boxes began to tear. I told him I would go search for a cart and for them to stay here and watch the goods. I came back screaming through the aisles with a flat bed cart. We threw all 5 vacs (I had two, he had two, and his wife got one) on the cart. I told him to move the crowd because I was coming through. Just like any great team we made it through the crowd in no time. I won't mention how many people we moved or the amount of stuff we ran over just to get out. And then it happened.

We make it to the checkout line and we are about 20 people deep, but it was moving quickly. Then, a heavy-set women with an extreme lazy eye came up and started screaming, "You are only allowed to get two!" Now, the only way I knew she was talking to me and not the guy 90 degrees to her left was she was facing me. I calmly told her that two are mine, two are the guys in front of me, and one is the ladies in front of him. She left and came back with a Home Depot associate. She was screaming at him about me having 5 vacs on the cart. I calmly explained the situation again. The associate was talking to her to calm her down and the lady screams "You need to regulate this!"

We pay for our products appropriately and walk one step. A Home Depot associate stops me and says "You can only get two." The husband, his wife, and I explain what we have done and the associate lets us go. We walk 10 more steps and more associates are asking to see our receipts. Now, people are just glaring at us. We make it through and make it to the door where we get stopped again to see our receipts. Now, I have remained calm, but I finally started to get the red ass. It was the first Home Depot associate that stops us 1 step past the counter. We all get out our receipts and she says "Well, it does look a little suspicious." I explained to her that we have already been through this situation with her and "this is ridiculous and one of many reasons that I don't shop here." But, we made it through the whole ordeal without a scratch. I looked at the clock when I fired up the truck to leave and it was only 6:05am. It felt like alot longer than that, but it just shows why I don't go shopping, especially on black Friday.

Big Day

2009-11-26T00:00:00.003-06:00

If we could hear what the dogs talk about, it would probably be something like this:

Phoenix: Hey, Tess, guess who's turning the big 3-0? Yep. That's right. Will is.

Tess: What, Phoenix? Are you serious? He seems so young and spry!

Phoenix: Tess, he is still young and spry. This is a big day for him, so go easy on him. It's a day that he can feel good about listening to NPR, watching the news, and doing other old-guy stuff.

Tess: Okay, Phoenix. Surely he can still make it out to the dog pen to feed us, right?

Phoenix: Yes, Tess. Remember your Bible stories? Well, Joseph was 30 when he began to rule over Egypt. If he had to wait until he was 30 to do something awesome like that, then I think this will be a great year for Will!

Tess: Phoenix, I have no doubt.

Warning Signs That You Are Getting Old

2009-11-25T09:08:00.029-06:00

As I sit here on the eve of an enormous hurdle in my life, I started taking notes as to how someone may now how they are getting older without looking at their age. Disclaimer: These are not in any particular order. This list may also be added to or retracted from at any time without your prior knowledge. You do not necessarily have to exemplify all of these.

1/ When you think that Buick is producing a "good looking" car.
2/ When you start reading the paper.
3/ When you start watching the news.
4/ When you start to care about politics.
5/ When you listen to National Public Radio (NPR).
6/ When you start watching shows that you just can't miss such as The O'Reilly Factor, Criminal Minds, etc.
7/ When you get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.
8/ During a conversation with children you make the statements of "When I was your age" or "I remember when I was....."
9/ When you discuss how you are going to spend your retirement.
10/ When you get arthritis.
11/ When you start going to the doctor for pain, illness, etc.
12/ When you see a commercial that shows the symptoms as to why to use their product and you state "I think I have that" even though it may or may not apply to your gender.
13/ When you just like to stay home and not go out to movies, eating out, shopping, etc.
14/ When you make statements that don't make sense and you don't catch what you said until after the conversation has been completed.
15/ When you state "Because I said so" during a conversation.
16/ When you don't take care of your belongings as you used to.
17/ When you put disclaimers into statements, documentation, or on blogs.
18/ When you think the government is looking out for your best interests.
19/ When you start planning for your children after high school or just to get them out of the house.
20/ When you start making space or a room for something you will most likely never or very rarely use.
21/ When you have to have a room or place (such as a garage) to get away from everything.
22/ When your best friend is a pet or pets such as a doberman.
23/ When someone changes the channel and you state "I was watching that" even though you are reading something or in the other room.
24/ When you start taking naps (and wondering why you don't sleep well at night.)
25/ When the highlight of your day is something simple such as turning the page on a calendar or feeding the birds.
26/ When all you want for your birthday or Christmas is white t shirts with nonstretch collars, socks, and underwear and no one to make a big deal of it.
27/ When you make statements such as "I didn't know you can do that" or "When did they start making that."
28/ When you notice you are driving below the speed limit (especially when there is a line of cars behind you.)
29/ When a ghost or phantom is present and things either are missing, misplaced, or get damaged because of them.
30/ When you have to talk to people via the Internet because they don't want to listen to your long winded, and most of the time, pointless stories.

Projects

2009-11-18T18:57:00.009-06:00

It all started out with a simple plan to tie up some of my free time down here in Kentucky. Why? Well, we live out in the country which is nice and quiet, but I moved from the great state of Indiana from family and friends. Hence I started the mower project. The John Deere 317 was built from 1979-1983. It came originally with a Kohler series I 17 HP. However, the series I motors had catastrophic engine failures due to the oil pump not sending the accurate amount of oil through the motor. By the time the problem was fixed, John Deere had lost all credibility with the mower and therefore quit producing it. When I started the rebuild process, I went ahead and put a new Vanguard 20HP motor in. I still have some work to do on the deck, wheels, and tires, but she is almost there.

It is a hydrostat and it is up and running. In fact, it will keep up with my zero turn. As I have been waiting on parts and other such items, I have been working on other projects. The file cabinet was donated to us from one of Jessica's colleagues. I took the time to sand it down and paint it appropriately. Jessica made the decals, but I think it turned out great for a free cabinet and one can of spray paint.
The total project took maybe one hour, so it wasn't as time consuming as I may have wanted. Therefore, I started on side project number two a couple of days later. My father-in-law had given me one of his spare dollies. It of course had been sitting outside and the paint was a faded teal with silver wheels. I sanded it down and painted it accordingly. And once again, it turned out pretty good.

