Sunday Swimming

Hello all,

Today we renewed our pool passes for the Gladstone pool. Yep, it is time to smell like Coppertone and go out and splash in the water and catch some golden sunshine. What a treat of a day. The temperature was great. It was in the mid 80's with a light wind out of the Southwest. I could not have asked for better weather today.

This morning at church, my confirmation group was confirmed into the United Methodist Church. I have enjoyed my experience with these young men as they have grown since February. I want to with them all the best of luck as they continue to grow in their faith.

Good night,

-Andy

Last Soccer Game

Hello all,

This morning was Ali's last soccer game of the Spring. She tried really hard all year. Jennifer and I are proud of your effort this year. We'll give it another shot in the Fall. With some luck, your coordination will catch up with your height and things will start moving in the same direction. I love you Boo.

As for Zac, his last game is next week due to a rainout back in April. His game went well. Zac loves to defend and mix it up with the approaching player. He is not afraid to put his foot into one to clear it out for the rest of his team to come and help.

This afternoon's T-ball practice went great. The team took infield for the first time. We as a team worked on getting the ball to first base on every hit. After 30 minutes, most of the team had a good idea of what they were suppose to do with the ball if/when it was hit to them.

Good Job "Little Devils" (Team name that THEY chose...)

-Andy

FRIDAY

Hello all,

Well, it has been a long three day week for me. My lawn needs mowed again. We need to find time to get to the pool and get our pool passes for the year, and if I have time, I need to get to Lowes and pick up some items to finish the kids windows. The trim is still sitting next to their windows and it needs to be tacked back on before something happens to it. I guess I'll work more this weekend then I did all week!

-Andy

Long night

Hello all,

It has been a very long night. It was a long day at work today and it did not get any easier when I got home. I am looking forward to hitting the sack and forgetting about today.

-Andy

Zac's T-Ball Game

Hello all,

Now I am not one of those parents that is going to brag about my son's baseball ability, but I am right now. Zac, you did a great job tonight. You fielded kept your glove on the ground and fielded the ball well. You also threw the ball to the correct person when asked. You are the only one on your team to record an out and you made two at 2nd base! Way to go.

I am very impressed by your ability to hit left handed. We'll keep working on flattening out your swing to prepare you for coach pitch next year.

Great job tonight!

-Dad

Day Off

Hello all,

Since today is the "first" day of Summer Vacation, Jennifer and I took the day off to go to Worlds of Fun with the kids. However, it rained all day. Bummer....

-Andy

Memorial Day

Hello all,

Late yesterday afternoon my family visited Malvern Cemetery to pay our respects at Dad's grave. I wanted to bring something to the headstone that would make my dad smile. A sleeve of Calloway golf balls would suffice. I was going to write "I miss you", but after talking to my wife I decided "Father, Grandfather, Friend" would be more appropriate. Golf always did put a smile on dad's face. No matter how he was playing, he enjoyed the challenge. I thought he would enjoy three perfectly polished golf balls to celebrate Memorial Day.

Happy Memorial Day Dad. I miss you very much.

-Bud

Mom's Party

Hello all,

Today was my mother's retirement party. For seventeen years she taught at Fremont-Mills Community Schools as a Home Economics instructor. It was great visisting with so many of my friends from my days in Randolph. I enjoyed catching up with Bill Fichter. Bill is one of my oldest friends in Randolph. We have always had a bond. It must have been from all of the time I spent at Randolph Fertilizer listening to that group of guys talk about politics, weather, sports and whatever else came up that day. It was good to see you again Bill.

I also talk to Scott Kemp and his wife Lori. I graduated with Scott's son Chad in 1993 and Chad has since moved to Washington, D.C. for his job. Scott has not changed much in the past 15 years.

The most enjoyable conversation I had today (outside of family) was with Lisa and Rita (Costello). If that farm could talk, it could go on for days with all of the adventures that Lisa and I had gotten into and out of on that farm. I think we found every hornet's nest on that place at one time or another. It was good to see you Lisa. Rita, you sure have changed! You looked great today. I'm glad to see you are doing well.

Justin, good luck in the Air Force. You will do great.

It was a long drive home tonight. I'm heading to bed.

