Flickr Upload - September 2012

I got this done a couple of weeks ago, but kinda forgot to tell anyone!  Oops!  As always you can see the full stream here...
Flickr PhotoStream

Here are my favorites from the month of September, there are a lot!

 First off, I love this restaurant!  I love going there with him, I love that plum wine!  I love him! Yummy, fun times!

 I love birthday lists.  I think he got everything but the long pants.

 I love my dad & my boys.

 I love flying, especially with him.

 I love these guys, they are amazing!

 I love seeing this every time I get in the plane!

 I love this guy & am so proud of him! Can't believe how much he has grown in a year, he's now as tall as Master Rangel.  Not Mr. Rangel, yet.

 I love this guy & am so proud of him too!  His uniform is now almost too small!

 I love watching this!

 I love being close to him.

 I love how he takes care of me.

 I am so thankful for these, that they help keep him safe.

It may not be the "month of gratitude" anymore, but I'm so very grateful and thankful for all these and so many more that I did not include.

August 2012 Flickr Upload

As always, you can see the whole she-bang August 2012 Flickr Photostream but my faves are here.  It was really hard to choose! August was a great month! My 25 year reunion for school and our family vacation!

 I thought we had pretty good turnout on who all showed up.  It was so good to see everyone and make new friends.  I was really excited that Gadget went with me, it was such an honor!

 I think this was only the second time we had ever danced.  We did at Charley Creek Inn one night.  So much fun!

 The next day, we went on our family vacation, and 017 went with us.  We set up Tent City for the boys, they each had their own!

 We went to Sleeping Bear Dunes one day and buried 011 in the sand.  The adventures of Mummy Boy!

 So pretty!  We stayed at the lake to watch the sunset.  The boys were less than thrilled, it was "boring" but I'm glad we made them stay.

 Driving in the big truck!  Views from my seat...

 We made Hobo Dinners, 011 taught us how they did it at camp.  They were soooo yummy!

 We went up to Mackinac Island one day.  That was quite the haul!  It was a great time, even if it was "boring"!  We drove for about 3 hours, then took the ferry & of course walked all over the island.  Watched them make fudge, then we ate it, and as we were leaving saw the most beautiful rainbow!

And check out 011, I could still put my chin on the top of his head.  Now it comes up to my eyes!  He's growing like a weed!

 Later in the month we took a bike ride down to Muncie to see the Tonne Winery & Scotty's Brewhouse.  It was such a wonderful trip.  I love seeing this!

 They had a beautiful place to sit out back.  I had a super delicious cherry wine.  Probably a couple more than what I should have.  But it was sooo yummy!

 I also love seeing this.  I don't know how he rides like that for so long, but I love it.

 And I gave another sermon.  Not the best picture of me, but I'm thankful Katie took it.

 Something else I see a lot!  This was just leaving home.

 And 008 Getting his braces taken care of...

 Something my brothers used to do a lot of....

 Family Reunions, I love them.  I also love how there were sooo many of us there that day.

And oh how I miss these days.  The best tractor rides ever, since 1969!  Love you Gramps, you surely know how to show kids a good time!

It's my Life

I'm not sure this is what Bon Jovi had in mind when he wrote this, but it did come to mind when I started thinking about this.  About how more than ever we have become a self-centered society.  That maybe it started with the "80s ME Generation"  I can remember in high school how much all of us wanted to be preppies and emulated them.  Now, we are the middle-agers.  And this is written more for my parents & grandparent's generations.  And I couldn't help but think, how true is this?

This was sent to me in a morning newsletter i receive daily, it is not mine, but I would like to share it's words here with you, and hope that you take them to heart.  Stew on them and allow them to percolate in your inner conscientious.  And then consider what part you can play to return us back to these behaviors.  Ponder your actions, directions you tell your kids, the interactions you have at work, how you are perceived by others.  Maybe you already hit it out of the park.  Maybe you need some gentle encouragement.  For me, I am somewhere in between, but I now know where I want to go.

YES, THIS IS US!!!

Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real or imaginary. We know we take responsibility for all we have done and do not try to blame others.

HOWEVER, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT senior citizens who took:

·         The melody out of music,

·         The pride out of appearance,

·         The courtesy out of driving,

·         The romance out of love,

·         The commitment out of marriage,

·         The responsibility out of parenthood,

·         The togetherness out of the family,

·         The learning out of education

·         The service out of patriotism,

·         The Golden Rule from rulers,

·         The nativity scene out of cities,

·         The civility out of behavior,

·         The refinement out of language,

·         The dedication out of employment,

·         The prudence out of spending,

·         The ambition out of achievement or God out of government and school.

