Hillbillies from Gilbert

Today I woke up at 6:00am, why you ask? Because I had a church meeting to go to, and if you'll look left you'll see I hate being late. At around 6:45 our phone started ringing, I was in the middle of brushing my teeth and had the rabid dog look going on so I couldn't answer it. A fellow church goer left a message stating our meeting was cancelled. So there I was; breakfast in my belly, suit, pressed shirt, and tie on, hair combed, teeth brushed, and just a hint of smell good going on. Talk about being all dressed up with nowhere to go (Nathan = pissed)!

Later Megan woke up with the slightest of fevers, complaining about her throat hurting and generally not feeling well. I was the good guy, and told Jen I would throw myself on the grenade and stay home with Megan. She agreed but informed us that some laundry had to be done. So as soon as she left Megan and I got going. 15 seconds later Megan came in saying "Dad, the dryer is making a squealing noise, and it smells like smoke" DAMN-IT!

She was right, it made a terrible squealing noise like the bearings had gone out and subsequently smelled like smoke. So we had some fun... As you can see we hung up a couple of lines in the back yard, and hung out the laundry to dry. Actually it was kinda fun, kinda fun in a "Hey we don't do this everyday kinda way". It makes us look a little like the Clampetts, but we got all the wash done before Jen got home from Sunday-goin'-to-meetin'!

Even the lazy dog sleeping in the photo adds a certain JeNeSaisQuoi, in a redneck kinda way.

Ya learn something new everyday

This is going to be a two-part post because I'm too lazy to post twice in one whole day.
Part Uno: This morning Sammy woke up hell bent on getting an Egg McMuffin for breakfast. She refused any other offer of food including pancakes and her favorite, cereal. Well some time passed and we needed to get going to a primary activity, she said she wouldn't go unless she got her Egg McMuffin. I looked up at the clock and realized that it was after 10am and Micky Dees stopped serving Egg McMuffins, shouldn't have let Sam know that by the way! At the activity the kids would be making Mother's & Father's day gifts. On the way out the door Sam informed me she would not be making me a gift today :-).
When we got there she was in no mood to socialize with anybody (still too pissed about missing her Egg McMuffin). After talking to some others and socializing for a bit I went to leave "Where's Sam" I think to myself. I found her out in the foyer, curled up in a ball on a chair, balling her eyes out. You want to talk about a girl that can hold a grudge!!! She was mad Megan got there on time and already started working on Mom's & Dad's gifts. I did not leave her there for the poor primary workers to deal with, so she came home with me.
When we got home she announced that since she couldn't get McDonald's that morning she was going to Sonic. So she went out, opened the garage door, got on her bike, and took off down the street. Luckily Jen distracted her long enough for me to get on my bike and follow her. So down to Sonic we went, passing by a mighty smelly dead cat.
Once she ordered her vanilla Sonic blast with Nem in Nems (M & M's) and no whip cream she finally cheered up. This is when I swooped in and played super dad. We talked about school, we studied the one dollar bill, and talked about why restaurants stink so bad. All in all it ended up pretty good considering how the morning had started. She even shared her Nem in Nem blast with me.
Part Deux: Here's a few things I already knew, but, was reminded again of during the day.
All thrift stores smell the same
Restaurant garbage cans on hot days smell real bad
So do dead animals
You have to "break" your toes in before going in flip flops all day long
Never go grocery shopping while terribly hungry
Pasta salad cannot be made in ten minutes
Fresh made cotton candy is my favorite outdoor treat
Diet Coke with Lime is delicious (Lasted 7 days quittin' Coke) hehehe
If you're going to be outside in Phoenix you've got to provide yourself with your own shade
The only girls that flirt with me are either related to me or are mentally handicapped
When your youngest curls up in your armpit and says "I love you dad" nothing much else matters

Saturday is a special day...

I figured out how to make a Saturday where you have to work in to a great day. Bring a kid to work!

Megan came to my work just before noon time because of scheduling conflicts with what Jen had going on. We ended up having a great time. She helped me stock some parts away, she put labels on some parts that were missing them, and she followed me every step of the way :-).

It reminded me of the first time I got to follow my dad at a day of work. I usually couldn't go with dad to his work. He would travel long distances, he would go to factories and industrial areas etc... (non-kidfriendly places) One day he had some sales calls in Tooele, and I got to go! Do you know what I remember? It was my first vision of the naked female form!!! I remember going in to a truck repair shop where there was a calendar with a naked model on it.