It took a total of about two hours, mainly due to the yellow trying to cover the darker silver color. Over the weekend, I ran out of things to do, so I grabbed our hose reel that we bought brand new when we moved in. And just like everything else made in China, I discovered that it started to rust in just 2 months. In order to give a more cheerful life and for it not to feel left out, I sanded it down and painted it accordingly. My wife was just thrilled beyond belief.

She can't wait until Spring to use the hose. What I don't understand is that she told me she liked it, but locked everything else we have up. I thought she liked my painting abilities.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T20:37:00.002-06:00

The past two Veteran's Days have been a little more poignant to me because of an opportunity a few teachers from our school had to spend nearly a week at Parris Island, at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. In January of 2008, a group of about 80 high school teachers from Kentucky and North Carolina got a first-hand view of the process and the recruit training process. We met Drill Instructors and other officers that teach on base, met some of the recruits, and learned about the level of Honor, Courage, and Commitment these Marines embody. All new recruits spend 12 weeks training and finally become Marines.

One of the days of the trip we saw a graduation ceremony preceded by a flag-raising ceremony. Now, I've played The National Anthem hundreds of times, heard it even more, seen several flag raising ceremonies. Nothing compared to the experience there. Seeing the majestic stripes of Old Glory billowing in the breeze as it was raised brought tears to my eyes. For the first time, I got it. I could truly appreciate the sacrifice that our men and women in uniform have given. I could truly appreciate the reason why. I could appreciate that what they do every day, and what they're trained to do protects my family and my country.

That night as we sat down to dinner in Beaufort, we chatted with our DI, Sgt. Vee. We asked him why he wanted to be a Drill Instructor, and he responded "You never forget your DI, no matter what. That's who helps shape you into who you are. He pushes you to to be your very best. I wanted to be a Drill Instructor because I wanted to make a difference." The other teachers and I were piqued; this is much the same reason we've become teachers. He continued, "Kids nowadays don't have the same discipline and guidance, and I want to give back; to help shape kids into adults that will be good citizens and make a difference." We were floored. Here, sitting in front of us, was a man younger than the three of us, had already had two tours in Iraq, and was now training recruits. I never dreamed his reasons for becoming a DI would mirror the reason we had become teachers.

I see my students make the choice to enlist, and I know they, too, feel the urge to serve and honor their country. I know it's because of the men and women that have served before that they make the life-altering commitment to their country as well. I am grateful that yet another generation is rising to the task at hand to protect and serve our country. I am grateful for the loved ones that have become our heroes: our family members, former students, neighbors, and friends. We are indebted to those who have paid the ultimate price for freedom.

The tradition of honor will continue.

November 10

2009-11-10T19:35:00.000-06:00

A little (ahem) over thirty years ago, Mom and Dad met me. They assured me I was a good baby, much like Caitlin. Twenty months later my eternally younger sister arrived on the scene and off we went. I suppose we stopped what we were getting into long enough for Dad to snap the photo.

Today I recieved lots of warm birthday wishes from family (Thanks Mom, Dad, Greta, Melinda, kids!) and friends, and beautiful roses and a sweet note from my better half. My students thought it was completely awesome that I received flowers at school. The girls swooned; you've got to love the high school drama.

Soup and Shoot

2009-11-05T11:37:00.001-06:00

Just as October brings the Buddy Walk, November brings the Soup and Shoot.

Last Sunday was a great sunny day with gorgeous fall colors all around. In the quonset hut, we snacked on awesome food - a vat of world-renown chili, Dewig burgers hot off the grill, yummy sandwiches, out-of-this-world desserts. A Colts game was going on the TV there, and the Talladega race was on the TV under a tent out by where we were shooting. There were kids everywhere - the younger ones played basketball, football, roamed around on the farm, and the older ones brought their shotguns. Husbands and wives brought their shotguns as well - and there's plenty of good-natured ribbing from spouses and audience members. Several friends and neighbors attended the afternoon's festivities - I'd guess that there were over a hundred people there this year. It's such an enjoyable day.

This year the kids were able to come up with us. Within ten minutes of arriving, Jacob was involved in a game of touch/sometimes tackle football. Caitlin spent the time hanging out with us.

Days like last Sunday are what make family get-togethers awesome. Good food, good company, lots of laughs, no stress - other than trying to decide which dessert to choose!

Just A Thought

2009-11-01T00:43:00.009-05:00

Our neighbor that lives across the road came over today to look at the dog pen to get some ideas on how to make his. In our discussion, he brought up that he worked for GE motors here in Owensboro. We had a good discussion about the economy and what is to come of American manufacturing.

I hate to say it, but American manufacturing will cease to exist in the coming years, mainly due to consumers pushing for cheaper products and corporate greed. However, those cheaper products always come with a price. We have all seen the recalls on children's products because of lead paint and poor construction from overseas manufacturers. It's not just in children's products; it's in all products. Are we so price driven that we are willing to jeopardize our safety as well as our children's? And when we pick up these products do we concern ourselves with how many Americans lost their jobs because of cost? Who will be left to purchase these items when manufacturing does not exist? It will eliminate the middle class all together.

Does it not bother us that other countries do not have to live up to the human and environmental standards that we have set in our country? In one such country, human beings line up at the door of manufacturer every day because they know that someone will lose his or her life. It works just like the counter system at the DMV when you go to get your license or change of information. They roll one dead body out and move the next person in. That is their standard manufacturing procedure and their outlook on humanity. Another country's wages are controlled by the government in order to keep the costs low, but what the government does as tenure increases is take the raise that a person would have received and use it for the government's benefit. A corrupt government at that in a drug and murder infested country. It is so bad that the President of that country takes up residence in our country for safety purposes.

