This morning was interesting. My alarm went off at the usual time and I hit the snooze, as usual. I woke up on my own an hour later and had to rush to get to work. I was late and still have no clue what happened. At least this is so out of the ordinary for me (I am usually the first one in) that all my boss said was, "it happens." Hopefully, the rest of today goes better.
I find so many things hinge on how the day starts. I think it is more a matter of perception than reality. I find that if I start a day off badly, like today, I tend to be more attuned to the downside of events than otherwise. The funny thing is, when I have a day that starts of great, I start watching for the bad stuff to bring me down. Makes me wonder, is this true for everyone, or just me? I try to be proactive and approach every day and event as an individual thing, expecting the best out of it. The problem is, in the back of my mind, I hear this little voice that reminds me how the day started and how it should go. I guess it is just another thing to work on.
I really don't have much going on. I started working out again yesterday in preparation for my upcoming physical fitness assessment (it is still over 10 weeks away) since I have 15 pounds to lose. My wife and I have been working out together and are working on ways of gently reminding each other that it is time to exercise. I really don't like working out. I know it is necessary and something I need to do, I just don't like it.
That's about all I have for today. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Perspective: what are you focused on.
So many interesting things going on. Friday, our church decided to pay for our new dryer. We didn't ask for it, it just happened. It was a wonderful blessing and we are thankful for it. Unfortunately, I forgot the check at home, so I will have to deposit it tomorrow. As for the weekend, it went great, had a great day at home with the family on Saturday and services on Sunday were awesome.
Speaking of Sunday, it was our turn in our Sunday school class to share a brief testimony. I chose to talk about perspective and I thought I might share those thoughts with you. I was talking about this in regards to recognizing what is important and pointing that out to our children. As most of you know, I had a bad experience in the church I grew up in. As I reflected on this, I realized a lot of it could have been attributed to the perspective of what was taught. We were taught what the various sins were and what a "good" Christian did and didn't do. Very little was taught about our relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This may seem like a small difference, but it is a huge deal. When you look at what this teaches our children, it becomes a frightening thing. It teaches them that outward appearances are more important than the relationship. Sure, I was taught about asking for forgiveness and asking Jesus into my life, but what did it mean? Was it something we did to be accepted into the group, or by Christ? We learned that the "proof" of being saved was in what we did. The more right things you did and the less wrong things you did, the better Christian you were. OH, and it only mattered if someone saw you.
It wasn't until recently that I learned the most important lesson of my life. The art of being a "good" Christian, isn't what you do or don't do, it is in who you do it with. If you are in a proper relationship with God, then everything will fall into line. As a parent and a Christian, I am responsible to teach my children to have a proper relationship with Christ. I am not responsible for their relationship, just how to have one. Sure, I will give them rules to follow and things to do, but I have to make sure that they understand that their actions don't affect their relationship, only their heart can do that. I find it amazing how much simpler life is when you concentrate on the relationship vice the rules. If your relationship with Christ is right, the rules take care of themselves. This doesn't mean that you will be perfect and won't sin, it just means that knowing the right thing and acting on it is easier. You don't have to maintain appearances, you are living the way you should and appearances take care of themselves.
Change your perspective, stop worrying about how others see you and worry about how God sees you. Focus on God, not rules and other peoples opinions. As my pastor put it, A life with Christ at its center, is a life centered on Christ. When your life is centered on Christ, you can't help but have it come across.
That's about it for today. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Speaking of Sunday, it was our turn in our Sunday school class to share a brief testimony. I chose to talk about perspective and I thought I might share those thoughts with you. I was talking about this in regards to recognizing what is important and pointing that out to our children. As most of you know, I had a bad experience in the church I grew up in. As I reflected on this, I realized a lot of it could have been attributed to the perspective of what was taught. We were taught what the various sins were and what a "good" Christian did and didn't do. Very little was taught about our relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This may seem like a small difference, but it is a huge deal. When you look at what this teaches our children, it becomes a frightening thing. It teaches them that outward appearances are more important than the relationship. Sure, I was taught about asking for forgiveness and asking Jesus into my life, but what did it mean? Was it something we did to be accepted into the group, or by Christ? We learned that the "proof" of being saved was in what we did. The more right things you did and the less wrong things you did, the better Christian you were. OH, and it only mattered if someone saw you.
It wasn't until recently that I learned the most important lesson of my life. The art of being a "good" Christian, isn't what you do or don't do, it is in who you do it with. If you are in a proper relationship with God, then everything will fall into line. As a parent and a Christian, I am responsible to teach my children to have a proper relationship with Christ. I am not responsible for their relationship, just how to have one. Sure, I will give them rules to follow and things to do, but I have to make sure that they understand that their actions don't affect their relationship, only their heart can do that. I find it amazing how much simpler life is when you concentrate on the relationship vice the rules. If your relationship with Christ is right, the rules take care of themselves. This doesn't mean that you will be perfect and won't sin, it just means that knowing the right thing and acting on it is easier. You don't have to maintain appearances, you are living the way you should and appearances take care of themselves.
Change your perspective, stop worrying about how others see you and worry about how God sees you. Focus on God, not rules and other peoples opinions. As my pastor put it, A life with Christ at its center, is a life centered on Christ. When your life is centered on Christ, you can't help but have it come across.
That's about it for today. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Military Intelligenc and Political Math: Oxymorons and Oddities
So, it is Friday. So many things to talk about. I get to stand by an admirals car to make sure that the base police don't ticket it because the plan is to have him park illegally. Never mind that the Captain could call base police and ask nicely. Never mind that the cars will have their own drivers. Never mind that these 4 cars will be next to each other. I did mention they had detailed 4 of us to do this, didn't I? Yup, Navy logic. Better to keep 4 sailors out in the cold than to ask the Captain to ask another Captain for a favor for an Admiral. There, I have it out of my system, sort of.
I did a little looking and realized that the military could cut its budget drastically by simply returning classic duties to the military. You know, like guarding our bases (currently contracted to civilians), maintaining the bases (contracted to civilians), and doing the admin (you know, what yeomen are for). Instead we contract all that out. The security of our bases is particularly galling. When you think about it, we are being severely overcharged for something we can provide ourselves. The contract to maintain our base security is in the millions. When you figure out what it would cost to man the gates with military members, you find that they are less than half the cost of the civilians. Even if you stood up an entirely separate division. Yet, we are looking at cutting back more on the military side and giving more of our military duties to civilian contractors to "save money." That was in quotes because I don't see how paying a civilian to do a military job at a higher rate than it would cost for the military member to do it saves money. Then again, I am not a politician and I don't understand their math.
