Many Christmases Ago...

We met the summer of 1977 (I may tell that story some other time)--actually we sort of already knew each other from high school, but had never spoken to each other. I met her parents for the first time that summer. Her father told her: "You will never date THAT!" Looking back, I can understand his sentiment/desire to protect his daughter from a very hairy, "hippy-looking" guy.

We didn't date for about six months, i.e. we weren't allowed to go anywhere alone, but her parents did allow me to come to their house. And so, for the next six months, we sat, watched TV, and sat. We were eventually allowed to go to the local Sonic and get something to drink, but we had to come right back to the house. Keep in mind now, I was in college and she was still in high school.

I went to school year-round, so I would come home on the weekends, spend most every moment at her house or follow her to the high school football games (she was a cheerleader), etc. We wrote to each other most every week, and talked on the phone when I had money for the pay phone (remember those?).

We talked about breaking up once...actually I was doing the talking, she did the crying. We didn't break up.

I graduated from college, started and shut down a graphic design/sign business with a buddy from school, then moved back to the town where we both grew up. I took a job with a sign company in Tulsa. She finished high school and took a job with an oil company in Tulsa, eventually becoming a systems administrator some years after we married, but I'm jumping ahead.

It was a Saturday, as I recall. We were going shopping for Levis for me; can't remember if she was looking for anytyhing in particular or not. The mall we were in also had a couple of jewelry stores and for whatever reason, we found ourselves in one of them...looking at wedding rings! By this time we had been dating a couple of years and her dad was over being REALLY mad about the situation and had settled on "resigned" at that point. We had talked about marriage, but really hadn't made any plans. There we were, two "kids" looking at wedding rings and both of us saying: "WOW! That's a lot of money!" I can't remember how long we were in the store, but when all was said and done, we had made a down payment on a wedding band for me and an engagement ring/wedding ring set for her...all three rings came to around $500. How in the world was I ever going to pay for that?!

We went home that day and honestly, I don't remember telling our parents about our purchase, but I'm sure we did. We didn't have a wedding date set or anything. Neither of us owned a home--in fact, we were both still living with our parents; but we had rings or at least the payment on rings for the time being.

By Christmas in 1979 I had made enough payments to get the engagement ring. I took it home, showed it my mom and then proceeded to wrap it. Now, I couldn't just wrap up the little box; she'd know what it was right away. So, I wrapped the ring box, put it inside a bigger box and wrapped it; put the bigger box inside a BIGGER box and wrapped it; then...put the BIGGER box inside a B I G G E R box. She'd never guess what I had gotten her.

I remember watching her open the present. She had no idea what was in that big box. Her family stood around and watched as she unwrapped and opened box after box until she got to the smallest one. By then, I could tell she was getting excited; so where her sisters. A little box that size could mean only one thing: WE'RE OFFICIALLY ENGAGED! She jumped up and down; there was a lot of squealing (that may have been me) and crying (I think that was her Dad).

In January, we purchased a 900 square foot house about a mile from her parent's home. I moved in and begin renovating it; she would come over evenings after work and we would paint and wallpaper what would become OUR home for the next 12 years. We were married on May 31, 1980.

We live in a different town now; we have two boys--one in college, the other in Junior High, and a dog. She still wears the same engagement ring from 31 Christmases ago. I thought she was pretty then; I think she's pretty now. She says she hates to have her picture taken, but I do it anyway.

Merry Christmas, Sweetie! I love you.

50k Pair- 50 Days

This is a very worthy cause. DONATE!

(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!

Obama Fairness

I got this in an email this morning; not sure if it's legit or not, but that's not the point. It makes perfect sense...if you're voting based on something other than race.

Dear Fellow Business Owners:
As a business owner who employs 30 people, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama, wll be our next President, and that my taxes and fees, will go up in a BIG way.

To compensate for these increases, I figure, that the customer, will have to see an increase in my fees to them of about 8 percent. I will also have to lay off 6 of my employees. This really bothered me as I believe we are family here, and didn't know how to choose who will have to go.

So, this is what I did. I strolled thru the parking lot and found 8 Obama bumper stickers on my employees' cars. I have decided these folks will be the first to be laid off.

I can't think of another fair way to approach this problem. If you have a better idea, let me know. I am sending this letter to all business owners that I know.

Sincerely...

Any DOPE that thinks they're going to receive a "tax cut" from Obama and not be paying more for goods and services from companies that WILL be paying more taxes gets exactly what they voted for.

I Hate Sarah Palin!

I was talking to a rabid an avid Obama supporter yesterday and I asked her why she supported Obama rather than McCain. All she could say was: "I hate that Sarah Palin and her family!" or "I hate that George Bush" or "All Republicans care about is money!"

When I asked her what specific things she thought Obama would do as President, she replied: "I don't know for sure what he's gonna do...I just know it won't be eight more years of failed Bush policies."

There you have it my friends--an in-depth, point-by-by-point recitation of Obama's platform, articulated by your average Obama supporter. And remember... her vote counts the same as yours. (I wonder if she could name the failed Bush policies she holds in such contempt?)

