DC Trip - Day 1

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play - LLano Update - Arellano Update (all combined)
No Work...YIPPPEEEEE!

Not the kind of work that makes us money...the kind of work that COSTS us money. We wound up taking dad's Jeep, instead of our car at the cost of about 14 mpg (which averaged out to about $35 extra). We decided it was worth the cost for more space and a better highway ride. We didn't think we would be able to get the DVD player set up in the Nissan (how in the world DID the Pioneers cross the country without a DVD player for the kids?). We left at 6:00, so that we could try to be to DC by Noon. The ride up was pretty uneventful. We found out that we had tossed the cigarette lighter power cord for the DVD player (when we moved from the old office to the West Wing - trying to get rid of some junk), so we only had a 2 hour battery to hold us over. It wound up being no big deal. The boys were really good. We stopped for breakfast at about 7:30, stopped at a rest area at about 10:00, then got into DC at about 12:30. Mom, Lettie and Kathy Jensen rode in mom's Explorer, my family and I followed most of the way. Bad thing was Lettie was diving as we got into DC, and she was all over the speedometer and the lanes. She went anywhere from 55 to 80 on the 55 MPH 495 Beltway around DC. She swears they weren't talking, but Shena and I know better. I'm sure they were in the car just chatting away and Lettie wasn't paying attention. They missed the exit they wanted, so we got off and turned around. By this time the boys were getting restless, so I was getting frustrated. We finally stopped in at the LDS bookstore for a few minutes, changed the boys out of their PJ's, then headed to the hotel to see if we could check in early. Luckily they let us, so we could dump all of our stuff off in the hotel and then go sightseeing like we planned. We took the Metro (which was pretty amusing...a bunch of hicks from NC trying to figure out how to buy passes to get on the Metro...it was pretty obvious we were tourists). We rode the Metro all the way into the city to the Smithsonian stop. We wound up splitting up at this point. Lettie came with us to the Air & Space Museum, while Mom and Kathy went to the WWII monument. We hadn't had lunch yet, so we went straight to the food court. Ouch. It costs us $20 for two Happy Meals, a coke and a Boston Carver sandwich. We were hungry, though so we didn't care. Our other option was to eat at some kind of "Ethnic Diversity" crap at the Mall where the Hot Dogs were $6 a piece. After we ate, we walked around the museum for about 2 hours or so. The boys were still ok...but they just had so much energy from riding in the car for so long that they were hard to control. Kelson was running around like he was in a gym. I told Shena I'm going to go back to that place one day when I can go by myslef and look as long as I want. Every time I stopped to read or look at something, Cade was wanting to go. We headed outside to go down to the WWII monument so that Lettie could see it. I saw it last year right after it opened when I went up to DC to visit an old mission companion who's wife was doing an internship there for one of the senators (or representatives, can't remember which) from Idaho. Anyway, we had already walked what felt like a lot going from the Metro to the Air & Space museum, but the monument was probably another mile and a half away. It was about 95 and 80 degrees humidity, no wind. Not a fun walk. Luckily Shena had thought ahead (like she always does) and we brought two strollers so that one of us wouldn't have to pack Cade or listen to him whine when he got tired. They were both asleep in their strollers by the time we got to the monument. Shena and I sat down and rested while Lettie looked around the monument. We looked at a map to decide where the closest Metro station was, and realized that we were about as far away as we could get in the DC area, so we decided that instead of back tracking, we'd head towards the White House and get on the closest Metro stop there. We weren't paying very close attention, and wound up seeing the back of the house instead of the front. By the time we got up to where the front was (Pennsylvania avenue), we were too hot & tired to care. So we got back on the Metro at, get this, 5:00 on Thursday afternoon. To make it worse, we thought we were getting on at a stop (Farragut NORTH) that would take us directly to where we wanted to go...but of course, we got on at the wrong stop (Farragut WEST), and had to ride the Metro back to the main station and switch trains there. When we got to Metro Center, it was crazy. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the next train, and by that time there were people about 20 deep behind us. When the train pulled up, it was absolutely packed. Luckily one of the doors stopped right in front of us (which I didn't realize until right now) and that saved us. We moved a bit to let people off, then it became a mad house. I was literlly pushed sideways as people shoved to try to get on. Luckily the boys and Shena and Lettie all got on together in front of me before the bad pushing started. I wound up getting on, but I was about seven or eight rows away from them. They were also lucky enough to get a seat. We then rode the train back up to our stop (about a 30 minute ride). All in all, it took us over an hour from the time we went down the escalator to the time we got off. Not fun. I'm glad I don't have to take mass transit very often...especially not in DC. NY's didn't ever seem that bad to me...and it seems like we rode the subway around quitting time there, too. For sure it was never like DC's. DC's stops are also really boring. Every single one of them looks the same, the only difference being the sign identifying where you are. In NY, they have different color tiles and murals besides a physical difference in the stops. Might be crazy to hear, but NY's subway seemed better to me. So how you liking this run on paragraph so far? At least I am using punctuation. Don't complain. When we got back to the hotel (Bethesda Marriott), the boys were screaming to go swimming, so we decided to take them real quick before dinner. When we got down there, Bobby Yow was getting ready to get in too, so we talked to him for a bit and tossed the boys back and forth in the pool. Kelson loves swimming, but doesn't realize that he could get hurt. He just jumps whether you are ready for him or not. Cade is much more cautious and won't jump if he doesn't think you are close enough to catch him. After swimming, we went upstairs and all took baths and showers, then headed to grandma's room (they were three floors up from us) to eat Papa John's. It was getting a little late, and the boys were getting a little fussy (Kelson was just being a terror...he even rolled into the pizza (luckily we were all pretty much done eating) and got sauce all over his pj's. We went back down to our room and put the boys down. They only had king size bed rooms available (which means only one bed), so we brought a little two man Mickey Mouse pup tent that boys had and their sleeping bags. They both pretty much went right down. They were excited to be sleeping in a tent and in their sleeping bags. Kelson got out once or twice, and wound up falling asleep on the bed next to Shena, but he really was pretty good about staying in bed once he settled down.

Christensen Update
None that I know of.
Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:30 - 5:08 - had to get up early so that we could be on the road by 6:00.

TODAY:
Breakfast: McDonald's - bacon egg and cheese mcgriddle, hash browns, oj

Lunch: Boston Carver (from Boston Market) sandwich, coke...some of the boy's french fries

Dinner: Papa John's Pizza - one slice of ham and black olive, one slice of pepperoni, coke - which surprisingly didn't keep me awake...I guess I was so tired from the last couple of nights I could have slept through anything.

Can I Be Any More Shallow?

