Saturday

Hello all,

It is cold today. Really cold. We received 5 inches of snow last night. I was outside at 7:15 shoveling the driveway and steps. When I finished with that we took the kids to Gladstone Bowl for their league. While there, we received a call that Ali's basketball game had been cancelled due to the weather. So, with the afternoon cleared, we took the kids to Oakwood Manor's Winter Carnival. The kids had a great time trying to win prizes. Ali was determined to win a cake at the Cake Walk. She never did. She must have tried over eight times, but never had her number called. Poor girl... she was very disappointed.

Zac won a free year to AKA Karate. Can you believe it? He won a free year of lessons. He is a little unsure if he wants to do it, but he is warming up to the thought of learning Karate. I'll keep you posted as to his progress.

OK, you are up to date.

-Andy

Friday!

Hello all,

Let's all raise a glass to the wonderful day of Friday! The day is almost over and I'm doing my time for the month of February! It has been an entire month since I have entered my time into Clarity! I've been working on it for 30 minutes and I'm only to week number three. Ahh.. how did I let it get away from me this badly?

-Andy

Making Progress

Hello all,

I am making progress on my project at work. I wish I could say it is a "lot" of progress, but at least I know where the javascript is being loaded from, but "how" it is being invoked is another thing all together! I know some javascript, but this is Master level stuff. Holy Cow is it convoluted!

-Andy

Waiting on the Weekend

Hello all,

It is Wednesday and I'm already thinking about Saturday. I want to order Zac's window and get it in before March 15th. That was my goal a while ago, but I'm still not any closer to getting it done. Something always comes up. It never fails. This weekend just has bowling in the morning and then our basketball game at 2:00. I should have time to run and get it orders after the game. We don't have anything scheduled for the evening (yet) so I might be able to knock off a few more things on my task list as well. But it is Wednesday and I still have two days to finish before Saturday comes. Oh yeah, I need to start working on the lawn mower soon. I want it to be ready for the first cut this Spring.

-Andy

Install

Hello all,

Tonight is the monthly release of the Vision application. I'm in my office at DST right now. It is shortly after 10:00 PM and we are still waiting to hear when the JVM's will come back on-line. It is a huge release and I'm looking forward to it being installed and off of our plate.

-Andy

Happy Birthday Jennifer!!

Hello all,

This morning when the kids woke up, they gave mom her card and present. The card was of Mickey Mouse and the present was a new pair of earrings. They just happen to be "posts" so maybe Ali can wear them if a special occasion dose arise. I don't know if that was Ali's plan or not, but Ali and Zac somehow managed to agree to get mom earrings instead of a new necklace. Jen's received two Spring blouses and a pair of khaki Capri pants. From what the attendant said, carpi's will be all the fashion this Spring and I want my wife to be in style!

For dinner we went to Texas Roadhouse. Jennifer did not get on the saddle and sing. Ali and Zac were very eager to tell our server that it was their mom's birthday and mom quickly stopped the server from ordering the birthday celebration. We ate our dinner incognito and celebrated quietly together. Once we were in the car going home, Ali and Zac treated Jennifer to a very special version of "Happy Birthday". Look out Hollywood! The Scott duo is coming to a recording studio near you!

Good night,

-Andy

Taking a Nap

Hello all,

With all of the running around I've done for the past three or four days, I didn't realize how tired I had become. Jennifer and I were upstairs watching the golf tournament after church this morning and we fell asleep for almost three hours! When we walked downstairs, the kids had behaved themselves for the most part. They found the crackers and jelly and had made afternoon snacks for themselves. I must say, I am impressed that when push came to shove they kids were resourceful enough to make themselves a snack. At least I know they will not starve if they are hungry.

Good night,

-Andy

Stix

Hello all,

What a great night to have a birthday party! The weather was chilly, but the group was great! Thank you all for showing up and celebrating Jen's 33rd birthday. Charisma, Marcy, Cyndi, David, Susie, Diane, Grandma and Grandpa Lothenbach: You all made my wife's day being there tonight and sharing the evening with her. It was one of those nights that she will not forget. The cake turned out better than I had hoped! It was a beach scene with dolphins jumping out of the water. It matched my wife's personality perfectly.

