Friday, December 31, 2004

Happy New Year!!!

Can you believe it's gonna be 2005 in just under 4 hours. Amazing!

Seems just like yesterday that everyone was so concerned with Y2K.

The freight train of life just blew by that date and just keeps on a 'chuggin!

Hope you have a very Blessed New Year!

Thursday, December 30, 2004

"Tower" Up

In June of 2001 our church applied for a Low Power FM station. (LPFM) The LPFM is a small station that should have the listening radius of about 10 miles. It was designed by the FCC to fit in between big stations where there are 'signal holes' to allow more choices, give non-commercial corporations an opportuntity to broadcast and a way for them to make more money! :)

Anyway, Sept 2003 we we received our Construction Permit, so we began raising funds. By Aug Sept 2004 we'd had $24,000 of the approx $30,000 it would take to build it out and put it on the air.

So we ordered the 100' tower in Oct and 5 weeks later it showed up. We dug an 8 1/2 by 8 1/2 wide by 4 foot deep hole and filled it with the anchor bolts and 10+ yards of concrete and assembled the tower and now...

...Today the crane is going to show up and we're going to stand it up into place. Awesome.

I've got a bit of work to get accomplished this morning then, I'll get to the church around 9a, when the crane is supposed to show, and take pictures, video and assist in getting that tower erected.

Then, THEN I just got an e-mail from our treasurer letting me know that we're close enough on funds to go ahead and order the $20,000 of equipment we'll need to have. So after John (Our LPFM Affiliate Dir) returns from his vacation in WI, I'll hand him and check and tell him to get the ordering process going and - Lord willing - we should be on the air by the end of January. A full two months ahead of the deadline to get on air.

I'll tell ya about how it goes later!

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

So Sad or Missing Bits or Pieces

24,000

Wow, that is a LOT of people to be killed when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka and surrounding areas. That is so very sad.

Found this odd story though. All those people were killed, but they can't find any dead animals. Even though they aren't considered as 'smart' as we are - they do have a 6th sense or instinct that lets them know to make tracks and get outta dodge.

It's neat to see all the world coming together to help. Read a story recently (can't remember where though to post a link) of a list of every country in the world and what they were sending to help in the rescue, recovery, rebuilding effort.

Can't believe that 'politicians' are using this experience for opportunities to take pot-shots at each other. Man, as I get older and older, I'm getting to the point where I detest just about anything that is political. I really, REALLY don't like many politicians at all. They're there for their own good - for the most part - and that's about it. YUCKY!

Recently I've been recording, at work, from the Discovery Channel a program called American Chopper - Orange County Choppers, a family business that builds awesome bikes. It's neat to see the bikes and the process and the human interaction with the building of a chopper. I recorded 4 full tapes (6 episodes per tape) with NO problems, but the latest tape I did, for some reason I got another program in the middle of an episode and completely missed another program on one I cut off the last few minutes of one.

Don't know what the problem was, but it was annoying the beejabbers outtta us. That just happens occassionally, when we record something and miss bits or pieces. Gotta get TiVo someday! :)

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Monday, December 27, 2004

Possible Threepeat, Terrible Twos and One Merry Christmas Weekend

Well - Back to work.

After a good weekend, a great weekend - it's always hard to get back to work. But I'm getting older now and the time between the weekend goes faster and faster. Of course the weekends go faster! :)

A vicious cycle! :)

Doreen and I are thinking that Natalie has finally hit her terrible two. Case in point, yesterday afternoon at my in-laws building project, Doreen and I were moving some lumber and all of a sudden heard some screaming. One voice saying No, the other saying yes. I run around the corner and see at the front door, one girl is on one side pushing trying to close it, the other is pushing trying to open it and screaming at each other. They both got a good thumpin on the butt for fighting and sat down - apart from each other.

I tell ya, they have been "at" each other a LOT lately. Wow!!! AAAarrrrggghhhh. Drives me nuts - so we're cracking down on this and hopefully, we'll minimize it a bit, but we gotta get it under control a bit cuz I'm tired of hearing the fighting and crying.

