(Author's note: This post has been a long time coming. The last few months have been a whirlwind as you will soon see. Warning: this is gonna be a long one so get comfortable. Also, this is post #100. I couldn't think of a better subject to celebrate this milestone. Enjoy.)
It all started with a question. Most of the major events of my life have started with a question:
"Have you thought about going to Taylor University?"
"What would you think if I held your hand?"
"What do you think of the name, Riley?"
"Have you ever been to Buffalo Wild Wings?"
This was no different.
"Would you ever consider moving to the Midwest?"
This relatively benign question was asked by my brother in law a year ago in the parking lot of a Best Buy in Muskegon, MI. There was no agenda (that I know of) with that question. I thought that my equally benign (but honest) answer of "if the right opportunity came up" was the end. However, it was only the beginning.
My other brother in law heard this answer and said nothing. That is, until he was back home in Chicago, at church, talking to a friend, whose dad owns an insurance agency and was looking for a new agent.
Now, ever since I graduated from college, I have never left any job opportunity off the table. Truth be told, my first attempt at finding a job was mailing a letter (remember doing that?) to the captain of a fishing boat in Key West. I never heard back. Since then, I have held four different jobs as well as two stints working for my dad's construction company. I have never really known what I wanted to do but seem to have found a niche in insurance. I have been in my current job for 4 1/2 years which is 2 years longer than any other job I have ever held. I have enjoyed helping people understand something that makes no sense to them. Plus people like you when you save them money. Like all jobs, there are negative parts but overall I have loved my job and have had no thoughts of leaving.
So when I first spoke to Jordan, it was my attempt to just see if God MIGHT be working. I certainly wasn't looking to move. However, I would never turn any job opportunity down (except recruiting, I did that once and will never do it again) . After talking with him, I just didn't feel a peace about the timing. The job itself seemed great but something told me that it just wasn't the right time. So I declined, thinking that would be the end. But (wait for it) it was only the beginning.
Fast forward six months to the end of this summer. God had been very busy closing doors in Missy's and my life. Doors related to the future of our jobs. Doors related to the church we had finally settled into. It was getting to the point of almost being comical. God was CRYSTAL clear. He had other plans for us.
Independently and unbeknownst to each other, Missy and I had both had Chicago in the back of our minds. That is until one of us asked (there is that question again) the other if we ever thought about Chicago. After talking about it, we both agreed that God was working. For the past few years, we both had had this feeling of being in a holding pattern. We watched our friends and family get involved in things, have clear direction from God, be excited about what was happening in their lives. And we simply didn't have that. Not that we weren't happy with our lives. We had made some incredible connections and friends. We loved being close to my family. Our weekend trips to our place in Maryland were great. (To this day, the last thing Riley tells me before he goes to bed is that he is going to dream about the "bayhouse, boat ride and the beach".) But something was missing. God had been saying "Wait." Now we both felt He was saying that the time of waiting was over.
So we agreed to once again to get in touch with Jordan. And ask a question. "Is this opportunity still on the table?" We simply prayed before hitting the "Send" button, "Your will be done."
The answer to that question was yes. And that led to scheduling a trip out to Chicago to meet Jordan and his dad, Bill. And that was preceded by a month of panicking by me leading up to the trip. You see, I am a panicker. I experienced my first panic attack five minutes before I proposed to Missy (the first time). I handle uncertain and new situations, especially ones of this magnitude, with fear and anxiety. And overthinking. And then more thinking. And sleepless nights. It's what I do.
However, two days before the big trip, it all changed. I was as cool as a cucumber. I was the Fonz. I felt no anxiety (other than a little nervousness which is normal and understandable). I was at peace. And with that, I flew out to Chicago.
Two weeks later, after much prayer, thought and conversation with friends and family that I love, trust and respect tremendously, I told Jordan I would take the job. We took that scary first step.
Short of showing up at our door and telling us what to do, God made it clear through closing so many doors and opening one big one in the Midwest that He had a plan for us. If we loved Him and trusted Him and said we would follow Him, here was our chance. God was telling us to put our money where our mouth was. To not go would make us hypocrites.
Now since that time, we have been busy getting ready to go, specifically, with our house. We had grandiose plans for our house. Plans that would span several years. Those plans were either changed, fast tracked or scrapped. We needed to get the house in selling condition and we needed to do it fast.
And here is where I thank God for my dad. He is a genius in all things construction. We have leaned on him over the past two years to help us work on our house. Now, we had to lean, hang, pull and drag on him to help us get our house in shape in the necessary timeframe. And though it understandably is painful for him to see his family go to the Midwest, he has come through tremendously in making our house look BEAUTIFUL in a very short period of time. He has shown me what sacrificial love looks like through boxes of flooring and shingles and spackle and concrete. Thanks Dad.
So here we are. Once again in a holding pattern. Though now we know where we are landing. At least somewhat. I don't know Chicago. I know where I will be working. I know we will be closer to some family and our college friends. But that is it. Our first step has led to a walk of faith with many steps into the unknown. But we are confident that God led us here and that He will be there with us in the Windy City. And we are excited to see what He has for us.
If you have made it this far, thanks for reading. This is a little insight into the process Missy and I have gone through to make the biggest decision of our married life. Hopefully this will help you if you are in a holding pattern and/or seeking what God has in store for you. Just one last piece of advice:
Be careful of how you answer questions.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
My Stint as a Single Parent
A few months ago (I started this post about a month and a half ago and it got left on the shelf for a while obviously), Missy had the opportunity to have a "Girls Weekend". Since Riley was born, she never had a "Girls Weekend". I have had one or two "Boys Weekend" a year since he was born. So it was time. And I was excited for her.
But that meant that Riley and I were bach'ing (that is my hip made up verb for bachelor - you know like no girls, I'm an idiot) it for the weekend. Now he and I have had numerous days together mostly when Missy was at work. But we have never had an overnight much less two. So as much as I wanted Missy to have a great time away, I was, let's call it, curious to see how it would go with the two of us.
I decided to take Riley to our house in Maryland for the weekend. First, my family was going to be there so I would have some help with Riley. Secondly, all summer all he had been asking about is the "Bayhouse, Boatride and Beach".
Riley typically is not a great sleeper at the Bay. I don't know if he knows that he could be experiencing the "Boatride and Beach" portions of the weekend at any time or what. But he doesn't do a lot of sleeping and this weekend was no different. However, the problem this time was that I couldn't really trade off with Missy while Riley was not sleeping. At night, I couldn't sleep while she got up with him or vice versa. Naps were no different. After one sleepless night, I was ready for a nap myself. However, rather than actually sleeping, Riley discovered that he was now big enough to climb out of his crib. Good times all around.
Overall, the weekend ended up going pretty well. It was great to have my family there. They certainly helped and provided me with some moments of relaxation. However, when it came to the overall parenting duties, I was on my own and it wore me out. And that was just one kid. For one weekend.
When I think about a single parent, more specifically a single mom, the picture that comes to mind is an exasperated woman out at the store with crying kids climbing all over her. When I was young and ignorant, I would think, "Wow, what a bad parent. Why can't she control her kids?" Now, and especially after that weekend, I think, "Wow. She is amazing. She has the energy to WALK!"
In my little weekend trip with Riley, I gained a new and tremendous appreciation for single parents. Parenting is tough. It is draining. Even when you can split duties. If it is just one person, I can't imagine how one would do it. I was alone with Riley for a little over 48 hours and I felt like I had run three marathons (actually I may have trying to chase him around and put his pajamas on).
Not only did I gain appreciation for single parents I gained appreciation for Missy. She is so tremendously organized in getting Riley's "stuff" (of which there is a lot) together for every trip out of the house - trips to the store, the beach, the restaurant. I practically forgot the child himself when we went places. There are so many things that she does to make our lives and Riley's life run smoothly and I didn't even realize it until that weekend.
Finally, I gained even more appreciation for Riley. He is such a good boy. He is beautiful. He is so incredibly sweet. His love and excitement for life and everything in it should be bottled up and sold. When I go through my day, I look forward to resting, watching TV and eating snacks. Riley stands in awe of nature - birds, water, sand, fishies, flowers, leaves, worms. His sole focus in life is to enjoy it. Obviously, he doesn't have the worries and concerns that I do. However, I could take a page from his life's playbook once in a while. And the times I do are the instances when I smile the most.
All in all, it was good weekend. For lots of reasons. Missy got her Girls Weekend in. Riley and I had our Boys Weekend. Missy got to rest. I got to think about Missy resting. Most importantly, I got to spend wonderful time with my son who was able to teach his dad a few things about life.
But that meant that Riley and I were bach'ing (that is my hip made up verb for bachelor - you know like no girls, I'm an idiot) it for the weekend. Now he and I have had numerous days together mostly when Missy was at work. But we have never had an overnight much less two. So as much as I wanted Missy to have a great time away, I was, let's call it, curious to see how it would go with the two of us.
I decided to take Riley to our house in Maryland for the weekend. First, my family was going to be there so I would have some help with Riley. Secondly, all summer all he had been asking about is the "Bayhouse, Boatride and Beach".
Riley typically is not a great sleeper at the Bay. I don't know if he knows that he could be experiencing the "Boatride and Beach" portions of the weekend at any time or what. But he doesn't do a lot of sleeping and this weekend was no different. However, the problem this time was that I couldn't really trade off with Missy while Riley was not sleeping. At night, I couldn't sleep while she got up with him or vice versa. Naps were no different. After one sleepless night, I was ready for a nap myself. However, rather than actually sleeping, Riley discovered that he was now big enough to climb out of his crib. Good times all around.
Overall, the weekend ended up going pretty well. It was great to have my family there. They certainly helped and provided me with some moments of relaxation. However, when it came to the overall parenting duties, I was on my own and it wore me out. And that was just one kid. For one weekend.
When I think about a single parent, more specifically a single mom, the picture that comes to mind is an exasperated woman out at the store with crying kids climbing all over her. When I was young and ignorant, I would think, "Wow, what a bad parent. Why can't she control her kids?" Now, and especially after that weekend, I think, "Wow. She is amazing. She has the energy to WALK!"
In my little weekend trip with Riley, I gained a new and tremendous appreciation for single parents. Parenting is tough. It is draining. Even when you can split duties. If it is just one person, I can't imagine how one would do it. I was alone with Riley for a little over 48 hours and I felt like I had run three marathons (actually I may have trying to chase him around and put his pajamas on).
Not only did I gain appreciation for single parents I gained appreciation for Missy. She is so tremendously organized in getting Riley's "stuff" (of which there is a lot) together for every trip out of the house - trips to the store, the beach, the restaurant. I practically forgot the child himself when we went places. There are so many things that she does to make our lives and Riley's life run smoothly and I didn't even realize it until that weekend.
Finally, I gained even more appreciation for Riley. He is such a good boy. He is beautiful. He is so incredibly sweet. His love and excitement for life and everything in it should be bottled up and sold. When I go through my day, I look forward to resting, watching TV and eating snacks. Riley stands in awe of nature - birds, water, sand, fishies, flowers, leaves, worms. His sole focus in life is to enjoy it. Obviously, he doesn't have the worries and concerns that I do. However, I could take a page from his life's playbook once in a while. And the times I do are the instances when I smile the most.
All in all, it was good weekend. For lots of reasons. Missy got her Girls Weekend in. Riley and I had our Boys Weekend. Missy got to rest. I got to think about Missy resting. Most importantly, I got to spend wonderful time with my son who was able to teach his dad a few things about life.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
"No, I do it!!!"
(Writer's note: This is my first blog using our new laptop. I feel like I should be wearing glasses with thick frames, sitting at Starbucks and blogging about injustice.)
Riley is just about two and a half. He is growing and developing in so many ways both good and bad. He is speaking much more clearly. He is amazing us with the tasks he can do.
And he has developed a strong sense of independence.
That independence comes out often and is usually signaled by the toddler phrase of "No, I do it!" This can be about getting out of a car himself. Or opening a refrigerator himself. Or picking up a toy himself. Missy and I will try and do something for him and immediately get cut off.
"No, I do it!"
The fact is, sometimes, he CAN do it. He is capable of some of things we are working to help him with. However, he refuses to let others help. In other situations, he simply can't do it yet he still he insists he can.
