Cold Busted...

This evening, Shelly and I took the kids to dinner at iHop, followed by an outing to Target.

While we were at Target, there was a guy holding a baby and standing near a lady that I presumed to be his wife (or "baby momma"). I'm not sure what the conversation was, but at one point, he turned around and looked in the direction of a lady walking the other direction, wearing high heels and short shorts Not sure what he was looking at. Maybe it was the baby in the stroller she was pushing? Or the old lady with her?

Anyway, his significant other must have noticed him looking that direction, and said sort of tersely, "You want me to take the baby so you can go with her?"

Friends, that dude had just been cold busted. Made worse by me busting out laughing. I had to take a quick duck into the next aisle. That woman seemed a little testy, and I sure wasn't up to being clobbered by some post partum anger...

I told Shelly what had just happened, wondering if she was going to say the guy got what he had coming. She shocked me with her reply... "Sounds like someone has a little issue with insecurity..." Yep, I guess so. Either way, I was there in the right place at the right time to see the show.

Weekend of the HAM, take 3...

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a group of guys at the ranch. Our Sunday School class from church typically has a guy's weekend every Spring, and this year, we went out to the ranch. Turnout was better than expected, with 25 guys heading out there with us.

The weekend was pretty much everything you would expect when you have a group of 25 men together in a remote place with ATV's, 4wd trucks, and enough firepower to takeover a 3rd world country. We ate like kings, got almost no sleep, and would do it again next weekend if we thought we could get away with it.

One of the guys compiled a Top 10 list of phrases heard over the course of the weekend. Keep in mind, there were other phrases, but these are the best that are able to be shared with all ages...

10. This is the skinny man's couch
9. I was forced to use "Plan B"
8. Papa Williams just called... !Blayton!!!
7. What were you going to do with those cows?
6. You are Jonah! You are a Big Shot!
5. What are you talking about? This is my wife's gun.
4. It's supposed to sound like a train. Does that sound like a train?
3. That's what she said.
2. Impressive!
1. ?!?Can we shoot it?!?

Called to generosity, or a couple of big suckers?

Sometimes I don't feel like the most generous person. Living in the 4th largest city in the nation, we see our share of panhandlers. You see so many of them that you sort of become hardened towards people in need (or those professing a need - there IS a difference).

You get to the point that you are skeptical and assume everyone is a freeloader until proven otherwise. MOST of the time, you are well served with that assumption. Other times there is just something that tugs at you.

In the last couple of months there have been a couple of instances where I just felt lead to help someone. The first one was a little while back while I was putting gas in the car. A guy approached me and told me he had lost his job and needed a little gas money to make it through. OK, now I'm not a complete sucker. I don't give cash. My feeling is that I trust God to watch over the situation and to bless my generosity. I let him deal with the person and provide consequences if they are less than truthful.

In that situation, I told the guy that I didn't have cash, but if he really needed a little gas, he could pull up to the pump and I'd help him out with a few bucks worth of gas. He pulled up and I activated the pump. Feeling like living life on the edge, I wished him well and told him I would trust him to stop the pump at $10. He seemed genuinely thankful for the gift he was given, thanked me profusely, and I left. It worked out that time. He stopped the pump at $10. My thought is that a con man would have tanked up and cost me $50.

Shelly and I are NOT wealthy, but we do seem to be able to make ends meet. We don't give to everyone that comes asking, but sometimes you just get a little extra tug that tells you to do something.

Tonight was one of those nights. We went to Willie's Ice house for dinner. Nothing fancy, just a local burger type place that is kid friendly. Because of my birthday, I had a coupon for a free entree with the purchase of another entree and a couple of sodas. After we ate dinner, the boys and I were in the little video game room while Shelly finished her dinner and got the check taken care of. As we were preparing to leave, I noticed that the table that had been empty next to us was now occupied by a middle-aged black lady and a boy a little older than my boys, maybe 10 or so.

As we were driving away heading towards a gas station to fill the truck up, Shelly told me that the lady apparently had a coupon similar to mine and she and the boy had ordered just one entree. She overheard the waitress tell the lady that the coupon was only good for a free entree when you bought another. The lady quietly explained something to the waitress, and the waitress left to go see the manager. Basically, they had no money, and the lady was trying to feed the boy something. That manager had come by our table a few times during the night, and was obviously a caring guy, and he agreed to honor the coupon without a purchase requirement. The waitress even kicked in a cup of coffee on her dime for the lady.