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Before I get into the usual I have to get something off my chest. I read other people's blogs (read: My Brother's) - and they start putting all this deep thinking political, philosophical, legal type ramblings...ranting and raving like. Then I come along..."hey, guess what everybody? I ran errands today! Want to hear about them?" Boring, huh? So I'm not real deep. Actually, that isn't true. I guess I just don't always like to put my thoughts and feelings out there like they do (not that there is anything wrong with it). I'm not sure why it is. Maybe I'm concerned I might offend someone (so what?), maybe I'm afraid someone won't agree with me (probably millions...no big deal), maybe I'm afraid that somebody will think I'm a moron (probably hundreds of millions...still no big deal). So I keep it bottled up inside and rant and rave in my head. Maybe one of these days I will break out of my shell...but not right now. I guess I have some issus to get over first. I will say, in regards to this blog - it's all about priorities, bro. For every cause that you see a need, there are a thousand more out there who others feel just as passionately about and who feel that they are also being ignored. Everybody thinks that their cause would solve a lot of other problems. As long as "man" is running this place, there will always be inequality and injustice. The End. And in regards to this blog - I agree (of course) with a lot of your thoughts, BUT...try not to get too caught up in "Whitey vs. Mexican." There are other reasons besides just jobs and public education that the white folk complain about immigrants. And by the way, it's not just white folk...there is problem between hispanics and blacks, too. You should have heard about that in So. Cal. Something that would help ease the tension would be an effort by the immigrants (no matter where they are from) to embrace the American culture and give up the majority of their native culture. Sounds kind of rough, but this IS the USA. Originally built around white Europeans, but that has now created it's own culture. We aren't white Europeans anymore. We aren't "laddies" or "blokes" or "hombres." We are Americans and have developed our own culture these last 229 years. We can't try to accept everybody else's culture in our country (not completely ayway). Take a look at this and let me know what you think.

Well...now that I've got that out of my system (don't expect too much of that in the future) - on to the boring stuff....

Worked...but was a bit unproductive. Had meetings in the morning...meetings in the afternoon. Some meetings are more productive than other meetings. Some meetings make you want to pull your hair out because you feel like they are wasting your time. The end.

Spent lunch running a few errands. We decided to drive dad's Jeep to D.C. tomorrow (that new mini-van would sure be nice right about now), so I swung by Costco for gas (saved $1.40!!!), then stopped by AAA for a map of D.C. so that we don't get lost.

After work, we were "used" by the Plummer's for dinner. They were supposed to have the missionaries over for dinner, but Ed was out of town and wouldn't be back until about 8:00ish, so Dede needed me to come over and be the "priesthood" while the missionaries were there. Since it might look a little funny if I was there by myself (that would get the rumors going, wouldn't it?) Shena and the boys came over too. We just hung out and ate, laughed, blew drink out our nose and tried not to offend or embarass the missionaries. For the record, if anybody wants to "use" me for dinner and you are serving the same thing Plummer's did...feel free. I'm here to be used.

Came home and packed...at least Shena did. I kind of stood around and said "Is there something you want me to do? Did you pack my spiderman underwear? Are we there yet?" I actually got the boys ready for bed. It is best if you don't mess with Shena when she is packing. She doesn't like it much. Because wew ill be in D.C. tomorrow night, I will obviously not be posting...so don't get your panties in a wad when I miss a day.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Kelson got in big trouble TWICE today. I guess he has decided that he doesn't like the way a poopy diaper feels. So instead of letting somebody know, he goes in his room and takes it off. He made a big mess today, then again tonight. Sounds like it is time for somebody to learn how to use the big boy toilet.

I'm not sure how the rest of you are going to take this...but here goes anyway. Up until tonight, when Cade took a bath he didn't do any of it on his own. He just kind of sits there and lets us shampoo his head, then he stands up so we can soap him. For some reason, it struck me tonight that he is almost five years old and should really be doing that himself. So I put the shampoo on his head and the soap in his hands and made him wash himself (with me acting it out for him). He did ok...but he whined the whole time..."I don't want to do it. I can't. You do it, Dad." Guess what Kelson was doing the whole time? He wanted his own soap and shampoo so that he could wash his hair and his body himself. He already tries to dress himself, and Cade didn't do that until he was at least 3 or 3.5. Amazing what a big brother teaches a little brother...without even knowing it. Makes me wonder how much of my siblings being as messed up as they are is my fault. (Kidding. None of them are messed up...I just had to be rude for some reason). Also surprises me how easy it is to spoil a kid and do everything for him and not even realize it. I'm sure the reason we have kept washing him for so long was because it was quicker and easier than fighting with him to do it on his own.

Arellano Update
Marcos actually posted a second time. I thought for sure he would be a "one and done." I came up with a good name for his website, let me know what you think. (Shena found this book at the library the last time they went. Pretty funny, no?

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT^:
Sleep: 11:30 - 6:17 - what is magic about 6:17? Well, the alarm is set for 6:07 (no particular reason...just adds a little spice to my life, you know?) - and the snooze button is timed for 10 minutes. That answer your question?

TODAY:
Breakfast: One bowl of frosted flakes

Lunch: Double cheese burger, no onions from McDonald's (99 cent menu) - Mt. Dew from the house...because of the errands I didn't have time to eat...plus I took a late lunch and didn't want to spoil dinner (I had heard we were having steak...)

Dinner: I'd SAY STEAK! Filet mignon to be exact. My first experience with filet mignon. Very good. No wonder people talk about it being so good and it being so expensive in the restaurants and shhhtuff. Baked potatoes, corn on the cob, Snapple Mango Madness - had banana splits for dessert (requested by Elder Nielson, who goes home tomorrow...it was his "final meal" in the mission field). My banana split consisted of a banana chopped up (rather than split), covered in vanilla, topped with tons of chocolate syrup and caramel syrup, topped with whipping cream. I had requested cherries, but Shena said she couldn't find any. No big deal...good anyway. I also am not going to have a snack before bed time again...as you can see it didn't seem to help me sleep last night (went to bed at 10:30, still couldn't get to sleep until 11:30) - but I'll give it a couple of nights and see if there is any difference. Maybe next I will try some sugar free hot chocolate?

Testing the Pictures

Work & Play
This is a test of the Blogger Picture Posting feature. This is only a test. Hope you enjoy the picture of Kelson being a monkey around November of 2004.

The Long Awaited "Marcos" Blog

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Worked.

Went to dinner with the family (see below) - continued reading my book...these posts get more and more exciting, don't they?

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Shena made some signs for Kristi Yow's reception on Saturday. She has been helping out with the reception quite a bit, and people were asking for a sign so they would know where to go for the reception. I guess there will be guests driving around Greensboro randomly looking for an 18" x 30" sign that say's "Yow-Malcolm Reception." I hope they happen to be driving around the right section of town or they may never find it. Personally, I plan on using the directions that were included with the announcement...and if I can't find the directions, I plan on getting the address and then looking at a map to get there. Seems a little easier that way, though admittedly it will take quite a bit more brain power than I normally like to use.

Cade is on cloud nine right now because we happen to go into an EB Games (video game) store that had a used version of "ATV Off Road Fury" for $6 that we bought. We used to have "ATV II" but he accidentally broke it a year or so ago. He was upset then, but of course got over it. But since we bought the new one he has been excited to play it as much as we will let him. I'm afraid one of these days his brain is going to start oozing out his ear from all the video game crap we let him play....that or he will be one "Hot Eggs Laid Low" of a surgeon.

Arellano Update
Lettie flew in this afternoon for the wedding. I met them at Ham's after work. Kind of nice the way it owrked out. I was on the phone with a client a little later than I expected, so I told Shena what to order me. I arrived just as the food got there, so I didn't have to wait at all. We are going to be headed to Washington DC on Thrusday, so I only have one more day of work, then I'm off for 5 full days. Should be nice. Anway, we were toalking about Lettie, huh? She will be in town until Sunday, I think. I'm sure she will spend a majority of her time running around trying to visit all her friends before she leaves.