And that struck me tonight in a powerful way.
You see, for the past few weeks or so, I have really struggled. I felt pressure in 100 different directions. I have felt pressure at work. I have felt pressure in my community work. I have felt pressure as a husband and a father. I have felt pressure about my future. I have felt pressure as a homeowner. I have felt pressure as a Christian. I have even felt pressure as a (very part time) blogger.
And it has had consequences.
I have had minor anxiety attacks. I have had major headaches. I have not slept well. Physically, I have been a wreck.
And then tonight, as I tried to help Riley with something and heard that familiar phrase, it struck me that I have been saying the EXACT same thing.
"No, I do it!"
You see, I am a control freak. I am a perfectionist. I expect a lot from others but I expect the world from myself. And that has been eating me alive. And I just realized it.
I want to control EVERYTHING. I have this subconscious feeling that I can do all things. I can do all things immediately. And only I can do them to my perfectionist expectations.
"No, I do it!"
What has become quite clear is that I can't do it. Just like Riley can't do it. Some things, a few things, yes. Everything? No. At other times, even if I could do it, there is someone else who is just as capable and perhaps more so than me.
I have realized that most (but not all) of the pressure that I have been feeling has been internal.
"No, I do it!"
There are the natural pressures as well. Pressures from clients. Pressures from coworkers. Pressures from the roles I am in (husband, father, volunteer, etc.). These pressures come with existing in this world and for the most part, they are manageable and even healthy.
What has brought me to the brink is the internal and perhaps prideful pressure to be perfect. To be in control. In all things. At all times.
I simply can't do it. I am like Riley trying to open the refrigerator door while holding two stuffed animals and a juice cup. It's impossible to do but he insists on doing it himself.
What I need to do is stop. What I need to do is look to my heavenly Father and say "Help, please". I CAN'T do it. And I shouldn't expect to do it. Expecting to do all things myself is just as silly as Riley and the refrigerator. However, just like Riley, I couldn't see it. I couldn't be removed from the situation and the tremendous desire to do it myself.
What does that mean from here on out? I don't know. Like I said, I just had this realization tonight and thought I would and should share. I ask that you pray for me as I try and get over myself. If you struggle with the same thing, let me know and I will pray for you as well.
God bless to you all and thanks for reading.
Riley is just about two and a half. He is growing and developing in so many ways both good and bad. He is speaking much more clearly. He is amazing us with the tasks he can do.
And he has developed a strong sense of independence.
That independence comes out often and is usually signaled by the toddler phrase of "No, I do it!" This can be about getting out of a car himself. Or opening a refrigerator himself. Or picking up a toy himself. Missy and I will try and do something for him and immediately get cut off.
"No, I do it!"
The fact is, sometimes, he CAN do it. He is capable of some of things we are working to help him with. However, he refuses to let others help. In other situations, he simply can't do it yet he still he insists he can.
And that struck me tonight in a powerful way.
You see, for the past few weeks or so, I have really struggled. I felt pressure in 100 different directions. I have felt pressure at work. I have felt pressure in my community work. I have felt pressure as a husband and a father. I have felt pressure about my future. I have felt pressure as a homeowner. I have felt pressure as a Christian. I have even felt pressure as a (very part time) blogger.
And it has had consequences.
I have had minor anxiety attacks. I have had major headaches. I have not slept well. Physically, I have been a wreck.
And then tonight, as I tried to help Riley with something and heard that familiar phrase, it struck me that I have been saying the EXACT same thing.
"No, I do it!"
You see, I am a control freak. I am a perfectionist. I expect a lot from others but I expect the world from myself. And that has been eating me alive. And I just realized it.
I want to control EVERYTHING. I have this subconscious feeling that I can do all things. I can do all things immediately. And only I can do them to my perfectionist expectations.
"No, I do it!"
What has become quite clear is that I can't do it. Just like Riley can't do it. Some things, a few things, yes. Everything? No. At other times, even if I could do it, there is someone else who is just as capable and perhaps more so than me.
I have realized that most (but not all) of the pressure that I have been feeling has been internal.
"No, I do it!"
There are the natural pressures as well. Pressures from clients. Pressures from coworkers. Pressures from the roles I am in (husband, father, volunteer, etc.). These pressures come with existing in this world and for the most part, they are manageable and even healthy.
What has brought me to the brink is the internal and perhaps prideful pressure to be perfect. To be in control. In all things. At all times.
I simply can't do it. I am like Riley trying to open the refrigerator door while holding two stuffed animals and a juice cup. It's impossible to do but he insists on doing it himself.
What I need to do is stop. What I need to do is look to my heavenly Father and say "Help, please". I CAN'T do it. And I shouldn't expect to do it. Expecting to do all things myself is just as silly as Riley and the refrigerator. However, just like Riley, I couldn't see it. I couldn't be removed from the situation and the tremendous desire to do it myself.
What does that mean from here on out? I don't know. Like I said, I just had this realization tonight and thought I would and should share. I ask that you pray for me as I try and get over myself. If you struggle with the same thing, let me know and I will pray for you as well.
God bless to you all and thanks for reading.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Michael Vick
OK, I'll bite.
There have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 947592374092374725973049857 articles posted on Michael Vick since he was signed with my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. For me, the news broke when my bro-in-law called last Thursday when Missy and I were driving home from my mom's birthday dinner. Let me throw in my two cents along with every other person who owns a keyboard.
I couldn't believe it. Michael Vick? Here? In Philadelphia?
I remember watching an interview of Eagles head coach Andy Reid two days prior to the signing where he said that he was "very happy with the quarterback situation". So why the change?
Frankly, I have no idea. Not because he is an ex felon and that he did horrible things to dogs. If I can throw that out the window for a minute, it doesn't make a lot of sense when you consider that the Eagles just signed their overly-sensitive-doesn't-want-to-hear-that-his-job-may-be-in jeopardy franchise quarterback to a two year extension and they spent a high draft pick to get the supposed heir apparent to said quarterback two years ago. You don't drop $2 million on a third string QB. I could be the third string quarterback on the Eagles. So from that standpoint, it is an odd choice. And hearing that McNabb lobbied for it; that is either McNabb being extremely secure, self-confident and mature or being mind-blowingly stupid and potentially shooting himself in both feet.
Now to the part about the dogs. I love dogs. I balled my eyes out as a 29 year old (or was I 28?) when our family dog died. I cried for months after Cody died. We still have pictures up of him in our house. And I forgive Michael Vick. I think that people are so passionate about Michael Vick because people are passionate about animals and dogs specifically. Let's say you are in a room of 20 people and are watching the news. If a story about someone being shot and killed comes across the screen, no one will look up from their coffee. However, if a story about an abandoned dog comes up, people will be leaving the room and crying. Dogs are not people. However, they can instill an emotion that is as strong if not stronger than people can.
I don't understand the world of dogfighting. It doesn't make sense to me. It is a culture that I can't wrap my mind around. However, it exists and apparently Vick got into it at a young age. This idea that because he killed dogs he is on the same plane as a psychopath or serial killer - whose distinguishing feature is cruelty to animals - is absurd. Michael Vick is not a psychopath. He was (and it will remain to be seen if he still is) a stupid, immature, spoiled brat with horrendous taste in friends. And he paid dearly for it. Just because he did something horrible and did it specifically to dogs which people love doesn't mean he shouldn't be forgiven. And it doesn't mean that he can't move on with the rest of his life.
Michael Vick is not a doctor. He is not a lawyer. He is not even a burger flipper. He is a football player. He has a God-given ability that few on this Earth possess. He can do things with a football that no one can do. If he was any of the other things, I would think he should get a chance to be them again. It just so happens that his gifts are in the most popular and media-crazed occupation in the country. I give the Eagles props for sticking their neck out for him. Like with McNabb, time will tell if the move was made from a secure, confident stance or a desperate press of the panic button.
Of course, as an Eagles fan, I hope this works out. I hope NFL Films is running hour long specials in 20 years about the greatest offense in history featuring McNabb, Westbrook and Vick. The Michael Vick experiment will start in a few weeks. Here's hoping it works out better than the T.O. experiment. Because I sure would love a Super Bowl trophy to go along with our World Series ring.....
There have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 947592374092374725973049857 articles posted on Michael Vick since he was signed with my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. For me, the news broke when my bro-in-law called last Thursday when Missy and I were driving home from my mom's birthday dinner. Let me throw in my two cents along with every other person who owns a keyboard.
I couldn't believe it. Michael Vick? Here? In Philadelphia?
I remember watching an interview of Eagles head coach Andy Reid two days prior to the signing where he said that he was "very happy with the quarterback situation". So why the change?
Frankly, I have no idea. Not because he is an ex felon and that he did horrible things to dogs. If I can throw that out the window for a minute, it doesn't make a lot of sense when you consider that the Eagles just signed their overly-sensitive-doesn't-want-to-hear-that-his-job-may-be-in jeopardy franchise quarterback to a two year extension and they spent a high draft pick to get the supposed heir apparent to said quarterback two years ago. You don't drop $2 million on a third string QB. I could be the third string quarterback on the Eagles. So from that standpoint, it is an odd choice. And hearing that McNabb lobbied for it; that is either McNabb being extremely secure, self-confident and mature or being mind-blowingly stupid and potentially shooting himself in both feet.
Now to the part about the dogs. I love dogs. I balled my eyes out as a 29 year old (or was I 28?) when our family dog died. I cried for months after Cody died. We still have pictures up of him in our house. And I forgive Michael Vick. I think that people are so passionate about Michael Vick because people are passionate about animals and dogs specifically. Let's say you are in a room of 20 people and are watching the news. If a story about someone being shot and killed comes across the screen, no one will look up from their coffee. However, if a story about an abandoned dog comes up, people will be leaving the room and crying. Dogs are not people. However, they can instill an emotion that is as strong if not stronger than people can.
I don't understand the world of dogfighting. It doesn't make sense to me. It is a culture that I can't wrap my mind around. However, it exists and apparently Vick got into it at a young age. This idea that because he killed dogs he is on the same plane as a psychopath or serial killer - whose distinguishing feature is cruelty to animals - is absurd. Michael Vick is not a psychopath. He was (and it will remain to be seen if he still is) a stupid, immature, spoiled brat with horrendous taste in friends. And he paid dearly for it. Just because he did something horrible and did it specifically to dogs which people love doesn't mean he shouldn't be forgiven. And it doesn't mean that he can't move on with the rest of his life.
Michael Vick is not a doctor. He is not a lawyer. He is not even a burger flipper. He is a football player. He has a God-given ability that few on this Earth possess. He can do things with a football that no one can do. If he was any of the other things, I would think he should get a chance to be them again. It just so happens that his gifts are in the most popular and media-crazed occupation in the country. I give the Eagles props for sticking their neck out for him. Like with McNabb, time will tell if the move was made from a secure, confident stance or a desperate press of the panic button.
Of course, as an Eagles fan, I hope this works out. I hope NFL Films is running hour long specials in 20 years about the greatest offense in history featuring McNabb, Westbrook and Vick. The Michael Vick experiment will start in a few weeks. Here's hoping it works out better than the T.O. experiment. Because I sure would love a Super Bowl trophy to go along with our World Series ring.....
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Our Late Night Visitor....
They say that the home is a sanctuary. It is a place of refuge. It is the place where you can be yourself. Home is where the heart is.
And within that sanctuary is the bedroom. The place where you sleep. The room you wouldn't allow anyone into when you were a teenager. The sanctuary within the sanctuary.
So when Missy woke me at 2:00 in the morning a few nights ago saying there was something in our room, my heart stopped. Initially, I thought it was a bug. Missy hates bugs. Especially ones that fly. And especially ones that crunch when you squeeze them. However, a flutter of air and dark wings right past my face confirmed my biggest fear.
There was a bat in our bedroom.
And it was 2:00 in the morning.
Frankly, I was impressed with my quick thinking. I knew there was a trash bag in our hallway waiting to replace the one in Riley's room. I instantly crawled over Missy, who screamed from her hiding spot under the covers thinking I was the bat trying to attack her. I ran into in the hallway and grabbed the bag before the bat had a chance to make a break for the rest of our house. I had Missy run down and get a broom from the porch.
