Ken's Blog

Improv Everywhere

2009-06-15T16:18:00.003-04:00

If you enjoy comedy then check out this website when you get a chance.

http://improveverywhere.com/

You can also access their youtube videos here.

An improv group combined with their fans play elaborate pranks in public places like parks, malls, subway trains, etc. It reminds me of social experiments that Jen had to do in college but on a much larger scale. Watching the reactions of the unknowing public is great.

Check it out when you have a few.

Down with Diapers

2009-06-13T23:25:00.002-04:00

So after being jobless now for a few weeks I am looking for whatever ways possible to cut costs around here. Since his 3rd birthday in Mach we have been trying to potty train Aaron. As of late he has been doing increasingly well with it. Thursday while Jen was at work I decided to be brave and put our furniture and carpet on the front lines of potty training. I went upstairs and got a pair of underpants for Aaron and put them on him. He was so excited to be wearing big boy undies like his older brother Brendan. So far so good. At nighttime he has been dry but I will be giving that some more time. Hopefully by the end of the summer he can be completely out of diapers altogether. This should save a pack of diapers every week. Hopefully I did not just jinx myself.

Thank You EPA

2009-05-20T22:53:00.003-04:00

Surfing the net I came across a photo blog outlining some pollution problems that plague other countries around the world. How people can live like this is boggles my mind.

http://gigapica.geenstijl.nl/2009/05/mooi_milieu.html

Another mass update

2009-05-20T01:47:00.003-04:00

So here is what has been going on with our family over the past couple months

Brendan started and finished playing soccer. It was a six game season for his age group. Brendan ended up scoring the first goal on his team, albeit in the 5th game of the season. Jen and I are very proud parents. It is a great feeling to see your kid smile and be so excited after doing something great like that.
Jen and I are in the process of trying to potty train Aaron. He is starting to get the hang of it but there is still a long way to go. He likes to be stubborn. He is now telling us when he has to go about 50% of the time.
Brendan is finishing up his 2nd year of preschool and moving on to Kindergarten next year.
Not only does Justin look like his older brothers but he is now no longer an innocent baby. He is getting into everything just like his older mentors.
Jen is still baffling the medical community with her numerous body malfunctions. She had her shoulder surgery the first week of May and is recovering slowly. Now her hips are in excruciating pain. She may be 27 but her pill age is 72. If I didn't know any better I would believe CVS moved into one of our kitchen cabinets.
My allergies have appeared to clear up for the most part. Thank god.
I got to go to my first concert last Saturday. A friend got Jen and I some free tickets to Rock on the Range in Columbus. Unfortunately we were only able to catch one band, Alice in Chains, but it was a good one. We didn't stick around for the final act, Slipknot. Alice in Chains was great to see though, very good music.
Mostly everyone knows I got my widescreen computer monitor. Still loving it.
Took the boys to Touch a Truck. Got some attitude from the oldest about it. We told the boys we had a surprise for them and didn't tell them until we got there. When Brendan found out he put on his frowny face and said "this is boring". He was hoping to go to a park. He and his brothers ended up having a good time though.

There's the door...

2009-05-20T01:33:00.003-04:00

After 5 1/2 years at WD Partners as a Civil Engineer, I was let go on Friday afternoon. As the cliche goes, "The writing was on the wall." The workload for our department has slowly declined over the past several months. I just finished a couple projects with no replacements in the foreseeable future. If there is a bright side to all this, maybe it is that I might be able to find something different to renew the excitement I had initially for this career path and possibly relocate to a different part of the country. Jen and I have always talked about moving to the Carolinas. Who knows though.

Since Friday I have updated my cover letters and resumes (dependant on the job), created new and updated old profiles on the Internet job boards, sought out my references, and filed for unemployment which will take about 4 weeks to go through. Tonight I even applied for a position in Washington D.C.

Let the job search begin. I am NOT looking forward to the interview process again.

Love/Hate with Craigslist

2009-03-10T23:39:00.004-04:00

Jen and I are avid Craigslist followers always looking for good deals. Jen and I have also posted several items for sale. Overall we have had good experiences utilizing the internet garage sale. However we have also had our fair share of bad experiences.

Some of my pet peeves are

When I post and the response I get is along the lines of "I would like to buy this, call me at ..."
Selling an item out from under me. I was in the persons parking lot trying to find their apartment. I call him up and ask where it is and he says oh I already sold that. This was of course after he told me I could buy it.
Selling an item for $30 and the buyer shows up with two twenties.
Another instance was when someone told me they wanted to buy something several days in a row and continued to never to show up.
The size limit of pictures restricted to 150 kb a picture. Whos camera takes a picture that small these days. I have to go to through the trouble of shrinking the image down. Now I just post to an online album and provide the link.

Anyone else have any good rants about Craigslist?

Spring is here...temporarily

2009-03-07T14:20:00.003-05:00

I know it will inevitably get cold out again but it is still a nice break from all the cold. It is nice to be able to get outside finally. We grilled out for the first time last night and cooked up the traditional cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Everyone enjoyed it. We also have all the windows open to let some fresh air in finally. I am also starting to think about what projects I want to work on outside this year. The boys have been getting to go outside and play. We were all out in the front yard playing catch and soccer and riding the bikes. Zeke loves it outside and never wants to be inside. This is his first spring so it's a new experience for him.

Dont call it a comeback...

2009-03-01T00:08:00.004-05:00

Ok I have been a bad blogger...again!!! I apologize to my probably non existent readership. Here is an update on what has happened in the past couple months.

We got a Wii for Christmas. Talk about fun. Brendan loves Mario Kart and Jen loves here Wii Fit. Unfortunately it is also the main suspect in causing her numerous bodily injuries.
Brendan turned 5 on New Years. Such a big boy. It was a Batman birthday bash.
I did quite a bit of traveling for my company. Three weeks straight and I was able to hit a good majority of the mid-Atlantic states. One week I was in Virginia. The next week I was in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I was able to get to the western bank of the Hudson and takes some pics of NYC which I have never laid eyes on before. The final week I was able to go to Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. I was even able to visit Arlington National Cemetery and drive around the Mall. Traveling was a good experience and I actually rather enjoyed it.
We recently got a DVR. Jen surprised me with it on my first trip. It is nice to have it so we are not so pressed to be in front of the TV at a certain time which can be especially difficult with kids.
Jen turned 27

When someone says ...

2008-12-07T17:39:00.003-05:00

...close your eyes and sit down on the couch, don't. This is what happens. One of these is placed in your lap.

ZEKE

Economy Sux

2008-12-07T14:41:00.003-05:00

Well on Thursday my company let go another 20+ associates. Way to spread holiday cheer, right. This time my group was affected. We lost three good people and are now at 9 people down from 25 or so at our peak. Stating the obvious, it really sucks. Everyday you go into work wondering if today is your turn. Will you be sacrificed for the better good of the company. We are always given the same talk. This is happening everywhere in the industry. All companies are having layoffs. As if this is somehow supposed to make us feel like it is ok. We also always hear that there are no future layoffs planned for the future. Well I don't think anyone actually believes that anymore because we have now heard it half a dozen times. It really gets old and frankly I think everyone is tired of hearing it. As employees we are at the mercy of our superiors. We really have no options at this point other than to stick it out and hope you are not next on the list. Nobody is hiring at this point.

Ho Ho Ho

2008-11-29T20:30:00.005-05:00

Today we went to see Santa. Here is the result. As you can see Justin was true to form and freaked out at Santa. He wouldn't even sit on a reindeer by himself. He had to be in my arms or mommy's.

Speech, Speech, Speech

2008-11-23T18:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my parents, my brother Nick and his fiance Christa came over for a little pre-Turkey Day get together. Jen was still at school so Nick, Christa, and I watched the Bucks kick some Michigan ass again for the 5th year in a row. During the game Nick asked if I would be willing to be his best man at their wedding in August and of course I said yes. He also asked if Brendan and Aaron could be the ring bearers and of course we said yes to that too. The boys will look so cute dressed up in their little tuxes. Now I have to start thinking about writing the best man speech. I took a speech class once. It was not one of my favorites. It ranked at the bottom with Statistics, Thermodynamics, and my Computer Programming class. I am not a huge fan of getting up in front of a ton of people but I have plenty of time to prepare. I am just honored that Nick wants to include me and the boys in such a memorable moment in his life. Hmmm... There is also a bachelor party to start thinking about. What to do what to do?

