Last Room

This is the last room you're going to have to read about us renovating!  I can sense your relief already.

We're actually long past due in reworking our master bath.  It was sooooo disgusting!  I didn't even take a before picture.  You can thank me later.

I give full credit to the folks that put the shower in that I just yanked out.  They put that puppy in to last.  But after applying a crowbar, hammer and liberal use of a sledge - it's gone.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, there's been some water damage to the floor.  So, I'll have to figure that out next. 

Now, while was in the bathroom spending hours in demolition - my gorgeous wife mowed the lawn.  That's a job I usually do and it was looking like it needed to be done.  I was so grateful when I heard the roar of that little two-stroke engine; with Julie behind the controls.  How sweet is she!

Okay - more when we get a little further along.

Oscar Prep

Julie and I are taking this years Oscars seriously.  In a normal year, we would have watched hardly any of the highly nominated films.  Not this year.

Julie signed us up for a special engagement, the Best Picture Showcase event,  at the theater last weekend.  Have you ever gone to the movies and received an entry pass?  We did.  Here's Julie modeling hers.

Last Saturday we saw, one right after the next, five of the 10 nominated best pictures of the year.  We showed up at the theater at 11:00 for Toy Story 3 and were there until 10:00 or so as The Fighter ended.  We sat in exactly the same seats for all the movies.  What dedication!  Here's Julie with the movie poster we received to commemorate our historic achievement.

We're really looking forward to watching the Oscars tonight.  We might even know someone who wins!

Great Video Explanation of Planned Budget Cuts

This is a 1 minute, simple video that puts into perspective the federal budget discussions that are ongoing.  Highly recommended for all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk_jToBbpWU

Whoa Brain! Whoa!!

I readily admit that my brain works in strange ways at times.  As it receives information it is constantly trying to make sense of what it is receiving.  This trait sometimes gets in the way of enjoyment.  For instance, I noticed that even though the characters in The Big Bang Theory walk up and down several floors of stairs on the show - then always walk by the exact same floor baseboards.  I know.  It bugs you too right?

Here's another example of this annoying habit my brain has of trying to keep things straight.

I was reading an article about West Bloomfield, Michigan teachers - as it relates to this whole deal in Wisconsin.  The story started simply enough explaining the teachers had participated in a sickout.  40 teachers had called in sick.  Here is the second paragraph - the one that distracted me.  Does it surprise you too?

Superintendent JoAnn Andrees said that 41 high school teachers didn’t show up and that 36 of those teachers were not within a normal “pattern” of absences. Andrees said as many as a dozen teachers could be out on a typical day. The Michigan Department of Education said there are about 100 teachers at the high school as of 2009-10.

Ok.. here is what goes on in my head when I read these two sentences:

a) 41 teachers didn't show up
b) oh.. they have about 100 teachers - so about 40% or so didn't show up - hmmm. ok.
c) wait a second.. wait a second.. the 'normal pattern' is for as many as a dozen to be absent??
d) let's see .. that would mean 1/8 of the teachers being sick is relatively normal
e) that means these teachers take one sick day for every 8 days of work
f) that's 6 times the rate I acrrue sick time at!
f) what the heck is going on??
g) why isn't the crazy amount of sick time the point of the article? 

This all happens in about 1/2 a second for me.  And then the rest of the article is just .... blah blah blah.  I'm distracted and disinterested at this point.

I truly wish, at times, that I could turn this 'feature' of my brain off at times.  It really helps me in many areas of life.  But - it certainly gets in the way at times.  I certainly understand the adage: ignorance is bliss.

What Could You Accomplish in 20 Billion Hours?

I want you to fantasize with me for just a couple minutes.  Imagine you were given 20 Billion hours a year which you could use to accomplish anything you desire for society.  What would you do?   Almost anything seems possible doesn't it? 

Would you like to give each and every person on the planet a relaxing, soul-invigorating 3 hour massage?  You'd have the time.

What about providing free babysitting to each single mother on the planet so they could take a two week vacation?  You could do it.

Want to beautify every city in America?  There are only 30,000 or so cities.  You'd have over 650,000 hours to clean up, plant gardens and paint murals in every single one.

In fact, it seems almost ridiculous to imagine that some amazing and fabulous things wouldn't be accomplished doesn't it?

I'd love to hear some of your ideas.

He Has Overcome

Happy Valentine's Day!  On this day normally devoted to expressions of eros love - I want to share this story of brotherly love I found incredibly compelling.  I hope it will in some way inspire you as it did me!  Please take the time to watch this 5 minute video - and read the story.