One thing for sure is that we will be taken over by inferior countries in manufacturing. The only professions that we should start pushing our children toward are medicine, construction, engineering, finance, teaching, government, and the service sector. Notice I did not put farming on the list. I think it will become a thing of the past as well. Most fast food restaurants purchase all of their meat and fish from China. That's right, they put lead paint on toys; just think of what they could do with beef, chicken, pork, and fish. And it's not just meat. I woke my wife up tonight by going through the cupboard looking at labels. Mandarin oranges, pineapple, green beans, corn, etc. all come from other countries such as China, Thailand, etc. Look on your labels next time. It will either have "Packed in the USA" or it will just give a corporate address. Either way, it wasn't grown here in the States.

How will America be able to defend herself when it will no longer be able to manufacture her own defense weapons? Our elected officials in all branches of government have yet to address this issue. I take that back; they are making it worse on companies by proposing more taxes on American companies which will force more jobs out of the country. It is disturbing that here lately many companies are moving to these under-established countries and selling the products back to us. Recently, the local economy has been hit hard: Whirlpool moving out of Evansville to Mexico, HON closing a factory and moving the line to Mexico, and now GE motors. We are not saving our American manufacturing jobs which built this great country. We are pushing them out the door to save a few bucks. And most of the time, there are not any dollars saved by the consumer. Have you purchased a pair of Levi jeans lately? When they moved their plants out of America to inferior countries did you see a price drop? Whirlpool moved its refrigerator side by side division down to Mexico to save costs. Have you seen the price of their refrigerators lately? The prices have actually gone up! This is the same with the big three. Not only did they move plants to Mexico, but the prices of their vehicles went up. You could purchase a fully loaded Impala for the same price as a Mercedes Benz. Which would you choose? And what else happened? Toyota, which is not an American company but manufactures products in the States, moved to the number one spot in Safety, Quality, and Sales. Honda is right behind them. Toyota seems to understand this, so why don't we as consumers and a country? Walmart used to brand its sales slogans with Made in the USA merchandise. Have you looked at the labels when you have been in Walmart lately? I have yet to see one.

You may or may not necessarily agree with me, but if America does not protect her manufacturing jobs, she will be in big trouble. Just think of those few pennies you did or did not save next time you get behind the wheel, take a bite of that burger, or lay your child down in his or her crib. These countries cannot even provide viable drinking water, nourishment, industrial standards, social responsibilities, environmental standards, etc. for their own people, so why do you think they can do it for you?

Before & After: Living Room

2009-10-19T23:20:00.000-05:00

Before: A shade of yellow that we liked.

After: A shade of yellow that we liked. We were eerily close to the original color, and that was by looking at photos online and choosing a shade that we thought was close.

This room is still changing - we have pictures up on the walls, and some other pieces moved around. Not changing, though, is the morning routine of the person pictured below. Fox and Friends every morning.

Before & After: Family Room

2009-10-19T23:19:00.002-05:00

This room was originally an attached garage, and converted to a family room to accomodate the sellers' growing family. The walls were an exciting shade of blah. We decided to play with color and ideas a little more in this room to make it different.

In progress here, measuring for chair rail, trying to figure out what height will seem right. I found out that the blue painters tape is my friend- but the green Frogtape is my even closer friend. Very cool stuff.

Here it is! Behind the couch is/will be an office-type area. Right now we're planning on a file cabinet, either a T- or L-shaped desk, and possibly some shelving. In the future, we are thinking of converting this room into an office, a 4th bedroom, and a small seating area. For now, though, it's the site of some major Playstation time.

Before & After: Master Bedroom

2009-10-19T23:19:00.001-05:00

On the first day in the house, we finally chose our color for this bedroom. We started out with yellow...

painted the ceiling...

got the primer started...and finished...

...and here's our finished room! If I had a wide-angle lens, you would be able to see the master bath to the right. The color is a grayish-blue - and it's probably my favorite color in the house.

Before & After: Caitlin's Room

2009-10-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

We started with a nice, nuetral shade of beige...

and then let a teenager decide what color to paint her room.

We ended up matching the paint to some throw pillows that went well with her zebra-striped sheets. The loft bed is pretty neat. There are two twin-sized beds up top, and the futon folds out, too. She has a little desk/office area as well. We swapped out light fixtures, putting her old fan in Jacob's room, and putting just a regular light in Caitlin's.

Before & After: Jacob's Room

2009-10-19T23:18:00.000-05:00

First we started with an shade of green that Would Not Die. It nearly glowed.

The first night, Will and I put no fewer than 3 coats of primer on it to try and cover it - it kept showing through.

We even had some extra help (thanks L.M.!) on Saturday. He'd been through the same thing and knew that painting a house would be a bear. Note the supervisory stance of #1 son. What's up with the hands on hips, anyway?

Carpets were cleaned, windows were cleaned, then Jacob's bed was moved in along with assorted toys, cars, and books. Hmmm...wonder which driver he likes?

Still trying to decide where to hang the pictures in his room - but other than that, he's good to go.

Getting there...

2009-10-13T21:48:00.004-05:00

After being in the house for a month now, I can say that it's starting to feel like home. We have tackled a few outside projects...and a few inside projects that we weren't exactly planning on. What, you ask? Oh, the water heater went out a couple of weeks ago. No biggie, right? Never mind that it's an experience in locating water shutoffs, draining it, making extra trips to Lowe's for copper fittings, etc. Never mind that it was a few hundred dollars on top of other plans we have for the house. I guess we can file it under "Welcome to the Joys of Home Ownership" and "Thank Goodness for an Emergency Fund."
Outside, we stained the deck and also the concrete patio. We also stained the concrete pavers that were here and added a walkway. The river rock helps tie the browns of the deck and patio, I think. Staining the deck around the pool is slated for Fall Break, along with some other landscaping ideas.

