On Friday, we all got together at Bobbi and Mike’s house for our Fourth of July celebration. We had it a couple of days early because Kylie is leaving for Camp Merrill on Sunday. Gathered at the house were Mike, Bobbi, Brian, Elliott, Brandon, and Kylie. Mike’s parents, Cliff and Francey were there, and Bobbi’s and my mom too. Cliff’s sister Marsha came over, and Mike’s sister Elaina with her husband Greg. Also there was Mike’s step-daughter Courtney, and her two little girls Samantha and Hannah. And, of course, Joni, Adam, and myself.
The weather turned out just about perfect. It had been a hot day, and was still about 90 degrees when we left our house at 6:30. We all wore jeans because we were afraid the mosquitos would be bad, so I thought it might be pretty uncomfortable. But not long after we arrived, it started to cool down and it was a very pleasant evening.
First, we had supper. Mike had started up a good sized fire and we roasted hot dogs. There were also potato and macaroni salads, deviled eggs, and an orange salad that Francey had brought. That orange salad was very good and I found out it’s made with tapioca pudding and orange jello. Sounds gross, but it was good.
After that there was birthday cake. Samantha was celebrating her seventh birthday, and there was ice-cream cake for all. I didn’t have any cake because I had already eaten too much: three hot dogs and two helpings of everything else. I did manage to squeeze in a few toasted marshmallows later on though.
After all the food was put away, we sat outside talking until it was dark. Then the fireworks began. Brandon, Kylie, and Elliott brought out a rather large box of fireworks and put on quite a show.
It was a very enjoyable evening. Lots of good food, good company, the weather was beautiful, and the mosquitos weren’t bad either. I think it was about 11:30 when we got home, happy but tired.
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ESV
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Journal - May Events
It occurred to me the other day that the last week or so has been rather eventful for my family.
On Saturday the 14th, we had a graduation. Elliott is the youngest son of my sister’s husband, and it was his high school graduation. Joni, Adam, and I didn’t go to the graduation ceremony at the school, but went over to Bobbi an Mike’s house later in the afternoon for the reception. Mike had cooked up some pork on his new smoker and it was delicious. There was also lots of salads and plenty of cake. Aunt LeeDel came down from Sioux Falls and it was nice to visit with her a little. Uncle Butch was planning to come as well, but he broke his ankle last week and couldn’t make it.
Monday the 16th was the 25th wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife. That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment. Hard to believe I was just a freshman in high school when they got married. The 16th also marks an anniversary for Joni and I, as that was the day we met, eight years ago.
May 20th was my sister’s birthday. I’m not sure but I think she’s 39 this year, it’s so hard to keep track. Also on that day, the state track meet began in Omaha, in which my niece Kylie competed. Mom and Bobbi drove there to watch her, and from what I heard, they all got rained on.
It seems like there was something else I was going to mention, but I can’t remember now. Memorial weekend usually marks the time when Mom’s three siblings all come to visit for a few days. This year, they decided to put it off to a later time when Uncle Butch will be more mobile. I’ll be looking forward to that.
Psalms 145:3-4 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
On Saturday the 14th, we had a graduation. Elliott is the youngest son of my sister’s husband, and it was his high school graduation. Joni, Adam, and I didn’t go to the graduation ceremony at the school, but went over to Bobbi an Mike’s house later in the afternoon for the reception. Mike had cooked up some pork on his new smoker and it was delicious. There was also lots of salads and plenty of cake. Aunt LeeDel came down from Sioux Falls and it was nice to visit with her a little. Uncle Butch was planning to come as well, but he broke his ankle last week and couldn’t make it.
Monday the 16th was the 25th wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife. That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment. Hard to believe I was just a freshman in high school when they got married. The 16th also marks an anniversary for Joni and I, as that was the day we met, eight years ago.
May 20th was my sister’s birthday. I’m not sure but I think she’s 39 this year, it’s so hard to keep track. Also on that day, the state track meet began in Omaha, in which my niece Kylie competed. Mom and Bobbi drove there to watch her, and from what I heard, they all got rained on.
It seems like there was something else I was going to mention, but I can’t remember now. Memorial weekend usually marks the time when Mom’s three siblings all come to visit for a few days. This year, they decided to put it off to a later time when Uncle Butch will be more mobile. I’ll be looking forward to that.
Psalms 145:3-4 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
Colossians 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Journal - Free Audiobooks
Okay, here’s some more of the good news about Audiobook Heaven.
I already talked about Susan. She’s the person behind the website Audiobook Jukebox, and also the review editor for the website SFSite.com. She had asked me if I would be interested in submitting some reviews for SFSite and I said “Duh!” Well, I didn’t exactly say that, but you get my meaning. She told me about her list of books I could choose from and I was all happy about getting some free audiobooks. Since Susan is the editor of an audiobook review site, publisher’s send her the audiobooks for free since it’s good advertising for the publisher. Susan, in turn, sends the books out to her reviewers, of which there are about 12 including me.
