Last night Adam and I went to a Bees game with Mike and Julie. I left work early to catch a bus home so I could surprise Adam with the news that we were going to the game. Mike got tickets from his friend Matt (he plays for the Bees).
It was military appreciation night at the game so they had a bunch of activities going on. At the start of the game during the singing of the National Anthem, a guy from Hogle Zoo brought out a Bald Eagle to stand next to the young lady singing. As if that wasn't cool enough, an Apache Helicopter pops up over the trees behind the stadium and hovers over the stadium doing a few maneuvers and circling around. That was the third time this week for me to see an Apache flying around. One other ceremony held before the game was the swearing in of twenty new Air Force recruits.
After the game, which the Bees lost, there was a really cool fireworks display, one of the best and the longest I have been to.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Ouch! The money pit was really deep this time...
So, I got the truck back yesterday. I received the call in the morning that the repairs were going to cost my right arm, both legs, part of my torso, and two of my children. I waited all day and finally called at 4:48pm to be told that the mechanic had just finished up and was pulling in from the test drive. Marni took me down to the shop and I paid the man the many pounds of flesh. Then I somehow managed to drag my mangled body and wallet out of the store, climb in the truck and drive off into the sunset, quite a bit poorer,wondering if it was worth it. Now I have a fifteen year old truck with brand new brakes and several other important parts related to the brakes.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Cars, the never ending money pit
This has been a busy month for car repairs. Last Friday I had to put a new battery in my truck. I took the day off today to get the oil changed in both vehicles and to get them both inspected. As it turns out the van didn't need an inspection. I can just pay the registration and I am good for another year. The truck is a different story.
The truck failed the safety inspection. There is a hole in the exhaust pipe where the pipe is welded to the catalytic converter. The inspector couldn't get the rear brake drum off because of a groove in the drum and he cannot remove it for liability reasons. And to top it all off I need to have the bearings repacked on the front end. Nice!!!
So, I took the old bolt bucket to Master Muffler to have them look at the weld job they did when I had a piece of the tail pipe replaced. They said it was a bad weld and fixed it while I waited. I got to talking to the owner of the shop and realized that they can fix all of the other problems as well. So I called up my wife and had her come and pick me up. A repair man will inspect the rear brakes and repack the bearings for me. If it needs new brakes or anything else they will call.
I can only imagine what the repair costs will be. Fortunately the weld job was under warranty (at least something was working for me).
The highlight of the day was I got to spend part of the day with my daughter, Carolyn, as she went with me to get the oil changed on the truck. Sammy went with me to the muffler shop and had a great time. I bought him a Country Time Lemonade and that made his day.
The truck failed the safety inspection. There is a hole in the exhaust pipe where the pipe is welded to the catalytic converter. The inspector couldn't get the rear brake drum off because of a groove in the drum and he cannot remove it for liability reasons. And to top it all off I need to have the bearings repacked on the front end. Nice!!!
So, I took the old bolt bucket to Master Muffler to have them look at the weld job they did when I had a piece of the tail pipe replaced. They said it was a bad weld and fixed it while I waited. I got to talking to the owner of the shop and realized that they can fix all of the other problems as well. So I called up my wife and had her come and pick me up. A repair man will inspect the rear brakes and repack the bearings for me. If it needs new brakes or anything else they will call.
I can only imagine what the repair costs will be. Fortunately the weld job was under warranty (at least something was working for me).
The highlight of the day was I got to spend part of the day with my daughter, Carolyn, as she went with me to get the oil changed on the truck. Sammy went with me to the muffler shop and had a great time. I bought him a Country Time Lemonade and that made his day.
2007 Jamborall
What a great weekend! We took the scouts to the Trapper Trails Council 2007 Jamborall this past Friday and Saturday. We had a great evening of fireworks and star gazing. There were several huge telescopes setup on in the parking lot and we were able to see many incredible things. One telescope was setup to look at the moon. It was incredible! I have never seen such detail when looking at the moon. We even got to see a cloud move in front of the moon.
What got us interested in going over to the telescope area was a gentleman who came over and asked if we wanted to see the rings of Saturn. As soon as the fireworks were over we headed straight for the telescopes. What an amazing view of Saturn. I had never seen the rings of Saturn other than in pictures. What an awesome sight it was! I need to set some money aside and save up to purchase a nice telescope.
On Saturday I spent most of the day in the Museum building with the scouts watching over our booth. We setup a Collections Merit Badge Booth. Several of the boys brought a collection of something to show. The hit of our booth was one boy's rubber band ball. He has created this ball entirely of rubber bands over the past two and a half years. It is now the size of a basket ball. There was no shortage of amazed people.
We also had baseball cards, models planes and ships, Yugioh cards, a Mickey Mouse collection and little cars from the movie Cars. It was a fun time had by all. The scouts took turns working the booth and running around seeing what other things were going on.
Marni brought our children and one other scout and they had a great day. My parents are part of a train club and they brought their trains to setup and show for the scouts as well. It was fun for our kids to have Grandma and Grandpa there. It was a long and hot couple of days but we all had a great time.
A highlight for me was to have an Apache Helicopter fly over and land in the morning before the flag ceremony. Unfortunately the helicopter was early and my kids missed it.
Now we look forward to OA Ordeal, Woodbadge, and Youth Conference in June, Scout Camp in July, and the District Fall Camporee in September.
