20 Promises

Two years ago, I posted a blog entry about an annual Christmas party that a friend of Kelly's has at her house. At the time, I was very ill but admittedly administered performance-enhancing products to get myself in form.

Last year, I went again. I was also sick again. However, I was not nearly as bad off as the previous year. Let's put it this way: I did not get the repeat husband-of-the-year award. It simply was not as dramatic as the year before. (Note taken!)

This year, we are 3 days away from the party and I am healthy. Our only danger may be coverage for the kids. Kelly knows I go to the party for her, so it is no secret that this would not be earth shattering to me (except for the disappointment Kelly would experience, of course!).

She is looking for options and should have something in the next day or so. If she is willing to put her sick-in-bed husband up to a night like that, I am sure she will stop at nothing to have the baby-sitting duties covered.

Since I will be attending the party with a clear mind, I will carry a camera instead of a handful of kleenexes and cough drops. You may remember, the highlight of the party for us was the fact that this person had 20 Christmas trees in her house. This year, my goal is to document each and every one of them for your viewing pleasure.

I Never Cared Much for Purple

It has been a whole week and I can finally discuss it without feeling a knot in my stomach. Many do not understand that knot. I am not sure I really do. I’m talking about the loss that the Packers took when they took the field against the Minnesota Vikings last Monday night.

Over a year ago, Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers put on a display of the NFL’s version of a drawn-out divorce. At the time, it was heartbreaking to see Favre leave, but it was pretty easy to handle because I found faults with the way both sides conducted themselves. The only player that handled the situation with grace was Favre’s pending replacement at quarterback for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers. Last year, Favre was traded to the New York Jets and our family embraced the idea. Tyler is a Jets fan and was energized over the idea that Dad’s favorite player now played for his favorite team.

Long story short, he retired in the past offseason and then chose to resign with the Minnesota Vikings. It never really seemed to bother me throughout the process. I was of the opinion that if he could still play at a competitive level, then he had the right to come back to the league as many times as he wanted. I did not care for the drama, but ultimately, for what he had contributed to the game I thought he should be able to play if he wanted.

That was until Monday night. For whatever reason, when I watched that game, the knot started as soon as I saw the promos with his head in that purple helmet. Then as the game progressed, he seemed excessively happy about his successes. His celebrations seemed spiteful and juvenile. By halftime, I was sick and tired of the announcers drooling over all things Favre. I wanted Rodgers and the Packers to come out victorious more than almost any other game I had ever watched. That didn’t happen and I spent an entire week avoiding the subject with everyone I knew.

The Packers will face Favre and the Vikings again later in the season at Lambeau field. I am not sure that the knot won’t return. However, I imagine that I am getting a taste of what opponents of the Green Bay Packers felt for the 16 years that Favre was under center.

Thinking back to the early 1990’s, Favre has been a big story no matter what is going on. As a fan, I never grew tired of it. From the viewpoint of an opposing team, I can honestly say I am over it. That’s right. You heard it here first.

I, the man with 4 different Favre jerseys will probably not be able to wear any of them again until several years after his real retirement. Brett Favre’s enthusiasm and the way he played the game got me truly interested in watching the NFL. For years, I have wondered if I was really a Packer fan or if I was just a Favre fan. The truth is, over the years, I became a Packer fan. The Packer/Favre divorce gave me an opportunity to take a blood test. The results…I bleed Green and Gold!

Assembly of the Dark Side

When we were in Atlanta a few weeks ago, we stopped by the Lego store in one of their malls. Tyler does not look too impressed in the picture because he was fighting off an apparent stomach issue which would begin haunting our evening about 90 minutes later. However, now he is quite proud to have been able to pose with a 7 foot Darth Vader made of Legos. The photo quality is that of a camera phone but we captured the moment!

Design Flaws

Sometimes, we analyze things to see how we can make things better. It is in our nature. However, some things are flawed in design but nobody ever fixes the problem.