The lady had leaned over to Shelly and told her that if we needed our house cleaned or a babysitter for the kids, she was low on money and could use some work. Well, we already have a cleaning service and daycare, so she thanked the lady for the offer, but told her we just didn't need those services. She didn't ask for money, she asked for work. As we were talking, we both knew we should do something, we just didn't know what we should do.

Well, when you are willing, God will give you ideas. As I was pumping gas at the Kroger gas station, it hit me. We would get some Kroger gift cards and go back and give them to the lady. If they are short on food money, that's a way we could give something useful without giving cash. I asked Shelly to go in and get $50 in cards and we would give them to the lady. The question was, What if they are already gone? Will they still be there? My belief is that God calls us to be willing. He will work the rest out. Shelly one-upped me. She bought $45 (they sell them in increments of $15), PLUS $15 in McDonald's cards that Kroger also sold. This lady was about to get hooked-up.

As we drove there, I told Shelly again that I just felt like we were being challenged to be willing. I had told God while I was standing at that pump that I would trust him and would be generous, but that if I gave generously, I hoped he would "pre-qualify" the recipient. If she was truly needy, they would still be there when we went back.

We headed back to Willie's with the gift cards in hand, and when we got there, they were already gone. We drove through the parking lot and went to the apartment complex that she had told Shelly they lived in, made a lap around it, and never saw them.

I told Shelly that it sure was disappointing to be willing to give something away, and in the end to not be able to. But, in the end, I feel like God challenged us to be WILLING to help. Hopefully he found us to have been willing and to have faithfully answered the call. We put those gift cards in the console of the truck, and hopefully one day soon we are able to give them cheerfully to someone in need.

Oh, and while the boys and I were in the truck waiting for Shelly to buy the cards, I got to give Matthew a little bit of a lesson in helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Hopefully one of these days he will understand.

Just a side note, I've noticed lately that we are surrounded by others who are also quite generous. Last week, I planned a men's retreat for the guys in our Sunday School class. We ended up with 25 guys out at the ranch. It was quite fun, but there was a price of admission to cover food and incidentals. Very reasonable at $25. What really touched me was that I was contacted by 2 of the guys in the class and asked to send notes out to guys that were not going and let them know that if times were rough and the cost was an issue, that I had extra money to cover them. These 2 guys are known only to me, and they asked to remain anonymous. They don't even know about each other making similar offers. Sure, this wasn't grocery money or anything serious like that, but it was still a big deal to me that these guys were willing to give of their excess to make sure one of their brother's didn't miss out on being a part of something over a few bucks. That's what it is all about.

I could go on and on about the anonymous gifts given to help people participate in mission trips, the donation a relative of mine made to someone here in my church that they had never met to help them after Hurricane Ike, etc, etc, but you get what I'm saying.

Basically, Shelly and I answered the challenge laid on us. Now, I'm issuing a challenge to you. Keep a look out, and be prepared, you never know when you will come across someone that you are able to provide a true blessing to. Trust me, it will mean MUCH more to them than it will cost you monetarily.

Please take a minute to post a comment telling how you were able to help someone out.

You tell 'em, son...

I bought a new smoker this week. After getting it set up Thursday night, I oiled down the inside of it and lit a fire to complete the seasoning process. An overnight burn and smoke and it was ready for today.

Last night I trimmed, rubbed, and saran wrapped 4 pork shoulders, 2 racks of ribs, and a brisket. This morning I woke up early to take the meat out of the cooler, light the fire, and get things rolling. By 8AM, we were smoking.

By about 1PM I had burned through a wagon full of oak wood and was part of the way through the mesquite wood. It was evident that I needed a little more wood, so I stoked the fire and Matthew and I headed to Academy for another big batch of mesquite wood.

We went in the store, made our purchase, and headed back to the truck. As we were getting in, Nature called. Person-to-person. Collect. This was a call I had to take immediately, so we went back into the store and made tracks for the back corner behind the shoe section. Why are the restrooms in stores always the farthest point in the store from where you are when you get the call?

