Life Happens

Following in my footsteps

2012-01-27T09:34:00.002-07:00

My wife is in her 3rd semester back at school right now. I'm so proud of her. Her first 2 semesters she got all A's. She's going into Computer Information Systems to get her Associate's from the local community college, then she will do the transfer program offered at a nearby university through the community college to get a Bachelor's in Computer Science, just like me. She enjoys having me as a live in tutor. I bet she could have done well in any major she chose, and there are plenty of healthcare related jobs around here like Recreational Therapist Jobs, but she didn't want to go into healthcare because of the amount of stuff she'd have to know. I think computers is a good choice for her. Maybe one day we'll even work together.

Riveting

2012-01-27T09:26:00.002-07:00

Our car has had a problem with the driver side back window motor not working. My wife forgot about this a few days ago and decided to roll it down to clear off some snow. Unfortunately it would not roll back up afterwards, so she had to drive home with the window down on a dark cold snowy night. I knew it would be a pain to change out the motor myself, but it would cost a lot to have someone else fix it, so I finally broke down and did it. The hardest part was removing and replacing the rivets. I have no idea why they used rivets instead of screws, it's not like it was holding up a steel building. My wife had to help with it a few times because it requires more than 2 hands to do some of the work. Plus she usually figures out little problems that I miss, I would have thought the new motor didn't work if she didn't suggest me plugging the door switch back in, because evidently the front button controls the window remotely through the door. Anyway, it cost a little chunk of change, but a lot cheaper than paying someone to fix it. And I have a cool rivet gun now. You know, for all that riveting I do.

It's Bigger There

2012-01-08T21:44:00.002-07:00

It is true what they say, everything is bigger in Texas. I have been down there a few times on business and it is just wide open area down there. The place is just big. Which got me thinking? If you get a huge headache in Dallas, TX, would it be called a Dallas migraine? Just curious because if it is something big, perhaps it should be named after something in Texas to paint the picture in your mind of something huge. Something to think about.

No Time To Rest

2012-01-08T21:41:00.003-07:00

Christmas is barely over and do you know what I see in the stores already: Valentine's Day items. That holiday is over a month and a half away and yet we are being bombarded with it already. I would think my wife should be able to go to the store without having to be hit with husband valentine gift ideas at least until we are in the month of February. Besides, if you bought a gift in the month of July for Valentine's Day, does it make it any better than the gift you bought in February as the holiday drew closer?

A Little Too Cautious

2012-01-08T21:37:00.002-07:00

One of the major drivers of the cost of health care is the high cost of malpractice insurance that doctors have to carry. I understand the need for this in the event of an accident during surgery or an operation. However, I think it is subject to abuse by some who feel they would like a lot of something for nothing. Yes, there are doctors out there who shouldn't be doctors, and there is a need for this kind of insurance when things go wrong. However, I think a better approach would be to remove the instigator from the equation if things go wrong a lot. If a doctor is making numerous mistakes on numerous occasions, he should no longer be allowed to practice medicine. This would bring down the cost of insurance and there would be fewer mistakes made. Just a thought.

Everyone Is Okay

2012-01-08T21:29:00.003-07:00

My mother and sister had quite the scare a couple of nights ago. They were coming down to our twins' birthday party Friday night, driving on the freeway, when a deer appeared right in front of them. It wasn't walking or running in front of them, it was just standing in the middle of the freeway lane. My mom swerved to miss it and then veered back, only to run off the road. Upon running off the road, the car flipped onto it's top, smashing down the roof of the car about a foot. In the process, a wheel was completely ripped off, and the car was totaled.

Luckily, no one was hurt. My sister was riding in the back seat and ended up sitting on the ground through where the back window used to be. She was not wearing a seat belt. My mom was buckled in and was just suspended in the car until strangers came to help out. Again, no one was injured, but the car was a complete loss. This all happened around Plymouth, UT, where the biggest town is 30 miles away. Luckily, people saw the accident and called paramedics. The first responders came quickly, along with the paramedics. The tow truck driver was gracious enough to drive my mom and sister to Bountiful, UT, so I could pick them up and drive them the rest of the way. I am so thankful no one was hurt and that I still have my mother and sister with us. Worse things have happened to others in similar accidents.

No word on the status of the deer.

Similar, But Different

2012-01-08T21:24:00.002-07:00

Have you ever noticed that the same exact thing seems to be marketed for different items? It is even sold as a different item, but, in reality, it is the same thing. For example, horse riding helmets look exactly like helmets some motorcyclists use, but they are priced way differently. Big floor pillows that you can use for you couch are also sold as pet beds and, therefore, priced differently. I guess if it has a different label and different packaging, it has to be different.