Will and Caitlin were under constant supervision from Tess as they put in the new walkway. The dogs have gotten used to the underground fence - finally. It's been nice being able to let them out to play and not have to worry about them.

Weekend Update

2009-09-14T09:02:00.003-05:00

Friday evening we set the washer and dryer up - and proceeded to run the Inaugural Load of Laundry. Will and I built a box instead of buying the pedestals. Most aggravating thing? The outlets and dryer vent were opposite of how I wanted to put the washer and dryer. However, Lowe's came to the rescue with the low-profile sliding vent thingy. A few modifications here and there, and we had them in and ready to go.

Greta and I discovered that you can move pretty much anything with the cargo room of two SUV's. Antique dressers, shelves, bicycles, weedeaters, you name it - it was hauled this weekend. With her help Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - we have moved everything from the house. Will and I moved out everything from the Mancave. It looks a little lonely and forlorn. The dogs are in their new digs, too. Tess would really like to check out the neighbor's cat, but so far she has only looked.

It still doesn't feel quite like home, even though those are our clothes hanging in the closet, our food is in the pantry, our toothpaste is in the drawer. It's getting better every day, especially as we make it our 'own'. Will set up most of the garage last night, and seeing the familiar tools and Very Important Items from the Mancave made it seem more like home.

A few highlights:
- Wireless internet is working now
- Kids rooms are set up and their clothes are put away.
- Discovered it takes 15 minutes to get to DCHS with no traffic
- Fixed leaning mailbox. More work to be done on it, though.
- Set up garage with cabinet, hanging tools, mounted vacuum cleaner.
- Mowed yard
- Will and I went for a swim Saturday night
- Will and I learned how to vacuum the pool.
- Used our grill this weekend to cook. I still haven't cooked on the stove yet.
- Put the last item of furniture together (office chair)
- Cleared out everything from Mom and Dad's.
- Finished dog pen walls and floor. Roof is in the works for this week.
- Finished dog house (actually under the workbench in garage)
- Watched NASCAR race Saturday night on the new tv.

With no game tonight, we hope to do more 'putting away' and possibly take some photos.

Update

2009-09-11T10:32:00.003-05:00

The past two days we have:
1. Cleared out the storage unit
2. Set up the living room
3. Assembled the counter height table and eight chairs
4. Assembled Caitlin's loft bed
5. Assembled Jacob's captain's bed
6. Begun work on the dog cave
7. Met neighbors on both sides of the house
8. Had the air conditioner fixed
9. Set up both bathrooms
10. Filled the cabinets with dishes and food
11. Set up the internet service
12. Watched the Dish Network guy get both tv's going
13. Learned about how to take care of the pool.

Tonight we're planning to spend the first night in the house. Last night Will and I ate supper while watching Hoosiers - how can you beat that?

Days Two, Three and Four

2009-09-07T21:58:00.002-05:00

These past three days have been a blur - but as of 7:30 pm tonight, all the walls, ceilings, and trim in the 1800 sq. ft house have new paint. It wouldn't have happened had it not been for our family and friends stepping in and helping out - and we truly appreciate it!

Tomorrow we're cleaning up the supplies, cleaning up any paint splatters on the living room floor, and assigning 'outlet' duty to Jacob - he'll put all the covers back on that he took off for us a couple of days ago.

Wednesday the carpet cleaners will arrive, then that afternoon the TV will be delivered. The air conditioner guy will be here, too - it will be fantastic to have central air again! We can start moving in items for the bedrooms Wednesday night if we want to. Thursday the satellite gets hooked up, and Friday the AT&T will be activated. We're planning to be in the house this weekend.

Photos later - got to get ready for the 'after' shots once we get the furniture in!

Day One

2009-09-05T05:57:00.005-05:00

Our day started at the house about 6:45 am when Will and I headed over to the house to check it out before he went to work. After he left, I had to unload my car. Contents included 13 gallons of paint (2-5gal, 3 -1gal), a step ladder, two extensions, assorted rollers, brushes, a toolbox, a couch cushion for the Sherwin Williams gal, ipod, speakers (I know, I know), and other essentials. My brother let us borrow his tote full of drop cloths, so I got those all situated. (Thanks Gary!) Opening up the 5 gal of ceiling white, it splattered all over me in tiny white droplets - guess it was bound to happen, right?

Mom appeared later with other supplies and began wiping out cabinets (Thanks Mom!) and then Dad arrived after he had finished up a t-shirt order. I had the ceilings in two rooms trimmed out by the time Dad arrived, and he made short work of the remaining bedroom and the hallway (Thanks Dad!). Mom left at one point, coming back with a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls- to bake in the oven - they made the house smell great!

Yesterday morning as it started to warm up in the house, I went ahead and turned on the AC. I thought it was mildly odd that the sellers had turned it off, but then again, what's new. As it kicked on, I noticed a WHUMP....WHUMP sound, and that it kicked on, then off again rather quickly. A quick phone call and about 45 minutes later, I had a super-helpful guy from Montgomery-Webb that gave us the good news that the board (looks like a computer motherboard to me) was bad, and that if the AC had been left to run, it could have caught fire. Sheesh. We replaced the thermostat, too. Thus began our initiation into The Joys of Being Homeowners.

When the Super Helpful Guy from MW was here, Will's mom Greta arrived. She came bearing gifts of a crevice tool and vacuum-related accessories as well as much-needed snacks. Greta cleaned all the windows and wiped out the sashes (Thanks Greta!). I told her yesterday she'll know our windows better than we do! I was just happy that they pop in to clean the outsides.

While the Super Helpful Guy from MW was changing the filter on the AC and ordering our new board, Greta was getting situated with The Plan, Mom and Dad were cleaning and painting, our Sherwin Williams gal showed up. I'm convinced that teaching and being able to know about three conversations at once prepared me for that experience yesterday. Turns out Dad had our Sherwin Williams gal in class, too. We discussed different color options, picked out some swatches, and I taped them up for Will to check out when he got home. Gradually things slowed back down enough to eat lunch and get back to work.