Watch the YouTube Story Here

Gainesville State School has 14 players. They play every game on the road. Their record was 0-8. They've only scored twice. Their 14 players are teenagers who have been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to robbery.  Most had families who had disowned them. They wore outdated, used shoulder pads and helmets

Faith Academy was 7-2. They had 70 players, 11 coaches, and the latest equipment.

Chris Hogan, the head coach at Faith Academy , knew the Gainesville team would have no fans and it would be no contest, so he thought, What if half of our fans and half of our cheerleaders, for one night only, cheered for the other team? He sent out an email to the faithful asking them to do just that. Here's the message I want you to send, Hogan wrote, "You're just as valuable as any other person on the planet."

Some folks were confused and thought he was nuts. One player said, "Coach, why are we doing this?" Hogan said, "Imagine you don't have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling for you. Imagine that everyone pretty much had given up on you. Now, imagine what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you?"

The idea took root. On the night of the game, imagine the surprise of those 14 players when they took the field and there was a banner the cheerleaders had made for them to crash through. The visitors stands were full. The cheerleaders were leading cheers for them. The fans were calling them by their names. Isaiah, the quarterback-middle linebacker said, "I never in my life thought I would hear parents cheering to tackle and hit their kid. Most of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us. You can see it in their eyes, but these people are yelling for us. They knew our names."

Faith Academy won the game, and after the game the teams gathered at the 50-yard line to pray. That's when Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback surprised everybody and asked if he could pray and he prayed, "Lord, I don't know what just happened so I dont know how or who to say thank you to, but I never knew there were so many people in the world who cared about us."

On the way back to the bus, under guard, each one of the players was handed a burger, fries, a coke, candy, a Bible, and an encouraging letter from the players from Faith Academy .

What an incredible act of Christian witness and kindness and goodness that was. Proverbs 11:17 says, Your own soul is nourished when you are kind. Proverbs 3:27 says, Do not withhold good when it is in your power to act.

Be kind to someone this week. Be kind to every person you meet. You might be amazed at what God will do with a simple act of kindness.

Funny Gall Bladder Story

I meant to share this earlier while Julie was having her surgery.  Before it gets too late - I'll do it now.

Several of our family and friends have been through gall bladder surgery and shared with Julie and I their stories.  While they were all interesting and helpful, here's my favorite.  This was sent to us by our friend Nancy Schlink (that's her with Julie baking in our kitchen):

.... I would add one thing to her instructions in case the doctors didn't specify.... tell her that she should not push a car after surgery! :) Why would I suggest that you say!?!?!? Let's just say I had to get re-stitched up the week after surgery and that wasn't exactly pleasant :) .... lesson learned.... :)

To which I replied "you needed instructions not to push a car?  seriously??".
To which she replied:

well you know.... i'm not much for sitting around and i had to go back to classes up at UCD so i went ....and when my car broke down in the middle of the parking lot, i had to push it so i didn't get run into.... that was before the day of the cell phone remember, and yes i am that old! i have a pretty high tolerance for pain but literally busting my gut in the parking lot was not exactly something i'd like to do again :) i'm sure julie is smarter than me, but i just thought i'd throw my cautionary tale in for good measure :)

Winner!!

Watch out you crazy people!!

You folks in Michigan - and Tim too - because he loves to grow tomatos in his back yard (you didn't hear it here).. might be interested in this one.  In case you thought you had a right to plant a garden... or a crop... check out Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111, 63 S. Ct. 82, 87 L. Ed. 122 (1942), which, until recently, was widely considered the most far-reaching expansion of Commerce Clause regulatory authority over intrastate activity.

At issue in Wickard were amendments to the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 that set acreage allotments for wheat farmers in an effort to control supply and avoid surpluses that could result in abnormally low wheat prices. The plaintiff in that case, Roscoe Filburn, owned a small farm on which he raised and harvested wheat, among other things. When he exceeded his allotment by 12 acres (which yielded 239 bushels of wheat), he was penalized under the statute. Although the intended [use] of the crop involved in the case was...  “not intended in any part for commerce but wholly for consumption on the farm.”

So.. a farmer grew 239 bushels of wheat  on his own property - for consumption completely on his own property.   And he got fined for it.  Why??  read on...

...Homegrown wheat “supplies a need of the man who grew it which would otherwise be reflected by purchases in the open market [and] in this sense competes with wheat in commerce”.

The farmer's crime?  'supplying his own need';  not buying something that someone could sell him.  And so the federal government fined the farmer for employing his own skill, resources and time to grow his dastardly crop instead of going shopping.

You better start hiding your tomato plants Michigan ;)