What got us interested in going over to the telescope area was a gentleman who came over and asked if we wanted to see the rings of Saturn. As soon as the fireworks were over we headed straight for the telescopes. What an amazing view of Saturn. I had never seen the rings of Saturn other than in pictures. What an awesome sight it was! I need to set some money aside and save up to purchase a nice telescope.
On Saturday I spent most of the day in the Museum building with the scouts watching over our booth. We setup a Collections Merit Badge Booth. Several of the boys brought a collection of something to show. The hit of our booth was one boy's rubber band ball. He has created this ball entirely of rubber bands over the past two and a half years. It is now the size of a basket ball. There was no shortage of amazed people.
We also had baseball cards, models planes and ships, Yugioh cards, a Mickey Mouse collection and little cars from the movie Cars. It was a fun time had by all. The scouts took turns working the booth and running around seeing what other things were going on.
Marni brought our children and one other scout and they had a great day. My parents are part of a train club and they brought their trains to setup and show for the scouts as well. It was fun for our kids to have Grandma and Grandpa there. It was a long and hot couple of days but we all had a great time.
A highlight for me was to have an Apache Helicopter fly over and land in the morning before the flag ceremony. Unfortunately the helicopter was early and my kids missed it.
Now we look forward to OA Ordeal, Woodbadge, and Youth Conference in June, Scout Camp in July, and the District Fall Camporee in September.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Great Book!
I finished Book 2 of Fablehaven in just a few days. It was great. I had a hard time putting the book down and couldn't wait to see what excitement awaited me on the next page and in the next chapter. As I closed the book at the conclusion of the last chapter, I was sad to see it end. There is one more book in the series due out next year...I hate waiting!!
Kendra has some new power that she received from the Fairy Queen in the first book that has yet to fully be played out. I am curious to see where this will lead. Seth has not changed much, which is good, and is constantly getting into scary situations. He adds and excitement to everyone's lives through his curious nature.
The great thing about these books is how real the characters seem. As I am reading along, I can imagine being in Fablehaven, walking along with Kendra and Seth as they struggle to overcome the Society. The books come to life in my mind and sparks my imagination.
Brandon Mull has done a great job with this book but has now left me hanging, waiting impatiently for the next book. I would love to be able to read an advanced copy of the next book! If I only had connections...
Kendra has some new power that she received from the Fairy Queen in the first book that has yet to fully be played out. I am curious to see where this will lead. Seth has not changed much, which is good, and is constantly getting into scary situations. He adds and excitement to everyone's lives through his curious nature.
The great thing about these books is how real the characters seem. As I am reading along, I can imagine being in Fablehaven, walking along with Kendra and Seth as they struggle to overcome the Society. The books come to life in my mind and sparks my imagination.
Brandon Mull has done a great job with this book but has now left me hanging, waiting impatiently for the next book. I would love to be able to read an advanced copy of the next book! If I only had connections...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
An early birthday present!
We had a family gathering today to celebrate Mother's day and several birthdays. May is a big month for birthdays in the family. Anyway, I received an early birthday present from my wonderful wife. She gave me the newest book by Brandon Mull. Fablehaven: Rise of the evening star, Vol. 2.
If you love fantasy then this is the series for you. Lots of magical creatures and adventure await the reader. One of the things I really liked about the first book was that even though I knew there was more to come, I was not left hanging and upset that I had to wait. There was at least some closure at the end and I could patiently wait for the next book to come out. It is here and in my hands (actually sitting next to me). I will start it tomorrow on the bus ride in to work!
http://www.fablehaven.com/
If you love fantasy then this is the series for you. Lots of magical creatures and adventure await the reader. One of the things I really liked about the first book was that even though I knew there was more to come, I was not left hanging and upset that I had to wait. There was at least some closure at the end and I could patiently wait for the next book to come out. It is here and in my hands (actually sitting next to me). I will start it tomorrow on the bus ride in to work!
http://www.fablehaven.com/
Mother's Day Poem
Motherhood
The dearest gifts that heaven holds,
The very finest, too,
Were made into one pattern
That was perfect, sweet, and true;
The Angels smiled, well-pleased, and said:
"Compared to all the others,
This pattern is so wonderful
Let's use it just for Mothers!"
And through the years, a Mother
Has been all that's sweet and good
For there's one bit of God and love,
In all true Motherhood.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~
The dearest gifts that heaven holds,
The very finest, too,
Were made into one pattern
That was perfect, sweet, and true;
The Angels smiled, well-pleased, and said:
"Compared to all the others,
This pattern is so wonderful
Let's use it just for Mothers!"
And through the years, a Mother
Has been all that's sweet and good
For there's one bit of God and love,
In all true Motherhood.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Could have been worse...
Yesterday we went to Marni's grandmothers house to help with the yard work. I brought along my trusty weed eater. Of course as gas powered equipment tends to do, it leaked and smelled up the van. So, upon arrival I took it out of the van and placed it on the ground. I left the back door of the van open to clear the air. At the end of the day I put the weed eater back in the van (of course I didn't use it) and closed the door. When I turned the ignition to start the van...the battery was dead. YIKES!!! I tried jump starting it with grandmas truck but that didn't work. All of the men folk had headed out for Stake Conference and I figured I was left alone to find the correct tools and a place to buy a new battery. Fortunately grandma called a cousin who happens to work at a small garage. I stopped by there and picked up a new battery, borrowed some tools and headed back to install it. Marni helped me find the correct socket and I was able to install the battery. The new battery is great!! We dropped the core off on our way home, thanked all that were involved, and stopped at Burger King for dinner. All is well in Zion!
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