Preperation

I know it seems obvious, but we've noticed that with both girls, if we forget to lower their blinds before they go to bed, then we can bet on an early rise. It's so obvious in fact, that I forget to check more often than not. It's not a huge difference in time but it is enough to be significant on some days. It isn't always a guarantee either but it's one of those things that we tend to notice when they get up too early. I guess as time goes by we will become pros at understanding all the nuances and gotcha's associated with parenting, but by then we will be Grandparents and won't care about anything but spoiling the grandkids and sending them home.

Paris

Well Paris is out of her jail cell. Let the world rejoice. If this keeps her out of drug rehab or something like then maybe it did it's job. I'm taking the under. I don't know much about her but I do know that one person being in jail for 3 weeks because they thought that the rules didn't apply to them is hardly newsworthy. It's entertaining to a lot of people though for some reason. I guess we just like to watch the real world soap opera's unfold, although I'm not really sure what benefit it serves us. Is it just entertaining to watch high profile people fail because we don't give them credit for being real because they are larger than life? I think so...

Ugh

Things have not been good on the workout front the last few weeks. I haven't been to the gym at all and I have pretty much just been eating whatever I want and more. I have a hard time watching what I eat when I'm not lifting and it's taking a toll. I'm worried about my stomach and that I might be on the verge of getting a hernia because I have one very sore spot that gets that way whenever I lift and I don't want it to rupture. I need to go to the doctor and ask about it, I just haven't done it yet. I'm not planning to try Phentermine or something like that right now. I don't know much about it and would prefer to do it without supplements.

Blessings

Every once in a while you will realize that you are really blessed in regards to something that you never think about that other people might stress over a lot. For me, my hair is one of those things. I have no hint whatsoever of having any kind of hair loss or the need for Hair Transplant or anything of the sort. I rarely think about this, because it isn't a problem for me, but if it was, I would think about it a lot I'm sure. Another example is my eye sight. With 20/13 vision, I don't have to think about glasses or contacts but if had 20/200 like my wife, it would be a daily process at the very least. It just goes to show that we have more blessings than we notice most of the time.

Sweet Drive

The best piece of Golf Equipment that I have gotten in a long time is my new driver. I got an Adam's golf Redline driver for Christmas that I had custom made from the options that they had available, and I must say that it has been a gigantic success. This is the first driver that I have owned in ages that I can pound with huge distance, and it is far more consistent than any driver I've ever had before. My swing has also improved a lot which I'm sure has inflated my opinion of this club but I still wouldn't trade it for anything right now. Thanks Mom and Dad, this thing has made a huge difference in my game.

Budget

Budgeting is a very personal art. I tried one piece of commercial budgeting software once, but in the end I preferred the excel spreadsheet that I had written myself. I wrote it years ago to serve my needs at the time and it hasn't really been surpassed in it's usefulness yet. I have added to it and redesigned it a few times but it's still largely the same. I guess in the end it all boils down to what you need, and being a computer savvy person allowed me to create exactly what I needed so the commercial stuff just doesn't really help me.

Make Up Breakfast

The other day, our oldest girl walked past my wife and informed her that she should not come upstairs, and then happily continued up the steps. Clearly the alarms went off for my wife and she followed to see what was going on. She found that the two of them had gotten all her makeup out and were "cooking" with it. The powder was the brown sugar etc. I'm sure if we had Makeup Mirrors, that they would have been skillets or something. Needless to say, our bedspread now has some nice spots on it. I guess it has "character" now. The good thing is that our kids are still young enough to tell on themselves. I'm not sure how much longer that will last.

Trucks

I've never really been a truck guy at all. I had one truck in recent years and it was a disaster. Mostly because it was a lemon, but nevertheless it just didn't fit my personality. That said, I really like the new Ford F150 super duty. That thing is pretty, and expensive. You could almost buy a viper for the same price. I can't figure I'd ever buy one but I must admit that they look cool. Throw in a truck toolbox and I'd be the manliest man in town, or something... Now back to our regularly scheduled program: Me being done with this post.

OLD Tomorrow

Well technically I turn 30 tomorrow morning although after last weekend, my birthday feels over already. While I'm far from needing tranquility diapers, I still can't count myself among the youth of the nation anymore. I guess that's the weirdest part of all. Not being a "young person" by definition for the first time. The next time I have to fill out an entry form and have to select something other than 25-29 will probably feel a bit weird as well. You just never think, "When I'm 30 I'm going to...." at any point in your life, or at least I didn't, so I don't really know what to make of it yet. I'll probably be 40 before I figure it out though.

Incredible Day

I don't think that everyone that came reads this, but for those that do, I want to say thanks. Saturday was a great day that meant more to me than I think I am capable of putting into words.

For those that may not know, my wife organized a surprise party for my 30th birthday on Saturday and invited tons of old friends, family, and more. If you are reading this and you didn't get invited, then it is probably because you live in Vienna, or perhaps you were at a conference all weekend. In either case you were still thought of.

It was a total surprise to me, which if you know me is saying something, as I am typically difficult to surprise. I'm glad it was though because it just made it that much more special to me. To see that many people hanging out and having fun together just reminded me of the old family get-togethers from my childhood, which have gone by the wayside, and it reminded of how much I miss them, because I had an incredibly good time.

Thanks again to everyone who made this special day possible for me, and especially my wife who again showed herself to be the perfect one for me. She knew exactly what to do to make that day perfect for me and I can't thank her enough. I only hope that I can come close to duplicating this feeling for her next year.

Most importantly, I want to thank the Lord who again showed me how many people that he has surrounded me with that truly care for me and call me a friend. It really means a lot.

Money Savings?

A year or so ago, probably more now, we bought a really nice water filtration unit called a reverse osmosis filter. The idea being that we were investing in the quality of our home and improving our water. Looking back I really feel like we would still be saving money had we bought nothing but Portable Water Filters every month from then till now. The thing I'm realizing is that sometimes the quality choice is the dumb choice. Sure it costs more now, but it also costs more later. Where as the cheap choice can be thrown away and cause no more money problems at the drop of a hat. Cheap is definitely becoming my option these days as the cheap stuff seems to last just long enough to make the good stuff nothing more than a money pit.

Low Down

A friend was telling the other day about a guy that he knew that graduated last in his class from the lowest rated high school in the lowest rated state in the nation for that specific year. He can truly say with pride that he is the dumbest person in America, at least for that year. The odd thing is, I doubt he is a used car salesman or selling discount furniture somewhere. It just doesn't seem to work that way for some reason. I guess you have to factor in all the dropouts and those that failed to qualify for graduation as well.

It seems like the older I get and the more I learn the more I realize that I don't know anything. I know I've heard that before, but I've come a long way from the blissful teenage years when I was right about everything. Oh well, I'm sure my kids will educate me here in a few years.