After lunch, the locksmith arrived. The sellers had left us no fewer than six keys, and we could only get two to work - but thankfully we only had to worry about it one night. We're set now!

We had all the ceilings painted except about half of the living room/kitchen and the family room when Will arrived home with Jacob in tow. We were thinking that it would push us to finish ceilings on Friday, but they were all finished by 7 pm. Will and I trimmed and primed the kids' bedrooms, so today they're ready for paint. We left the house last night (this morning) about 12:15 am.

We discovered that Behr's Mountain Mist is the color that Will Not Die. It took nearly 3 coats of primer to make it go away - and the shame of it is - I didn't take before pictures of that bedroom. You can see the bedroom here and a sample of the color here.

Today's plan is to get the kids' rooms painted with their respective colors, finish priming our bedroom, and paint as much as we can. Dad and Will have headed up to God's Country to pick up Jacob's bed from his mom's, where it was being stored in her garage. They will pick up other furniture-type stuff plus Jacob's mattress in Evansville.

Caitlin has a volleyball tournament today at Apollo, I'll get to pick up the remainder of our paint, samples of stain for the decks and patio, and other supplies we need. Sherwin Williams has been great for us- service, pricing, everything.

Here's some before photos.

Caitlin's Room Before:

Caitlin's Room After (primer only):

In Da House!

2009-09-03T21:37:00.005-05:00

As of about 8 pm tonight, the house is empty and ready to go. A few surprises here and there with what the sellers decided they couldn't live without, but other than that, it was left clean and without random junk. Guess we (us and the sellers) have different expectations about what is deemed 'real estate' and the definition of 'attached'. That, and Will and I are puzzled as to exactly why they would need to have a pool cover since they no longer have a pool. Shower curtain rods? Did they really need them that badly? Hm. Puzzling.

I'm not sure how well we'll sleep tonight, but I do know that as soon as I'm up and at 'em in the morning, I'll be heading over to get started painting - I took an emergency day. Will is working tomorrow, with plans to visit the Pool Doctor nearby. I'm sure he'll be chomping at the bit to get home!

A Study of Volleyball Games

2009-08-28T08:38:00.006-05:00

The season is in full swing now, so two nights a week, we have a volleyball game to attend. Tuesday and Thursday nights are game nights, and until last night all have been away games. It's neat seeing Caitlin improving and going after the ball and seeing the teams start to come together to fight for the win.
Since I am my father's daughter, I've made a study of a few things in these first weeks of the season:

1. These girls are not only athletes, but scholar-athletes. As soon as they're finished with their game, out comes the homework. Several of them are in Honors classes, and I hear their names mentioned for A/B honor roll recognition.

2. DC has excellent hot dogs, and they serve relish, too. Apollo didn't serve relish at their concession stand.

3. Not all nachos and cheese are created equal.

4. Most schools do not have chairbacks in their gym. This is why the back row fills up first as the parents head to the one place they can sit and rest their backs against the wall.

5. The same parents that watch their sons play baseball in the summer and coach every play ALSO have a daughter playing volleyball, and they can coach and comment on every single play in that sport, too.

6. Many volleyball players can chew gum and play the game. I'm impressed.

As with many studies that we make, I'm sure I will be able to add to the list as the season wears on. It's a work in progress, you know.

Obama's first few months in office...

2009-08-27T15:35:00.002-05:00

First 4 Months Accomplishments
Obama's first few months in office...

Observations on the President's Early Days:

1. ... Offended the Queen of England .
2. ... Bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia .
3. ... Praised the Marxist Daniel Ortega.
4.... Kissed Hugo Chavez on the cheek.
5. ... Endorsed the Socialist Evo Morales of Bolivia .
6. ... Announced we would meet with Iranians with no pre-conditions.
7.... Gave away billions to AIG also without pre-conditions.
8. ...Expanded the bailouts.
9. ... Insulted everyone who has ever loved a Special Needs Olympian.
10. ...Doubled our national debt. Went from only $3 Trillion under Bush to $12 Trillion under Obama, the "Change we can believe in guy."
11. ... Announced a termination of the space defense system the day after the North Koreans launched an ICBM.
12.... Despite the urgings of his own CIA director and the prior 4 CIA directors, released information on intelligence gathering.
13.... Accepted without public comment the fact that five of his cabinet members cheated on their taxes and two others withdrew after they couldn't take the heat.
14.... Appointed a Homeland Security Chief who quickly identified as "dangers to the nation", groups including veterans of the military, and opponents to abortion on demand, and who ordered that the word "terrorism" no longer be used but instead referred to such acts as
"man made disasters".
15.... Circled the globe so he could openly apologize for America's greatness.
16. ... Told the Mexican President that the violence in their country was because of us.
17.... Politicized the census by moving it into the White House from its Department of Commerce origins.
18.... Appointed as Attorney General the man who orchestrated the forced removal and expulsion from America to Cuba of a nine-year old whose mother died trying to bring him to a life of freedom in the United States .
19.... Salutes as heroes three Navy SEALS who took down three terrorists who threatened one American life and the next day announces members of the Bush administration will likely stand
trial for "torturing" a terrorist who had played a part in killing 3000 Americans by pouring water up their nose.
20.... Flew Air Force One over New York City, costing the Taxpayers over $300,000! .
21.... Sent his National Defense Advisor to Europe to assure Europe that the US will no longer treat Israel in a special manner and they might be on their own with the Muslims.
22.... Began the process of nationalizing the Auto Industry and the Insurance industry.
23.... Announced that for all intents and purposes the Health Insurance Industry will be nationalized.

So far this Socialist,Marxist has proven to be a disaster for America!
1360 more days to go... God help us all! What will
beautiful America be like in 3 years?

