Katrina photo journal

Dallas found the link to another interesting photo journal from someone who lived through Katrina. September had linked it on her blog, but the link got broken somehow. Anyway, here it is. Definately worth a look. Thanks Dallas and September!

Alvaro's Gallery

Birthdays and Horse Shows

Tonight we are celebrating my 4th son's birthday (a little early, but it's the weekend). He wanted to have a few friends over to spend the night. This is why I'm downstairs writing in my blog! Those are some noisy 8 year olds! Plus a few of our other kids added in... I sure hope they run out of steam before too long.

I've got to get up early to take my daughter to a horse show. It's Medal Finals time! She qualified and will now compete against the best in the area. It'll be a long day, but worth it since this may be her last year of show jumping for a while. She wants to try something different. Dressage is next on her radar.
This is a picture of a random English hunter jumper event like my daughter has been doing:


And here is a random picture of Dressage:


It's totally different and probably more challenging. I just hope she can find a place where she can continue to work for her fees. That is one expensive activity!
I'd sure like to be able to buy her a horse soon. Gonna leave that in the Lord's hands.

Well, it sounds like they are still going strong upstairs. I'd better close this and find another place to hide ;-)

Daily Dancer play's guitar!

Just got done viewing Daily Dancer's blog and today he played guitar and sang. The singing was not the best (although better than mine), but I was pretty impressed with his guitar playing. Not the hardest song, but he played with confidence and skill.
Kind of neat to see another side of this guy who entertains so many in this virtual world.

New beginnings

So, I didn't get any work done on the basement bedroom last week. It's my wife's fault, though. She told me that we needed to concentrate on the outside jobs while the weather was nice and save all the inside work for when it gets cold and snowy. She's right, of course, but I don't think she realizes that I was about to do some serious work. She totally derailed me on that one. That's the "new beginnings" I'm typing about. I have to start again, only using the outside honey do list instead of the inside one.

So I cut the grass and stripped insulation off of some scrap copper that's been filling a corner of the garage. That's about it.
Did I mention that scrap copper is going for about $1.45 per pound? I am basically taking someone's trash and turning it into cash with a little effort. I took in about 500 pounds of the stuff on Friday. Not a bad haul. Probably had about 15-20 hours into the project. I wish I could find a good source of this stuff to keep making that kind of extra money. It'll help pay for some of those "extra" school costs.

*Hope I don't get smited (smitten? smote?) today on the new site*

Time to start voting!!

Capitol One Mascot Bowl
It's time to start registering your votes for your favorite college mascot!



Vote For Aubie!!

Just a quick update

Today I really need to get moving on the basement bedroom for two of the boys. The school year has started and the crowding situation in their upstairs bedroom is epic.

I am planning to do some rough framing and possibly buy the drywall. It is almost noon already, so I am behind (as usual). I don't know why I can't get motivated. Maybe it's the 2 tons of stuff I have to move and find a place for that is slowing me down...

I've ordered the new slider window so that they will be able to get out in an emergency. Hopefully that will be scheduled for install within the next few weeks.

I'm truly amazed at how fast the time flies by. It's so easy to lose weeks at a time and wonder what you did to redeem the days.

Side note: the wife and I have been having some fun this week that I am off work. It's been really pleasant to be together with the youngest kids. I could really get used to not going in to work ever again.

I'm praying for all of y'all.

All alone at last

I've got the kids tonight.

Well, some of the kids.

My wife has the baby and the 2nd and 3rd daughter with her. They are at a local youth center celebrating #3's birthday which is today. They are with a bunch of other girls having a night to themselves. They're spending the night there. My poor youngest son... he has about 15 women doting on him. He'll really be needing a dose of Dad tomorrow.

I don't know why, but I was nervous about having the other 7 to myself. It really wasn't that bad. We played outside and then ate dinner (subs and pizza! How easy is that!?). Next I had the boys get showers while I let the youngest three watch The Cat In The Hat. Then off to bed with them and the oldest 4 and I watched Peter Pan.
Tomorrow, the younger ones go to the neighbors shortly after breakfast and I take the 4 boys to a football game that two of them are involved in.

I even had them pick up the toys before bed.
Not only that, but I washed 3 loads of clothes. Well the machine actually did the washing, but I put the clothes and detergent in and pushed the button. Same for the dryer. Now if only I could get around to folding it all...

Had a nice little chat with John tonight on IM. He has a new webcam, so I actually got to see him laugh. It was refreshing to see you happy, John! Thanks for the conversation!

I gotta get to bed now. It's 0130 and I've got to get the kids started early.
Thanks for reading and praying!

Mish Mash

Here it is Wednesday already. I haven't done much posting this week. I guess the flurry of activity over the weekend took it out of me (all two posts!). I think I average something like two or three posts a week anyway. I'm so boring to read.

I didn't mention last week about the stuff at work...
We had a power failure. The generators didn't come online right because someone did something wrong. I wasn't here when it happened. I came in several hours later (at my usual time). Anyway, the battery backup lasted as long as it could and then died. After another couple of minutes, they got the building on generators. That two minutes without power caused all the computers to shut down. Major deal! I think when the totals are in it will have cost something like $34M. That's $34,000,000!!!! What is it about data that is so expensive? We stayed on generators for the next 60 hours just to make sure the utility feeders were back and stable and to complete an investigation into what happened. What a great time to have fuel costs escalate... I think we probably paid something like $112,000 for fuel during that time. All I did during the ordeal was my usual job. They had plenty of other folks dealing with the crisis and managing the generators. It was like it happened to someone else. I felt almost totally isolated and uninvolved. Strange feeling. I'm the lead electrician in this building and they didn't even ask me any questions... maybe it's time to start looking for another job.

