I know, I know...

Yes.

You're right.

I know.

I'll try to do better.

You are the greatest, and I suck.

I am well aware that I haven't posted in a very long time, but I've been tired. I guess that's what babies do to you.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Becky had our baby. Here's the announcement:


(Hendrix Dylan, 2 weeks old in this announcement photo.)

Hendrix turned one month old Tuesday, and I'm generally not for the whole "one month anniversary" or "one month birthday" stuff, but this is a little different. So, Becky made some brownies for the occasion, and I sang a little Happy One Month Birthday to him.

And do you know Hendrix had the nerve to not eat any brownies? What's with that kid?? I guess that just means more for me.

Anyway, I won't bore you with baby stuff, but I will try to post more.

That is all.

Facing Down the Flood

Saturday, June 7th started out crappy...little did I know, it was about to get much worse for Columbus, Indiana. My mom and dad came from Greensburg to help install a new bathtub along with my niece, Paige and my nephew, Chandler. It was raining when they arrived, but nothing major.

Dad and I headed up Central Avenue and over to Johnathon Moore Pike to Menards to pick up the bathtub Becky and I bought a few days prior. With our house, nothing is standard size, so we bought the 59 and 1/2 inch tub, hoping it would fit into our 58 and 1/2 inch space with some dry wall removal. We encounter our first problem when the tub was brought to the van. It was too large, and we were forced to retreat and get a truck to haul it.

Strike One.

We borrowed a truck from a guy dad works with, and returned. We picked up the tub and analysed how we were going to get the tub into the bathroom, as it was wide, and the doors were not. When we got home and started to unpack the tub, I noticed the drain was on the wrong side...

Strike Two.

At this point, I knew it was going to be a long day. It was about noon and the rain had stopped. I decided that the original tub wasn't going to fit, so dad and I picked out a new one, which was 60 inches long, but dad was confident it would fit. Dad dropped the original off and picked up the new one as I got a refund. It was 1 o'clock, and the rain began once again. This time, hard.

But it didn't last long, as it had stopped pretty much before we got back home. We put the tub on the grass, and dad took the kids with him to return the truck. When they got back, Becky took them to the park, which is only 4 blocks or so from the house. That's when mother nature threw Strike Three.

As she returned, she mentioned that Hawcreek Blvd was covered in water. We thought that was odd, as it had stopped raining and the sun was out. We turned on the news, and it talked about I-65 being closed. We had planned to go to Greenwood to eat dinner at the Outback, but that was now cancelled, so we went to Texas Roadhouse instead. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

We got back home and soon, police cars lined the road in front of our house. Was it an accident? We looked, but saw nothing except traffic being diverted. We turned on the tv once again to see the Columbus Regional Hospital, which is a block behind the park Becky took the kids to, completely flooded. Water devoured the basement of the hospital, and started filling the 1st floor. It was closed and patients began being transported. We soon learned 25th Street (7 blocks away) was closed, 17th Street (the road the hospital is on) was closed, Johnathon Moore Pike (where we had been twice to get the tub) was also shut down. The flood was ravaging the city.


(Columbus Regional Hospital under water)


We walked down to the corner, and saw the water coming up the road on 17th Street, inching it's way closer. I went back to the house, and with the help of the kids, I unloaded my display case in the basement, home to my entire 300 plus Beatles record collection, and transported it to the upstairs. I took Becky aside and pointed out the order of importance of the other things in the basement. If the water started coming, the second display case was next to go (with my Jimi Hendrix record collection), followed by whatever we could grab.

We went back outside and watched as the water made it up 17th, and to the alley behind our house...but then, as quickly as it came, it began resending. We had been surrounded, but the worst was over. We were safe.

It wasn't until the next morning, as dad and I drove around Columbus, that we realized the devastation the flood had caused. Just mere blocks away, the flood had reached the rooftops of houses, just mere blocks away, the flood has indefinitely closed the Columbus Regional Hospital, just mere blocks away, some people lost it all.


(Johnathon Moore Pike in Columbus...yes, there is a road under there.)


(2nd Street bridge.)

I feel a little guilty about the water sparing us, but above all, I feel blessed.

(PS...the tub fit!!)

Having Wisdom Teeth Doesn't Make You Smart!

I'm not a big fan of pain. Realistically, I don't think anyone strives to be in pain. Of course, some handle it well, and others not so well. I'm of the impression that I usually can take the pain fairly well, but I was still scared when it finally came time to get my wisdom teeth removed. (NOTE: Just because I can take the pain well, doesn't mean I don't complain about the pain. Wait, maybe that means I don't take the pain well...whatever.)