Well, that's my two cents. It was free of charge so there is no refund. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
I did a little looking and realized that the military could cut its budget drastically by simply returning classic duties to the military. You know, like guarding our bases (currently contracted to civilians), maintaining the bases (contracted to civilians), and doing the admin (you know, what yeomen are for). Instead we contract all that out. The security of our bases is particularly galling. When you think about it, we are being severely overcharged for something we can provide ourselves. The contract to maintain our base security is in the millions. When you figure out what it would cost to man the gates with military members, you find that they are less than half the cost of the civilians. Even if you stood up an entirely separate division. Yet, we are looking at cutting back more on the military side and giving more of our military duties to civilian contractors to "save money." That was in quotes because I don't see how paying a civilian to do a military job at a higher rate than it would cost for the military member to do it saves money. Then again, I am not a politician and I don't understand their math.
Well, that's my two cents. It was free of charge so there is no refund. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Voting part II: Where do we go from here
After reading yesterday's post again, I realized I have no clue what is important to you, my readers, in a candidate. So, I will allow you to direct my research as much as is possible. Currently I plan on researching the candidates stance on the military (pay, size, direction), how they voted in the past (along party lines or for the country), and current promises. If you want to see me research something beyond this, let me know either in person, or in the comments (I prefer the comments as it gives me a written record and the comments are open to all).
Now to today's post. I was going to write about military pay and how it is less than it should be, but I decided against it since I know most of the people who read this, either support the military, served in the military, or just couldn't care less otherwise. With that in mind I decided to delete all I had written (and it was a lot) and go with a follow up to yesterday. As I said above, I am looking for input as to what to research. I would also like to add, who to research. Obviously, I will be researching the presidential candidates and the candidates and issues for my area (Bremerton, Kitsap county, Washington State), but beyond that, I really am not sure what it is you might be interested in. There are 9 Months until the election, so now is the time to start looking. If my research takes less than a month, then I will post it when I am done, otherwise, I will only spend a month researching.
Remember, it may be your right to vote, but if you waste it by voting for who ever is prettiest, you may not get much more than a pretty face.
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Now to today's post. I was going to write about military pay and how it is less than it should be, but I decided against it since I know most of the people who read this, either support the military, served in the military, or just couldn't care less otherwise. With that in mind I decided to delete all I had written (and it was a lot) and go with a follow up to yesterday. As I said above, I am looking for input as to what to research. I would also like to add, who to research. Obviously, I will be researching the presidential candidates and the candidates and issues for my area (Bremerton, Kitsap county, Washington State), but beyond that, I really am not sure what it is you might be interested in. There are 9 Months until the election, so now is the time to start looking. If my research takes less than a month, then I will post it when I am done, otherwise, I will only spend a month researching.
Remember, it may be your right to vote, but if you waste it by voting for who ever is prettiest, you may not get much more than a pretty face.
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Voting: not just a right, a responsability
I just noticed it has been over a week since my last post. I apologize for that, it has been a busy and weird week. Last week, it snowed as many of you know. This prevented me from going to work and kept me at home with the wife and kids. I had fun with them, but time got away from me and I was unable to post anything. A quick update, the drier finally died and we have since replaced it. In the process, we had to replace the vent ducting for it and decided to go with an indoor vent. It is an interesting device and cut the replacement cost in half and does a great job of heating the boys bathroom and the dining room. The only problem with it is that it also raises the humidity. Now the Washer is threatening to go. Oh well, at least the house is still standing.
I keep finding myself stuck in a quandary of what to post. I have made my stance on many things known and do not feel the need to reiterate them again just to incite argument. I think it would be wrong to do so as that is the only reason I can see to re post my stance on any one of these hot topic issues. I try to keep myself up to date on current events and comment as I see appropriate, but I find myself hitting on the same issues again and again. The only outcome of those posts is anger and disappointment. Unless something new comes up or I get a request for a rehash, I think I will try to keep from revisiting those topics.
That leaves me with the question of what to write. I think I will talk about voting. This year it is obviously important to vote. I intend to vote here in Washington for the first time as a Washingthon citizen. It should be interesting. I would encourage everyone to vote. Not just to check a box, to make sure they are informed. In other words, you need to make sure you know who you are voting for and why. Further, the answer to why, should never be, because they belong to X party. Learn about the candidates. What qualifies them for the job. If they are up for DA, how long have they been practicing criminal justice. If they are up for the legislature, what qualifies them to lead? How do they intend to do as they promise? What is their track record and what has happened recently that might change how they act? these are the important questions.
As for the Presidential seat, you have to ask yourself, does the candidate really have a clue as how to lead or is he just a pretty face that can make a speech? The president isn't just a bill signer, he is also the military's commander in chief. When there are tough military decisions to be made, can you trust your candidate to make the right ones? The president is also the face of America to many nations. Can you trust him not to alienate allies and incite enemies? Their are so many factors that go into who you vote for as the president, that you can't trust just the media. All media has bias, some more obvious than others, and thus you need to research on your own. Check sources, and compare. Somewhere in the middle is the truth. Just remember, three different sites is not necessarily three different sources. Check the author and their sources.
Then you get to throw in ballot measures. Those pesky little things that are put to the people. Last year we had a measure that, when passed, allowed stores here in Washington to sell hard liquor for the first time (the state used to run liquor stores). There was a lot of advertisements and hype from both sides. Only by reading the actual initiative and summary, could you make an informed decision.
The gist of all of this is simply, be informed. You have homework before you vote, if you want to be a good and proper voter. The upside is that after you vote, if the candidate/initiative you voted for wins, you won't be as surprised by his actions and can actually defend your decision.
With this in mind, I think I will start researching on candidate per month starting next month and share my findings and views with you. I will try and make sure that I state what is fact, what is conjecture, and what is opinion (min or otherwise) so that you can make informed decisions. Unfortunately, we won't know who will actually be on the ballot for a few months so I will start with the incumbents as most are running again and will most likely be on the ballot. That being said, expect to see my report on Obama by the end of February.
