Snow Day!

Well, one benefit for living in Michigan is snow days! We had one today. Elijah was so funny last night because he was concerned about how we would know that he doesn't have school. When I told him we watch on TV he asked what happens if we miss it. These days it is easier to find out than I was young -- Oh God -- I just did the "when I was young . . ." Ugh! But, it is true - now there's internet, Tivo, text messages, blah blah blah.

I'm going to go and be depressed now . . .

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Happy birthday to my nephew Andrew! It is hard to belive how fast you are growing up! I love you and wish you all the best for a great 2008!

Happy Birthday Leslie!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Leslie! All the best and we hope to see you this summer!

March came fast

It seems like 2008 is off to a fast start. January went fast and February even faster. Here we are on March 1st and there's still snow and it's still cold. Spring, please come soon! We miss you!

Happy Birthday Bob!

Years ago when I interned for the Canadian government, the MP (member of parlament) I worked for had a leap year birthday. So, since it is really his birthday this year, I wanted to send him some well wishes!

The New Venture

Today I started a new role in my office. Basically I'm still doing the same thing, but from an electronic standpoint. I don't have to answer the Q anymore, but I am just as busy with leads that come over the internet. I'm excited about the new change! Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Madison!

Happy Birthday to Gary's niece Madison!

Happy Birthday Bobbie & Nikki

I have two cousins that share the same birthday - one from each side of my family and years apart from each other. Isn't that funny! I wish you both all the best!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Well, we came home today. Yesterday was spent at Animal Kingdom. I think we were still suffering from our wild ventures the night before, because we didn't stay out long. The mid afternoon was spent lounging around and getting ready to venture back into the cold.

Flying back was nice, but a little turbulent at times. So much so that the captain made the flight attendants sit down too. Descending in all we could see is white -- a big difference from flying into Florida.

The rest of today was spent unpacking and staying out of the cold.

Before I forget . . . congratulations to my cousin Marc . . . he proposed to his Girlfriend!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! We spent the day going to Epcot. Every time I go, I think of my friend Ray and his quest to have a drink in every country. I hope to go again with you my friend, and try to be a part of your quest. Although we need another driver!

After our ventures at Epcot, we took the tram over to Magic Kingdom to participate in the Princess and Pirate Party. A jolly good time, but also a late night. We were beat after finding different treasures throughout the park -- in addition to riding various rides along the way!

"Yo ho yo ho a Pirate's life for me!"

Happy Birthday Norm!

Happy Birthday to a dear friend of Gary's (and mine) -- Norm! Cheers to a great 2008!

Rock & Roll

Wednesday we hit Disney's Hollywood Studios (the park formerly known as Disney/MGM). Elijah made great strides today and rode Aerosmith's Rock n Rollercoaster! It was a proud moment. His first words after getting off were: "that was a sweet ride." Gary would have been proud!

Universal Again!

Monday and Tuesday we did Islands of Adventure and Universal. The thing I noticed was the short lines -- 5 minutes for Spiderman? Wow! The new buzz onsite is the new Simpson's ride that is supposed to be opening this spring. In case you were wondering, it has replaced Back to the Future (say it isn't so). The ride is blocked off so you can't see anything. However, they did get the store up and running - it is called the "Quick-E-Mart." We ventured in and made a few purchases.

At first I though the lack of people could be the time of year, but perhaps it was the convention going on - it pretty much sold out the city and drove rates up high enough to scare off some tourists. At least that is what some of my work friends that now live/work in Orlando told me. All I know is that it was nice.

That's the way I like it!

After suffering through -19 degree wind chill at the "race", we came home to finish preparations to venture to Orlando! We didn't fly out until evening, so we didn't accomplish much that night. I can tell you that it was a very nice change in weather. 50-60's in the evening, 70-80's during the day. Very nice!

Did I mention that I ended up renting an Escape Hybrid? It was all that was left due to a convention in town -- plus it was only $15 more than an economy car!

Cardboard Classic

On this blistery Sunday morning we ventured out to Alpine Ski Lodge to participate in the 14th Annual Cardboard Classic. Gary's Dad built a lovely cardboard sled known as the "Arctic Rat." What is amazing is that he went down the hill with Elijah (did I mention he is 70+). Also they took 10th place out of 113 cars! Nice!

It was fun, but it was cold! Thank goodness for hand and foot warmers!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, it has been so busy at work lately that I not only came in on a scheduled day off and worked a full day, but I also put in 4 hours on Saturday. I finally got to a semi-respectable place and I know it will be completely undermined by the fact that I am on vacation for a week! Oh well . . .