Missy, in her nightgown, postured herself ready to strike or swat away our winged intruder. I, in my gym shorts and bed head, had an open Hefty bag ready to snag the flying rodent.
We were armed and ready.
After making a few trips around our room, the bat made a home in the corner of our room next to a curtain. It gave us a chance to strategize and position for our first attack. I moved our tv cabinet and slid a chair next to the vermin's hang out spot. The plan was to cover the area and have the bat fly into the bag. Unfortunately, he (or possibly she) had a counter attack already planned. The bat dropped down below the bag and then buzzed past my left ear.
Missy did her best to swat at it but to no avail. The bat flew around the room a few more times and then settled on another curtain.
This gave us another chance to plan attack number two. Attack number two consisted of Missy attempting to knock the bat to the ground and me trying to cover it with the bag. (Once again, I was impressed with our clarity of thought when we had been sleeping only five minutes earlier). However, once again, the plan failed. Missy had a swing and a miss at the bat and it was off again.
At this point, all plans were out the window. It was time to stab and grab as best we could. Fortunately after a few attempts, I believe by the grace of God, I snagged the bat out of the air in mid flight. I promptly rushed to our bedroom window and tried to throw it out. However, the screen was still down so the attempt failed. I quickly threw the screen up, tossed the whole bag out the window slammed the window shut.
We had won. Our visitor who, according to the investigative committee report, got in through a gap in our bathroom closet ceiling, was gone. However, the aftershock had just begun.
Missy and I were both shaking. Everytime we closed our eyes, we had that sensation of fluttering wings above our heads. We ripped the house apart. We looked in every corner of the place for a friend of our visitor. Finally, we were satisfied that the only living things in our house had the last name of Delp.
But we couldn't sleep. And it was 2:30 in the morning. So we started talking; trying to take our minds off of the bat. I came up with some of my best college prank stories. Missy came up with her one college prank story. We discussed how much we missed our college friends.
Finally, 4:00 came around and we did our best to fall asleep.
But we left the light on.
Since then, Missy has checked our room every night for bats. I am planning to cover that gap as soon as humanly possible. In talking to our neighbors, almost everyone one of them has had ONE run in with a bat.
Here's hoping this is the only one we ever have to run into. I don't think my heart or my hand-eye coordination could handle another visit.
And within that sanctuary is the bedroom. The place where you sleep. The room you wouldn't allow anyone into when you were a teenager. The sanctuary within the sanctuary.
So when Missy woke me at 2:00 in the morning a few nights ago saying there was something in our room, my heart stopped. Initially, I thought it was a bug. Missy hates bugs. Especially ones that fly. And especially ones that crunch when you squeeze them. However, a flutter of air and dark wings right past my face confirmed my biggest fear.
There was a bat in our bedroom.
And it was 2:00 in the morning.
Frankly, I was impressed with my quick thinking. I knew there was a trash bag in our hallway waiting to replace the one in Riley's room. I instantly crawled over Missy, who screamed from her hiding spot under the covers thinking I was the bat trying to attack her. I ran into in the hallway and grabbed the bag before the bat had a chance to make a break for the rest of our house. I had Missy run down and get a broom from the porch.
Missy, in her nightgown, postured herself ready to strike or swat away our winged intruder. I, in my gym shorts and bed head, had an open Hefty bag ready to snag the flying rodent.
We were armed and ready.
After making a few trips around our room, the bat made a home in the corner of our room next to a curtain. It gave us a chance to strategize and position for our first attack. I moved our tv cabinet and slid a chair next to the vermin's hang out spot. The plan was to cover the area and have the bat fly into the bag. Unfortunately, he (or possibly she) had a counter attack already planned. The bat dropped down below the bag and then buzzed past my left ear.
Missy did her best to swat at it but to no avail. The bat flew around the room a few more times and then settled on another curtain.
This gave us another chance to plan attack number two. Attack number two consisted of Missy attempting to knock the bat to the ground and me trying to cover it with the bag. (Once again, I was impressed with our clarity of thought when we had been sleeping only five minutes earlier). However, once again, the plan failed. Missy had a swing and a miss at the bat and it was off again.
At this point, all plans were out the window. It was time to stab and grab as best we could. Fortunately after a few attempts, I believe by the grace of God, I snagged the bat out of the air in mid flight. I promptly rushed to our bedroom window and tried to throw it out. However, the screen was still down so the attempt failed. I quickly threw the screen up, tossed the whole bag out the window slammed the window shut.
We had won. Our visitor who, according to the investigative committee report, got in through a gap in our bathroom closet ceiling, was gone. However, the aftershock had just begun.
Missy and I were both shaking. Everytime we closed our eyes, we had that sensation of fluttering wings above our heads. We ripped the house apart. We looked in every corner of the place for a friend of our visitor. Finally, we were satisfied that the only living things in our house had the last name of Delp.
But we couldn't sleep. And it was 2:30 in the morning. So we started talking; trying to take our minds off of the bat. I came up with some of my best college prank stories. Missy came up with her one college prank story. We discussed how much we missed our college friends.
Finally, 4:00 came around and we did our best to fall asleep.
But we left the light on.
Since then, Missy has checked our room every night for bats. I am planning to cover that gap as soon as humanly possible. In talking to our neighbors, almost everyone one of them has had ONE run in with a bat.
Here's hoping this is the only one we ever have to run into. I don't think my heart or my hand-eye coordination could handle another visit.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
An Open Letter
This is an open "letter" to those couples who are pregnant, may become pregnant or are contemplating adding a child to their family some time within their lifetime.
As a parent, we gave our children a number of things that last their entire lifetime. Eye color. Hair color. Skin color. Temperment. Sense of humor (or lack thereof). Athletic ability (or lack thereof). Musical ability (or lack thereof) The list goes on. However, with each of these, because we were born with each of these traits, it is not our choice per se to pass them on to our children. However, there is one thing that we give our children that lasts their entire lifetime that we are solely responsible for.
Their name.
The inspiration for this post came a while ago when Missy and I took Riley to an indoor playground/melting pot of kids, foam, slides and sweat. We were watching our son happily dodge seven year olds as they ran, punched, kicked and tackled anything in their way. All of a sudden, a woman who was old enough to have survived the Titanic shuffled in with a 40 year old camera. She feebly tried to corral two of the boys for long enough to get a picture of her grandsons.
"Braxton!"
"Jagger!"
"Come over here, please. Braxton, can you stand next to your brother Jagger, please?"
From that moment, I knew I had write this post.
As a parent, you are given a tremendous responsibility to name another human being. That name will stay with them forever. I felt this weight when we were pregnant with Riley. Missy bought the baby name book and we combed through thousands of names until we found the one we thought was perfect. There are certain things you need to avoid when naming your child.
#1. You cannot give them a name that rhymes with something kids can pick on them for.
#2. You shouldn't give them a name that doesn't definitely tell what gender they are. (Oops. "Oh, your son is named Riley? We have a daughter and a niece named Riley!")
However, I would like to add another rule to the child naming commandments.
Think of the oldest person you are related to - preferably a grandparent or great grandparent. They will LOVE your child. And they will say your child's name. Pick a name that doesn't sound weird when an old person says it. They won't know it sounds weird. Actually they might but that won't stop them from saying it. Other people are going to have to hear them say it and will feel bad because their grand (or great grand) child has a name that the parent tried too hard to sound cool.
There are some sub-rules that go with this one:
-don't name your child after the name of a musician - Jagger, Braxton, Elvis
NOTE: Dylan is acceptable.
-don't name them after places - London, Ireland, Paris
-don't name them after nouns - Rider, Hunter, Pearl
And a new one inspired by a recent playground encounter:
-don't take great names and give your kid a knockoff name - Briley. I would also add "Bryan" to this list. Why mess with a good thing?
So all of that to say, you parents have a tremendous responsibility. You will not only impact your child but the hundreds or thousands of people who will have to say that child's name.
Follow the above rules and you will go a long way to giving your child a happy life.
(Author's note: This post was written while sitting in a room with no air conditioning. Any misspellings, grammatical errors or the fact that his child's name completely contradicts the above rules can be directly attributed to the fact that the author wrote this post while facing temperatures similar to those found on the surface of the sun. Gosh we need a laptop.)
As a parent, we gave our children a number of things that last their entire lifetime. Eye color. Hair color. Skin color. Temperment. Sense of humor (or lack thereof). Athletic ability (or lack thereof). Musical ability (or lack thereof) The list goes on. However, with each of these, because we were born with each of these traits, it is not our choice per se to pass them on to our children. However, there is one thing that we give our children that lasts their entire lifetime that we are solely responsible for.
Their name.
The inspiration for this post came a while ago when Missy and I took Riley to an indoor playground/melting pot of kids, foam, slides and sweat. We were watching our son happily dodge seven year olds as they ran, punched, kicked and tackled anything in their way. All of a sudden, a woman who was old enough to have survived the Titanic shuffled in with a 40 year old camera. She feebly tried to corral two of the boys for long enough to get a picture of her grandsons.
"Braxton!"
"Jagger!"
"Come over here, please. Braxton, can you stand next to your brother Jagger, please?"
From that moment, I knew I had write this post.
As a parent, you are given a tremendous responsibility to name another human being. That name will stay with them forever. I felt this weight when we were pregnant with Riley. Missy bought the baby name book and we combed through thousands of names until we found the one we thought was perfect. There are certain things you need to avoid when naming your child.
#1. You cannot give them a name that rhymes with something kids can pick on them for.
#2. You shouldn't give them a name that doesn't definitely tell what gender they are. (Oops. "Oh, your son is named Riley? We have a daughter and a niece named Riley!")
However, I would like to add another rule to the child naming commandments.
Think of the oldest person you are related to - preferably a grandparent or great grandparent. They will LOVE your child. And they will say your child's name. Pick a name that doesn't sound weird when an old person says it. They won't know it sounds weird. Actually they might but that won't stop them from saying it. Other people are going to have to hear them say it and will feel bad because their grand (or great grand) child has a name that the parent tried too hard to sound cool.
There are some sub-rules that go with this one:
-don't name your child after the name of a musician - Jagger, Braxton, Elvis
NOTE: Dylan is acceptable.
-don't name them after places - London, Ireland, Paris
-don't name them after nouns - Rider, Hunter, Pearl
And a new one inspired by a recent playground encounter:
-don't take great names and give your kid a knockoff name - Briley. I would also add "Bryan" to this list. Why mess with a good thing?
So all of that to say, you parents have a tremendous responsibility. You will not only impact your child but the hundreds or thousands of people who will have to say that child's name.
Follow the above rules and you will go a long way to giving your child a happy life.
(Author's note: This post was written while sitting in a room with no air conditioning. Any misspellings, grammatical errors or the fact that his child's name completely contradicts the above rules can be directly attributed to the fact that the author wrote this post while facing temperatures similar to those found on the surface of the sun. Gosh we need a laptop.)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Five Hours in MSP
Airports are a stressful place. Typically the minute I walk out of my house to go to an airport, I move up a notch in terms of stress level. Once I walk through the revolving doors into the actual airport, it goes up another level. I don't fully relax and take a deep breath until I get to my desination.....and pick up my bags from baggage claim. But that's a story for another time.
Once we had Riley and started traveling on planes with him, those stress levels increased ten-fold. Now don't get me wrong, Riley is a VERY good traveler. He loves planes. He loves de-icing trucks. He loves baggage claim carousels. He even likes it when his stuff gets to go through the "tunnel" in security. However, he is two and requires a small arsenal of toys, snacks, books and juice. And sometimes (usually on the trip back) he doesn't always want to go where we need to go when we need to go there. And he makes his dislike for such demands known publicly.
This past week, we flew to North Dakota to have a series of family reunions with Missy's family. We reun'ed (I just made that word up for this blog alone but you can use it if you like) with Missy's aunt (Missy's mom's sister) and her family. We reun'ed with Missy's dad's siblings and their family. We reun'ed with Missy's grandmother and Riley's great-grandmother. Though that was the first time Riley met her. He was a little shy but did bust out a few verses of "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy" for her. AND we reun'ed with Missy's family (parents, siblings and their family) which we do biannually and is certainly one of the things we most look forward to throughout the year. It was a great time to see family we haven't seen in a long time, meet new family members and truly take in the North Dakota culture (check out the family blog - delppartyofthree.blogspot.com for pictures and one of my favorite new videos of Riley).
