Back to work

Hello all,

Last day of May...

Not a lot is going on today. I am tired from the long drive. I just want to get a good night's sleep tonight.

-Andy

Memorial Day

Hello all,

I left the house this morning at 6:10 AM with the kids still in their PJ's. I drove most of the way to Iowa without a sound being uttered from the back seat. It gave me some time to prepare myself for the day. I visited dad's grave for the second time today. My sister Danna made a wonderful flower box for dad. It looked to be made of white pine. It had the words Dad and Grandpa painted on the front. Her flower arrangement was very colorful. As the three of us passed Dad, Ali noticed the flower box. She said "It's Grandpa!". I replied, "You are right Boo. And where is Grandpa now?"
"Grandpa is in HEAVEN." she replied.

That's right Ali. Grandpa is in HEAVEN.

I miss you Dad.

Love,

-Andy

A hard Sunday

Hello all,

This mornings church service was hard for me. The message was remembering those that have gone before us. After communion, I was able to light a candle in dad's memory and leave a slip of paper with his name on it. After communion, every name was read aloud. I wept openly. I miss my dad very much.

-Andy

Easy night

Hello all,

It seems that my daughter wanted to spend the night at Grandma's house. Yeah for me. I only had to deal with Zac last night. He almost fell asleep in the car on the way home. After a few minutes in the rocking chair, he was fast asleep.

This morning I ran a few errands with the little guy. We went to Lowes to pick up my weed eater as well as look at some other stuff. After lunch, Zac got a hair cut and a good nap.

We are about ready to go over for dinner at Diane's house. She is really taking good care of us while Jennifer is out of town. Thanks Diane!

-Andy

Bach'ing it

Hello all,

Well, I managed to get the kids up, dressed and out the door today without any issues. Well, kind of. The babysitter was sick today so I stayed at home with the kids. I let them sleep until 8:00. At that time breakfast was served and my day of double duty began.

Lunch was easy -- McDonalds. Nothing like letting the kids blow off some steam in playland for a while. When we made it home, I found a message that our house was to be shown between 4:00 and 6:00. The second showing is from 6:30 to 8:00.

I am planning on going to Diane's house this evening with the kids to keep the house clean for showing.

Better get going.

-Andy

Jen left for West Virginia

Hello all,

Jennifer left for West Virginia today with her dad this morning. I am missing her already. I tried to stall this morning while getting ready. It didn't work very well. I hope that she has a good trip with her dad. I hope that they have a good time together. I'm sure they will spend a lot of time talking about our hunt for a new house.

Good luck Jennifer. I hope that you have fun. We'll be waiting for you on Monday!

-Andy

Found another house

Hello all,

Jennifer and I found another home that we both loved. It is an older home with a great floor plan. I hope that we will be able to put an offer on it if the price is right. I guess I still need to know how much the utilities are per month before I get too crazy about it.

-Andy

Long night with Zac

Hello all,

I spent the night in the recliner with Zac on my chest. Due to his running nose, he cannot sleep very well unless he is propped upright. Needless to say I am very tired and well caffeinated.

-Andy

Working from home today

Hello all,

I took Zac to Gashland clinic today to get his cough checked out. It is just the wonderful Kansas City air that is making his poor little nose run all of the time. I was hoping he would not have allergies, but he is stuck with them.

-Andy

House hunting

Hello all,

What a night! Jen and I went to several homes tonight and fell in love with the last one we viewed. It was perfect. I hope it stays on the market long enough for Jen and I to put a bid on it.

-Andy

Worlds of Fun

Hello all,

Jen and I took the kids to Worlds of Fun today. It was the first time back at WOF since the year we were married. It has changed a lot. This time, we spent the majority of our day at Camp Snoopy with the kids. Both Ali and Zac enjoyed their time and could not stop talking about all of the fun that they had.

The best part was they both were asleep by the time we rolled into the driveway!

-Andy

Mowing the yard

Hello all,

What a great day to mow the yard. The weather was great. The kids were having fun. Life is good.

