Today is a snow day

I didn't post on Saturday for a very simple reason: I can't get onto Blogger while I'm logged onto my computer at work. Yep, I had to work this weekend. Why? Was I being punished? Did I have leftover work to make up? No and no... The unit I am currently attached to is a reserve unit. As a result, there are weekends throughout the year that I will be required to go in. In a way it's good because the squadron (as a whole) deployed a couple years ago, which means that as a whole unit, we're not going anywhere any time soon. It kind of sucks because that means I have to plan on missing church at least once a month. This cuts into my bass playing time and (more importantly) time with the family. Still, we have developed a mantra: At least I'm not deployed.

How was the first week of the new year? I managed to read about 1/2 of the book of Genesis... Not every day, but when I did read I was able to get through big chunks of it. I also managed to get my running shoes back on and start training for my next event. There's the Flying Pig marathon in Cincinnati in May, which I have set my sights on. I use Hal Higdon's training plan for beginner marathon runners. I missed week 1, but I ran most of week 2 (missed the weekend) and I'm starting week three of the training tomorrow.

(Why don't I go out today?)

Well, when you have to put on your snow boots just to take out the trash and recycling, it's not very conducive to running outside. I'm not worried about the temperature because I got a cool running shirt for Christmas which is supposed to go under one of my long sleeve running shirts, and I have a couple of running jackets. I found one at Old Navy for about $13 and the other is part of my Marine Corps Physical Training (PT) uniform but I'm allowed to wear it with civilian clothing. ("Every Marine is a recruiter.")

So my trunk would be warm enough. I also have a couple of nice fleece hats to keep my head warm. My legs might start off a little chilly because I have a pair of warm up-type pants, but I don't have any base layer clothes for my legs... Not that I'm looking for any, but if I get serious about year-round running (and we stay here after I retire) then I might need a pair or two. The biggest hinderance to me running outside right now is shoes. I know they make shoes designed to be worn while you run in the ths snow, but I don't have any. Besides, we do have a treadmill downstairs, so I can still do a few miles regardless of the weather. Anyway, the plan this year is to run the Flying Pig and then run the Marine Corps Marathon in October. That would be just before the annual birthday ball, and one of my last big shots before I hit 20 years of service next February.

Wow... 20 years? Yep. I first stepped on the infamous yellow footprints of Perris Island almost 19 years ago. I have one more full year before I am eligible to retire. Hopefully I'll still have a retirement plan that allows me to make my house payment and provides for medical coverage for service related issues... like my thyroid and the drugs used to treat it.

What am I going to do when I leave the service? I'm not 100% sure yet. Right now I'm going to school (well, classes start next week) and pursuing a degree in Human Resource management. Why? Well, I enjoy working with people and I've been doing HR for the last 10 years or so anyway. I also looked at the Denver area and this wouldn't be a bad place to live. We're about 1/2 way between our parents... close enough to drive (day and a 1/2) or fly (about 2 hours). We're in a good neighborhood in a great school district... Denver is a great town for sports (both of my favorite baseball teams come to visit) and this area is a growing center for business as companies flee the lunacy of CA for somewhat more sane states and end up in CO. Take all that together and this could be a great place to be in HR for the foreseeable future.

The kids are off school today thanks to the first serious snow storm of the year. It's snowed about 6-8 inches in the last day or so and the streets are too slick for the buses (and teachers) to get to school. That's cool because the kids can go play in the snow all day. That's bad because I was planning to take down our Christmas lights today. Oh well. Perhaps I'll help them build a snowman or something. I also need to order my books for school and I've been given a couple of tasks for Blue & Gold for next month.

Wait, what's "Blue & Gold" you may ask. Well, every February, Cub Scouts all over America celebrate the anniversary of cub scouting with a festive occasion. I guess it's sort of like the cub scout version of the Marine Corps birthday ball, but without the swords. Anyway, in our pack the tradition is for the bear dens to put together the Blue & Gold. Since the Boy is a bear this year and I'm one of his den leaders, it falls on us to put stuff together. I suggested we call this year's theme "The Magic of Boyscouting" and the others went with it. Anyway, I've been asked to design the invitation/RSVP form for the other members of the pack to let us know how many people will attend. Sounds easy, right? Let's hope so. I'll probably work on it this afternoon.