As we're heading in, I decide that we'll take the handicap stall and Matthew can just wait while I finish. But, he decided he also had to go, so I hit the stall and he hits the urinals. I told him to come with me when he finished. Yeah, like a 5 yr old listens to what you tell him. He finishes, washes his hands, and uses 4 or 5 cycles of the air dryer.

I was just about to tell him to get his butt in the stall with me when someone else came in. Ok, guy code is no talking in the john. I can't yell at the kid from the stall while someone else is in there. He's just hanging out while this other guys does his business, and then leaves, after which Matthew opens the door and calls after him "Hey, you forgot to wash your hands!!!" I wish I had been in the shoe section of the store to see that guy's reaction... The guy didn't come back in, so somewhere in the store was a guy with unwashed hands.

I finished up and we left - greeted by a few smiles from the people milling about the shoe section. Yes, I did remember to wash my hands.

A lump in my throat and a tear in my eye...

Most of the folks that read this blog are friends of mine. Maybe we grew up together, maybe we go to church together, or maybe you are related to me. I'm not generally a guy that has an easy time showing emotions. I haven't always been that way, but these days emotions are not always easy for me. I think this blog is probably a good way for me to actually convey feelings. Writing isn't something I do often, but when I take the time, it comes fairly easily - most of the time.

So, what happened tonight to stir me to write?

This was like almost any other night. I met Shelly and the kids in town after work to run a few errands and have dinner. We were sitting in a booth in Chili's next to a window overlooking a parking lot. This was the community college parking lot at I-10 and the Beltway, so it is sort of a major crossroads in town.

While we were eating, I noticed a lady pull up next to the curb and get out of her car, just outside the window from us. Parked a little farther down the curb was a man in a car with 2 young boys, not much older than my 2 sons. The man and boys got out of the car, and the man hugged the boys. The lady stayed by her car and called the boys to her. The boys trudged to the car, and after what appeared to be a little bit of bickering, they got in the car. I looked and noticed neither parent was wearing a ring on their left hand.

We had just witnessed "the hand-off." It struck me how sad each one of these 4 people looked. Sure, they were normal, well-dressed people, but they just looked sad.

A couple of weeks ago, Shelly and I went through a marriage conference, and of course, you hear the statistic that 50% of all first marriages end in divorce.

Here is where this story turns even more personal for me.

The statistics are even more dismal for a 2nd marriage.

My friends that I grew up with know that Shelly is not my first wife. Many of my Houston friends will probably be shocked by this. I know, it's just not something that I talk about very often. The reasons for the first split aren't really important. Nothing earth-shattering like a Tiger Woods story, just 2 people that jumped into something that everyone around them said should have a little more thought put into it. Lessons learned, and 2nd chances provided by God's grace and goodness.

When I married Shelly, I committed that things would be different this time. Next month we'll celebrate 9 years of honoring that commitment. I'm VERY happy about that.

So, what about that scene unfolding outside the restaurant? Why did it move me so much? I'll tell you, it was just a reminder of the consequences of a Mom and Dad that don't stick it out for the long-haul. Sure, the parent's will get over it (maybe), but those 2 little boys broke my heart. Shelly and I are a normal married couple. The stresses of life sometimes put a strain on things. Most days are great, and some days are tough. Seeing those 2 sad looking little boys just served as a reminder that NOTHING that we go through is worth breaking the hearts of MY two little boys.

Right there over my smoked chicken tacos, I told God that I was going to double-down and make sure I was the best husband and father to my family that I can be.

Sorry that this is sort of a rambling post, it is just what was on my heart and mind, and I wanted to put my thoughts "on paper".

Any of the readers have any other thoughts to share? Feel free.

Christmas shopping...

I think I've been on record that I get a little grumpy this time of year. I LOVE Christmas. I enjoy giving gifts. I enjoy seeing the excitement on the kids faces when they get what they have been dying to get (until they see a commercial on TV for a new toy). I enjoy the food (Lord, I do loves me some Christmas goodies).