-Andy

Good round of golf

Hello all,

This morning I went golfing with David and Larry at Shole Creek. First of all, I want to say this was my first time being on a golf course since dad and I tried to go golfing last summer. As I stood on the first tee, I said a quick prayer to let dad know that I was thinking of him and if he would please help me get around this course I would appreciate it immensely.

After a deep breath, I drove my ball hard to the left and out-of-bounds. Some things you just can't change. My bad swing is one of them.

My luck turned for the better on the back nine. I was driving the ball straighter and putting better. Anything over 10 feet I managed to get close or in the cup. However, if I was within 3 feet, I would miss every time. It just isn't fair, but that is golf.

I am going to see Star Wars III this afternoon. After that, I am off to Diane's house for my birthday dinner. We are grilling steaks tonight.

Got to get to my movie!

-Andy

Moment of truth

Hello all,

Tonight Jennifer and I are meeting with our realtor again. This meeting she will tell us what she thinks our home is worth. Keep your fingers crossed. I hope she is thinking the same number that I am thinking.

-Andy

Finishing touches

Hello all,

Last night Jennifer and I put the finishing touches on the house. After arranging the basement like we want it and straightening the living room, I think we are ready to put the house on the market Thursday. Please say a prayer so the house sells quickly. Once it sells, we only need to find a new house to move to!

-Andy

Bright day outside

Hello all,

It is a beautiful day outside. I really enjoyed my walk at lunch. It made me want to out golfing with friends today. Maybe later this week.

-Andy

Jen down with a migraine

Hello all,

Today Jen came home with a migraine headache. I hope she starts feeling better soon.

-Andy

Still cleaning

Hello all,

Still more of the same. I never knew we had so much stuff.

-Andy

Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning

Hello all,

Today Jennifer and I have been cleaning the house and getting it ready to be put on the market. It has been a long day.

-Andy

Friday the 13th

Hello all,

I woke up to the sound of thunder today. Outside my window bright flashes of lightning were followed by loud claps of thunder. It didn't surprise me to find Zac lying at the foot of our bed. The little guy doesn't like storms very much. Ali surprised me. Last night she asked me to rock her in my chair for a while as the rain pelted our home. At 10:30, I convinced her to crawl back in bed and everything would be ok. She managed to sleep through the night.

One down, one to go.

I hope it dries out tonight so I can mow tomorrow afternoon. Our yard really needs a good grooming.

-Andy

Going to rain again today

Hello all,

I think the April showers are a month late. Yesterday, the KC area was pounded by rain in the afternoon. The forecast is for more of the same today. The weather is nice outside now. Let's see what it does by 4:00 o'clock though.

-Andy

Church meeting

Hello all,

Tonight Jen and I didn't get much done on the house. We had a church meeting from 6:30 to 8:30. We didn't get home until after 9:00. By that time, we wanted to get the kids cleaned up and to bed.

We'll do more tomorrow.

-Andy

Ready to work on the house tonight

Hello all,

Tonight's chore is to pick up the "stuff" in the basement. We will putting the kids toys into boxes and getting them ready to be shipped to a storage facility or Jen's mom's house. After the basement is clean up, we will work on Ali and Zac's rooms to clean up extra toys that they have brought upstairs.

-Andy

Back in the office

Hello all,

After a whirlwind tour of three states this weekend, I have managed to find my desk and get my head on straight. It was good to see my family and friends from home. I hope to stay in better contact with those that I live near. For those that live in California, I hope that we stay in touch via my blog as well as frequent emails.

When Jen and I arrived home last night, we both were very tired. We did a few loads of laundry and then called it a night. I did polish the brass on the fireplace as well as one of the light fixtures in the kitchen before I headed for bed. At least I accomplished something on the house this weekend.

It is a nice day outside today. I love the spring. Eleven more days until my birthday... Just in case anyone was counting.

-Andy

Gonna be a long drive

Hello all,

We are about to drive home and the wind is really blowing hard. I hope that Jen's Montana doesn't get pushed around too much.