As I was discussing all this with Susan, it occurred to me that hey, I run a legitimate audiobook review site of my own, why can’t publisher’s send free audiobooks to me? I looked around the web a little bit and found that this is a fairly common practice. Publisher’s like to send out review copies to reviewers at newspapers, magazines, websites, and yes, even little bloggers like me. So I started contacting some publishers. I’ve been reviewing for over a year so I know several of them. I looked up their contact information on the internet, and sent email inquiries to about half a dozen publishing companies to see if they would be willing to send me review copies. Of course, I provided them with links to my blog so they could check it out if they wanted to.
About eight days went by and I was beginning to despair, but then I got a bite! Someone from Blackstone Audio sent me an email saying that they were interested. She asked me how many audiobooks I could comfortably handle per month. The answer to that is between 15 and 20, but I didn’t want to seem greedy, so I said three. She had also asked me to go ahead and pick out some books from their website, which I did last Monday. Several more days went by, but on Friday she wrote back and said she had two audiobooks ready to send to me. The third one I picked is apparently still in production and not available yet so she asked me to make another selection, which I also did. Her only requirement is that when I review one of their books, I include a link to the product page at Blackstone for that book, and send her a link to the review I write, which is no problem at all.
This is really exciting! I haven’t heard back from any of the other publishers I contacted, but I’ll be getting audiobooks from Susan, and from Blackstone Audio, so that’s pretty awesome. Oh, the really exciting part is that Blackstone carries my favorite science fiction author, Ben Bova. I’ve been listening to audiobooks for about three years now and have never found a single one by Ben Bova, so I was really happy about that.
My career as an audiobook reviewer is really taking off! Now if I could just get someone to pay me! For now I’ll be content just to get somefree audiobooks. This will make a much wider selection available to me than what I’ve been able to find at the library.
Here’s the bible verse I got in my email yesterday:
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Today is my 40th birthday, but apparently God thinks I’m still young, so that’s good enough for me.
I already talked about Susan. She’s the person behind the website Audiobook Jukebox, and also the review editor for the website SFSite.com. She had asked me if I would be interested in submitting some reviews for SFSite and I said “Duh!” Well, I didn’t exactly say that, but you get my meaning. She told me about her list of books I could choose from and I was all happy about getting some free audiobooks. Since Susan is the editor of an audiobook review site, publisher’s send her the audiobooks for free since it’s good advertising for the publisher. Susan, in turn, sends the books out to her reviewers, of which there are about 12 including me.
As I was discussing all this with Susan, it occurred to me that hey, I run a legitimate audiobook review site of my own, why can’t publisher’s send free audiobooks to me? I looked around the web a little bit and found that this is a fairly common practice. Publisher’s like to send out review copies to reviewers at newspapers, magazines, websites, and yes, even little bloggers like me. So I started contacting some publishers. I’ve been reviewing for over a year so I know several of them. I looked up their contact information on the internet, and sent email inquiries to about half a dozen publishing companies to see if they would be willing to send me review copies. Of course, I provided them with links to my blog so they could check it out if they wanted to.
About eight days went by and I was beginning to despair, but then I got a bite! Someone from Blackstone Audio sent me an email saying that they were interested. She asked me how many audiobooks I could comfortably handle per month. The answer to that is between 15 and 20, but I didn’t want to seem greedy, so I said three. She had also asked me to go ahead and pick out some books from their website, which I did last Monday. Several more days went by, but on Friday she wrote back and said she had two audiobooks ready to send to me. The third one I picked is apparently still in production and not available yet so she asked me to make another selection, which I also did. Her only requirement is that when I review one of their books, I include a link to the product page at Blackstone for that book, and send her a link to the review I write, which is no problem at all.
This is really exciting! I haven’t heard back from any of the other publishers I contacted, but I’ll be getting audiobooks from Susan, and from Blackstone Audio, so that’s pretty awesome. Oh, the really exciting part is that Blackstone carries my favorite science fiction author, Ben Bova. I’ve been listening to audiobooks for about three years now and have never found a single one by Ben Bova, so I was really happy about that.
My career as an audiobook reviewer is really taking off! Now if I could just get someone to pay me! For now I’ll be content just to get somefree audiobooks. This will make a much wider selection available to me than what I’ve been able to find at the library.
Here’s the bible verse I got in my email yesterday:
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Today is my 40th birthday, but apparently God thinks I’m still young, so that’s good enough for me.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Journal - Easter and Stuff
Well, I’m in kind of a writing slump again. I’ve had a few things to write about, but I just haven't been in the mood. So I'm forcing myself again. In the past, I’ve forced myself to write when I didn't feel like it and it sort of opened a floodgate and all kinds of things came pouring out, so we'll see what happens.