On the home front, most everything is well. My wife has a cold that is punishing her. I don't have any idea where it came from. No one else is sick. She has probably run herself ragged enough to be susceptable to stuff more. I've been trying to help more while she isn't feeling well. Kind of hard to do from work though. When I get home, it usually seems like she's got it under control well enough and then I get into something else and miss the opportunity to just take over for her. I guess I really don't want to take over and it is easy to find something else to do. Not really being a good husband there, am I? I'm not real good at that sacrificial servanthood thing. I need to make a point of working on this area more. I did take care of bathing the dirty devils the other night, though. I do mean dirty! I had to use fresh water with each kid. I don't know what they'd gotten into, but we're talking dirt ring in the tub, dirty! And most of them didn't want to take a bath either. Nasty!

Two of the boys are playing flag football this fall. It was three, but one decided it was too much running for him. The other two love it. One is a receiver and the other a running back. They are on a team with two of their cousins. I think they will have a much better respect for the game now that they are playing. From what I can tell, they will also be less inclined to think the hard hitting of the football they see on TV is painless. They both have been bruised pretty good in this "gentle" version of the game. I will get to one of their games later this week. I will not schedule any work for the weekend so that I have no excuses. I really want to see them play.

My second daughter is in the middle of her equestrian season. I went to one of her shows last Saturday and will go to another this Sunday. She's really good and far as I can tell. I don't get all the stuff she does, but I sure enjoy watching her ride. I am trying to get good video of her so that we can get a performance tape together to send to perspective college teams. I've found that there really isn't much scholarship money for equestrian atheletes. Big surprise there. Good thing this kid is an excellent student. Now if I could just get her to be content in the "relationship" area. I want her to rely on herself, not some boyfriend. She has a good head on her shoulders and I'm pretty sure she understands where I'm coming from. I need to remember to tell her I love her more often.

The Pontiac dealer finally called for me to come in and finalize my order on my Solstice. At this rate, it will be a Christmas present for me from me. I'm gonna take it out driving no matter if it's cold or not. I've waited something like 2 years for this car (since I first saw the concept version). I'll be like that guy in the Superbowl commercial for the new Ford Mustang. I think it was titled "Frozen In Fargo". Here's a pic from the ad:




Not much else going on with me. I've got today and Thursday for work and then I'm off for 7. Sure am looking forward to that! I have the hardest time with day shift. I'd rather just work nights, I think. Or not at all...
I'm seriously looking in to becoming a timber baron. I think it'd be the best job to just wander around watching my trees grow. That and shrimp farming. I think I could get into that.

Thanks for reading.

Just to continue to stoke the Chronicles of Narnia fire...

Here's a link to the press kit and trailer for the new movie. I can't wait!
Chronicles Of Narnia

A couple of Katrina Victim Tributes

Thanks to Emi (pikados) for creating this tribute using a great song by Casting Crowns - Praise You In The Storm.

I also found this one on September's blog using Third Day - Cry Out To Jesus.

Thanks for all the hard work guys! This is the type of motivator that motivates folks to get involved and help the hurting.

Third Day coming through for Katrina victims.

Y'all gotta go to their site and download their new song: Cry Out To Jesus. They have promised to donate up to $50,000 to hurricane relief through World Vision. Not only is this for a good cause, but the song's pretty good too! (and the download is free)

*thanks to September for passing on this information through her blog*

Here are the lyrics:

Cry Out To Jesus
Words by Mac Powell / Music by Third Day

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

When your lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who struggles with being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

(c) 2005 Consuming Fire Music / ASCAP. All rights administered by EMI
CMG Publishing. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Been taking a break...

I haven't posted in a while. Seems like I never have quite enough time to type out all I want to comment on and can't make myself just post something short.

Like my dismay at Auburn's horrible season opener against Georgia Tech. Just what I needed! Now my nephew has another year of bragging rights. Thanks goes out to the officiating "team" and to a slow starting defense. 27-0 at the half?!?! What's that all about!?

Then there was my trip up to Scranton, PA this weekend to see the Drum Corps Associates prelims. It was an excellent show except for the guy dying of a heart attack on the field... My prayers go out to his family and the Kilties Sr. Drum and Bugle Corps. Congratulations to the Reading Buccaneers on completing their season undefeated. I still think the San Francisco Renegades had the show with the most crowd appeal. Guess they weren't clean enough to win it all.

I've been avoiding most of my work around the house for months now, but it's time to get back to it. I built an enclosure for the trash cans today. I'll finish it in the next couple of days when I get a chance to pick up some hardware. The yard is in terrible condition and I need to get some topsoil so that I can seed in the next few weeks when the result will be best. Still waiting on some estimates for the new deck. I may end up doing that myself since I can't see paying $5-7000 for someone else to build it. It's only 16' x 12', with two steps and a couple of benches. Then theres the painting, floors, basement interior waterproofing, 1/2 bath rebuild and the extra bedroom in the basement... Can you see why I have been avoiding this list?

School starts tomorrow for the kids. I don't know that any of them are looking forward to it, but at least they will no longer complain about being bored. Soon they will complain about having too much work to do. ;-p I'm praying for a great year for them all. It's gonna be quite a ride!

Well, that's about it for tonight. I updated mainly because John asked us all to. Thanks for the nudge, John!
Praying for you all.