That is about it for today. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
I keep finding myself stuck in a quandary of what to post. I have made my stance on many things known and do not feel the need to reiterate them again just to incite argument. I think it would be wrong to do so as that is the only reason I can see to re post my stance on any one of these hot topic issues. I try to keep myself up to date on current events and comment as I see appropriate, but I find myself hitting on the same issues again and again. The only outcome of those posts is anger and disappointment. Unless something new comes up or I get a request for a rehash, I think I will try to keep from revisiting those topics.
That leaves me with the question of what to write. I think I will talk about voting. This year it is obviously important to vote. I intend to vote here in Washington for the first time as a Washingthon citizen. It should be interesting. I would encourage everyone to vote. Not just to check a box, to make sure they are informed. In other words, you need to make sure you know who you are voting for and why. Further, the answer to why, should never be, because they belong to X party. Learn about the candidates. What qualifies them for the job. If they are up for DA, how long have they been practicing criminal justice. If they are up for the legislature, what qualifies them to lead? How do they intend to do as they promise? What is their track record and what has happened recently that might change how they act? these are the important questions.
As for the Presidential seat, you have to ask yourself, does the candidate really have a clue as how to lead or is he just a pretty face that can make a speech? The president isn't just a bill signer, he is also the military's commander in chief. When there are tough military decisions to be made, can you trust your candidate to make the right ones? The president is also the face of America to many nations. Can you trust him not to alienate allies and incite enemies? Their are so many factors that go into who you vote for as the president, that you can't trust just the media. All media has bias, some more obvious than others, and thus you need to research on your own. Check sources, and compare. Somewhere in the middle is the truth. Just remember, three different sites is not necessarily three different sources. Check the author and their sources.
Then you get to throw in ballot measures. Those pesky little things that are put to the people. Last year we had a measure that, when passed, allowed stores here in Washington to sell hard liquor for the first time (the state used to run liquor stores). There was a lot of advertisements and hype from both sides. Only by reading the actual initiative and summary, could you make an informed decision.
The gist of all of this is simply, be informed. You have homework before you vote, if you want to be a good and proper voter. The upside is that after you vote, if the candidate/initiative you voted for wins, you won't be as surprised by his actions and can actually defend your decision.
With this in mind, I think I will start researching on candidate per month starting next month and share my findings and views with you. I will try and make sure that I state what is fact, what is conjecture, and what is opinion (min or otherwise) so that you can make informed decisions. Unfortunately, we won't know who will actually be on the ballot for a few months so I will start with the incumbents as most are running again and will most likely be on the ballot. That being said, expect to see my report on Obama by the end of February.
That is about it for today. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Nothing worth noting and nothing of note.
This has been an interesting week. With the snow shutting everything down for 2 days, the kids have managed to drive us nuts. To make it even more interesting, the dryer finally died. Now we have to get a new one and hope that we can get it delivered before Sunday. It is amazing just how quickly we can run out of clothes.
I am so bogged down with so much stuff that I really don't know where to go with today's post. I think I will just end this and let it go to whatever. I really don't want to rant on random things for no reason. It just isn't me.
Thanks for reading, sorry it is so short, but, as always, have a great day.
I am so bogged down with so much stuff that I really don't know where to go with today's post. I think I will just end this and let it go to whatever. I really don't want to rant on random things for no reason. It just isn't me.
Thanks for reading, sorry it is so short, but, as always, have a great day.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Short Pointless post
It was an interesting weekend. It has snowed off and on and none of it stuck. We got our shopping done and managed to spend a little time with the boys. Unfortunately they got sick Saturday so we missed church on Sunday. In all it was interesting. Today is interesting because it is snowing again, but this time it looks like it may actually stick around. Tomorrow should be interesting.
I really am at a loss as to what to say. I really don't have any issues pressing me other than what I pointed out last week. Luckily, we have the means to take care of our issues, we just haven't acted on them yet. I really don't have a lot to say on top of that. I will do some research or something and maybe have a decent post tomorrow, provided I don't get a snow day. Anyway, have a great day.
I really am at a loss as to what to say. I really don't have any issues pressing me other than what I pointed out last week. Luckily, we have the means to take care of our issues, we just haven't acted on them yet. I really don't have a lot to say on top of that. I will do some research or something and maybe have a decent post tomorrow, provided I don't get a snow day. Anyway, have a great day.
Friday, January 13, 2012
My Mom: A different kind of rolemodel
On my way to work, the news pointed out that it was Friday the 13th. I hadn't noticed, but then again, I am oblivious a lot. I just don't see it as any worse than any other day. In fact, my third son was born on the 13th and I classify that as a pretty darn good day. Have I had bad Friday the 13ths? Of course, but I have also had bad Monday the 1sts, Tuesday the 10ths, etc. So why does Friday the 13th get such a bad rap? I'll let you look up the history because I really don't want to spend the next few days summarizing it, besides, I am sure the History Channel will have something on it today. What about you, do you consider Friday the 13th a bad day, or just another Friday?
Yesterday, I sent a homage out to my dad. It was what I felt at the time and it hasn't changed. I feel the need to include my mother though. You see, she was a role model to me in a different way. My mom was a registered nurse before she had her first child. When she became a mother she decided to become a housewife. For those of you who think that a woman debases herself by becoming a housewife, I wish you could have met her. By devoting herself to raising her kids and supporting her husband, she taught me that making money is not the only or necessarily best way to support a family. Being there is even more important. By shaping your child's life on a day to day basis, you have a hand in making sure that they become a productive and respected part of society. The idea that men make women slaves by keeping them in the home is ludicrous. Women who stay at home and raise their kids are showing love of the highest degree. Think about it. Love, by definition, is self sacrifice. This means you put those you love above yourself. By choosing to place you kids over your own desires, you have shown them what love truly is and I can't think of anything better to teach your kids.
I say this, not to deride those that chose a career over staying at home, but to point out that the choice to give up a career to raise children is not debasing, but elevating. My mother continually proved that. I can't think of a single person mother interacted with that didn't respect her. The neat thing is, she treated everyone with an equal respect.