Music Search

2008-11-20T20:09:00.002-05:00

Using my latest Internet addiction I stumbled across an interesting blog having to do with searching for music. Instead of using a program to download you can actually use Google to download your favorite songs. For information how see the following blog called Haywire Hacking.

My Boys are Now Cultured

2008-11-16T19:23:00.005-05:00

For one of her classes Jen had to go to the Columbus Museum of Art and review some paintings. We were supposed to go yesterday afternoon but the boys (Aaron and Justin) were not feeling well so we went today instead. Luckily for us admission is free to the public on Sundays. Free is always good especially when you have very little interest in going. I have wanted to go just to see what the place is like. After our experience today and comparing it to what I remember of other art museums I have been to in the past I was not very impressed. The exhibition was pretty small and nothing really piqued my interest. When it comes to art I am a mostly a fan of photography and there was very little on display. I am proud to say that despite being bored out of their minds the boys were very well behaved. Some exhibits were interactive helping to keep them entertained. Brendan also enjoyed looking at the museum map and trying to find out where we were. It was a good way to kill a couple of hours and spend some time out of the house with the boys.

Stumbleaholic

2008-11-08T22:13:00.003-05:00

I am an addict. My latest Internet find has me unable to put the mouse away. It is called StumbleUpon. Here is the link for those who are interested.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

This is a way to randomly browse the Internet. Good for when you just cannot think of anything to look up on the net. Go to the web page and sign up. It is free. All you need is an email address. Enter in search preferences based on a list of predefined topics. Download the toolbar and randomly search away. It is quite interesting to see what comes up.

Happy Stumbling!!!!

HOLY CRAP!!!

2008-11-08T17:25:00.023-05:00

July 20...The date of my last post. So I have been seriously slacking on writing my blog. I am going to attempt to update my remaining reader(s) on what has been going on in the past few months.

Here goes...

My 28th birthday - 30 is approaching quickly which just doesn't seem right. Jen has also said she noticed what may be a gray hair on my head. She said it could have been the light playing tricks on her eyes so we will just go with that reasoning. I am too young for Just for Men.
5th Wedding Anniversary - It is hard to believe after everything we went through last Winter but Jen and I actually made it to our 5th anniversary. Our relationship is strong and thriving now.

Economic Crisis - My company has been hit hard by the economic crisis this world is currently facing. My company is an Architectural and Engineering firm for clients in the retail, restaurant, petroleum, and grocery industries. We depend heavily on the retail market well being for business. If consumers stop spending our clients stop rebuilding old establishments and stop building new establishments. For us the workload started its decline more than 9 months ago. Since February 2008 my company (who shall remain nameless) has let go nearly 50% of its workforce or approximately 300 people. Offices in Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas have been closed. Even the COO and CPO have been let go to unload some huge salaries. Most employees working overheard other than the bare necessities have been let go. This Christmas shopping season is supposed to be one of the worst on record. That would be the reason for the last two RIFs (reduction in force) happening in a two week span. Nobody feels like there job is safe and moral is low company wide. All employees in the company were forced to take a 5% pay cut. Penny-pinching is the new motto. All lights must be turned off in unoccupied rooms and the cleaning crew was let go. Times are tough and nobody knows what tomorrow brings. Prospects for finding a new job in my line of work are bleak as this is happening to all engineering firms. Here's to hoping I have a job down the road.
Ohio State Fair - We took the boys to the fair again this year. Everyone had a good time. Brendan enjoyed riding the kid roller coasters and the big Ferris wheel. The boys loved the piglet race.
First Day Back at School - Brendan had his first day back at preschool after the summer break. He was extremely excited to see his friends again. Jen walked him to school with Aaron and Justin in tow. Aaron was extremely upset that he didn't get to go with Brendan. He cried as Brendan walked into the school. He will get his chance next year.

Halloween Festivities - We went to my parents the weekend before Halloween. We went to Carlisle Nature reserve for some Halloween festivities. Everyone got to go on a haunted walk through the woods, Brendan got to drive a pedal powered go-kart, we all had donuts, and the boys got to play with a bunch of bubbles. The following day we went to a pumpkin patch for a hayride, corn maze, and pumpkin picking. We had a great weekend.
Pumping Carving - The boys got to help me carve the pumpkins, well at least transfer the pattern to the pumpkin. They were not too willing to stick their hands inside. I think my carvings came out great. Not bad for a variation of kitchen knives.

Trick Or Treat - Another great evening to walk the kids around the neighborhood in search of delicious little treats. Brendan was Bumble Bee (Transformer), Aaron was Optimus Prime (Transformer), and Justin was "Mummy's Little Boy". There were several people who mentioned they thought he was injured. Too Funny. The boys did a great job saying trick or treat and thank you this year. They really enjoyed seeing all the other kids in their costumes. Brendan was scared to death by a candy bowl with an animatronic hand that slaps you when you reach for the candy. He freaked out. My brave little ones. Combined all three boys brought home quite a haul.

Walk this Way - Little Justin is finally walking. Still isn't using his feet to get around but he is now willing to let go and cross a room. Our boys sure did take their time learning how to walk.

Well that is the past several months in a nutshell. I will try and be more diligent in my blogging efforts.

Next On the 6 O'clock News

2008-07-20T22:50:00.003-04:00

Thursday was a little different around here. We are one of the 300,000 households in Ohio that need to have their gas riser replaced due to shoty craftsmanship. The news story can be found here. During the day Thursday Jen was at home while the work was being done. The gas company had to enter the house a couple times as part of the repair process. A news crew with NBC Channel 4 also showed up to ask the typical questions about utility companies entering ones household and the threat of an intruder. Jen was dressed in the stereotypical news interviewee outfit consisting of t-shirt, sweatpants, and hair up in a pony tail. I might I also add that she met the other stereotypical news interviewee requirement of not having a clue what she was talking about. LOL, her own words. Apparently the newscaster and cameraman were a little on the attractive side leaving her a little awe struck and short on words. From her recap to me here are a few of the questions asked and her responses.

Reporter: What is your name?
Jen: J E N W H I T E, yes she spelled it thinking that's what he asked.

Reporter: What is your address?
Jen: Powell

Reporter: And your number is?
Jen: ...
Reporter: Is it 1759
Jen: Yeah that's it.

Luckily for her the editor did a great job of not making her look like a dumb ass. She did make the news for two clips and a few short seconds. It was funny to watch but even better to embarrass her about. She became a lot more embarrassed when I told her that the NBC4 channel reaches all of central Ohio and her hometown area of Athens Ohio where some of her old friends might have seen her.

Next time you see her be sure to ask for this TV stars autograph.

30 1/2" long to 30 1/2" tall

2008-07-20T22:20:00.002-04:00

This past Friday night I gave the boys their baths as I usually do. Justin LOVES taking a bath with his older brothers. It really is a good time. They spray each other with water, pour it on each other, and of course splash. However, this Friday Justin got a bath from Jen because he was being cranky and it tends to cheer him up. When Justin saw his brothers and I heading upstairs for their baths he got jealous and came crawling over as fast as he could, at a snails pace. I took him up with me so he could play on the floor while I washed Brendan and Aaron. I happened to look to my left and Justin was so excited to be in there while I washed the boys that he pulled himself up into the standing position at the tub. Of course this pissed Jen off because she is at home all day with him and I was the first to witness it. She didn't have to wait long because he was happy to reenact it a few minutes later. He has been doing it non-stop all weekend.

What A Large Melon!