-Andy

Rainy Day

Hello all,

It has rained all day today. I'm glad I mowed my grass yesterday because it will grow an inch or more today. Let's see... The soccer games were cancelled due to Memorial Day weekend. Zac's T-Ball practice was cancelled as well. Gee... We have a Saturday to ourselves! What to do... what to do....

NOTHING!!!

-Andy

Friday!!!

Hello all,

Let's see. It is Friday and it is Spring. Yep, it is time to mow the yard tonight. Yippee!!

-Andy

Happy Birthday Kirk

Hello all,

Happy Birthday Kirk! I hope your family treats you as nice today as mine did yesterday. Eat a piece of cake for me. Enjoy your day!

-Andy

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hello all,

What a great birthday. Thank you to all that called, emailed or texted me birthday wishes. I really do appreciate you taking a minute out of your day to think about me growing another day older. It put a smile on my face which was very welcome. As a birthday gift, my son played his first T-ball game tonight. His first at bat was right handed and he singled up the middle. His second at bat he signed to right field. Jen, Diane, Ali and I were cheering for him as he celebrated his accomplishments after the game. Yes Zac, you did a great job tonight. You made all of us very proud. You even managed to get your white pants grass stained which is what I know your goal was from the beginning!

Good night,

-Andy

Ali's Practice

Hello all,

Like Zac last night, Ali had a much better practice today than she has had before. She was aggressive with the ball and worked on shielding the ball from the defender. She even managed to get a few shots at goal tonight. I think she likes the sport and will grow into it as she becomes more coordinated.

-Andy

Zac's Practice

Hello all,

Tonight Zac's soccer practice went better than expected. He challenged others for the ball during drills. That is a big step for my son. He doesn't like to battle anyone (other than his sister) for the soccer ball. I think he doesn't want to hurt their feelings, but I could be wrong. Regardless, tonight he was more energized to go out and mix it up with his teammates. Congratulations Zac! You made your dad proud!

-Andy

Day of Rest

Hello all,

Not a lot happened today. Jennifer and I put laundry away and watched the Royals game on TV. We played Yatzee and Go-Fish with Zac during the game to make it easier to watch. In the 6th inning the Royals managed to score a few runs and make the game interesting. We ended up winning the game and splitting the series with Baltimore. Good Job Royals.

-Andy

Cleaning Up

Hello all,

Something must have gotten into the water around here because Jennifer and I were in a cleaning mood this afternoon. Jen vacuumed and dusted the living room while I worked on the bathrooms upstairs. I love the smell of Pine Sol! Spring Cleaning really makes the house look and smell so fresh.

-Andy

Rain out

Hello all,

The family was suppose to go to Worlds of Fun tonight with DST, but Kansas City has been stuck in a wet weather pattern for the past two days. We had 4.5 inches of rain in our gage when I checked. The water ran very high in the creek by our house. I'm sure there have been a lot of wet basements because of all of the rain. Anyway, our tickets will be honored for a date/time later this year.

Good night,

-Andy

Went to see Star Trek

Hello all,

Tonight Jennifer and Diane took the kids to the Royals game and gave me a night off. I played a few rounds of Tiger Woods Golf after eating dinner and then thought about seeing a movie. It had been a long time since I went to a guy's movie. I checked the times for Star Trek and sent a text message to Jen. I was off to see the next installment of the story-line.

It was a good movie. The plot twist was weird. If you have seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

Good night,

-Andy

Parents' Night at Owkwood Manor

Hello all,

Tonight was the student showcase at Oakwood Manor. Every year the school opens it doors to the parents to allow the kids to show a binder of selected assignments throughout the year. The binder is a collection of how their work has changes throughout the year. Jennifer and I were very pleased to see how much out kids have grown academically this year! You guys did a great job!

-Dad

Dentist

Hello all,

This morning I had my second dental visit with Dr. Bush. Ah, the fun of going to the dentist and being numb for the better part of a day! Yippee skippee... At least it is now done and I can get on with the rest of my life. Have I told you how much I hate cavities?

-Andy

Back to Work

Hello all,

Things at work are spreading up as our group tries to get as many tickets approved for this Thursday's monthly release. I have three tickets on the schedule for Thursday and they have all been signed off. That is one less thing to worry about this week and it is only MONDAY!