Good night,

-Andy

VPN Access

Hello all,

This day was bound to happen sooner or later. The day where I would need to log into work remotely to verify that I can access my application during an on-call situation. It has been 10 months since I had a pager in my hand. Tuesday will be the day that the Vision application is put into my care for seven days. Part of me is nervous. I've only been with the company since August and now I'll be responsible for understanding and reacting to pages when they come. And they DO come often.

Anyway, it is Friday night. We are heading out to eat tonight to celebrate another week's work completed. Tomorrow is Jen's birthday party at Stix so I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about later.

Good night,

-Andy

Weather

Hello all,

I must sound like a broken record these days, but I must say that the weather in Missouri is very unpredictable! Just the other day it was in the 20's and today it was almost 60. I am feeling the effect of the weather changes and so is Zac. We are both suffering from a sinus issue that is not bad, but just lingering. I hope that it goes away soon. I NEED some sleep.

Good night,

-Andy

Good To Be Home

Hello all,

It was great to have Jen home tonight. The kids and I picked out streamers and balloons to be hung in the kitchen last night. Jennifer was VERY happy to have a warm reception when she walked through the garage door. Even though she was only gone for a night, the whole family missed her being here.

Welcome Home Jennifer!

-aes

Jen in Wichita

Hello all,

My wife is in Wichita tonight. I'm very sad to have her so far away. This is the first time we have not been together in almost eight years! I hope you travel safe tomorrow Jen. See you soon.

-Andy

Day Off

Hello all,

One of the bright spots for working for a financial company is they get all the government holidays as well. Today was Presidents Day and the family spent it together. We went over to Zona Rosa for a bit this afternoon to get the kids some new jeans since they are growing faster than weeds! After shopping, we headed home and Zac and I had dinner ready for the crew. It was a lot of fun today.

-Andy

Resting

Hello all,

Today was Ali's second day of the bowling tournament. Jen and Diane took her to the tournament while I took Zac to a birthday party at the Gladstone Community Center. Ali bowled her average, but was VERY tired from bowling yesterday.

-Andy

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello all,

Today is Valentine's Day and Jennifer and I spent the day in Lee's Summit at Ali's bowling tournament. It is not the most romantic day, but at least we were together.

-Andy

Won a Cruise

Hello all,

Jennifer and I won a cruise from Mix 93.3! There was a contest to see if anyone would break a mirror on Friday the 13th. A LOT of people showed up. I could not believe it when I heard my name announced on the radio! We are so excited to go now. Now all we need to do is decide when and where we want to go!

-Andy

Working Hard

Hello all,

We are still working with Ali and Zac each night on their homework. Zac doesn't think it is homework since he is only reading to either Jen or I. He is getting better at remembering what words are and what they sounds like. He is progressing. Ali is still doing very well in school and is enjoying reading chapter books.

-Andy

Basketball Practice

Hello all,

Tonight's basketball practice was much better than the previous practices we have held. The girls are making progress towards running the offense. They are also more aggressive on defense and not just standing around waiting for the ball to bounce toward them. All in all coach Chad, Dana and I were all pleased by the effort.

After practice, I took Ali and Zac to Subway for dinner. Ali had a pepperoni sandwich and Zac had a ham and cheese. We headed home and ate them at the kitchen table. We talked about the day and what they enjoyed doing at school. It is very funny to hear them talk about what they enjoyed the most on any given day. Most of the time it is either PE, music or art, but you never know until you ask them. Today Zac liked lunch and Ali enjoyed music class.

The kids are now getting ready for bed. I should be closing this up and make sure they have not stalled in that process.

Good night,

-Andy

Watching A Movie with Zac

Hello all,

Sometimes it just feels good to sit down and watch a movie with your child. Tonight, I put the movie "Robots" in the DVD player downstairs and Zac and I watched it together. He started the movie sitting next to me, but ended up sitting on my lap. He let me know when all of the good parts were coming up. He covered his eyes when the evil character entered the screen and let me know to be scared, too. We just had a great time being pals tonight. When the movie was over, he wanted to watch it again, but I said no. It was time to get ready for bed. Ali and mom would be home from bowling soon.

It was a great night to just be pals.

-Dad

Sigma Kappa Night

Hello all,

Tonight Jennifer took a page out of my playbook and went to her sorority's alumni gathering in Liberty. She was really looking forward to seeing everyone again after the Holidays. Of the group that had RSVP only three showed up. I hope that it is better attended next month.