Happy Birthday Lois!

Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, Lois! Best wishes for a great year!

Another Crazy Week

It was another busy week at work, which ended with a snowy commute today. Thank God I have cool bosses because it took me 1 hour, 40 minutes to get to work instead of the usual 30-40 minutes.

Not much else is going on. Elijah enjoyed a snow day. My Dad is recovering well. I have some loved ones that could use some prayers.

Have a nice weekend.

Happy Birthday Herbie!

Happy Birthday to my Uncle Herbie.

I hope you had a great day and I wish you all the happiness in the world!

Another month almost gone

It's hard to believe that in less than a week it will be February. Where does the time go anymore? It's been busy at work, so that certainly helps pass the time, but that fast?

On another note, my father is doing amazingly well. I am so thankful for all the thoughts and prayers you extended. He goes to the doctor this week for post surgery follow up, so keep your fingers crossed that all continues to go well.

I have a dear friend that received an amazing job offer. I'm so happy for you and I wish you nothing but the best. I would have enjoyed working with you, but that doesn't mean it won't happen another time! All the best my friend.

I found out today that family member had some bad news. I won't get into the particulars out of love and respect, but please say a prayer for someone in need of love and support during a difficult time.

Have a nice weekend.

Wow

While I was at work, I received a "CNN Breaking News" alert. It said that Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment. I have to admit that I started gasping in disbelief. Now let me clarify that I did not rush out to see all of his movies, but I liked him the ones I did see. I was more in shock with his age: 28 and the fact that he has a toddler: 2. For not knowing the guy, I felt like I was kicked in the gut because I know what his family is going through and I know how sad it is for his daughter. Death of someone before their time is tragic, it's sad. My heart goes out to his family and all of those families that have had to say goodbye to their loved ones too soon.

MLK

I have to share my son's view of MLK Day. Last week I picked him up from school and on the way home he asked me if I knew who's birthday was on Monday. He then went on to say that it was "a man that went to jail for standing up for another person and all he wanted was for things to be fair and he had a dream, and someone shot him. Why did someone shoot him?" I was very touched but also very unprepared for a deep conversation like this. What a little man.

Happy Birthday LeeLee!

Happy birthday to my Aunt LeeLee. That's the nickname she got when I was little and I never let it go . . . Anyway, I hope your day is great and best wishes for a great year! Love you!

Another Update

My dad got out the hospital on Wednesday. I think he is glad to be home, but now he really has to follow is release instructions and start moving around. It doesn't help that is is so &%$# cold out! Elijah and I went out and spent Saturday with him. He gets tired and can't stay in one spot for too long. He's being a cautious eater -- I'm not sure if he's too sensitive or is afraid of eating the wrong thing. I also found out that he hasn't been doing his breathing exercises that are supposed to help him not get pneumonia. He got into trouble for that! Thanks for keeping him in your prayers.

Thank you for your prayers

Thank you for all of your prayers during my father's aneurysm. I am happy to report that he had surgery on Thursday and came through with flying colors. It was a long day -- we had to be there at 5:30 a.m. it took about 2 hours to prep him (which by the way I have never seen someone look like they just got out of surgery before going in). They took him in about 7:45 a.m. and paged me to let me know then started surgery at 8:30 a.m. About noon they let me know if was going well and about an hour later they let me know they were finishing up. By the time he came out of recovery and got to ICU for us to see him, it was about 5 p.m. Nothing like spending 12 hours at a hospital.

Now comes the long recovery, but his attitude is positive and I pray that things continue to go well.

Happy Birthday Kenny!

Happy birthday to my Uncle Kenny! Hope you have a great day fool! :-)

Happy Birthday Chuck!

Happy birthday to my father-in-law, Chuck. Are you out of town? I hope your day is great!

Deja Vous All Over Again

Most know it's January because the holidays are over and it's a new year. At work we know it's January when the phones are ringing non-stop! It's all good, but is a little shocking the first couple of days.

On another note, my dad was all set for surgery on January 3, but the doctor called to postpone because of his blood work results. Apparently he had an ear infection. He's been rescheduled to January 10. Any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

Also, my dog had to go in to have a "growth" removed yesterday. The good news is that the doctor was not concerned about it being something bad like cancer (Thank God).

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Birthday Ray!

Happy birthday to a dear friend from college. I hope 2008 brings you all that you want and need. Best wishes my friend!


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Happy 2008!

