Midweek update

Great News, my peeps! All is well in the flushing arena! No leaks, no mess, no fuss, no muss, we are still rocking and rolling all the way across the street to the main sewer line! WooHoo!

You can learn a lot in a week

A week is fertile ground for learning stuff you never thought you would ever know. Let me describe this past week to you:
Friday January 16 - Sunday January 18
Major battle fought and won against vertigo
Fought off mild cold/sinus gunk

Saturday January 17 - Tuesday January 20
Removed, rebuilt autolite 2100 carburetor
Stripped jets in carb, ordered new ones
Removed 289 8 cylinder intake manifold and reinstalled with new gaskets

Wednesday January 21
Roto-rooted main sewer drain line only to discover major cloggage

Thursday January 22
Dug a 4 foot deep hole to access main sewer line blockage
Broke ancient pottery sewer line to discover a weeks' worth of backed up toilet flushings
Roto-snaked main line and retrieved hair, hair, hair, and papertowels
Enjoyed the beautiful sound of blub-blub-gurgle-blub revealing success

Friday January 23
Replaced ancient pottery sewer line with up-to-date 4 inch schedule 40 PVC
Installed previously non-existant sewer drain cleanout access point
Leak tested all joints to ensure that all was done perfectly.
Reburied new sewer line
New jets for carb arrived and installed
Reassembled and adjusted carb

Saturday January 24
Blogged about last week learnings!

So don't ever miss out on the opportunity to learn something new! As for me, I am happily relieved the week is over, whew.

Cheers.

Yes, that's me!

The picture below is me at White Sands, New Mexico taken about 5 years ago.

Waiting on the Lord

I move in repentance
I deny independence
I make no amendments
Waiting on you O Lord

I have succeeded in works
I have repeated in acts
I have deleted in haste
Waiting on you O Lord

An act of contrition
An inept petition
An unhealthy tradition
Waiting on you O Lord

All my strength promoted
All my mind devoted
All my heart exploded
Waiting on you O Lord

Filling dadda's shoes

Well Happy 2009 to everyone! It's been quite a while since my last post mainly because my laptop took a bit of a dive. Yeah crazy, a computer guy with a downed laptop is like a Nascar Driver with no steering wheel. Craze.

Nevertheless, my little red haired baby wonder has been walking for nearly a month now! She is getting very used to those little chub legs taking her wherever her heart desires! She is so excited to walk that she routinely brings me my shoes so that I can put them on her. Nevermind that she can't walk around with those boats, but she is happy and giddy to just stand there looking down at her huge feet!

I know it's only a matter of microseconds that she'll be running around with her own Sketchers so I am cherishing these times with her to the maximum.


I remember when Caleb grabbed my flamed boots, put them on, and walked around imitating his dadda. That was over 5 years ago and it seems like yesterday that I snapped this shot. I have to say he cruised around in my boots pretty good! I asked him, "You know the difference between you and me, hito?"
"No dad, what?"
"You make those boots look good!"



So welcome to 2009! I'll leave you with a little kiss! Ciao!

The right card

One of the most frustrating things for me to do is go card shopping. Looking at all those Hallmark cards is for me like a little kid in a candy store that can only buy one thing. Ugh. Terrible.

So I was dreading having to buy my little boy Caleb a card for Christmas. Not dreading the 'buying him a card' part, just dreading the having to 'pick up, put down, pick up, put down, pick up, put down, card after card after endless card trying to find the perfect one' part. WOW, what does a dad do in a pinch like that? I know what you're thinking: "Go to the store (Walmart) and get your boy a card"! Which is totally logical; makes total sense to me. Yet, I cannot do it. It's too hard.

Then I came up with a great plan. It went something like this:

Me : I think I'll send Caleb a card for Christmas!
Mia: Oh yeah? That would be good.
Me : Yeah, but then I have to go out and search through
       all those cards....
Mia: and then never find the right one?
Me : Totally! I would never find a cool enough one for him.
Mia: Hmm, I could make him one if you want.
Me : Nah, you don't have to do all that, I'll just go for a
       few hours...
Mia: It's easy and will only take a minute... maybe 15
       minutes.
Me : Really? Well, if you want to...
Mia: Of course I do, I'll put a sweet horse on it. He loves
       horses.
Me : OK, cool... THANKS! *Schmooch*

So there you have it folks, armed with some scissors to my nizzors, construction paper, a dabble of glueage here and there, and a few minutes and VOILA! She came up with this awesome card. Never ceases to amaze me, that woman... wow! I LOVE HER!

First Steps

It happened on a day we'd least expect
The brain and the foot did finally connect
She was 17 months and 1 day
Took hold of her will and stood erect

She rose up tall as she had before
Balancing on wobble feet but nothing more
She was 17 months and 1 day
Nerves of steel she began across the floor

Baby Lion clutched in new transportation
Arms stretched out in total concentration
She was 17 months and 1 day
Her mama and dadda in complete elation

Congratulations my Ange! We love you HUGE!