For instance, when you go to the grocery store, you park your car. Then you cross the street to get to the entrance. This creates issues for both pedestrians and drivers. To the drivers, it can be stressful making your way through the street avoiding pedestrians that have chosen to walk without looking or simple confirmation with an oncoming driver. Many of these pedestrians can jolt from blind spots and really surprise a driver. An exchange of unpleasant words is inevitable and we move on. Nobody makes any changes. From the perspective of the pedestrian, you feel guilty for making cars wait, but you have to get across the street at some point. Sometimes, the traffic flow would never stop. You have to look out for the drivers who will not allow pedestrians to cross or the drivers who simply are not watching closely.

Here is a simple thought which helps both parties. Take the street in front of the store out of the equation. Place the parking lot at the entrance and let business roll! Need to pick up or drop off? No problem. Go to the loading zone parking up front behind handicapped parking. Have a delivery? Go to the back of the store.

I saw a parking lot like this at a grocery store in Cozumel. As soon as I saw it, I recognized the genius in the layout.

This is just one design flaw that creates friction with all drivers and pedestrians at some point. Can you think of similar flaws that we simply deal with daily?

Finally Done

I'll bet you thought the title had something to do with our bathroom project. Wrong! Those pictures are coming in 2 days.

Every year, Kelly and the rest of her school's IB staff sends photos and video my way to put into a presentable format to be shown at the end of the year banquet. The key on the video is entertainment, especially for the kids. The kids seem to get a kick in seeing their teachers out of their normal environment.

Help! Teachers on the run. from 2daysbeforethedayaftertomorrow on Vimeo.

Spaghetti in Da Hood

I figure that it is time to share something other than pain from our bathroom renovation. Here are a few random photos we have taken recently of the kids.

Casey currently must have a morning nap and an afternoon nap. If she does not get one of those, she is very grumpy around the time of night when we are trying to get everyone motivated in the evening line-up. Sometimes, while in her playpen, she just TAKES a nap, even if everything is chaotic around her. Sleeping baby pictures are the best.

The other morning, Toby REALLY put on Tyler's clothes without realizing they weren't his own. He came out asking why his clothes were so big today. Toby is easily confused lately so you can imagine his displeasure when Tyler and I were laughing our heads off at him.

Spaghetti night the other night meant that Casey would inevitably get caught on film in a messy shot as most babies do. We have a little movie to share of this at a later time. Here is the goopiest shot I could find.


We went to the zoo a few weeks ago and took the children of a great friend of ours. We had a lot of fun and it was surprisingly easy to keep 5 kids on the move at the zoo. The most difficult task was to get all 5 to look at the camera, keep their eyes open, and smile at the camera, simultaneously. Also, Tyler is at a stage right now where smiling for pictures is apparently not very cool.

Home Stretch

As I mentioned before, the contractor has left the building. The rest of the project is pretty much up to us on this bathroom renovation. It is looking pretty polished at this point with a pesky little punch list to follow up on. Here is a list of what has yet to be done and the outlook for each item.

Paint - 2nd coat application - tonight - me
Cabinets - toe kick installation and small fillers - tonight by our friend who is a professional installer
Light fixture - tonight - the same friend who is helping us with the cabinets - the install box is not centered
Knob and pull installations - Wednesday evening - me
Towel racks - Wednesday evening - me
Shower sill replacement (Corian) - No word - I am to call the shop on Thursday (the original cutout was wrong size) - right now, they are not sure when because they did not have enough business to have anyone in the shop working today. Apparently getting a former job correct is not on the list of priorities. Another strike for "The Big Orange."
Shower enclosure - waiting on sill replacement before we even get someone to measure.
Grout sealant - I have to wait until a week from this coming Friday - me

The reason the delays are not earth-shattering is because the plastic cement that was used for tiling in the shower takes about a week to set. We should have everything complete that is not shower-related by Wednesday evening. Then we can move in to our new bathroom and showering will be the only business we have in the kids' bathroom. The biggest relief will be that we can have our dining room back!

Once I have tools cleared out on Wednesday and the shower enclosure is all that is pending, I will get a few snapshots to share.