It was wonderful but all the running around didn't help with Riley's nap schedule. In short, he didn't have a nap schedule except for one day on the trip. So by the time we lifted off from the Minot International Airport heading for Minneapolis/St. Paul (or MSP for airport code), we were all tired and had already experienced one of Riley's public displays of displeasure towards, well, pretty much everything.
And we were headed for a five hour layover.
Northwest, as wonderful as they are, pushed our last flight back three times between when I booked the trip and when we left. We had a nice hour and a half layover that would get us home around 5:00 pm. When we took off, it had been pushed to five hours. I figured I could take evasive action once we arrived in MSP and get us on an earlier flight a la "Amazing Race". However, I was informed when we stepped off the plane that we could go standby if we paid $150 and came back to the airport to get our bags. Since one of our "bags" (a trash bag) was Riley's car seat, there was no option. We were staying for the long haul.
And let's say things were slightly tense. I was fully prepared for five hours in the third circle of hell.
However, Missy and I prayed over Riley's chicken nuggets and our "morale builder" - day old, overpriced sushi - lunch that we would make the most of the time we had.
And the weird thing was, we did.
In fact, we had a blast. We had the rare opportunity to be in an airport, with a two year old, with no stress. We had nothing but time. Riley could do WHATEVER he wanted for almost five hours in a place that offered more fun and cooler stuff than any playground I have seen.
We rode escalators. We rode people movers. Mostly in circles back and forth, up and down. We rode the tram between Gates C-D, over and over and over. We played at the indoor playground. We watched the endless line of carts as they honked and transferred elderly and overweight people through the airport.
All while surrounded by stressed travelers and in some cases, their displeased children.
And the time flew.
Before we knew it, we were figuring what to do for dinner and making sure we could squeeze it in before we boarded our flight for Philly.
No one would ever accuse me of being overly optimistic. If I saw a glass that was filled halfway with water, I would complain that it wasn't Coke. However, experiences like this open my eyes to the fact that in almost any situation, we have the ability to control our perspective of that situation. I could have easily sulked and pouted for five hours. But instead, we embraced the fact that we had an entire billion dollar facility at our fingertips. And other than some "Watch out, Riley" 's and some "Sorry, excuse us" 's, we had the world's most elaborate family playground to ourselves.
Some highlights:
Riley in front of one of his favorite things: A motorcycle
Riley in awe of the tram in all its "choo choo" glory.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Father's Day: Tom Cochrane, Fergie and Madonna
Our weekly trip is always an adventure. Our church is about 30 minutes away from our house. Over the the past year and a half since we started attending our church, Riley has pointed out some staples on the trip that have become highlights that he looks forward to. To name a few:
-haybails
-horses
-cows
-a big bus
-an ambulance
So on this day, our trip to church went pretty much the way it has gone for the last 18 months or so. However, the trip back was a little different and made for a sweet early Father's Day memory for me.
There are two things (among others) that Riley has developed a love for. Singing and the Disney movie "Cars". These two loves have recently converged in the form of a McDonald's Happy Meal toy. Bear with me here. One of the songs (the one he has dubbed as THE "Cars Movie Song") is a Rascal Flatts cover of the 1991 song "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane (a personal favorite of mine back in my early high school days, I'm sure it is on a mix tape somewhere). This song, which obviously is played in the movie, also popped up along with a few other random pop songs on a sample CD Riley got in a Happy Meal from McDonald's.
On this CD, which is called Kidz Bop, a bunch of kids and a wanne be rock star singer perform the Tom Cochrane song, Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry", Daughtry's "Home" and Madonna's "Holiday". It is a very random assortment of pop songs but because it has the beloved "Cars Movie Song", Riley has been asking to listen to this CD often. Today's ride home was one of those instances.
Recently, as Riley has gotten more familiar with the songs, he has "sung" along with them; every "yeah!", "woo!" and even the "gimme gimme gimme gimme, yeah!" from "Life is a Highway". It is a sweet, hilarious and heartwarming experience to listen (because he has forbidden us to sing with him - I guess we disrupt his flow) to him sing.
However, today, he asked both Missy and I to sing with him individually.
So there I was driving home from church, singing a 18 year old song with my two year old son......with tears in my eyes. I can't explain it but there is something beautiful about hearing your child sing. I don't know if it is the realization of hearing/seeing your child express themselves. I don't know if it the cuteness factor of a two year, who is just starting to talk clearly, sing pop songs. I'm not sure but I know that it made it hard for me to get the words out because I was too choked up.
Like most people (especially on Life is a Highway), Riley would sort of mumble the words until he got to a part he knew - "mumumumumumum, life is a highway! Mumumumumumum all night long! Gimme gimme gimme yeah!"
After he got done with "Life is a Highway" for the fifth time, he moved on to Fergie. I don't know how I feel about him singing (at least attempting) "It's time to be a big girl now, and big girls don't cry" but when I heard, "mumumumumum cry!!!!", my heart melted. Even though it was Fergie.
Today's memory is one I will never forget. To sing with my child was a blessing that will stay with me forever.
Thanks for making it a great Father's Day, Riley. If life IS a highway, you made the trip a little sweeter today.
-haybails
-horses
-cows
-a big bus
-an ambulance
So on this day, our trip to church went pretty much the way it has gone for the last 18 months or so. However, the trip back was a little different and made for a sweet early Father's Day memory for me.
There are two things (among others) that Riley has developed a love for. Singing and the Disney movie "Cars". These two loves have recently converged in the form of a McDonald's Happy Meal toy. Bear with me here. One of the songs (the one he has dubbed as THE "Cars Movie Song") is a Rascal Flatts cover of the 1991 song "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane (a personal favorite of mine back in my early high school days, I'm sure it is on a mix tape somewhere). This song, which obviously is played in the movie, also popped up along with a few other random pop songs on a sample CD Riley got in a Happy Meal from McDonald's.
On this CD, which is called Kidz Bop, a bunch of kids and a wanne be rock star singer perform the Tom Cochrane song, Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry", Daughtry's "Home" and Madonna's "Holiday". It is a very random assortment of pop songs but because it has the beloved "Cars Movie Song", Riley has been asking to listen to this CD often. Today's ride home was one of those instances.
Recently, as Riley has gotten more familiar with the songs, he has "sung" along with them; every "yeah!", "woo!" and even the "gimme gimme gimme gimme, yeah!" from "Life is a Highway". It is a sweet, hilarious and heartwarming experience to listen (because he has forbidden us to sing with him - I guess we disrupt his flow) to him sing.
However, today, he asked both Missy and I to sing with him individually.
So there I was driving home from church, singing a 18 year old song with my two year old son......with tears in my eyes. I can't explain it but there is something beautiful about hearing your child sing. I don't know if it is the realization of hearing/seeing your child express themselves. I don't know if it the cuteness factor of a two year, who is just starting to talk clearly, sing pop songs. I'm not sure but I know that it made it hard for me to get the words out because I was too choked up.
Like most people (especially on Life is a Highway), Riley would sort of mumble the words until he got to a part he knew - "mumumumumumum, life is a highway! Mumumumumumum all night long! Gimme gimme gimme yeah!"
After he got done with "Life is a Highway" for the fifth time, he moved on to Fergie. I don't know how I feel about him singing (at least attempting) "It's time to be a big girl now, and big girls don't cry" but when I heard, "mumumumumum cry!!!!", my heart melted. Even though it was Fergie.
Today's memory is one I will never forget. To sing with my child was a blessing that will stay with me forever.
Thanks for making it a great Father's Day, Riley. If life IS a highway, you made the trip a little sweeter today.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Observations of a Playground Parent
Since becoming a parent, I have become much more aware of how others parent their children. Before I was a father, I would only really notice the parent of the kid who was screaming in the store. I would instantly think that person was a terrible parent and the child was destined to a life of doing 10-20 for holding up liquor stores. Now, I am a little more "enlightened" and realize EVERY parent will go through that at some point. The screaming child, I mean. Hopefully not the felon child.
One place, I have really noticed a difference in parenting styles is on the playground. Now that the weather is finally getting nicer, we have had the opportunity to come out of our cave and go to one of several parks in our area - most within walking distance. The time I personally have been able to take the most advantage of this is on the Saturdays that Missy works. While, it is not fun to have Missy work on a Saturday or two a month, it has given Riley and I the chance to have some great father/son time. And typically our father/son time ends up at a local park.
We went to one pretty large park a few weeks ago and here I observed several different parents interacting with their child in a number of different ways. Here is how I would classify them:
1. The Doomsday Parent - This is the parent who watches their child from a distance and only communicates with them through predictions of unspeakable danger.
"Timmy, get off of there! You are going to break your neck!"
2. The MIA Parent - This is the one who is there but not really. They are talking to friends or reading or flirting or asleep or something. All the while their child is standing next to Timmy on top of the two story playground equipment getting ready to cannonball off the side.
3. The Cell Phone Parent - The cell phone parent could also be called the life story parent. This is the person who is on their cell phone while their child plays and is usually talking to someone so loudly that you can hear their life story. My guess is that is probably their intention but I don't know why.
"I can't believe she would do that to you! I know! I have never liked her. I don't even know why she still HAS a job." Or.....
"I have had the WORST stomach issues! We had Chinese last night and I was in the bathroom for 45 minutes! I should go to the doctor but I might have to get an enema."
Now the cell phone parent can easily combine with both of the first two. They can be so engrossed in a conversation on the cell phone that they missed seeing their child get TKO'd while walking in front of another kid on a swing. Or the Life Story parent:
"I need to see a specialist about my foot. This bunion is......NO NO NO NO NO! Get out of there! You will get your head cut off!"
Now the last parent type I see at that playground and the one I try and be, when I am not telling others about my bunions is...
4. The Interactive Parent. This is the one who actually plays with their child at the playground. They go down the slides with them. They swing on the swings with them. They get stuck in tunnels (like I do pretty much every time) with them. They are usually sweating. There will come a day when Riley will not think it is the greatest thing in the world that his parents will play with him. But until that day comes, I am going to run around, get stuck and sweat for him.
If you can think of any other parent types, I would love to hear them.
Now get away from there! You could contract the plague!
One place, I have really noticed a difference in parenting styles is on the playground. Now that the weather is finally getting nicer, we have had the opportunity to come out of our cave and go to one of several parks in our area - most within walking distance. The time I personally have been able to take the most advantage of this is on the Saturdays that Missy works. While, it is not fun to have Missy work on a Saturday or two a month, it has given Riley and I the chance to have some great father/son time. And typically our father/son time ends up at a local park.
We went to one pretty large park a few weeks ago and here I observed several different parents interacting with their child in a number of different ways. Here is how I would classify them:
1. The Doomsday Parent - This is the parent who watches their child from a distance and only communicates with them through predictions of unspeakable danger.
"Timmy, get off of there! You are going to break your neck!"
2. The MIA Parent - This is the one who is there but not really. They are talking to friends or reading or flirting or asleep or something. All the while their child is standing next to Timmy on top of the two story playground equipment getting ready to cannonball off the side.
3. The Cell Phone Parent - The cell phone parent could also be called the life story parent. This is the person who is on their cell phone while their child plays and is usually talking to someone so loudly that you can hear their life story. My guess is that is probably their intention but I don't know why.
"I can't believe she would do that to you! I know! I have never liked her. I don't even know why she still HAS a job." Or.....
"I have had the WORST stomach issues! We had Chinese last night and I was in the bathroom for 45 minutes! I should go to the doctor but I might have to get an enema."
Now the cell phone parent can easily combine with both of the first two. They can be so engrossed in a conversation on the cell phone that they missed seeing their child get TKO'd while walking in front of another kid on a swing. Or the Life Story parent:
"I need to see a specialist about my foot. This bunion is......NO NO NO NO NO! Get out of there! You will get your head cut off!"
Now the last parent type I see at that playground and the one I try and be, when I am not telling others about my bunions is...