Last Saturday we went to Mom’s for lunch. Brenna had spent Friday night at her house and Saturday morning they made cookies. The cookies were for Brenna’s birthday which is today, April 8th. Happy 13th Brenna! My daughter is a teenager. That feels pretty weird. Brenna told me she has a violin recital on the 24th so I’ll have to be sure and get the exact time and place so I don’t miss that.
On Sunday we went to Bobbi and Mike’s for Easter dinner. Mom was there and also Brad and his family, everyone except Daniel who is Brad's oldest. He had to work I think. We had a good time and the kids had their Easter egg hunt, even though two of them are in college now.
Basketball season is all over with now. The men’s championship game was on Monday, Duke just barely beat Butler, only winning by two points. The women's final game was on Tuesday. Uconn won as expected, but Stanford really gave them a tough game. Stanford actually led for a majority of the game and Uconn only won by six points. There is quite a history between those two teams. The last time Uconn lost a game was back in 2008 when they lost to Stanford. Stanford only lost two games this year, both times to Uconn including the championship game. That was an exciting game but I wish the Huskers had been playing.
Last week, DJ, Brad’s daughter, had emailed me and asked if I would bring my saxophone to Bobbi’s house on Easter and play for everyone. She didn’t get to come to our Christmas party last year when I played for the family. She plays the sax now at college. I told her instead of playing on Easter Joni and I would have everyone over sometime this summer and I would play then. Then I found out she’s going on an internship to Connecticut and will be gone all summer. I told her she’d just have to wait until next Christmas then. I already let it slip about playing this summer, though, so I doubt if Mom will let me out of it now. I need to start practicing again. I started using slightly heavier reeds and I was surprised how tired my lip and jaw get. The heavier reeds will give more control over the tone though once I get used to them.
Okay, that’s it for now. see you next time.
Matthew 28:1-6 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Last Saturday we went to Mom’s for lunch. Brenna had spent Friday night at her house and Saturday morning they made cookies. The cookies were for Brenna’s birthday which is today, April 8th. Happy 13th Brenna! My daughter is a teenager. That feels pretty weird. Brenna told me she has a violin recital on the 24th so I’ll have to be sure and get the exact time and place so I don’t miss that.
On Sunday we went to Bobbi and Mike’s for Easter dinner. Mom was there and also Brad and his family, everyone except Daniel who is Brad's oldest. He had to work I think. We had a good time and the kids had their Easter egg hunt, even though two of them are in college now.
Basketball season is all over with now. The men’s championship game was on Monday, Duke just barely beat Butler, only winning by two points. The women's final game was on Tuesday. Uconn won as expected, but Stanford really gave them a tough game. Stanford actually led for a majority of the game and Uconn only won by six points. There is quite a history between those two teams. The last time Uconn lost a game was back in 2008 when they lost to Stanford. Stanford only lost two games this year, both times to Uconn including the championship game. That was an exciting game but I wish the Huskers had been playing.
Last week, DJ, Brad’s daughter, had emailed me and asked if I would bring my saxophone to Bobbi’s house on Easter and play for everyone. She didn’t get to come to our Christmas party last year when I played for the family. She plays the sax now at college. I told her instead of playing on Easter Joni and I would have everyone over sometime this summer and I would play then. Then I found out she’s going on an internship to Connecticut and will be gone all summer. I told her she’d just have to wait until next Christmas then. I already let it slip about playing this summer, though, so I doubt if Mom will let me out of it now. I need to start practicing again. I started using slightly heavier reeds and I was surprised how tired my lip and jaw get. The heavier reeds will give more control over the tone though once I get used to them.
Okay, that’s it for now. see you next time.
Matthew 28:1-6 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Journal - Basketball, Blogs, and Birthdays
First off, I need to make an addendum. I talked about Grandma Gladys the other day and totally forgot one of my favorite things. For longer than I can remember, there was a sun catcher hanging in Grandma’s big kitchen window. It was kind of a basic flower shape, a round center with evenly spaced petals around it, all in red and orange. The frame of the design is very heavy, maybe pewter or something similar. I have that sun catcher now and it is one of my most favorite possessions. Unfortunately I can never get it to stay in a window, it’s always falling because it is so heavy. Don't know how Grandma kept it hanging all those years.
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. I noticed something about my screen reader, System Access To Go, the other day. It used to be that when I typed hmm, it just said the letters instead of actually pronouncing it. Now he actually says hmm the way a person would. Evidently they are making little improvements in the program. If I spell that with three m’s instead of only two he still just says the letters, though.
Sunday was Nebraska’s first game of the NCAA tournament for the women’s basketball team. Nebraska controlled the game pretty much from the start. They had a 13 point lead at halftime, and ended up beating Northern Iowa 83 to 44. They hit ten 3 pointers, which is good. Someone said they were having trouble with that earlier. Kelsay Griffin scored the 2,000th point of her 5 year career. I don’t know much about basketball, but I know it takes a lot of baskets to make 2,000 points. The next game for Nebraska is tonight at 8:30 versus either North Carolina State or UCLA. I don’t know how good those teams are but I can assume that each game will get more difficult as the weaker teams are weeded out.