What makes me grumpy is that everything is crammed into a short period of time right in the middle of hunting season. We have 4 family gatherings, not including the one Shelly prefers to have with just our little family. There is always a Christmas party or so, and there is shopping to be done. You also have the big mess of dragging out all of the Christmas decorations from the attic, decorating, then stashing the empty boxes back out of the way (ours are still in the entry hall, but by golly, the tree is up and decorated) There are not enough weekends to do it all while still fitting in a hunting trip or 3.

This year has worked out pretty well so far. I'm in a MUCH better mood because Shelly allowed me to block out 1 weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas to hunt without pressure of other events. I don't play golf, watch stick & ball sports on TV, etc, so she has given me a hall pass a couple of times to get my hunting out of the way. We've even managed to get all of the family gatherings grouped into just 2 weekends to make the getting back and forth to each of them a little less hectic.

NOW, all that's left is the shopping. I like buying toys and stuff for the kids, but sometimes there are some real idiots in the stores.

Case in point, Monday night, Shelly asked me to run by Target on my way home to get a particular toy for Jonathan. Easy enough, right? Nope. It is a Duplex Blocks deal, sort of like a Lego set, but appropriately sized for a 19 month old. It was cold and drizzling outside and I managed a decent spot right off the bat. So far so good. I grabbed a buggy and prepared to run the gauntlet.

As I reached the toy section, all was good. The place was not overly crowded and there was still a decent selection left, so it's looking to be a nice "grab-n-go" type evening. That is until I get to the Lego aisle. There SHE is. This woman was straight in from the backwoods of East TX. You know the kind. Lives several miles down a dirt road. Lots of cars up on blocks in the yard. Sher's standing SMACK in the middle of the aisle. One of her kids is sitting on the floor at the other end of the aisle playing with toys (opening them & playing with them). The other kid is pushing the buggy back and forth on the aisle, with no regard for anyone else being there..

The woman is dressed in flannel type pajama pants and Crocs. She is large as you would expect, and she is loudly talking to herself. I tried to go around her on both sides, but she refused to budge. I finally abandoned my buggy and went in without it. This woman is standing in the middle of the aisle, talking quite loudly to no one in particular, complaining about the selection & pricing. She was complaining about the cost of a $20 set of Legos. Her complaint that she kept going on and on about was that a similar set was cheaper at Wal-Mart and had more pieces. Then she started complaining about another set, which again Wal-Mart was better and cheaper.

What made this scene so insane was that Wal-Mart happened to be right next door to this particular Target store. In the time this lady spent complaining about the prices and selection, she could have walked her happy butt next door and bought what she was looking for.

I guess in the end, I did get what I was shopping for with little trouble, and I did get some of the entertainment I've come to expect from my shopping trips.

More shopping to come, so look for more posts in the next few days.

Merry Christmas from Heaven...

I was e-mailing with my friend Katie today and the subject of holiday traditions came up. That got me to thinking about my traditions for holidays. I've had some spectacular Christmas's through the years, but Thanksgiving is probably the one that has carried more meaning. Growing up, all of my grandparents lived in Southeast Texas in a small town called Kirbyville. We went there often. ALL holidays were spent in Kirbyville as well as many other weekends throughout the year.

I was thinking about what happened for Thanksgiving, and it was usually the same. Thanksgiving morning, all of the men got up and headed out to the "hunting club". Sometimes someone killed a deer, usually we just went, hunted, then hung out for a while before heading back to get dressed for the big feast. The Aggies always sucked (yeah, things change when you marry an Aggie), and the Cowboys just had to win.

After lunch, Nana and Grandaddy (Mom's parents) always gave out envelopes to everyone. This was the Christmas money. It was always something to help everyone have a little better Christmas. I always got $50. As a kid, Grandaddy always took me the next day down to City Shoe Shop and with my $50, I got a pair of cowboy boots. As I got older, the amount and what I did with it changed, but the envelope was always a tradition.

As time went on, relatives moved farther away and their traditions changed, but ours was the same. We went to Kirbyville, we went hunting, and Grandaddy gave out the envelopes. Grandaddy and I shared a special connection through hunting. 24 years ago, I killed my first deer while sitting in the stand with him.

Time passed, Nana died, and the traditions sort of died. I still hunt every Thanksgiving, and hold onto the memories of years past. We still always saw Grandaddy sometime around Thanksgiving, and usually that's when he gave us the envelope with our Christmas money.