Someday Isle

We have all been there at different chapters of our lives, Someday Isle!

Someday I'll:

• Take a road trip


• Start a company


• Go on a cruise


• Buy a new car


• Do a missions trip

And on and on and on and on.

Now don't think I am dogging you for saying any one of these phrases because I've been there. I've sat around pondering thoughts of "one day I'll do this" or "when I have enough money saved I'll buy that". It's happened and happening to all of us, right now.

The hardest and best thing you can do for yourself is get off that island. Trust me, you will NEVER have enough money saved. You will NEVER be at that perfect point in your life to act out your dream. Never. Ever. There is no better time to do what you have wanted to do than right now. Today!

I remember hearing about guys who would never pop the question to their girlfriends because they were saving enough money to get married. I think those same guys are still single now, their lover moving along to find their real knight in shining armor.

Now don't get all hurt feelings at me if you are reading this and see a little bit of yourself in the words. I have been there, done that, got the T-shirt, the hat, the socks, the shoes... well you get my drift.

So, my friend, I beg you, get off that island. Do a Chuck Noland and Wilson and muster all of your energy, and courage, and spirit and sail right off. Those waves look big and scary, but trust me, you are bigger and scarier! Kick that doubt in the gut, squash every negative thought coming against you. You CAN do it!

Email me if you need encouragement or want to rap about the things you have been pondering to do in your life. The time is now, git 'er done!

New self

This week marks four weeks that I did something very special for myself. Now, I am not the type of person to spend lavishly on me. No, I'd rather bless those around me; be a giver of fruit rather than a taker of seed. It's true that I am better at giving gifts rather than receiving them. But that's ok with me, I am happy with that.

The truth of the matter is that I have seen how generously Almighty God has blessed me. When I step back and look at my life, I can see every way He has taken care of me. My beautiful wife, my wonderful children, my home, my job, my journey in life, everything. Even in the trials and struggle, He is there, covering me, protecting me, helping me to be more like Him. So all of His generous, lavish giving unto me, makes me feel somewhat undeserving (if that's a word) when it comes to getting even a little bit more. It is very much a struggle to accept even the smallest article from someone. I don't want to come out on top. I already am on top. Look at my life. Look at my 'garden'. Look at me. I am already on top.

So I am pondering all this because of a link to a TV show my friend Jack sent me last night: The Secret Millionaire. The story follows several millionaires in America that spend 6 days living amongst those in poverty. The purpose of their weeklong journey is to connect with and give at least $100,000 of their own money to people they meet. The charade is for the millionaires to come along side the poverty stricken, cloaked as one of them, and then after the week is over, reveal their true identity and offer the money gift.

The millionaires come from all variety of living, some spending 4 to 5 grand on a dinner meal, without breaking a sweat.

The episode I watched last night was that of a restauranteur who owns several fast-food chains. Now being a restaurant guy myself, I somewhat could relate to this guy. He was married with 2 children (a boy and a girl) and had a great house and just about anything he wanted he could have. There were no limitations on his finances.

So this couple from Baton Rouge are set up to spend a week living in a fifth-wheel trailer with only $107 cash. The trailer is located in one of the towns hit by hurricane Katrina; hit so hard that the residents are still rebuilding the town, several years later.

This couple gets a huge wake-up call when they meet and work along-side the spearheads rebuilding the town. They meet 3 different people during the week and are so touched by their stories about how they are pouring out their lives, selflessly for others. It was very moving. So much so, that even I became misty-eyed at the end of the show when the millionaire husband and wife were reassmbling themselves with their real clothes to confess to the people that they were in fact imposters. Imposters on a mission to give them money to help them with their cause. It was really a great concept; I am sure their money ($300,000) was very much needed and used to provide the materials that these people needed to rebuild their town.

The questions that resonated in my head when it was over was: How can they put on their diamonds and rolexes and two thousand dollar suits when they go to reveal their true identity? How can they do that so easily? How can they just go back to their mansion and press on with their old lives? It really troubled me like a constant nagging drip from the kitchen faucet. How can they, David, how can they, how do they, how did they?

I couldn't do it. Go back to the cars and houses and stuff; playing make-believe with myself. I am happy with this new self. This bright shining lamp that is burning inside me. Let it shine Lord, Let it shine!

4 flies mighty fast when you're having FUN

Today is our 48 month anniversary! Yes, I like to count the months because it's way more fun and it sounds longer. 48, 4, 48, 4, yeah definitely sounds longer. I have had the best 4 years of my entire 34 years.

The woman that loves me above and beyond what I could ever even almost deserve or imagine. She gives me strength, hope, joy, laughter, awesome enchiladas, kisses, hugs, tickles. She rubs my back, gots my back, bore the most beautiful little angel of a girl... I am smitten, overwhelmed, speechless, flabbergasted with my awesome gift of a wife.

Thank you for the greatest time of my life Mia, you are the Best!

Happy 48 Months!!
/:O) Your Lion