(Non) Handicap Parking

I took this picture with my camera phone this morning. I see this all the time at this grocery store: people parking in the handicap parking spaces WITHOUT a handicap tag on their car (I checked). What really gets me is when they park like this idiot--BETWEEN the parking spaces! The area is clearly marked (large diagonal lines) indicating it is a "no parking area", yet they still park there. Don't they know (or care) that that area is there for handicap parkers that might have a lift gate or similar device?

People are so self-centered...and lazy. There was an empty parking space about three spaces over. But then they would have had to walk further. Wouldn't want to burn an extra couple of calories now, would we?

Thankful and Other Things

Catching Up
It's been a while since I posted anything; I've been tied up with stuff at work, i.e. end of year inventory stuff and catching up welding procedures that have been sent in by customers that require editing/revising before they can be approved for fabrication (boring, I know).

On the home front, I'm finalizing the floor plan for cabinets in my office. We built a 14' x 16' office on to our bedroom this past summer. To date, we've got the walls painted, wood floor installed, and I built shelves for the closets for Dana's preschool supplies. In the meantime, we painted the entire exterior of the house--new base and trim colors. Oh yeah, and I built some new shutters for the front of the house.

One of the things I have always wanted to do to the exterior of the house is get rid of the gutters. We took all the guttering down on the front of the house and replaced them with Rainhandler "gutters." No downspouts, no cleaning, no maintenance, no kidding! I still need to do the back of the house. What I really like about them, is you really don't see them unless you're looking for them. If you look real close at the facia boards, you can see the "guttering" running right along the bottom. Pretty cool stuff.

Road Trip
Yesterday, the "fam," along with our oldest son's girlfriend, went to Pops for lunch. Pops is a unique restaurant located on Route 66--"the Mother Road"-- in Arcadia, Oklahoma. The modern architecture is fascinating, but the big draw is what they call the "Soda Ranch." Pops boasts having over 500 different flavors of pop (soda) to choose from! One entire wall of the restaurant is a massive cooler filled with every brand of soft drink you can imagine and many you've never heard of. You can select one of the many varieties to go with your meal; you can also mix and match 6-packs to go. We left with a couple of sixes ourselves.

The food at Pops is mainly burgers and fries--good old fashioned road food. They also have chicken fried steak and a few other sandwiches. If you're not into "pop," they serve GREAT malts and shakes.

We drove Route 66 from Sapulpa to Arcadia--about a two hour drive with all the stoplights in the small towns along the way. We passed several Route 66 attractions that we'll have to go back and see another day--probably me and Dana by ourselves since our teenagers don't do sight-seeing stuff all that well.

Thankful
Today is Thanksgiving. In a couple of hours, we'll load up in the car, and drive the eight miles or so to Dana's parent's house. They still live in the town where we both grew up. Her sisters and brother, along with their families will be there, and maybe an aunt whose husband died last year. There will be LOTS of food and we will eat WAY TOO MUCH of it. We all get along pretty well, so it will be a good day...I may even get to take a nap after dinner!

In spite of the current economic situation here in the U.S., and the fact that we've elected probably one of the most liberal presidents in our nation's history (had to get the political dig in there), there are lots of things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful:

• that I woke up this morning. God in His grace toward me has allowed me another day of life. Every day is a gift. I pray that I will use this one in ways that bring honor and glory to Him.
• that God is in control.
• that I have a job.
• for a warm home, food, clothes, etc. --also gifts from God. Everything has its beginning with Him.
• for a church that unashamedly preaches the Word. No fancy gimmicks or "hooks." Just the Bible. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
• for my family, especially, Dana and the boys. I couldn't imagine life without them. They encourage me, they frustrate me, they make me laugh, they make me mad (sometimes), they belief in me, look to me to provide and protect them, and most of the time...they think I'm an "alright guy."
• for my health. It could be better (weight-wise; I need to work on that one)
• that I live in the United States. In spite of itself, it's still a great place.
• for the men and women who bravely and unselfishly serve in our armed forces. They and their predecessors are the reason we have the freedoms we cherish today.
• (on a lighter note) that I am NOT married to that gal on John & Kate Plus Eight! That woman drives me nuts. When Dana and Alex watch that show, I have to put on headphones or leave the room. John deserves a MEDAL!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day. Thank you to the men and women who have marched on foreign soil, left home and family, fought and lived to tell about it, defended our freedoms-our lands-our loved ones, foresaken comfort, endured scorn, walked with their heads held high because of a job well-done, made America the great nation she STILL is today (in spite of all we could complain about). I am proud to be an American. ¹

Thank you, Dad, Uncle Don, Uncle Frank, Uncle Leonard, Uncle Doug, Uncle Don, my grandfathers I never knew, Gabe, Jimmy, Sam, Tim, Jon, Ben, Dallas, Jeff, Hugh, Patrick, John, "German Wrench", "Buddly47"...