This year is different... We lost Grandaddy this year. It is sort of bittersweet for me. I will still hunt Thanksgiving morning, but this year I'll be hunting with the rifle he let me shoot my first deer with. He knew how special that gun was to me, and while he was laying in a bed in MD Anderson, he told me he wanted me to have it. I hope he knows how much I appreciate having it.

Last weekend, we got together with Mom and Dad to have an early Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, they surprised us. For each family, there was an envelope. From Grandaddy. I know Mom put it together for us, but She said Grandaddy would have wanted it that way. In the envelope was a card. It read:

Merry Christmas from Heaven (by John Wm Mooney, Jr)

I still hear the songs,
I still see the lights.
I still feel your love on cold wintry nights.
I still share your hopes and all of your cares.
I'll even remind you to please say your prayers.

I just want to tell you, you still make me proud.
You stand head and shoulders above all the crowd.

Keep trying each moment, to stay in His grace
I came here before you to help set your place.

You don't have to be perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip, if you continue the climb.

To my family and friends, please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you, in a new special way.

I love you all dearly, now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my Christmas with Jesus this year.

We love you too, Grandaddy.


bloggers note: There are other special holiday traditions and get-togethers with both sides of the family. This particular tradition is just what was on my mind today, so I wrote about it.

I really don't remember teaching him THAT...

Ok, I'm the first to admit that I've taught Matthew some things that could be considered questionable. I think the best one so far has been teaching him to say "impressive" after cutting a good one. Another one is when he goes #2. He still needs a little help on the clean-up job after #2, and on occasion he will say "I took a REALLY big dump this time" (he emphasises the "really").

Well, that's just funny and hasn't really gotten me in trouble. Last night was something that caught me a little off guard, but it was hard to give him a lesson on it when I was laughing so hard while telling him to stop saying it.

I was giving him a bath. I don't know why our best stories happen at bath time, they just seem to work out that way. Anyway, after washing his hair, I typically pour a couple of buckets of water over his head to rinse the shampoo out. The water was a little warm (he drew his own water and he tends to like it kind of warm). He said it was too hot on his head and he wanted cold water. So, I filled the bucket with water as cold as I could make it, then dumped it over his head.

After splashing around trying to get out of the cold water deluge, he sputtered a little and said "That froze my NUTS off" (yes, he emphasized the word "nuts"). Ok, I can honestly say that I SERIOUSLY don't remember teaching him THAT. I asked him where he learned that (in between bursts of laughter - which only made him repeat it LOUDER). Of course, he said he learned it from me. I guess I need to be really careful. LUCKILY I don't have a potty mouth or I would be in some serious trouble.

My kid tells me all your secrets...

Everyone always says kids are like sponges. They absorb stuff and are easily filled. While this is true, I'll submit that as soon as kids can talk, they are more like water balloons. While they can hold vast amounts, getting it into them is sometimes messy, and they usually are ready to burst to let out what they have taken in.

I'm not easily embarrassed, so it doesn't really bother me when it gets back to me that Matthew has sprung a leak about stuff we thought was a secret in our house. Hey, it happens. What's hilarious is hearing Matthew repeat things other kids in his class share.

Recent topic of conversation... Somehow we got on the subject of passing gas. OK, you know how we got on that subject, but that's not the important part of the story. Matthew has a class mate, we'll call her "Little Girl X". Apparently little "X" has a little gas problem. According to Matthew, "She toots all every day". Matthew admits that he sometimes toots also, "but not all every day."

This disturbs Shelly, while I just find it funny thinking about a teacher in a 5 yr old class trying to keep order with a bunch of kids letting 'em rip on a regular basis, knowing that my kid cracks up laughing when he hears the old Kiester Kazoo sounding off. Shelly asked about the little girl, why she is always popping off, and what the teacher says. Apparently it is a topic of conversation because Matthew dutifully informed us that little "X" is taking medicine, but "she still toots all every day."