It's looking like - barring a complete blowup - I should wrap up the 'championship' for this years Nelson/Pester Pigskin Pick'em contest. Minus tonights games, right now I'm in the Lead with 152 points, Doreen and my brother-in-law's sister-in-law Mary are tied for second with 145 points and my dad is 4th with 143. So in the next 17 games, (Tonight's Monday night football, Eagles at Rams and the 16 games scheduled next week) I've got a buffer to get 6 games wrong and Doreen and Mary have to get them ALL correct for me to win. (No one in our group has done that yet, ever.

That could be a challenge with some playoff locked teams not playing their starters waiting for the playoffs. With the 2nd stringers win the game or not? Will the teams out of the playoffs have a HUGE chip on their shoulder to take down a playoff bound team to hurt their momentum or just to win to end the season.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Here's a Blog from the beginning of the NFL season with info on the previous 'Champions' of the Nelson/Pester annual Pigskin Pick'em Contest. I'll have more on the 'comments' of one particular player later - but for now, let the final 17 games begin!!!

Have a good week as we wrap up this year!

Saturday, December 25, 2004

The Post Christmas Assemblage

Hey,

Hope your Christmas was Merry!

Ours was great, albeit green. Had a 20% chance of snow, but all we got this morning was a HEAVY frost and Cold. 11 Degrees. Burrr.

We had a LOT of fun opening presents with the girls tonight. They got Barbies, 2 Barbie Cars, 1 Barbie Horse, 1 Barbie Bathroom get-up & 1 Barbie Baby set. They got a dress up set, a neat Hullabaloo game, some Home-made dolls from great Grandma March and, and, some other stuff I don't remember! :)

Man they cleaned up.

Doreen got some very nice apple decor for our kitchen and some $$$. We gave her a Miracle Blade Knife set (She'd been complaining lately about such DULL knives in our house.) I got a VERY warm Bronco blanket, a Bronco Pen/light and a laser straight thingy.

ALL very cool.

One thing I NEVER realized is how much 'assembling' goes on after Christmas. This is the first year our kids didn't just get 'baby' toys, and this stuff they've gotten takes a lot more in putting it together, putting stickers on - getting it functioning right. I think it took us maybe 30 to 45 minutes to open the presents, then an hour to two hours, taking everything out of the boxes with all the tape and twistie ties (there were 7 twistie ties on one Barbie I opened. 2 Arms, 2 legs, 1 torso, 1 neck, 1 hair. Ridiculous!!!) then getting it all together with stickers and making sure part "A" went into part "B." Wow!

All the while the girls are wanting to play with this, that, this, those, this and the other thing. (This being the one thing I'm struggling to get out of the box, every time I think I've just about got it - I find some hidden tape somewhere else holding it firmly in place. He, he, he)

It was cute watching them though. I tell ya what - seeing their excitement, truly made Christmas a LOT of fun!

I can't wait for next year. (My pocketbook says I can though - He, he, he!)

Merry "Aftermath" of Christmas! :)

Friday, December 24, 2004

Merry Christmas Eve

Hey y'all hope you are planning to have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

We really feel like we've already had our Christmas last week with family in Minnesota - but it's kinda sinking in that Tomorrow is really Christmas day!

Tonight the girls got to open their first gift, a toy dinnerware set from Grammy & Papa. We couldn't hardly tear them away from it when it was bath & bed time! Thanks Grammy & Papa, you done GREAT.

Doreen's been hearing some Christmas songs by Avalon recently and telling me about them. So finally I remembered to check our music library at work and sure enough we had it, Joy - A Christmas Collection. So I snagged it and brought it home to listen to. It's a very good album. We listened to it right after we got home from Wal-mart (Which was an absolute NUT-House this afternoon. They are closing at 6p for Christmas Eve evening and Christmas day and will open back up Sunday morning at 6a. I stood in the 20 items or less line for 20 minutes, at least. The other lines were a LOT LONGER!!! By 5pm they were already encouraging shoppers to make their final selections and get in a checkout line. Meanwhile people were still STREAMING in. Wow, glad we got out when we did!) Anyway, we listened to it, but the phone was ringing, the girls were fighting and the microwave was going and the refrigerater was opening and closing, so I didn't really get to enjoy it. But after everyone else but me is in bed, while surfing the web and the family Blogs (Which I enjoy reading religiously at least twice a day to keep up on stuff) I've been able to really listen and enjoy it. Cool album - Doreen was right - I do like it.