The song I can’t get out of my head this week is “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. My favorite food of the moment is breaded chicken patties with swiss cheese on a hamburger bun with green olives and potato chips on the side.
I’ve really been enjoying writing book reviews for my blog “Reviews From The Deep”, and I'm really pleased that some other people have been enjoying it too. I already mentioned last week that Joni's friend Benning talked about it on his blog, “Benning’s War”, and on Saturday my Friend Ensign Ro also mentioned it on her blog, “In The Center Of The Roof.” She gave me some good feedback too that I think will help me write more interesting book reviews. Incidentally, Ro is, like me, blind, and if you want to see the world from the perspective of a blind person, you should definitely read her blog. She’s much better at describing the “blind experience” than I am. In fact, you should go do that right now. I’ll wait for you here.
All done? Good! Also I should mention Joni’s blog, "One Voice - Write Right." Joni mentions both of my blogs all the time and suckers, I mean “gets” people to read what I write. Thanks honey! If you’re interested in becoming a writer, Joni’s blog is for you, she always has lots of hints and tips for budding writers. Also, she posts her own, original poetry every Sunday, so check it out.
Speaking of Joni, today, March 23rd, is my sweetie’s birthday! Now, let me think, how old is Joni this year? 28? No, too young. 47? No, way too old! Oh, I remember! Joni is 39 this year. Happy 39th birthday, honey! I hope you have a really great day!
Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Psalms 4:6-8 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. I noticed something about my screen reader, System Access To Go, the other day. It used to be that when I typed hmm, it just said the letters instead of actually pronouncing it. Now he actually says hmm the way a person would. Evidently they are making little improvements in the program. If I spell that with three m’s instead of only two he still just says the letters, though.
Sunday was Nebraska’s first game of the NCAA tournament for the women’s basketball team. Nebraska controlled the game pretty much from the start. They had a 13 point lead at halftime, and ended up beating Northern Iowa 83 to 44. They hit ten 3 pointers, which is good. Someone said they were having trouble with that earlier. Kelsay Griffin scored the 2,000th point of her 5 year career. I don’t know much about basketball, but I know it takes a lot of baskets to make 2,000 points. The next game for Nebraska is tonight at 8:30 versus either North Carolina State or UCLA. I don’t know how good those teams are but I can assume that each game will get more difficult as the weaker teams are weeded out.
The song I can’t get out of my head this week is “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. My favorite food of the moment is breaded chicken patties with swiss cheese on a hamburger bun with green olives and potato chips on the side.
I’ve really been enjoying writing book reviews for my blog “Reviews From The Deep”, and I'm really pleased that some other people have been enjoying it too. I already mentioned last week that Joni's friend Benning talked about it on his blog, “Benning’s War”, and on Saturday my Friend Ensign Ro also mentioned it on her blog, “In The Center Of The Roof.” She gave me some good feedback too that I think will help me write more interesting book reviews. Incidentally, Ro is, like me, blind, and if you want to see the world from the perspective of a blind person, you should definitely read her blog. She’s much better at describing the “blind experience” than I am. In fact, you should go do that right now. I’ll wait for you here.
All done? Good! Also I should mention Joni’s blog, "One Voice - Write Right." Joni mentions both of my blogs all the time and suckers, I mean “gets” people to read what I write. Thanks honey! If you’re interested in becoming a writer, Joni’s blog is for you, she always has lots of hints and tips for budding writers. Also, she posts her own, original poetry every Sunday, so check it out.
Speaking of Joni, today, March 23rd, is my sweetie’s birthday! Now, let me think, how old is Joni this year? 28? No, too young. 47? No, way too old! Oh, I remember! Joni is 39 this year. Happy 39th birthday, honey! I hope you have a really great day!
Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Psalms 4:6-8 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Journal - Odds and Ends
Well, I ordered some new speakers for the computer today. It’s gotten very difficult to make my headphones work, and I know it won’t be long before they don’t work at all. Naturally, I tried different pairs of headphones, but that’s not the problem, it’s the jack in the speaker. It really sucks to have to spend money on something like that, but I have to be able to use headphones at the computer. Without them, I won’t be able to hear well enough, and if I turn it up louder everyone will have to listen to it. I’ve been agonizing over this for the last five days, so I kind of feel better that the decision is made. They should get here early next week.
I also ordered Joni’s birthday present. I think she'll really like it, it's a…
Oops! I better not tell. Somebody who reads this might tell her what it is.
On Tuesday Joni and I ran into Gibbon to visit the doctor. We’re not sick, we just needed to give her that paperwork for BCBS. I’ve only been to this doctor a couple of times so there wasn’t much. She made copies for us, then we took it over to the post office and mailed it. So the ball is back in their court again. Can’t wait to see what they say next.