Even better is that it is discussed enough in class that Matthew reports little "X" says that her Mommy toots even more than she does, and her mommy's toots are really loud and really stinky. Of course, we find this hilarious. I'm trying to picture what this lady looks like, with no luck remembering her. Well, it just so happens that in the e-mail this morning I got a set of pictures with captions from a recent day in Matthew's class. Guess who's picture is in there?

So, Mommy "X", we now know who you are, and don't even think about blaming the dog, because we know your secret...

Random Observation...

Do you ever find yourself coming up with something completely random? I was just sitting here at my desk, and the last sip of a cold Diet Coke inspired me to make this post (long overdue post at that...)

I was thinking how versatile of a beverage Diet Coke really is.

Need a drink with Breakfast? Diet Coke works great. Getting a #3 from McDonald's in the morning? Diet Coke goes great with it. Stopping in for a couple of donuts? Diet Coke works again. This morning I was thinking how the flavor of Diet Coke matches perfectly with the subtle sweetness of a brown sugar & cinnamon Pop-Tart.

For lunch and dinner, the Diet Coke will work with whatever you have. It was almost MADE to go with chips and salsa when eating Mexican food. Pizza? Yes again. I can't think of many things that wouldn't go well with an icy cold silver can of Diet Coke.

Want something with a little more edge, it's perfect mixed with Jack Daniels or your favorite rum.

There you have it folks, from me to you. Diet Coke, possibly the worlds most perfect beverage.

Man, this SUCKS...

Tonight, Shelly and I loaded up the kids and headed out to dinner. I was craving some smoked sirloin from Texas Land & Cattle, so we stopped in there for a little grub. Dinner was great. Shelly stopped by the ladies room on the way out so I took the kids out to the truck and got them buckled in.

When Shelly got to the truck, she asked me what was the story with all of the junk on her seat. Several things from the center console (spare diapers, gloves, etc) were piled on her seat. It hit us both at the same time. We checked the console and around the truck in general. We had been robbed.

As near as we can tell, they either jimmied the handle or used a slim-jim. There is a small scratch on the paint below the door handle on the drivers side. All we could find missing was Shelly's makeup and our digital camera that were both in the console. Nothing of value was in sight. What's funny is that she had a new pendant, still in the James Avery bag also in the console that was dumped on the passenger seat. She also had her blue tooth laying in the cup holder, that was untouched.

Why the makeup? It was in a small zippered Vera Bradley pouch, so they probably thought it was a purse. The funny thing about the camera is that Shelly had taken it yesterday to go on a field trip with Matthew, and forgot the battery for it. So, the jackass that broke in the truck got a bag of used makeup and a non-working camera. Of course, it will cost us about $400 or so to replace the camera and the cosmetics, but luckily there was no real damage to the truck.

One lucky thing was that I almost left my iPod in the console, and decided to slip it in my pocket. Makeup and the camera get replaced out of the general fund. I would have just been out of luck with the iPod.

Long Overdue....

Was everyone wondering where I was? I was being lazy. It's hard to get back into the blog after taking a little while off.

Well, I think I'm ready to get back into it. Of course, it only makes sense for the first new post to be a funny / embarrassing story about myself...

Last night, we were up pretty late. This morning, it was hard to get up. In fact, after my shower, I was still half asleep when I was getting dressed. I made it to work, relatively on-time, and had a fairly busy Friday.

Right at 5:00, I was the only one in the office, and the phone just kept ringing. About 5:15, I finally was off the phone, shut everything down, and headed out the door. Alarms set and doors locked, I headed for the car. As I was getting in the car, I really needed to go to the bathroom. I decided that it was too much trouble to unlock everything and turn off the alarms, so I decided to step around the corner of the building and water the grass there (fences, etc make it a private location).

So, After a quick glance to make sure no one is around, I unzip and reach for the flap on the front of the boxers. It's not there... Hmmm, drawers must be twisted. Check left and right - still no flap. What the heck? Not sewn closed, just not there... After further inspection, I figured out my problem. I had my drawers on backwards. I'm talking I had gone all day wearing my drawers Liberace style...

Shelly didn't know what was funnier, that I had gone all day without using the restroom, or the fact that I never noticed. (After thinking about it, She never even questioned me about watering the grass at the office...)

I don't think I've ever had that happen before.

Disputes & Disagreements...

