Up to Nana's house for a day of work

Hello all,

This morning I drove up to my mom's house to work on the farm and bring the kids home. The first task was to brace the machine shed's rear post. That did not take long. The next task was more difficult. First we pulled Sam out of the machine shed with mom's tractor and then removed three feet of dirt from the floor to allow the truck to be completely covered from the elements. The next thing we did was push it back into its new place. It was good to be inside my old truck. I sure did have a lot of GREAT memories in that machine.

My next task was cutting down brush with my chainsaw and pruners. Wow, that process took forever! I was very happy to be finished and have a cold drink of water. Finally, it was time to put everything back were it belonged and take a shower and hit the road after eating dinner with Nana.

After a few tears good-bye, we were on our way to Kansas City. We made it home after 9:00. The kids were EXCITED to see their surprise. We had been hinting that something big was waiting for them all week. Sure enough, it was a great night with the family.

Good night,

-Andy

Finishing touches

Hello all,

Wow, Zac's room looks great! I am very happy with our work. The kids rooms really look great. I hope they like them. Jennifer and I are looking forward to having the kids come home tomorrow night!

-Andy

Done with Ali's room

Hello all,

It has been a long 24 hours, but Ali's room is painted. Tonight Jen and I started turning Zac's room from a boring white color to a nice blue. I think the new color and curtains will make his room more fun for him to grow up in.

-Andy

Painting

Hello all,

Jennifer and I have started to paint the kids rooms tonight. Well, we started by taking off the old boarder and getting the primer coat down in Alexandria's room. Ali's room will be pink and Zac's room will be blue. I'm really tired now so I'll let you go.

-Andy

David Nims leaving

Hello all,

A good friend of mine is leaving the company soon. He and I have been working together since February and have developed a close friendship over the past five months. I will be taking over his tasks as well as completing my own. I wish you luck on your new venture David!

-Andy

Day of recovery

Hello all,

This morning Jennifer and I slept in. The kids are in Iowa with my mom. We didn't have any place we needed to be. It was nice to just lay in bed and talk. We talked about the weekend. We talked about how nice it was to see Jen's uncle Jeff and how much we enjoyed seeing each other. In the future, I hope it will not take such an event to pull the family together.

-Andy

Driving Home

Hello all,

We drove back to Kansas City today. The ride home seemed to take twice as long as the ride up. Maybe it was because we are all worn out from the previous days. Maybe it was due to the road construction on I-35. It could also be that were just want to sleep in our own bed for a change. Whatever the reason, it was great to see our driveway tonight.

-Andy

Memorial Services for Jack Thompson

Hello all,

Today was Jack Thompson's memorial service. Jennifer did great. The service was well attended. I heard several stories from friends and relatives. I will miss you Jack.

-Andy

Driving to Minnesota

Hello all,

Yesterday Jennifer received news that her grandfather Jack had passed away. This is the first grandparent she has lost and is taking it very hard. We drove up to Hastings this morning and visited with Barb and Jeff this afternoon. The drive was aided by David and Susie riding with us. It was nice to have family to make the 7 hours go by faster than it normally would in this situation.

-Andy

Happy Birthday Diane

Hello all,

Today is Diane Thompson's birthday! Tonight David and Susie were up to our house for dinner and watching the Royals game on TV.

-Andy

Working with David Nims

Hello all,

I am doing my best to learn as much about David Nims' projects as I can. He is leaving at the end of next week and I will be assuming all of his responsiblities. Wish me luck.

-Andy

Still have my wisdom teeth.

Hello all,

I was suppose to have my wisdom teeth removed today at 9:30. However, due to an issue at the dentist's office, they are still with me. I will try again on July 17th.

-Andy

More PERL problems

Hello all,

OK, now I am annoyed. Today Steve Brown and I worked another full day working on the SODS front end. It was a VERY difficult fix and we finished it about 4:30 today. I hope this is the final one. I can't take much more of this.

-Andy

Long Drive Home

Hello all,

After a great visit in Minnesota, we had to drive back to Kansas City. It was an extremely LONG drive home. I'm glad to be home.

-Andy

Mall of America

Hello all,

Just a quick note to let you know that today was a VERY busy day. We went to see Jennifer's grandfather Jack Thompson. He was having a good day and we enjoyed our visit with him. Zac enjoyed eating Jack's pineapple from his lunch plate.

After our visit, we went to lunch with Barb and Jen's uncle Jeff at Applebees. We enjoyed our visit and wished it could have been longer.

We finished the day at Mall of America. Let's just say it was a long 7 hours walking around both in stores and at the amusement park.

Good night,
-Andy

Oil Change and Hitting the Road

Hello all,

This morning I was up early and off to get an oil change in my car. I then cut the grass and took a few minutes to rest before Jen, Diane, Ali, Zac and I took off for Minnesota. We made it to Ankeny, Iowa and then had an early dinner at IHOP. We made it to Hastings at 10:00 PM tonight. We went swimming for a few minutes and then back to bed.

Good night,

-Andy

Problems at work

Hello all,

Today I worked all day with Steve Brown on a PERL application problem. Steve inherited a program that a former teammate worked on for almost 6 months. Needless to say, it is full of problems. We found a simple error that took us almost five hours to find. I'm very disappointed that the code was turned over this condition. It is not Steve's fault, but he and I are forced to fix each bug as it comes up.