-Andy

Miss you Dad

Hello all,

I went to sit down with dad this afternoon. It was my first time visiting the gravesite. It was hard. I cried for a while Jennifer and Ali stayed in the car. I sat down next to his grave and talked to him. I let him know that I missed him very much. I felt like a little kid waiting for his father to take his hand and tell him "Everything is going to be ok." It felt good to cry.

Sometimes I just need to let it out.
Everyday I miss him.

I miss the way he would stand from afar and watch me. I always knew he was there. All I had to do was look out of the corner of my eye. He would be right there. Either sitting in the stands, on the sideline or leaning against the fence -- Dad was always there.

Now that he is gone, it is like having a mountain range removed from the skyline. It is that big of a change. He was always there for me. Now I feel like I am all alone. Who do I turn to now? There will never be another man in my life that helped me discover so much about me. Thanks for that Dad.

-Andy

====================================================
Dad,

I talk to Zac every night about doing the right things in life. We are starting off simple:

Putting his toys away.
Eating all of his dinner.
Working hard on potty training.

In time we will venture into the more mature topics, but for right now we are doing fine. Please keep watching over me and my family. I sure do appreciate your guidance.

Thanks,

-Bud

Friday Friday Friday

Hello all,

Can this day be over yet? I am ready for the weekend.

-Andy

Near miss

Hello all,

I stopped a kid from being hit by a moving car tonight at HY-VEE. He looked to be about three year old. He broke away from his mother while they were leaving the store. As his mother was calling for him to stop, he proceeded to make his way through the row of parked cars. As I watched this unfold before me, I noticed a black SUV traveling down the row. The kid turned West. He was going to run out in front of this truck. I started yelling "Hey Stop!" and made a lung for him. I caught him by the neck of his shirt. The truck passed us right then.

Three things I will never forget:
The look on the drivers face. She could not have seen us. The boy was running out from behind a van.

The mother of the boy. She was screaming for him to stop as well as get the drivers attention.

The boys face. Unaware of what almost happened to him.

Once his mother had him, I walked away. She thanked me for my help. I said "your welcome" and proceeded into the store. As I was walking the aisles, I started to think about what had happened. I was there to get a few things for Jen's office pot luck tomorrow. She had given me a list before I had left. As I pulled into the parking lot, I had the list in my right hand. I somehow got out of my car and walked into the store only to realize the list was missing. I returned to the car and turned around to see the boy break away from his mother. Fate? Coincidence? Divine Intervention? Or a guardian angle? I don't know really. Tonight I am thinking it was dad looking out for a kid about the age of Ali and Zac. I want to think that he was riding shotgun with me tonight and found a way to get me to put the list down and walk into the store. I think that he talked me into going back out to my car even though I knew exactly what was on the list.

Thanks dad. There is a little boy in KC sleeping safe and sound because you were riding with me tonight.

Good night dad.

-Andy

Late night pictures of Zac

Hello all,

Tonight Zac didn't want to sleep. He kept asking for a drink of water. I soon found out that he didn't really want to drink it. I snapped a few pictures of the moment.

-Andy

Good catch today

Hello all,

Today was a great day for me. I found a defect that has been plaguing my application for months. It is very satisfying to be able to fix something again. I have been doing documentation for so long I thought that I would forget how to be a "coder". Good news... I haven't lost my touch!

-Andy

Good and bad news

Hello all,

Well, Jen and I still have some work to do before we can put the house on the market. It is mainly boxing up the "stuff" that we live in. The kids toys. The extra clothes for the winter months. Extra dishes that we have in the pantry. Basically it is the stuff that you use occasionally. We may find ourselves not missing it and not needing it.

-Andy

Cleaning house

Hello all,

Tonight Jen and I continued to clean the house in preparation for the realtors coming over tomorrow night.

Went looking at new homes

Hello all,

Tonight Jennifer and I took the kids on a little drive around a few neighborhoods in the area. As you know, we are going to be putting our house on the market this month and are narrowing our new home criteria. I'll keep you posted on how it is going.

-Andy