Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bullet train 5.29.11
- We sang a hymn in church this morning that I’ve never sung before but yet it sounded very familiar.
- I realized it was the hymn being sung during a Sunday service in the movie Titanic.
- It’s called “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”.
- I was watching Fox News after lunch. Zane walked into the living room and said, “Ahhh… Fox News. We report. You decide.”
- Eliana is asking what we’re doing tomorrow.
- I’m thinking a whole bunch of nothing.
- Actually I need to work on a leaky toilet.
- On the way home from dinner tonight, Zane and Eliana debated who was better - Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.
- Mocha Mudslide is giving Mint Chocolate Chip a run for the money.
- Cheap Trick rocked it in Daddy Day Care.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Bullet train 5.28.11
- Karys crawled in bed with me this morning and said I needed to shave my arms so I wouldn’t look like a werewolf.
- I’m totally amazed that gas didn’t go up in our neck of the woods for the holiday weekend.
- Zane and Eliana and I broke out Super Mario Brothers for the wii to try it out on the new flat screen TV.
- The larger display didn’t help me at all.
- We went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 this afternoon.
- I was a little concerned about how the movie was going to handle the “adoption” theme.
- I was pleased with how the movie handled the “adoption” theme.
- Someone relegated one of my favorite CDs of all time - Escape by Journey - to the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.
- Sacrilege.
- Karys picked her nose and took pictures of the boogers with her Nintendo DSi.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Bullet train 5.27.11
- Zane retook his reading EOG (End Of Grade test) this morning that he didn’t pass last week.
- He thinks he did better this time around.
- I only have 1 more Friday to enjoy my White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks and a leisurely stroll around Target.
- The kids are out of school for the summer just 2 weeks from today.
- I try to discourage our children from saying, “I hate…”
- So I apologize in advance for saying…
- I hate working on toilets.
- Karys told a family friend today, “The cloud is crying”.
- We had family movie night and watched The Sorcerer’s Apprentice on Netflix.
- Thinking about taking the kids to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in the theater tomorrow.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
You get what you pay for
Carmi held down the fort tonight while the guys and I gave a concert at a non-church venue.
We arrived at the concert location, set up the equipment and realized we didn’t have any new 9-volt batteries for our wireless mics.
No problem. There happened to be a Family Dollar store within walking distance so I sauntered on over.
Inside the store, I found the following 9-volt batteries: a single Energizer was $3.75, a single Duracell was $2.15 and a single “Family Dollar” brand was $1.00.
Pulled out my cell phone, called our manager and asked which ones he wanted me to purchase.
“Get the Family Dollar brand”, he said. “Surely they’ll last for one hour.”
Surely.
“Oh, and get 9 of them”, he added.
Bought ‘em, walked back to the venue, put 3 fresh batteries in our mics and the concert startly shortly after.
About 15-20 minutes in, one of the mics went dead. Followed quickly by another. Then another.
Long story short, we had to use all 9 “new” batteries in 1 hour.
So the moral of this story is… you get what you pay for.
{extended}Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Bullet train 5.18.11
- Eliana and Karys love this song.
- Carmi hates it.
- It’s stuck in my head.
- Be careful or it’ll get stuck in your head too.
- Your welcome.
- I’m thinking about doing a talk show-like video series with Karys. Stay tuned.
- I love it when I’m wrestling with Eliana and she wants to be tough like a boy but still screams like a girl.
- I was trying to buck Eliana off my back like a bull when Karys walked up and said, “Eww! I see Dad’s butt crack!”
- Then she wanted on my back too.
- I didn’t get to run tonight but I definitely got some exercise.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Bullet train 5.17.11
- 1. Me: Zane, how were your tests today? Zane: Hard.
- Me: Eliana, how were your tests today? Eliana: Good.
- I wish our kids didn’t talk so much.
- I was watching the video for “Uprising” by Muse.
- Karys came in and said I needed to sing that song in church.
- Umm… no.
- Eliana received a message from school tonight about the summer laptop deployment for rising 4th-graders.
- She was excited.
