A time to share

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Hurtin' Unit

Tuesday was supposed to be a sweet, relaxin' evening... Marinate flank steak, mmmm, mmmm!
But it rained hard and slicked the stairs to our deck. I was walking down the stairs and my feet came out from under me, BOOM, up in the air I flew! Slam! Down I went onto my left side slamming onto the last wooden stair. AGONY, SHOOTING, RED HOT PAIN! A scream escaped my lips, writhing, my daughter comes to my rescue, not much help there... My wife comes running out of the house... nothing anyone can do. I try to stand, pain! Go to my knees. Rest there a bit... try again to rise... make it half way up, nope, nothing doing, I begin to shake, catch my breath... what the ^&%$ did I do? Is anything broke? I didn't hear a crack, didn't land on my spine.. O.k. Gotta get up. finally I make it to my feet, gotta get in the house, get some ice on it... It hurts, like a red hotness, hard to explain. knotted up...
Finally make it to the sofa, Katie brings some ice, Ahhhh.. a little relief...
Tomorrow will be very painful I think... Thank the Lord for nothing broken. I think I landed on a muscly part of my lower back and side. Should be a painful bruise for several days.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

So much...

Well, I spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Kirkland at the Life Choices SHARE (Sexuality, Health and Relationship Education) training. An intense three day course on how to speak to teens about choosing abstinence. It was a jam packed course in all things sexual and relational in the context of sexual relations. All about STD's, holding hands and homosexuality. Abortion and pre marriage and after marriage relationships. What works and what doesn't work. How the choices you make today as a teenager will affect you for the rest of your life. Am I ready to jump in and go to the Junior High and High schools... No way baby! Got so much more to learn and polish! Just at the beginning.
Ironic that just last week the State of Washington passed a law prohibiting abstinence only teaching. What are THEY afraid of? The truth most likely. Life choices is a non profit org. and only wants to help people get the full picture so that young women and men can make a fully informed decision. Guess the Stae wants to fund more condoms and abortions. People that don't get pregnant and abort don't make the state funded institutions and doctors any money.
We had 10 women and two men taking the course. Three young ladies from Indiana, One from Reno, Nevada, and two from Delaware. These people couldn't believe the liberalism running rampant in our state. They were amazed and appalled at the feminization of Washington state. We told them to get ready because it is coming to a town near YOU! Am awaiting further instructions...

Joan, Katie and I went to a friends wedding Saturday afternoon. It was a grand affair. Marcus and Rebekah Millspaugh now join the ranks of married folk dotting our country! Congratulations! The reception was a full blown Dinner of about two hundred and the West Seattle Big Band played old style ballroom dancing music for several hours. I heard that the band takes donations for their time and that they in turn donate whatever they receive to charity as well. How cool is that!? They are a 20 member band with a singer as well. They played real good and everyone had a grand ol' time!
Sunday rolled around and went to church and enjoyed worship and a wonderful sermon about being plugged in to Jesus. Not just partially plugged in but fully plugged in. Pastor Bill gave a nice illustration about the problems of being partially plugged in using several high wattage appliances and several electrical cords and the dangers involved when not being tightly and fully plugged in. A great way to illustrate the point!
After church we headed to Joan's former home and did some massive cleaning and tossing. Basically got the garage cleaned up. They rented a twenty yarder. A big green garbage dump on wheels. Everyone pitched in and we got started. We will need at least one more of these "dumps" to get the house ready to sell.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Recent happenings

Haven't felt much like blogging lately...
Went golfing at Northshore yesterday. Played 27 holes with some work associates... Mike & John... Northshore is a challenging course for me... That's because I "spray" the ball... and Northshore is pretty much tree lined fairways... Shot a 90...Had a nice chip in to save boggy and some nice shots along the way...
Today is special simply because tonight is agility training for Cub and Katie... Katie has a friend who is also doing the training with her black lab... Everyone is enjoying themselves...
Joan has been kept very busy taking care of her 86 year old mother and getting her childhood home ready to sell, quite a chore...I am proud of my wife... she is going thru her own struggles but is the most kind hearted woman I know and is going the extra mile continually to take care of things in her family!
When I contemplate the wonderfulness of my wife, I cannot help but think of the second half of Proverbs 31...

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself [5] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet. [6]
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
Joan is all these things and more! I am a lucky man!

Wednesday I start S H A R E ttraining... Sexuallity, Health, and Relationship Education.. It is three days of training and I will be getting up during the morning and being almost like normal people...Ha!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Spring has Sprung!

