Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Ways to Be Cool!

Someone sent me this pic online. Look at the very last entry down there on the bottom!



He, he, he - now you have the secret of the way to be 'cool!' I'm available, just give me a holler! :)

****GRIN****

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

40th Birthday Cards

So, I really loved all the cards I received for my 40th birthday and wanted to post the 'ditties' written on them here so I can look back at them occasionally and get a good chuckle!

Enjoy!

--sp

"Over the Hill Driver's Car Kit"
When you get behind the wheel
It's important that everyone know:
you don't know where you're going
And your only speed is slow!

You're low on octane, high on gas
And you turn and stop at will.
you think you're an "experienced" driver,
Truth is, you're over the hill.

(Pretty appropriate considering my current job! Ha, ha, ha!)
(I think I got that kit from the Gallaghers.)

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Hey, 40 year-old!
You should be excited about your birthday!
In the dictionary, "Forty" is surrounded by words like...
Fabulous, Festive, Fruitful...

False Teeth, Flatulence, Funeral, hummmm...

Ahem...

Anyway, have a fun 40th Birthday!!!
(Very creative and hilarious!)
(Cantrells)

----------

To: Old Man Pester

Happy Birthday and Look on the bright side of being 40!

You've already had as much fun as 2 twenty-year-olds!!!

(OUCH - LOL)
(Gallaghers - who are both in their twenties. How ironic they find that card!)

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Another Year Older?
You're Lookin' Good!
You're Feelin' Good!

You apparently don't realize what's going on!
Oh well Happy Birthday!

(WAAAA HA, HA, HA!)
(Reutebuch)

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I made sure I didn't get a funny card for your birthday.

I know how easily people your age pee their pants!

(That one REALLY cracked me up!)
(Bremmers)

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You're "40!" Do something that brings back memories of your "WILD YOUTH!"

Play an album!

(LOL - I think I still have an album around here somewhere! **GRIN**)
(Piroks)

----------

A long, LONG time ago...

You were born! (It plays the music from the Star Wars theme!)

(Unfortunately, that one is SO very true! *Chuckle*)
(Ashmores - of course they were BOTH born before me - HA!!!)

----------

On your 40th birthday: you're not over the hill yet!

...but you're certainly high enough to get nosebleeds!

(Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!)
(Ottos)

----------

And here's a note a friend had pinned to her shirt...

You'd be out of breath, too!!!

(The guy just climbed a HUGE hill, ya know?!!)

(THAT ONE TOOK ME A SEC TO CATCH, BUT ONCE I CAUGHT ON I LAUGHED MYSELF SILLY!)
(Spicers)

----------

AND FINALLY, FROM MY 39 YEAR-OLD, MOST PRECIOUS WIFE...


To my Husband; I love you so much - you make me feel warm all over!

...and I'm sure I'll feel even warmer when I get near your birthday cake, what with that incredible wall of flame rising from the candles!

(That one is so very true, it's not even funny! Well it actually is! HA!)


THOSE ALL MADE ME LAUGH INCREDIBLY HARD! YEAH, IT'S GOOD TO BE 40, BECAUSE I'VE MADE SOME GOOD FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY - FRIENDS FOR ETERNITY!!!

:-)

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Dogs Communicating

This morning as I was headed to a 'pit stop' before coming down to the computer for a bit, I happened to glance out the window and had to stop and watch a bit.

Mocha, our dog, was standing about 5 feet from our back fence, facing towards where our neighbors have two dogs and she was barking her head off, and so were probably 90% of the canines in our neighborhood.

I was gonna go out and 'hush' the mutt, then I noticed her tail was sticking 'straight up' while she was barking. I've never noticed her doing that before. Plus it wasn't a 'snarly' bark, like I've heard her have occasionally when a 'stranger' is going by.

So I stood there and watched Mocha continue to bark, in that same position for a couple of minutes. Then the entire canine neighborhood went silent, Mocha dropped her 'flag pole' tail and trotted off to a different part of the yard.

Odd, I thought.

Then the scene from the movie 101 Dalmatians popped into my head where the dogs were all sending a message up the line as to where the puppies were.

I wonder if that's what the dogs in our neighborhood were doing this morning?

Hummmm???

**GRIN**

Faurty Has Awwived (Boston Accent There)

So, I am now 40. Wow! Who'd have ever 'thunk' that I would make it to forty? No, not that I was ever an Evil Knievel type or the Druggie type or the Prison Bait type, it's just that 40 always seemed a long, LONG way off. When my folks turned 40 and I was just 14, I remember thinking to myself, "I'll never be that old!" Well now I am! I got a few more creaks and squeaks and a bit more weight on board than I really would like to have, but I have arrived at the 'top of the hill.' I plan to stay at the top for a while and take in the view before starting down the other side!