My favorite song on it, really suprised me. Cut 10 is We Are the Reason - originally recorded by David Meece in the 80's. I LOVE that song and it is so powerful. Hadn't heard it in years - and I just really enjoyed hearing it again for the first time in a really LONG time.

So what is your plans for Christmas?

We're headed to church, with a special Christmas program that Doreen put together with some music, a couple of poems and stories, more music and stuff. Should be very good. The only challenge is we've got to take Doreen's Marimba to church - that's always a big job - so she can play a medley.

Then we'll come home and if the girls fall asleep - then we'll all take naps then eat a lupper (lunch & supper combined! ***GRIN***), or if they stay awake, we'll eat then all take naps. Later in the afternoon, we'll go take care of a friend's Amazon Parrot, then back home to have pizza, salad & Mayfields ice cream. Some of the Best this side of the Mississippi! :) Delicious. Doreen picked out Jamocha Fudge and the girls and I of course LOVE Mint Chocolate Chip. Yummmy! Of course we'll have to have a sample of both!

Then we'll read the Christmas story, and then open some gifts.

It is a day we're really looking forward to!

So you all have a Very Merry Christmas!!!

Thursday, December 23, 2004

3 Minor Trips + 1 Major Trip = 1 Tired Boy.

This afternoon will make the 3rd trip to Chattanooga (1 hour 15 min one way) this week.

Tuesday morning we got home at 6:30a and slept for 3 hours. Got up, breakfast, fuss around the house and load the windows onto the pickup and head to Chattanooga.

Yesterday, work, home, load doors onto pickup, head to Chattanooga. This time though my family went with me and thankfully Doreen could drive and between the girls fussin' at each other I caught a snooze or two. The trip started off awful though. We got 25 min away and realized we'd forgotten important paperwork and had to turn around and go back home and pick it up, then head out again. Aaarrgghh!

We did have some fun after delivering the doors and stuff - we went to the absolutely crowded mall and ate at Taco Bell, then rode the Carousel they have in the food court, then played at the playplace.

Today, after work, I gotta head down there again to deliver more materials. This time though, it'll be me and the girls. We'll drop off Doreen to clean the church - something we do every other week. Then, get down there - drop off our stuff, talk with the 'framer' a bit - then back up and help Doreen finish the church and then home again jiggity jog! :)

I'm tired, real tired, right now of long trips in a vehicle. Done TOO much of it lately! :)

Have a Merry Christmas Eve!

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

On Frozen Pond

Man, Is it GOOD to be home.

It's always a kick to travel and visit and stuff, but it's ALWAYS GOOD TO GET HOME AGAIN...

...especially from the frozen North.

Buuurrrrr.

We had a GREAT time visiting Doreen's sister and family in Aitkin, MN. It's fun for the cousins to play together and get to know each other better and enjoy playing. The Play Shelly wrote was a lot of fun. And running around with Doreen, Joelle & Natalie in the snow was a blast as well.

The below freezing temperatures at times were a little bit, well, chilling - through and through! It was neat to see whole lakes frozen over though. Absolutely Amazing!

We left yesterday morning (Mon at 10:45a eastern) and it was 19 degrees. We heard the Twin Cities had 'freezing rain' and since we were 2 1/2 hours North of them, Doreen drove first. The roads were clear until Minneapolis, and just a bit wet so Doreen drove all the way into Wisconsin - where we stopped for lunch and switched drivers.

I drove in 'sick' weather, snowing, blowing, icky flat out nasty stuff for HOURS, sometimes only going 30, 35 MPH. I saw 3 accidents (after they'd happened), 1 really bad one. Then one guy in a pickup pulling a trailer blew my doors off, about 20 miles down the road he'd spun into the median. Couldn't help but chuckle a bit!

Finally around the Dells, WI we ran out of the BAD, BAD weather. The roads were clear the rest of the way home - thankfully.