2008-07-12T00:06:00.004-04:00

Brendan is finally riding his two wheel bike with training wheels. I figured out that he was not riding it because the wobbling made him very nervous. I adjusted the training wheels and now he doesn't want to stop riding it. Every night he is asking to go for a walk. Also, after two previous trials we have finally found a helmet large enough to fit his enormous head. I measured it and it came in at a whopping 22" circumference. Out of curiosity Jen and I measured our noggins and we both are at about 23". Brendan wears an adult helmet. I knew it was going to be large because my size 7 1/4 hat has always fit him really well. He can wear a size 7. Here he is in his new helmet eagerly awaiting his bike ride. Notice Justin in the background in awe of his older brother.

Congratulations!!!

2008-06-12T23:25:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to send out a CONGRATULATIONS to my brother Nick and his now fiancee Christa. Can't wait for the wedding.

Through the eyes of a 4 year old.

2008-06-09T21:30:00.004-04:00

When Jen and Justin finally returned home yesterday everyone laid down for a nap including Jen and myself. We were extremely exhausted and apparently we could not be awaken by the boys. Brendan and Aaron saw this moment of freedom and took it upon themselves to have a good time without mommy and daddy's supervision. Brendan got a hold of the camera and took pictures of their shenanigans. Here is a photo montage of what two little boys do when mommy and daddy are asleep.

You will have to follow the link so it displays correctly.

http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k212/kwhitejr/Kid%20Fun/?albumview=slideshow

What a Croupy 1st Birthday!!

2008-06-08T23:31:00.003-04:00

So yesterday June 7th was Justin's 1st birthday and since it fell on a weekend we had his birthday party on Saturday. The past few weeks leading up to his birthday have been nothing but sickness for everyone. The boys have all been sick and with Jen's lack of immune system she inevitably became sick as well. Everyone was just at the doctor on FRIDAY!!!!!!! Justin was checked and everything was okay. Anyways as far as Jen and I can remember Justin was acting normal all morning and up to his afternoon nap. After his nap he woke up with a nasty cough and as the day progressed it only became worse. By the early evening I felt like our house was turned into Sea World with his cough sounding like a seal bark. Jen's motherly instinct told her to take him to the local urgent care to get him checked out. As soon as the doctor heard him and saw that he was having difficulty breathing (the main concern) he told Jen to get Justin to Children's Hospital downtown. Now all our boys have something in common other than having the same parents, they have all been to Children's for their own medical conditions by the time the reached the age of 1. Something to be proud of.

We got to the ER at Children's and did the usual paperwork. When they took us back they gave Justin his first breathing treatment with little affect on his swelling. After awhile they came back and took him down for x-rays of his chest and neck to make sure he didn't inhale something other than air and also to verify their suspicions that he has croup. Apparently the swelling of the throat when someone has croup is distinct only to that virus. After the x-rays Justin was given an oral steroid and then another breathing treatment. By the way it was like he became Linda Blair in the exorcist when getting his breathing treatments and x-rays. You wouldn't think a little 1 year old could be so strong. His head might have actually spun around too but that could have just been delusions from lack of sleep. This was all going on at the hospital between 12-3. After 3 Jen and Justin laid down on the bed and went to sleep for awhile until they admitted him. All three of us spent the night in the hospital. Of course Justin got the best bed even though it looks like a gorilla cage. Our bed was like sleeping on a sheet of plywood. Awesome!! In the morning the doctor checked him out and said he sounded good and was sent home shortly after lunch.

Below is a picture recap of our stay at the hospital.

Hope You Are Not Afraid of Heights

2008-05-29T19:21:00.001-04:00

I found this neat little video while surfing the net. This guy has some guts to be carrying a camera on this walk.

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1438490562%20+

Stack em High

2008-04-22T21:32:00.003-04:00

This past weekend and the weekend before I worked on my latest project, a bunk bed for the boys. I found some plans on the internet and went to work. Brendan loved his new bed and loves sleeping on the top bunk. Aaron is now at that age where we felt he was old enough to be in a regular bed. So far that has been a work out. He is the complete opposite of Brendan. Brendan never got out of bed and Aaron never stays in bed. He is hardly taking naps because he has discovered his new found freedom of not having to sleep in a crib. Jen is constantly up and down the stairs trying to wrestle him back to bed at nap time. Our only saving grace at nighttime is that he is so tired from skipping his nap that he passes out.

Not everyone is that handy

2008-04-02T21:16:00.003-04:00

Found this while looking at CNN's website. Found it very entertaining.

Home Inspection Nightmares
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Holding with Tradition

2008-03-16T21:52:00.003-04:00

Like his two older brothers Justin has taken his good ole time learning to mobilize himself. Today at 9 1/2 months he started army crawling. He was on the floor of our bedroom and I looked up to see him pulling himself across the floor. He went on to repeat this feat several times during the day. If he continues to emulate his older siblings we should see him walking in October or November. Quick learners we have.

One Year!!!

2008-03-16T00:28:00.002-04:00

On this date one year ago Jen and I closed on our first house. It has been a hell of a year.

My Xmas Present from Jen

2008-03-16T00:20:00.002-04:00

Probably the best Christmas gift Jen ever gave me is shown below. She surprised me by getting pictures of herself taken one afternoon in December. They came out great if you ask me. Ladies, this is a good gift idea for your man, hint hint. I know it has been three months since Christmas but it took us forever to choose what we wanted out of over 200 pics. The photographer came by last weekend with these and also to take some family pics. Once we get those I will post for everyone to see. It could be awhile.

Can you say look alike?

2008-03-14T22:34:00.006-04:00

Jen found some pictures of herself from her early childhood so we took a gander. We were absolutely astonished when we came across this picture. Look familiar? Here is one of her spawn to compare it with. Aren't they adorable.

JEN

AARON

Who pissed off the snow gods???

2008-03-09T18:26:00.004-04:00

According to the news the latest snow storm dropped a record 20" on our portion of the state. My measurements were about 10"-12" in our driveway. The drifting in our back yard was more like 20". Our deck was inundated with snow as you can see in the pictures. It took several hours to shovel the driveway and even a second helping of shoveling today to get the sidewalks clear. The amount of snow is simply impressive. Our neighborhood streets were pretty much impassable. A city plow would be nice but all I have seen was a nice neighbor with a plow on his pickup making a few passes. Now we are left with a nice compacted 3" of snow on our street. The boys had a great time playing even though it was extremely difficult for them to move in such deep snow. Even Aaron had a blast.

Sunday Breakfast

2008-03-09T18:13:00.003-04:00

Not sure if I have posted about this before so if I have you get to read about it again. It has sort of become a mainstay here in the Columbus branch of the White family to have Sunday brunch. I am the chef with two helpful assistants. Every weekend Brendan gets excited and wants to help make pancakes. And of course Aaron just has to do everything his big brother is doing. So here are few pictures of my cooking staff at work making pancakes. Next week is French Toast. It should be interesting.

One Down Two To Go!!!

2008-02-16T19:29:00.003-05:00

It has only taken 4 years but Brendan is finally out of diapers. We can now say he is officially potty trained. It has been months since he has been a couple months since he wet his diapers at night while sleeping. The beginning of this week was the first time he went to bed without a pull-up. Since then he has been dry as well and knows to get out of bed when he has to go. This is a big accomplishment for our little boy. Also, for us a HUGE money saver.

Next up Aaron. We have awhile with him. He has been showing a lot of interest in using the bathroom though.

Graffiti Is Everywhere You Look These Days!!!

2008-02-09T23:01:00.001-05:00

On Jen's actual birthday I took her to Stained Skin in the Short North so she could get her first tattoo. We went in and she described the tattoo she has been wanting forever. Unfortunately that day was too busy for the artist so we had to go back today to get it done.

We got there about 4 and Naryan, the artist, showed us his sketch and Jen absolutely loved it. About a half hour later he took us back to his room and got started.

He transferred the sketch to her lower back and then the tattooing began.

Jen cried and cried like a little baby, begging him to stop. Just kidding. She was actually quite calm and comfortable. She said it wasn't that painful at all. The only part that bothered her was when the needle was over her spine.

BEFORE

AFTER

Her first tattooing experience was great and she is already planning her 2nd and 3rd. They always say once you get one, you are addicted.