-Andy

Daddy-Daughter Dance

Hello all,

Tonight I had the great pleasure of being my daughter's escort to the Daddy-Daughter Dance at the Parkville Recreation Center. It was Ali's first dance. Jen and Vanna went shopping for a new dress last night while I made arrangements with a florist for a corsage and boutonniere. We left the house at 4:30 for an early dinner at Olive Garden and then to the dance. Ali was beautiful. Jen has some great pictures that I hope she posts to her facebook account soon.

At the dance, Ali learned how to do the YMCA as well as the electric slide. Let me say this: 75 eight year old girls doing the YMCA is VERY funny. It was even better than the chicken dance.

The evening came to a close at 8:00 when the dance was over. We met up with Vanna, Kellen, Jen and Zac at Chicago Uno for drinks of lemonade and ice tea. Ali retold the story of the night in great detail. I hope she never forgets our night out on the town. I know I will not.

Good-night,

-Andy

Early Morning

Hello all,

Good morning! It is shortly after 4:10 in the morning when I am writing this blog message. My coffee is brewing now and I'm about to step out the door and take Diane to the airport. She is leaving today for her cruise around the Caribbean. It must be just horrible for her to get away from this cold weather and have to walk on the beach and get away. Anyway, my coffee is about done. I need to be at her house by 4:30 so I should get a move on it.

I'm hoping to pick up some donuts for breakfast on my way home. That will be a nice treat for the family.

-Andy

NICE WEATHER

Hello all,

Today is a great day to go golfing. Too bad I am stuck inside today working. In fact, I think a lot of my co-workers came down with the Fairway flu around 1:00 today. I hope they are feeling better by Monday.

-Andy

Coffee

Hello all,

Today is a day that I wish we had a better coffee selection in the office. I miss having Java City only a few minutes from my office when I was on the Sprint campus. The closest thing to coffee in this building is the Folgers pot in the break room. It would not be that bad if people didn't make double or triple strength pots of coffee. I miss coffee that you could drink without grimacing at the taste. Seriously, it is bad. I make a pot of regular coffee just for myself and then pour it into the big pot after I'm done. I hope that it will dilute the sludge that exists in that vessel. I don't even think Steve Brown could drink this stuff -- and he could drink just about any form of coffee brewed.

-Andy

Cold Again

Hello all,

I know that it is February. I get it. I know that it is suppose to be cold outside and the wind is suppose to blow hard. I get it. What I don't like is the fact that it can be 60 degrees one day and then 7 the next. That is very confusing to my children. Ali and Zac enjoyed playing outside on Friday. They took the electric car out for a spin in the backyard with their friends. They had a great time. Then Saturday was here and the air was a little cooler, but still ok. Sunday was cold. Now it is officially normal today. The temperature is in the low 20's. It is suppose to be back in the 60's by Thursday. I can't wait for April to get here and we can all just leave our coats in the closet again.

-Andy

Day Off

Hello all,

Jennifer and I took today off. Why? Why not?! I took Ali to her dental appointment this morning to see about the spacer that will be inserted into her mouth to correct her pallet. Then after that, I ate lunch with Zac at Oakwood manor. Jen and I met at the house after 12:30 and finished up some chores around the house while the kids were at school. The main focus today was laundry! Holy cow it seems to get bigger and bigger each week.

For dinner tonight we had homemade pizza's. Everyone was able to make their own pizza as they liked it. For dessert was vanilla ice cream and brownies. Yummy!! I guess I need to walk on the treadmill in the morning now....

-Andy

Superbowl Sunday

Hello all,

It has been a great day to be a football fan. The game was competitive through all four quarters. Everyone at David and Susie's house was watching the game to see if Pittsburgh would win or if Arizona would pull off the upset. It was a great game. Arizona should have won that game. The interception at the end of the first half really cost them the title.

It was good to see David and Susie again. They really pulled out all of the stops again and hosted a great party. Thank you guys for doing everything you did. Ali and Zac had a great time playing at your house. They were both asleep by the time we hit I-35 North.

Maybe the Chiefs will be in the Superbowl next year. I can always hope for the best.

Now it is time to start the cheer for the Royals to go to the World Series in October!!!

Good-night,

-Andy