Marcos finally startred a blog. He was wanting a place to post pictures for us to see...and Blogger.com just created a new feature on Friday (24th) that allows you to do that. You can see what he has to say (not much) here. A disclaimer: I have no control or influence over what he says in his blogs. The poor kid is a little confused on how things should work...and despite my best efforts, he continues to live in some weird, convoluted little fantasy world.

Christensen Update
Shena promised me last night that she was going to start writing in here...I swear. Next time you talk to her, ask why she isn't doing it.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:30 - 6:17 - I've figured out that we are going to have to leave the house at 7:30 each morning to get Cade to school on itme. And since I will be the one taking him to school, I am going to get in the habit now of leaving the house at 7:30 every morning. Deja vu. Seems like I've tried getting up at 6:00 before...how did that work out last time?

TODAY:
Breakfast: bowl of frosted flakes

Lunch: tuna on white, extra cheese, frito's, the leftover of my Mt. Deew froms yesterday's lunch, a brownie and milk.

Dinner: Ham's - cheese lover's (that's me) cheeseburger, chips, ranch dressing (for dipping the chips), root bear - had Kelson's ice cream from his kid's meal that he didn't want. Never had any treats tonight (trying to see if not eating sugar right before bed time will help me go to sleep...I doubt it, because I think I sleep better on a full stomach than with no sugar in my veins).

Kicking My Butt

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
So I was getting pretty proud of myself for writing in my blog so much...keeping up pretty well, when the last week or so hit. I was incredibly busy...and when I had a little bit of down time, I didn't take advantage of it and write. I would always find something else to do. I am going to try to be more disciplined. I know that in a couple of years I will be especially glad that I have been consistent in writing in here.

I won't even bother to try to go back and review everything that happened in the last week. Briefly (and in no particular order...just as they come to mind) - we had a good time camping. The boys behaved themselves, had a good time and got really dirty. Shena and I played in a stake golf tournament and took 2nd place (yippeeee....oh wait, did I mention there were only 3 teams?). I spent a good part of last week studying for my first CLU course exam. It went fine (read: I passed). I also got the text for the next course and it is twice as thick (about 800 pages) as the text for the first course. I set a goal to try to have the exam taken and passed by the end of September (I have until December to take it). Shena and I finally cleaned out the old office. We will slowly put it back together as a bedroom now...but no big rush...we aren't expecting any company any time soon...and we aren't expecting any little ones any time soon, either. We spent father's day with the Plummer's because mom was in Mexico. A good Father's day, if you ask me because all I did was sit and watch the U.S. Open while I was pampered. Played golf this last Saturday morning with Ed. We decided kind of last minute on Friday night to go first thing in the morning, and we couldn't find anybody else to go with us. We teed off at 7:00, were done by about 10:20 - a nice, quick round of golf. Picked up mom at the airport on Friday (24th) late...got to her house at about 11:45 - and found that Kelson had locked the inside garage door that is never locked (maybe that isn't information I should be posting on the internet). Mom didn't have a key (doesn't even know if she has one for that door) - so I had to mangle her credit card to break in. I've never done that before...I don't think. Took me about 10 minutes, but I got it. Started reading "1776" by David McCullough. I had heard that it was good, and mom had it and wasn't reading it. I read about two chapters, then realized that I don't really have time right now to be reading it. I have another book (a financial planning book you wouldn't be interested in...the title is cheesey, but it has some good ideas on how to use life insurance as a savings vehicle) that I need to get read...and I have already received my textbook for the next CLU course that I am going to start on Monday...I'll have to save 1776 for the days that I just can't take any more technical reading. Things have been a little wild around the office this last week. Our co-tenants in the building we are in moved out this week to their new building down town - so the parking was a mess and they were noisy etc. Now we get to put up with construction crews and paint crews for the next month as they get the building ready for the new owners to move in July 15. We are in this building for the next year (until the lease is out) and then we will be moving for sure because the company that is moving in here is also an insurance company and we don't want to appear as if we are affiliated with them. I have an idea of where we may be re-locating, but I won't say much until things are more final. We have a couple of months to decide.

As for today: Not a whole lot happened (maybe that is why I haven't written much because I feel like my life is boring and there is nothing to write about...until I try to look back and I think "man, I did a lot of stuff."). After work we went to mom's for dinner, then hung out for a while because it was storming outside and we didn't feel like getting all wet. When we got home, I read a little bit (the financial book), but fell asleep in the chair. Got up, went to bed. Exciting day, no?

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Shena and the boys cleaned the house today. She and I have been real bad about it the last week or so. We spent most of the day Saturday cleaning out that old office, and by the time we were done we didn't feel like cleaning the rest of the house.

Arellano Update
Summary - mom went to Mexico and came back...Marcos is still in Idaho, hanging out...Lettie is running around with Marcos...Adam is being a big wuss.

Christensen Update
Erin had her baby last week. They named her Ellery (sp?). She is doing pretty well. She had a few breathing problems when she first got here, but is doing fine now and is a VERY cute baby.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 2:00 - 7:30 - I took a nap yesterday (and I'm not sure how long it was), so I had a hard time sleeping. I should have taken some Nyquil or something to help me go to sleep...made me drag all day.

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: Tracy's chicken sandwiches (from leftover Tracy's chicken we had yesterday) on white, miracle whip, cheese, frito's, Mt. Dew. Had a brownie and milk for dessert.

Dinner: home made corn tortillas, pinto beans, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, coke. Had a couple oreos with milk just before bed.

Cade's Fat Lip

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Not a real fun day at work. Spent the afternoon helping Jim clean out his office. He had stuff in there from over three years ago...with the dust to prove it. We'd been harrassing him for a long time about getting it cleaned up, and he finally did it. That'll teach me to bug him.

After work mowed mom's yard since I wouldn't be able to until Monday (at the earliest) of next week. It would have been REALLY long by then. Figured it would be easier to do it today than wait. I also picked up some stuff from dad's for our comping trip. An eggshell roll for me to sleep on and a chair for me to sit on. Cade is really getting excited for tomorrow. He kept telling me tonight that we were going camping but that mommy couldn't go. I hope he isn't being too mean to her about that.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Cade had his first experience with the drill at the dentist today. They found cavities when he had a checkup several weeks ago. Shena left Kelson at Plummer's and then took Cade over. They had given him a pill to help "relax" him. Shena said that as they were headed over, he didn't seem very drowsy at all (which is what the pharmacist said would happen), but she said he did really well anyway. When I saw him at lunch he said his mouth was still numb and it felt weird. Poor kid. He was a trooper, though, and I'm proud of him for that. There have been times in the past where he would have flipped out and not cooperated, but he did this time. Shena promised him again that he could rent "The Incredibles" game for the PlayStation, so I'm sure that helped. I have thought about buying it...but I think this works better. If he only gets it on big occassions, it will help things go smoother. The bad thing about his lip being numb is that he bit it pretty good one time, and so it is really fat on one side. He won't let us put ice on it and he won't eat a popsicle, either. We will just have to wait a couple of days for it to go down.