I am eligible to run for the President of the United States of America in 16 years

2009-08-25T09:29:00.017-05:00

I have learned that the older I get, the more I pay attention to the news and the political events. Due to current and past events, I think I will run for President in 16 years. Since I am not afraid to give my opinion, here are some of my reasons why, but not limited to:

1/ Move the country back towards God. That's right, this country was founded on the belief in God. That's why He appears in many of our trusted documents, dollar bill, Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, etc. Since our country started talking about removing God from our most trusted documents and going against the Bible's teachings, our country has gone down hill. Just look at the recession we are in; not to mention we are no longer a super power of the world. Don't forget 9/11, either. Our country needs to take the stance like Australia. Australia takes the stance to all that they believe in God. And if you don't like it, then you can leave or learn to accept it. They will not change their laws to suit your religious beliefs. I don't even have to mention how little Australia was hurt during this whole recession. God even tells us that you cannot serve Him and money at the same time. You serve one or the other. This country has chosen the latter. God also tells us that if you chose to serve money, you may get rich, but He will take it from the rich and give it to the poor. And that's exactly what He did. Did you realize that we are basically owned by Mexico and China now due to all this stimulus money, etc.? That's right, they were the poor and we were the rich. Now the shoe is on the other foot. And did you know that since Uganda turned their country over to Him that their diseases and viruses such as HIV have taken a serious decline? That's not a coincidence, folks. We need some serious reform in our outlook toward God.

2/ Healthcare reform. We do need healthcare reform, but I don't agree with the current plan that's out there. Why? Because we are not fixing the root cause of why healthcare costs are so high. Maybe we should send our elected officials a copy of The Toyota Way so they can understand this point. I am a registered Democrat, but I have to agree with Rush on this one. Review and reduce the malpractice suits and people that walk into the E.R. without having to pay the bill. Doctors order all kinds of tests because of how easy it is to be sued. Not only that, but evaluate our healthcare facilities. Since hospitals are nonprofit organizations, they can only show so much in profit each year. This is why our local hospital is building a new hospital and renovating the old one (just to vacate it once the new one is built) at the same time so they can hide the money. Instead, it should be given back to the people it provided care for. These points alone would reduce healthcare costs to a reasonable level for everyone to afford. Elected officials need to quit going to the public to keep picking up the tab because they don't want to address underlying issues.

3/ If you live or work in this country you pay taxes. Anyone has the choice to live and work in this country or not. If you don't like that, then go somewhere else. I personally am tired of the free loading. For those who show a loss on their taxes, there would be an immediate audit. That's right, the government has projected that it loses $300 billion per year due to faulty tax returns, but only looks into 1% of them. I don't know about you, but if I was personally getting charged or paying for something I knew was incorrect, I would be all over it. However, our elected officials know it's a problem, but are not addressing the situation.

4/ Temporarily close the borders, reduce welfare, and decrease unemployment benefits. What? Unemployment is 10% and our current system makes it too easy for people to not want to work or even pursue a job. I sympathize for people who have gotten laid off from their jobs, but many people choose to be laid off intentionally so they can get free money. Not to mention all the people that live on welfare that don't need it. Some people do need this help, but many violate the system. I am personally tired of paying 40% of my gross income for programs that promote people to stay at home. It's a choice that you make and I should not have to pick up the tab for someone else's laziness. You have a choice in our public school system to get good grades and to go to college to better your life. We have all kinds of grants and loans that allow those whose family can't afford it to pick up the tab. You just have to look. It's a choice to do something with your life or not. And if you choose not to better your life, then you live with the consequences. There are all kinds of good jobs out there that do not require a college education. You have to work for it. But back to my original point: if you quit allowing people to come in and take jobs, take the easy way out on welfare, and force people to work and abide by the company's rules, it would force us to make these people take those jobs. It would make it hard to apply for those programs and the overall effect would be a reduction of unemployment and taxes.

5/ Eliminate NAFTA. Our companies and jobs are not just going to Mexico or other countries because of cheap labor. NAFTA allows them to ship products into our country for free, but if we have to send products to them, we have to pay. Why in the world did we sign up for that?

6/ Stimulus. I still think this was a bad idea and the people that got it showed us why by receiving bonuses and lavish vacations. We borrowed money to bail out big companies instead of letting our capitalism take its course. I work for a small company and we didn't get a check during this time. It forced us to review each line item on the budget to make it through the tough times. The stimulus didn't require that for the big companies. They got off free and clear. And as far as the Cash for Clunkers program: bad idea. We got into this mess partly because people were living way beyond their means. So we put a program into place that allows people to go further into debt? They are talking about a stimulus for household appliances as well. We pick up the tab for people to buy new things because they couldn't afford them in the first place just to allow the cycle of them not paying for it run another course?

I am sure I have more thoughts, but these were at the top of the list. I am not an expert in any of these areas, but just looking at the common sense approach to everything.

Meeting Mountses

2009-08-19T20:29:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday, Will and I spent the better part of the afternoon hanging out with his side of the family. Greta, Will's mom, better known as The Best Mother-In-Law Ever, threw us a party to celebrate our wedding and the purchase of our first home. We headed back up to Cynthiana Saturday night (cue the "Back Home in Indiana") and helped Greta with the final few touches for the party. When I say 'few', I mean few. She had thought of everything.I met more of Will's aunts and uncles, more cousins, more neighbors, and other friends that have watched Will grow up. He enjoyed the afternoon just getting to talk to people that he hasn't seen in so long! It was great catching up with cousins we see once or twice a year.After listening to Greta and Will tell stories about each other and their family late into the night Saturday, I found that I hold an even deeper respect for his family. It's neat to hear stories that are passed through generations - and to learn about his family's impact in their small town and Evansville. For three years, Will has learned Grimsley stories - but for a weekend, I was treated to some good laughs and a few tearjerkers I've never heard before.

Thank you to everyone that came out to see us! We had a great time - and hope to see you again soon!

House Update

2009-08-14T21:09:00.000-05:00

By the way, we closed on the house. Looks like we have possession September 4, just in time for a long Labor Day weekend!