If it's one thing I know, it's that everyone has a different opinion about just about anything. That's life. What constantly amazes me is how little regard some people seem to have for the opinions of others. You either agree with them or else.

Ever notice how you can do your research, read literature, and formulate your opinion on something, but there is always someone that holds a different opinion. It never fails that at least one person with a differing opinion can't seem to respect your opinion? What's worse, these folks make it a point to call anyone that opposes them ignorant, uneducated, and closed-minded?

Doesn't that seem a little odd? Disingenuous at best, bordering on hypocritical? You don't agree with them, but their egotism (or maybe it's narcissism) won't allow them to respect your opinion, so they call you closed-minded. Could it be them that's closed-minded?

Yeah, that's what I thought also.

Missing in Action...

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. It's not a lack of material, just a lack of time.

I have piles and piles of pics from our Disneyland vacation. I'll post a few in a couple of days. Of course, the pics aren't the best part. There are a couple of priceless moments that warrant a mention.

So, what's been going on the keep me from posting? Well, this is tax season and Shelly has reclaimed the computer on occasion. Work is also quite busy.

But, that's all secondary to some family health issues that have popped up.

You might remember a picture of my grandfather I posted from when Jonathan was born last May. Grandaddy is the last grandparent I have left, and probably the one I've always been closest to. He had been having some "issues" lately, so he went to the gastro doctor to have his throat and esophagus scoped. They found a spot at the base of his esophagus that a biopsy showed to be cancerous.

Fast forward to this week and all of the tests and the news shows that things are further progressed than we had hoped. In the next few days they will finish putting all of the test results together and formulate a treatment plan. Thankfully we are in a place with the what is possibly the best medical care in the world. No matter how things shake out, he's got the best chance possible.

I'll probably pick up posting almost daily again about current events, and as time permits, I'll add in a post with events from the last few weeks.

Keep checking back. There are some funny Matthew stories as well as some things about me. I've even got pictures from last weekend when I took Shelly's truck into the woods and managed to get it stuck - twice. She wasn't amused.

Had to close the garage...

I went back outside after posting the previous entry and there was another Mexican guy coming up the driveway. He asked if I was having a garage sale, and I told him no. He then proceeded to point to the stroller, pedal car, and other things that we have asking how much I wanted for them.

Geez.

I finally ran him off, grabbed the tools I needed, and was about to close the garage door when another woman came up with her 3 kids.

I closed the garage and inspected the brakes on the Expedition and changed the serpentine belt (forgot to do it a couple of weeks ago when I did the hoses and spark plugs).

Now, to start working on the garage (with the door closed while I work).

I guess I need to clean the garage...

My garage is a mess. All of the Christmas decoration boxes are still in the garage, as well as several other items. The fact is that since Christmas, both of our cars have been sleeping outside.

Well, this morninng I went out to look at the brakes on Shelly's truck and had the garage door up. Some random Mexican woman came walking up the driveway. Of course, when you are involved in something and someone comes up, it sort of startles you.

She started looking through my stuff. I said "Can I help you?"

How embarassing....

She thought I was having a garage sale...

Yes, after I look at the brakes, the garage is getting straightened...

Dinner Guest Etiquette...

Chances are, unless you are a complete recluse, you have wither invited friends to dinner at your house, or been invited to dinner at a someone else's house. With a dinner invitation, there is always the question of what you can bring.

Many times, the host will take you up on your offer of a dessert, a side dish of some sort, or at the very least a bag of ice if the parts will have several guests.

A few months ago, we hosted dinner and when asked, politely told the guests that their presence was all we cared about, everything else would be taken care of. I like to cook, and made what I thought was a great meal, complete with appetizer and dessert. When the guests arrived, dinner was close to being ready, and I had just put dessert in the oven. They arrived carrying a dessert. At that point, all you can really do is serve their dessert and put the one you prepared up for another night. Of course, since the guests usually hang out in the kitchen, it was obvious they noticed the dessert, and it was a little awkward.

Fast forward to this week. We accepted a dinner invitation to a neighbors house for tonight. When Shelly accepted, she asked if we could bring anything, suggesting maybe a dessert or a side. They thanked her and declined, asking that we just show up hungry (no problems here...).