Arellano Update
Marcos and Lettie walked through our old house today. Marcos posted some pictures of it online...but I'm sure there is nothing interesting for you to see there. It was interesting for us...but very boring for you. I thought you'd want to know, either way! They said it was in ok shape...but it needed new carpet. They also said the neighborhood is liking kind of run down and that they are building a whole bunch of apartments behind the house (which used to be a great big field). Lettie says she still wishes she could buy the house, but she's not going to be able to. Silly girl.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT^:
Sleep: 11:00 - 7:00 - I wound up watching "30 Days" on FX last night. I wasn't going to (thought I wanted to sleep more), but got caught watching the first few minutes of it and then wanted to finish it. Interesting show. It is done by the guy who did "Super Size Me," which I have never seen, but Marcos has and he said it was good. I may have to watch it now.

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: Leftover frito chili soup with cheese (forgot the sour cream this time), milk, had a couple Chips Ahoy cookies too.

Dinner: corn tortillas, beans cooked with hamburger meat and Texas Pete (for flavoring), lettuce cheese, sour cream, coke. Not bad...and fairly quick. Had a bowl of vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate sauce just before bed.

Just the Usual...Stress

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
I checked on the tree that I transplanted on Saturday. I still can't tell if it is going to make it or not, which I guess is a good sign. Maybe it will still hang on. We've been giving it plenty of water, and the leaves look a little curled, but I would expect them to look dead and be losing color, which they aren't. I guess time will tell.

I'm afraid that I may have allergies after all. I am feeling better than I did on Monday, but I have never developed any cough or sore throat or anything like that. And the s ymptoms seem to come and go during the day. Maybe it was just a flukey thing because I spent all day Saturday outside. We'll see.

After work we made a quick run to Wal-Mart to get stuff for our camping trip on Friday. We didn't have anything to cook marshmallows with at the house, so we bought some long fork thingies...and we also needed chocolate for the s'mores...we didn't have any Off! so we got some of that. We also bought one more fold up chair for the boys. We got one that was exactly like the other that we have at the house so that there would be no fighting. I just hope I can control these two on Friday. There is a lake there and of course there will be fires all over the place, so I'm a little nervous about that. Not so worried about Cade as much as I am Kelson.

I also did a little studying after we got home. I have my first exam for my CLU designation a week from tomorrow (23rd) and I am reviewing now. I'm pretty nervous. It is expensive if I don't pass the test because I will have to pay to take it again...and if I don't get it taken again before the end of the month I have to pay for the course all over again. Just wonderful...more stress.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Shena and the boys went to Bur-Mil to the swimming pool with the Plummer's again today. They left mid-morning, got back mid-afternoon (which left me on my own for lunch). Shena said they had a good time. They were all a little red when I saw them tonight. She said Kelson was much more clingy than before, so she didn't have to worry about him as much. They took a lunch with them and all ate together there at the pool.

They were also pretty good boys when we ran to Wal-Mart. I think they (at least Cade is...he knows what's going on) excited to go camping on Friday. Looks like the weather will be ok. A little warm (83) but not too bad. The low is supposed to be like 62 so we won't have to worry about being cold, either.

Arellano Update
None to report that I know of.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:00 - 7:30 - I'm not sleeping very well because of this stuffy nose thing. I feel pretty dang tired in the morning, but have a hard time getting to sleep at night...par for the course, I guess

TODAY:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of frosted mini-wheats - dinner last night left me feeling hungry this morning

Lunch: Frank & Stein's (Deli) - Chili and Cheese dog with mustard, fries, coke - then we (had lunch with Teresa since my family was having fun at the pool without me) stopped at Cold Stone for some ice cream...I wound up accidentally getting way more than I wanted, so I was stuffed.

Dinner: Shena's Frito's and chili soup with cheese and sour cream, water...had a few chocolate chip cookies and milk just before bed.

Anybody Want to Buy My Childhood House?

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Mom told me on Sunday that Lettie and Marcos had driven past our old house in Idaho, and it was for sale. Not sure why that was such a big deal for us, but it was. We were all excited. We have a friend there in Pocatello who is a real estate agent so he said that he was going to take them on a walk through sometime, so that they could see inside. I'm a bit jealous because I would like to see what it looks like inside, too. Haven't been inside since we moved in '88 and I am curious what it looks like and how it feels. I have memories of it growing up...but of course it seemed like a big house then...but I was much smaller too. I'm sure if I were to see it now, it would feel much smaller and just a common size. As I look at the picture of the front of the house I remember learning to ride my bike from the front porch onto the grass (so that when I fell it wouldn't hurt). It seemed like the yard was plenty big for that then, but looks incredibly small to me now. I guess that is just a change in perspective, huh? Marcos said he can't remember what the house looked like on the inside, so I'm sure it will be pretty cool for him to walk through and have the memories come back to him. Anyway...enough tripping down memory lane.

Not much else to report today. Shena had her "Enrichment Night" at the church for the month. I stayed home with the boys. We played cars for a while, picked up their toys in the living room and their bedroom, shot some hoops, then went over to mom's to take her new chair up stairs for her. That's it. Nothing exciting.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
The boys were really good for Shena today. They started whining as soon as I got home from work. Not sure what that was all about...maybe they didn't want me there. They were actually pretty good for me, too. Kelson is still trying to learn how to talk. He is speaking broken English. In other words, he uses one or two words to get his point across. "Daddy. 'Credibles. Like (as he hits his chest)." "Daddy. Juice. Peasss." "Corn. Good. Uh-huh."

Shena is working on getting Cade to learn how to open packages and tupperware, etc. on his own. We've always done it for him, or Kelson has done it for him and she was tipped off today that if he didn't learn how to do it before he went to school, they wouldn't open stuff for him either. He just needs to be a little patient with it. He gets frustrated too easy and gets mad, so he quits trying. He did pretty good today. He got a tupperware open that had cookies in it by himself. I just need to remember to let him do stuff on his own. Sometimes it's easier for me to do it, but he's not learning or growing that way (life lesson for you, right there).

Arellano Update
Mom left for Mexico this morning. I was supposed to take her at 4:30 this morning, but when I woke up my head was killing me, so Shena offered and I let her take mom. A good wife, have I (thanks, Yoda).

Christensen Update
Got a 20 minute message from Bart last night. He accidentally called us on his cell phone in his overalls. I learned a little about fertilizer and round up around the golf course as he talked to Kyle. I didn't realize that Bart liked to rock out to the Bee Gees (sp?) though. It was blaring in the background a little bit (although he wasn't singing...now THAT would have been a treat!). "Aah, aah, aah, aah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive." I could have given him a hard time about that for a LONG time.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:00 - 7:00- needed the sleep - even when I woke up at 4:30 to take mom, when Shena said "I'll go" I fell right back asleep...felt good.

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: tuna on wheat with double cheese and lettuce, baby carrots, ranch dressing, sour cream and cheddar chips, coke. Had a chocolate chip cookie and a shot of milk.

Dinner: Get this...corn (on the cob, but cut off for me), with butter and salt and pepper, pasta salad with chicken, cheese bread. That's it. Nothing real heavy. I haven't been feeling good, so I wasn't real hungry anyway. If it had been a normal night, I might have whined a little that I didn't get any REAL meat. :) I appreciate Shena making dinner, though. I got home late and she left about 20 minutes after I got home, so it was a big rush, anyway. I also made myself a chocolate and banana milkshake about 9:00, just before bed.