- Seems strange putting the kids to bed when there’s still some light outside.
- My goodness, what a sweetheart. Most of the time.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Bullet train 5.16.11
- A documentary presented by the History Channel called “WWII in HD” is now available for instant streaming on Netflix.
- There are 10 43-minute episodes in pristinely-restored color footage.
- I know what I’ll be doing for the next 10 nights.
- We heart Netflix.
- After Taekwondo tonight, Eliana’s instructor said she knew everything she needed to know to test for her yellow belt on June 4th.
- Our local Chick-Fil-A gave 10% of their proceeds between 5 and 8 this evening to our church’s youth ministry.
- Guess where we ate dinner.
- Have you tried Chick-Fil-A’s banana pudding milkshake?
- Oh. My. Gosh.
- Prayers are appreciated as Zane and Eliana begin their EOGs (End Of Grade testing) tomorrow.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
We finally did it
We held out longer than practically anyone we know.
But we finally did it today. We purchased a flat-screen HDTV.
A 46” Sony Bravia to be exact.
According to Eliana, it’s h-u-u-u-u-u-g-e!
I guess it is when compared to our Philips Magnavox 27” CRT that we’ve used for the last… oh… 15 years.
In fact, I’m pretty sure this Sony is only the 3rd TV we’ve owned in almost 25 years of marriage.
All I can say is, “Thanks Uncle Sam. Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
{extended}Friday, May 06, 2011
This was the scene
Tonight, we started a Harry Potter marathon weekend.
This was the scene after the end of Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets.
That’s usually how I look by the end of a movie.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Man crush
In 10 seasons of American Idol, I could count on 2 hands the number of shows I’ve watched.
And most of those have probably been, like, the finals.
But a couple of weeks ago, I saw this YouTube video of a performance by one of the current contestants named James Durbin. And it rocked my world.
James was diagnosed with asperger syndrome and tourette syndrome as a younger child. However, you’d never know it when he sings.
I’m gonna lay it all on the line and say that I think James will win it.
I also think I have what could be my first man crush.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
The look
I love to throw a ball to the kids and let them swing a bat.
They love it too.
Until they swing and miss.
And then I usually get the look.
Impractical… Imprudent… Ill Advised…
I enjoy finding new adoption blogs that I’ve not read before.
Most blogs I spend time on deal with adoption from China. Recently, though, I ran across a blog called God’s Arrows in our Quiver.
John and Amy live in Virginia. They have a burden and calling to adopt from Eastern Europe.
As is usually the case, Amy does most of the writing. But a post written by John back in January caught my eye.
The post was entitled “Impractical… Imprudent… Ill-advised…”. In a nutshell, John lists sixteen earthly reasons why they shouldn’t adopt. Then he gives the one reason why they should adopt. And that one reason trumps all others.
Go read John’s post and be moved. I know I was.
{extended}Monday, May 02, 2011
Our first ever Ikea purchase
We went yesterday afternoon and made our first ever Ikea purchase.
Eliana helped me assemble the two new furniture pieces this evening.
Her new name is Handy Manny.
Almost 5 years later
On September 18, 2005, Carmi announced that we were beginning the process to bring home a little sister for Eliana.
At the time, we started in the Non-Special Needs program and expected to receive a referral from China like we did with Eliana.
Our dossier was logged in on June 20, 2006.
On April 24, 2007, we switched to the Special Needs program and brought Karys home in September of 2007.
I discovered last night that, had we stayed in the Non-Special Needs program and based on our log in date, we would have just received our referral on Friday.
Almost 5 years later.
{extended}Sunday, May 01, 2011
She was actually quite excited
Today was Senior Adult Day at our church.
As part of the celebration, a talented lady in our congregation choreographed a creative movement to Chris Tomlin’s song “Our God is Greater”.
Now normally, members of our Youth group perform creative movements.
But today was a multi-generational effort involving members ranging in age from 6 years old to 70 plus.
Karys was the youngest. And she was actually quite excited to participate although it’s hard to tell from her facial expression in any photos we took.
Maybe she was just concentrating really, really hard.