You don't realize just how much of an influence someone has until they are gone. You see, my mother died when I was 13. It was hard on all of us. But I want to tell you of something that happened 3 years or so before that. My mom died of abdominal cancer. She fought it for about three years. Before that, she had a very active role in our church. She taught the Shepperd's class, the class for the handicapped, and they loved her. You could walk by the classroom during Sunday school and hear the joy in their voices. If you looked in from the back during the lesson, they would listen attentively to her every word, just as she listened to theirs. She knew each of their names, what made them special, and so much more about each of them. She was more than a teacher to them, she was their friend. When she got sick, she had to give up teaching since she was usually weak from the Chemo. Every week at church, we had her students come up and ask about her and when she would return. This went on for the entire time she was sick. A lot of those special students lived in a community for them ten miles from the church and the church sent a van to pick them up every Sunday. When mom died, we asked if they wanted to come and instead of the usual single 15 passenger van, we had to send 2 on 2 trips. It seems, that there were quite a few who had come intermittently while mom was teaching and didn't return when she was unable to continue. They filled three full pews and cried almost as hard as we did.
Mom's funeral is one of the few times I ever remember our church being filled to overflowing. You never realize how many people someone touches until they are gone. The most amazing thing to me happened while I was home on leave a couple of years ago. I was having a conversation with my brother in law and we were having a frank discussion about our wives. He told me, "your mom must have been a remarkable woman to have raised such a great wife as my wife. I can see her strength in your sister and really wish I could have met her." This blew me away. Nearly twenty years after her passing, and she is still influencing people and making them want to meet her. I can only hope that I have half the influence and respect that she did. Who do I want to see most when I get to heaven? My mom is at the top of that list. I hope that the line to meet Jesus is really long so I have that much more time to spend with my mom and introduce her to everyone she has touched.
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Yesterday, I sent a homage out to my dad. It was what I felt at the time and it hasn't changed. I feel the need to include my mother though. You see, she was a role model to me in a different way. My mom was a registered nurse before she had her first child. When she became a mother she decided to become a housewife. For those of you who think that a woman debases herself by becoming a housewife, I wish you could have met her. By devoting herself to raising her kids and supporting her husband, she taught me that making money is not the only or necessarily best way to support a family. Being there is even more important. By shaping your child's life on a day to day basis, you have a hand in making sure that they become a productive and respected part of society. The idea that men make women slaves by keeping them in the home is ludicrous. Women who stay at home and raise their kids are showing love of the highest degree. Think about it. Love, by definition, is self sacrifice. This means you put those you love above yourself. By choosing to place you kids over your own desires, you have shown them what love truly is and I can't think of anything better to teach your kids.
I say this, not to deride those that chose a career over staying at home, but to point out that the choice to give up a career to raise children is not debasing, but elevating. My mother continually proved that. I can't think of a single person mother interacted with that didn't respect her. The neat thing is, she treated everyone with an equal respect.
You don't realize just how much of an influence someone has until they are gone. You see, my mother died when I was 13. It was hard on all of us. But I want to tell you of something that happened 3 years or so before that. My mom died of abdominal cancer. She fought it for about three years. Before that, she had a very active role in our church. She taught the Shepperd's class, the class for the handicapped, and they loved her. You could walk by the classroom during Sunday school and hear the joy in their voices. If you looked in from the back during the lesson, they would listen attentively to her every word, just as she listened to theirs. She knew each of their names, what made them special, and so much more about each of them. She was more than a teacher to them, she was their friend. When she got sick, she had to give up teaching since she was usually weak from the Chemo. Every week at church, we had her students come up and ask about her and when she would return. This went on for the entire time she was sick. A lot of those special students lived in a community for them ten miles from the church and the church sent a van to pick them up every Sunday. When mom died, we asked if they wanted to come and instead of the usual single 15 passenger van, we had to send 2 on 2 trips. It seems, that there were quite a few who had come intermittently while mom was teaching and didn't return when she was unable to continue. They filled three full pews and cried almost as hard as we did.
Mom's funeral is one of the few times I ever remember our church being filled to overflowing. You never realize how many people someone touches until they are gone. The most amazing thing to me happened while I was home on leave a couple of years ago. I was having a conversation with my brother in law and we were having a frank discussion about our wives. He told me, "your mom must have been a remarkable woman to have raised such a great wife as my wife. I can see her strength in your sister and really wish I could have met her." This blew me away. Nearly twenty years after her passing, and she is still influencing people and making them want to meet her. I can only hope that I have half the influence and respect that she did. Who do I want to see most when I get to heaven? My mom is at the top of that list. I hope that the line to meet Jesus is really long so I have that much more time to spend with my mom and introduce her to everyone she has touched.
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
My Dad: The unrecognized role model
This week keeps getting more expensive. Yesterday, I found out that it would cost more to fix the dryer than it would cost to buy a new one. The funny thing is, it is still usable, although annoying to the extreme. So we are going to save up and buy a new one when the newest models come out (we will by the previous years models on sale). Hopefully it will last that long.
With that in mind it is time to move on to today's topic. With everything that has been happening, I have realized just how much I learned from my dad. I have a decent understanding of how septic systems work. I understand home plumbing and can do a lot of the electrical without getting shocked to bad. I have a decent understanding of what it takes to run a garden and the list goes on. I saw a lot of different repairs and projects with my dad and he taught me about most of them. The funny thing is, I don't remember paying that much attention while they were going on, but I remember the lessons and what they meant.
These practical lessons are what has really stuck with me and shaped a lot of what makes my dad to me. Sure, I remember some of the games we played together, but most of my memories with my dad are centered around jobs I did with him. Watching him work and his interaction with those he worked for and with, shaped a lot of how I approach things today. I can't remember dad ever uttering a single cuss word or speaking badly of anyone. The closest he ever got to talking badly about someone was when he referred to people as characters. You know, "that guy sure is a character." You may not have known whether he meant it in a good or bad way, but you knew that whoever he was talking about wasn't playing with a full deck.
This isn't to say dad didn't have his opinions, he just kept them to himself unless he was able to make a change. I can't imagine that anyone could find anything disagreeable about dad if he ran for public office, other than the fact that I don't think he would want the job. I think the lessons I learned most about dad is, he has that innate ability to make you think about what it is you are going to do and say with out saying a thing.
Where does that lead me? It leads me to the conclusion that dad didn't just claim to be a Christian, he lived it. I can't think of another living person that has had such a quiet influence on my definition of Christian than my dad. I am not saying that I don't know any other good Christians, just that my dad has shown me that definition his entire life. Why do I say this now? Mainly because it has only recently come to my attention. That's right, I didn't recognize the role model I had growing up until I was trying to be one to my own kids. Somehow or another, I failed to see that there was the model of what I want to be today trying to pass it on to me as I grew up. So I guess, what I got to say is, dad, forgive me for ignoring you and thank you for living in God's ways and giving me that example to recognize today.