I Hope This Isn't Allergies

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
I've lived in NC off and on for about a dozen years. I have spent hours and hours outside during all different times of the year. Up to this point, I have never developed any allergies that I now of to all of the green and plants that are around here. But the last couple of years I've been nervous that I might develop them because Shena was fine for the first couple of years we were here, but within the last two has started having problems. This weekend I started feeling a little stuffy and sneezy...nothing real bad. Had a hard time sleeping Sunday night and then today I was not feeling very well at all...more stuffiness, more sneezing. I keep hoping that I am actually getting a cold, but I don't know if that is the case or not. I can't think of anyone that I've been around in the last week or so who was sick, so I'm nervous. I'm afraid that I have allergies myself. Which is kind of weird because Shena is not having any more problems (she probably won't again until fall) and it has rained quite a bit the last week...but who knows. Let's hope I develop a horrible cough and my snot turns green in the next day or two. Pray for me, won't you?

Work was a typical Monday...busy as crud, but nothing "bad" happened, which is not typical for a Monday. I'm not complaining.

Went to Mexico with the family for dinner, since mom is leaving tomorrow for the REAL Mexico. Since I wasn't feeling real good Shena and I split a lunch chicken fajita...which I normally eat by myself...and it was still a little bit too much food. I just had two small burritos and a sprite. Didn't feel like eating. After that we had FHE...made cards and cookies for mom to take down to dad for Father's day. I tried to talk Shena into letting Cade go with grandma, but she wasn't hearing it. When I was Cade's age I went with my dad to Mexico. He loves to tell that story, and he has started bugging Shena to try to get her to let him take Cade now. I don't think it will ever happen. No, I'm SURE it will never happen. She is way too protective. I think Cade would love it, but Shena won't even consider it.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Cade and Kelson had fun stamping the cards. They got ink all over their fingers. Kelson, especially. He was just kind of going nuts, slamming the stamp in the ink, then stamping about 12 times from the same stamp, etc. Funny kid. They spent the last 1/2 hour before they went to bed jumping off the couch saying "Watch grandma" and "To infinity, and beyond!" Well, Kelson says "(mumble, mumble) and yeyonth." When they get going like that, Kelson just does whatever Cade does. Scary. But I guess that is what little brothers do at that age.

Arellano Update
Mom went and bought her a new chair from Costco...don't tell dad. He'll find out when he comes back home. I think I mentioned before that we took the chair she had in her bedroom, that was Bart's old chair. We had a $100 off coupon for her, so she went and picked it up today. Shena and I will be putting it together while she is gone to Mexico.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:00 - 6:30 - but I didn't sleep much...the couch isn't very comfortable...that's all I have to say about that.

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: Leftover sweet and sour chicken from Saturday night - tasted about the same...is that good or bad? - white rice, wheat bread, orange juice (just in case this IS a cold that I'm coming down with)

Dinner: Mexico - already told you up above...pay attention!

The Weekend Synopsis

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Looks like I am going to have to give up on getting a blog done every single day...especially the weekends. Life is just too busy, and I have kids who need my attention. The bad thing is that weekends are when most of the action happens, so it seems like those would be the days that I would want to do a full blog...but because they are so busy, I usually don't get to them when I want to. So anyway, here is the scoop for this weekend:

Friday: Worked, Carraba's, Plummers
Saturday: moved more stuff to shed, cable, mow, weed eat, raked, seed, straw, mow mom's, corrugated pipe, chinese
Sunday: church, torta's, Plumer's, Baptists at Our Barbeque

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Cade wetting his pants
Frog on window - Kelson touching it
Kelson loving nursery
Arellano Update
House for sale in Idaho
Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.
Daily Report
Sleep: Thursday night: 11:00 - 7:15 *** Friday night: 12:00 - 8:03 *** Saturday night: 10:20 - 7:30 - I was sooo tired on Saturday night, that I couldn't get to sleep...tough irony, huh? Drove me crazy

Thursday- June 9

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Golf
Moving into storage shed
Cleaning out file cabinet
Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Cade to bed at 6:30
Arellano Update
None to report that I know of.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 12:00 - 3:30, 4:00 - 7:12, Cade got up in the middle of the night, and I couldn't get back to sleep.

TODAY:
Breakfast: None

Lunch: Tuna on wheat with cheese, milk, brownie

Dinner: Leftover enchiladas from last night, leftover rice, fresh beans, a couple of corn tortillas, kool-aid. Had a brownie just before bed with milk.

Wednesday - June 8

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Mortgage
Lunch with Teresa and Shena
Time Warner didn't show up today - if we'd told them about phones...
Inspection
Missionaries
Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)

Arellano Update
None to report that I know of.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:30 - 7:00 - I just can't seem to get in the groove like I did last week.

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: Lox Stock & Bagel - grilled chicken on a sub, cheddar cheese, lettuce, plain potato chips, IBC Root Beer

Dinner: Homemade cheese enchiladas, rice and beans, fruit punch kool-aid. Had a brownie and a little ice cream just before bed time.

Tuesday - June 7

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Shed
Re-finance
Desk
Dump
Internet went out
Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)

Arellano Update
Marcos at soccer game
Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:30 - 7:00 - I've figured out that if I want to get up at 6:30, I have to be in bed by 10:30. Last night I was blogging, looked up and saw that it was 11:00. So I got ready for bed...and didn't really get in until 11:30...got to do better than that.

TODAY:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of frosted mini-wheats

Lunch: Wendy's - Classic double with cheese, no onion, no tomato, fries, coke.

Dinner: 2 Peanut Butter and strawberry jam on wheat, milk - had 3 chocolate chip cookies before bed

Lawnmower Man

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Work was work.

Met Shena and the boys at Mom's for dinner. I had to get her lawn mowed no matter what. Mom said that when Marcos mowed the yard last week, he had a little help from our cousin Gabriel, who brought over a riding lawn mower. I got mom to call him and ask him to bring it over so that I could use it too...but he didn't have a key for the shed...which meant I was going to have to push the lawn mower. I wasn't look forward to it...but wound up doing it anyway. It took twice as long as it should have because the grass was so long. I just left the clippings in the yard in the back, but bagged them in the front so that the neighbors wouldn't be mad at mom and dad for having such a messy yard. It was my fault, after all, that it was so long. Took me about 2 hours to get it all done. I was only making two or three passes before the bag was full of clippings. Kind of frustrating.

When I got home, it was time for the boys to go to bed, so I helped them brush their teeth, then put them down. They have had their Mickey Mouse tent out the last couple of days and wanted to sleep in it tonight. No fights or anything, which is always a good thing. They went right to bed and I didn't hear from them again. After they went down, Shena was already asleep on the couch (they all must have been tired from playing today...see below), so I caught up on my blog...maybe you noticed...but I doubt it. :) Pretty eventful day for me, huh? Oh, and I never did hear back from the Dutch Barn people, which is frustrating. They've got my money, but I can't use my barn because it won't pass inspection.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Shena and the boys met Dede and her kids at Bur-Mil today after lunch. I think they spent the rest of the afternoon there at the pool. I was almost in their way during lunch they were in such a rush to get out there. Shena said the boys had a great time, but she had to watch Kelson really closely. He isn't scared of the water and she said he was supposed to go down the slide at one point, she looked up and saw him headed toward the deep end. She got there just as he jumped into the water. Crazy kid. They said they had fun...and I'm sure that is why they were all so tired tonight...it was hot out there and they played hard.

