Weekends, not so restfull when you fill them.

             This weekend is going to be busy.  It looks like I may have overtime and have to work.  Hopefully, the civilians will volunteer and I can spend the weekend with friends and family. I also have some planning to do as I am heading up the church's brunch for those who serve for the Easter services.  This means I have to plan and coordinate enough to feed about 200 people.  I will have 10 people helping me to cook and serve, I just have to figure out how best to use them and what, exactly, we will be serving.  It sounds harder than it is, I hope.  I have a few ideas and hopefully I can get them into action.  I really need to get to the church and figure out what the kitchen has for us to use and what I need to get provided, I do that Tuesday.  Overall, it should be a fun time.
            As for the rest of this weekend, we are having friends over Friday, going to Friends Sunday, and in between I have a bible study, we need to go grocery shopping, and I need to spend some quality time with the boys.  I fully expect to be exhausted each night when I go to bed.
           Then I get to start the next week with calling for estimates for my septic system.  I still haven't got any and the darn thing needs replaced.  I have so much to do, that the list just keeps growing (I talked about the list a few posts ago.)  Sometime this month I need to get the camper out of storage and get it ready for camping season and the list grows some more.
          Amazing how time off doesn't equal rest and relaxation.  Maybe later, like August when we go on vacation.  Then again, I will be driving and trying to keep kids entertained, so maybe not.  I guess I can get my restful day some time later.
          Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Short and to the point, sort of.

           Today is my boy's school conferences.  I think I am dreading them more than my boys are.  I know that they do well for the most part, it is the low areas that scare me.  As a parent, I find that I fear hearing the bad about my boys and it is never as bad as I fear it could be.  I guess I am lucky in that.  I know that I hated conferences as a kid because I knew I didn't meet expectations as often as I should have.  Luckily, my boys do well enough that I shouldn't have that fear.  I still do and it puts my stomach in knots.
           Throw in the fact that the boys have today and the rest of the week off as well as next week for spring break and you suddenly find yourself wondering what you will be doing with them.  You try and plan things and then discover that, between work and other such things, you really don't have time to do much.  Hopefully the weather gets better and we can get them outdoors and doing stuff.
           Anyway, that's about all I have for today.  Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Extremely short. Probably not worth your time. Enjoy.

            Finally caught up.  This is why I don't like going on leave.  I end up spending the first day or so back getting caught up on what I missed while I was away.  It is doubly worse when it is unexpected.  I still enjoy it, if only because it means I have that time off to ignore work completely.  Anyway, I now have to do what needs done today, which is showing the new guy around.  Not that that is hard or painful, it is just something I need to do.  So again, I give you a short post.  Better than no post, I guess.
           Thanks for reading (all 5 seconds it took you) and, as always, have a great day.

Short note of return.

             For those of you out of the loop, I did not post last week due to being out of town to attend my Grandmother's funeral.  It was the first time in about 10 years that my entire family was together at the same time.  Sad that it took the passing of my Grandmother for it to occur, but she would have been proud.  We celebrated her life and were able to share our fond memories of her.  At the same time we were able to catch up with each other and enjoy each other's company.  We also reminded ourselves why we stopped playing hearts with dad (he wins to easily).
           The sad thing is that it took me 4 hours to get caught up enough at work to post this blog.  I still have some other things to do, but I was able to take a long enough break to post this.  Once I am fully caught up, I will start making longer posts, but it may take me a couple of days.
           Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