We definitely recommend Stained Skin in the Short North. Naryan was great. Very friendly and talkative and made Jen feel very comfortable. When she gets her other tats or if I ever get one we will definitely go back. Here is their website if anyone is interested.

http://www.stainedskin.com/

So Long, Farewell

2008-02-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

We have been together since high school with a short separation in that 10-year span. When you are together that long it is hard to remember what things used to be like before hand. So recently, meaning today, I decided to end it and go back to the way things used to be. I am sure the reactions will vary but it should be fun to hear them.

BEFORE

AFTER

So what do you think?

Forgive me Blogger...

2008-01-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Forgive me Blogger for I have sinned. It has been nearly 2 months since my last posting. I really do apologize. No I haven't been abducted.

A lot has happened since my last posting. Jen and I were given tickets to our first Blue Jackets game in December. We had great seats about five rows from the ice.

Obviously the holidays have come and gone. We enjoyed spending time with our families. My oldest had his fourth birthday on New Years day. Can't believe it has been over four years now since we met B for the very first time. Jen's 26th birthday has come and gone. We had a wonderful time reconnecting and spending a few days together. Went to the Lisa Lampanelli comedy show at the Palace Theater in downtown Cbus. If you like vulgar comedy then she is definitely the comedian for you. We had a great time other than the drunken asshole sitting next to us putting his fingers in his mouth and whistling and also yelling at the top of his lungs. He managed to piss everyone off around him. It was bad enough the seats were extremely tiny and this guy was a bit on the large size. I think he actually was in my seat some of the show.

The boys are getting bigger and bigger everyday now it seems. Aaron is picking up new words all the time. Very amazing to hear your child start to verbalize what he wants. Justin, as always is happy happy happy. I challenge you to find a happier baby. He has now figured out he can navigate around a room by rolling wherever he wants. You can put him down across the room and go sit down on the opposite side and when you turn around he will be at your feet. Speedy little roller baby. Brendan is doing great in preschool. He got his first report card the other day and his teacher gave him great remarks. He is performing at or above his age level in most categories. Even performing at kindergarten letter in some things. According to the report card he can now recognize his name in print, 13 of 26 uppercase letters, 9 of 26 lower case letters, he can count to 14 (been able to do that for a long time). We are talking about having him tested to see if it is even a possibility of moving on to Kindergarten next year. Not sure if he is going to be socially mature or not though. That decision will be made closer to the end of the year.

Just killing a few minutes

2007-12-05T08:52:00.001-05:00

Well I am just killing a few minutes before the baby-sitter arrives this morning. Last night the first white death of the year decided to grace us with its presence. Apparently 2 days of warnings isn't enough time to prepare the roads for snow. Its not like it was bare one minute and then several inches appeared all of a sudden. The roads are so bad that the babysitter is extremely late so Brendan is missing school today. I will be extremely late for work. That is awesome considering I put in a 12 hour day yesterday meaning I didn't leave until 9:30. Its looking like I am going to have to do the same thing today just to get my 8 hours.

Anyways, things have been a lot better around the house. Jen and I are getting along and seem to be working towards repairing our marriage. We had a good Thanksgiving with Jen's family. I was happy to have a Thanksgiving at all. We put all the xmas decorations up the weekend after Turkey day. Brendan was super excited about decorating the house. We are all looking forward to xmas getting here. We have started our shopping and are probably half way through.

What are you thankful for?

2007-11-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Turkey day and I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. I also want to say that I am thankful for all the support that everyone has given me throughout my whole marriage ordeal. It means a lot to me that you are there for me and my family.

I also want to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to repair my marriage. Jen, thank you for not giving up on us.

What is everyone else thankful for?

Goals!!!

2007-11-21T13:03:00.001-05:00

These recent changes do not affect my goals I set for myself in one of the previous postings. However I guess I better not try and meet other women if I want Jen to stick around. So those goals can officially be removed from the list.

I have started working out like I wanted to and that is going well. I have been to the gym at my office several times in the last two weeks and I can already notice a slight difference. My problem with going to the gym has always been motiviation. I am using the gym as my place to get away and give Jen and I a little space. I am also using it as a way to burn off some extra energy built up from my anger and anxiety. It seems to be working. Hopefully this will also help me tone up my body as well as giving me a release.

Turnaround

2007-11-20T23:21:00.000-05:00

It has been a really good week for me and my family. Last Wednesday Jen told me that she wants to try and work things out in our marriage. Obviously that makes me extremely happy. The last week has been like a new start for our relationship. We each still have a lot of work to do to make our relationship strong and stable. But this is a good start. This is all I have been asking for.

I will continue to see a counselor for individual sessions and Jen should be starting her sessions in the near future. We will also both meet together for marriage counseling every so often. Our next session together is the first week in December.

!!!!!-30!!!!!

2007-11-20T23:11:00.000-05:00

Weighed myself this morning and I have now reached 30 lbs below my starting weight of 197.

New Life Resolutions

2007-11-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

From this point on I am going to view my recent life changing events as a turning point in my life. Hopefully this turning point will be for the better not the worse. Instead of New Year's resolutions these will be New Life Resolutions. Promises to myself that I must keep if I want to be the person I have always wanted to be. I absolutely refuse to believe that my life is over. However hard it may be I know I cannot dwell on Jen for the rest of my life.

My New Life Resolutions

Be a GREAT father
Become closer with my brother
Be financially secure and stable
Establish a core group of friends
Become physically fit and healthy
Become more confident in my career
Become more confident with money
Become more confident in a social setting
Become more confident with women (eventually)
Establish a new relationship (once I am happy with myself)

This list is not final, more like a work in progress. I will continue to add as my life progresses.

Update: It's Over

2007-11-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

This past month and a half has been by far the hardest time in my life. As many of you may or may not know my marriage to Jen is over. I honestly never thought my relationship would end up as just another statistic. Unfortunately it has. It is so hard to see someone you love and adore slip through your fingers and not be able to do a damn thing about it. I have put more effort into saving my marriage over the last month and half than I have ever put into anything. It is hard to save something that doesn't want to be saved.

I have not always been the best husband or father but I like to think I have always been there for my family. Some of the things I have said and done over the past four and a half years I regret and will never forgive myself for. This being said I assure you few readers that I have never done physical harm to anyone in my family. Nor am I an alcoholic. Nor am I the future main character of a Lifetime Original Movie. I am still confused as to how my marriage can be over. However bad my actions or non-actions have been during our marriage I do not believe they merit an immediate end. But on the other hand I cannot stand being in a home where I am not wanted. This being said there is really no choice but to agree to end it.

She may never believe me but I have NEVER stopped loving her since I told her as we watched TV on her parents couch. I may not have showed it, I may not have acted like it, I may not have told her enough, but I have always loved her. If I didn't love her I would have given up and walked out when she told me she wanted to separate.

On the other end of this tragic situation it breaks my heart to think of my children eventually having another male influence in their lives . I don't ever want my children to forget that I am their father and that I have been there for them since day one. I am not a dead beat dad and I will NEVER be one. I want to be involved in their lives as much as possible. My greatest fear is that I will turn into the "other daddy". I AM THEIR FATHER. I WILL NOT BE REPLACED.

Jen and I will go through a dissolution not a divorce. We will agree on the terms ourselves in hopes that the process will be easier and cheaper. We have said and I hope it is actually possible that we will remain friends for the boys. I am not sure when that period will arrive but I hope it does soon. Jen has been my best friend for the past 7 years and I don't want that to change. I do want to remain friends but I don't know if I can look at her like that. In my eyes I only see her as my wife. Only time will tell.

Some people may not agree with the way I am presenting this information. Oh well. I find it easier.

Stress is the Key!!!

2007-11-12T21:28:00.000-05:00

My weight is now 168. Until things normalize (if that is possible) in my life I assume it will keep dropping.

nothing I can do now

2007-11-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

you sit across the room now
we don't talk
we don't smile
we don't laugh
we don't hug
we don't kiss
we don't touch

we used to
it all changed one day
I don't know how to treat you
I hate you at times
I love you all the time
I want you gone
I want you here
what am I supposed to do when around you?