It had been several years since they grew in, and I had been putting off the procedure for about three when I finally ran out of excuses, and the dentist scheduled them to come out. I'm not going to lie to you, I was terrified.

Pain...metal pulling on my tooth...the cracking, the breaking, the suction, the pain. What it I got dry socket?? I nervously smiled at the receptionist as she gave me a reminder card.

"Don't worry," she said, "I just had mine out a month ago, and it was fine. They'll give you the Nitrous, and it won't put you out, but it'll make it so you won't even care what's happening."

Even though I wanted to be reassured by that, I wasn't. I still feared the extraction. When the time came, I had called up all of my courage, and I entered without showing my fear. I was going to conquer it head on, to hell with the pain!!

I watched a video on oral care and the doctor numbed my mouth. They put the Nitrous on me. Amazingly enough, the receptionist was right...I found that I just didn't care what was happening. The dentist came in, and quickly yanked the first one out. I couldn't believe it was that easy!! The second one required him to rotate his pulling motion in a circle. After punching me in the face about 10 times with the circular motion, the second tooth came out.

"Halftime," the dentist said. I closed my eyes and smiled.

The third tooth broke, but I still didn't care. After a little drilling and some work, it was gone. The last tooth broke as well. But there was no pain. In the whole procedure, there was no pain. I feared that it would come, once the Nitrous wore off.

But, alas, it did not. I was eating chicken noodle soup that very night. By the next day, it was Mac and Cheese and mashed potatoes. On the third day, I took Becky to Red Lobster for her birthday. The only fear remaining was getting food in the gaping holes where my teeth once were. Now, only a month later, the holes have closed for the most part. I still have the occasional bit of food to rinse out, but nothing major (I remember, early on, rinsing a full mac and cheese noodle from one of the holes!!)

And, most importantly, there was no pain!!

June 28th

Welcome back to a Special Edition of Extreme Home Makeover!! Watch as we transform this ordinary office, into something extraordinary!!

(CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE)


(Before: Corner of the office shows the dark blue bottom wallpaper below, and the green paint above a dark, brown chair rail. NOTE: For all you ghost theorists out there, Becky just swept, hence the inclusion of "orbs.")


(Before: Just down from the last picture, you can see the rest of the wall and the old CD rack on the right side...)


(Before: Here is a frontal view of the CD rack and wall.)

Now the "demolition" begins. I use the term loosely, as the only thing we tore down was the wallpaper. (NOTE: By "we" I mean my mom and I. The homeowner, Becky, was not allowed to participate in this project. Hey, wait, I'm a homeowner, too!! I guess this is less Extreme Home Makeover, and more While You Were Out, except Becky knew about it...whatev.)

Here are some pics of the walls sans wallpaper. I kinda dug the pink at the bottom, but alas, it didn't fit in with the designers scheme, so we had to paint over it.







As you can see from the below photos, the job was coming along nicely, once we added the primer to the walls.






(Our Super Supervisor, D-Bear, watches the action from the open window.)

And then, the paint went up.







We added some border, and a few accessories, and voila!!! We actually colormatched the blue from a bib, and the green from an outfit to get the colors (both were a part of the Carter's John Lennon Collection.) Most of the below items actually came from the Carter's John Lennon collection.


(After: Corner of new nursery includes crib, wall hanging, quilt, rug, and huge turtle.)


(After: Close up of the wall hanging.)


(After: Close up of the quilt.)


(After: Here is a photo of the bookcase which houses some of the stuff we've acquired. Detailed photos at the bottom of this post if interested!)


(After: We framed some John Lennon artwork up, to add to the John Lennon feel in the room.)


(After: This is a poem that I wrote that Becky framed along with a few ultrasound photos.)


(After: Entry Rug.)


(Photo of the walker, stroller, and bouncy seat.)


(Photo of the Pack-n-Play.)


(Photo of the lamp, night light and diaper stacker. The bear just matches, but is not a John Lennon. Still cute!!)


(Two Diaper Bags.)


(Bookends, pacifiers, booties, and elephant rattle.)


(Heirloom Pillow)


(Music playing Elephant.)

For those of you not in the know, and haven't figured it out yet, Becky and I are expecting our first child on June 28th. We are having a boy!! We are super excited, of course, but still a bit nervous. What better to shake off those baby nerves than lots of presents via a baby shower, am I right?!? If you are interested in attending, or just want to send us cash or, you know, whatever, let me know!!

(PS, I'm only kidding about the gifts and cash and stuff...but Becky's not.)

E A R T H Q U A K E ! ! ! ! ! !

It sounded like a freight train...er, wait, that's what they usually say about tornadoes. Ok, I have nothing catchy to express that central Indiana was rocked today by an earthquake!! (Rocked very gently, but rocked none the less!!)