First though, I have a kitchen to clean up and a few more Christmas items to put away. Turning the basement into a suitable play area is also on the "to-do" list so I may work on that as well today.

What do you have planned for today? Hope you have a great week and if you get snow, I hope it's not too disruptive.

New Year... New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

One of my resolutions is to return to the blog-o-sphere as a way of recording my observations on a variety of topics. I will most likely incorporate elements of all of my blogs into this one, so if you've been (not) tracking me on "The Right Track" you can officially stop. Speaking of fitness and stuff, I would like to start 2011 by recounting some of my achievements for 2010. On the fitness track, I signed up, trained for, and then completed the Denver Rock-n-Roll marathon last October. It was on the Boy's birthday, to be precise. I (mostly) ran through neighborhoods in and around downtown Denver, and completed the 26.2 miles in 5 hrs and 21 min. Since this was my first marathon, it is also my personal best time to date. :-) I have my sights set on the Marine Corps marathon this coming October. Now that I know I can complete the distance, I plan to take the training more seriously so I can actually run the whole distance. (I had to walk for about 3 miles.) While we were visiting my family in Cincinnati for Christmas I happened to look through the January issue of Runner's World and looked at the article of the 10 best marathons for beginners. Lo and behold, there's a race in Cincinnati that was highly recommended. It's in May. I was hoping to run the San Diego Rock-n-Roll this June but because of the drill schedule for work, it is doubtful I'd be able to get the time off. However, running a race in and around my home town with my folks waiting at the finish line (they said they'd be there) could be very exciting. After all, 2011 is 20 years after I graduated high school and I might post this as a challenge for my classmates to make the race event a mini-reunion before the main one currently scheduled for October. I have at least one classmate, who currently lives in Chicago, who might run it with me. My sister also knows a couple of people at her work who have expressed interest in running the Marine Corps marathon. I may toss out the idea of "I'll run the MCM with you, if you run the Flying Pig marathon (Cincinnati's race) with me" and see how that goes.

So, Yes, we went back to Cincinnati to visit my parents and sister for Christmas this year. We went to San Diego for Thanksgiving, continuing a tradition of having dinner with my MIL's friends in Moreno Valley. That was a good visit, but I'm very glad we decided to fly. Even with the new TSA security measures in place we had a pretty smooth trip. None of us got selected for any additional screening and we all went through the normal metal detectors. We saved a LOT of money by expanding our travel window. We left on the Tuesday before and stayed until the Monday after the big day. The kids ended up missing a total of three days at school, but they made up the work when we got back. Anyway, back to the Cincinnati trip. The kids' winter school break started the Friday before Christmas so we took advantage and hit the road. We had a pack meeting on Thursday evening and then we left. We DROVE from our home to St. Louis on Friday. Yes, that's a long day, but we had clear weather and the truck performed beautifully. We finished the trip on Saturday with an relatively easy 6 hrs in the car to get to my sister's house. She was gracious enough to loan us her place for the week we were in town. (She stayed with our parents.) We had a good visit and got a chance to see some friends from my youth as well as see some of the sights around town. I would say the highlight of our trip was going to see my aunt and uncle in Kentucky. My cousin and her family came up from Tennessee and our kids all met for the first time. They had a blast and we had a great day of family... which is what the holidays are about, right? I mean, aside from the obvious Christian implications of Christmas. :-)

Speaking of going home, my wife went back to San Diego four times last year. I sent her back to the surf and sand for her birthday in April. She really needed to go back because the snow and cold were driving her crazy. So, she went home for a week. I took some leave so I could take care of the kids while she was gone and everyone seemed refreshed when she returned. Last winter was apparently worse than normal for this area.

(Wait, I thought they live in San Diego! Where are they now?)

Good question. The answer is that we moved to the Denver area in August, 2009. We moved in compliance with Permanent Change of Station orders and I now work with a reserve unit based in Aurora, CO, which is just East of downtown Denver. We looked all over for a home and ended up buying a place in Douglas county, mostly because of the schools. The kids have responded quite well. The Boy was struggling with reading in San Diego but now he actually enjoys it. In fact, his biggest reactions to Christmas gifts were when he opened presents and found new books.