I used to be able to kiss your neck
I used to be able to touch you whenever I passed
I used to be able to hug you
I used to be able to sit with you on the couch

I cry every night because I can't do these things

you haven't treated me the same since you told me that horrible day
you act like you count the days until I am gone
you act so cold around me
you act like I meant nothing to you

Am I being punished?
Are you getting back at me?
I know I did wrong
I can't change that
I wish I could

There is nothing I can do now...

Progress Baby!!!

2007-11-02T21:33:00.000-04:00

Now this is what I call progress. Yeah I know what you are thinking. "Who the hell plots their weight loss on a chart?" Engineers do. OK well this engineer does. I wanted to actually see the weight a droppin. Started at 197 now at 172. That is 25 lbs for the mathematically challenged. Also, when I started I was on the last hole in my belt. Now I am on the first hole of five.

Slighted

2007-10-28T01:36:00.000-04:00

Take a look at the visitor's map above. I am starting to feel a little slighted by the rest of the world. Granted, people on the other six continents do not know my blog exists. However out of all those people not one has stumbled upon my blog? Sometimes I use the 'next' button up top to look at random blogs. Let me tell you that is an interesting experience. Warning: Do not attempt with children near.

Quicksand :-(

2007-10-27T00:47:00.000-04:00

Right now I am going through the most difficult time in my life. Some people know why, most do not. That is how it will remain for the time being. People may figure out my problem and I don't care. It will feel like a weight of embarrassment lifted off my shoulders.

Confusion, hurt, anger, depression, happiness, hope, anxiety, hunger, exhaustion, worry, afraid, lonely, desire, rage, uncaring, hate, love...I am on a roller coaster.

I am trapped in quicksand
The more I struggle the further it slips away
It appears promising
It appears hopeless
Tearing me apart inside
Breaking me down on the outside
Why fight
Giving up is so much easier
My instinct is to run
I wont
They are all I have
Move On
Not what I want
What I want doesn't matter
I take full blame
I have to live with that
Sorry

A Okay

2007-10-24T20:37:00.000-04:00

I got the results of my blood work back yesterday and the doc said my blood looked beautiful. I didn't know it could look beautiful. Let the pill poppin begin.

Hard to Admit

2007-10-22T21:46:00.001-04:00

Well I went to the doctor last Thursday for the first time since high school physicals. The reason is something hard for me to admit. Don't know why. I guess I figured it was something that could always be worked out or it was something I didn't feel existed. The motivation for me going to the doctor is something I do not wish to discuss at this time. My problem is my lack of control over my emotions. More frequently than not I tend to feel depressed, anxiety, or just extremely pissed at everything (doesn't matter who or what it is). I have spent days in these moods and then came out of them like nothing was wrong. I have recently discovered that this is something I have been experiencing for years now. Unfortunately those I love have been on the bad end of this which I feel horrible about. The doctor has prescribed medicine that I will begin taking once I get the okay on my blood work. They were supposed to call today but didn't. Hopefully soon so I can try to get my life under control.

Dropping like a Rock

2007-10-22T21:40:00.002-04:00

Just an update on my weight loss. I am now down to 176. I started at 197. That is 21 lbs if you are not very good at math. Only 1 away from my goal of 175. If things keep going like they are I should hit the 160's for the first time since high school.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

2007-10-12T06:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes life just makes you want to scream...

Whatcha Watchin?

2007-09-30T22:11:00.000-04:00

Just curious to see what new shows everyone is watching this year. I watched a few new shows:

I hope they don't cancel these:
Big Bang Theory (Very Funny)
Chuck

Liked them but not hooked:
Journey Man
Life
Bionic Woman

1977

2007-09-30T21:52:00.000-04:00

30 years ago tomorrow my parents took the plunge and got married. I just wanted to say congratulations on their marriage milestone.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Writer's Block

2007-09-30T21:28:00.000-04:00

Looking at the date of my last post I see I have had a serious case of writer's block. No I haven't given up on blogging. I am still trying to make a serious attempt at keeping up with this. My blogging counterpart on the other hand has given up and reverted back to her Myspace page. I would like to bid her a fond farewell. In remembrance of Jen's short blogging tenure I will leave a link to her page that will never be updated again.

Not much has happened since the last posting. Jen and I went and saw the movie "Knocked Up" last weekend. We both thought it was really good. We laughed a good portion of the movie. Not recommended for young children.

Also, since the weather has been nice I have been spending some time working in the yard. Two weeks ago I removed the limbs from a tree too close to the front of the house. Last Friday I did the same to another tree too close the back of my house and the neighbor's house. Last Saturday my parents came down to visit and my dad helped take down the trunks of the trees with his chainsaw. Lately I have been digging out the tree stump in the front of the house. I know it would be easier to hire a stump remover. But I look at it as a good workout. The removal of these trees is also an attempt to beautify my yard. I will also be trimming the remaining trees to make them look better and get all the branches that hang down. In the spring, assuming the money is there, I will be redoing the landscape beds in front of the house and putting down topsoil and planting grass in the front yard. The removal of the tree in the front yard has opened up the front yard to some sunlight and now hopefully grass will grow instead of moss. The topsoil will be used to regrade the yard and cover up the roots of the big maple tree.

Spinning Fan Of Death!!!

2007-09-07T00:41:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I turned on the ceiling fan in our family room and it started to sway back and forth. Now when I say sway I do not mean the fan was unbalanced (which it was). I mean watch out below the fan is coming off the ceiling. So I turned it off and started to remove the canopy screws (the canopy covers the hole in the ceiling). Uh oh, I ended up on a step ladder holding a very heavy fan over my head with the wires still connected. I kindly asked Jen for some assistance (note the sarcasm) and she immediately ended her phone conversation. I had her run downstairs and start flipping breakers to turn off the fan. Eventually after the house was half turned off the correct breaker was shut off. Now Jen helped hold the fan while I disconnected the wiring. Phew!!! Now that that was over and after I regained feeling in my arms I was able to determine the reason for the Spinning fan of Death. The ceiling mount completely broke into two pieces leaving it hanging by the canopy. Later after closer examination of the bracket it completely disintegrated in my hands after I squeezed it a little.

I bought the replacement bracket at Home Depot and as I was installing it I determined that someone who didn't know what they were doing mounted the fan improperly. The electric box that the bracket connects to is not fastened to anything. Lucky for me I get to crawl into my attic space with temperatures outside at 90. This means it will probably be in the range of a slightly warmer 110-120 while I am trying to mount the electric box correctly.

Anyhow it is a good learning experience. Make sure your fan is mounted securely to the ceiling or it too may turn into the

SPINNING FAN OF DEATH!!!!!

Brendan's First Day of Preschool

2007-09-07T00:24:00.000-04:00

Brendan started his first day of preschool on Tuesday. Every parent says it and it's true, it is hard to believe he is old enough to go to school already. Jen got the honors of dropping him off for the first time (yes she cried). I will normally take him on my way to work. Brendan attends the public elementary school across the street from our house. Jen and I wanted him to start interacting with kids his own age and to be able to play with some boys his own age. All the kids Jen watches are younger than him or are girls. Nothing wrong with that but he has never really had a boy his age to play with.

So far he has transitioned well. He doesn't throw any fits when I drop him off while it seems like there are several other kids every day that are. From what he tells us he is having fun.

Layout Changes

2007-08-28T01:00:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to add a third column to my blog for awhile now. It just seems to work better with the third column. I could not find a pre-made layout offered by blogger but I did however come across another blog describing the procedure for adding the third column. Seeing as how I am not a programmer the blog was very helpful. Here is the link if anyone is interested. He also has tips on how to do other things with your blog.

Dummies Guide to Google Blogger

Interested In a Change in Career??

2007-08-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

The other night while watching TV I saw a commercial advertising the return of one of the most kick ass game shows ever.

During my lunch hour today I went on the NBC website to find some information on the show. The only info available was that their posting for contestant and gladiator tryouts. The application for both posted here is a good 22 page read. Yes I said 22 pages. Does it really take 22 pages to figure out if someone qualifies to kick ass or to get their ass kicked. If you have a few minutes you should read over the application. Some of the questions had me laughing pretty hard.