Back to School

2009-08-11T21:24:00.002-05:00

For the first time in several years, we are starting school on a date that has double digits. A few years ago I can remember starting on the 3rd, then another year, the 5th or 6th. I'm thankful that it's the 12th this year especially since our last day was in June thanks to the ice storm.

This time of year I usually start having back-to-school dreams. The back to school dreams are characterized by a scene in which I yell and scream at a group of teenagers that blatantly refuse to listen or do anything I say. The other version is where I start school but am completely unprepared, and feel like I'm vamping the entire day. Maybe it's because I'm preoccupied with other things (house, kids, house) but I haven't had any yet. Hmm... Maybe tonight will be the night - or maybe I'm actually feeling ready for this year? This fall marks my tenth year teaching. I guess it is about time I feel like I am sure about what I'm doing.

Both of the kids are excited about seeing their friends tomorrow. They both laid out their clothes for tomorrow and went to bed early. Tomorrow, each will set foot in his or her school with a backpack full of school supplies and a heart full of hope and excitement for this school year.

Pretty dang cool if you ask me.

I am sad to admit I am a registered democrat

2009-08-05T17:16:00.003-05:00

Worth reading. Wish all pastors of all churches would preach such a SHORT and pointed sermon for today. Sermon from a church in Virginia recently. Gen 47: 13-27

Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see the pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word. Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will, to the 47th chapter of Genesis; we'll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.

Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?...

Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray..

So we see that economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again.

So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock - their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkeys - to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year. But the famine wasn't over, was it?

So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh."

So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain.

What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?

That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes.

That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes.

But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen . And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly."

God provided for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up giving all their possessions to the government, no, it says they gained possessions!

But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to "share the wealth" once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders.

What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government did then, and it will end the same.. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"?

Well, I tell you this - I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh.

Bow with me in prayer, if you will. Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone. We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it says "And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."

And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters.
Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government.

In God we Trust

This one

2009-07-19T18:37:00.001-05:00

made the volleyball team at the high school. She'll be playing on the freshman team as an 8th grader and is super excited.

Baseball Season

2009-07-19T18:29:00.001-05:00

Jacob really liked catching this year. As soon as the ball was hit, off went the helmet and he was ready to guard home plate - or cheer on his team (below).

He didn't seem scared of the ball at all.

These were my favorite moments - when Will went over to talk to Jacob and tell him he's doing a good job, or to keep his eye on the ball. Inevitably, Jacob asked "Am I swinging level?" and "Do you think I've got a deadly swing?"

The summer has flown by - nights at the ballpark eating pretzels with cheese, games at noon on Saturday in the basking sun.

Is it too soon to sign up for next season?

A little more than 19 days....

2009-07-06T16:13:00.004-05:00

Update: After a lucky tip (thanks Annette and Greta!), some quick maneuvering on Will's part, and some frantic printing, copying, and delivering from me, we have successfully knocked down our interest rate on our loan to what we originally wanted. So....with the loan back in underwriting again, we're delayed. However, we're pumped about our new rate.

...from previous post:

Not that anyone is counting, but we will be in our new house in 19 days. Today we made all the arrangements to have electricity, water, gas, and a telephone/internet service. Let's hear it for utilities!

Top Five Signs My Son May Be Watching Too Much NASCAR

2009-07-06T16:07:00.003-05:00

5. Every chance he gets, he steals the remote and turns it to some type of motorsports.
4. When discussing his future, he states that he will be a NASCAR driver.
3. He has chosen #24 as his baseball jersey number.
2. He can tell you during the week where this weekend's race will be and what state it's in.

and....

1. When riding his bike today, he exclaimed to me, "Mom, I got a little loose when I was riding my bike. Do you know what I'm talking about? I was swerving a little bit."

Heard while watching race

2009-06-28T16:16:00.000-05:00

Caitlin (to Jacob): Can I have a chip?

Jacob: No; you're in my personal space.

Hm. Wonder where he has heard about personal space?

Big Day

2009-06-24T21:38:00.007-05:00

One year ago today, Will and I tied the knot. When I think about that evening, I remember the hot June weather, much like today, contrasted with the cool air conditioning in the church and the candlelit chapel. I remember feeling my kids' hands in mine as they walked me down the aisle. But most of all I remember the look in his blue eyes, the feel of his strong hands, and the unwavering sound of his voice as we said our vows to each other.

Three years ago today, Will and I went on our first date. Hot June weather, but not as hot as today. We ate outside at the O'Charley's in Evansville and made small talk while we enjoyed the prime rib. We looked at and fed the ducks swimming in the lake that the balcony looks over. Afterwards we went to a wedding reception where I met his friends and danced with him for the first time.

Now, with the move to our new house on the horizon, we will open up a new chapter in our lives together. And to think the accomplishments and challenges we have been through are only the beginning!

34 Days and Counting

2009-06-21T11:40:00.009-05:00

Jessica and I are in the process of purchasing a home . We close on July 15th, but do not take possession until July 25th at 2pm. However, we have driven by many times and the current owners are moving out quickly. Maybe we will get in before the 25th. We will be painting every room and ceiling. All the carpets will be steam cleaned. We have a pen to build for the dogs, and plenty of moving to do. As the days wind down, we have taken an inventory of things that we have and comprised a list of things still needed.

Super Single Mattress (to fit a waterbed frame)
Twin Mattress
Vacuum Cleaner
Garage Door Opener (1/2hp preferable)
Ironing board
Iron
Grill (not necessarily needed)
Landscaping (we will do this in the fall)
Standing Cabinets for the garage (to put all the supplies I have collected)
Cleaning supplies up to and including brooms,mops, etc.
Rollaway screen storm door full view (since there is not one on the front door)

Everything else we believe we have or don't need at all. So, we will be waiting on sales or looking in the classifieds for these items. However, all donations to the "Jessica and Will Get Your Own Damn House Fund" will be accepted and are appreciated.