And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!!

And, we DO understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country. Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts, as they stand at attention with their hand over their hearts, as the American Flag passes by in a parade!

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN! I'm the life of the party..... Even if it lasts until 8 p.m.

I'm very good at opening childproof caps..... With a hammer.

I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I'm smiling all the time, because I can't hear a thing you're saying.

I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.

I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!

Now if I could only remember who sent this to me, I wouldn't send it back to them. Or, maybe I should send it to all my friends anyway. They won't remember, even if they did send it.

·         Spread the laughter

·         Share the cheer

·         Let's be happy

·         While we're here.

MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA AND MAY AMERICA CONTINUE TO THANK GOD!!

Layout Share - R Family

Be sure to go check it out over here  R Family LO

Flickr Upload July 2012

July was such a fun month last year!  Here are my faves:

 Getting sundaes from Chik-Fil-a - YUMMY!

 Hard to wait to eat it while Mom takes a picture!

 Checking out Splash House down in Marion over July 4.  It was so hot, but it felt so good.  They had a blast & Gadget enjoyed himself too.  We took a go or two around the lazy river.

Big is so tall, Lori has to open the sunroof for his head!  This cracks me up!

Finally moving back into the bullpen at work.  Thankful for a more permanent "home".

And of course the whole stream here: July 2012

I'm late for breakfast, or I'd share a few more stories. But it is Monday, which means I'm driving to Warsaw.  And I've got grocery shopping & counseling appointment today.  It's gonna be a long one!

Omaha Steaks

This week/end has been fairly exciting for me.  Friday I took the day off to go down to the Moto GP in Indy with Gadget & D.  It was a lot of fun!  I had gone in 2011 with them, but got there later on Saturday so I didn't get to see any of it until the actual warmup & race on Sunday. 

This weekend, however, we got there in time for practices on Friday.  We went to Mark Pi's for dinner that night, and then downtown for the Bikes on Meridian event.  There had to be 5000 bikes there!  It was just amazing! Words and pictures both fail to describe what it was like - the sounds, smells & sights of it all.  It was a good time walking around. Saturday was back out to the race, not as early as some would have liked.  Quick stop by Meijer to get some provisions & shorts for me.  We thought it might make more sense to take sandwich fixings than to spend $7 per sandwich there.  We ended up humping 2 coolers, 4 chairs and ourselves over what felt like miles!  The Jager girls had a nice tent set up & we had spent some time there on Friday taking a nap in the shade.  They had some little couches outside that we grabbed. We were mainly trying to scope out where the best spots would be to watch & for D to get some good shots.  I think he was looking forward to using his new camera & I loaned him a couple of lenses.  He says maybe I'll get to have a copy or two of the pics!  He's got a really good eye & really analyzes & sets up what he wants.  So I'm hoping so, his stuff never disappoints. He also was invited down to help with the eBike racing (electric) so he got to hang out in the pits working with the team he knew.

Then we left for the Indiana State Fair for the Indy Mile, which is a flat-track dirt race.  Totally AMAZING!  Several heats, then the big race at the end.  So much louder than even the GP bikes.  A girl won one heat, that was really cool to see.  It is just incredible to watch the skill of these riders (GP or dirt), the different techniques they use, how the different surfaces mean handling the bike differently, it at times looks like dancing on wheels.  Just so fluid & graceful.  But it is all very deceiving!  They are having to yank & pull & push to get that bike to do what they want it to.

So I'm guessing you're wondering what all of this has to do with Omaha?  Don't worry, I'm getting there...  Sunday was the main event for the Moto3, 2 & GP bikes, we watched that, and Marc Marquez won, he was on fire!  Nicky Hayden, Ducati's rider (one of them) came in 9th.  This is his last year with them.  They have been struggling lately with not having the fastest bike out there.  And honestly, there are parts of the race that are less than exciting.  By about 10 laps, they are all spaced out and not much changes.  The leader is usually 3-4 seconds ahead of everyone else.  If you are lucky, they may be jockeying for a couple of spots back behind, but not much changes, unless there would happen to be a wreck.  Which during the race, there usually is not.  Most of that happens during practice & qualifications.  Go watch them here it is phenomenal how they get up & walk away!