One pretty big 'burp' on the trip was just to the west of Chicago, Joelle, who had been complaining a bit of an upset tummy, hurled everything she ate at supper. So I had to quick pull over and Doreen and I are trying to clean her and her seat up and get her fresh clothes and calm Natalie from crying at the whole event. Wheeeeew. What a stresser! She felt better after that though! :)

We got to the house this morning (Tue at 6:30a) 19+ hours later. Wheeew. It was a balmy **GRIN** 41 degrees. After being in the Cold in MN - didn't even feel like I needed a coat. :)

We threw the girls into bed and jumped into bed ourselves and all of us slept until 9:30a and felt much, MUCH better!

We just finished 'brunch', getting all the 'junk' out of the van and into the house, getting the laundry started.

Just checking our e-mail and news on the web and now I've got to load about a dozen or so windows on the pickup and take them to the framer of my inlaws apt/studio in Chattanooga, an hour and 20 minutes away.

More driving.... :(

Feels like we're on the road again in our truck.

...Almost.

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Temperature Here -13 to 12, Temp at Home 38 to 52

Why I live where I live! :)

This morning when I got up it was - 13 degrees! COOOOLLLLLDDDDDD!!!!

Last night when we headed out to the Christmas play, we got in the van and it was 7 degrees. By the time we got to the church 17 minutes later it was 2 degrees. The play was at 7:30 and we hopped back in the van and headed home about 10p and it was -3.

Dang man - that is COLDDDD! Ice Cold.

Randy (Doreen's sister's husband) just talked to his brother Brian who lives in Florida. The temp there is over 78 degrees. That means, there's almost 100 degree difference between there and here. WOW!

The play, one of the main reasons we came up here, was VERY nice. Doreen's sister Shelly wrote, directed and produced the entire thing. It was from the point of the angels during Christ's birth. Very cool and unique.

We're headed back home tomorrow morning. It's been fun and stuff, but can't wait to get back a little bit of warmth!

Until later, buuurrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

:)

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Hello from Minnesota,

Oh it's COLD up here. We had snow leaving Tennessee and into Kentucky, but once we got into Indiana, nothing but clear skies.

The trip up here, took us 18 hours of driving time, but we stopped once in Wisconsin to sleep for 3 hours. Doreen and I were bushed.

We got up, drove into Minnesota and ate breakfast at Denny's and then drove on into Mineapolis, MN and I got to do one of my favorite things. If we get an opportunity - I like to take photos of NFL stadiums. So we drove around the Vikings Metrodome and I snapped a few photo etc. Very cool.

Then we headed to the Mall of America - the biggest mall in the USA. We wandered around inside a bit, then went to Camp Snoopy - an inside amusement park with rides and stuff. We had a LOT of things to ride on and had fun doing. It was cool. Then we headed to Brainerd, MN and Doreen's sister's place.

This morning we got up ate breakfast, chilled a bit (no pun intended) then jumped in snow gear and went outsided to play in the snow. Fun, Fun, FUN! Natalie got fussy at one point so we sent her inside and Doreen, Joelle and I slid up and down the hill and really enjoyed it.

Right now they've got about 4 inches of snow on the ground and it's snowing pretty hard.

This afternoon we're going to make Chocolate mice for the church play afterparty. Yummy, yummy! We'll see how many are made and eaten today! :)

"Pester" ya later!

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

On the Road Again

Today we are leaving for Minnesota for a week.

I'm wrapping some things up at work I've been NEEDING to get done, then I'm out of here by 11:30a. Gotta make a quick stop at Wal-mart to pick up my father-in-law's med's. Then boogie home - do a double check that we've got everything, pack the last minute things - hop in the van and head North.

We'll get this all done hopefully before or right at 1p because according to Mapquest it's 1128 Miles, estimating it'll take us 18 hours 40 minutes. That's averaging about 60mph. Hope we can do it! That'll put us there about 6am tomorrow morning. Aye, yai, yai! Then it'll be sleepy time for Steve & Doreen!!! :)

We're going up to see Doreen's sister and family. We're also maily going to see a play for their church Shelly's written, and hopefully be able to sneak in an hour or two of ice-fishing or even hunting Randy, my brother-in-law. (We'll Ice fish together, but he'll do the shooting if we hunt - don't wanna buy an out of state tag there in MN. Mondo expensive!)