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Another Year Comes to a Close

I can't believe how fast this year went. It truly amazes me. There have been good times, there have been bad times, but above anything, there is much to be thankful for. I pray that 2008 will bring good wishes to my friends and loved ones.

On another note, I felt good today. I packed a box for the troops in Iraq and sent it off today. A husband of a lady I work with is serving over there currently. I hope they enjoy the stuff. I only wish I could have sent more.

Be safe.

A Fun Place

We went to Kalahari Waterpark Resort over the weekend. They just did an expansion of their indoor waterpark -- it's over 100,000 square feet! It's good to be home, but it was fun to be there!

Happy Birthday Glenn!

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Glenn. Sorry for the voice mail tag, but I hope your day was great. At least it was warmer than here!

Good News!

A dear friend of Gary's was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer (early 40's). He had surgery on Thursday and I am happy to report that he is doing well. Please continue to say a prayer for him as he recovers over the next month.

MERRY CHRISTmas!

Merry CHRISTmas! Elijah colored a manger scene and gave baby Jesus red hair! His school made bookmarks that say: "He is the reason for the season." How true it is, but how soon we forget. I hope all you have a wonderful holiday!

All I want for Christmas is . . .

Good Health! I was sick all weekend and debated going to urgent care. Settled for taking a chance on the doctor's office being open today. They were and I went. I have bronchitis. Yippee. To help get me through the holidays I got a nice shot in the rear. The cough is the worst. Happy Holidays!

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Happy birthday to my ray of sunshine, my sweetie, my boy! It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. He is definitely turning into a little man before my eyes.

In Loving Memory

Today my Aunt Lib passed away. She has had some health issues over the years, but the last few months have been very difficult. Although it is sad that she has left us, she is in a better place and I'm sure she is having a wonderful reunion with my grandmother (her sister), as well as all of her loved ones that left us before her. I wish her peace.

It's Officially Official!

I am a graduate! Commencement was last night. It was a rough commute thanks to the first major storm of the season, but we made it there and back safely. There were times that I questioned why did I go down there, but it was worth it when I heard how excited Elijah was when I walked across the stage. I was proud that my little man appreciated the significance of going to school and earning a degree. It took forever to get home, but we made it!

The Latest

I went to the doctor with my dad on Wednesday. There was a little misunderstanding and he again had not reviewed the films from his CT scan to tell us if he is a candidate for a stent. He said he would call by Friday to let us know. In the meantime, my dad was conflicted on which option he wanted to take. He wants it out, but it's a major surgery. On the other hand, the stent just puts a band-aid on the problem, which he would probably have to deal with later, but the procedure is much easier.

Well, I guess a decision was made for him. The doctor called and he is not a candidate for a stent. He has to have the surgery. Thank God he got the cardiac clearance, because that would have been really bad if he couldn't have the surgery either. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. He will be having surgery after the holidays.

D-Day Has Returned

It's that dreadful day that I don't enjoy. This year the days of the week patterned returned to the way it was the year Gary left us. It's been a weird week. Howard Jones keeps playing on my satellite radio. The other day I changed the channel and it was on the next channel. When I decided to pick new stations, I was treated to music that Gary used to play on the guitar. I don't know if he was sending me a message. I asked him is he was, but got nothing. I thought it held it together pretty good. Tonight I'm sitting back drinking a bottle of wine and reflecting on what was and is. I hope you had a pleasant thought of Gary today. Again I invite you to share a story . . .


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Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday to my mom. I think she had a good day (even though she had to work). I wish you a great year!

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Think about it

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My Sweetie

Elijah's teacher sent me an email that Elijah did something very nice the other day. Apparently another classmate was opening her applesauce and dropped it on the floor. I had sent two containers of applesauce to school so he could have one as a snack. Well, he took one of them and gave it to her. How sweet is that. I was so proud of him for doing that without even being asked to do so.

Happy Birthday Aaron & David!

Happy birthday to my nephews Aaron & David! A milestone birthday! I hope you both had a great day!


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Happy Birthday Dad

Happy birthday to my Dad. I think he had fun tonight. We had a little cake and he enjoyed Elijah's "gifts"!