4. The Interactive Parent. This is the one who actually plays with their child at the playground. They go down the slides with them. They swing on the swings with them. They get stuck in tunnels (like I do pretty much every time) with them. They are usually sweating. There will come a day when Riley will not think it is the greatest thing in the world that his parents will play with him. But until that day comes, I am going to run around, get stuck and sweat for him.
If you can think of any other parent types, I would love to hear them.
Now get away from there! You could contract the plague!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Where in the world is Ryan Delp????
I know, I know. I have had the police call TWICE to make sure I was still alive. I saw my own picture on the back of a milk carton. Don't worry. I am still alive. I am still (mostly) sane. I am still capable of typing and still have some access to a computer.
So the question is: where have you been? The simple answer?
Painting.
We have had dreams of redoing our kitchen since we moved in. We have done small things but the big stuff, namely replacing the floor and painting the cabinets, we have put off.
Until now.
Right after I got my wisdom teeth out.
I was actually hoping to have some of those swollen cheek pictures after I got my wisdom teeth out. I really was. However, it didn't happen. The doctor said that the teeth came out great and didn't think I would have any swelling. And I didn't. I didn't have to take Vicodin which was a disappointment. I DID have to eat yogurt and shakes which got old after about 8 hours. And now I have that little syringe thing to keep everything clean. So overall, not too painful a process.
The only real downside was that I had to confer with the guys installing our dishwasher (more on that later) about 4 hours after I had my surgery. I don't remember much from that conversation other than I told them that the dishwasher was in the basement.....as they were standing next to it at the bottom of the basement steps. So I'm sure it was a great conversation.
So the plan was to rip out the vinyl floor, put in tile, take out our dishwasher which I think was first used by the Pilgrims after the first Thanksgiving, replace it with a donated newer one and then paint our cabinets, install the new hardware and enjoy our beautiful kitchen. It seemed like a week to two week job at most.
We ripped out our floor on March 23rd. We hung the cabinet doors (thus pretty much completing the job) tonight - April 21st. Two days shy of a month.
Overall, it was actually a pretty smooth process. The only hiccup really was that the donated dishwasher apparently had a family of hungry mice living it that caused $300 worth of damage. So we bought a new diswasher. We lived off of McDonald's and cereal for a few days while our floor was being tiled. It really wasn't too bad. Just time consuming.
We started painting around the beginning of April. Two coats of primer. On the cabinets. And on the doors. Each side. Then two coats of finish paint. On the cabinets. And on the doors. Each side. Then spray painting the existing hardware to match the ones the bought. Each side. You get the idea.
So finally, a month and some change later, I can proudly post the before, during and after shots of our kitchen. Enjoy.
Before.....
During......
After.......
Oh and then our sewer line backed up into our yard and we had to replace the whole thing.
I, for one, am very much looking forward to what May has in store. More blog posts perhaps....
So the question is: where have you been? The simple answer?
Painting.
We have had dreams of redoing our kitchen since we moved in. We have done small things but the big stuff, namely replacing the floor and painting the cabinets, we have put off.
Until now.
Right after I got my wisdom teeth out.
I was actually hoping to have some of those swollen cheek pictures after I got my wisdom teeth out. I really was. However, it didn't happen. The doctor said that the teeth came out great and didn't think I would have any swelling. And I didn't. I didn't have to take Vicodin which was a disappointment. I DID have to eat yogurt and shakes which got old after about 8 hours. And now I have that little syringe thing to keep everything clean. So overall, not too painful a process.
The only real downside was that I had to confer with the guys installing our dishwasher (more on that later) about 4 hours after I had my surgery. I don't remember much from that conversation other than I told them that the dishwasher was in the basement.....as they were standing next to it at the bottom of the basement steps. So I'm sure it was a great conversation.
So the plan was to rip out the vinyl floor, put in tile, take out our dishwasher which I think was first used by the Pilgrims after the first Thanksgiving, replace it with a donated newer one and then paint our cabinets, install the new hardware and enjoy our beautiful kitchen. It seemed like a week to two week job at most.
We ripped out our floor on March 23rd. We hung the cabinet doors (thus pretty much completing the job) tonight - April 21st. Two days shy of a month.
Overall, it was actually a pretty smooth process. The only hiccup really was that the donated dishwasher apparently had a family of hungry mice living it that caused $300 worth of damage. So we bought a new diswasher. We lived off of McDonald's and cereal for a few days while our floor was being tiled. It really wasn't too bad. Just time consuming.
We started painting around the beginning of April. Two coats of primer. On the cabinets. And on the doors. Each side. Then two coats of finish paint. On the cabinets. And on the doors. Each side. Then spray painting the existing hardware to match the ones the bought. Each side. You get the idea.
So finally, a month and some change later, I can proudly post the before, during and after shots of our kitchen. Enjoy.
Before.....
During......
After.......
Oh and then our sewer line backed up into our yard and we had to replace the whole thing.
I, for one, am very much looking forward to what May has in store. More blog posts perhaps....
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Most Wonderful Time of the Year
OK, so allow me to be 6 years old for a minute. I LOVE this time of year. And I have selfish reasons so please indulge me.
I will get the selfish one out of the way. My birthday is this time of year. I am old enough to start seeing my age when I look in the mirror. However, I am not old enough to dread my birthday. I LIKE my birthday if for no other reason than to get emails, texts, phone calls and cards from friends and family. It is nice to be shown how much you are loved every once in a while and I got plenty of love this year. Especially now that I am on Facebook (see previous blog post). I checked my email on my birthday and there were 45 new emails - most of them from Facebook messages. This year, my sis in law, Mel and her husband Scott flew in to visit. We did the Philly thing (cheesesteaks, Liberty Bell, cut off in traffic, sworn at) and then went out for sushi and hibachi that night. Couple that with being able to take the day off from work and play nine holes of golf and it was the perfect day. Also, in case you care, I share the same birthday as American icons - Chuck Norris, American Idols - Carrie Underwood and ANTI-American Icons - Osama bin Laden.
Next, it is Riley's birthday. I get excited for my birthday but I get very excited for Riley's. He is still a little too young to understand what is going on but the nostalgic sap comes out in me. Last year, we symbolically turned his car seat around after his party because now as a one year old, he could face forward. Overdramatic? Probably. But I loved it. I can't believe the kid is going to be two. It seems like a week ago he was born yet at the same time it seems like a lifetime ago. Actually, I guess it has been a lifetime ago. Riley's lifetime. Riley, by the way, shares his birthday with all kinds of American icons - Reese Witherspoon, Bob Costas, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Louis L'Amour and my personal favorite, William Shatner.
Next, the weather is finally changing. I don't know if it was because we were sharing a house with a stir crazy toddler but this winter seemed to go forever. The weather is hitting the 40's and 50's and we are scrambling to go out for walks. I saw the sun for the first time in months. We talked to our neighbors for more than 4 seconds today for the first time in 2009. It was like everyone is coming out of hibernation. Spring can't come fast enough.
And Final-ly, March Madness is upon us. I am not sure when I got so crazy about the Men's NCAA Basketball tournament but I love it. I start watching college basketball in the fall just to get an idea of what teams are decent so I can be prepared for March Madness. Yes, I have run two pools for years and no I haven't won either but that's ok. The first Thursday and Friday when games start at noon and go all day is one of the highlights of my year. I remember sitting in the hospital after Riley was born watching games on the 2 inch tv they have in the room and thinking how great it was going to be to watch games all week while I was on paternity leave. Little did I realize that I wouldn't be sleeping much that week and was too tired to watch the games. I watch as many games as I can and I have the little scoreboard on my computer at work. (I don't think my boss reads this blog but it doesn't matter because he does the same thing). Also, because the tournament is on CBS, they constantly run commercials for my second favorite sporting event to watch each year - the "tradition unlike any other - The Master's on CBS".
So I am in heaven right now. My taxes are done (and we got a refund - thank YOU mortgage interest!), the basketball games start Thursday. We are spending the weekend celebrating mine and Riley's birthdays. I hear the temperature is going to hit 60 tomorrow. Everything is looking up.
Now I just need a North Carolina national championship......
I will get the selfish one out of the way. My birthday is this time of year. I am old enough to start seeing my age when I look in the mirror. However, I am not old enough to dread my birthday. I LIKE my birthday if for no other reason than to get emails, texts, phone calls and cards from friends and family. It is nice to be shown how much you are loved every once in a while and I got plenty of love this year. Especially now that I am on Facebook (see previous blog post). I checked my email on my birthday and there were 45 new emails - most of them from Facebook messages. This year, my sis in law, Mel and her husband Scott flew in to visit. We did the Philly thing (cheesesteaks, Liberty Bell, cut off in traffic, sworn at) and then went out for sushi and hibachi that night. Couple that with being able to take the day off from work and play nine holes of golf and it was the perfect day. Also, in case you care, I share the same birthday as American icons - Chuck Norris, American Idols - Carrie Underwood and ANTI-American Icons - Osama bin Laden.
Next, it is Riley's birthday. I get excited for my birthday but I get very excited for Riley's. He is still a little too young to understand what is going on but the nostalgic sap comes out in me. Last year, we symbolically turned his car seat around after his party because now as a one year old, he could face forward. Overdramatic? Probably. But I loved it. I can't believe the kid is going to be two. It seems like a week ago he was born yet at the same time it seems like a lifetime ago. Actually, I guess it has been a lifetime ago. Riley's lifetime. Riley, by the way, shares his birthday with all kinds of American icons - Reese Witherspoon, Bob Costas, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Louis L'Amour and my personal favorite, William Shatner.
Next, the weather is finally changing. I don't know if it was because we were sharing a house with a stir crazy toddler but this winter seemed to go forever. The weather is hitting the 40's and 50's and we are scrambling to go out for walks. I saw the sun for the first time in months. We talked to our neighbors for more than 4 seconds today for the first time in 2009. It was like everyone is coming out of hibernation. Spring can't come fast enough.
And Final-ly, March Madness is upon us. I am not sure when I got so crazy about the Men's NCAA Basketball tournament but I love it. I start watching college basketball in the fall just to get an idea of what teams are decent so I can be prepared for March Madness. Yes, I have run two pools for years and no I haven't won either but that's ok. The first Thursday and Friday when games start at noon and go all day is one of the highlights of my year. I remember sitting in the hospital after Riley was born watching games on the 2 inch tv they have in the room and thinking how great it was going to be to watch games all week while I was on paternity leave. Little did I realize that I wouldn't be sleeping much that week and was too tired to watch the games. I watch as many games as I can and I have the little scoreboard on my computer at work. (I don't think my boss reads this blog but it doesn't matter because he does the same thing). Also, because the tournament is on CBS, they constantly run commercials for my second favorite sporting event to watch each year - the "tradition unlike any other - The Master's on CBS".
So I am in heaven right now. My taxes are done (and we got a refund - thank YOU mortgage interest!), the basketball games start Thursday. We are spending the weekend celebrating mine and Riley's birthdays. I hear the temperature is going to hit 60 tomorrow. Everything is looking up.
Now I just need a North Carolina national championship......
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wolverine in a Tux - It's the 2009 Oscars!
This year didn't start out so good for me. In the past, I have printed ballots with lists of all the Oscar nominees, made choices, compared them with Missy's choices. Made fun of her choices. Got some food together. All an hour before the big show. This year, Missy wasn't home (something about going to get cigarettes.....), the ballot I tried to print came out crazy and half the page was blank, and five minutes before it started I was trying to convince Riley it was time for bed. He didn't buy it.
Anyway, so I wasn't quite as prepared as in years past but as they say in the biz, "the show must go on!"
8:31-This year the host is Hugh Jackman aka Wolverine from X-Men. In the past it has been Billy Crystal so this should be interesting. I only know Jackman with long sideburns and steel blades coming out of his hands. OK, so Wolverine can sing and dance sort of. With the economy, they are going with homemade props for each movie. Kind of clever. Kind of contrived. Anne Hathaway is now being pulled out of the audience to participate. Kind of clever. Kind of contrived. And the big finish....."I'M WOL-VER-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!" Standing ovation. We are off to a good start.