The part I believe is the best is the 2.5 car pole barn with plenty of man space. I am hoping to install a bird feeder on the side of it, since we don't have a tree to put one in. I am also hoping that a move will bring the birds our way since they still have not appeared around the man cave.

Now Beginneth the Vacation of Summer

2009-06-07T21:57:00.002-05:00

...and it's about time. With extra days added on because of the ice storm, it seemed like this school year was The School Year That Would Not End.

Now our days will consist of volleyball conditioning, baseball practice, baseball games, vacation bible school, volleyball camp, assorted appointments that were delayed until summer break, and likely a few side trips to the public library. I think that's just in June.

Vacation? Sheesh. I wouldn't have it any other way, though.

I'm an Aunt (again) and Will's an Uncle!

2009-05-26T14:33:00.007-05:00

After a labor that was not -I repeat - not affected by an epidural....my sister had her gorgeous baby girl at 12:06 CST. Her name is Nuala Jane, and she weighs 7 lbs and 3 oz.

Waiting....

2009-05-26T08:03:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad left for South Bend last night about 8 pm when Melinda was in the early stages of labor. She has labored through the night, making progress. About 6:30 am, the nurse told Mom and Dad that both Melinda and the baby are doing well.

That's all I know for now!

Reason? Dad wanted to pull the limb out.

2009-05-23T17:10:00.000-05:00

I have to agree with this one

2009-05-18T09:41:00.001-05:00

This letter was sent to the Wall Street Journal on August 8, 2008 by Alisa Wilson, Ph.D. Of Beverly Hills , CA . in response to the Wall Street Journal article titled "Where's The Outrage?" that appeared July 31,2008.
..................................................................................................................
Really. I can tell you where the outrage is. The outrage is here, in this middle-aged, well-educated, upper-middle class woman. The outrage is here, but I have no representation, no voice. The outrage is here, but no one is listening for who am I?

I am not a billionaire like George Soros that can fund an entire political movement.
I am not a celebrity like Barbra Streisand that can garner the attention of the press to promote political candidates.
I am not a film maker like Michael Moore or Al Gore that can deliver misleading movies to the public.

The outrage is here, but unlike those with money or power, I don't know how to reach those who feel similarly in order to effect change.
Why am I outraged? I am outraged that my country, the United States of America , is in a state of moral and ethical decline. There is no right or wrong anymore, just what's fair.

Is it fair that millions of Americans who overreached and borrowed more than they could afford are now being bailed out by the government and lending institutions to stave off foreclosure? Why shouldn't these people be made to pay the consequences for their poor judgment?

When my husband and I purchased our home, we were careful to purchase only what we could afford. Believe me, there are much larger, much nicer homes that I would have loved to have purchased. But, taking responsibility for my behavior and my life, I went with the house that we could afford, not the house that we could not afford. The notion of personal responsibility has all but died in our country.

I am outraged, that the country that welcomed my mother as an immigrant from Hitler's Nazi Germany and required that she and her family learn English now allows itself to be overrun with illegal immigrants and worse, caters to those illegal immigrants.

I am outraged that my hard-earned taxes help support those here illegally. That the Los Angeles Public School District is in such disarray that I felt it incumbent to send my child to private school, that every time I go to the ATM, I see "do you want to continue in English or Spanish?", that every time I call the bank, the phone company , or similar business, I hear "press 1 for English or press 2 for Spanish". WHY? This is America , our common language is English and attempts to promote a bi- or multi-lingual society are sure to fail and to marginalize those who cannot communicate in English.

I am outraged at our country's weakness in the face of new threats on American traditions from Muslims. Just this week, Tyson's Food negotiated with its union to permit Muslims to have Eid-al-Fitr as a holiday instead of Labor Day. What am I missing? Yes, there is a large Somali Muslim population working at the Tyson's plant in Tennessee . Tennessee , last I checked, is still part of the United States . If Muslims want to live and work here they should be required to live and work by our American Laws and not impose their will on our long history.

In the same week, Random House announced that they had indefinitely delayed the publication of The Jewel of Medina, by Sherry Jones, a book about the life of Mohammed's wife, Aisha due to fear of retribution and violence by Muslims. When did we become a nation ruled by fear of what other immigrant groups want? It makes me so sad to see large corporations cave rather than stand proudly on the principles that built this country.

I am outraged because appeasement has never worked as a political policy, yet appeasing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is exactly what we are trying to do. An excellent article, also published recently in the Wall Street Journal, went through over 20 years of history and why talking with Iran has been and will continue to be ineffective. Yet talk, with a madman no less, we continue to do. Have we so lost our moral compass and its ability to detect evil that we will not go in and destroy Iran 's nuclear program? Would we rather wait for another Holocaust for the Jews - one which they would be unlikely to survive? When does it end?

As if the battle for good and evil isn't enough, now come the Environmentalists who are so afraid of global warming that they want to put a Bag tax on grocery bags in California; to eliminate Mylar balloons; to establish something as insidious as the recycle police in San Francisco. I do my share for the environment: I recycle, I use water wisely, I installed an energy efficient air conditioning unit. But when and where does the lunacy stop?Ahmadinejad wants to wipe Israel off the map, the California economy is being overrun by illegal immigrants, and the United States of America no longer knows right from wrong, good from evil.. So what does California do? Tax grocery bags.

So, America , although I can tell you where the outrage is, this one middle-aged, well-educated, upper middle class woman is powerless to do anything about it. I don't even feel like my vote counts because I am so outnumbered by those who disagree with me.

Alisa Wilson, Ph.D. Beverly Hills , California

There are a lot more out there who think just like Alisa Wilson, the only difference, she put her thoughts in an email that will reach thousands. I would like to keep this going and see how big it gets.

By the way...i met a couple from Great Britain last week who were impressed that we are still allowed to fly the American flag on our homes and businesses. They told me that they are not allowed to fly the Union Jack because it offends the Muslims that live in GB. Are we headed in the same direction? They thought so, just at a faster rate .