OK, I am getting all choked up. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
With that in mind it is time to move on to today's topic. With everything that has been happening, I have realized just how much I learned from my dad. I have a decent understanding of how septic systems work. I understand home plumbing and can do a lot of the electrical without getting shocked to bad. I have a decent understanding of what it takes to run a garden and the list goes on. I saw a lot of different repairs and projects with my dad and he taught me about most of them. The funny thing is, I don't remember paying that much attention while they were going on, but I remember the lessons and what they meant.
These practical lessons are what has really stuck with me and shaped a lot of what makes my dad to me. Sure, I remember some of the games we played together, but most of my memories with my dad are centered around jobs I did with him. Watching him work and his interaction with those he worked for and with, shaped a lot of how I approach things today. I can't remember dad ever uttering a single cuss word or speaking badly of anyone. The closest he ever got to talking badly about someone was when he referred to people as characters. You know, "that guy sure is a character." You may not have known whether he meant it in a good or bad way, but you knew that whoever he was talking about wasn't playing with a full deck.
This isn't to say dad didn't have his opinions, he just kept them to himself unless he was able to make a change. I can't imagine that anyone could find anything disagreeable about dad if he ran for public office, other than the fact that I don't think he would want the job. I think the lessons I learned most about dad is, he has that innate ability to make you think about what it is you are going to do and say with out saying a thing.
Where does that lead me? It leads me to the conclusion that dad didn't just claim to be a Christian, he lived it. I can't think of another living person that has had such a quiet influence on my definition of Christian than my dad. I am not saying that I don't know any other good Christians, just that my dad has shown me that definition his entire life. Why do I say this now? Mainly because it has only recently come to my attention. That's right, I didn't recognize the role model I had growing up until I was trying to be one to my own kids. Somehow or another, I failed to see that there was the model of what I want to be today trying to pass it on to me as I grew up. So I guess, what I got to say is, dad, forgive me for ignoring you and thank you for living in God's ways and giving me that example to recognize today.
OK, I am getting all choked up. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Short due to distraction
The saga of the septic system continues. The septic guy came yesterday and pumped out the tank. He then informed us that we would have to have our septic system replaced prior to selling the house. That's money we really don't want to spend, unfortunately we are going to have to. I just hope the estimate comes in with a decently small number. It's in God's hands so we will wait and see what he says.
As you can tell, things are pretty interesting right now. I can't top that for a topic today and really don't want to go into further details. I am stuck on that one thing and that is not good for what I want my blog to be. And for the record, I have no idea what I want my blog to be, I just know what I don't want it to be. I don't want it to be a place where I air all my problems and troubles in excruciating detail. A brief mention and maybe asking for prayers will be sufficient. I really want this blog to be about issues and things other than complaints that hold no interest for those not in the family.
Well, thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
As you can tell, things are pretty interesting right now. I can't top that for a topic today and really don't want to go into further details. I am stuck on that one thing and that is not good for what I want my blog to be. And for the record, I have no idea what I want my blog to be, I just know what I don't want it to be. I don't want it to be a place where I air all my problems and troubles in excruciating detail. A brief mention and maybe asking for prayers will be sufficient. I really want this blog to be about issues and things other than complaints that hold no interest for those not in the family.
Well, thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Nothing of importance
Yesterday went nothing like I planned. First I got home and was getting ready to go under the house when my wife got home from the car dealer (she got the oil changed in the van). She informed me that the van needed it's brakes fixed. So we decided to look into what it would cost to get them fixed elsewhere and ended up spending the afternoon getting them repaired. After we got home, I did some more trouble shooting and realized that the problem with the toilet wasn't a clog, but a backed up septic system. So we have the septic guy coming this afternoon to pump it. As we were taking stock of our savings and determining what repairs we could afford, we realized that, with what we had saved, we could afford to get the dryer repaired as well (it squeaks as it dries). In other words, our savings is now gone and we should be good on repairs for a while. Thank God we are actually able to put a little in savings each paycheck.
I have no idea what to write about today and am wondering where I should go with this post. After yesterday's rant on the 2nd amendment, I really have nothing else to say, for now anyway. Things being what they are, I am a bit preoccupied with the aforementioned home problems and where to go from here. I have so much suddenly on my plate, that I have to wonder if I was just putting everything off until later. That being said, I think I will sign off for today before I decide to change my mind and go on another rant.
Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
I have no idea what to write about today and am wondering where I should go with this post. After yesterday's rant on the 2nd amendment, I really have nothing else to say, for now anyway. Things being what they are, I am a bit preoccupied with the aforementioned home problems and where to go from here. I have so much suddenly on my plate, that I have to wonder if I was just putting everything off until later. That being said, I think I will sign off for today before I decide to change my mind and go on another rant.
Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The 2nd Amendment: What I read into it.
This weekend was a bit insane. It started off with duty on Saturday. That went well until midnight when I got woke up to be told to go back to sleep. Same thing happened again about 2 hours later. Then around 3:30 I got woke up yet again to let someone into an office. Needless to say, I was worn out by the time I got home Sunday. I got about 3 hour of sleep before I woke up. Then around 2pm my wife noticed the toilet was draining slowly. After a bit of trouble shooting, I realized I was going to have to crawl under the house to fix it. Since it was already dark out and I really didn't feel like going under the house at the time, I decided to put it off until this afternoon. In all, the weekend wasn't all that great.
On to the meat of the blog. Today, I want to address an article I found on my local news site (KOMO news if you want to know). It was about an anti-gun lobby holding a vigil. The article was interesting on its own, but the comments following it really brought to light an interesting mix. The majority of the comments (9 out of 10) were pro-2nd amendment. This makes me wonder if the anti-gun movement is a majority movement or just something that a minority is trying to push on the majority. That is beside the point though. The real interesting part of the entire thing was the politicians stance.
To quote, "U.S. Representative Jim McDermott, (D-WA), whose colleague is Gabby Giffords, said certain guns should be banned.
"The whole issue of these clips that will shoot 33 bullets in an instant, you don't need that if you're hunting, you don't need that, that's only for war or terrorism, and I think they ought to be banned," he said."
