American Royal

Hello all,

Tonight mom watched the kids while Jennifer and I went down to the American Royal BBQ down at Kemper Arena. We had a great night with family and friends. The only part of the night that was bad was someone scratched my car in the parking lot. Oh well, it can be fixed.

-Andy

Almost Friday

Hello all,

I cut the yard tonight in preparation for this weekend's re-seeding activities. With all of the rain we have had my yard was VERY tall. I'm sure it will need to be raked tomorrow.

-Andy

Getting ready for mom coming down

Hello all,

My mother is coming down this weekend to spend a few days. Tonight I'm getting some laundry done and hopefully get her room cleaned up.

-Andy

Walk with the kids

Hello all,

Tonight Jen and I pulled double duty as we watched Katrina and Eddie's children for a few hours. One of the activities of the night was a walk around the block in the wagon. Well, it was suppose to be one wagon, but Zac would not sit in the wagon with his sister and Kirsten. I put Ali and Kirsten in the green wagon and Zac in the red Radio Flyer wagon and pulled them simultaneously down the sidewalk. I am sure I looked funny pulling two wagons on the sidewalk. After our walk, Jen and the kids made chocolate chip cookies. It was a great night.

-Andy

MRI

Hello all,

Today I had my semi-annual MRI on my head to make sure it is still there. I am getting better about having these tests taken, but they are far from fun. I want to thank those of you who have been sending me well wishes.

-Andy

Winning Team

Hello all,

Today Jen and I were joined by her father at our home to celebrate his birthday! Happy Birthday Larry! You don't look a year older...

To celebrate his birthday, I cooked beef kabobs and vegetables on the grill as we all watched the final day of the President's Cup as well as some of the NFL's games. After dinner, we enjoyed cake and ice cream with the kids.

-Andy

Yard sale

Hello all,

Jen and I were able to sell off some more of the kids clothes that do not fit at our neighborhood's semi-annual yard sale. We were only open four hours due to a poor showing from the community. I counted 15 homes having sales. After the sale, Jen and I spent the rest of the day enjoying the President's Cup golf tournament.

-Andy

Moving day

Hello all,

I am being moved from my current building to a new building today. I will only be in it until November 11th. Why such a short stay? They are moving all of IBM to 119th and I-35. Nothing like driving across the state every day!

-Andy

House finally feels like home

Hello all,

Yesterday Jennifer and I put the finishing touches on the house. Since we moved into the house in July, a box of pictures had been sitting the basement waiting to be hung. Weeks passed and our walls remained bare. The house didn't feel like home even though we lived there. That all changed today with a few nails and the help of the laser level. Now our rooms are filled with familiar faces and pictures that bring a smile to my face when I walk into the room.

The biggest surprise came with Jennifer, Diane and Ali went shopping for a few things at a craft store. They came home with some incredible wall pieces that finished the rooms perfectly. I am very pleased with how our house was converted into a home. Great job Jennifer! I love you for all of the hard work you did today!

Good night,

-Andy

Walking around the block

Hello all,

Just a word of advice: Always know how steep a hill is before you start to walk up it with two kids in a wagon. I know. It may sound simple. How could anyone start on a walk without knowing how steep a hill is? Simple: I had never been in that part of my neighborhood.

As Jennifer and I turned to the West off of 78th street, the road started to gently descend. It was not until we rounded the corner did we see the canyon we were about to descend into. I was bracing the wagon's handel against my leg to keep it from rolling onto my legs as we continued our decent. At this point, we should have turned back. How steep could it be, really?

I don't know how many feet below 78th street we were, but I can safely say I am glad I don't live down here. In the winter, you would need a wench to get my car up either of these hills. The hill is so steep, homeowners have terraced their yards to allow "flat" strips of grass to grow. I think a herd of goats could be employed to keep the grass clipped short. Anyway, I digress.

As Jennifer and I stood at the bottom of the hill looking upwards, I thought the hill would kill me. I'm pulling Ali and Zac. It looks like a vertical climb and I'm almost out of gas. Step by step the caravan of Scotts made its way to the top of this very steep hill. Upon reaching the top, both Jennifer and I were very winded. We had made it.

What a night.

-Andy

Zac has his first baseball

Hello all,

Tonight the family went to the Royals game and had a great time. Well, besides being rained on for two hours and enduring two squirming kids, it was a great time. During the second rain delay, I took Zac to stand behind the Royals dugout and see if any player would throw him a baseball. Luck would have it that Angel Berroa would be nice enough to toss him a ball. At this time I need to thank Blake, a young boy who helped Zac and I get Angel's attention. Without his help, I am sure that Zac and I would have been passed over from all of the other fan's wanting Angel's attention. Thank you Blake. My son will enjoy his ball for a lifetime.

It was a great night out with the family.

Good night,

-Andy

What a night

Hello all,

I just got home and had to get this all down before I start going crazy. The night started off innocently enough. Jennifer had just returned from working out this evening and we discussed picking something up for dinner instead of cooking tonight. I thought that this was a great idea! Wow, a night without cooking. You know, I deserve a break. Let's get Mexican. I'll go pick it up.

Soon I was picking up our food and back on the road home. As I approached the intersection of North Oak trafficway and Barry Road, my car begins to run rough. As I give it some gas, it stalls and I roll into the intersection. My car will only start and die. Over and over I attempt to start and move out of the intersection only to have it die when I shift to drive.

I start to panic.

What is it?
It is not the battery.
It is not low on gas.
All the gauges are flashing.
It is not overheated.
People are honking.
And yelling.
And gesturing.
I call my wife and ask her to come quick.

Finally, two nice men asked me if I would like some help getting my car out of the intersection. They manage to get me rolling down the hill and out of the intersection. I came to rest in the Walgreens parking lot. Safe.

My wife soon arrived at Walgreens. She and the kids were happy to see me and asked if I was ok. The kids tried to cheer me up as thoughts of the repair bill escalated in my head. How much was this going to cost me???

Soon the tow truck arrived via AAA. My car was soon strapped to a flatbed truck and I climbed into the cab of the tow truck to direct him to the shop of my choice. I didn't even look behind me as we pulled away. If I had, I would have seen my wife frantically trying to flag me down.

Her battery had died. The van would not start.

Wow. Here I was again in the middle of North Oak and Barry road and needing to make a decision. Her frantic phone call was all I needed to hear. I let the driver know what the situation was and jumped out of the truck and went to my wife's aid. As I worked on the battery connections, my wife called everyone we knew that lived close to come to our aid, but no one would answer our call.

Finally after several frantic minutes of calling, my wife was able to contact her co-worker Katrina. Her husband was soon on his way with jumper cables. As Eddie pulled into the parking lot, so did the tow truck from earlier tonight. The driver didn't even ask for my card as he jumped the van for free. I think that he could see the stress on both Jen and my face.

We were able to go home now. One hour and forty minutes later we were both home.

I hope that tomorrow goes better than today.

-Andy

Ready for the weekend

Hello all,

Have you ever been at your desk and wished that you were on the golf course? If you answered yes to that question, you and I are in the same boat today. It is a cool 80° F outside. Only two more hours until quitting time.

-Andy

Working out

Hello all,

I wanted to give an update on my exercise routine. I have worked out at least four days each week for an hour. My efforts are not showing yet, but at least I know that I am making my heart work more. I know that this will pay dividends later in life.

-Andy