Want proof??



BAM!! Channel 8 this morning reported that an earthquake was recorded at 5:38 am this Friday morning, April 18th, 2008. The earthquake originated in South-Eastern Illinois and rippled throughout Indiana. The quake registered 5.4 on the Richter Scale.


(Browny Brown-Suit guy and Joy Dumandan bow their heads in respect of the massive quake.)

I was in bed when the quake hit. I was asleep (duh, it was 5:38 in the am!) and the bed started rocking, and not in a good way. I sat up and Becky came walking in from the bathroom.

Becky: "Was that an earthquake?"
Me: "Heck, I don't know...is it raining outside? Is the wind blowing hard?" (Come on, I was half asleep, and we live on a busy road...it's not unlikely for a big truck to rattle our walls...of course, I asked about wind, but it's the same effect, alright? Get off my back, geez!!)
Becky: "No, it looks calm."

And it was calm...calm except for the earthquake, that is. Becky said she saw the shower moving and then stop. A few seconds later, it began again for about 10 seconds. I only remember about 4 seconds of bed moving, so I almost missed it entirely.

I know some Joe in California is probably reading this and saying, "5.4? Big freakin' deal..." I know, I know...but this is the first time in my 31 years that I have felt an earthquake in Indiana. So, for us Hoosiers, it is a big deal!

Hopefully, it's not a sign of things to come!!

Leave a comment and tell me about your earthquake experience!

Rock On, and On, and On...

Making your home look nice is hard. It takes time, it takes money, and it takes sweat. A few weekends ago, Becky and I decided we had extra of all three and needed to freshen up our driveway's look before summer. Becky made the call to the gravel yard, and soon a large, heaping pile of gravel was dumped in our yard.


(Me on top of Ole Rocky.)

I was convinced the pile would not cover our approximately 1,800 square foot driveway, so I decided against borrowing a wheelbarrow, and instead I opted for the following three things:


A Shovel


A Rake


and a 5 Gallon bucket.

I convinced myself that those three things, along with my own two hands to control the shovel and bucket, and Becky on the rake, would be enough to get the job done. Becky urged me to get a wheelbarrow, but I was convinced we would only have the rock to cover half of our intended project.

Anyone want to take a guess as to how long it took to complete the job?

a.) 2 hours...I'm sure they knocked it out quick.
b.) 4 hours...Maybe it took a little longer than they thought.
c.) 6 hours...Hoochie Mama, that's a project!!

(answer revealed at bottom of post)

So, we got to work...


(Before view of the driveway.)


(Before view of the driveway beneath the car port.)


(Before view behind the shed.)


(The first rake is the easiest...)

Raking gravel, as it turned out, wasn't as easy as I had envisioned. I thought I would knock that sucker out fast...2 hours, tops. But as the time quickly ticked away, the driveway slowly filled up.


(Halfway through the carport side.)


(Wide view.)


(Under the carport finished, half of second side done.)


(Rapper's aren't the only people who can make it rain!!)


(Raking out the back half.)


(Full view of both sides finished.)

At this point in the game, I was completely beat. What the pictures don't show is in the areas that I couldn't just rake down off the pile, I had to fill the 5 gallon bucket and haul it to a spot, dump it out, and repeat. Might not sound like much, but when you take into consideration the bucket weighed 30 or 40 pounds, I had to carry the bucket at least 30 feet, and each bucket of rock covered 2 square feet, you'll understand how tiring that really was! I must have made 50 trips from the pile to finish the carport side alone! (Not to mention the other side, and, as you will soon see, behind the shed, and down the back side of the shed!!)

When we finished the two sides, we realized we had more rock than we thought we would, so I braced myself for the heavy lifting to come, and started hauling one bucket full at a time over to the area behind the shed. At this point, I knew a wheelbarrow would have been the right way to go. As usual, Becky was right.


(Getting ready for the pain.)


(After about a thousand trips, behind the shed was finished.)


(All that was left was the far side of the shed...and carrying one bucket full at a time made it REALLY FAR!!)


(More trips = halfway finished!)


(It took a long, long, long time...but the side, and the project, was finished!!)


(Final view of completed project.)

In total, the project took a little over my estimate of two hours...ok, it was a lot over. SIX HOURS!! Yes, kids, six straight hours of shovelling, carrying and raking. It looks nice, but I learned a valuable lesson: When dealing with rock, ALWAYS HAVE A WHEELBARROW!! (I would say the lesson was ALWAYS LISTEN TO BECKY, but I still haven't totally learned that one yet!!)

(PS, all that rock was only $150! What a deal!)