8:44-With the new format, they are making changes. Here is one apparently. They are rolling out old winners of the category to slurp up to the nominees and make them look uncomfortable. Though I am uncomfortable looking at the past winners of Best Supporting Actress. I thought most of them were dead and they certainly look that way. Five minutes of slurping for each nominees, this could be a long night. And the winner, Penelope Cruz!
8:58-Tina Fey and Steve Martin roll out for Best Original Screenplay. And the nominees are....no movie I have ever heard of except "Milk", the movie where Sean Penn plays a gay activist who seems kind of mentally challenged. Well, there's your winner. Remember this equation: Sean Penn+gay and/or mentally challenged=Oscar. And.......I'm right. Winner is Milk.
And Tina Fey and Steve Martin are still on stage. I guess this is their way of speeding things up. Best ADAPTED Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire. The one movie I would like to see if only because I have been to India and seen the slums. I don't recall any millionaires there though. They should save even more time and just have a Best Screenplay category. Sean Penn plays a gay Indian and we're done.
9:07-Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black come out (no pun intended) for Best Animation. There is a Pixar Movie involved (Wall-E)....game over. Pixar+(anything)=Oscar - in this case a mute space robot.
Aniston and Black still on. Best Animated Short - aka - random foreign film that make no sense about obscure subjects category. And the winner - a French Japanese guy who made a movie about tree bark, I think. And the best acceptance speech by a foreign filmmaker. This guy just kept saying "Sank you" to different people that we couldn't understand then he got quiet, uncomfortable and said, "Domo origato, Mr. Roboto." and walked offstage. He is my new favorite director. Take THAT Spielberg!
9:16-James Bond and Carrie from Sex in the City are on stage for Best Art Direction. And the winner if Benjamin Button, which means goodbye Best Picture award (the Academy always seems to give lesser awards as consolation prizes to films that don't win Best Picture). And we have our first speech cut off by the music.
Now Bond and Carrie are on for Best Costume Design. The nominees are all the same. Looks like the Academy is mailing it in. "Just pick five movies and put them in like 8 categories, no one except that Delp loser is watching anyway...." The winner is The Duchess. This winner learned from the last guy, saw the clock ticking down and sped up his thank yous. "I would like to thank my agent, our director, Warner Brothers, my mommydadmywifemykidsiloveyouallandcouldn'tavedonwitouyu!"
Whoa, triple duty for Bond and Carrie! Best Makeup - Benjamin Button - and goodbye Best Director award as well. This guy learned from the last two guys and did speed reading from the start. Last count I had, he read 3,948,237 people he thanked in 30 seconds. But that's an unofficial count.
9:25-That guy from that teen vampire movie and the dumb girl from Mean Girls are now out on stage to intro "Romance '08". I don't think the teen vampire knows he is not in that movie right now. He is staring into the camera like he is about to eat the cameraman. Moving on....
9:31-Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller (doing his insane Joaquin -it took me four attempts to spell that name - Phoenix impression) walk out for Best Cinematography. Ben just put his gum on the podium. Now he is wandering around looking at the tv screens. Poor Joaquin. One year you get nominated for Best Actor and the next (or two later) you are the big joke. The price of genius. And insanity. And the winner is: Slumdog Millionaire. And hello Best Picture.
9:39-Jessica Biel came out to tell us she hosted the Hollywood Nerd awards two weeks ago. That must be every CGI guy's dream. You spend 20 years of your life blowing aliens up on your computer, then a hot chick gives you a trophy. Thanks for telling us what you did two weeks ago, Jessica. Keep up the good work.
9:44-A video of the two guys from the stoner movie "Pineapple Express" is now on to show the "Comedy '08" segment. And they are showing the very serious movie with Meryl Streep as a nun. And they are dying laughing. That is funny. And now they are showing an awkward gay makeout scene. NOT funny. And now "The Wrestler" (Mickey Rourke's comeback movie). And, hey, now they are actually out as presenters to do "Live Action Short" or "Other Foreign Film that no one sees about Obscure Subject". The winner is: A Jewish movie about the Nazis - the other sure fire Oscar winning formula. I am just waiting for Sean Penn to play a gay, disabled Jew in a Nazi Concentration Camp. It will be considered the greatest movie and most "bold and brave" performance ever put on film.
9:52-Oh no. A musical number. With Wolverine. And here comes Beyonce. And now the kids from High School Musical. I swear if Miley Cyrus comes out, I am turning on Iron Chef. This is the worst. Who thinks musical numbers are good ideas? Missy described this part best: Random. If there were some steel blades coming out of peoples' hands, it might be interesting.
10:03-Best Supporting Actor. Christopher Walken looking his usual mentally unstable self. And Cuba Gooding, Jr? I still don't know how he won. Well, this category was decided about a year ago. It is actually the only performance I have seen (twice). Heath Ledger as the Joker in Dark Knight. His family accepts the award. They do a better job than I ever could. A poignant moment. That wasn't contrived. What a nice change. For a moment.
10:12 - Bill Maher presenting the Best Documentary. No one cares about him or the category.
Snack break!
10:25-Will Smith presenting "Action '08".
And Best Visual Effects. The winner: The Dark Knight. I guess the Academy wanted to give something to the movie that made twice what every other nominee made combined.
And Best Sound Editing. The Dark Knight wins but what sticks out to me is that every movie in this category is a sci/fi, action, CGI stocked movie, except Slumdog Millionaire. The movie is THAT good.
And Best Sound Mixing (there's a difference?): Same nominees....and Slumdog WINS! I have to see this movie. If only for the Sound Editing AND Sound Mixing.
And Will Smith just passed out on stage.
10:41-The Jean Hersholt Old Guy Who Used to Be in Movies Now Will Make Everyone Uncomfortable Because He Can't Put a Full Sentence Together Without Drooling Recognition Award. It goes to Jerry Lewis. FLAVIN! Eddie Murphy presents him with the Award. I don't think Eddie wants to hand it over. GLAVIN!
10:50-The orchestra is now playing all of the Best Score nominees. Zac Efron and Alicia Keys present the Best Score to: Slumdog Millionaire. They are on a roll.
And now Best Song. There are two Slumdog Millionaire songs and one song from Wall-E. Typically the movie with multiple entries (see Dream Girls and Enchanted) get snubbed but NOT THIS YEAR. Slumdog Millionaire is a force. They are given the Oscar for BOTH songs and promptly beat the Wall-E robot with the award.
Then they give Best Gaffer AND Bestest Best Boy to Slumdog as well.
11:05-Liam Neeson and Freida Pinto (from this new movie about a kid in the slums in India, oh what's it called.....) present Best Foreign Language film. A Japanese movie wins but they give the award to Slumdog.
11:12-Queen Latifah will now be singing while we come to one of my favorite parts of the show. The Let's See Who Hollywood Really Cared About By How Much They Applaud Now That They're Dead Section. Apparently, everyone was saving their applause until the end when they ran 3 minutes of Paul Newman films which got a wild applause. Paul Newman - your 2009 TLSWHRCABHMTANTTDS Award Winner!
11:20-The Academy President who usually gives a speech (and is about to retire) is giving the respect he deserves by being allowed to stand and wave from his seat before being cut off by the music and reprimanded for not giving those 3 seconds to Slumdog Millionaire. What's wrong with him?
Here comes cute Reese Witherspoon - is she 20 yet? - to present Best Director. Since every other winner has talked about this guy like he created the cure for cancer, the only choice is the director of Slumdog Millionaire. He promised his kids he would act like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh if won. Apparently directing Oscar juggernauts is what Tiggers do best.
11:27-Best Actress Award - this is definitely the best looking collection of past winners who are doing the slurping now - Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman. And the winner.....Angeli......no! Kate Winslett for a role in a movie that even Hugh Jackman (during musical number #1) admitted never seeing. She actually seems nice and sincere. And she's British. Go figure.
11:37-OK, the show is doing the equivalent of what that winner did when he saw the clock counting down and knew people were coming to their senses and going to bed. Let's go straight the last two awards!
Best Actor - Adrien Brody looks lost. Anthony Hopkins looks medicated. Deniro looks peeved. Hmmm, I wonder who will win this award. Mickey Rourke because he had the best performance of the year? Was he gay, disabled or Jewish in a Nazi concentration camp? No? Sorry. Sean Penn wins! During his speech, he recognizes the fact that he is a jerk. Then promptly forgets to thank his wife, Princess Buttercup/Jenny Gump, who is sitting 10 feet away. Hooray for Hollywood!
And finally, here comes Steven Spielberg so you know this is important. He is here to present Best Picture. And with no real sense of surprise he names Slumdog Millionaire as Best Picture. Half the population of Mumbai (and Tigger the Director) come up on stage to accept. I do have to say, I am excited to see this movie. I typically don't have a strong feeling about seeing Best Picture winners but I do this one. When does it come out on Netflix?
Wolverine finally and mercifully ends the show. But wait! The economy is bad and movie revenue is down so let's run a 10 minute trailer of all the movies coming out in 2009! The montage ends with a movie about an animated gerbil. The crop is looking good for '09!
Can't wait for the Oscars in 2010!
Anyway, so I wasn't quite as prepared as in years past but as they say in the biz, "the show must go on!"
8:31-This year the host is Hugh Jackman aka Wolverine from X-Men. In the past it has been Billy Crystal so this should be interesting. I only know Jackman with long sideburns and steel blades coming out of his hands. OK, so Wolverine can sing and dance sort of. With the economy, they are going with homemade props for each movie. Kind of clever. Kind of contrived. Anne Hathaway is now being pulled out of the audience to participate. Kind of clever. Kind of contrived. And the big finish....."I'M WOL-VER-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!" Standing ovation. We are off to a good start.
8:44-With the new format, they are making changes. Here is one apparently. They are rolling out old winners of the category to slurp up to the nominees and make them look uncomfortable. Though I am uncomfortable looking at the past winners of Best Supporting Actress. I thought most of them were dead and they certainly look that way. Five minutes of slurping for each nominees, this could be a long night. And the winner, Penelope Cruz!
8:58-Tina Fey and Steve Martin roll out for Best Original Screenplay. And the nominees are....no movie I have ever heard of except "Milk", the movie where Sean Penn plays a gay activist who seems kind of mentally challenged. Well, there's your winner. Remember this equation: Sean Penn+gay and/or mentally challenged=Oscar. And.......I'm right. Winner is Milk.
And Tina Fey and Steve Martin are still on stage. I guess this is their way of speeding things up. Best ADAPTED Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire. The one movie I would like to see if only because I have been to India and seen the slums. I don't recall any millionaires there though. They should save even more time and just have a Best Screenplay category. Sean Penn plays a gay Indian and we're done.
9:07-Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black come out (no pun intended) for Best Animation. There is a Pixar Movie involved (Wall-E)....game over. Pixar+(anything)=Oscar - in this case a mute space robot.
Aniston and Black still on. Best Animated Short - aka - random foreign film that make no sense about obscure subjects category. And the winner - a French Japanese guy who made a movie about tree bark, I think. And the best acceptance speech by a foreign filmmaker. This guy just kept saying "Sank you" to different people that we couldn't understand then he got quiet, uncomfortable and said, "Domo origato, Mr. Roboto." and walked offstage. He is my new favorite director. Take THAT Spielberg!
9:16-James Bond and Carrie from Sex in the City are on stage for Best Art Direction. And the winner if Benjamin Button, which means goodbye Best Picture award (the Academy always seems to give lesser awards as consolation prizes to films that don't win Best Picture). And we have our first speech cut off by the music.
Now Bond and Carrie are on for Best Costume Design. The nominees are all the same. Looks like the Academy is mailing it in. "Just pick five movies and put them in like 8 categories, no one except that Delp loser is watching anyway...." The winner is The Duchess. This winner learned from the last guy, saw the clock ticking down and sped up his thank yous. "I would like to thank my agent, our director, Warner Brothers, my mommydadmywifemykidsiloveyouallandcouldn'tavedonwitouyu!"
Whoa, triple duty for Bond and Carrie! Best Makeup - Benjamin Button - and goodbye Best Director award as well. This guy learned from the last two guys and did speed reading from the start. Last count I had, he read 3,948,237 people he thanked in 30 seconds. But that's an unofficial count.