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Fun Weekend

Well it was a fun weekend after Thanksgiving. It started out with a red-eye power shop, followed by Glenn & Blane visiting before going back to Texas. Elijah ended up spending some time at his Grandpa S's house. I was able to reorganize some of his toys! Also got to spend some time with Kevin and I took him to his first trip to Ikea. Very entertaining! Then the depression set in that the time off was over.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Big Decision

I went to the doctor with my dad yesterday, and again the options are not good. His AAA cannot be left alone - the test showed it was bigger than they originally expected. One procedure is relatively easy, but there are long term challenges. The other procedure will fix the problem, but the procedure is very difficult and could be life threatening. It has to be his decision, but unlike other things that have come up over the years, this one does not seem like either choice doesn't come without consequences. Please say a prayer for him.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Happy Birthday to Gary's niece Rachel. I remember her being born just before Thanksgiving and her mom coming home to cook us dinner! Time flies . . . way too fast! Best wishes!

Kentucky Y'all

I just got home from a trip to Kentucky for work. I was down for two days. Yesterday I spent most of the day in Louisville visiting customers. Today I got to try out the spa at our hotel . . . very nice by the way. Also got to catch up with some friends. Good trip for a short amount of time.

If you are ever in Lexington, check out the spa!

Mini Family Reunion

Gary's two brothers came in from Houston today. We had a nice lunch with them as well as Gary's mom and sister. It was nice to hang out with everyone. They are headed up North to hunt, but we will seem them again before they go.

The Artist

Elijah has become quite and artist since starting school. Today he brought home a certificate for great coloring. I could have an artist on my hands. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Tomorrow night is parent teacher conferences. I'm curious to see how that goes.

Whata Weekend

This was quite a weekend. I got to spend some time with my dear friend Kevin, in addition to the usual -- swim class and painting. We also had some excitement with an tooth emergency (my mom), as well as sneaking in a haircut. Another room is complete - the half-bath. It is coming together, but still much to be done.

I ask that you say a few prayers for family and loved ones. My dad has an aneurysm. He goes for a test tomorrow. It is pretty serious, but according to the doctors, treatable. It is going to be an interesting few weeks leading up to the holidays.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my aunt whom I affectionately call Aunts! I hope your day was great! I love you!

Paint Mania

Last night and today we tackled the kitchen. It is 3/4 done and looks great. It is so nice to have some color in the house. I also experimented with some color in my bathroom. I did a couple of sections to determine if I like it. Let's just say I haven't decided yet. Still have the half bath to paint, and I would like to paint my bedroom in addition to the spare room. I guess the next few weekend will be full of paint brushes!

All Souls Day

Today is All Souls Day - the day to remember those who are no longer with us. I've been thinking about Gary a lot lately. The satellite radio seems to play a lot of Howard Jones -- or it could be him sending me a message!

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween everyone. Have fun and be safe tonight!

Glory Days

Tonight I had dinner with my dear friend Kevin. It was nice to go out and just spend time with him talking about things. On the way back to his house we were listening to Totally 80's on the satellite radio. It got us talking about when we were teenagers and how we dressed in the 80's. Before long we were calling one of my brothers to laugh and reminisce. It was fun and I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. I hope we don't wait too long to do something like that again.

You know how much I like my new car . . .

I love my new car! It is averaging 31 miles per gallon . . . pretty impressive for an SUV! I've also started enjoying the satellite radio. It's nice to not hear a bunch of commercials and bs.

Happy Birthday Chad!

Happy 4-0 to my bro! I hope you had a great day!


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Where did October go?

I can't believe it is almost the end of October. The only thing that doesn't make it feel like the end of the month is we didn't do the time change.

On a nice note, last week was actually tolerable at work. I think things are starting to calm down. Finally! It probably helps that I don't have to stress about school anymore.

Not much else going on. Just trying to do projects around the house.

Simple . . . Not!

So with all this "spare time" I have after finishing school, I decide to start tackling projects I've put off for the last two years. One being, painting a hallway. Sounds simple right? Wrong! There's taping the ceiling and the base boards, sanding bumps, filling in holes, etc. I've been working on it since 9 a.m. this morning and still am not ready to paint. Ugh! To think I want to paint two bathrooms, a kitchen, and two bedrooms by Christmas. Yeah right!

Hybrid Baby!

Yesterday my new car came in! I couldn't resist and went an snatched it up right away. It feels good to drive a Hybrid. I feel like I'm doing something good. I have to admit it was a little harder giving up the Jeep than I thought. I never was a big fan of it, but it was Gary's car and he loved it. I didn't think it would bother me, but it is weird.

Go Green (Hybrid I mean)!