The funny thing is, the 2nd amendment had nothing to do with hunting and everything to do with defending one's rights against a tyrannical government. I may not be a Constitutional lawyer, but if you read the constitution, study the revolution and historical era, it seems pretty obvious, why the second amendment is in place. I am sure there are those that will refute some of this, but the fact is that the second amendment wasn't put into place to protect hunters and hunting, but to protect the people from their government and each other. It reads, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The framers realized that without the privately owned guns, there would have been no revolutionary war. This is why the second amendment reads arms, not guns or firearms. It was meant to include any weapon needed to fight a war so that the citizens had the means to defend themselves and reclaim their government from a corrupt and/or tyrannical leader.
If you follow this thought then you have to ask about the word militia. The idea behind this was in the definition of militia. According to webster-dictionary.org this definition is: "In the widest sense, the whole military force of a nation, including both those engaged in the military service as a business, and those competent and available for such service; specifically, the body of citizens enrolled for military instruction and discipline, but not subject to be called into actual service except in emergencies." With a bit of basic understanding, you can say that you are a part of the militia once you have signed up for selective service since you are considered available to serve and have not yet been considered incompetent to serve.
To limit weaponry to only that needed for hunting spits in the face of the second amendment. I enjoy hunting, but the second amendment in no way, guarantees the right to hunt, only the right to keep and bear arms. In itself, that phrase is powerful. It ensures you have the right to buy, hold, obtain ammo for, and care for your arms. It ensures you have the right to carry, transport, load, fire, and show your arms. It means that, sense the word arms is used, these arms may include, rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns, cannons, howitzers, tanks, rocket launchers, missiles, etc. Look up the definition of arms and you will find that it is pretty broad. Do I think I should have an M1 Abrahms in my drive way? No, but I believe I have the right to it based on the definitions. Besides, you have to be able to afford the weapons as well.
Which begs the question, what, exactly, infringes on ones rights. Does making it harder to obtain infringe on my rights? Does a requirement to register my arms infringe on my rights? What does that mean? I don't believe making you register your arms infringes on your rights. You are still allowed to keep and bear those arms. Making it harder to get a weapon does. Think of it this way, if what you have to do to get that weapon is more than it takes for you to get a drivers license, it infringes on your rights to bear arms. This is especially pointed since a drivers license is not a right. Could you imagine if you had to have a 30 day waiting period every time you went to buy a car? Or better yet, a 30 day waiting period every time you went to renew your license. Take a look at what you have to do in Chicago to own a gun. Now replace the word Gun with car in that list of requirements and claim that it doesn't infringe on you. "Cars aren't the same as guns," you say. You're right, you have a right to keep and use guns. You don't have a right to a car.
Wow, I just went off. I guess I had better end this. I enjoy reading your opinions on this and would appreciate any insight you may have. If I am wrong in something, please let me know as I am not above admitting when I am wrong.
Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
On to the meat of the blog. Today, I want to address an article I found on my local news site (KOMO news if you want to know). It was about an anti-gun lobby holding a vigil. The article was interesting on its own, but the comments following it really brought to light an interesting mix. The majority of the comments (9 out of 10) were pro-2nd amendment. This makes me wonder if the anti-gun movement is a majority movement or just something that a minority is trying to push on the majority. That is beside the point though. The real interesting part of the entire thing was the politicians stance.
To quote, "U.S. Representative Jim McDermott, (D-WA), whose colleague is Gabby Giffords, said certain guns should be banned.
"The whole issue of these clips that will shoot 33 bullets in an instant, you don't need that if you're hunting, you don't need that, that's only for war or terrorism, and I think they ought to be banned," he said."
The funny thing is, the 2nd amendment had nothing to do with hunting and everything to do with defending one's rights against a tyrannical government. I may not be a Constitutional lawyer, but if you read the constitution, study the revolution and historical era, it seems pretty obvious, why the second amendment is in place. I am sure there are those that will refute some of this, but the fact is that the second amendment wasn't put into place to protect hunters and hunting, but to protect the people from their government and each other. It reads, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The framers realized that without the privately owned guns, there would have been no revolutionary war. This is why the second amendment reads arms, not guns or firearms. It was meant to include any weapon needed to fight a war so that the citizens had the means to defend themselves and reclaim their government from a corrupt and/or tyrannical leader.
If you follow this thought then you have to ask about the word militia. The idea behind this was in the definition of militia. According to webster-dictionary.org this definition is: "In the widest sense, the whole military force of a nation, including both those engaged in the military service as a business, and those competent and available for such service; specifically, the body of citizens enrolled for military instruction and discipline, but not subject to be called into actual service except in emergencies." With a bit of basic understanding, you can say that you are a part of the militia once you have signed up for selective service since you are considered available to serve and have not yet been considered incompetent to serve.
To limit weaponry to only that needed for hunting spits in the face of the second amendment. I enjoy hunting, but the second amendment in no way, guarantees the right to hunt, only the right to keep and bear arms. In itself, that phrase is powerful. It ensures you have the right to buy, hold, obtain ammo for, and care for your arms. It ensures you have the right to carry, transport, load, fire, and show your arms. It means that, sense the word arms is used, these arms may include, rifles, pistols, shotguns, machine guns, cannons, howitzers, tanks, rocket launchers, missiles, etc. Look up the definition of arms and you will find that it is pretty broad. Do I think I should have an M1 Abrahms in my drive way? No, but I believe I have the right to it based on the definitions. Besides, you have to be able to afford the weapons as well.
Which begs the question, what, exactly, infringes on ones rights. Does making it harder to obtain infringe on my rights? Does a requirement to register my arms infringe on my rights? What does that mean? I don't believe making you register your arms infringes on your rights. You are still allowed to keep and bear those arms. Making it harder to get a weapon does. Think of it this way, if what you have to do to get that weapon is more than it takes for you to get a drivers license, it infringes on your rights to bear arms. This is especially pointed since a drivers license is not a right. Could you imagine if you had to have a 30 day waiting period every time you went to buy a car? Or better yet, a 30 day waiting period every time you went to renew your license. Take a look at what you have to do in Chicago to own a gun. Now replace the word Gun with car in that list of requirements and claim that it doesn't infringe on you. "Cars aren't the same as guns," you say. You're right, you have a right to keep and use guns. You don't have a right to a car.
Wow, I just went off. I guess I had better end this. I enjoy reading your opinions on this and would appreciate any insight you may have. If I am wrong in something, please let me know as I am not above admitting when I am wrong.