I know, I know, a truck repair facility with a naked woman calendar, it never happens!?!? And I wonder why my dad never took me to his work???

Anyway Megan didn't get any gratuitous naked men shots yesterday. After work we had an errand to run, we drove by the batting cages and on a whim I swung the old battle wagon in. Hitting balls at the cages with your kids is one the funnest things to do, especially on short notice.


PS - The preceding picture is not of Megan and I!?!? :-)

Church cracks me up!!!

I will admit that I find humor in just about everything..., everything :-) But I must say, even though some will scoff, that I find church terribly interesting and humorous. It's like a big sitcom if you really think about it. You get the same charters week after week, the plot line rarely changes, the set is always the same, and the drama is always there.



Every church I've known of, whether I've attended or spoken to somebody about, has the same stuff going on inside. Just because you're this religion... or that religion doesn't mean you're specifically unique (sorry to break the news to ya)!?!? Every church has that crazy guy who everyone's a little afraid of, the woman who sings just a wee bit too loud for those sitting around her, the man who only owns one suit and therefore wears it each week, the sweet older lady (or ladies) who are just doing everything they can to get to heaven, the old man who always comes but always falls asleep. (Sidenote: Why do people feel the need wake up early, dress up, come to church, then sleep through their meetings?) The guy who comes because his wife makes him, even though everyone knows he'd rather be home watching football or golf or tennis or soccer or curling or infomercials or...



I think the thing that cracks me up the most are the habbits people form as they attend church. I found this great blog called Cartoon Church where I stole this cartoon.
The humor behind it is so subtile and understated, and that's why I like it. Don't you find yourself parking in roughly the same spot every week? Don't you find you sit in roughly the same pew each week? Don't you find yourself talking to the same people week after week? Don't the hymns sound very much alike? Just stop once or twice and listen :-). It's funny how the "plot line" doesn't change, or only slightly changes week after week.


Now before you throw me out for being a witch, please understand I mean no harm. I too do the same things each week. I too say hello to the same people each week. I too don't say hello to the same people each week. Maybe it's the pattern(s) that makes church so appealing to people like you and I???

When your youngest is 8...

Well, I'll be honest. I don't really like blogging about everyday stuff. I usually like to look at things with a funny or what I think is an interesting perspective. Not this post, I'm going a little soft and blogging about Sam's baptism. After all you only get baptised once. I have only had the chance to baptise 2 people (my 2 daughters).

We had a very nice day, I got to play golf with my dad and a couple of guys from work. It's really hard for me, with as competitive as I am to keep my cool when I shoot nearly 100. 2 weeks ago I shot a 2 over 73 and today on a shorter course I shot a 98 grrrr... All day I didn't swear, throw a club, get tooooo angry etc... I just kept thinking to myself that I needed to keep what was important forefront in my mind, and if I carried that behavior throughout the day it would ruin my plans later that day (Sam's baptism).

Thanks to all those who came out today. It was great to have both family & friends there. Your support does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Sam did very well today despite her anxieties, maybe the practise in the back yard paid off? She said later that it's easier to go back when you're in the water instead of the back yard! She soaked it all in, and will remember this day for a long time I'm sure. I hope she knows our love for her and how special she is to us.

Did you see this e-mail?

This picture got sent to me yesterday. It was titled "My favorite e-mail of the year". I think it's danged funny, whether you're a Bush supporter or hater, funny is funny. If you don't think it's funny then well...

PS - I was told Piper would most appreciate this post!

Phoenix Suns Top 10 List

Jen & I went to our final Suns game of the season, so sad :-( It's funny how our conversations center around blogging now-a-days...I'm gunna blogg this, I'm gunna blogg that, etc... So I was talking about coming up with my top ten list for attending Suns games. 5 things I like, and 5 things I don't like about attending not only Suns games, but arena or sporting events in general.

Top 5 Likes

1 - The game itself

2 - Spending time with my wifey

3 - People watching

4 - Concessions

5 - Just getting out, going down-town and doing something different

Top 5 Dislikes

1 - Rickshaw guys thinking they have the right of way

2 - The concession guys outside the stadium who treat you like an idiot! "Get your water for a dollar, it's five bucks inside, you'll feel like a real dumbass if you don't buy my water." If you'll refer to #4 on my favorites list you'll see I don't go to games to drink water.

3 - Obnoxious fans, especially ignorant obnoxious fans

4 - Having to stand up 14 times a game to let dude out to get another beer

5 - Traffic, both getting in and getting out

Go Suns!