My Sweet Boy

Last night there was a terrible accident on the freeway close to our house. It was so bad, that at first we were told the freeway would be closed for 2 hours and it ended up being 5 hours. I found some footage of the investigation online on one our our local news channel's website. Elijah happened to see a picture of one of the cars and asked me what happened. When I told him there was an accident and people got hurt, he said that we need to pray for those people. I thought that was so sweet. We did. I haven't heard anything else about the accident since. I hope the prayer helped.

Hallowe'en

Last night we went to Hallowe'en in Greenfield Village. It was fun. They had it all laid out where you walk a certain path and from time to time there was a stop for trick or treat. We walked out with some candy, some Beanie Babies, some chips, and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it. The best part was an encounter with the headless horseman!

The Joys of Traveling

I had to go to Minneapolis for a business trip. Funny thing about that. There is a certain airline carrier that is the hub in Detroit and the hub in Minneapolis. So you would think that the airfare would be pretty reasonable right? WRONG. So wrong that I had to not only fly with another carrier, but I also had to connect in O'Hare.

So I get to the airport on Sunday to find out that my connecting flight in Chicago has been canceled. Nice. The bumped me to a flight two hours later. You would think that wouldn't be too bad, but since I was there such a short time, my schedule was planned to a tee, even on a Sunday. That meant now we were off schedule.

Needless to say we had to scrap some tours of the competitor hotels and go right to dinner. It was nice and I was more than ready to go back to the hotel for some sleep. I was scheduled for a tour at 7 a.m. the next morning.

By the time I had to leave Minneapolis, I had logged 30+ hours over 2 1/2 days. The town is fabulous and really had a good time.

Coming home was another joyful venture. It was discovered at check in that we were scheduled with a different carrier than the one we flew in on. Then they didn't mention to us that they bumped up our connecting flight by one hour. Add to that the fact that we sat on the runway for 30 minutes waiting for approval for take off thanks to wind in Chicago (I thought that was the windy city). So, we didn't realize that our connecting plane was about to leave until we were in Chicago and saw on the screen "final boarding." WTF. Do you know how big O'Hare is? Did I mention that we seriously walked about 10 miles in downtown Minneapolis earlier that day, touring the competition? Needless to say at one point while trying to hustle it to the gate, I wanted to say just put me on the next flight. But we made it. So close that they shut the cabin door as soon as we walked on. That was close.

I'm Done!

I officially finished school! Yippee! Everything was due Monday, but since I was traveling, I finished on Saturday night. It feels weird to be done. I still feel like I'm on break. I just don't know what to do on the weekends now. Maybe I can get a life again . . .

Two Days . . .

Two days and I am done! I can't believe it is almost here. Now I just have to buckle down and finish some stuff. The only thing that puts the pressure on is that I'm going on a business trip again. Today is my key day to wrap up because tomorrow and Monday will be tight. Wish me luck!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 20 year anniversary to my mom and stepfather. I can't believe it has been 20 years! Time goes too fast!

The Last Week

It's official - my last week of school. I can't believe that two years ago I was just starting my program and here I am finishing. I'm so excited, but I'm also so unmotivated!

Happy Birthday to my cousin Marc. I hope you had a great day!

Cleveland Rocks

I'm writing this from my hotel room in Cleveland. It is the third hotel I've been to today and I've only been here for five and half hours! Tomorrow I have a meeting and lunch appointment and I'm out of here! Nothing like a quick trip. I won't even be here 24 hours!

Less than 10 Days!

In less than 10 days I will be DONE with school! I am so excited, I can't believe it is almost here! I finished my final project -- with a little stress of course! Now it's just postings, homework and some quizzes. In some ways this two years went by fast and in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago.

Elijah is doing well in swim class. He made some great strides in his last class. He also tested in karate and has officially earned his yellow belt. He is very excited about it. School for him seems to be going well. He said he likes wearing a uniform.

Not much else going on. I have some business trips in the near future. It's almost October, can you believe it?

Enjoy your weekend.

Another Crazy Week

It was another crazy week at work. The month is going way to fast. The last several months have gone too fast. What is with 2007?

The only good thing is that it gets me closer to being done with school. Yippee! This weekend I have to finish a big project. It seems odd that it is due at the end of week four (of six), but on the other hand, it will be done and just leave quizzes, homework and postings for the next two weeks.

Not much is going on. I found out that my car will be built the first week of October. I have no idea how long it will take to get it after that.

Elijah is enjoying school. So far so good! Enjoy your weekend!

Motivation

Tomorrow wraps up week three of my last class (aka half way done). Anyway, the only thing that stinks is the homework. This week I have to complete 58 problems, but only 30 are graded. WTF? During the entire six weeks, I have to do 160 problems, but only 86 count toward my grade. Why waste my time? Combine that with my almost-done-itis and I'm really lacking motivation to finish the work. UGH!