Thank you for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Uno, the tie that grinds
Friday has become something of a haven for me. I look forward to it all week as the night I get to enjoy with my boys. I enjoy playing games with them although they tend to be a bit disconnected on what they want to play. As they get older, they diverge so much that I am unsure exactly where to go sometimes. I enjoy the time together and what we get to do, but it is always a bit difficult to hash out what to do when i have 4 boys all wanting to do something different and not one willing to compromise. It usually takes a bit of cajoling to get them to play a single game and then we have to change games. It almost isn't worth it. I said almost, we always end up having fun and enjoying ourselves. That makes it all worthwhile.
This brings me to a question. Is there any particular game that brings you back to your childhood that you think of fondly and still enjoy playing? I can think of a couple, cribbage and Uno for example. I look forward to the day my youngest can play by himself (he still has a little trouble recognizing numbers), but he's 4 and my other boys didn't really get it until they were about 5. The truth is, we always have fun when we play, we just have to get the the point of dealing out the cards first.
That is really what it comes down to, isn't it? Not just dealing the cards, but playing with what you get dealt to you as well as played on you by others. Amazing how one little game can teach you so much about interacting with others and still grab your attention for more. There are other games that do this, but i suggest you sit and watch a game of Uno sometime. Watch how the players interact and how they play. In every group you will find a few distinct players. There is the planner, the one who picks a specific order in which to play his cards for the best advantage. The flash, the one that grabs the first card in his hand that can be played. The evil mastermind, this is the one that holds onto that "special" card for whoever played that draw two on him. Then you have the joker, this is the guy that is all of the above at any given time (me usually).
As they play you will find that the interactions also reveal just how competitive the players are. The more competitive the angrier they get at the pile of cards they hold. This is especially true when sitting next to the evil mastermind since this is also most likely the most sadistic of all the players. It gets ugly really fast when someone is not only competitive, but sensitive as well. That's when sitting him beside the sadistic and cruel evil mastermind is down right wrong. The mastermind will keep every nasty card he can until he can play it on his hapless victim until that victim is so traumatized that he no longer wants to play. This is usually what happens to our number two. The thing that makes it funny, is that it is our number three who is the evil mastermind with a sadistic streak.
Then again, maybe I am over analyzing the whole Uno thing. Maybe my boys just play to have fun and don't actually enjoy tormenting each other. One can hope.
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
This brings me to a question. Is there any particular game that brings you back to your childhood that you think of fondly and still enjoy playing? I can think of a couple, cribbage and Uno for example. I look forward to the day my youngest can play by himself (he still has a little trouble recognizing numbers), but he's 4 and my other boys didn't really get it until they were about 5. The truth is, we always have fun when we play, we just have to get the the point of dealing out the cards first.
That is really what it comes down to, isn't it? Not just dealing the cards, but playing with what you get dealt to you as well as played on you by others. Amazing how one little game can teach you so much about interacting with others and still grab your attention for more. There are other games that do this, but i suggest you sit and watch a game of Uno sometime. Watch how the players interact and how they play. In every group you will find a few distinct players. There is the planner, the one who picks a specific order in which to play his cards for the best advantage. The flash, the one that grabs the first card in his hand that can be played. The evil mastermind, this is the one that holds onto that "special" card for whoever played that draw two on him. Then you have the joker, this is the guy that is all of the above at any given time (me usually).
As they play you will find that the interactions also reveal just how competitive the players are. The more competitive the angrier they get at the pile of cards they hold. This is especially true when sitting next to the evil mastermind since this is also most likely the most sadistic of all the players. It gets ugly really fast when someone is not only competitive, but sensitive as well. That's when sitting him beside the sadistic and cruel evil mastermind is down right wrong. The mastermind will keep every nasty card he can until he can play it on his hapless victim until that victim is so traumatized that he no longer wants to play. This is usually what happens to our number two. The thing that makes it funny, is that it is our number three who is the evil mastermind with a sadistic streak.
Then again, maybe I am over analyzing the whole Uno thing. Maybe my boys just play to have fun and don't actually enjoy tormenting each other. One can hope.
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
An answer for a post.
I have been agonizing over what to write on today and have had no luck in coming up with a subject. The fact is that I am a slightly out of it today. The sad thing is, I really don't know why. I slept decently last night and am fairly alert, but I just can't seem to concentrate. I guess that is why I am not doing to well today on this. That being said, I will simply paste in an excerpt from the answers to my sons.
These answers are in response to the book "Questions for My Father" by Vincent Staniforth. My boys have been choosing questions they want answers to and I have been writing those answers. The questions vary widely so I have chosen to share the answer to What happened on your favorite holiday? Please read below
Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day
These answers are in response to the book "Questions for My Father" by Vincent Staniforth. My boys have been choosing questions they want answers to and I have been writing those answers. The questions vary widely so I have chosen to share the answer to What happened on your favorite holiday? Please read below
I guess the first thing I have to answer here is, what is my favorite holiday? The answer to that would be thanksgiving. This leads us to ask, why? This is what I think this question is really asking. What happened on your favorite holiday to make it your favorite holiday? I can’t name a single event, more like a series of events.
In order for you to fully understand my answer, I am going to have to give you a bit of background. The first thing you need to know is that, while I grew up in Iowa, my mother was from Wyoming. Add to that, the fact that my mother’s side was from all over, but mainly Nebraska. The first meant that my mom didn’t get to see her mom all that often and the second meant that she got to see her cousins even less. My dad, on the other hand, had nearly all of his relatives within a radius of about 75 miles. This meant that we saw my dad’s side of the family quite often and spent every Sunday at my Grandma’s house.
Sure, my mom’s family had a reunion every other year and so we got to see our relatives then, but what did we do in between? This is where Thanksgiving comes in. In the years that we didn’t have a family reunion, we spent Thanksgiving week with my mom’s mom. We got to see our aunts and uncles and spend a holiday with grandma. Grandma Skinner was a very good cook and we always ate well. But it was the fact that we got to see her and our cousins that made it worth it.
That is really only part of the answer. What about the years we didn’t go and see Grandma Skinner? We went to see Grandma Ibbotson. We would get together with dad’s sister and our cousin and have a Thanksgiving meal that I envy to this day. My cousin and I would end up fighting over the last piece of lemon meringue pie. We would decorate Grandma’s house for Christmas. Then I would watch football with grandpa and we would nibble on pies and snacks and turkey and nearly everything the rest of the day. My dad and Uncle Larry would end up snoring in the living room driving everyone to the dining room or kitchen. Sometimes I would go out and play football with the neighbors. In all, I have really fond memories of it all.