Arellano Update
Talking to mom tonight she said she was going to do some travelling this summer. Not sure why she wants to, but she say's she will be on the road from next until end of August. She is going to Mexico next week, will be back in time to travel to Washington D.C., will head out to Utah and San Diego, come back home to go down to Atlanta with Shena and I to see her brother coming off his mission in Tallahassee, then she said she will probably go back to Mexico. We'll see if she can handle all of that. Sounds like a lot to me, but she gets these crazy ideas in her head sometimes.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 12:30 - 7:30 - I was actually up at 6:30...but couldn't stay up, then I got up again at 7:00 to get Kelson a sippy cup of milk, but couldn't stay up again, so I laid back down until 7:30.

TODAY:
Breakfast: None

Lunch: tuna on wheat with cheese and lettuce, carrot sticks, ranch dressing (for dip), water

Dinner: pinto beans, home made corn tortillas, sprite (good food just before you go out to mow...for future reference for any of you who are about to go outside on a hot, muggy evening to mow grass that is about 5 days over due.

Saints and Soldiers

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Last night when I went to bed I was having a hard time with my equilibrium. I guess when I was studying I stuck one of my ear plugs in too far or something. I don't know what it was. But it kept me up most of the night...and then this morning it was better, but it still felt like I was slowly spinning around. I wound up skipping out on church. Shena thanked me because she was on time...she blames me every week if we are running late. Says it's my fault. I guess she proved that today.

Went to mom's after church, and I continued to feel a little better. To clarify, I never FELT bad, I just was dizzy. I didn't feel real nauseas or anything...just uneasy on my feet. This afternoon was the same...felt fine, just a little dizzy (though not as bad as last night or this morning). After mom's, came home and slept. Since I didn't get any last night, I took advantage of everybody else taking a nap and slept 2 hours myself. Felt good, but it is going to get me tonight when I try to go to sleep.

After the nap, Shena and I decided to watch Saints and Soldiers. We borrowed it from mom. Very, very, very good movie. If you haven't seen it, see it. Very well done, very good story. I loved "Private Ryan" but a big portion of that "love" was because of the special effects and the way it dramatized war...made it "real" for me. This movie didn't have to have the special effects to be good. It was a war movie, no doubt, but you almost forgot that it was a war movie during certain parts. You were more wrapped up in what was going to happen to the characters than you were anticipating what cool fight sequence was going to come up next. The thing that really blows me away is the fact that it was all done for under $1Million. $1Million. For EVERYTHING. Can you imagine? How in the world? Most movies that come out of Hollywood have over $1Million invested in ONE ACTOR...let alone a whole movie. Rent it, or buy it, just see it...because "Cheeto said so."

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
The boys were good for Shena at church, which was good to hear. I was nervous the whole time that she would come home mad at them (and indirectly at me for not going). But she said they did a good job...and that Kelson fell asleep during sacrament meeting (which he hasn't done since he was about 3 months old). He is a cute kid, but he is cutest when he is asleep because you don't have to worry about what he may be getting into or doing that he shouldn't be.

Arellano Update
Mom's grass is looking pretty rough. I really shouldn't have put it off yesterday and mowed it. mom also told us she is headed for Mexico on June 14. She will be gone for two weeks, then get back just in time to go to Washington D.C. for Kristi Yow's wedding (on July 1). Sounds like she is going to get some frequent flyer miles in this year.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 2:00 - 7:30 - off and on...kind of hard to sleep when every time you move the room starts spinning

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn niblits, strawberry jam and rolls, milk

Dinner: none - ate a piece of snickers cheesecake and a couple cookies from yesterday that were still sitting on the cookie sheet on the stove...they were just ASKING to be eaten...milk with it all, of course

Slow and Careful

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
After getting up a little late, decided it was too wet and gray outside to do any yard work...right away. The blinds were still sitting in boxes in the middle of the office floor, so I decided to tackle those first. They weren't hard to put up, just a little time consuming. I wanted to make sure that I did them right, so I took my time. In all, it took about 3.5 hours to get all three up and shortened (taking off slats that made them too long). Shena did the majority of the shortening. I only had to re-drill for one bracket. The instructions called a piece that came with the blinds for the long window a "center support." If something tells you it is a "center support," where would YOU put it? Center, right. Me too. Much too obvious. I got it up, tried to put the blind on and realized that the center of the blind also has a string (ladder, they call it) and pull string...which meant the support would keep the blinds from closing. I had to pull it off and move it to the right an inch. Luckily the support covers two of the holes that didn't get used...and you can't really see the other two holes in the casing, because there is a valance in the front of the blind. They look good, though. They are the 2'' faux blinds, and they look much better than the 1/2" mini vinyl blinds that we have on all the rest of the windows. Shena already figured up how much it is going to cost us to replace all the rest of them. Who knows when we'll do that. We still need to get blinds for the office door.

After the blinds and showering, we decided to head to Costco since it was still a little iffy outside and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to work outside at all or not. We called mom to see if she wanted to go with us. Since we took the recliner she used to have up in her room (Bart's old recliner), she wants to replace it. We saw a coupon from Costco the other day for $100 off a $399 leather Lane recliner. She wanted to go and see it, so we made a family trip of it. When we got there, it was about 12:30 and we were all starving, so we thought it might be a good idea to eat first, so that we don't buy tons of food. We got four pieces of pizza and a Coke and all split for $9. Huge pieces of pizza, too. Not bad for $2. I got my cheesecake that I resisted last time. I was happy leaving the store. Oh, we also bought a 4 person Coleman tent for $50 too. Should be about right for the boys and I to go to the father and son campout in 2 weeks. We were going to have to borrow one, otherwise, and the one that we almost borrowed from Plummer's to go camping with Marcos was like a 9 person tent. I think that would have been a bit much for just me and the boys.

When we got home, Shena and Kelson laid down for a nap, Cade and I went outside and mowed the yard. I should have mowed mom's, also, but it was getting kind of hot and I just didn't think I had the energy for the two yards. I also finally went out to the shed to take a closer look. I saw that the cinder blocks that the shed was on were all a little un-even, but I didn't know how big of a problem that is. Apparently the inspector thinks it is a big deal, but I don't know what that means. I'm sure it would depend on who you asked. Ask another inspector, he'll tell you it is VERY important, ask a contractor or a builder, he'll tell you it's no big deal. Anyway, I have to wait it out, now.

After mowing I took the rest of the night off and studied for my first upcoming CLU test. I have to take it before June 30, and right now it is scheduled for June 23. Since I haven't taken one yet, I have no idea what to expect, which makes me a little nervous. Hopefully I'll be able to pass and get a feel for just how hard they are. I have about 4 chapters left in the text book, then I need to review like crazy and take a practice test. I will probably be hitting the study thing pretty hard for the next couple of weeks. The good thing is after I finish the test, the following week is a LONG 5 day weekend (taking June 30 and July 1st off from work, then July 4 is a holiday). I can look forward to that if I feel like I need to complain about how rough my life is.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
The boys were really good today. They behaved themselves for the most part, even though we didn't do much that they wanted to do today. They just were along for the ride like it was no big deal.