-Andy

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello All,

Happy Mother's Day Jennifer and to all of the moms out there! What a great day for Mother's Day! It really was a great day. We met Diane for brunch at Kate's Kitchen. It was nice to have that time with Diane. It was then time to run home and get the house cleaned up and the yard mowed before the women came home from their pedicures. Zac and I had the front rooms looking good when the garage doors came up. Great Job Little Man!

For Dinner I fixed steaks and lobster tails on the grill. They were fantastic! I could not have asked for a better meal to celebrate Mother's Day.

Good night,

-Andy

Weekend's Work

Hello all,

This afternoon I replaced Ali's window in her bedroom. It was easy to do and I had it in after 27 minutes. Now I need to let the "Great Stuff" insulation cure and get the trim back on. I am enjoying this home improvement bug I've caught. I am looking forward to replacing the windows in the bathroom later this summer!

-Andy

Night Out At Larry's

Hello all,

Tonight the family traveled to Shawnee to visit with Jennifer's grandmother. We had BBQ from Jack Stack and plenty of sides to make the evening trouble free. While there was still light outside, we played washers. Once the bugs came out, the gloves came off and card game Euker was on! Grandma and Larry have been playing partners for years and their experience showed against David and Jen. I think my wife and brother-in-law won a game or two, but the majority of the games went to the elders. It was good to see Grandma G. again. I wish her well on her trip back to West Virginia.

-Andy

Teacher Appreciation Day at Oakwood Manor

Hello all,

Today Jennifer and I gave the teachers at Oakwood Manor a little pampering by setting up our BeautiControl station in the front office. We gave 17 foot or hand massages to the fine educator from OWM. We received many complements on our generosity. It was nice to have the chance to give back to those that give our children such a great education.

-Andy

Royals Win, Again

Hello all,

The game today was much easier than yesterday's nail biter (8-1). It was good to see Kyle Farnsworth get into the game for some mop-up duty and close out the ninth inning. With time, he may get his head right and return to good form. I'm guessing it will be July before that happens.

-Andy

Royals Game

Hello all,

What a long night! The Royals game went into the 11th inning. We left the stadium after the 10th. Zac was asleep on my shoulder and Ali was a walking zombie. Yes, we won parent-of-the-year again for good judgement. Who would have thought the Royals would have blown a based loaded / no out situation? Not me, but they did.

John Buck finally won the game in the 11th with a base hit with the based loaded.

Good-night,

-Andy

Royals Win

Hello all,

I know, it is starting to get harder to believe that the Royals are winning baseball games. Tonight Zac Greinke pitched a complete game shutout for his sixth win in a row! It is even harder to believe that the Royals lead off Baseball Tonight on ESPN! The Royals!!! I am almost having too much fun this year and it is only the fourth day of May. If the Royals can keep this up the summer will be filled with daily excitement to see how the pennant race is shaping up. I'm can't wait to see what the Royals do tomorrow night. If they win, it will be their fourth in a row. Get out the rally caps and head to the K!

-Andy

Install

Hello all,

I've been tired all day long. I got home shortly before midnight and did not get to bed until almost 2:00. I just could go to bed after struggling to stay alert on my drive home. So today I didn't really do anything. We listened to the Royals game on the radio and played with the kids. Diane and Vanna came over this evening for dinner. I grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for the family. I am looking forward to getting to bed before 11:00 tonight!

-Andy

Late Night

Hello all,

This morning Zac and Ali had soccer games! Ali is getting more aggressive and is attacking the ball. Zac is enjoying running around and getting into the action. They are both getting a lot of exercise and enjoying themselves.

Tonight I worked the Disaster Recovery exercise for DST. I have been on site since 3:00 this afternoon. It is now almost 10:00. I've looked at two errors in a log file and have been following the Royals game on the internet.

Good night,

-Andy

Day off

Hello all,

I'm off work today. Not really... I'm working tomorrow night for a disaster recovery effort so I am trading today for tomorrow night.

Let's see. What did I do today.

1. Fixed the leak on the toilet in the guest bathroom.
2. Installed the blinds in the laundry room.
3. Picked up the kids windows from Lowes.
4. Played four rounds of Tiger Woods Golf.
5. Took the kids to school.
6. Took Ali to her dentist appointment.

That is about it.

-Andy