Why Obama Will Win

It's simple. The picture above explains it all. Obama will win the election because many people--MANY AMERICANS--are lazy, self-centered, slugs. They believe it's someone else's job to clean up after them. That's why they don't do something as simple as putting their shopping cart in the rack after they unload it at Wal-Mart. "Someone else will get it." "It's too far across the parking lot to walk." Basically, they don't give a crap!

How does that tie in with an Obama victory? He has promised to take care of those same lazy, self-centered slugs by taking money from the EVIL rich people (according to his definition) and giving it to people who think they are "entitled" to something.

Just like it's easier to just leave the shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot, it's easier to sit on your butt and collect a check rather than earning one.

I'm Voting Democrat

I'm voting Democrat because English has no place being the official language in America.

I'm voting Democrat because it's better to turn corn into fuel than it is to eat.

I'm voting Democrat because I'd rather pay $4 for a gallon of gas than allow drilling for oil off the coasts of America.

I'm voting Democrat because I think the government will do a better job of spending my money than I could.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq , I
know the Islamic terrorists will stop trying to kill us because they'll think
we're a good and decent country.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe people who can't tell us if it will rain in two or three days, can now tell us the polar ice caps will disappear in ten years if I don't start riding a bicycle, build a windmill or inflate my tires to proper levels.

I'm voting Democrat because it's all right to kill millions of babies as long as we keep violent, convicted murderers on death row alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe businesses in America should not be allowed to make profits. Businesses should just break even and give the rest to the government so politicians and bureaucrats can redistribute the money the way they think it should be redistributed.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe guns, and not the people misusing them, are the cause of crimes and killings.

I'm voting Democrat because when someone with a weapon threatens my family or me, I know the government can respond faster through a call to 911 than I can with a gun in my hand.

I'm voting Democrat because oil companies' 5% profit on a gallon of gas are obscene, but government taxes of 18% on the same gallon of gas are just fine.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four elitist liberals should rewrite the Constitution every few months to suit some fringe element that could never get their agenda past voters.

I'm voting Democrat because illegal aliens are not criminals, are not sucking up resources through government aid, hospital services, education, or social services, but are just people trying to make a better life by coming to America illegally. We can't blame them for that, can we?

(I'm Barack Obama and I AM THIS MESSAGE!)

Stupid Voters

I am not a Howard Stern fan, but this is worth a listen. Seems he sent one of his staff to Harlem to interview people, specifically to ask them who they were voting for. The catch? If they said Obama, Sal (the staffer) would then interject McCAIN'S policies into the interview as if they were Obama's. The results are shocking! Remember: these people's vote counts as much as yours!

Link (edited for language).

You can listen to the original, longer, and unedited version here. WARNING: Strong language. Special thanks to my son, Alex, for the editing.

Song

My youngest son recorded this song. He laid down all the tracks and mixed it on an eight-track (not the old 8-track) recorder. Not bad, I think.

Friday Photo

I went to Las Vegas this past week for a couple of days to attend a work related convention/seminar.

 

I had never been to Vegas and I'm 99% sure I won't be going back. Several people had told me how "fun" it was. Most described Vegas as "different." I don't drink--not even occasionally--and I don't gamble, so that left a limited amount of things for me to do. Luckily (no pun intended), I was traveling with a co-worker that was pretty much in the same boat, so we spent our time outside of the work-related stuff, sight-seeing...and boy are there some "sights" to see!

We visited Hoover Dam one afternoon; most evenings we walked The Strip and watched the people. We took LOTS of pictures--my co-worker had just purchased a new camera. The lights, fountains, and shear magnitude of the casinos is incredible. And we ate good! I had always heard that food was cheap in Vegas, but we didn't see that...at least not in the area where we were staying. We ate at The Buffet at the Bellagio casino one afternoon. It's HUGE! One evening we took a cab to Freemont Street downtown--the "old Vegas;" the Golden Nugget casino is there.

I was amazed at the openness/lax attitude toward nudity/near nudity on the billboards and signs in front of the casinos and along the roads. I was also taken aback by the brazen attitude toward prositution. There were "clickers" everywhere--people that stood on the streets--in DROVES--slapping/clicking business-size cards with pornographic pictures on them and phone numbers for prostitutes. (The clicking gets your attention supposedly so they can hand you a card(s).)

From a logistical stand-point, Vegas is an amazing place when you consider the amount of electricity, water, food, lodging, etc. it takes to make the place run. It's a very sad place from a spiritual perspective--so much energy and money spent to provide temporary "happiness" in the form of sex, alcohol, and revelry. I felt like I needed to wash my eyes out the whole time I was there.

Bailout

Bailout my hind-end!!! We should boot EVERY incumbent that voted for that idiotic piece of junk...unless of course you make children's wooden arrows, then you're a happy camper.

Fact: Senators and Congressmen/Women are obviously incapable of doing the "right thing" without being bribed.