¹ This isn't the first time in my adult life, either.

Not Alone **Updated**

The graphic below shows the states that issue "concealed carry" permits versus those which do not. Only two states outright deny or restrict the concealed carrying of firearms. Any surprises there?

"Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives," he said. "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest...And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
- President-Elect Barack Obama, April 11, 2008

Apparently, the good folks of Pennsylvania are not alone.

UPDATE :: I laugh every time I watch this...

Curious

I sent this to Dan as an idea for a post, but I'm going to throw it out there myself.

If Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today and HE were running for President, do you think anyone would have brought up the subject of "age?" For the sake of arguments, let's just say that he is the same age as John McCain.

NOTE: Dr. King would have been 79 years old on January 15 of this year.

A Win is A Win, But...

Obama won the election; saw that one coming. However, as I look at the election results, something very interesting sticks out to me.

2004 Election Results

• Bush = 51% 62.0 million votes
• Kerry = 48% 59.0 million votes
• Total votes = 121 million

2008 Election Results

• Obama = 52% 62.6 million votes
• McCain = 48% 55.5 million votes
• Total votes = 118 million

Two observations:
(1) BO won the election...by a margin barely more than Bush! ONLY ONE PERCENT!!! How does that happen after you spend over $600 million!!! (Outspent McCain 6-to-1)
 
(2) Three million FEWER voters turned out for the two parties in this election than in 2004!!! What was all that hub-bub about "record numbers of voters/"

A win is a win, but boy this one sure is lame compared to what we were led to believe would happen!

Bush's Fault

When gas was over $4.00 a gallon, it was all Bush's fault. I just saw gas for $1.94 for unleaded (Tulsa, OK). Who gets credit for that?

Get a Job!

Or maybe Peggy could just get a job, save a little and spend her money wisely. Nah...too much trouble--just take the handout!

Small Town - Part 6

First Baptist Church in Collinsville, Oklahoma celebrated its 100th Anniversary this past weekend. The congregation has been in existence since 1908 (obviously) and has been located on the same corner since its first building was constructed. Why do I mention it? Well, FBC Collinsville was my home church from around 1966 to 2000. I grew up in that church, became a Christian and was baptized in that church (along with my two brothers), and I married my wife of 28 years in that church.

My dad served as a Deacon and Sunday School teacher there; my mother taught Sunday School, and served as Church Clerk. I went to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School there. I was in the Youth Choir, as well as RA's (Royal Ambassadors -- I don't hear of many SBC churches doing RA's anymore; apparently they're still around).

First Baptist, Collinsville is my church "home." It is the place where I encountered people like Monroe Palmer, Jim Carty, Estelle Williams, Frank Johnson, Charlie Miller, Roy McGhee, Phil and Cathy Cook, Ed Blevins, and Mrs. Spyres. Who are they? They were my pastors (Palmer and Carty) and just a few of the Sunday School teachers who faithfully prepared lessons each and every week and then patiently shared the Bible stories with me and several other rowdy boys and girls who really wouldn't appreciate the legacy we were being given until much later.

Throughout my life there, those individuals didn't just teach me Bible stories...they invested their lives in me and the other children, later as teenagers, and even later as know-it-all college students. They poured their hearts and souls into (some days) seemingly ungrateful and uninterested pupils. They became frustrated at times, I'm sure. But there were lots of times they really connected; they penetrated my/our hearts with the truth of God's Word and His plan to "prosper us...plans to to give us hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) It may not have seemed like it at the time, but those truths stuck...and they stuck DEEP. To this day, on Tuesday--that's just the day I picked years ago--I thank God for my former Pastors and Sunday School teachers. I lift their names up to God, praying for His continued blessing on their lives and thanking Him for the influence they were/still are in my own life.

This past weekend I saw some of those teachers. Yep, they're still around. We hugged; we laughed; we shared some memories. But what we shared is more than just some happy thoughts--we share a common bond in our love for God, His son, Jesus Christ and a congregation--built on God's Word--that has endured 100 years. Here's praying that 100 years from now, another group of Sunday School teachers, pastors and students will gather...remembering and thanking God for the the privelege of being part each other's lives.

Caroline Kennedy Worried About Middle Class

Obama supporter, Caroline Kennedy was on the news this morning alluding to the impact of the current economy on the America's middle class.

Caroline Kennedy wouldn't know what it's like to be middle class if it bit her IN THE BUTT!