It's Getting Close

Graduation stuff came in the mail today! I can't believe it is almost here! I had to fill out the graduation application and order my cap and gown. I'm excited, but I'm also wondering what am I going to do when I'm done. Will I really have a lot more time? I guess I will see if a few weeks! Yahoo!

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Happy Birthday to my niece Natalie. I hope you had a great birthday!


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Bon Voyage Coco!

Gary's niece Coco has taken a job on a cruise ship in the Hawaiian Islands. She's leaving today for five months. Last night we got together to see her off. We'll miss you and wish you all the best!


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Never Forget

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Never forget those who lost their lives on this day six years ago, and those who gave their lives to fight for this country. Regardless of how you feel about the war, never forget those who are out there fighting.

For the last few weeks our office has been collecting items to send to the troops in Iraq. Today we mailed three boxes (the boxes that a case of paper comes in). Thank you to our office for picking up the postage. We wanted to let the troops know that we are thinking about them and appreciate all they do.

The First Week

Elijah finished his first week of school and seemed to really like it! We'll see how the next week goes -- the full week.

Still waiting on grades from the last class. Who knows when that will happen. I'm irritated, but over it at the same time.

Yesterday was a crazy day. It went so fast that I felt like I lost the day. Hopefully today won't be the same. Work is still crazy. I hope it becomes manageable soon. I don't know how much more I can take!

Enjoy what is left of the weekend!

A Couple of Birthdays

Happy birthday to Laura and Chelsea. Laura is my niece and Goddaughter and Chelsea is Kevin's daughter. Both were born on the same day, but different years. I hope both of you had a great day!


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The First Day

Well, the first day of school has come and gone. That was fast! Elijah woke up this morning excited, but a little nervous. He kept expressing concern about the "late bell" and wanted to make sure he was in class by that time. We got to school and lined up outside. He was doing pretty good until he realized I could not walk him inside, fortunately we had a few minutes, so he was able to relax about it.

I took the day off so I could pick him up. I got a little nervous because I saw kids coming out and I was thinking he would panic if he didn't see me, but I found him. He said it was good, but of course he couldn't remember anything they did. (he seems to have selective memory when it comes to 'what did you do at school today').

Tomorrow is a full day. We'll see how that goes!

Two Days

Two days until Elijah starts school. Part of me is excited and the other part of me is sad. I can't believe how fast the last several years have gone by.

I was finally able to finish my tax class. It feels good to be done. I can't believe I am now in my last class. It seems surreal. That is until I get a letter from the company that has my student loans. They didn't waste any time to let me know that I'll be paying back loans next April.

Thanks to all the rain we had not too long ago, the mosquitoes are running rapid. I don't know if it was a mosquito or a spider, but something bit me and my foot swelled up like a balloon. It's getting better, but not completely back to normal.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Tired

Well, so far I can get into the system for school. The bad news, all my previous work has been wiped out. So I'm hoping that the professor knows all the grades because my sanity could not handle redoing all those quizzes! He gave us until tomorrow to finish the course. There goes that break I was supposed to be on!

I took the day off today. Originally it was because Elijah's summer camp ended yesterday. Now I realize that I did it to keep me sane. Yesterday I worked 14 hours and still have work to do. I'm trying to figure out how I can squeeze in some time to go in today.

Tuesday is the big day: Boy starts school. I'm starting to freak out a little. This is going to be tougher than I thought -- I figured since he's been in daycare since he was 3 months old that this would not be much different. It is.

If you pray, say one for me please. I need strength to keep putting up with the massive volume at work. I need strength to finish this class and my last class, and I need some strength to send my sunshine to school on Tuesdays. Thank you.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to two of my cousins: Pam & Brooke. I hope both of you have a fabulous birthday and I wish you all the best!

What happend to August?

Can someone please tell me what happened to August. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to June and July and here I am thinking the end of August already? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

They restored the old version of the system we use as school. I came up at 5 p.m. today, however I still cannot get in. I guess the passwords were reset and the one they told me should work doesn't. I'm about over it.

Elijah had orientation at school today. I think that is putting me into midlife crisis mode. We were sent home with a nice big manila envelope with policies, procedures and a list of things I have to volunteer for. I'm already signed up to work a lunch - thank goodness I had already requested the day off.

Not much else is going on. Work is still psycho busy. I've almost reached my saturation point.

