Bit of Family History

I had an opportunity to learn more about my family. My mother grew up originally on a dairy farm. They had their own milk truck with the family name on the side and even their own bottle top with the family name. I think it is remarkable when you learn such interesting facts about family history. It helps to realize how our parents and grandparents are not just people we knew, but members of a community. They touch the lives of those around them.

My grandpa on my mom's side was always known to be a good man. He was a good worker and started as a lumberjack at 16. He was kind and helpful to those around him. He liked to slip money to us grandkids so we buy things. He even helped me get my first electronic football game.

I am grateful for family. I am especially grateful for grandparents for they went before us paving the way through life, making our lives easier in many ways.

Tribute to my Wife

I was thinking about Blogs and the ability to communicate what is really important to you. So I thought I would provide a tribute to my wife.

My wife is very beautiful and talented. When I saw her almost ten years ago in her wedding dress waiting to be married for time and all eternity, I was so caught up in the moment and felt like I was floating on a cloud. Here was someone who was willing to commit to spend this life with me and the life to come. She looked like an angel, with beautiful dark hair and a big smile on her face.

I see the acts of service she performs today at church and for friends. She seems so willing to help those in need and share her talents. At church her creativity makes the kids more interested in what is being presented. With her friends, she offers to watch their kids so they can take care of things they need to.

At home she makes our house a home. She takes care of the children, making sure they understand the spritual and physical responsibilities of life. She prepares more delicious meals than I ever could have imagined. She makes sure our clothes are clean. She helps the kids exercise their creativity and stimulates their minds with books.

In short, my wife is an angel. She came to my rescue, saving me being a bachelor any longer. I love her and want to make her happy more than anything.

I look forward to walking down the beaches of Hawaii holding her hand and watching the waves come crashing in and thinking, "I'm so glad I have an angel by my side."

Adventure- Make it Happen!

May I suggest the folllowing for those who are interested in finding their adventure.

Gold Skymiles Card from Delta Airlines. Usually you can sign up for the first year free and get 15,000 miles for free. You get 2 points for every dollar you spend and sometimes more if you track the offers. I even got an extra 10,000 points one time for no reason! Sometimes there are contests as well. You maximize the use of the card for the year and then you cancel to avoid the fee. Repeat the next year for your spouse. It is very likely you will reach the 30,000 point level in a short time. If not, switch to the lowest end Skymiles card to get those last few miles at 1 point per dollar. Of course, you can always earn Skymiles through various means even if you do not have a Skymiles card as well.

Bank of America NCL card. 3 points per $100 spent. Take 500 points to get $500 off a cruise. There is no limit to the number of $500 credits you can obtain.

Chase Freedom Card- Current offer of enough points to get $250 in cash or gift card, I cannot remember which.

Adventure

Have you ever wanted to do something fun, but couldn't quite find the time? Whatever reason has been holding you back needs to be broken down. Take the time to really do something in life. Get away from the TV. Get away from the house. Make time for meaningful things. There is always time to do things you want, you just have to want it more than the things you currently do.

Excercise, run a marathon, learn to juggle. All things are possible with determination.

Do not be content with what comes your way. Do something to shape your life. Don't let others dictate your happiness or what you can do to be happy. Of course reasonable bounds are necessary.

You need to determine what you have money to do, so you need to be realistic. Set a goal and work towards achieving that goal, saving the money you need or finding other ways to get there such as frequent flyer programs. If you want to go on a vacation to a remote location you need to prepare. Visualize yourself getting on the plane and then arriving at your favorite location. Imagine what you will do when you get there. Then do what it takes to make it to your destination.

Pinewood Derby Car

One of my sons is in Cub Scouts. He is a Tiger Scout. One of the fun things that is done in Cub Scouting is the Pinewood. We had made plans to go over to a friend's house to use his workshop. My brother was visiting from out of town and we dragged him along.

My son picked out the car design he wanted and cut it out. He came up with a innovative way of making sure we got the design on the car. He suggested we attach it to the car. So he used some spray glue and put the cut out design on the car. Then he cut it out with a table reciprocating saw. I helped his hands guide the blade for safety.

The next activity of the day was the sanding. My son sanded the car. Then we worked together to mount each tire for sanding.

The last activity of the day was to spray paint the car the base color, white.

There is still more work to do starting Monday to finish the car. It will be a lot of fun!

Spring Ahead?

Another fine day for a post! In fact, it was a fine day, weather wise of course. It was nice having the warm weather roll in after the long cold winter. I felt tempted to lose the jacket, but the weather is warming up, not the balmy 70+ degrees we all dream about.

Of course, like many others, my appointments in Outlook and on my PocketPC do not quite match the times they are supposed to occur. I am still trying to figure out what the DST fixes actually did for me.

D read a book today to the kids. They sure like stories. The kids really like it when I tell them the Prince John stories.

Prince John has the following friends: Thundar the horse, Kayu the giant bird, Whitestorm the wizard, and Slick the rogue. Prince John is a noble warrior who fights for all that is right. Thundar is is Prince John's trusty steed. Kayu likes to drop rocks on all the bad guys. Whitestorm the wizard uses magic to defeat his enemies and one of his favorite spells is to make his enemies dance! Slick sures likes to trick his enemies, set traps, and generally outwit his enemies, and likes to collect all sorts of jems. Of coures, Jed the friendly giantmonster is also a recent addition.

Chilly Winter- Where is Spring?

It is another chilly winter day, in March that is. The kids are sick and I am searching for hotels in Hawaii that do not cost an arm and a leg. I may be willing to give up an arm, that is still a lot. So many choices.

I can't wait for the warm weather to sweep through and then we can go outside and play. I have family in warmer places that don't have to worry about the colder weather or at least don't have it as long.

See the picture for what I would rather be doing right now.