Getting back to the travels of my wife... She went home for her birthday, then we all went to San Diego for a couple of weeks so I could attend pre-retirement classes at the Miramar air station. We drove that trip, but it's not tough during the summer months. We took two weeks. I spent the first week in classes and the family spent time with Grandma and then the second week we moved into a cabin on the recreational beach at Camp Pendleton for a week. It was a good time. We hosted what we called "open fire night" during that 2nd week. We invited anyone who wanted to, to come by and say "hi" since we wouldn't be able to travel around and see everyone separately. There was a decent turnout and we had a great time. Grandpa Len came down and we got to spend several hours with him and Uncle Bob and Aunt Ruthie. That was a great afternoon. Little did we know it would be our last visit with Grandpa Len. He passed suddenly a couple months later. That prompted my wife's third visit home. She went back for a quick trip to represent us at the funeral. It was a sad occasion but a good visit. Why does it always seem to be tragedy that brings people together?

Anyway, yes, I have entered what will probably be my last year in the Marine Corps. I have not been able to get promoted past E-6 and I fear this will force me to transfer to the FMCR at the end of 20 years. However, I did have a gap in my fitness report record and that has been corrected. Also, my current commander seems to like me so I hope that will reflect in this year's annual review. With just a bit of luck, I'll get selected for promotion on my last shot at the promotion board. If that happens, I'd be able to stay on active duty until I reach 22 years of service. That would be good because I'd be able to finish my bachelor's degree before I get out and then use my GI Bill benefits for a master's degree. So, on the subject of school: I am currently attending Colorado Christian University in the evenings. They have a program for working adults where classes meet once a week for only 5 weeks. At that pace, I can still take 3 classes per semester. I am pursuing a degree in Human Resource management, which is similar to what I do now. Besides, I've looked at Denver and the area is growing and almost every company out there needs a HR manager in some capacity. So, if you are in a position where you need a new member for your HR team and you are interested in hiring a veteran with over 10 years of HR experience, I'm your man. :-)

So, that's a review of 2010. What do I hope to accomplish in 2011? I'm registered for 3 classes for the spring semester. I'm looking at possibly running three races in 2011. We'll be looking at making a HUGE transition to the civilian sector after a 20 year career in the USMC... And I'm sure there are other things that will crop up.

Lastly, I've started reading my bible again. It's January, so I'm taking another shot at reading God's Word all year and hope to make it all the way through. I read off-and-on last year and kind of hopped around to whatever book sounded good at the time. I've never read the whole thing start to finish and I want to correct that this year. I read Genesis 1-5 this morning, covering creation and setting the stage for the story of Noah, which begins in chapter 6. I believe that if I average 3 chapters a day I'll finish by December 31st. Since I have to anticipate that there will be days when I won't read 3, I'll read more when I can.

Anyway, I guess that's about for now. Hope your holidays were good to you. Hope you have a good new year. I'm looking forward to football all day today and getting Christmas stuff cleaned up to start the year with a truly fresh slate. I'll try to update this at least once a week with observations and plans for the following week. Saturdays will probably be the best day for me to do that. In the mean time, I'll be posting shots on Facebook, which is where I'll try to keep my political rantings. ;-)

Happy New Year!

Happy Easter!

Yes, it's been quite a while since I last posted a blog entry, but I can explain...

Okay, I don't really have an excuse. I have been busy writing... Just not in this format. I've been trying to keep tabs on all the ways the federal government has been destroying our nation from within. I tend to post articles and a comment or two on my Facebook page. I've also been taking college classes which have taken time away from the ranting and raving I do here in the blog-o-world. So that's why I haven't posted a new entry since the beginning of the year.

So, how have you been? I'm doing pretty well here. Let's play some catch-up for a few minutes. Where to begin?

Like I said, I'm back in school, much to the delight of my mother and the relief of my wife. I've passed the magic 18 year mark in my Marine Corps career which means I'm down to the last two years of my time in uniform. While it's a bit of a relief to know that I've reached sanctuary, which means I will be allowed to retire at this point, it's also a bit of a jolt. I'm less than two years from being forced to face the cold reality that there are millions of people out of work and millions more working in jobs that are lower than their level of education and experience would qualify them for. So, what am I going to do? I'm studying HR Management at Colorado Christian University. I am using the tuition assistance program offered by the Marines to save my G.I. Bill benefits until after I retire. So far it seems to be going well. I did very well in my introductory class and I think I'm doing well in my current class, ENG 104: research writing. I'm hoping to at least be a senior by the time I finish my stint in the Corps, if I have not graduated by then. After that, we'll see where God takes us. Of course, Jen would like to go back to San Diego as soon as possible. If that is His path for us then I would be more than happy to follow it. If he leads us elsewhere or leaves us here then I hope and pray that we would willingly follow that direction as well.