Our Week in the OC

2007-08-15T23:50:00.001-04:00

We are back from our work/vacation to LA. Jen and I had a wonderful time. Both of us have never been to the left coast and Jen had never traveled on passenger plane until this vacation. She did great on the flights.

Our trip got off to a slow start. We got to the airport with no problems but when we arrived at the gate our first flight to Chicago was delayed about 50 minutes. Not a big deal; I expected it flying into Ohare. When we landed in Chicago we found out that our flight to Orange County was delayed an hour and half. When we did finally leave the gate some thunderstorms were coming and hit us just as we were getting onto the taxiway. We ended up sitting there another hour until we got clearance to take off. Again not a big deal. Both of us were just so excited to be traveling, something we enjoy doing. Both of our flights went very well. We were able to sit next to each other which was a good thing considering I didn't check in the day before. The flight attendants were able to switch our seats around in Chicago so we could sit together. We got into OC at 9 PM local time (12 Eastern) got our bags and picked up our car. When we got to the rental counter the attendant told me there were no compact cars left which is what my company reserved for me. FREE UPGRADE. We ended up with a Toyota Solara, convertible. That was nice to have for the week. The weather was perfect all week. Mid 70's, sunny, no humidity. We checked into our hotel (very nice by the way, Thanks WD) and went down the street to Friday's for dinner. By this time we are feeling exhausted because it is way past our normal bedtime.

Tuesday through Thursday I worked at my companies Irvine office. It was great to meet everyone there and establish some professional relationships and friendships. They took me out to lunch everyday which gave me a good chance to see some other parts of town, especially on Thursday when I took the wrong exit off of the freeway on my way to In-n-Out (local burger chain). Everyone also gave me some good ideas for things to do around town.

During the day on Tuesday Jen went across the street from the hotel to the South Coast Plaza Mall and looked around. Tuesday evening Jen and I ventured to Newport Beach. We left too late (imagine that) to see the sunset but still had an enjoyable time walking the pier and checking out all the touristy spots along the beach. I knew before we left on the trip that the water would be cold. But I wasn't expecting it to drop into the low 60's overnight. We were a little chilly that evening.

Wednesday afternoon Jen called me at work and asked me to guess where she was. She told me she hopped on a bus and went to Laguna Beach. I met up with her after work and after trying to find a parking spot. Not an easy task at 6 in the evening. Again we missed the sunset because it didn't go down where we expected. Shut up all you smart asses. I know it sets in the west over the ocean, but check out a map, the coast doesn't go directly north-south. The sun set behind a cliff. We met a nice couple on the beach and had a nice chat with them about what to see in Laguna. Afterwards we walked around town checking out all the local shops. Thursday night we went back to Laguna but first stopped at the Shake Shack along PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) to watch the sunset. We actually got to see it. We had a nice dinner at Las Brisas, a Mexican restaurant slightly higher priced (sarcasm) than what we are used to spending.

Friday we went to Huntington Beach. We watched the surfers, saw a seal and dolphin playing in the water, walked the beach, and burned a good portion of our exposed skin. It was rather difficult to walk and shower the rest of the trip but we managed. It was either cope or miss out on a wonderful trip.

Saturday was our big day for sightseeing. We got up and ate a big breakfast at the hotel and then drove up the 405 to Malibu where we drove along the PCH. The entire area was gorgeous. Beach on the left and mountains on the right, the Santa Monicas I believe. We drove the entire length of the Malibu turned around and came back.

From Malibu we took Sunset Blvd to Beverly Hills. As expected it was a gorgeous city as well. We did the typical tourist things like driving down Rodeo and found a few celebrity homes. We visited the Playboy Mansions gate, Halle Berry's gate, Ozzy's gate, and Tom and Katie's gate. Awesome. Jennifer Aniston is in the process of moving by the way. We saw her moving van. After BH we hopped on Mulholland Drive for a very curvy and scenic trip with the LA basin on our right and the San Fernando Valley on our left. Mulholland led us to the Hollywood Sign which is a lot better in person. After the Hollywood Sign we drove over to Universal City and walked around the shops and had dinner at the Hard Rock. I don't like the Hard Rock they always serve a very dry burger. And that was the end of our sightseeing for the day.

Sunday we awoke very early at 5 AM and spent the rest of the day traveling. Both of our flights were good and we only had a minor delay. It was great to get back home and see our three boys. They were so excited to see us as we were excited to see them. They immediately perked up and wanted to play play play.

The trip was awesome and we want to go back so we can see some of the things we didn't have time for. I have always said I would never live in LA because of the bad traffic, high cost of living, and because of the earthquakes. Apparently there was a 4.5 which went unnoticed by both of us. Well I could live with two out of three and take my chances with the third. If only I could get WD to double my salary, buy my house, and move my family. Granted I was only traveling a short distance to work and we did a lot of travel at off peak hours but the traffic was manageable. It could also have something to do with the fact we were on vacation and didn't notice it.

Well if you made it this far thanks for reading and staying awake.

L.A. Vacay

2007-08-01T00:21:00.001-04:00

To make things short Jen and I will be heading on an unexpected vacation. Well, a vacation for her and work/vacation for me. Last Friday my bosses asked if I would be willing to go to our LA office for a few days to get up to speed on one of our clients so I could fill in while some people are on vacations for the next few weeks. They allowed me to turn it down if my personal life didn't allow for the trip (translation: I have a lot of kids). I asked if I could turn it into a work vacation with my wife and it was okayed. We only have to pay for Jen's ticket, her food, and maybe a night in the hotel. We have always wanted to go out west for a vacation and could not pass up the opportunity to get such a vacation at a discount price. We will travel on Monday, I will work normal hours Tues-Thurs, Friday and Saturday will be vacation, and Sunday we will travel home. Jen will be able to do what she wants during the week if she is willing to brave the SoCal traffic.

Hopefully we will have plenty of time to do some good sightseeing during the evenings and on Friday and Saturday. We are staying on the south side of LA at the Wyndham Hotel in Orange County which is only minutes from our office and only a few miles from the beach.

Jen and I have never been to the Pacific Ocean so this will be a new experience for us. She has also never flown on a passenger jet. My last time was when I went to England 11 years ago. We both love traveling so hopefully this will be a great adventure.

If you have been to SoCal, any suggestions for sightseeing?

All Aboard!!!

2007-07-31T22:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we went up to my parents to visit for the first time since the end of February. We have not made it up in a while because we have had a lot going on in our lives since then.

Before we left town on Friday I stopped at Best Buy and purchased a dual screen DVD player for the van. Might I say money well spent. Both boys were entranced by the movie and Jen and I had a nice quiet 2-hour drive. The feature movie was Ice Age in case you were wondering. After I purchased the DVD player I took it out to the car and set it up. Well the second screen was very dim and i could not get it to be any brighter so back into the store I went. The second player I bought worked fine. Lets hope it stays that way.

On Saturday my parents took Brendan, Jen and I on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway. It was Brendan's first train ride and he was so excited. He got to have his picture taken with the engineer and the conductor which he didn't smile for. As the train pulled out of the station we saw a 6 point buck take off out of the tall grass close by. We also got to see a beaver lodge, a bunch of Heron's nests, and a vacated bald eagle's nest. As a civil engineer it was enjoyable for me to look at a few of the bridges that crossed the valley. If you are anything like my wife you are probably asking how a bridge could be enjoyable.

Saturday evening some of our friends came over to hang out around the bonfire and shoot fireworks. There was also some frog hunting going on.

Sunday we stayed at my parents house and my dad got his RC car and boat out to show Brendan. Brendan enjoyed being able to drive the car and boat around. He looked cute playing with his grandpa.

Slow and Steady

2007-07-24T01:13:00.000-04:00

An update on my recent quest to regain a few belt holes. I started my reduced calorie diet two weeks ago and I am now down to 194, a 3lb loss. I lost 1 lb over the last week even though I went camping.