Just in case you were wondering . . .

They still don't have the system up yet for school. WTF. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Work is psycho again. I don't know how much more I can take. I'm actually debating going back to caffeine. Let me remind you that it is has been 11 years since I have had caffeine. The last time I was this desperate was when Elijah was born and he had his days and nights mixed up.

If you pray, say one for me. I need some strength. Thank you.

Grand Rapids -- WOW!

It's been about 10 years since I've been to Grand Rapids. The last time was with Gary for a mountain bike race. I remember that we spent most of the time in a suburb and only went downtown to go to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. I highly recommend going to the museum by the way -- regardless of your political affiliation, it is a great experience for all.

On Friday, myself and seven others from work embarked on a journey to the great town of Grand Rapids. The occasion was the near opening of the first J.W. Marriott in the Midwest. The hotel officially opens in about three weeks, but we got a preview! Let me tell you that in my 13+ years in the hotel business in addition to all my other years of travel, I never seen a more amazing hotel. This is a one of a kind work of art. If you ever go to Grand Rapids, you have to go to this hotel and check it out. There isn't one room with an amazing view. The entire building is glass so you see everything. Wow - that's all I can say.

BTW, the nightlife has picked up a bit as well, so if that is your kind of fun, this is your kind of town!

Twelve Days Later

It's been twelve days since the university took down our online platform and it is still not up. A note posted at 11 p.m. on Friday said that they decided to go back to the old platform. Two days later the old platform is still not up. They are offering us the option to finish the class with the new deadlines that the instructors will notify us of after the system is back up, or drop the class and retake it at no additional charges. Since I was on the last week of class, I don't think I am going to drop it.

This experience has taught me that they were not adequately prepared for this, and did not seem to have a good plan to handle the situation. That is disappointing, but I hope they learn from it and will be better prepared next time. The fact of the matter is, you should never assume that an upgrade will run smoothly. I don't think anyone expected it to be this bad, but just simple planning of doing this while we were on break, could have cut this inconvenience down from 12 days to 5 days.

I just keep telling myself that I'm almost done.

It's almost humorous now

If you can believe it, the system is still down. Who know when I will get to finish this class and actually start my next class. Do you think it is divine that it worked out this way? I'm beginning to wonder if I am meant to finish this degree.

Work still sucks. The volume does not appear to be slowing down at all. I worked another 12+ hour day and will need to be there bright and early tomorrow morning.

Elijah received his teach assignment in the mail. We get to go meet her next week. I can't believe he starts school in less than two weeks. Where did summer go? Where did 2007 go?

Happy Birthday Janinne!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Janinne. I hope you had a great day. I wish you a year of happiness!


MySpace Graphics at GlitterBell.com

Time Warp or Twilight Zone

So I finally got an email from my instructor last night saying that he will accept assignments until Sunday night (instead of last night since the lovely system has been down). Sounds good except what about the class that starts today? Well, he sent an email that the system should be up at 6 p.m. today, if not, he'll let us know where to go from here.

I emailed my academic advisor last night to ask her if she knew if they were setting up new dates, or was it up to the instructors. She emails me this morning what was posted on the website (gee thanks, I would have never found that). So I respond that I need to know if I'm juggling two classes this week, or is everything getting pushed. No response yet. Thanks for the help.

Surprise, surprise . . . the system was not up at 6 p.m. and still is not up. My head hurts. This has been a nightmare. A bit of advice . . . if you are going to school online and they say they are going to do an upgrade and the system will only be down for a few days -- do not pass go, do not collect $200, run now and avoid the Christmas rush.

Is it the last day of class?

I sure would like to know the answer to that question. Today is supposed to be the last day of class, but Blackboard (the program we use) is still down. They keep telling us that we will have time to make up the assignments and won't be penalized, but I just want to get the class done. I took today off work in order to finish. Needless to say this day -- actually this weekend, has been frustrating. I called the university and they were in a mandatory meeting. I guess it was to discuss the problem. Hey, maybe someone should have anticipated these problems in advance and waited until our break to do this. What an idea.

So at this point, I don't know if they will just push everything forward a week -- putting me at finishing a week later. If they will push everything forward and cancel the break -- so we will make up the week and stay on schedule, or just have us finish one class and start another at the same time -- creating a big burden on me.

Still Not Fixed

Just a follow up on the system I log into for school. I can now log in, but I get this message:

"We are currently experiencing severe response time problems with Blackboard and are working diligently to resolve the problems. We ask for your patience.