What else? Oh! I have a thyroid condition. You may recall that I had surgery on my rotator cuff back in September. I had been taking it easy and eating too much fast food over the summer. As a result, I tipped the scales at 228 late last year. That's 20 pounds more than my maximum weight, according to the Marine Corps' standards. Well, as part of the paperwork process I am required to have a blood test to make sure there is no underlying medical condition that would cause me to gain weight. The results came back and it turns out that I have a case of hypothyroidism. I told my mom and she remarked that my father and sister have been taking medicine for that for years. Would've been helpful information a few months ago, but it's still helpful now. So maybe I was destined to come down with this, but since it happened while on active duty this will be another service related medical condition. Who knows? I may end up with enough stuff wrong with me to qualify for compensation in addition to treatment for the rest of my life. It's crazy though. I'm not sure how I feel about being qualified for lifetime "free" health care from the federal government, but on the other hand, it's Uncle Sam taking care of his wounded warriors. It's a dilemna for sure. Anyway, I've been taking a synthetic thyroid medicine and watching what I eat, plus I'm exercising more. As of last week I was down to 214. I'm hoping/trying to get back to an even 200 by our anniversary. We'll see how that goes.

Completely changing the subject: I introduced the kids to the original Star Wars trilogy over the last few weeks. We got a Wii system for Christmas and everyone got a game for themselves. I got Lego Star Wars: the Complete Trilogy as "my" game. I've played it a lot and really enjoy it. It's rated for payers age 10 and up because there's some tricky problem solving and creative battle strategies involved. ANYWAY, I let the kids play it and they had no clue what the whole story was all about. Well, we do a movie night every Friday where the kids take turns picking out a movie and then we all watch with popcorn and what-not. I'd grown tired of watching "Lady and the Tramp" or any of the other Disney movies we have, so I suggested we watch "Star Wars" and they totally went for it. I now feel like my responsibilty to the next generation has been completed. If/When we get the new trilogy, we'll probably watch it as well, but it was the original story line that needed to be experienced.

We've been going to Southeast Christian Church pretty much since we moved here, but we're not members yet. Why not? Well, we're not 100% sure this is where we're supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, we haven't found anything wrong with their teaching and the kids seem to have a good time whenever we go, but it just doesn't feel like "home" for us. We're going to check out a few more churches around the area to see if there's a better fit. Hopefully we figure that out sooner rather than later. Unless we find a church that just screams, "THIS IS IT!" We'll probably stay at Southeast. It would be nice to find a place to serve again.

The kids' school is currently on a year-round schedule but they're converting back to a more traditional schedule for next year. Unfortunately, that means they'll only have about seven or eight weeks for summer break this year. I've already signed up for retirement classes back at Miramar in late July, but we'd also like to try to get to Cincinnati this summer since we haven't been back for a few years. Add our reserve unit's annual drill period in June and we've got a busy summer schedule ahead. It may turn out to be easier if I just take the summer off from school and hit it full force in the fall, but I'd prefer to have classes going at all time. We'll see how that works out and I'll try to keep you posted.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Hope everyone had a good winter. (Did you know it snows up here?) Our spring was a long time coming, but I think it may be here to stay.

Let's go, Reds!
Let's go, Padres!

Play ball!

Seriously?

I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving? Seriously? Well, okay then. Time to change that.

Hope your holidays went well. We drove the truck all the way back to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with Jen's mom. Her 2 BR apartment is definitely not the ideal place to add a family of four, but she graciously gave up her room and we made it work. After about 20 minutes of driving on our way out of town, I was already glad we had decided to take the Ford. Four words: D... V... D... Player... Anyway, the truck did just fine all the way down and all the way back. We had a good visit and a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends in Moreno Valley. I've put more time and effort (and money) into that SUV in recent months than I care to recall. Shortly after we got here we got new tires (scheduled and budgeted for) then we needed a new brake booster and yet another new alternator... I've learned a lot about working on cars in the last couple of months. Still, I don't have enough to be able to figure out what's really wrong with it so I took it back to the dealer. I pointed out that the alternator in the vehicle came from their parts shop (replacing one from Autozone that had been in there for less than a month) so I was sure that wasn't the problem. They called back later that day and told me I need a new PCM. That's the computer that controls the cruise control and handles most of the diagnostics for the vehicle. How do I know? Because it's the same thing that went wrong on my Saturn just before we left San Diego back in July. Seriously? What are the odds?