Happily Married

2012-01-08T21:20:00.002-07:00

My wife is awesome. I seriously don't know what I would do without her. She is my best friend and knows me better than I know myself. I'm glad to be happily married and not constantly browsing through free dating online sites to find a wife. My wife is my eternal companion and I mean that in every way. She is the one that will stand by me forever and without her, I would be nothing. On top of performing the duties of a mother, my wife also goes to school in pursuit of her education. She truly is an inspiration. We may not see eye to eye on some things, but we are glad to except that. We are both individuals, but as individuals, we make up the perfect pair.

Need A Bigger One

2012-01-08T00:34:00.003-07:00

We would like to have a bigger yard someday. It makes it difficult to allow the kids to go outside and play when there isn't much to do outside. If we did have a huge yard, I would like a pool house. Not so much a pool with just one of those pool fences, but an actual house that includes the pool. This would be safer for kids as you can simply lock it up and feel confident no one can accidentally get in. Granted, the pool house would only be one thing. I envision a basketball court, a massive patch of grass, and trees for shade. Ahh, to have a huge yard again someday.

The Playoffs

2012-01-08T00:25:00.002-07:00

The NFL Playoffs have begun. Our team, The Patriots, don't play this week because they have a first round bye. But, football is still a good thing to watch, no matter who is playing. Just today, I saw one player actually jump three feet in the air to get over a player who was running at him all hunched over. There are great plays to be seen no matter who is playing. These are great plays to be seen in any game. Football is just a great hing to watch. Too bad it can't be played all year round.

One For Every Ailment

2012-01-08T00:02:00.002-07:00

Every day to hear about someone going into treatment for something. Drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs, and even sex addiction. There are also detox treatments for almost all of those ailments. There are even methadone detox rehab treatment centers, which I honestly don't have any knowledge of and don't really want to. I try to stay away from all of those big ailments. But I'm glad there are programs out there to help those who need the help.

Get It Out There

2012-01-07T23:54:00.002-07:00

If you have a new idea, and you have gotten it off the ground, your next biggest hurdle is getting the idea out there for people to see. You can use advertising, but that can get expensive and can prove unfruitful. Another idea is to use trade shows. You see big trade shows in the news all of the time like for electronics or automotive parts. If you want to do a trade show, you don't necessarily need a big booth. You can use a table top trade show booth. While it may not gain all of the attention you hope to have one day, it will get your idea out there. Gotta start somewhere.

Too Much Risk

2012-01-07T23:40:00.002-07:00

I would like to start my own business one day. I have had a few good ideas, but I would need some money to get the business going. That is generally the same with any business, I would think. However, one thing I think you would not want to do when getting money for a business is to get one ofthose unsecured business loans. Businesses fail all of the time. In fact, sometimes, the same person will not have a successful business until after a few attempts. With that kind of risk, I would not want an unsecured loan as the means of financing the business. One wouldn't want to add unnecessary to a risky venture.

Finally All Down

2012-01-07T23:33:00.002-07:00

I took the final string of Christmas lights down today. Amazing, it took me about 2 weeks to put all of them up and it took me a week to take them all down. Luckily for me, we have had good weather to allow me to take them all down without incident. Don't get me wrong, I still freak out going out onto the roof. I don't like heights and I don't like thinking about what could happen while I am up there. But I try to think of it this way: I am only up there for a little bit so concentrate on what you are doing and you will be fine. I do require help with the string of lights on the eastern portion of the house. Other than than, since there was no weather to deal with, taking the lights down wasn't that bad.

Another year of the holidays coming and going. Another year of spending hours putting up lights and hours taking them down and putting them all away.

Complex Yet Simple

2012-01-07T23:13:00.002-07:00

At my last job, I was in charge of writing some software that could process credit cards. You would think that is a hard thing to do. There are so many Retail POS Systems out there, there must be complex things in place to allow them all to work. In reality, to allow a software program to use credit cards, all you have to do is follow a set of rules for transferring data to a certain point. While it is true that there are a huge amount of data going to that end point at any given time, those end points are already stable and tested. In a sense, you can send data to them, and they will handle the processing, but you don't know how it does it. But, if all you want to do is get data to that point, it doesn't matter what happens then.

Complex things do exists. But interacting with them does not always need to be handled in the same way. Interaction can be just as simple as following a few simple rules.

A Neat Skill

2011-12-31T09:53:00.003-07:00

I think a neat skill to have would be the ability to weld. Not that I have a lot of things made out of metal, but it still would be a neat skill to have. You would be able to wear those cool welding helmets, play with a hot fire stick, and be able to make your own grills or cooking platforms. I know a couple of people around me who can weld and they say they could easily start a business just to do welding. Always an interesting idea.