I’m looking forward to a good basketball game tonight. The Lady Huskers are playing Kansas. Kansas hasn’t had a very good year, but Nebraska played them earlier this year and, from what I’ve read, Kansas almost won. Also, it sounds like Kansas has to win this game to get into the NCAA tournament so they will be fighting hard. Nebraska is in the tournament no matter what so there’s no pressure. They still have their record to think of, though. Nebraska is two games away from a perfect season. I wonder if the basketball team has ever done that before?
Oh, one more thing. Today is my big sister’s anniversary! Happy Anniversary Bobbi and Mike! I know you guys have many more happy years ahead of you. Especially now that most of the kids are gone! Hahaha! Have a great day guys!
Colossians 3:14 over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
That’s it for today. See you next time!
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
I also ordered Joni’s birthday present. I think she'll really like it, it's a…
Oops! I better not tell. Somebody who reads this might tell her what it is.
On Tuesday Joni and I ran into Gibbon to visit the doctor. We’re not sick, we just needed to give her that paperwork for BCBS. I’ve only been to this doctor a couple of times so there wasn’t much. She made copies for us, then we took it over to the post office and mailed it. So the ball is back in their court again. Can’t wait to see what they say next.
I’m looking forward to a good basketball game tonight. The Lady Huskers are playing Kansas. Kansas hasn’t had a very good year, but Nebraska played them earlier this year and, from what I’ve read, Kansas almost won. Also, it sounds like Kansas has to win this game to get into the NCAA tournament so they will be fighting hard. Nebraska is in the tournament no matter what so there’s no pressure. They still have their record to think of, though. Nebraska is two games away from a perfect season. I wonder if the basketball team has ever done that before?
Oh, one more thing. Today is my big sister’s anniversary! Happy Anniversary Bobbi and Mike! I know you guys have many more happy years ahead of you. Especially now that most of the kids are gone! Hahaha! Have a great day guys!
Colossians 3:14 over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
That’s it for today. See you next time!
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Journal - Year End
Well, the excitement of the holidays is subsiding, and just as I expected, I have nothing to write about. Or maybe I just haven’t been in the mood. I’m really not in the mood even now as I sit here typing, but I want the record to show what’s been going on the last few days. This probably won' be very interesting to anyone other than myself, just your basic "did this, saw that" kind of stuff.
We were supposed to go to my brother, Brad’s, house for Christmas, but we got another blizzard on Christmas Eve and got snowed in. That was okay, I kind of like spending Christmas at home. Since we had planned on being at Brad's for dinner, we hadn't bought anything to make a dinner of our own. Luckily, we had the ham and all that other food that the church gave us, so we had a nice ham dinner for Christmas. Okay, I guess luck didn't really have anything to do with it. It was just God looking out for us again. The three of us had a nice day. It's fun being snowed in when you don't have to worry about getting to work and stuff.
On Saturday, we were still snowed in because we live on a farm and there's no one to clean our driveway. We had some pretty big snow drifts. We really wanted to be able to get out on Sunday though, so Joni and I got in the Explorer and basically bashed our way through the drifts until we were out. We drove in and out of the driveway about six times to make sure we had a good path through the snow.
Sunday was Adam’s fourteenth birthday. He had mentioned that he would really like it if Brenna could come over for a while to have cake and ice cream with us. Apparently he likes having a sister. So we went to church Sunday morning, then picked up Brenna and we all had lunch at Runza. If you don’t live in Nebraska, you probably don’t know what Runza is and I pity you. After lunch, we went to Mom’s house for a little while. She made Adam’s favorite, a jello poke cake. Our plan after that was to come back home for more cake and just hang out for a while. We were supposed to meet Brenna's grandparents in Minden at five o'clock so they could take her home. But, well, we got stuck in the driveway as soon as we pulled in. Joni and I dug with the snow shovel for a while, which did absolutely no good because the snow was all packed up under the truck, until finally, one of our neighbors drove by. He saw we were having trouble and stopped to lend a hand. He had a tow chain and had us out of that drift in no time. By then it was time to go drop off Brenna, but she and Adam had a good time. They seem to get along really well with each other. They can just sit and jabber back and forth at each other, then 45 minutes later you come back and they’re still jabbering at each other. Anyway, Adam had a nice birthday, and I had a good day too even though we got stuck. This was the first time I got to spend some time with Brenna without a lot of people around and I discovered that she’s pretty funny. I also found out she has double-jointed thumbs just like me.
There hasn’t been much excitement this week. I have some sore muscles in my shoulders and back from shoveling snow, but I still got on the exercise bike. I haven’t been on it for a couple of weeks and decided it’s time to get back in the habit. Last week, Joni and I filled out that application for the BCBS insurance and mailed it in. This week they called and said they are forwarding it to the underwriters. That’s encouraging in a way because at least they didn’t just reject me offhand the way Aetna did. This morning I had an appointment with an eye doctor that the Commission for the Blind set up for me. There wasn't much point to it, except I found out there’s no infection in my left eye. That kind of surprised me and I was a little encouraged by that. Then we went to Brad’s for lunch. That was our Christmas make-up since everybody was snowed in.