A tribute to my Grandmother

           Today, I received the word that my grandmother had passed this morning.  It was not an unexpected thing as she has been in a nursing home for the past few years, but that does not make it any easier.  While her last few years were less than good, I prefer to remember her as she was for most of her life.  With that in mind, I give you the following.
           My grandmother was a great and wonderful woman.  Her house was always a safe and inviting place.  Filled with the smells of great food and the aura of welcome.  She always had a smile for everyone, not just her grandkids.  She welcomed any friend we brought home, or neighbor kid that stopped by.  She engaged them in conversation to learn about them and was genuinely interested in all that we said.  She did have rules and we followed them. That isn't to say she didn't spoil us.  We spent nearly every Sunday there and many holidays.  I still treasure the recipes she gave us and the life lessons she shared.  She helped instill in us responsibility and an ingrained sense of honor.  She taught us to value others as ourselves.  She taught us the value of Family and that no matter what, she would be there for us.
           My grandmother brought so much to us.  When my mother was sick, she stayed with us and kept us going.  she went out of her way to care for us for no more reason than we needed her.  She didn't run to take vacations after she retired, instead she stayed by us to provide us with a place to go.  She listened when we wanted to talk.  Gave us a shoulder to cry on when we were hurt.  She knew instinctively that a cookie could solve many of life's problems when you are young and that a quiet nod was what it took when you were older.  Her advice was always careful and considered and she was never to experienced to hear the opinions and advice of those around her.
          When it comes right down to it, my grandmother was an anchor, not only for our family, but for the entire neighborhood.  She took the time to take care of those whose life she touched.  She was an active member of her church and yet she still had time to make Sunday lunch, not just for herself, but for anyone who stopped by.  Many days there were 10 or more around the dinner table that looked like it was set for a thanksgiving feast even though it was April.  No one lest Grandma's place hungry or in need of a hug and she always meant it when she told you to come back soon.
         Maybe I rambled a bit and maybe I repeated myself a few times, but that is what my Grandma was and how I remember her.  I think those that knew her would say the same.  Thank you Grandma for all you gave us.  I thank God for the time we had with her.
         Thanks for reading and, as always have a great day.

To my son on his birthday.

           Today is special.  It just happens to be my second son's birthday.  So this post is for him.  He is my rough and tumble boy.  The one that has determined that he is in charge.  He is the first to jump in when dad decides to wrestle with his boys and the last to leave.  He is outgoing and brave.  He has his quirks as well (He is my son after all).  He finds ways to push boundaries and will find new ways to make me ask the question, "what were you thinking?"  He is also intelligent (although he denies it).  He has a knack for figuring out loop holes and exploiting them.  He is eager to learn new things (although he gets bored with them once he figures them out).  He loves to use his hands to do stuff and tries to be interested in what his dad is interested in (although in his words dad's stuff is boring).
          David is one of those boys that can make you wonder what went wrong and then prove that nothing did.  He will surprise you even if you know what is coming.  He is proof that kids will do or say the darnedest things.  He has no volume control because he must be heard.  He can also be the most stubborn of kids (but that is what my family does best).
         David takes care of his brothers and teaches them what he can.  He takes interest in his younger brothers and tries to make them smile.  He is also willing to sacrifice them to dad on occasion (when tickling or other such things are involved). 
         In all, David is David.  I know that isn't very definitive, but then again how do you define the indefinable.  He is still young and has a lot of years ahead of him so I know he will change and grow, but I know that he will grow into a man I can be proud of because I am already proud of where he is now.  Happy Birthday, David and have a great day.

Vacation planning: changes are expected.

           This weekend was a pretty good one all things considered.  I finished sewing the knee pads around midnight Friday only to have only one kid wear them at the games.  Speaking of the games, despite the slow start (we came in fourth the first game) we ended up placing first.  Then my two oldest boys and their team also got first.  We ended up just relaxing the rest of the day.  Sunday went well as well.  We even remembered to shift our clocks Saturday night before we went to bed.
            Now for the fun side.  As some of you know, we are in the middle of planning our summer vacation.  For the past week or so, we had planned on going to Yosemite National Park.  Last night my wife turns to me and says, "I think Yosemite is a little close and is somewhere we can go after you retire."  In other words, she wants to go further away.  And now I am trying to plan a trip to the Grand Canyon.  There is nothing like scrapping every bit of planning you have done for a week on the whim of your wife.  That's OK, I only have 3 days to figure it out before the reservations open for the camp sites.  We'll see where we go from here. 
             Not much else is going on so I think I will do some research and restart my planning.
             Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.