Been Told

2011-12-31T09:48:00.002-07:00

I've been told I would be a great business owner and manager. I have been a manager before and was told multiple times by employees that I was their favorite manager. To be a business owner would be nice, too. There are some drawbacks. Like if I had the business in Raleigh, North Carolina, I would need to have business lawyers raleigh nc handy. Not that I would ever anticipate needing to use them as a business owner. You just never know. And who really can anticipate the unexpected.

Come And Gone

2011-12-31T09:42:00.002-07:00

Vacations always seem to come up really slowly and then go really quickly. I have been on vacation for the last week and I go back to work on Tuesday. It has been really, really nice to just relax and watch the new year come in. I am not really looking forward to going back to work. Sigh, at least I do have a job to go to. Vacations definitely are nice, but they are a little difficult to recover from and to let go.

Been Lucky

2011-12-31T09:35:00.003-07:00

We truly have been a blessed family. All of us have little to no health issues. The boys are all healthy, normal boys. Nathan is a little behind on his speech, but other than that, we don't need a lot of medical attention. I have seen others who need all kinds of equipment like a ekg machine constantly nearby and I count my lucky stars and thank Heavenly Father that we are healthy and safe. Our lives are busy enough as it is to have tons of medical appointments all the time.

It's Magic

2011-12-31T09:21:00.002-07:00

We have had 1 snowstorm so far this year. Just one. This is a complete turnaround from last year where we got pounded for the whole month of December. Heck, it was almost 60 degrees yesterday. The 30th of December in Utah and it is in the 60's. I don't think I will be needing Lowa boots this year. There is absolutely no snow on the ground. It's all because I bought a snowblower this year. I got tired of shoveling until my back royally hurt. So I went and bought a used snowblower. And it hasn't snowed since. I call it the magic snowblower.

Comes From The Heart

2011-12-31T09:13:00.002-07:00

Christmas is always an interesting time of the year. People are busy buying a whole bunch of stuff, much of it is probably useless, all to meet a December 25th deadline. Then, once the day is over, much of that useless stuff goes back to the store. Might as well just walk into the store into the month of December and just give them money to hold for a while and then have them give it back to you later.

We do buy items for our Christmas presents, but we try and come up with good christmas gift ideas before we do. I try and buy things for my wife that I know she will use. If I can't think of anything that she needs, I try and make her some gifts. I find the best Christmas presents are those you can tell a story about and those that have come from the heart.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T09:06:00.002-07:00

This is the last day of 2011. What a great year. It started out with us adding our two twin boys to the family. It honestly hasn't slowed down since. we've gone on vacations this year and have started new school years. Our oldest started the first grade and our second-oldest started kindergarten. Our three-year-old also started preschool. On top of all of that, my wife also started and finished another semester of school. We have been blessed to have her go back to school and she is doing great so far. Straight A's in all of her classes.

My work is also going good. This year I got a new job title. I am now a Software Engineer II. This is an experience based promotion signifying 5 years in the field. It came with a good raise and a great entry into my resume. Work keeps me busy and I am so blessed to have a great job that is willing to work with the schedule of my wife's school and any doctor appointments we may have. And, believe me, we have a lot of doctor appointments when we have 5 young boys.

2011 flew by. We were just so busy it was easy to miss the time passing swiftly before our eyes. All in all, it was a great year. Here's to a prosperous and enjoyable 2012.

Thoughtful Gifts

2011-12-29T20:16:00.002-07:00

Christmas has come and gone this year. It was a great Christmas. The boys all liked their presents. My wife got me some awesome gifts to organize my wallet and the shed. I got her some new picture frames with pictures of the twins in them. I also refinished and sanded a shelf that has been in our garage forever. I find it better to give gifts to my wife that took effort and thought. I know she doesn't buy a lot of jewelry so I don't get her things like steel necklaces or earrings. I find it better to giver her gifts I know she needs and I know she could use. I think that makes Christmas more memorable.

Summer In December

2011-12-29T20:14:00.001-07:00

Man, it has been awkwardly warm in the Salt Lake valley this year. I finally finished raking the leaves up a couple of weeks ago in the middle of December, mind you. It is supposed to be nearly 60 degrees tomorrow with clear skies. Who would have thought that in the middle of December in Utah you would need Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses as if you were on a tropical vacation. Perhaps I should buy a used snowblower each year.

Refinish

2011-12-29T20:11:00.002-07:00

I think it would be nice to refinish my wedding band. I didn't get anything really fancy when we got married. My band isn't one of those triton wedding bands or anything, but it is still nice. However, it gets dull rather quickly. I usually get it polished once a year when I pass through Logan where I bought it. But, it would be nice to permanently refinish it in platinum. That stuff never dulls and lasts a long time. Ahhhh, the somedays.