Hope to be able to get online and post while I'm there, but not sure if that's a possiblity.

Later alligators!

Where's George Milestone

Since March 2002 I've been a user of Where's George. Basically, when you get paper money (Any denomination between $1 and $100) you log it into the site using the Denomination, Serial # and Year it was made. Then you mark the bill by either writing or with a stamp that says the website on it.

When the next person who logs it into the website with the same 3 items, I get a hit and e-mail telling me where it was hit, how far that is from here, the days, hours and minutes it's traveled etc. It's kinda cool!

Well - I hit a milestone today. Of the 706 Bills I've logged in, worth $3,545, I got my 100th hit. Yeee haw! This bill has travelled 548 Miles in 2 Yrs, 17 Days, 8 Hrs, 58 Mins at an average of 0.73 Miles per day. I entered it Nov 27 '02 and it got hit yesterday in Ozark, AR. So far for every 11.7 bills I log in, I'm averaging 1 hit.

Way cool.

Friday, December 10, 2004

THESE are the GREAT Memories

I’ve got precious girls. They are always doing VERY cute things. Natalie is in the midst of potty training right now, and getting quite proficient at it. It’s cute watching her run to the bathroom. Well, now she wants to clean up her own little potty after she’s tinkled. I was snoozing on the floor and vaguely heard her run to the potty and tinkle. Then I her ‘flush’ her potty. Then turn it around - dump the contents into the ‘big’ potty then flush that one. We got in there by then to finish clean up -but can you believe it? Too cute!!!

Then this afternoon, we had someone come by wanting to look at our house. For the first few minutes, Joelle and I were finishing the wrapping of a gift for Mommy, so we were ‘locked’ in the Bronco (spare) room. So we got done and Joelle put the gift under our tree and then found Doreen and the people interested in the house. She basically took over the showing process and took them all around the house telling them all about it. VERY CUTE!

She did tell them about the leaking sink in the bathroom that daddy fixed. He, he, he! We’ve got a little realtor on our hands! J

One other quirky part of this story. Was that when she showed them her closet - she said, “These are my Sabbath dresses.” The lady turned to Doreen and said, “Sabbath, are you Adventists? We are too.”

What are the odds?

Have a great weekend!

Days of Our LifeTalk - A Drama in Progress.

OK,

Here’s the full blown story at work…

3 or 4 months ago now, we get a new President. He’s supposed to be this great leader with radio experience and will take the ministry to the ‘next level.

Well, he comes in and has a couple of meetings with us then basically drops off the face of the earth.

About a month and a half ago, we’re ready to ‘launch’ a new live interactive talk show, and we tell him about it, figuring he’d be excited because one thing he said is he’d like more live SDA shows. So we’re starting one - and he puts a halt to ALL new programs in the works. He’s been listening and studying and ‘soon’ will want to make some programming changes. (Mind you, he doesn’t tell us what those changes are. We’re kept in the dark.)

So we try a couple of times to get this new program running, but always he says no, always! With no or just a very vague reason, always!

Well, the people we ‘agreed’ to have host and finance the show are kinda upset because we backed out like this. (These are General Conference officials - not good when you’re trying to stay in their good graces for a number of reasons.)

Finally we move on from that topic.

Then, in worship we find out (not from him but the COO) he’s hired an engineer to ‘build out’ the studio in Collegedale. So I just said in passing, I hope we get to help ‘design’ the layout. The response from the COO was that he didn’t think so, that the Prez has it all laid out like he wants it.

Oh - that just lit my fire. #1 - He’s hired an outside engineer when we have 2 completely capable engineers, without telling anyone. (Felt like a stab in the back to our guys.) #2 - He’s ‘planning’ a studio with VERY little radio background of his own and not talking to the people who have to run and maintain it. (Stab #2) #3 - He’s not talking to us AT ALL ABOUT ANYTHING. He showed up one day for 20 minutes, we go to have staff worship and he waves and walks out the front door. Aaaaarrrrggghhhh!

I was hot, but didn’t say anything - because I’ve learned popping off at the mouth causes more troubles than keeping quiet.