We sincerely regret the inconvenience this outage is causing students and faculty."

I can't get into the discussion board, the area to submit assignments, or any of the important areas I need to access for the class. I hope there was a critical reason behind them doing this upgrade during the last week of class.

Who knows when I'll get in - I guess I'm on my own. Hope for the best.

Time Flies

August is moving about even faster than July. Where does the time go? This is my last weekend of this class. The last class starts on Tuesday. It's hard to believe that almost two years of graduate school is close to an end. I'm starting to feel the pressure of the last time I graduated: what now? Do I want to stay where I am? Could I move out of state? What do I want to be when I grow up? Ugh . . . the pressure! :-)

Speaking of school. I'm still scratching my head on the methodology behind this one. About two weeks ago they posted a note that they were going to upgrade the system we use to participate in class, submit assignments, get grades, etc. Now we will be on break starting August 28, but for some reason they decided to do this upgrade on August 14 and keep the system down until 6 p.m. yesterday. My first thought is why wouldn't they just wait until we are on break? It would seem to be easier because then if there is a problem (I know we all like to think that there won't be problems, but I've been through enough system upgrades to know that there is always some sort of problem), it wouldn't interfere with our studies. Well, as my cynical mind thought, there was a problem. Now the system is still down and they expect us to be able to get back on at 6 p.m. tonight. There was also a note that our instructor would extend our assignments. That sounds great, but class ends on MONDAY. Do you think we can get an extension on ending the class and postpone starting the new one? Whoever approved this upgrade during the last week of classes needs to get their head examined. What was the big rush that couldn't wait two weeks?

Work was psychotic again. I spent the last three days working 12 hour shifts. It will look nice on the paycheck, but I am tired. I also missed saying goodbye to my brother-in-law because of it. He and his wife are off to new ventures in Houston. I didn't see them often when they were here in Michigan, but it seems strange that they will be so far away.

Not much else is going on. Less than three weeks until Elijah starts school. Orientation is less than two weeks away. His karate instructor said that he will be testing for yellow belt in September. He is also going to start taking swim lessons. Needless to say I think September is going to be busy between me finishing school and Elijah getting used to school.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Crazy Week

It was another crazy week! On a lighter note, I received my LAST schoolbook in the mail. I can't believe I'm in the home stretch!

This week was some rainy weather, which makes for good sleeping -- unless you need to get to work! Then it makes for a tough morning.

On Tuesday night some jerk in a big truck hit our mailbox. We know it's a big truck because they failed to realize that they left their mirror behind at the scene. Of course our "pleasant" (facecious) mail lady will not deliver our mail, so we are stuck going to the post office to pick it up. I will take a week to get the parts.

Thursday night I was graced with an obscene phone call. Either he truly did mean to call someone else or was really dumb because his number popped up on caller id.

Friday night Elijah was messing with the tape dispenser and knocked it off the counter onto his foot. I had to take him to urgent care because I couldn't tell if he broke one of his toes. I felt so bad for him, but it ended up he didn't break anything. Thank God!

Today we went to a birthday party were they had a portable petting zoo there. That was fun.

Trying to stay motivated to finish this class. One more week and then I start the last class. I can't wait!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Birthday Wishes

More birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday to Lindsey! (Gary's niece)
Happy Birthday to Terry!
Happy Birthday to Ryan! (Elijah's friend)
Happy Birthday to Michelle (cousin)

I hope all of you had a great birthday!

How Nerdy Are You?

A friend of mine had this on his blog, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I guess I'm a little "nerdier" than I thought! (He was a 93 - AKA Supreme Nerd BTW -- but that's what we love about him!):-)

Big Choice

Well, I told a dealership to order me a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid yesterday. He said it would take 6-8 weeks. Other dealerships said 8-12 weeks. We'll see when it comes. I'm excited but I'm also a little nervous about having a car payment again. I've had a lot of new cars that I used to lease, but this is the first time that I had the opportunity to actually order exactly what I want.

On another note, happy birthday to my sister-in-law Suzette. I hope you had a great birthday!

I'm officially half way through my tax class. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm over it. I'm so ready to be done. Of course I would like an A in every class, but considering the hours I've been working and my family obligations, I think I'm doing well. Now I have a lot of thinking to do about my future plans. Pressure . . . ugh!

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy 18th Josh!

Happy 18th birthday Josh! By dear friend Kevin's oldest son is 18. It's official . . . I feel OLD! Wow! Anyway, I hope Josh had the best day ever . . . so far!