Man vs. Wild

2007-07-24T01:05:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite shows on TV is Man vs. Wild. Bear Grylls, a former British Special Forces soldier parachutes into deep wilderness all over the world and he has seven days to find his way out. All he usually has with him are a knife, flint, and a canteen and sometimes less. Some of the things he does are crazy and some things are absolutely disgusting. If you haven't seen it before check it out, you may like it.

The other night while surfing the web I cam across his blog. I linked to his blog in the My Fellow Bloggers section. Some of the adventures this guy has gone on are nuts.

Only You Can Prevent Wildfires

2007-07-24T00:08:00.001-04:00

Jen and I spent this past weekend in the hills of Southeastern Ohio camping at Lake Hope State Park which occupies a portion of the Zaleski State Forrest. We had a great time and couldn't have asked for better weather. The evenings were cool which made sleeping pleasant and the days were sunny and dry. Our campsite was situated on a ridge line overlooking a heavily forested ravine about 200 feet to the bottom. This made peeing in the middle of the night a little nerve racking.

Friday night we setup our campsite, cooked burgers on the grill and enjoyed an evening by the fire. Saturday morning was chilly so I woke up and started another fire before our pancake breakfast. By late morning it warmed up and Jen decided to take a shower so she looked and smelled proper for the local forest inhabitants. Me on the other hand, well I didn't care. I was camping not preparing for a dinner party. So while she pampered herself in the shower house I went exploring on the nearest trail. I descended about 200 feet to Lake Hope. Took in the scenery and returned to the shower house. This took about half an hour. Apparently that wasn't enough time to prepare for the squirrels and birds.

When she finally finished we ate a quick lunch and then went on a hike all afternoon. We probably covered several miles on the hike. Besides the beautiful Southeastern Ohio scenery we also got to see an old cemetery from the 1850's occupied by the original settlers of the area and Hope Furnace which was used to melt iron ore mined from the surrounding area during the same time period. The original settlers nearly logged the entire forest in the 1800's and it has returned quite nicely. Saturday evening we relaxed and did some reading and then enjoyed some quiet time around the camp fire.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed to Jen's parents house to pick up the boys.

Not a bad way to spend your 27th birthday / upcoming anniversary. Jen and I talked about it and this may turn into an annual event. Of course we will include the boys as soon as they are old enough to know not to eat dirt.

On a side note, camping last year and especially this year has rekindled my interest for the outdoors. I have always loved camping but got away from it when I dropped out of Boy Scouts. Jen and I enjoyed the hike we were on and are talking about possibly doing a day hike on the Zaleski State Forest Backpack Trail. The trail itself totals 23.5 miles but there is a portion approximately 10 miles long for day hikers. If we get through that we may try the entire trail sometime in the future. This would require a whole new set of LIGHTER gear because the portion of the trail we were on probably wouldn't support the Korean Express.

HomeGard to the Rescue!!

2007-07-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

When we purchased our home back in March we put into our purchase contract that the seller must purchase a 1-year home maintenance service contract. HomeGard was the provider of said contract. It's a good thing we did because at the end of the day on Friday I noticed it was a tad steamy in the house. The temperature was rising and our AC decided to take a little unexpected vacation. It tried to turn on but then shutoff a few seconds later. We had a HomeGard approved heating and air repairmen come and take a look at it today. For the most part he spent the entire day at the house. Needless to say he was able to get it back up and running. Cost to us: $100. Estimated cost without HomeGard: $1000 (Per the repairmen). Woo Hoo my wallet just gave a sigh of relief.

Blockbuster Delivers

2007-07-13T17:52:00.000-04:00

For awhile now Jen and I have been contemplating signing up for Blockbuster's Total Access Plan allowing us to rent as many movies we want for a monthly fee. I am sure everyone has heard of it or Netflix. This should hopefully work out pretty well for us. We have had problems in the past with being too lazy to get the movie back in time and then being charged late fees. Now we don't have to worry about that. Our first three movies came in the mail yesterday and today. 'Happy Feet' for Brendan and "Messengers" for Jen and I and "Casino Royal" for me which I have been waiting to see. I have heard great reviews for it so hopefully it will not disappoint.

Next on my wish list, a DVR.

RIP Manhood

2007-07-13T17:35:00.000-04:00

Well, Jen followed Bob Barkers advice and got me neutered. The whole procedure was very uncomfortable. A shot of local anesthetic to numb the skin and another two shots to numb the vas tubes the doctor had to cut. The first shot was a pinch. But the shots in the vas really hurt. Burned a little bit and then you get that feeling as if you were kicked in the nuts. Guys know what I am talking about. The pain that shoots through to your lower abdomen. After that there was one other pinch when they clamped the left vas and I did not feel the clamping of the right due to the anesthetic. Other than that I feel okay and can perform normal activities like mild walking but just no lifting anything over 15 lbs. I don't think the anesthetic has worn off yet so I am sure more soreness is to come. I should hopefully be back to normal in a couple days.

175 or Bust (My Belt That Is!!!)

2007-07-11T00:59:00.000-04:00

I have recently decided to try and lose some weight again. I have always thought my ideal weight is about 175-180. On Monday I weighed myself and I came in at 197. Dangerously close to my forbidden zone of 200 or more. Somewhere I do not want to end up. So I have started calorie counting hoping to bring the weight down. It worked a few years ago when I did break 200 but as usual I didn't keep up with it and now the weight is back.

Hopefully I will be able to throw in some exercise and start trying to eat healthier foods. But if you know me, you know I am a very finicky eater. Trying new foods is not my forte.

Jen has decided to join me in hopes of loosing the extra weight from her pregnancy. Hopefully we will be able to support each other in reaching our goals. Wish us luck!!

This will be tough. (My stomach is pissed off at this latest development)

Weekend Adventures

2007-07-09T00:40:00.000-04:00

This weekend was my in-laws annual Fourth of July Party. This was the first time all five of us left the house together for one of our monthly jaunts around Ohio (suspended due to numerous major events covered in previous blog posts). We stayed all weekend and had a really good time.

On Saturday Jen and I took Brendan to see his first movie in a theater. He was so excited and had great time. He did really well through most of the movie until the final twenty minutes when he became a little restless but managed to keep his cool. Brendan ate some popcorn and had a root beer for snacks. On the way back to Jen's parents homestead Brendan passed out from all the excitement or the late night on Friday.

During the party everyone went swimming. Both boys surprisingly had a great time. Aaron floated around in an inflatable ring identical to the red plastic cars we all grew up with and Brendan floated in a ring as well. Took the boys out of their rings and I was impressed at how much their confidence has grown. Brendan was willing to jump off the steps into daddy's arms and he was also willing to let me dunk him (as long as I got wet too). Aaron also amazed me when he willingly put his face in the water and blew bubbles. Everyone had a great time.

The food was plentiful and delicious as you can tell by Aaron's reaction to the crackers.

When we were not in the pool Brendan spent spent most of his time running around the yard and playing by a retaining wall.

Justin as expected was spoiled. Every person who saw him just had to hold him for awhile. Needless to say he got to sleep on a bunch of arms and he didn't mind the attention one bit.

Jen's Dirty Little Secret!!!

2007-07-01T23:34:00.000-04:00

It's time to let everyone know about Jen's dirty little secret. My wife is a selective klepto. She has this habit of only stealing one item. PENS!!! It has to be one of the weirdest obsessions out there. She has stolen pens from every place that doesn't strap em down. I used to have a cup of pens on my desk when we first met and through the years they have slowly disappeared. Sometimes I think if she found a pen she really had to have she would take out old ladies and little babies to get it. One time when we were cleaning we came across her stash. I swear it was like we walked into the Bic aisle at OfficeMax. Blue, Black, Red, etc. This has got to stop. It is starting to create a rift in our marriage. I will be in contact with the people from A&E's TV show Intervention to try and get help for my wife. I love my wife dearly but it is either the pens or her husband and kids. If you would like to make donations to the Jen's a Klepto Foundation please make your checks payable to....

Does This Mean I Am Old?