Arellano Update
Mom said that Marcos and Lettie got to go down to the US National Team's (Soccer) World Cup Qualifier in Salt Lake City. Lettie was playing reporter for the tv station where she works. Apparently she was in charge of the camera and Marcos was in charge of the microphone. Since they had press passes, they were also supposed to be down on the field. I watched the game (results) on ESPN2 to try to see them, but never did. I'll have to find out exactly where they were during the game and watch for them again. I am jealous. Probably a pretty cool experience to be down there around those guys.

Christensen Update
None to report that I now of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 11:30 - 8:00 - I was going to get up at 6:30 this morning, but I didn't set the alarm and it flew right past me. I vaguely remember Shena getting up with the boys, but I don't know what time that was.

TODAY:
Breakfast: none

Lunch: 1 HUGE slice of cheese pizza at Costco, a little Coke

Dinner: corn tortillas and cheese tacos...I wasn't in the mood to cook much, and neither was Shena, and we had already eaten out today, so we did the easiest thing that came to mind...also had some cookies and milk just before bed (bought the pre-made cookie dough at Costco today)

West Wing Contractor Explanation

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
As I was afraid would happen (since this has been a problem the rest of the time), the inspector failed our storage shed. He said the "piers" needed leveling. He told Shena we should call Dutch Barns and have them come out and fix it. Said they shouldn't charge us for it (how would he know?), and then to call back and re-order the inspection. I called Dutch Barns and talked to the salesman. He said "What?" Why did they do a building inspection? It's only a 10x12 unit...it should only need a zoning permit. I told him I had no idea what was going on, would he please call the inspector directly and figure out what needs to be done? He said he would...and that is where we stand right now. Like I said yesterday, luckily, I have no intention of going out to the shed for the next couple of days because the rain is supposed to continue until at least Sunday...and then I will probably wait two or three days before I venture out there. They have plenty of time to get the issue resolved. We'll see.

After work, we were supposed to go to a ward activity at Bur-Mil to have hot dogs and ice cream, then swimming immediately after (whatever happened to "don't go in the water until an hour after you eat...or the sharks will get you...or something like that). It has been raining for the last two days...and rained most of the day today. The used their better judgement and decided to eat at the church. I can only imagine how muddy and messy the little kids would have gotten had they been released at Bur-Mil. Sounds like they re-sheduled the pool for sometime in August. We'll look forward to it.

I promised an explanation on the West Wind addition and the contractor problems we ran into, that turned out ok....so here goes:

After we signed our contract, our general contractor didn't get a whole lot done because of bad weather. He did get part of the lot cleared, holes dug and had dropped off the materials to build the addition (but I found out later they weren't paid for). Up to this point we had still only paid the 25% down (which is still a lot) when we signed the contract. The contractor gave us a 2nd invoice about mid-March, and we wrote the check to pay it, but never gave it to him because we didn't see him. A couple of days later, he called and said he was on the way to my office to talk to me. He showed up with his whole crew (3 guys), and I started getting nervous. I had no idea what he was about to tell me, but I didn't think it was going to be good. I was thinking he wanted more money to finish or something. Turns out, he was going bankrupt and wouldn't be finishing the job. First thing I thought was "oh crap, I'm out $4,500." Long story short, he had purchased a house to fix up and re-sell, had an electrical fire one night and lost all of it...the insurance was refusing to pay and the bank wanted the loan money paid in full. I felt bad for him...but I had to look out for me and my family, so I didn't spend too much time worrying about him. He said that he wanted to make sure that our addition was done, so his 3 guys were going to form their own company and finish the job for us, at the original price we agreed to. Again, to make a long story short, it was good for Shena and I (but we weren't sure then), but very bad for these 3 guys. They had to finish the job without having the 25% down that we originally paid because the first contractor had used that money to pay off other debts. As I mentioned earlier, he hadn't paid for any of the supplies, either. Shena and I did some heavy praying and felt like we should trust these guys (from now on referred to as DFT). We felt like we HAD to take a chance becuase we wouldnt have been able to get another contractor to come in and finish the job without us having to pay the full amount all over again. The first check I gave DFT, I looked them in the eye and said, "I'm nervous. I don't know if you guys can pull this off or not...I don't know if you can make it work cash flow wise. Don't screw my wife and my little boys over." They gave me their word, showed me their driver's licenses and copies of their worker's comp and accident insurance, and I gave them my check. I was very relieved to see them show up the following Monday to start working on the house. From there on out (March 15th on) they were the ones working on the house and you have most of the story about how things progressed. Slower...MUCH slower than I expected, but I didn't get too upset because I knew these guys were taking a bath on our job. They were working to maintain their reputation more than for money. I know they lost a good deal on our house. They told me towards the end that the original contractor had greatly UNDER-estimated the costs of the job. But they stuck to their word, the only extra I paid was for changes that I approved, with the exception of a $150 "load test" we had to have done to pass our HVAC inspection that was a new requirement and that they didn't know about. I can't blame them for that. I did get upset towards the end because it was obvious to me that they weren't getting along as "partners" in their new business. Too many chiefs, not enough indians. They all wanted to get paid $25/hr and they couldn't compete with other contractors when they were bidding for new jobs (they are all doing their own thing, now). That meant that they weren't as interested in sticking through to finish our addition. Right now I still have two garbabe cans full of trash sitting next to my house that they have promised to pick up. I don't think they will, because they got their last check out of me, and they have no more reason to come out. We have to thank Heavenly Father that it all worked out the way it did. It gave us a stronger testimoney of tithing. This whole situation could have turned REAL ugly, REAL fast. We could have been stuck with three holes in the ground, a torn up backyard and a pile of rotting material because we wouldn't have had the money to get a new contractor to come in and finish the job. It could have been even worse if these guys had come by, promised to finish, taken the first check from me for $3,000 and bolted. As far as I'm concerned, the fact that they took 4 weks longer than we wanted and they didn't re-bury a television cable like they said they would and I have two garbage cans of trash to haul to the dump is no big deal to me. At least we have the addition. Now we just have to get some grass in here so that the boys can play in the yard!

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
The boys were pretty good at the party. They ran around for a bit, but once it started getting busy in the gym, we made them stop...and they did for the most part. Kelson was kind of a butt, but not too bad. He acted tired, but he wouldn't go to bed until late.

Arellano Update
Mom came to the party too. When I called her about 5:30 just to make sure she was coming, she said that she was walking around Kohl's. She must be so bored around her house that it is more interesting for her to go shopping. That is not like her at all.

Christensen Update
None to report that I now of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:45 - 6:15 - actually opened my eyes about 6:00, but couldn't get back to sleep

TODAY: ^
Breakfast: 1 bowl of Honeycomb - been a while since I had honeycomb, not as good as I remembered it.

Lunch: Leftover KFC from last night...see, I told you'd I'd have to eat it eventually. Also had leftover mashed potatoes and gravy, leftover green beans, but the left over buttermilk biscuits were especially good...because I slathered them with strawberry jam and ate them with milk.