So - the COO calls me into his office to tell me that while he doesn’t understand everything the Prez is doing but to keep cool, it will all come out soon. I lay it out for him - about how upset I really was and can’t understand why he doesn’t communicate with us, why he doesn’t trust us, why he’s planning things without any input from us on what we’ll be using and maintaining and be responsible for should things fail.

The next day, we hear he’s called a staff meeting on the following Monday with one on one meetings to follow after the general meeting.

Well, basically we’re all pretty much steamed. And the morale had dropped to it’s lowest ebb ever there. Then there’s the uncertainty of what he’s got planned because one thing he wanted to discuss one on one was “Job Reassignment.” What did that mean.

So we get to the meeting and he basically told us that the ministry was not nearly as strong as it needs to be. He laid out a number of things he’d like to see happen to strengthen it and help stabilize it financially. To do that we’ve got to build an SDA donor base. We’ve got a very strong Non SDA, but religious base, but not strong donors. So he wants the ministry to become a Multi Media Evangelistic ministry.

Basically, he wants to add making TV programs. That’s what it comes down to.

He’s looking at other ministries, It Is Written, Evangelistic TV that also does radio. Voice of Prophecy, Evangelistic Radio that also does TV. Amazing Facts Evangelistic TV & Radio.

So we’re going to do both.

Now, that’s fine - but my concern is we’re going to do both without adding staff. We’re a small staff of 9 full time and 2 part time and can hardly keep up. We’re adding a WHOLE other dimension to the ministry, and be expected to keep up? Hummm? Not sure if that’s going to work.

There is a LOT of little things that have to be done to keep either going and not just any ‘volunteer’ he thinks he can find to come in will be able to do it.

Well, in my one on one meeting he asked what I thought of the general staff meeting. My reply was #1 - I like the evangelistic ‘thrust,’ #2 - I like that we’re not going ‘ultra conservative’ and CUTTING everywhere, but trying to build the ministry instead of trying to salvage and barely hang on to what we’ve got, #3 - the realistic outlook on the financial situation. (Which is not his fault or the two previous Prez’s. The ‘founder’ squandered over 4 million (Yes!) dollars that was supposed to be in a trust to keep LTR ‘running’ forever! We’re still trying to recover from that.)

I also mentioned that I was disappointed by the lack of ‘team’ atmosphere and the lack of communication from him.

He listened and said that “All” was going to change as of this meeting. (The jury is still out on that one.)

Then he started talking TV with me. Would I be interested in doing the TV shows, etc. So for the next 30 min we talked programs, editing, equipment, etc. Guess where my job reassignment is? Right - LTR TV.

I told him that my passion was production, preferably at a ministry. And that if he wanted me producing in radio, I’m there for him, or if he wanted me in TV, I’m there for him.

We’ll still be doing a LOT of cross over work, because we have such a SMALL staff - it can’t be super split - so I’ll still be doing both - A LOT.

Anyway, I found out the next day he ‘released’ one of our engineers, thus further cutting our staff.

I hope ‘his’ plan works out, without us having to put in 80 hour weeks, because I just WON’T do it. The max I’ll even think about it 50. I’ve got a family and am not going to trade time with them for time at work. If things don’t get done, we’ll - that’s just too bad. He’s asking an awful lot of a VERY small staff.

Because of his ‘lack’ of presence at the ministry, I’m not just sure that he really understands ALL that we do and ALL that is necessary to keep the ministry running and is over looking a LOT of very small buy VERY important details.

This should be interesting. For now, we're back to 'normal' just waiting for the "Move." They’re estimating that we’ll be moving the ministry from Vonore, TN to Collegedale, TN and the Campus of Southern Adventist University by the end of Jan the beginning of Feb.

We’ll see!

Tah, tah for now!…


Thursday, December 09, 2004

Wore Out

Yesterday was a heck of a day.

Got up at 4am to get ready for work.

Went to work and did a bunch of stuff between 4:45 and 7:30. Then jumped in the car and drove to our church in Athens, TN.

Once there - began working on prepping the hole for the foundation of the antenna and the completing the final assembly of the tower. It is now all in one piece.

After we finished assembling the tower - we took a quick lunch break, then back to work finishing tying rebar into the foundation hole and positing the bolts for the bottom of the tower, then waited for concrete...

...and waited

...and waited

...and waited.