2007-07-01T00:51:00.000-04:00

Ah yes it has reached that time of year again. The time of year when our Independence is celebrated and our neighbors forget how to respect those living around them. Now don't get me wrong I enjoy the occasional bottle rocket, smoke bomb, etc. Not a problem. What I do have a problem with is the launching of mortar shells over my house and a grand finale at midnight that scares the living shit out of my sleeping 1 year old. A neighborhood with closely packed houses is not the venue for a mini Red White and Boom display. Silly me, I thought situations like this would disappear once we relocated. That's enough ranting for now but I am sure I will be peeved all week.

This Would Be Fun!!

2007-07-01T00:47:00.000-04:00

When I was younger I was able to go on a zip line during one of my boy scout trips. It was fun but nothing even close to what I found on the net the other day. This looks like a wild ride.

Stand Up and Drop Trou Please

2007-06-27T00:20:00.000-04:00

What a way to start the day. This morning was my vasectomy consult. Everything went well. Filled out the usual paperwork. Had to pee in a cup. Talk about pressure. I didn't have to go. Anyway I succeeded. They made me watch a corny video with the worst acting you could imagine. The video covered what the procedure would entail. They also made me read a paper describing the procedure, then the doctor's assistant described the procedure, and the doctor himself described the procedure. After hearing it four times I could probably do it myself. To top off the consult the doctor examined me while his assistant watched. Talk about an uncomfortable situation.

The surgery is scheduled for Friday July 13th. I was prescribed an antibiotic to take the night before and Valium to take at the doctor's office. Jen will be my escort for the removal of my manhood because apparently it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while high.

This will be a non-scalpel procedure which is less invasive and should hopefully keep the swelling and bruising down. I was warned however of the possibility of swelling to the size of a grapefruit due to excess blood . HOLY SHIT!! Now that will cause some slight discomfort. I will be resting for two days and back to normal in a week according to the doctor. That's all for now. Hope everything wasn't too graphic.

Work Picnic

2007-06-24T01:07:00.000-04:00

Today, being Saturday, was my company picnic. This year it was held at Sports Ohio in Dublin. They served some good picnic food which was very tasty. Hot dogs, burgers, chips, baked beans, etc. The boys also had a blast playing in the kids play area. Aaron was climbing all over the play set as was Brendan. Brendan also went in the inflatable jumping enclosure. This is a big deal. The last two years it was also present at the company picnics and all he did was sit inside. No jumping = no fun. But this year he was bouncing off the walls. It was great to see the boys have such a good time.

Also Brendan got to go on his first go cart ride. As we were driving around the course I had to keep pushing him up because he kept sliding down due to the large size of the harness. He did tell me it was fun though. I know it was fun for me. I haven't done that in years.

Crazy Way to go Fishing

2007-06-23T23:40:00.000-04:00

Found this video while surfing the net today. These people have combined bow hunting with fishing. The catch of the day is Silver Carp (aka Asian Jumping Carp). It is a funny video but also a serious ecological problem. From what I understand from reading on the net is that these fish were brought to the US for use on catfish farms. They were used to keep algae levels down in local ponds. They escaped to the surrounding rivers and now have spread all over the Mississippi River system. They now threaten to invade the Great Lakes.

Here is a link to CNN's report on the fish problem.

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/tech/2007/06/21/mattingly.ms.river.carp.attack.cnn

...999,998 ; 999,999 ; 1,000,000

2007-06-22T00:34:00.000-04:00

Check out what I found on the internet.

http://www.millioncount.com

This guy, Harper, is counting to a million for charity. Any donations he receives will be given to Push America which is a charity for people with disabilities.

You can actually watch Harper as he counts. More power to him. Talk about getting a serious case of dry mouth. I would be so bored at the beginning I probably couldn't make it out of the early hundreds.

Time To Call A Plumber!!!

2007-06-20T23:53:00.001-04:00

Well if you haven't been keeping count the arrival of my newest son Justin now makes three. This means it has reached that time in my life where my pipes need to be disconnected. I now have a consult setup with a Urologist for Tuesday June 26 and ironically my surgery is scheduled for Friday July 13th. Hopefully the doc will not try to do the surgery with a hockey mask and machete a la Jason Voorhees.

New Arrival

2007-06-20T23:12:00.000-04:00

On June 7, 2007 at 8:04 PM my newest son, Justin Kenneth, made his debut. He weighed in at 7lbs. 9 oz. and was a hair over 20" long. This was the shortest of Jen's labors and as with the first two she did wonderfully. I even mustered enough courage to watch the whole thing unfold. With Brendan I did not dare look or I would have been on the floor counting ceiling tiles and with Aaron I managed to catch a glimpse of the action but did not watch in its entirety. This being our last child I didn't want to go through life regretting passing up the opportunity to watch one of my sons being born. I was able to cut his cord this time like I did with Brendan.

For some reason unknown to this day Aaron was whisked away before I had the chance. After Justin came the nurses checked him out and he was healthy as could be. He opened his eyes immediately and made no sounds for several hours until he was finally hungry.

Jen stayed at St. Ann's in Westerville until Saturday afternoon. She has recovered quickly this time around. We took Justin into the doctor the following Monday as a precaution because of the Jaundice ordeal we went through with Aaron last year. His bilirubin level was higher than at discharge but nothing to be too concerned with. The yellow in his skin has now faded and he looks like a normal baby boy now.

Korean Express Part 2

2007-06-20T01:34:00.001-04:00

Due to the rapid multiplication of my family we recently traded in our small Hyundai Elantra for a nice roomy Hyundai Entourage.

The birth of our third son would make it impossible to travel all over the state of Ohio with three car seats unless we bought the minivan. Now hopefully we have enough room to pack the kids and the bags.

We also looked at purchasing a used Honda Odyssey but the Kelley Blue Book value for a 2004 Odyssey with 50K miles was the same as what I paid for the Entourage. The Odyssey also had no warranty. The entourage comes standard with a 5-year bumper to bumper warranty, 4 wheel disc brakes, power everything, a 3.8 V6, and fold away rear seating, etc. It was pretty much a no brainer for me.

The other day I found out that the Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey rated the Entourage as the Tap Safety pick in the minivan category. Makes me feel good about my choice.

Our New Abode

2007-06-20T01:09:00.000-04:00

After years of renting Jen and I purchased our first house.

For several years we have been wanting to buy but I have always been a little hesitant at taking the final step. We found the house that fit our needs (enough room for 3 young boys) and made an offer. The initial offer was countered and so I made my final offer. It was accepted. We closed on March 16th and moved in a week later.

Since the closing I have painted the master bedroom, Brendan's and Aaron's bedroom, Justin's bedroom, the family room, the kitchen, and the living room. I have also hung up a lot of curtains and blinds, replaced the kitchen faucet, and am currently in the process of cleaning up the landscaping around the house.

Another nice thing about the house is that the boys now have a play room. A majority of their toys are now located in the finished basement so they have enough room to play. The yard is also great for the kids to play. Brendan has never been able to really play outside at the townhomes we lived in because of the small backyards (if you want to call them that) and because of the close proximity to cars. He now has enough space to run.

Give It Another Go

2007-06-20T00:22:00.000-04:00

As you can see by the number of entries below I have not been very successful at keeping this blog up to date. The first entry I posted last July was a test to see what blogging was like. I have never thought of myself as being a good writer which is the #1 reason why I only posted once. Since that first post several major events have happened in my life (all good thankfully) that would have made good entries into my blog. From now on though it is my intention to post on a more frequent basis to keep those who are interested up to date.

Anniversary Postponed

2006-07-27T00:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday (July 26th) was Jen and my 3rd anniversary. Plans were to go to work like any other day and then head out to dinner afterwards, just the two of us. Well that didn't happen. I got to spend the day taking care of my sick wife, one sick son and one healthy son. Aaron and I spent most of the day on the other side of the room from Jen and Brendan trying to avoid their sickness. Jen spent the day on the couch and poor Brendan was not allowed on the couch after he redecorated it with his breakfast. He stayed on his make shift bed on the floor, watched his cartoons all day and attempted to play with his trains. Brendan loves his trains more than any other toy and it is the saddest sight to see him make every effort to play with them and not be able to. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day for the both of them. Plans for the weekend are to take Jen on her first camping trip. As long as I don't get sick those plans should go through.