After the race, Gadget took me over to Indy Airport so I could come out here to the HTG Service Manager Summit.  They are a peer group (we are in HTG13) that we belong to that provides mentoring, access to other resources, etc.  They work collaboratively, even though technically we could all be competitors.  I got in VERY late Sunday night, and then up early Monday for a full day of conferences.  They do an amazing job staying on task & schedule.  The content has been incredibly useful.  None of it rocket science, all of it common sense, and just a better way to connect the dots.

Monday night, we went to Sullivan's to eat, which is a STEAK house.  those of you who know me, know this is my favorite food.  It was salty & savory & peppery.  It was tender & sultry & seductive.  It was AMAZING!  And expensive, but worth every bite.  I went with a big group of guys & just had wonderful fellowship & conversation.

Tuesday was a shorter session, ate lunch with a wonderful group of women.  After 25 years, it is comforting to see that our numbers are growing.  Along with our respect.

Then I relaxed, and then ate dinner at The Twisted Fork & ate a burger to make up for the night before on my expense report.  But it was tasty & good atmosphere.  I am staying at the Old Market Embassy.  Hats off to Omaha for turning that neighborhood around like they did.  It is now mostly an oversized pedestrian mall (10 blocks square, probably) with all sorts of wine shops, breweries, coffee house, bookstores, artisan shops, EVERYTHING!  Old architecture, beautiful brick streets.  Just stunning.  If you get a chance to be here, you must come here.  They are also making apartments in some upper levels.  If I were young & single, I'd be all over that!

Today (Wednesday) I am coming home.  In fact, I need to go pack.  I can't wait to see my boys.  They've been at Camp Grampa since Sunday.  Can't wait to hold them & kiss them & hear them.  I'm sure they have so many stories!  I haven't talked to them since Friday morning.  The time difference, work, school & TKD left me with never a time spot to be able to call.

Going back to work tomorrow should be interesting. I have 5,000,000 ideas.  Which one do I do first?!?!?!?

What a Wonderful World

I think I got this from Arlin Sorenson's blog, he sends out a daily read 6 times a week and I usually get it at work. It always makes me think about how I am living my life & what I am leaving behind for when I am no longer living it. I didn't snip out the beginning, so this starts a bit out of context, but the list is too good to be ignored.

The next question is almost always "what can I do?". I have been thinking about it for a couple of days. This is what you can do for me:
• Treat your children, parents, siblings, cousins and friends like it could be the last time you get to speak to them.
• Love them for who they are … not for what you want them to be.
• Treat them in the way you want them to treat you … and then go little further.
• Don’t sweat the little things.
• Never leave an argument feeling bad or having others feeling bad.
• Live your life the way you want to and let your loved ones live their lives the way they want to.
• Always support your kids and always let them know you love them.
• Tell the people you love ... that you love them. Then make it a habit of telling them you love them on a regular basis.

Do you do these things? They sound simple, but sometimes that humanly flesh rears it's ugly head. The last one is hard for me with Gadget. I know he does, he knows I do, but I don't think we say it frequently enough. We haven't made it a habit. I think it is the best habit. I'm trying to make it more of a habit. But I am afraid. What if it is too much? What if it drives him away? What if he thinks I'm too clingy. But then I look back at #1 and say, "It doesn't matter, I need to. I have to. I'm compelled to". So I've been saying it more.

Last Wednesday I went up to Marshall, MI for an interview (shhhhh! That is top secret!!!). I decided to stop by his house to see him before I came back. It was wonderful to touch him & kiss him & see him, even if it was just for an hour. He made me a cup of coffee for the ride home. We talked a bit (this would be like waking up at 1 AM for us first shifters so don't think it's a small thing). Then he kissed me goodbye. And we both said "I love you" and he giggled & said "I beat you to it!" and I giggled and said "Yes you did!" and I was on cloud 9 the rest of the day.

So yea, I'm going to keep stretching myself to say it. Even at the end of phone calls. Maybe even get to every day. What a wonderful world it would be.

And no, I didn't get the offer. But that is OK, the timing just isn't right yet. But it taught me a lot about myself, and the logistics I have to iron out and the impact I have on others. So for the time being, he's dodged the bullet.

May 2012 Flickr Upload

I'm really trying to just get back to my favorites, so these posts aren't so long.  It's hard sometimes to choose!

But here they are, and as always you can find the complete upload here:
Flickr Stream

 Seeing the 2 of them play together - Best Mom gift ever!

Having fun with fire...Looks a bit like Groucho Marx!

Finally got the new windsock not only ordered, but installed too, with a bit of help!