Dinner: 2 Hot Dogs -one with ketchup only (prepared for Kelson, but he never ate it) and one with cold chili and cheese (I was one of the last to eat, so all the food was cold), some plain potato chips, a little McDonald's Orange drink spiked with Sprite...yuck. Also had some home made ice cream made by mom (raspberry).

Ed "The Tool Man" Plummer

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
I ordered the inspection for the storage shed today, but they said they wouldn't be here until tomorrow. No big rush, I guess, since they are calling for rain for the next three months. I won't be real interested in slogging through the mud to go out there, so whatever.

I wound up working a little late today, which messed up our evening...but no big deal. We got on a call with a client about 5:15, didn't finish until an hour later (we thought it would take about 15 minutes).

We decided we were tired of our windows not having blinds, and we didn't want to try to deal with the crowd on Saturday. So we stopped at Home Depot before we went to Lowe's just to check the prices. Home Depot wound up being about $70 cheaper for the three windows we were buying for tonight. We got some faux wood blinds, that should look nice once we finally get them put up. I may have to bug Ed to come over and help me. Not sure if I mentioned this already or not (I don't think I did)....Monday we put up a cue stick rack and a white board on the wall in Ed's bonus room where his pool table is. We were in kind of a hurry and didn't think it through really well. Next thing you know we had to dry wall screws in the wall too far apart to use. We had to improvise a bit and the white board looks a little funny because one screw is through the middle (of the top) of the board, and the other is about 2 inches from the end. Shena and Dede harrassed us and told us what morons we were for not putting them up right in the first place...Jimmy Adams just shook his head at us. Anyway, now that I think about it, bmaybe I DON'T want Ed to help me put up the blinds.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Not much to report. The boys were pretty good at the store for us. They ran around a bit, but listened pretty good when I told them to calm down and quit. They can be good sometimes.

Arellano Update
Marcos IM'd me 1/2 way through the day. He said he had been given one project to work on for the day at his internship, and he had already finished it. No one was around to give him something else to do, so he was bored. I tried to get him to start his own blog...but I doubt it will happen. I'll have to keep bugging him to do it.

Christensen Update
None to report that I know of.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:45 - 6:30 - still doing well with this getting up at 6:30 thing

TODAY:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of frosted mini-wheats

Lunch: Leftover chicken teriyaki from the other night. The good thing about frozen foods is that the leftovers taste the same as when you first make it...since all it really is is leftovers anyway. Had water with my food.

Dinner: KFC - We didn't get done with Home Depot until after 8:00, so we didn't bother trying to fix anything. The boys had already eaten Mac and cheese before I got home from work, so it was just Shena and I. We got an 8 piece with mashed potatoes and green beans. Ate about 1/2 of it...I'm sure I'll get the leftovers either tomorrow or the day after. Had water with dinner, then had a Snickers Ice Cream Bar before bed (closest thing we have to a "treat" for me today).

The storage shed...looking very small I must say in that big mud pit we call a yard. I haven't even been able to put anything inside it because of the mud. It just sits there...empty. Looks good, though.

The kids playing in the pool on Memorial Day. Rian is in the white shirt, she is their oldest, Sam is in the orange. They also have a son named Hank who never got in the pool for some reason.

Shena and Dede during golfing on Memorial Day. Now you have a face to go with the stories about Dede.

The bay window...obviously this picture was taken while we were still moving things in and out. The vacuum cleaner will not always be there...and Shena's table is much cleaner than it looks here.

Shena's new Piano studio...it fits perfectly right there in the corner. She doesn't like the way her craft table sticks out and doesn't seem to fit in (so she says) like the desk and bookshelves do. Not sure what she is going to do about it.

Our new freezer and the computer desk again. Doesn't look all that great, but the benefits will outweigh the lack of aesthetics. Shena already has that thing loaded up full.

The desk and bookshleves from the Slack's. The desk is great because you can close it up like that and not see the computer, etc. Still have some organizing to do on theat top shelf, but we'll get there. Also shows Bart's old recliner that we brought back from mom's house.

Kelson being a monkey...as usual. Taken at the baseball game the other day...not sure which game it was. This is a playground they have down the right field line...notice the net they have over it to protect the kids from foul balls.

A good action photo of the boys shooting hoops in the room before it is approved for occupancy. It was just this big, open room, sitting there...so we thought we would turn it into a play a gym for a while.

One 10'x12' Shed - One 60 yr old Delivery Guy

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
I skipped lunch at work today thinking that I would be able to run home when the shed showed up, then come back to work after. Well, they called at 2:30 to let me know they were on their way. I left the office about 10 minutes later to meet up with him. Long story short, I didn't go back to work. Took the poor guy about 2 hours to get it off the truck and leveled, etc. I don't know why, but they only send one guy out to set the thing up. He didn't have any problems getting into the back of the house. It was a little tight, but he had about 6 inches on either side of the truck as he drove on the side of the house. It had rained a little bit during the day, but the ground wasn't saturated at all. They are calling for more rain the rest of the week, so I'm glad they got it in today. I would have had to call and tell them to wait several days after it quit raining other wise. It might be two more weeks before they'd be able to come out. Anyway, like I said earlier, I thought the drop off would take about 45 minutes or so. It was a much slower process than that...even the boys got bored of watching him set it up. They were excited at first, but that didn't last long. Just as he was finishing up, it started to sprinkle somewhat heavily, so I was thinking about putting a couple of things out there really quickly, then I remembered that I have a building permit out on the shed, so I will have to have a final inspection done before I can use it. I also realized just how much dirt there is between the grass behind the house and the shed. I don't think I will be keeping my lawn mower out there until we have some grass. It would suck to have to drag it through the mud if the day ever came that it had been raining several days before, but I needed to mow. So, no it appears that I will have a storage shed that I won't use much for a while. Oh well...it had to be done at some point, and I would rather that they deliver it before there is grass down, than have them tear up a bunch of new grass.

The cable guy also showed up this morning. I didn't know that he was going to ask for money before he left (I assumed they would bill us), so we didn't leave anyway for mom to pay. She had to pay for it herself (actually part of my sneaky plan).

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Shot hoops again with the boys, even though they weren't very good for Shena. While the guy finished putting up our shed, she went to see Craig & Susie Hiatt, who had their baby a couple of days ago. She took the boys with her and said that they were the worst they had ever been in public. Cade kept pushing buttons on Susie's bed to move it up and down, Kelson hit the emergency call button so nurses came sprinting in. She said he also took off running dow the hall at one point. How can they be such good kids when we are at home but terrors in public? Frustrating. Seems like I say that all the time about trying to control our kids, but that is what it is, frustrating.

Arellano Update
Talked to Adam for a few minutes this evening. He was stuck in California traffic and was bored, so he called. To find out what he is up to, visit his website (link on the right).

Christensen Update
Cherie asked me to update part of their golf course's website. I put this thing together for them a couple of years ago as a final project for a class I took at Guilford College. The hard part was putting it together, the easy part is maintaining it.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:15 - 6:25 - woke up just before the alarm clock today...I think I hate waking up to the alarm clock so much that my body tries to avoid it by waking me up early

TODAY:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of frosted mini-wheats

Lunch: Wendy's - Classic double with cheese, no onion, no tomato, fries, coke

Dinner: Egg, cheese and Pace salsa burrito's, oj - had some milk and chips ahoy just before bed