It's been a coupla years

Yes, it has been almost two years since I last posted on this website. A lot happens in two years. Another baby (girl), a new job, Notre Dame has a new coach, I got a new Porsche 911...OK, so the Porsche part isn't true but I can dream, right?

Being two years removed from posting on the blog really makes me wonder if I still have the zest for writing that moved me to put fingers to keys with the un-pointed persistence from years past. So, I'll try again for a while and see what happens.

I took a 4 mile walk tonight after we had dinner with friends. When I got back the house was mostly dark and no one was in sight. I finally found Monica curled up next to Quinn, apparently having fallen asleep trying to get the kids to drift off themselves. First time in a while that I'm up without my wifey.

Just found out that I have the option to attend one of three different Notre Dame games with my brother-in-law. This will be the first game he's attended, so I'm excited to spend the day with him and experience the exhilaration of game day in South Bend.

Sign-off time for me, I must be getting old...goodnight folks!

Back from the Vacation

We have been back for several days now, but it's already too long since we left the peaceful tranquility of our Canadian retreat. If I could describe in words the experience that our time there allows us I certainly would, but I can't. Instead, I'll try to paint a brief collage in your mind with some of our week's highlights.

We spent our time there with most of Monica's family, sans her oldest brother and his wife and baby, and her sister who is doing missionary work in Spain. Being in Canada and on a huge lake full of bays and islands and aquatic life we were able to spend lots of good time fishing and enjoying the scenery by boat. The views from the lake are nothing less than postcard-perfect, and the only detractor in the whole wildlife scene are the mosquitoes and deer flies, and even they couldn't make a dent in our time.

Monica's uncle built this cabin about 40 years ago and over time he and his wife have been less able to give it the proper attention, so they sold it to their daughter and her husband. Now, this cabin is more than just a getaway cottage, it's a history of blood, sweat, and tears poured out by the extended family over fun and faith filled summers into a place where vacation meets retreat and daily life is transcended and spirits are renewed.

I need to take a moment to crow a bit about my fishing prowess, since I know that few people will read this and so my head won't get big enough to explode. Until last week I figured that when I did well on a fishing expedition it was because the fish were biting, the weather was right, or whatever. Not anymore. I'm a fish magnet, and there's no doubt about it. I caught the biggest pike ever landed at Hylatoma cabin, and that's no joke. But it didn't stop there. I then proceeded to catch another record-breaking pike, and a big bass, and a big rock bass, and a couple decent perch, and countless smaller fish that seemed magnetized to my every lure. Now, this particular list isn't that fascinating until you consider that the other 4-5 guys fishing were catching little or nothing. Like my brother-in-law said "sometimes a guy's just got the touch. I could throw in the same lure at the same place and reel the exact same way, but you would catch them and I wouldn't." Halfway through the week even my sisters-in-law were telling me to leave some for the other guys. Ahhh, fishing.

OK, I'm done now. But let it suffice to say that it was a wonderful week and we had a great, family-centered time.

Working for the weekend.

I feel like all I'm doing lately is working for the weekend. I get very little joy out of my job and generally feel as though I'm a squirrell running the old flywheel and getting nowhere. I know that it's the nature of customer service, and that's why I'm trying to get the heck out of dodge. There are just so few jobs available, it's really tough find something else these days. In the meantime, all I can do is work closer to Friday. Thank goodness it's a three day weekend.

Rattails

Yo, who the heck decided it was a good idea to grow a rattail? Seriously folks, who thought that grooming your head 95% of the way around but then growing a 1-inch wide strip of hair 2 feet long down the middle of your back was attractive? I must admit, the description itself is apt, for as soon as you see that nappy hair trailing off down the spine you immediately think rodent. The real question is: What message are you trying to send? Is it: "Oh hey everybody, I'm a member of the social class that likes to swill Iron City Lite and wear stonewashed, cutoff denim vests while talking about the value of owning a ATV." I firmly believe that presentation says something about you. A tongue stud sends a message, as does a downward spiralling tattoo on the lower back, visible under the belly shirt with "Flirt" printed on it. I'll tell you right now, if my significant other, child, or brother had a rattail growing out the back of their dumb skull I'd be grabbing my Fiskars faster than you can say NASCAR.

Arghh....stupid cars

I had to assemble in Maumee last night, a total of five garage storage cabinets. Guess what happened on my way there? My dumb van broke down again. Fortunately (thank you St. Joseph) there was a mechanic on his way home that stopped to help, and a State Trooper that stopped and set out some flares. We couldn't get it to run, and I'm pretty sure that the fuel pump is now dead. I am thankful that I have a dad that willingly bales me out of being stranded with my car (twice!) and even transferred the furniture to his van so we could continue on and do the assembly. I have a great role model in that guy.

In other thoughts, I've really been shown my own weaknesses lately. Let's just say that I'm very thankful to have a wife who puts up with my faults and loves me anyway. She's amazing.

May 1st, Ladies and Gentlemen.

And I'm an uncle again. The Mullenbooties welcomed their third child into the world this morning...welcome to the world, Eli!

The weeks are flying by.

Yes, time is flying. Just when I think that I'm going to have a little time to take a breath...poof, there goes my free time. I've been pretty busy with assembly over the past couple of weeks and I'm happy to say that the trend is continuing at least into the next week. God is really blessing me with the extra income. On the other hand, my van is in the shop, so some of that hard-earned money will go straight back into the cash-sucker that is my vehicle.

I watched Star Wars: A New Hope last night. What a great movie. It's been like three years since I watched the original trilogy. That's too long for this guy.

Our garden is coming along. By the time it's all said and done this garden is going to be seriously kickin'. I've got the area tilled up, thanks to my neighbor letting me use his roto-tiller. I've got to get the fence posts planted and the chicken (or poultry, for you PC folks out there) wire installed and this garden is going to be amazing.