Finally the concrete arrived and the driver couldn't get his truck up the hill. He took too many sharp turns (that were unnecessary) and was too timid with the throttle. So the guy I was working with got his tractor with a bucket and started shuttling concrete up to me and I'd push/shovel it into the hole. We started the concrete about 5:20p and I finally left the site at 9pm. I moved most of the 10 yards of concrete we ordered.

I'm sore, I'm tired, I'm just flat out wore out today!!!

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Shocked or Well Behaved Kids

Hey ya,

Busy, busy, busy here in our lives.

This weekend I had to chuckle because Joelle wanted to plug in our Christmas lights on Sunday. "Fine," was my reply, "but just plug them in and leave them alone."

Can you see what's coming.

She plugged and unplugged (daddy with warning to leave them plugged in and quit playing...) and plugged and unplugged and plugg... ZAP! :) Crying... come over to daddy for a hug... daddy softly chuckling - Lesson learned, I hope! :)

Yesterday, we had to take my father-in-law's minivan into the shop. Some hose for the power steering had been re-called and it needed an oil change because we're leaving for Minnesota in it on either Tue or Wed of next week. Dropped it off at the dealer, packed in our car and headed to the Olive Garden for lunch.

By the way... I had the grilled chicken breast with noodles and broccoli in a garlic sauce - I think that's the BEST thing I've ever gotten at an OG! Wow!

Our girls were, EXTREMELY well behaved. They both ate without prompting, or excessive spilling, or consistant wigging. It has been the best meal we've had 'out' with our two youngins. That was way cool!

In fact they were so well behaved, an elderly lady (Who was sitting 3 tables over with two other ladies who were obviously having a GREAT time sharing stories and laughing - it was funny listening to them.) came over and mentioned that they were noticing how well behaved our girls were being and really appreciated seeing two girls sitting and eating like little ladies.

We hope this means that some of our work on these two is paying off! Plus, they are just REALLY good kids to begin with! That was a very nice compliment.

After Joelle finished eating, she quietly started singing "Silent Night." A lady at a table across from us sat just listening and watching Joelle. She also mentioned what good girls we had - and to enjoy them cuz they grow old fast! (She was having a meal with her teenager.)

Love my family!!!

Friday, December 03, 2004

Tennessee Plane Crash Kills Four SDA Church Officials

This is so sad for our church leadership here in the Georgia-Cumberland Conference.

The communications guy, Jamie Arnall I had worked with 2 times and talked with a number of times.

Very Sad indeed.

Story

Too Dang Much Happenin' Right Now

Man, I AM Swamped.

This week after our meeting (And I've gotta give ya the lowdown on that soon) at work, it has just been absolutely NUTS!

The nuttiest thing going on right now is what happened yesterday, going down today and keeping me busy next week. The church I go to applied for a Low Power FM radio station 3 years ago. We've finally raised the funds needed to begin assembling the station.

Yesterday, the tower arrived - so I had to go help take delivery of that tower. 100' of galvanized steel tower in a BUNCH of sections.

Today, I've got to go between 8a and 10:30 and begin assembling the tower while another guy from the church helps by putting re-bar in the 10'x10'48" hole for the base of the tower. Then I've got to run back to work and do a live show, then back to continue tower assembly and wait for the concrete truck to show up to pour the foundation.

Then next week we're having a crane come in and erect the tower in 2 sections. Aye, yie, yie, yie! Not to mention I've got to take my Father-in-law's mini-van into the shop in Knoxville because a part (A hose) has been recalled and we're taking that to Minnesota leaving the 15th. Want it to be running right etc!

Man, I'm swamped right now. Gotta slow down. GOTTA SLOW DOWN!!!

Later 'gater!

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Top 10 Words Looked Up in Online Dictionary

Found this today. Kinda cool. The only word I didn't know was #10. I know it now! :)

Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2004
Based on your online lookups, the #1 Word of the Year for 2004 was

Blog noun [short for Weblog] (1999) : a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writerClick on each of the other words in the Top Ten List for their definitions in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

2. incumbent
3. electoral
4. insurgent
5. hurricane
6. cicada
7. peloton
8. partisan
9. sovereignty
10. defenestration


Link to Story.