-Andy

Having fun

Hello all,

Well, tonight we just had some fun at the house. We are getting ready for our trip to Minnesota on Friday. I brought the laundry downstairs for Jen to sort and start washing some clothes. The kids are really getting excited for the trip. I just hope that they sleep tonight.

-Andy

Gymnastics

Hello all,

What a great night at gymnastics for the kids. Zac and Ali both did a great job during their lessons. Zac is learning how to bounce on the trampoline and execute some basic moves. Ali is working on her flexibility and agility. Jennifer and I are very excited to see how enthusiastic they are about their summer activity.

-Andy

Batting practice

Hello all,

Tonight Zac and I had some BP in the back yard. Zac decided he wanted to hit right handed during this session. The last time he was left handed...

I was able to toss them in overhand tonight. He hit a few really good. A couple he hit right over my head. I'm sure with time, he will be hitting them all over my head.

After BP, it was time to go inside and start making dinner. For the kids, it was a simple bowl of cereal. Jennifer and I had beef stir fry with rice. After dinner, we watched some TV and relaxed as a family. The kids were in bed by 8:45 and out by 9:00. It has been a great night.

-Andy

Grocery shopping

Hello all,

Tonight I took the kids grocery shopping while Jen finished up the laundry. It was a good to have an extra set of hands help with gathering of the stuff on the list. Ali enjoys bananas and strawberries. We picked up some cantaloupe for Jennifer's breakfast, too. All in all, we were out of the grocery store in less than 45 minutes. Thank you for your help tonight with shopping Ali and Zac!

-Dad

Birthday Party and more

Hello all,

Today was Jeremiah's Reno's birthday at Gladstone Bowl. It was a fantastic afternoon for the kids. Ali was able to pick up her second spare today. Zac was bowling too, but he started to wear out by 3:30 and needed to take a nap on my shoulder. Marcy and David, then you for inviting our family. We really enjoyed it.

-Andy

Go Royals

Hello all,

Well the mighty mighty Royals managed to win a game tonight! Yep, they win just enough to keep the fans from completely losing faith in the organization. I know that this year is lost, but maybe they will be good in a year or two. Something is positive is better to look forward to than another ten years of losing.

-Andy

Script finally working

Hello all,

Wow, my script for the EMS team is finally working. Now I need to get the Exchange server to not think it is SPAM.

-Andy

Computer problems

Hello all,

It is 2:36 PM and I finally have my computer back! I was in this morning before 7:30 to drop my computer off at technical services. They first thought my laptop had a port that was causing it to freeze up on me. Then it was my machine had not been defragmented recently. It turned out to be the paging space on the hard drive was 25 GIG. After the file was deleted and recreated, my machine is back to normal and I'm back to work

Woo Hoo...

-Andy

First day of gymnastics

Hello all,

The pleasure of watching your kids truly enjoy an activity is wonderful. Tonight, Jennifer, Diane and I watched Ali and Zac participate in their first gymnastics session. I know that Ali was in gymnastics when she was 3, but this is so much better than before.

Let me start with Zac. He took to tumbling like a duck to water. He was swinging on rings and walking across the balance beam without hesitation. We were all shocked at how comfortable he was from the start. He was always trying to go faster and make it around the circuit before the rest of his class. Nothing could get the smile off of his face. He was in his element. When it was his turn to bounce on the trampoline, he was ecstatic. Wow, to watch him come alive with excitement was great. Great job Jennifer! You deserve all the credit for signing Zac up for this activity.

As for Alexandria, she was having fun as well. Her practice started off with stretching and jogging around the facility to prepare her body for a workout. She was focused on her teachers instructions and did her best to balance and tumble on queue. The reason we signed Ali up for gymnastics was to allow her to continue to work on her flexibility and strength training. Both were noted on her report card. Now she will be in an environment that will promote a fun activity to get stronger and more coordinated.

I am proud of both of my kids. I'm so happy that you enjoyed your first lesson at Mercury Gymnastics.

Good night,

-Andy

Family Fun

Hello all,

Tonight was a great night to just be at home with the family. Jennifer's migraine headache has passed and she is feeling better. She even managed to walk a mile on the treadmill. Afterwards, Ali and Zac took a turn walking on the treadmill and getting their heart rate up. Afterwards, it was time for bath time and pajamas. We all cuddled in bed watching the NY Yankees play the Chicago White Sox. The kids were asleep by 9:00 and Jennifer will not be far behind.

-Andy

Bounce trip to Iowa and back

Hello all,

Today was a busy day for the Scott family. Ali, Zac and I drove up to my sister Nicole's house for Dade's birthday party. It was a great visit with my sisters and mom. I wish that it did not take 3 hours to drive back and forth. When I finally pulled into the driveway, I was ready to be home for the night.

When I left Nic's house, Tom Petty's Free Falling was playing on the radio. When I pulled into my driveway, Running Down a Dream was just finishing playing. When I was a freshman in high-school, our family took a vacation to Colorado and on that trip, we must have listened to Tom Petty's Greatest Hits over fifty times. Every time I hear one of his songs, I think back to that trip. It was fitting that his song was on the air at that time.

Good night!

-Andy

Yard work

Hello all,

Today I focused on yard work. I mowed the yard this afternoon and trimmed around the trees and bushes. After that I laid down new weed mat near the air conditioner and the flower beds. I hope this will keep the area looking nice and neat this summer.

-Andy

New Treadmill

Hello all,

Today Jennifer and I received our treadmill from Dicks Sporting Goods. We put it together after dinner and are looking forward to many miles of healthy walking.

-Andy