Happy Thanksgiving

Well, it's time for my absolute favorite holiday of the year. I think that it's because it's the longest holiday we get. A total of 4 day of not having to think about work at all. Now that's a good 4 days!! Plus, we'll be on the road with the however other million others and having lots of fun with family in Minnesota for Thanksgiving Day, and in SD the rest of the weekend. Here's to hitting the road, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Not Playing Fair

This blog is dedicated to my wife.

So, for halloween, we carved some pumpkins and hung out with some friends on Friday night, and then actually spent halloween night at my parent's and at church. But, the pumpkins stayed on the porch here until the weekend here a couple of nights ago. I came home from work and arrived at almost exactly the same time as Heather go home from work. Heather had made a comment the night before about the pumpkins and I knew they needed to be thrown away, so I went to get them from the front porch, but before I went to get them I told Heather to hang around and keep the lid open on the trash can. Heather said, "Ohh, the lid won't close when you throw them away." Of course, I had to argue. Two weeks ago throwing things in the trash, I'd thrown an object in and it barely touched the side of the can, and the lid slammed shut behind it. I'd thought that was fine at the time, but I didn't want to bring pumpkins back and have to throw the lid open again every time. Well, Heather seemed to feel like the lid wasn't going to close. So, I went and got the first pumpkin and brought it back to the trash can. I tossed it in the can with some touch to the back of the can so that the lid would shut. BANG. The pumpkin hits the back and bottom of the can, but the lid stays open. I'm surprised, and Heather is happy. So, I head back for pumpkin number two. I grab it from in front of the house and came back around the corner and throw it a little harder to the back of the can to make sure that it moves the can against the garage so it will force the lid closed. And BANG, the lid stays open again! Ok, this isn't happening. I'm making sure pumpkin number three is closing this thing. So I head back to get the final pumpkin, but before I turn the corner and head for the last pumpkin on the front step, I turn around, and see my wife, who had been celebrating turn to the trash can, and then, she proceeds to pull it further away from the garage. Then, she steps back to analyze if she's pulled it far enough away from the garage to make sure it won't close when i move it with the pumpkin. After she checks out the distance, she adjusts it one more time and then shakes her head in approval before looking to front of the house to see why it has taken me longer to retrieve this pumpkin. There I stand watching her cheat! "Ahhh HA!!!!!!! So that's why the lid doesn't close!! You're cheating!" I yell out. Heather just starts laughing historically. At this point, it didn't matter. I'd caught her cheating at this game, so I've won. I stormed after the last pumpkin and even though my angry throw into the can, I still didn't close the lid, but my swift kick to the can sure closed the lid!

Bad Ads

I'm sure watching television and listening to the radio that you hear product advertisements that are very good, and make you laugh. There are alot of good ones. Some that I always like are Geico, alot of the Superbowl adds, the new Windows phone add where the line is "Really?!??". My favorite part is the dad and the kid playing baseball, and the kid is mad because his dad won't look and play catch, so he drills him in the side of the head with the throw. I laugh every time. Those are funny ads, and good because you remember them an their product. That's the overall goal. However, have you ever watched some of those thought they were so bad and poorly done that you'd never buy or use that product? Here are my worst 3.

Orbitz - Man can predict what's happening next. I'm overall annoyed by the inability to communciate anything useful about what they do here. Not to mention with the theory they use, there is no good way to end the commercial. Not to mention, they are extremely poor, because I had to even Google what company it was. They can't even make me remember what the company is! -1 star for them.

Old Spice - Any of them....I'm not sure what these guys are smoking, but they need to quit it. The horse/man, the wierd godzilla kicking buildings and yelling guy that is super annoying. I do remember the product though, which is what the company wants, but because I can't ever get those 30 seconds or 45 seconds back, I will not buy their body wash or soap or whatever it is. Old Spice = no. I'll go with Gillette, beceause they don't annoy me. -3 stars for them.

Burger King - Any of them. If I were Burger King, I would fire my entire advertising staff, and start over. I'd start with an ad that says, "We apologize for our past 2 years of advertising, it was aweful and we admit it. Please give us one more chance." At that point, I'd maybe consider going back. But that "King" figure giving me nightmares for weeks, and the one where he steals the egg McMuffin from McDonalds, come on!! Nothing like saying we can't even make a product good enough to get you to come here, so we'll steal our competitions. And these singing breakfast ads?? I think it's the most sad that multiple people thought it was a good idea and that it made it to television. And the free coffee, that isn't making me change my mind. Not even close. When they start giving away the classic chicken sandwich at lunch, then maybe.... - 5 stars for them.

I'm not kidding, it's been almost a year since the last time I stepped into a Burger King, and I can tell you the next time I will if I can help it, it will be NEVER. I can control when I buy Old Spice thing, so if you have my name for Christmas, don't buy me anything related to these three companies! I'll post my Christmas list coming up!

Furniture Conversion

I find that as I get older, I get even more lenient to my own rules. I was a guy who was always angry when the Christmas decorations were up and lit before the end of Thanksgiving. I think it's to my lack of ability to multi task. I can't get in the mood for one holiday while another one is busy trying to force it's way in. However, this morning, I did hang the Christmas lights. It was a great day to hang the lights, and this evening we'll be taking a test look for a bit then shutting it down until after Thanksgiving. Being, in the mood for Christmas, when I came inside to warm my fingers, Heather and I looked at the living room furniture and where the Christmas Tree was going to go. We decided that we wanted it in the same place that it was last year, in front of the picture window, but last year, we had just my things in here, and we only had the couch up here for furniture. We've since added the Laz-e-boy, so now, there is hardly enough room. Well, I looked at the couch and commented, "It'd be nice if that couch were smaller and were a were a love seat instead." Then the wheels started turning. I'd taken the couch to my brother at college in my trailblazer by taking it apart, and taking the sections up. So, I tipped it over:


When I looked, what I thought was true. There were two boards, one in the front, and one in the back to hold the three sections into place. With this being the case, all I needed was a new board that would take the front and back outside sections and put them next to each other. And, the work began...


As a result.....before:


and about an hour and $4 later:


Yes, it's been tested, and yes two people can comfortably sit in it next to each other, and all parts are still completely in working order. It was a pretty fun event and a successful conversion.

Season Endings

Last night was the final night of the volleyball season for Heather. Her team lost their district game so the season is now completed. They finished 10-11 this year, which makes Heather the most winningest volleyball coach in Mitchell Christian history! In fact, she has probably accumulated more wins in her two years than all the other coaches combined. I don't know that for a fact, but it seems like it could be entirely possible. Unfortunately, this season the team will graduate 7 seniors. So, only 2 players will return next season from this year's varsity roster. That's a little scary. But for now, the season is over and the fall sports season is also coming to a rapid close.

Also tonight, I want to be sure and clear up a little misconception about the addition of Twitter to the blog. This is just a more simple way to communicate a short version of the blog, but allow you to follow what we're up to all the time. I can update twitter on my smart phone, so there could be alot more information on here now based on silly things that happen that aren't going to take an entire blog post to explain. So, check back to the blog often as the Twitter will update this blog whenever I update Twitter.

This blog will continue. It will be especially useful once LB (little babe) gets here. That's our name for the upcoming baby as it's still cooking in Heather. We can then use it for getting pictures out and telling fun stories and update you on LB's progress growing up. It will be very helpful for use of that and a way to track what's going on. Well, back to work, but keep checking on us, and enjoy the Tweets along the way.