So that’s what’s been going on. It’s the end of the year, and I feel like I should write something deep and meaningful, but it’s just not happening today. I’m not all sad and depressed anymore, like I was at Christmas, I’m just not in the mood to write. It has been an eventful year, I'll say that much. And I’m looking forward to the challenges that the new year will bring. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much, but I’m still hoping that I’ll be able to see again by next Christmas. If you’re listening, Santa, that’s all I want next year, and don't feel like you have to wait until December to deliver.
To you, faithful reader, I wish nothing but happiness and prosperity for you in the new year, and remember, keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.
Happy New Year 2010!
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
We were supposed to go to my brother, Brad’s, house for Christmas, but we got another blizzard on Christmas Eve and got snowed in. That was okay, I kind of like spending Christmas at home. Since we had planned on being at Brad's for dinner, we hadn't bought anything to make a dinner of our own. Luckily, we had the ham and all that other food that the church gave us, so we had a nice ham dinner for Christmas. Okay, I guess luck didn't really have anything to do with it. It was just God looking out for us again. The three of us had a nice day. It's fun being snowed in when you don't have to worry about getting to work and stuff.
On Saturday, we were still snowed in because we live on a farm and there's no one to clean our driveway. We had some pretty big snow drifts. We really wanted to be able to get out on Sunday though, so Joni and I got in the Explorer and basically bashed our way through the drifts until we were out. We drove in and out of the driveway about six times to make sure we had a good path through the snow.
Sunday was Adam’s fourteenth birthday. He had mentioned that he would really like it if Brenna could come over for a while to have cake and ice cream with us. Apparently he likes having a sister. So we went to church Sunday morning, then picked up Brenna and we all had lunch at Runza. If you don’t live in Nebraska, you probably don’t know what Runza is and I pity you. After lunch, we went to Mom’s house for a little while. She made Adam’s favorite, a jello poke cake. Our plan after that was to come back home for more cake and just hang out for a while. We were supposed to meet Brenna's grandparents in Minden at five o'clock so they could take her home. But, well, we got stuck in the driveway as soon as we pulled in. Joni and I dug with the snow shovel for a while, which did absolutely no good because the snow was all packed up under the truck, until finally, one of our neighbors drove by. He saw we were having trouble and stopped to lend a hand. He had a tow chain and had us out of that drift in no time. By then it was time to go drop off Brenna, but she and Adam had a good time. They seem to get along really well with each other. They can just sit and jabber back and forth at each other, then 45 minutes later you come back and they’re still jabbering at each other. Anyway, Adam had a nice birthday, and I had a good day too even though we got stuck. This was the first time I got to spend some time with Brenna without a lot of people around and I discovered that she’s pretty funny. I also found out she has double-jointed thumbs just like me.
There hasn’t been much excitement this week. I have some sore muscles in my shoulders and back from shoveling snow, but I still got on the exercise bike. I haven’t been on it for a couple of weeks and decided it’s time to get back in the habit. Last week, Joni and I filled out that application for the BCBS insurance and mailed it in. This week they called and said they are forwarding it to the underwriters. That’s encouraging in a way because at least they didn’t just reject me offhand the way Aetna did. This morning I had an appointment with an eye doctor that the Commission for the Blind set up for me. There wasn't much point to it, except I found out there’s no infection in my left eye. That kind of surprised me and I was a little encouraged by that. Then we went to Brad’s for lunch. That was our Christmas make-up since everybody was snowed in.
So that’s what’s been going on. It’s the end of the year, and I feel like I should write something deep and meaningful, but it’s just not happening today. I’m not all sad and depressed anymore, like I was at Christmas, I’m just not in the mood to write. It has been an eventful year, I'll say that much. And I’m looking forward to the challenges that the new year will bring. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much, but I’m still hoping that I’ll be able to see again by next Christmas. If you’re listening, Santa, that’s all I want next year, and don't feel like you have to wait until December to deliver.
To you, faithful reader, I wish nothing but happiness and prosperity for you in the new year, and remember, keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.
Happy New Year 2010!
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Journal, Birthday Wrap-up
Sooo, what’s been happening since my birthday? I’m glad you asked! It seems like all kinds of things are going on.
First, let me wrap up the birthday thing. I got my new socks and am enjoying them a great deal! Also, from Adam I got a Husker t-shirt that I am told looks very cool. From Joni, I got a pair of Husker lounge pants. This is mainly what I wear around the house and I definitely needed a new pair. Oh, and the angus burger was good, but not, THAT, good. I still like the Whopper better. The Coke glasses from McDonald's are nice though, they feel much heavier and sturdier than the ones they had years ago.