Anyway, on to Christmas break. This time we were the hosts. Jen's mom came to visit the week of Christmas and just after she got here it snowed... Nothing majorly dramatic but enough to give a nice coat of white on the world for the holiday. My parents and sister arrived from Ohio on the 26th. We were able to consolidate the kids for my MIL to stay with us, but we just didn't have the space for all three of my family so they got a hotel in nearby Castle Rock. We went around town during the week between Christmas and New Year's and took in the seasonal sights. It stayed cold enough to keep the snow around, but the weather was clear throughout their visit. They went home on the 2nd of January and we've been in recovery mode since then. It's like we had to get back into a routine just to recover from the "break" for the holidays. At least I was able to take leave so that was nice.

Today it's snowed for most of the day. The temperatures have actually fallen for most of the day. Seriously? A high temp in the teens? That's just not right.

So now that we're all caught up, let's talk about the new year. I've started reading my Bible again and since we're not planning to move this summer I'm very hopeful that I'll be able to keep going this year. I've also started exercising again. I've already run 6 miles this year... Granted, that's not much, but if you consider that I had rotator cuff surgery just back in September then I think I'm doing okay. The down side to having surgery shortly after coming off leave? I'm overweight. Seriously? Yep. I'm currently at 216 and I'm only allowed to be 208. When I was weighed in early November I was at 228. So it's 20 pounds and that led to a lipid test to check to see if I had a medical reason for being overweight (other than my shoulder) and that's when I found that I have a thyroid condition. Seriously? Yes, I have a mild case of hypo-thyroid-ism... That means that my thyroid is not producing as much of whatever chemical it makes as it used to so I've been put on pills and I have a follow up in a couple of weeks. The kicker? When I told my mom about this she said that my dad and sister have been on thyroid medication for "years." Seriously? I probably should've been told about this sooner rather than later, Mom. (love you!)

Anyway, I'll be using this blog and my facebook account to keep tabs on my fitness goals. I figured out that running 3 miles a day, 3 days a week, and taking 2 weeks off for vacation or illness would total 450 miles. Since I want to run a marathon, I have to assume that I'll be running more than that so I've place my goal at 500 miles for the year. Obviously I need to lose about 10 pounds as well, but I'm going to up that to 20 and see if I can get under 200 by the end of the year. If I make my running goal then the weight goal should be almost easy. We'll see what happens. Oh, I'll have to work all of that around my new schedule. I'll be taking classes at Colorado Christian University starting later this month. I'm hoping/planning to get back into the groove of taking classes sooner rather than later. If I can get done with a degree before I retire then great. If not, then there's a possibility that I could apply for a musical scholarship to supplement my retirement pay and GI Bill benefits... Assuming the federal gov't doesn't decide to tax the GI Bill to pay for education for illegal aliens or some crap like that. Sorry, did I say that out loud? I "Hope" I didn't give anyone any ideas on how to "Change" one of the biggest benefits I'm looking forward to when I retire.

So, that's how my 2009 ended and that's what I'm looking forward to in 2010. How's everything in your neck of the woods?

It's Monday... and I'm on 'cation!

Monday's here again, but this time it's not so bad. I'm on vacation this week and we're in San Diego to visit Jen's mom for Thanksgiving. Jen typed up a good post about our recent troubles with her vehicle so I won't repeat them here. However, I am gaining more confidence and after hearing Pastor Hal yesterday talk about hope deferred and what to do when your dreams are unattainable, I'm seriously re-considering my post Marine Corps hobby ideas. See, I've said before that I would love to build my own model railroad world, but that's kind of a selfish hobby in my family. While I'm pretty sure that the kids would get a kick out of watching the trains, I'm equally as sure that Jen and I would come to regret the money and time that building a MRR would take. However, if I get an older muscle car that maybe needs some work and tinker on it when time and money are available, I'd have something that we could share and enjoy together. I'm not saying that the transformation would be a quick as Bumblebee in "Transformers" but it would get there and I think there would definitely be a pride factor involved in doing most of the work myself. I just need to find a car that runs reliably to start but needs some love to bring out the potential. Any offers?