My wife and friends really surprised me Friday evening with a really fun Surprise party for my birthday - actually on my birthday. I didn't suspect a thing. In fact at one point I was really kinda bummed that nothing, apparently, was gonna happen. I didn't see a point in our schedule when something could either! So I was kinda grumpy occasionally. I mean 40 only comes around once! :)

So Doreen and the kids had work and school and I had a PT and Dr appointments. It was funny, in my Dr appointment for my 'annual physical' at one point my Dr was looking at the paperwork seemingly mighty confused. He kept flipping back and forth between pages. Finally he asked, "Today's your birthday right?" "Yup," I replied. "Today I turn forty." That cleared up everything, his nurse wrote my age down as '39' right above where it has my actual birth date, which by using a bit better math, puts me right at 40. His reply, as he closed the folder, "Well congratulations, that makes you the winner of a rectal exam!" Too funny!

After all that, I ran a couple of other errands and did a couple of things at home before Doreen and the girls got home and everyone scurried about getting stuff set for the weekend before we were going to head over to the Olive Garden for our Birthday meals. (Doreen's b-day is the very next day!) We ate and headed to DQ for dessert. (Of which Doreen decided to pass on, which did seem a bit odd, but she did eat her WHOLE plate of food and claimed to be stuffed.) Then off to the church for choir practice.

After choir practice I got delayed helping operate the PA for some Adventurer girls practice a song for Adventurer Investiture on Sat night. Then we headed off for Bible study at our friends house. I figured it was going to be a short 'meeting' cuz it was so late already... and when we walked up, I saw William, their son and started making all sorts of faces at him through the window then turned and walked through the door - and hanging right there were two 'black' balloons. "Oh" - went through my mind, "someone's being funny and giving me a hard time." Then I turned the corner and was met by a crowd of really good friends, all in black with black balloons and caution tape, and a good evening celebrating me making it to 40.

I loved visiting with everyone there! They are all awesome people and what I would consider to be the best friends a guy could have!

Tracy made two awesome cakes, one with a spinner on top that said, "Steve is older than..." and around the top of the cakes were labels like, "Dirt, King Tut, You, The Wheel, etc" Too funny! The other was a couple of tomb stones that said "RIP to Steve's youth." There was pizza, a veggie tray, drinks, chips and lots of fun conversation.

They had some HILARIOUS gag gifts for me!

It was just a lot of fun. I feel kinda bad for thinking 'nothing' was gonna happen! I should have known better! :)

Thanks y'all. Looking forward to hanging around all y'all for the next 40 years!!

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Perfect Timing

Just wanted to relate that no matter how hard we try, just let God's timing work.

A few weeks ago, we were on a camp out up in Chilhowee with our Sabbath School Class.

Since I'm a SS class leader, I was kind of in charge of the event.

I got a good study on "Nature" in the Bible for a worship on Sabbath. Just wasn't sure when I was going to present it. Typically, we do it right after breakfast, but I just wasn't motivated, plus the kids were playing together nicely and all the adults were able to just sit and converse!

A little later in the morning, I'm asked when we're gonna have worship and I say, whenever. So about 30 minutes later a couple more people ask, so we got everyone together and started singing a few songs.

Right then the rain, in the form of light sprinkle set it. We sang, prayed and did the Bible study on nature. And just the moment we had our closing prayer, 35 or so minutes later, the rain/sprinkle stopped!

Amazing, we stayed dry under the tarps we hung for just that sort of reason and it worked out in God's timing - I like to believe anway - just perfectly!!! :)

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday

Today is May 1, 2010.

I am calling in a 'Mayday Emergency Alert.' In less that 6 days (since today's almost over) I turn 40. Not sure I'm ready for that HUGE number!

A Game of Dog & Chicken

You've heard of a game of Cat & Mouse? Well, let me tell you about a new game of Dog & Chicken.

I was out mowing the backyard our lawn on Friday and our Dog, Mocha, and Chicken, Peepers were playing a hilarious game!

Mocha had been barking at me to throw the ball for her, so once when I went by it with the mower, I picked it up to throw it for her... and she was nowhere to be found. I couldn't see her anywhere. So I tossed the ball away and went on mowing around the backside of our shed.

That's where Peepers came 'running' by me at top speed, from the back of the yard. That was hilarious in itself, because chickens just run funny!

As I came on around the shed, I saw Peepers sneek (as well as a chicken can) up to Mocha's food dish and begin pecking at the dog food. Well, not two seconds later, Mocha comes streaking across the yard and runs up to Peepers, barking her head off. Peepers then takes off.

Not a couple of laps around the lawn later, I see this whole dance played out again!

After I finished I went to put Mocha back on the leash we keep her on while Peepers is free in the backyard and we're not physically present.

Peepers was 'hanging' out between the fence and Mocha's doghouse/food dish. As I was trying to get the leash on Mocha's collar, it was kinda hard because she kept twisting her head back and fourth to watch Peepers. I finally took a good grip of the collar and got Mocha's attention to get the leash attached and Peepers took that instant to RUN for the dog dish and got a couple of 'pecks' in before Mocha wrenched free of my grip - dog leash attached - and went to defend her dog-dish!

That was one of the most hilarious things I've seen in my life. I am hoping to someday catch party of that 'Dog & Chicken Game' on video to remember it and laugh at occasionally!!! :)