Pages

December 21, 2007

Simple Pleasure - Christmas Weekend Edition!

(See previous Simple Pleasure Friday posts below)

As the year winds down, it's easy to get lost in the craziness that is the modern day Christmas. Anny and I have realized that we have not sent out ANY gifts yet, and since a majority of ours are headed over the mountains and the Mississippi River, that's probably not good.

So, a special Christmas Weekend Edition of Simple Pleasures Friday!

Think back over the last year. I know that there have been pregnancies, births, household moves, new jobs, and other great things that have happened to all of us. This week, please share two things that have brought you great joy this year!

I'll also take this time to say a hearty Merry Christmas to you all. I know that blogs have changed the way we communicate, and that's okay with me! I have gotten to know all of you more this year because of it! I pray that you keep your sanity, and take some time to reflect at some point over the coming days!

(Okay, Denise probably won't have much time for that as Sarah is due any day! For you, Denise, I pray peace and as-much-as-it-can-be-pain-free experiences for the next couple of weeks!)

December 17, 2007

OUR Birthday

With a sick baby and a sick daddy in our house, our birthday was a bit muted this year.

On Saturday we planned to go with friends to cut down a Christmas tree in the upper part of Maryland. Their two boys are sick, as is Abby, so we scrapped that idea. Turns out that it was the right decision for both households.

Abby has been fighting with a chest cold/cough/snot event for a few days now. On Friday I got a call at work to see if I could pick her up from daycare because she was just miserable. Too much congestion to breathe, therefore she was struggling to both eat and sleep. I spoke with the doctor and got some suggestions over the phone.

Saturday was bad, but Sunday was much better. That's a good thing, as Mommy and Daddy were trying to be joyous about their birthday this year. We share the day, though the birth dates are four years apart. In an effort to make Anny feel younger, we're averaging our ages to a total of 31. That means that I get to skip 30 next year, and more importantly Anny can claim to be younger.

My brother and his wife treated us to dinner for our birthday. We kept dropping hints that there were two people at the table, and perhaps some desert would be in order, but before desert time rolled around, Abby was getting cranky and tired, so we rolled out. Dinner was also about thte time that I began to feel like I was not well. Today was confirmation of such. Abby is on the upswing, while I am plateaued right now, and hope to be on the mend tomorrow.

My sister came up here for a few days as her fall semester at college ended. It's nice to have her around, even if we have to work during the day. (I hope we don't get her sick!)

Tomorrow we take Abby for her six month check up and shots. Check up is good, shots are rough.

December 15, 2007

How are YOU?

"How are you? "


What do you tell people when they ask "How are You?" I don't mean friends that you can be honest with, I mean folks you know through work, church, or other group. People that you like, but not people you would call if you needed something.


I only ask because I have fallen into a trap. I now have a standard reply, but I'm not sure that I like it.


Other: Hey Rob! How are you?
Rob: Can't complain. Doesn't do any good when I do.

I have two reasons that I don't necessarily like this:

1) Things are typically going really well for me! I have rough days, but overall things are on the up and up.
2) It's just not catchy enough for me!

A pastor I know through work always (always) responds with "Not bad for an old broad!" The first time I heard that I was confused. Can I agree, that she's an old broad? No. I just kind of laughed, which I think was her goal.

A man at church who has lived through some rough health issues recently also has a standard response. "Any day I can see the top of the grass and not the bottom is a good day for me!" The first time I heard this one I did not get it. Did he mean that he needed to cut his grass? Nope, he means if he's on top of the soil and not in it, things are good enough for him.

I want a catchy response. Do you use one? Do you want to come up with one for me?

December 14, 2007

Simple Pleasure Friday - Dec 14th

Back again for another week of seeing the positive things in people's lives. Please comment below with something that has been great about your last week!

December 07, 2007

Simple Pleasures Friday - Week 4

I'm glad that people are commenting on these....

SPF - Simple Pleasure Friday's

It is always great to hear from folks about positive things in their lives. Most blogs that I read go dormant over the weekends. I think that speaks about how we spend our time, and I don't think that it's a bad thing!

On a local radio station every Thursday they have time to share people's "Simple Pleasures." This is a time where people get to call in and be positive, and a LOT of people do. The hosts each share something that seems simple, but has been a nice thing for them.

example: The smell of a summer rain in the middle of a drought.
Seeing a kid's face the first time they try to catch snow on their tongue.
(I really need to listen next week so that I have better examples!)

You get the picture.

So, here are the rules:
Share something special that has happened to you or you have witnessed in the last week.
Place your Simple Pleasure in the comments below!

That's it!

My goal is that this is about community, so I will share my Simple Pleasure in the comments, not as part of my post. My other goal is to give you a place to write a little bit over the weekend, and to share in the joys that other's are experiencing.

Feel free to pass this along to others!

December 05, 2007

Help for the Holidays is Here!

Good news is that neither my family nor Anny's requires the following Holiday Kit!

December 04, 2007

So Much to Blog About...

So little Blogging time!? If only Abby would feed herself, then I could use both hands on the laptop in the morning. :o) Kidding, of course. I like to feed her, it's the only time I feel like I can tell people to butt out, it's our time. (Anny feels the same way, so we often bicker over who gets to feed her instead of who has to feed her.)

Some observations:


**I love that the radio now has 24 hour holiday music. I'm sorry to those that disagree, but almost every time I turn on the radio I'm thinking "Do They Know it's Christmas time at alllllllllll?"

**My kid is adorable. Freaking adorable. I won't deny it. Last night I was singing System of a Down to her, and she was giggly and smiley. Love it!


**No matter what project I take on at home, it will take longer than it should. I pulled out our kitchen faucet to replace it with a new one on Saturday night. Pretty easy project. Unless I'm the one that bought the faucet. There is an O ring that arrived smashed inside the faucet. i.e. I never could have had any control over it, but it makes the faucet leak. Badly. Oh yeah, the O ring is not available at Home Depot.



**THIS is just gross.

**I love my wife, and we're a good team. She's been sick and I've been sore, both during the last two weeks. We take care of each other. I must acknowledge, though, the she does a lot more taking care of me than I do of her. She's not even that mad that the faucet is taking longer than it should.

**I really like our church. We have been to two pot-luck-types of dinners in the last couple of weeks and have been reminded of how much of a family we have there. Our pastor is incredible and the other parents with young kids (and there are a LOT) are awesome.

**THIS is just adorable.

Hopefully I will get around to a real post this week. Don't hold me to it, though!