I was at the grocery store yesterday and sent the neighbor a text and asked what his favorite flavor of beer was. He informed me that he had plenty, just show up and we would be all set.

Clear enough? Not for my wife. What is it with women that they can't just graciously accept an invitation without having to take something? She baked a loaf of bread last night. Of course, our bread machine hates us. In the 7 years we've had it, we've NEVER had a loaf turn out right. Always too dark, hard, falls, etc. This one was the proper shape, but too dark and quite hard on the outside...

She just got home, so we'll see if I win the argument about just going empty-handed...

Does anyone else have this problem? Do you take something even after being told multiple times not to?

Problem with the tunes solved....

I loaded up 8 or 10 CD's worth of music up tonight. Of course, I figured out that it's much easier if you choose only the songs you like from a CD instead of waiting for it to install every one of the songs. I had to raid my car, Shelly's truck, our bedroom, the upstairs office, and the garage (don't ask) to find all of the CD's. There are about 130-150 of them I think..

The conclusion I cam to is that I have TONS of songs that I like, and my commute isn't that long. Between the 5 or 6 podcasts I subscribe to and all of this music, I don't need to buy much. I'll take my chances with the odd $.99 or $1.98 when there is something I want.

Wreg, I still need those tips, just in case...

Shelly, if you read this, the previous post was a hypothetical question. No need to inspect my grocery store receipts...

Ethical Dilemma...

OK, so I bought the iPod last week. I've having great fun with it. I've found all sorts of neat applications to put on it as well as subscribed to a couple of podcasts on varying topics. The one thing I don't have on it is a ton of music.

Sure, I've got a PILE of CD's hanging around, and it would seem to be fairly easy to pop them into the drive on the computer and save them to my iTunes folder, but what seems to be MUCH easier would be to load up from the iTunes store. The problem with that is that my dear wife is a pretty smart cookie. She has the initials CPA & CFP behind her name. She also peruses the activity on our credit card several times per week. She knew the next morning the last time I downloaded music and questioned the frivolity of the $1.98 I had spent.

Herein lies the ethical dilemma... I do the vast majority of shopping for our household. At least once a week I hit the grocery store, and periodically, I hit Wal-Mart or Target for household goods. I also visit Walgreens on occasion for random purchases. All of these places sell iTunes gift cards in varying amounts.

You see where I'm going with this...

In amongst the packages of toilet paper, grocery items, assorted whatnots, suppose a gift card found its way into the basket? Of course, the receipt would have to be "lost" so as not to give away what seems to be a perfect plan...

In the past, I've used the same tactic to purchase stockpiles of "projectiles" for the home protection. Of course, that can be justified as being for the "common good", and I eventually ended up admitting to it anyway (she saw the stockpile and questioned whether any government bureaus should be notified...). iTunes? Any thoughts on how to justify that purchase as being for the "common good"?

Any thoughts from faithful readers?

Rules for a successful marriage (man's perspective)...

Those of you that are friends with me on Facebook have no doubt taken note of my many status updates. It's quite obvious that I wear many hats in our household. Necessity dictates that Shelly and I both work outside the home. With 2 young children and a household to maintain, life is in a constant state of chaos.

Last night, I posted something to the effect that I had vacuumed the downstairs, cleaned the kitchen, and put on a load of laundry. This generated the question "Where are all of the men like you?" Of course, the answer is that they are everywhere. The women will attest that "Men are all the same". Some of us just forgot the rule that if you do something well, and do it often enough, it becomes your job.

This started me thinking along the lines of rules for a successful marriage. Sure, there are lots of things on the wish list from a guys perspective sex , but honestly, many of the ones you would think of first lots of sex will probably be less important as you get older. Besides, if you do things right, most of those things sex SHOULD be a mystery until you have said "I do".

Basically, you can break it down into two rules:

1. Choose carefully. Choosing the "right" woman is the key to your marriage being happy for the long haul. This is where you check off the wishes from your list.

2. Be on your best behavior, and help out around the house after you get married. This rule is VERY important. Why? Well, if she married your sorry butt, it is inevitable that the day will come that she realizes that she failed miserably with rule #1. When that day comes, if you have proved to be a nice enough guy and useful enough around the house, she will probably let you stay.