While Christmas is always fun with the gifts and of course getting together with my cousins at Grandma’s house, Thanksgiving was the holiday I most looked forward to. I knew I was going to get to spend it with at least one of my grandmothers. But if I had to choose a single Thanksgiving to remember it would be the Thanksgiving the year after my mom died. I was only 14 at the time and my Grandpa had died that spring. In all it had been a rough year. To make it worse, it was also the year for us to go and see Grandma Skinner. Normally I looked forward to that trip. Between losing mom and Grandpa Ibbotson, I really wasn’t in much of a celebrating mood. I was also old enough to realize that Grandma really didn’t need to have her son somewhere else for Thanksgiving that year. I was prepared for the worst as I expected dad to tell us that we weren’t going to Wyoming that year. Instead, dad invited Grandma Ibbotson to join us. So we all went to Wyoming for Thanksgiving. Instead of having one grandma cooking Thanksgiving dinner, we had two. They got along so well, that we ended up doing it again 2 years later and Grandma Ibbotson got adopted by my mom’s family and was permanently invited to their family reunion. And the best part of that Thanksgiving? I got a lemon meringue pie all to myself.
So, when I think of Thanksgiving, I think of family coming together in good times and in bad and making things better. I think of good food and better friendships. I think of laughter and joy in dark times and sighs of stuffed contentment in lean times. It is said that Christmas brings out the best in everyone, but Thanksgiving brings out the strongest desire for family and, to me, family is one of the most important things in the world.
What event led to Thanksgiving being my favorite holiday? The gathering of my family. Thanksgiving wasn’t about the turkey and the food, but about a sharing of time and cares with family. That is what Thanksgiving is. That is what is supposed to happen on thanksgiving. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Happy New Year: resolutions for a new me.
Welcome back. This is the first post of the new year and I just want to start out the year right. It was a great holiday season. I got to spend a lot of time with my family and we had a good time. Took the entire family roller skating. They all had a blast. The 4 year old enjoyed himself as well, which was great. Christmas went well as did the New Year, so there is that.
I know this is a day late by some estimates, but I just wanted to make sure I got it all worked out before I got on here. First day back to work and all that. I was kep t busy with office emails and package reviews, but today looks like it may be a bit slower.
Now for the question I know you want the answer to (then again, maybe it is just my ego speaking), what are my new year's resolutions? Resolutions are made based on things you need to improve and the only way to find those things is to reflect on the past year. I chose resolutions I could accomplish, but required a change in me to complete. Resolutions that not only meant something to me, but to others as well. That is also why I chose to share them. If you have a goal and fail to share it, you remove accountability. Share your resolutions with those they affect, that way they can help you keep them. You also need to communicate with the people who will help you with your resolutions what you mean by them and how you plan to accomplish them. If you say you want to lose weight (not a comment on any of you, just an easy target), then you need to explain how you plan on doing it, otherwise, you may find the help you get is advice you have already recieved a dozen times and advice you hate. Anyway, you need to take the time ot make your resolutions, write them down, and follow through. Now on to my resolutions.
The first is to actually be more involved in the family. This sounds like something that should be easy, but as I looked back I realized that I would get home, turn on the TV, and tune out the family. I want to be a bigger part of their lives. With that in mind, the resolution means that TV will be a family event, vice a me event as much as possible. I will still have a few shows that are mine, but I am going to stop surfing to "see what's on" until after I have been able to spend time with the boys. They deserve it.
The second resolution is simply to stick to my work out and diet regime. I need to do this to make sure I pass my last physical fitness assessment (PFA), the Navy's way of weeding out the fat people. I should be able to pass it as long as I work out and diet. The last PFA was nearly a failure as my work outs were inconsitant at best and my diet was erradic. This cycle, I am determined to do my best. I will still make dinners as much as possible, but I will just start limiting my portions.
The final resolution I made is to be more involved in my church. Since we have decided to stay out here, we decided that this was definitely our church. I already do a lot with the church, but I need to find more ways to be involved. This will mean a shuffling of priorities, but I think it is something I need to do.
So what about you, what resolutions did you make? Or did you decide it wasn't worth it since you can't keep them anyway?
I know this is a day late by some estimates, but I just wanted to make sure I got it all worked out before I got on here. First day back to work and all that. I was kep t busy with office emails and package reviews, but today looks like it may be a bit slower.
Now for the question I know you want the answer to (then again, maybe it is just my ego speaking), what are my new year's resolutions? Resolutions are made based on things you need to improve and the only way to find those things is to reflect on the past year. I chose resolutions I could accomplish, but required a change in me to complete. Resolutions that not only meant something to me, but to others as well. That is also why I chose to share them. If you have a goal and fail to share it, you remove accountability. Share your resolutions with those they affect, that way they can help you keep them. You also need to communicate with the people who will help you with your resolutions what you mean by them and how you plan to accomplish them. If you say you want to lose weight (not a comment on any of you, just an easy target), then you need to explain how you plan on doing it, otherwise, you may find the help you get is advice you have already recieved a dozen times and advice you hate. Anyway, you need to take the time ot make your resolutions, write them down, and follow through. Now on to my resolutions.
The first is to actually be more involved in the family. This sounds like something that should be easy, but as I looked back I realized that I would get home, turn on the TV, and tune out the family. I want to be a bigger part of their lives. With that in mind, the resolution means that TV will be a family event, vice a me event as much as possible. I will still have a few shows that are mine, but I am going to stop surfing to "see what's on" until after I have been able to spend time with the boys. They deserve it.
The second resolution is simply to stick to my work out and diet regime. I need to do this to make sure I pass my last physical fitness assessment (PFA), the Navy's way of weeding out the fat people. I should be able to pass it as long as I work out and diet. The last PFA was nearly a failure as my work outs were inconsitant at best and my diet was erradic. This cycle, I am determined to do my best. I will still make dinners as much as possible, but I will just start limiting my portions.
The final resolution I made is to be more involved in my church. Since we have decided to stay out here, we decided that this was definitely our church. I already do a lot with the church, but I need to find more ways to be involved. This will mean a shuffling of priorities, but I think it is something I need to do.
So what about you, what resolutions did you make? Or did you decide it wasn't worth it since you can't keep them anyway?
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