Okay, on to my health. I talked about the bad time I was having with my asthma. I had gone to the doctor the day before my birthday. She gave me some medicine that was very affordable, even without insurance, and I’ve been feeling very good since. The pills she gave me, however, are a steroid and you can’t take them for very long. I took my last one on Wednesday so we’ll see what happens. Actually I should be okay for a while yet; she also gave me a free sample of Advair, and now that the steroids are gone I’ll start using that. I’m still working on the insurance thing, but the blizzard kind of shut things down for a couple of days and I'm still waiting for a call back. I called a Blue Cross, Blue Shield agent because I heard they don’t deny for pre-existing conditions. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Did someone say blizzard? Yep, I guess I did. It snowed pretty heavily for most of Monday and Tuesday. Lots of gusty wind too. I'm not sure what the final tally was, but they were calling for 12 to 15 inches of snow and I'm pretty sure we got at least that much. I loved blizzards when I was a kid. Laying in my nice warm bed at night, listening to the wind whoop and holler outside, knowing the snow was really piling up. That kind of stuff loses its magic a little when you get older, but this one came close. Tuesday night I lay in bed listening to my first blizzard in about 15 years. I think I got a little of the magic back because I knew I didn’t have to leave the house the next day. Also, I could hear my wind chime. I didn’t talk about my wind chime yet, but let's just say it's a very special chime that I hadn't heard since I was a child.
Aside from that, I’ve been spending my time listening to books and exercising. I’ve been putting in about 30 minutes a day on the bike, although I took a few days off when I wasn’t feeling well. Also I’ve been practicing my Christmas music a lot. Some of the songs I got turned out to be kind of difficult so I’ve been working hard on them. I think they’re coming along pretty well though, and I should be ready for the 19th. Which reminds me, Stacy, (Brenna's mom), told me that Brenna has a violin recital on the 19th. Wouldn't you know it? The recital is at 2pm though, and supper here at the house isn't until 5:30, so I think we can make it. Frankly, if I had to choose, I'd probably go to the recital. Our party could always be rescheduled.
Busy, busy, busy! And still a lot to look forward to. The 19th will be a fun day and, of course, Christmas is almost here. In the meantime I’ve got my exercise bike, and my blog, and my saxophone. Not to mention an insurance policy to track down. With any luck, this will be my only Christmas as a blind man. But I can’t get too far ahead of myself. One day at a time, one day at a time.
Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
First, let me wrap up the birthday thing. I got my new socks and am enjoying them a great deal! Also, from Adam I got a Husker t-shirt that I am told looks very cool. From Joni, I got a pair of Husker lounge pants. This is mainly what I wear around the house and I definitely needed a new pair. Oh, and the angus burger was good, but not, THAT, good. I still like the Whopper better. The Coke glasses from McDonald's are nice though, they feel much heavier and sturdier than the ones they had years ago.
Okay, on to my health. I talked about the bad time I was having with my asthma. I had gone to the doctor the day before my birthday. She gave me some medicine that was very affordable, even without insurance, and I’ve been feeling very good since. The pills she gave me, however, are a steroid and you can’t take them for very long. I took my last one on Wednesday so we’ll see what happens. Actually I should be okay for a while yet; she also gave me a free sample of Advair, and now that the steroids are gone I’ll start using that. I’m still working on the insurance thing, but the blizzard kind of shut things down for a couple of days and I'm still waiting for a call back. I called a Blue Cross, Blue Shield agent because I heard they don’t deny for pre-existing conditions. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Did someone say blizzard? Yep, I guess I did. It snowed pretty heavily for most of Monday and Tuesday. Lots of gusty wind too. I'm not sure what the final tally was, but they were calling for 12 to 15 inches of snow and I'm pretty sure we got at least that much. I loved blizzards when I was a kid. Laying in my nice warm bed at night, listening to the wind whoop and holler outside, knowing the snow was really piling up. That kind of stuff loses its magic a little when you get older, but this one came close. Tuesday night I lay in bed listening to my first blizzard in about 15 years. I think I got a little of the magic back because I knew I didn’t have to leave the house the next day. Also, I could hear my wind chime. I didn’t talk about my wind chime yet, but let's just say it's a very special chime that I hadn't heard since I was a child.
Aside from that, I’ve been spending my time listening to books and exercising. I’ve been putting in about 30 minutes a day on the bike, although I took a few days off when I wasn’t feeling well. Also I’ve been practicing my Christmas music a lot. Some of the songs I got turned out to be kind of difficult so I’ve been working hard on them. I think they’re coming along pretty well though, and I should be ready for the 19th. Which reminds me, Stacy, (Brenna's mom), told me that Brenna has a violin recital on the 19th. Wouldn't you know it? The recital is at 2pm though, and supper here at the house isn't until 5:30, so I think we can make it. Frankly, if I had to choose, I'd probably go to the recital. Our party could always be rescheduled.
Busy, busy, busy! And still a lot to look forward to. The 19th will be a fun day and, of course, Christmas is almost here. In the meantime I’ve got my exercise bike, and my blog, and my saxophone. Not to mention an insurance policy to track down. With any luck, this will be my only Christmas as a blind man. But I can’t get too far ahead of myself. One day at a time, one day at a time.
Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Journal - Happy Birthday!
Wow! It’s a landmark day for Drums In The Deep! This is the first time I’ve posted twice in one day. Ensign Ro will be so proud of me!
Well, I was up late last night getting some things off my chest. And I must say, after that I went to bed and slept very soundly until about 7:30 this morning. Things always look better in the light of day, even if you can’t see the light, so to speak. Also, I got a couple of very thought-provoking comments on last night’s post. So I’m feeling a little better about things this morning. Also, I can’t be down today because IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!
Yup, I’m 39 today, and it’s shaping up to be a good day. I had lots of nice things in my email this morning; blog comments, birthday wishes from Facebook, an e-card from Aunt LeeDel, and a birthday email from Mom. Joni is off to Kearney to get my birthday socks. I love getting new socks, and I look forward to them all year. Last years’ socks really took a beating. Since I haven’t been working, I haven’t been wearing shoes very much so my socks are all worn out. Also, Joni is bringing home McDonald’s for lunch. A couple of days ago, I saw a commercial for a new burger they have; the 1/3 pound angus burger! Well, let me tell you, I’ve been dying to try one ever since I saw it so that’s what I’m getting for my birthday. Also we’ll get some of the Coke glasses they’re giving with the value meals. That will be nice because since going blind, I’ve broken all our glasses. We all have to use plastic cups now.
So I just wanted to post something happy today to balance out the more somber post of last night. After I finish this I’m going to practice on my sax for a while. Which reminds me! I’m so excited, Joni and I are having the family over on the 19th for a little pre-Christmas get-together. We’re going to have supper and then I’m going to play some Christmas music.
As an early birthday present last week, Joni let me download some new karaoke songs. At Amazon.com, you can buy and download individual songs for 99 cents each. I think that’s a great deal instead of buying a whole CD that has maybe 1 or 2 good songs on it. So I got 10 new Christmas songs. Some of them are really difficult so I’ve been working really hard on them. I’m excited about it because my family has done so much for me this year, and I know it’s not much, but this is how I can say thanks.
One more thing and then I’m out of here. It’s cold! Joni said it was 10 degrees this morning. Am I missing Texas? Well, I miss the weather, I know that much. I’ll take 100 degree summers over this anytime! Now if I could just get my family to move down there!
Isn’t that amazing? Just a few hours ago I was all depressed, but I prayed about it and God lifted my spirits! And he used all of my favorite people to do it!
Okay, gott ago practice. See ya later!
Psalms 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
Well, I was up late last night getting some things off my chest. And I must say, after that I went to bed and slept very soundly until about 7:30 this morning. Things always look better in the light of day, even if you can’t see the light, so to speak. Also, I got a couple of very thought-provoking comments on last night’s post. So I’m feeling a little better about things this morning. Also, I can’t be down today because IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!
Yup, I’m 39 today, and it’s shaping up to be a good day. I had lots of nice things in my email this morning; blog comments, birthday wishes from Facebook, an e-card from Aunt LeeDel, and a birthday email from Mom. Joni is off to Kearney to get my birthday socks. I love getting new socks, and I look forward to them all year. Last years’ socks really took a beating. Since I haven’t been working, I haven’t been wearing shoes very much so my socks are all worn out. Also, Joni is bringing home McDonald’s for lunch. A couple of days ago, I saw a commercial for a new burger they have; the 1/3 pound angus burger! Well, let me tell you, I’ve been dying to try one ever since I saw it so that’s what I’m getting for my birthday. Also we’ll get some of the Coke glasses they’re giving with the value meals. That will be nice because since going blind, I’ve broken all our glasses. We all have to use plastic cups now.
So I just wanted to post something happy today to balance out the more somber post of last night. After I finish this I’m going to practice on my sax for a while. Which reminds me! I’m so excited, Joni and I are having the family over on the 19th for a little pre-Christmas get-together. We’re going to have supper and then I’m going to play some Christmas music.
As an early birthday present last week, Joni let me download some new karaoke songs. At Amazon.com, you can buy and download individual songs for 99 cents each. I think that’s a great deal instead of buying a whole CD that has maybe 1 or 2 good songs on it. So I got 10 new Christmas songs. Some of them are really difficult so I’ve been working really hard on them. I’m excited about it because my family has done so much for me this year, and I know it’s not much, but this is how I can say thanks.
One more thing and then I’m out of here. It’s cold! Joni said it was 10 degrees this morning. Am I missing Texas? Well, I miss the weather, I know that much. I’ll take 100 degree summers over this anytime! Now if I could just get my family to move down there!
Isn’t that amazing? Just a few hours ago I was all depressed, but I prayed about it and God lifted my spirits! And he used all of my favorite people to do it!
Okay, gott ago practice. See ya later!
Psalms 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
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