Our trip down here was a lot less eventful than our trek to Denver earlier this summer. For one, Jen was able to drive for a stretch on Saturday so I could catch a nap and rest my eyes. That was a great help. Also, we didn't get into any accidents as we got into town on Saturday evening so that was nice as well.

We went to church yesterday and were able to see the newest trailer for the movie that they shot last year while I was deployed. It's gonna be amazing and I can't wait to see it. "To Save a Life" is set to open Jan 22 and if you thought "Fireproof" was a good movie then you definitely need to make plans to see this one. Of course, before and after the service we tried to spend a few minutes with as many people as possible to get caught up a little. Apparently 'our' small group is planning to meet this Wednesday just because we're in town... Thanksgiving Eve is usually an evening off from church activities so people can prepare for the feasting and festivities (and football) that the following day promise to provide, so we'll get to chat with almost everyone then. On Thursday we'll head up to Moreno Valley to have dinner with friends and family. It's become a tradition for us. I'm pretty sure my wife will have more to say on the subject so I'll just leave it at that.

We brought my son's popcorn stuff with us. I had hoped to get it mailed out to our long distance contacts (everyone except Jen's mom and ourselves) but we simply ran out of time, so that's what the plan is for this morning. I'll take him to the post office and get that stuff shipped out. With any luck it'll get 'there' by Thursday, but I'm not counting on it. Still, Friday or Monday should be pretty good and will be well timed to help set the holiday spirit for the Christmas season. =)

I guess that brings us up to speed about what's going on in this part of the universe. How do things look from where you are? Happy Thanksgiving!

November past, present, maybe future

Happy Friday the 13th! (Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!)

Okay, now that THAT is out of my system I can jot down a few thoughts about the first half of this month and my plans for the rest of the month. Hopefully I'll be back and write a post about what actually happens, but let's take this one step at a time.

This week the United States Marine Corps celebrated our 234th anniversary. For anyone who doesn't know, the Corps was founded by a resolution of the Continental Congress that declared that two battalions shall be raised and that they shall be called the first and seconde battalions of United States Marines. This resolution was passed on 10 November, 1775. "Since that time, many thousands of men have borne the title 'Marine' and it is only fitting that we who are Marines today take time to commemorate our humble beginnings." (John LeJeune, 13th Commandant, Birthday message written in 1921) We celebrated last weekend as our drill period for the month. We went to the Renaissance Hotel where we had dinner, took our annual portrait, hung out with friends, danced, and then came home. Where were the kids? One of Jen's new friends allowed our children to have a sleep over all night. We dropped them off mid-afternoon and didn't see them again until after church the next morning. They didn't have as much fun as we did apparently because both of them opted out of lunch to go straight to bed and slept the whole afternoon away. Still, WE had a good time. =)

So that was last Saturday. Since we had done drill related stuff that morning we got Monday off as a comp day. I spent it swapping out the alternator in my wife's car. It actually took much longer to get to the alternator than it did to swap it out. Why did I swap it out? Well, there's a bit of a story to that but I already covered it in my last post. Suffice to say that when I went to get the booster from my new friends at Autozone I asked about the alternator and they happened to have one in stock. Since we're planning to travel soon I figure "better safe than sorry" and swapped it out... All was not lost. I got $25 back for my core deposit when I took the old alternator in. So that was Monday. Tuesday was a "normal" work day for me. The command had suggested that anyone who wanted to take Tuesday as a day of leave would be allowed to so the office was very empty. I took advantage of that to leave just after lunch time and go to the gym for most of the afternoon. Why was Tuesday allowed as a leave day? Well, for one, it was the 10th and nobody likes to work on their birthday according to Jim Gaffigan. Also, we were going to get the 11th off for Veteran's Day so there was little point for many people to come in and get started on two or three day projects. So we were off again on Wednesday. I figures changing the brake booster would take all day so I got started early. By the time my physical therapy appointment came around I had almost gotten all the bolts off the stupid thing. When I left the PT clinic I swung by AZ again to see if they had... there it is! A deep socket that should speed up the process considerably. When I got home, that last bolt didn't stand a chance and I got the old booster out and the new one in all in about an hour. It's amazing what you can accomplish with the right tools.

