Sorry about

Not blogging for a while, but K and I have been busy trying to finish C's room before A gets home from college in early May. We have hung much drywall and are trying to finish it as quickly and professionally as possible.

In the interim, here are some pic's of C:

It came in the mail

Unexpectedly, but A got a certificate indicating that last semester grades were good enough for the Dean's List.

Way to go, A!

Watch out if

You are in our state anytime soon, driving between 5AM and 9PM. C turned 16 last Thursday and now has a driver's license. The first trip was out to lunch with some friends and came back with a smile so big it nearly overlapped in the back of the head.

This is your only warning.

I am sorry

but it was raining very hard and my camera was in the car, but I stopped buy to see Dad tonight.

We went out to dinner at a Rib place on Monroe St. I spent about 4 hours with Dad before I needed to get back on the road toward Cleveland for my 8AM appointments today.

Dad looked great, and we had lively conversation. It was great to see him.

Hope your day was great.

It is with heavy heart :(

that I pass along to you the demise of my 1994 Intrepid. She has 329,653 miles on her when she passed away tonight. Apparently from a blown seal, all the oil leaked out on the highway and the engine appeared to die. As it was 13 years old and we had put 311,00 miles on the car while we owned her, we have received full value for what we paid.

The car was in need of several minor repairs, but now is in need of a major repair, probably far exceeding the value of the vehicle. I cleaned out all of the stuff from the back seat and trunk, filling up a minivan with pumps and support supplies. I am a pack rat in my car, so there was much stuff.

I also want to say thanks to my S-I-L LW for the help as the car died near her home in Sandusky and she took me to Toledo to pick up a rental car so I could finish my business trip and get home.

I stopped by

Brush Creek yesterday to say hi to Mom, two sisters and all of the relatives in the area. It was late, so I could not stay long. I did a little grass clean up in a couple of places because there was grass clippings in places where they should not have been. I could not, however find ALS and will have to inquire more before my next visit.

Afterward, I called AW to see if she was available for a short visit. As she was home and not previously committed, I stopped by and spent a wonderful evening talking with her and UJ. It was a wide ranging conversation, from Church issues to politics and beyond. Even though politically we do not necessarily agree, the discussion was very lively and thought provoking, an enjoyable evening for all, I believe.


Here is a picture of AW and UJ that I took while I was there.

Equal Time, Kinda

Here is a picture of A and C that was taken when A decided to come home for a weekend.

Dance Marathon

Below is a picture of A that we took when she was participating in the Dance Maraton. For those who contributed, the total raised for this University Childrens Hospital Fund Drive was over $236,000.

A had lots of fun, but at the end of the event was very weary from standing for 24 hours. We took her out to dinner, then back to her room. I think she was asleep before I got back in the car from helping her carry stuff to her room.

It is the first full

Week of March and we are mowing our grass already. It was 73 yesterday and 70 today. Really nice outside, but the grass is beginning to grow and the weeds have already grown, even with the cold so the lawn mower was running.

This and other activities like fixing cars, is what slows down the work on remodeling C's room

Our House

I write this from a hotel in Ringgold, GA, just south of Chattanooga, TN. K and I have begun a remodeling project, similar in scope to my cousin ME to the north. We are renovating C's room. C and all her stuff are living in A's room.

K and I have gutted her room to the studs, removing her existing closet, opened an exterior wall and are creating a 5x8 walk in closet, making the room bigger and adding much insulation as there was none, the house was built in the 50's (there is that number again). The prep work for the closet was done some time ago and it has been "dry" for aver a year. We are just now getting to the room re-do. We are in the re-assembly stage, having built a separation wall and finished drywalling the new closet.

With the traveling that I do, the projects happen over weekends, so they tend to take a long time. This also means that we live in chaos for a long time. No pictures for now, but I will post before and after when the room is completed.

The Hill

By most people's standards, I have officially reached "over-the-hill" status. Weird thing is, I feel like I am still climbing.

I got the best comment from A the other day (I think). She said; "You are the youngest acting 50 year old person I know." How many 50 year old people does she know? And what does she want?

Last Week

I traveled with the President of the company where I work (WMB). From Monday morning at 9AM until Friday at 1PM when hew was dropped off at the airport. We traveled over 1100 miles in 3 states and at the end of it all, I was mentally exhausted.

The President of WMB is an ok person, but is a person you would picture as an Engineer, sans pocket protector. Dry, not very engaging, technically smart but conversations are strained. Also a strong micro-manager.

I did not discover the real reason for this visit, so had to be on my best behavior for the whole week, really tough to do!