9:25-That guy from that teen vampire movie and the dumb girl from Mean Girls are now out on stage to intro "Romance '08". I don't think the teen vampire knows he is not in that movie right now. He is staring into the camera like he is about to eat the cameraman. Moving on....
9:31-Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller (doing his insane Joaquin -it took me four attempts to spell that name - Phoenix impression) walk out for Best Cinematography. Ben just put his gum on the podium. Now he is wandering around looking at the tv screens. Poor Joaquin. One year you get nominated for Best Actor and the next (or two later) you are the big joke. The price of genius. And insanity. And the winner is: Slumdog Millionaire. And hello Best Picture.
9:39-Jessica Biel came out to tell us she hosted the Hollywood Nerd awards two weeks ago. That must be every CGI guy's dream. You spend 20 years of your life blowing aliens up on your computer, then a hot chick gives you a trophy. Thanks for telling us what you did two weeks ago, Jessica. Keep up the good work.
9:44-A video of the two guys from the stoner movie "Pineapple Express" is now on to show the "Comedy '08" segment. And they are showing the very serious movie with Meryl Streep as a nun. And they are dying laughing. That is funny. And now they are showing an awkward gay makeout scene. NOT funny. And now "The Wrestler" (Mickey Rourke's comeback movie). And, hey, now they are actually out as presenters to do "Live Action Short" or "Other Foreign Film that no one sees about Obscure Subject". The winner is: A Jewish movie about the Nazis - the other sure fire Oscar winning formula. I am just waiting for Sean Penn to play a gay, disabled Jew in a Nazi Concentration Camp. It will be considered the greatest movie and most "bold and brave" performance ever put on film.
9:52-Oh no. A musical number. With Wolverine. And here comes Beyonce. And now the kids from High School Musical. I swear if Miley Cyrus comes out, I am turning on Iron Chef. This is the worst. Who thinks musical numbers are good ideas? Missy described this part best: Random. If there were some steel blades coming out of peoples' hands, it might be interesting.
10:03-Best Supporting Actor. Christopher Walken looking his usual mentally unstable self. And Cuba Gooding, Jr? I still don't know how he won. Well, this category was decided about a year ago. It is actually the only performance I have seen (twice). Heath Ledger as the Joker in Dark Knight. His family accepts the award. They do a better job than I ever could. A poignant moment. That wasn't contrived. What a nice change. For a moment.
10:12 - Bill Maher presenting the Best Documentary. No one cares about him or the category.
Snack break!
10:25-Will Smith presenting "Action '08".
And Best Visual Effects. The winner: The Dark Knight. I guess the Academy wanted to give something to the movie that made twice what every other nominee made combined.
And Best Sound Editing. The Dark Knight wins but what sticks out to me is that every movie in this category is a sci/fi, action, CGI stocked movie, except Slumdog Millionaire. The movie is THAT good.
And Best Sound Mixing (there's a difference?): Same nominees....and Slumdog WINS! I have to see this movie. If only for the Sound Editing AND Sound Mixing.
And Will Smith just passed out on stage.
10:41-The Jean Hersholt Old Guy Who Used to Be in Movies Now Will Make Everyone Uncomfortable Because He Can't Put a Full Sentence Together Without Drooling Recognition Award. It goes to Jerry Lewis. FLAVIN! Eddie Murphy presents him with the Award. I don't think Eddie wants to hand it over. GLAVIN!
10:50-The orchestra is now playing all of the Best Score nominees. Zac Efron and Alicia Keys present the Best Score to: Slumdog Millionaire. They are on a roll.
And now Best Song. There are two Slumdog Millionaire songs and one song from Wall-E. Typically the movie with multiple entries (see Dream Girls and Enchanted) get snubbed but NOT THIS YEAR. Slumdog Millionaire is a force. They are given the Oscar for BOTH songs and promptly beat the Wall-E robot with the award.
Then they give Best Gaffer AND Bestest Best Boy to Slumdog as well.
11:05-Liam Neeson and Freida Pinto (from this new movie about a kid in the slums in India, oh what's it called.....) present Best Foreign Language film. A Japanese movie wins but they give the award to Slumdog.
11:12-Queen Latifah will now be singing while we come to one of my favorite parts of the show. The Let's See Who Hollywood Really Cared About By How Much They Applaud Now That They're Dead Section. Apparently, everyone was saving their applause until the end when they ran 3 minutes of Paul Newman films which got a wild applause. Paul Newman - your 2009 TLSWHRCABHMTANTTDS Award Winner!
11:20-The Academy President who usually gives a speech (and is about to retire) is giving the respect he deserves by being allowed to stand and wave from his seat before being cut off by the music and reprimanded for not giving those 3 seconds to Slumdog Millionaire. What's wrong with him?
Here comes cute Reese Witherspoon - is she 20 yet? - to present Best Director. Since every other winner has talked about this guy like he created the cure for cancer, the only choice is the director of Slumdog Millionaire. He promised his kids he would act like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh if won. Apparently directing Oscar juggernauts is what Tiggers do best.
11:27-Best Actress Award - this is definitely the best looking collection of past winners who are doing the slurping now - Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman. And the winner.....Angeli......no! Kate Winslett for a role in a movie that even Hugh Jackman (during musical number #1) admitted never seeing. She actually seems nice and sincere. And she's British. Go figure.
11:37-OK, the show is doing the equivalent of what that winner did when he saw the clock counting down and knew people were coming to their senses and going to bed. Let's go straight the last two awards!
Best Actor - Adrien Brody looks lost. Anthony Hopkins looks medicated. Deniro looks peeved. Hmmm, I wonder who will win this award. Mickey Rourke because he had the best performance of the year? Was he gay, disabled or Jewish in a Nazi concentration camp? No? Sorry. Sean Penn wins! During his speech, he recognizes the fact that he is a jerk. Then promptly forgets to thank his wife, Princess Buttercup/Jenny Gump, who is sitting 10 feet away. Hooray for Hollywood!
And finally, here comes Steven Spielberg so you know this is important. He is here to present Best Picture. And with no real sense of surprise he names Slumdog Millionaire as Best Picture. Half the population of Mumbai (and Tigger the Director) come up on stage to accept. I do have to say, I am excited to see this movie. I typically don't have a strong feeling about seeing Best Picture winners but I do this one. When does it come out on Netflix?
Wolverine finally and mercifully ends the show. But wait! The economy is bad and movie revenue is down so let's run a 10 minute trailer of all the movies coming out in 2009! The montage ends with a movie about an animated gerbil. The crop is looking good for '09!
Can't wait for the Oscars in 2010!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
How the Mighty Have Fallen
First of all, let me say it's not my fault.
We had an agreement.
It's not my fault.
Missy joined Facebook a year or two ago innocently enough because my cousin Tyler had a picture on his Facebook that she wanted to see. However, the only way to see it was to join Facebook. Little did she know that joining this online "social networking site" would open her up to the world's biggest high school/college/junior high/elementary school/hey didn't I stand behind you in line at the grocery store once reunion. I would come in to our office/guest room/occasionally movie room/Riley's 6th room to store toys in and there she would be checking out what her friend from recess in second grade was now doing. I, naturally, ridiculed her mercilessly. I ridiculed Facebook. I ridiculed every person who was on Facebook because they were joining all the junior high girls of the world and they probably loved the Jonas Brothers. My ridiculing caused more than one "spirited conversation" between Missy and I.
The problem was Facebook actually was kind of appealing. I would find myself standing over Missy's shoulder and asking her what so and so was doing. And asking her to show me what this person posted on her wall. And MY friends started joining at a feverish pace. I would see Missy was now friends with my old college roommate and a guy in my wedding (or three) and I would think "THEY joined Facebook too?".
I had to do something. I needed to find a fellow voice of reason. A beacon of light in the Facebook tempest that was consuming every person I knew. Plus I had ridiculed the people on it so much, I needed help in staying strong and not succumbing to the mounting peer pressure to join. (Literally, EVERYONE is doing it)
So I went to my friend Grant. We were in each other's wedding. We had gone on vacation together. I love Grant. And Grant is a lot like me. So I called him and we talked about how much Facebook sucks and how everyone who does it is a loser. And we promised each other that we would NEVER join Facebook.
Fast forward a few months to February 13th, 2009.....an email is forwarded to me from Missy....
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
--- On Fri, 2/13/09, Facebookwrote:
From: Facebook confirm+mar5r2br@facebookmail.com
Subject: Grant added you as a friend on Facebook...
To: "Missy"
Date: Friday, February 13, 2009, 1:24 AM
"Grant added you as a friend on Facebook. We need to confirm that you know Grant
in order for you to be friends on Facebook."
And suddenly, my world came crashing down around me. It was over. My dream of a Facebook-less world was destroyed.
So two days later, I, Jon Ryan Delp, being of somewhat sound mind and body joined the revolution. I am now a member of Facebook.
After inviting Missy to be my friend (I hope she accepts), there was only one person who I could invite next.
Grant.
So I am in. Feel free to invite me to be your friend. Post on my wall. There is probably other stuff that can be done (did I see something about planting a flower or something?) that I will figure out. I am jumping in. I can't wait to see what my square dancing partner from 8th grade is up to.
Oh and Nick Jonas is dreamy.
We had an agreement.
It's not my fault.
Missy joined Facebook a year or two ago innocently enough because my cousin Tyler had a picture on his Facebook that she wanted to see. However, the only way to see it was to join Facebook. Little did she know that joining this online "social networking site" would open her up to the world's biggest high school/college/junior high/elementary school/hey didn't I stand behind you in line at the grocery store once reunion. I would come in to our office/guest room/occasionally movie room/Riley's 6th room to store toys in and there she would be checking out what her friend from recess in second grade was now doing. I, naturally, ridiculed her mercilessly. I ridiculed Facebook. I ridiculed every person who was on Facebook because they were joining all the junior high girls of the world and they probably loved the Jonas Brothers. My ridiculing caused more than one "spirited conversation" between Missy and I.
The problem was Facebook actually was kind of appealing. I would find myself standing over Missy's shoulder and asking her what so and so was doing. And asking her to show me what this person posted on her wall. And MY friends started joining at a feverish pace. I would see Missy was now friends with my old college roommate and a guy in my wedding (or three) and I would think "THEY joined Facebook too?".
I had to do something. I needed to find a fellow voice of reason. A beacon of light in the Facebook tempest that was consuming every person I knew. Plus I had ridiculed the people on it so much, I needed help in staying strong and not succumbing to the mounting peer pressure to join. (Literally, EVERYONE is doing it)
So I went to my friend Grant. We were in each other's wedding. We had gone on vacation together. I love Grant. And Grant is a lot like me. So I called him and we talked about how much Facebook sucks and how everyone who does it is a loser. And we promised each other that we would NEVER join Facebook.
Fast forward a few months to February 13th, 2009.....an email is forwarded to me from Missy....
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
--- On Fri, 2/13/09, Facebook
From: Facebook confirm+mar5r2br@facebookmail.com
Subject: Grant added you as a friend on Facebook...
To: "Missy"
Date: Friday, February 13, 2009, 1:24 AM
"Grant added you as a friend on Facebook. We need to confirm that you know Grant
in order for you to be friends on Facebook."
And suddenly, my world came crashing down around me. It was over. My dream of a Facebook-less world was destroyed.
So two days later, I, Jon Ryan Delp, being of somewhat sound mind and body joined the revolution. I am now a member of Facebook.
After inviting Missy to be my friend (I hope she accepts), there was only one person who I could invite next.
Grant.
So I am in. Feel free to invite me to be your friend. Post on my wall. There is probably other stuff that can be done (did I see something about planting a flower or something?) that I will figure out. I am jumping in. I can't wait to see what my square dancing partner from 8th grade is up to.
Oh and Nick Jonas is dreamy.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Economy
"I read the news today, oh boy" - The Beatles, "A Day in the Life"
I have heard about economic woes in the past. I remember back in high school, we were in a "recession". I really didn't know what it meant other than it took up most of the evening news. That and O.J. And now that I am older, employed, paying taxes, saving for retirement and have friends doing the same, we are once again in a recession. And for the first time, I am seeing its effects firsthand. I have had a number of clients lose their job and struggle to make their insurance payments. Self employed contractors, single moms, husbands with a wife and kids, everyone.