Anyway, yesterday and today were/are regular work days and then we're back on a weekend. I love this duty schedule!

So, what are the plans for the rest of the month? Well, next Friday we'll pick up our son at school at the end of the day and head South... planning to stay in NM for the night. Then on Saturday we'll be in the car for a looooong time but when we get done, we'll be in San Diego for Thanksgiving! The plan is to drive back up here on Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving so the kids can go back to school and I can go back to work. (bummer) Still, it should be a great time. That's why I've spent more time than money on the truck. Yes, my Saturn would get better mileage, but did I mention that there's a DVD player in the truck and the seat recline?

Well, that's pretty much it from here. Hope you have a great weekend and I'll let you know how the trip goes. TTFN!

BOO!!!

Happy Halloween! Okay, it's not really that scary, but I couldn't think of a better title for this post. It's been a couple of weeks so here's what's going on...

We went to Mr. Biggs for the boy's birthday. We thought about it and realized that we could either spend a bunch of money to have the neighborhood boys over and let them trash our house (which still has at least one box in every bed room) or let him pick a friend to take with us and go where he wanted to go. He'd originally said Dave and Buster's but we heard about Mr. Biggs and decided to check it out. It was just okay for us but the kids had a good time and that's the point, right? So we came home late and had a quick piece of cake and opened presents before off to bed. It's so hard to believe that we have an 8 year old. He and I are in Scouts now as well. He'll get jumped in officially at our next pack meeting. I should be able to have his uniform shirt done by then. If he was a little older I'd make him sew his own patches on and work on his arts and crafts badge at the same time, but my military side says that his uniform should look good so I'll do it for him... this time.

Jen was doing really well the week after my last post. The sun came out and the fall decorations sprang up all over the neighborhood. Then the snow came... and didn't leave! Seriously, it was all over the news back in my home town so you know it had to be big... or nothing else interesting was going on. Still, it snowed constantly for 2 days straight. I even got snowed out of work for a couple of days. In fact, the roads were bad enough that our kids' school even called off going to classes yesterday. Sheesh! Of course, today the sun is shining again and the white stuff is turning brown and black along the major roadways. The kids don't quite understand that it can be sunny and still be cold. They wanted to go out in their flip-flops and short sleeves this afternoon. How about... NO! While we were snowed in I got the garage cleaned up enough to get the Truck into it. That was good. Now here's the bad news.

I took the vehicle to our local dealer ealier this week. (Let me back up a bit.) As we were trekking across the mountains, our check engine light came on. I had just had the car serviced before we left San Diego so I ignored it thinking that the mechanic had just forgotten to reset the light and besides, we were planning to get the oil changed again soon after we got to Denver. So, I took the car in... told the desk guy that the engine light and battery lights are on steady. Also, there's a hiss under the brake pedal and the heater vent in the back doesn't blow hot air and there's a switch clicking whenever we turn it on. He says no problem... we'll take a look. I called back later in the day and he runs down a list of things wrong with the car. What's the damage? Oh... about $2800. That's not a typo. They wanted almost 3 grand to put in a new alternator (the one that's in there is fine) and install a new brake booster and pcv line (BTW, WTH is a pcv line?), new aux motors for the rear heater and nearly $1000 to change out the fluids for winter. I said thanks but no, would you just change the oil and give me a detailed write up? Sure. So we go pick up the truck only now it has a power problem. There's hesitation on acceleration and the check engine light is now blinking at me. The owner's manual says that means "misfire" which would explain the hesitation and rough idle. I took the truck back to Ford. Dude looks me in the eye and says, "We didn't do it." So now I'm waiting for the tech manual to be delivered and I've ordered a brake booster from Autozone. It should be here on Wednesday or Thursday which is fine since the manual won't get here until next weekend at the earliest. I do not like dealerships and this is just one more example of why.

So, in the spirit of the 'holiday' I've decided to just put that all aside for the afternoon and get the garage ready for tonight's trick-or-treat crowd. I'm planning to wear my flight suit and my new snow boots and try to look like a Ghostbuster. If that fails I still have the retro outfit that I bought for Jen's 30th birthday party and I can be Disco Dan or something. Anyway, hope your weekend is off to a better start. Don't eat too much candy and I'll see you next month. Bwahahahahahahaha!