Also, my retirement funds dropped 40% last year. To me, that is an incredible number. I have never seen an investment statement at the end of the year with a lower number than when I started the year. Much less that big a drop. That number would be even more staggering if I was 65 and staring retirement right in the face. As it is, I have a year or two (or 30) to make that up.
However, what has really struck me is seeing some of my friends lose their jobs. A few lost them just before Christmas (goodbye Christmas bonus). A few lost them at the first of the year. Some were prepared for it. Some were not. Some have since gotten other jobs. Most have not. To see a recession, which for the vast majority of my life existed only in news stories on TV, hit so close to home has really struck me.
It is has hit me in one positive way. First, my mind has gone a long way from: "Why can't we have a house or a car like those people?" Or "Why can't I buy myself a new driver?" To "Thank You God that I have a job."
Despite the poor economic situation we find our country in, despite peoples' reluctance (and/or inability) to spend money on just about anything, two weeks ago, my brother in law stepped away from his 9-5 job and steady paycheck and into ministry. And raising support. (the Dow was down 148 points that day)
There are people out there like that guy on MSNBC who yells and throws things and gives me a headache who would say that this is not the right time to go into ministry. People are not willing or able to give money to anything but bills. My brother in law should have waited until the economy was on the upturn and people had more money to give. However....
God would say that my brother in law's timing is PERFECT. God doesn't think like that guy on MSNBC (if He did, I would become an atheist). Actually God and humans think the opposite most of the time. That is why God is God. And we are not.
My brother in law walked through the doors of his job and out into faith. He is going to see and show how tremendously God provides. People don't have money but still they will give. God provides for all of us and our job is to provide for others. Even if it hurts.
God has never really made it easy on us. Why should He? What have we done to deserve four star treatment? More to the point, why would He? He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to show us what He, and we, are capable of. To do that, we must step out in faith. Even in a recession.
If you want to see the church plant, my brother in law is a part of, here is the link.
http://renewcommunity.org/
I have heard about economic woes in the past. I remember back in high school, we were in a "recession". I really didn't know what it meant other than it took up most of the evening news. That and O.J. And now that I am older, employed, paying taxes, saving for retirement and have friends doing the same, we are once again in a recession. And for the first time, I am seeing its effects firsthand. I have had a number of clients lose their job and struggle to make their insurance payments. Self employed contractors, single moms, husbands with a wife and kids, everyone.
Also, my retirement funds dropped 40% last year. To me, that is an incredible number. I have never seen an investment statement at the end of the year with a lower number than when I started the year. Much less that big a drop. That number would be even more staggering if I was 65 and staring retirement right in the face. As it is, I have a year or two (or 30) to make that up.
However, what has really struck me is seeing some of my friends lose their jobs. A few lost them just before Christmas (goodbye Christmas bonus). A few lost them at the first of the year. Some were prepared for it. Some were not. Some have since gotten other jobs. Most have not. To see a recession, which for the vast majority of my life existed only in news stories on TV, hit so close to home has really struck me.
It is has hit me in one positive way. First, my mind has gone a long way from: "Why can't we have a house or a car like those people?" Or "Why can't I buy myself a new driver?" To "Thank You God that I have a job."
Despite the poor economic situation we find our country in, despite peoples' reluctance (and/or inability) to spend money on just about anything, two weeks ago, my brother in law stepped away from his 9-5 job and steady paycheck and into ministry. And raising support. (the Dow was down 148 points that day)
There are people out there like that guy on MSNBC who yells and throws things and gives me a headache who would say that this is not the right time to go into ministry. People are not willing or able to give money to anything but bills. My brother in law should have waited until the economy was on the upturn and people had more money to give. However....
God would say that my brother in law's timing is PERFECT. God doesn't think like that guy on MSNBC (if He did, I would become an atheist). Actually God and humans think the opposite most of the time. That is why God is God. And we are not.
My brother in law walked through the doors of his job and out into faith. He is going to see and show how tremendously God provides. People don't have money but still they will give. God provides for all of us and our job is to provide for others. Even if it hurts.
God has never really made it easy on us. Why should He? What have we done to deserve four star treatment? More to the point, why would He? He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to show us what He, and we, are capable of. To do that, we must step out in faith. Even in a recession.
If you want to see the church plant, my brother in law is a part of, here is the link.
http://renewcommunity.org/
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Recently Overheard at the Delp Table.....
Riley has recently had an interest in taking a more active role during our pre-meal prayers. He used to just wait for us to say "Amen" and then yell "Amen" and explode into wild applause. Now he is giving prayer requests. Below is an account of a recent Delp family prayer:
Missy: OK, Riley, we are going to pray.
Riley: MOMOM, POP, FEUD
Missy: Yes, we are going to pray for Granmom, Pop and the food. Dear God, thank You for this day. Thank You that.....
Riley: MOMOM, POP!
Missy: Thank you for Granmom and Pop (my parents). Thank y.....
Riley: NENNA, SEE SEE!
Missy: Yes, thank you for Jenna and Tracy (my sister and her husband). We also....
Riley: KEOCK! KEOCK! KEOCK!!
Missy: What? We also thank You for.....
Riley: KEOCK! KEOCK! KEOCK!
Missy: Oh, yes. We thank You that they both have clocks....
Riley: DEENG! DEENG! DEENG!
Missy: And we thank you that their clocks go ding, ding, ding. We also thank You for the rest of our family and pray that they are doing well today.
Riley: FOO FOO!
Missy: We thank You for choo choo's (trains)
Riley: CAHS! CAHS!
Missy: And cars.
Riley: KRUCKS! KRUCKS!
Missy: And trucks. Thank You for providing for our fam......
Riley: DUS! DUS!
Missy: And thank You for buses.
Riley: YEAH!
Missy: Thank you that Riley could have a good day at Sharon's (the woman who watches him once a week)
Riley: YEAH! BABY BAH! BABY BAH!
Missy: Yes and thank you for Baby Bah (Riley's name for a Baby Einstein video he would watch 100 times in a row if we let him). We thank You for this FOOD (emphasis on food so Riley knows we covered it in our prayer) and...
Riley: KEE CAR! KEE CAR!
Missy: And we thank for police cars.
Riley: KI KUCKS! KI KUCKS!
Missy: And fire trucks. We love you God. In Jesus name we pray, Ame....
Riley: AMEN!!!!!!
(Wild applause)
Missy: OK, Riley, we are going to pray.
Riley: MOMOM, POP, FEUD
Missy: Yes, we are going to pray for Granmom, Pop and the food. Dear God, thank You for this day. Thank You that.....
Riley: MOMOM, POP!
Missy: Thank you for Granmom and Pop (my parents). Thank y.....
Riley: NENNA, SEE SEE!
Missy: Yes, thank you for Jenna and Tracy (my sister and her husband). We also....
Riley: KEOCK! KEOCK! KEOCK!!
Missy: What? We also thank You for.....
Riley: KEOCK! KEOCK! KEOCK!
Missy: Oh, yes. We thank You that they both have clocks....
Riley: DEENG! DEENG! DEENG!
Missy: And we thank you that their clocks go ding, ding, ding. We also thank You for the rest of our family and pray that they are doing well today.
Riley: FOO FOO!
Missy: We thank You for choo choo's (trains)
Riley: CAHS! CAHS!
Missy: And cars.
Riley: KRUCKS! KRUCKS!
Missy: And trucks. Thank You for providing for our fam......
Riley: DUS! DUS!
Missy: And thank You for buses.
Riley: YEAH!
Missy: Thank you that Riley could have a good day at Sharon's (the woman who watches him once a week)
Riley: YEAH! BABY BAH! BABY BAH!
Missy: Yes and thank you for Baby Bah (Riley's name for a Baby Einstein video he would watch 100 times in a row if we let him). We thank You for this FOOD (emphasis on food so Riley knows we covered it in our prayer) and...
Riley: KEE CAR! KEE CAR!
Missy: And we thank for police cars.
Riley: KI KUCKS! KI KUCKS!
Missy: And fire trucks. We love you God. In Jesus name we pray, Ame....
Riley: AMEN!!!!!!
(Wild applause)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Another New Year
Where the heck has the time gone? I am pretty sure that January is the shortest month of the year not February. I have worked just over a full week in 2009 without taking any vacation time and we are pretty much halfway through the month. So let's get a quick review of the last month.
We celebrated Christmas here in PA with my family. Riley was more excited about watching the Wiggles than opening presents. That probably won't happen again. We then flew to Michigan to hang out with Missy's family. Riley loved the airplane and Morgan the cute flight attendant in particular (that's my boy). He had a blast playing with his cousins. He was always two steps behind them but had as big a smile on his face as I have ever seen. We flew back in the snow another highlight for Riley and spent New Year's with my family. We enjoyed a week of getting back to normal just in time to have a stomach virus ravage the Delp household this past weekend. It hit Missy and Riley at the same time. Now THAT was a fun Friday night/Saturday morning. It hit me Sunday morning. I watched the Eagles game buried under blankets in the fetal position.
And now here we are halfway through the first month of January 2009. This is the point where I share what my New Year's resolutions are. Well, I am not going to do that. Because I won't follow them. I never have. Ever. I have thought about taking up smoking just so I can quit as my New Year's resolution but do you know how expensive cigarettes are?
So instead I am going to remember what life was like a year ago. In January 2008:
-Riley was not walking (he is now sprinting)
-We were not homeowners (now we are figuring out how we want to replace our floors)
-Riley was not talking (he is now jabbering constantly, "No" is a particular favorite word of his)
-The Eagles were not in the playoffs (pause......let it sink in.......still can't believe it)
-The Phillies had not won a championship since I was 3. (again......pause.....)
-Missy and I had never been to Puerto Rico. (Now we have walked through a rainforest during a storm - one of the highlights of my year)
-Missy and I had never played Rock Band. (A life changing event if ever there was one)
-I had never grilled anything on my own grill. (I am hooked - I grilled a few weeks ago in the rain because I wanted to)
-I had never mowed my own lawn. (Don't love it quite as much as grilling)
Some things certain more momentous than others. However, it makes me look forward to 2009 and wonder what God has in store for me, for Missy, for Riley in 2009. I can't wait to find out.
Just not another family wide stomach virus. Please.
We celebrated Christmas here in PA with my family. Riley was more excited about watching the Wiggles than opening presents. That probably won't happen again. We then flew to Michigan to hang out with Missy's family. Riley loved the airplane and Morgan the cute flight attendant in particular (that's my boy). He had a blast playing with his cousins. He was always two steps behind them but had as big a smile on his face as I have ever seen. We flew back in the snow another highlight for Riley and spent New Year's with my family. We enjoyed a week of getting back to normal just in time to have a stomach virus ravage the Delp household this past weekend. It hit Missy and Riley at the same time. Now THAT was a fun Friday night/Saturday morning. It hit me Sunday morning. I watched the Eagles game buried under blankets in the fetal position.
And now here we are halfway through the first month of January 2009. This is the point where I share what my New Year's resolutions are. Well, I am not going to do that. Because I won't follow them. I never have. Ever. I have thought about taking up smoking just so I can quit as my New Year's resolution but do you know how expensive cigarettes are?
So instead I am going to remember what life was like a year ago. In January 2008:
-Riley was not walking (he is now sprinting)
-We were not homeowners (now we are figuring out how we want to replace our floors)
-Riley was not talking (he is now jabbering constantly, "No" is a particular favorite word of his)
-The Eagles were not in the playoffs (pause......let it sink in.......still can't believe it)
-The Phillies had not won a championship since I was 3. (again......pause.....)
-Missy and I had never been to Puerto Rico. (Now we have walked through a rainforest during a storm - one of the highlights of my year)
-Missy and I had never played Rock Band. (A life changing event if ever there was one)
-I had never grilled anything on my own grill. (I am hooked - I grilled a few weeks ago in the rain because I wanted to)
-I had never mowed my own lawn. (Don't love it quite as much as grilling)
Some things certain more momentous than others. However, it makes me look forward to 2009 and wonder what God has in store for me, for Missy, for Riley in 2009. I can't wait to find out.
Just not another family wide stomach virus. Please.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)