Cherry blossoms, apple blossoms and just plain blossoms...
It is a beautiful time of year. Our son Ryan and his girlfriend Myoko took some great photo's while walking the campus at the University of Washington. Funny, but as kids we used to teasse one another with a little diddy that went something like this... Ryan and Myoko sitting in a tree, k i s s i n g, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage... haha... don't know if any of that will happen, but there they are a sittin in a tree!
They were just hangin' about.

Our daughter Katie took some as well. Hers are from around our home, backyard and the neighbors yard. Soon it will be summer and everyone will be complaining about how hot it is... haha!

Easter Weekend and beyond

Took the family to church for Easter Sunday! Partook of communion and enjoyed a fine sermon by pastor Bill. No games from that man, no sugar coating the truth of Christ and what He has done for us!
My wife's family came over for Easter dinner. We cooked up a nice ham and someone brought potatoes and salad. For dessert my wife made a nice Strawberry shortcake!
Son Ryan came home for the day and we all enjoyed a good time together until politics got brought up. The Al Gore and global warming scam was mentioned in my presence and of course, me and my big mouth..... slammed anyone who would agree with Al Gore and his lies! The media is a culprit as well in this regard.
Someone once said, "don't talk politics and religion." Maybe I should have taken that advice... NAW!
Went to Leslie Thyagarajan's home on Monday night to work on some magic. Leslie showed me some of his wonderful paintings. He is of Indian descent. East Indian. He is married to a lovely young lady named Sarah. Thanks for your hospitality. Jose arrived about 9 pm and he did his two cups and ball routine. Jose's magic is really coming along.
Tuesday night found me taking my daughter and her friend to their dog agility class. It was their second one. They all did really well and I think they are all having fun which is the real point.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Weekend!

Friday was another in a list of loooooooong days! All positive! All fun!
Left work t 6:30 am.m. and drove across the Tacoma Narrows bridge and enjoyed 27 holes of golf at Trophy lake Golf and casting club. They allow fly fishing on the course in many of the various ponds dotting the course. Large steel head in the shallows. Catch and release only! It was a beautiful hot sunny day. Hottest of the year to date. I score a 94. Not so great but the greens were punched and sanded just four days prior. I think it only affected three of my putts in a negative way.
Got home about 3:30 in the afternoon. It was Katies' fourteenth birthday and we enjoyed some cake and ice cream and she opened up her gifts!
Saturday Katie and I went to church and entertained about 25 children, I played the part of an angry towns person and Katie got the part of a happy women after seeing Jesus alive again! We enjoyed the time together!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Comedy & Magic

My friend and comedic magician Isaac Louie invited me to join him at the Cedarhouse Sports Bar in Milton Wa. I arrived at the place a bit early and met Louie in the parking lot while he was unloading his gear. We walked into the joint together and it was pretty nice digs. The shape of the building is like a geo dome on the outside but rather new on the inside, you know, three pool tables, a bar, and gaming machines all over. Big screen t.v. with the Mariners on...
The M.C. arrived on stage and began his spiel. Well how times have changed. Blue language, blue humor and rather crude and crass. I was uncomfortable sitting their listening to this diatribe. Definately not funny. I was going to video Louie and wanted to get the intro for him... Well, this M.C. was so bad and foul mouthed that I shut the camera off. I missed Louies intro but got his whole act. Louie is a good performer. It took awhile for the audience to loosen up but Louie definately had them by the end of his performance. Louie performed a cut and restored rope, a card trick, he used a whip to slice a banana into three pieces and performed the cups and balls. All with comedy bits. Louie had a few minutes to spare so he finished his set with an outrageous hand shadows routine. Funny, but I wouldn't have thought to entertain a bunch of loud mouth drunks with hand shadow animals. Louie had them eating out of his hands, pun intended!
Since the establishment was on Indian reservation property, smoking was allowed. YUK!
Funny how in this great land of America. The rules don't apply equally across the land! Weird!
Anyway, inspite of some of the smelly situation I had a good time and maybe learned a few things!

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Since Last Friday!

Friday was a seriously long day for me!
Went golfing after work at Riverbend golf course with some work buddies. We all get off work at 6 am... I shot an 86, then Mike and I went around the front nine again. Shot a 42. Stopped by home depot on the way home and picked up some fence posts to finish the chain link fence on my neighbors side.
Later that evening my wife and I enjoyed the movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played"! What a great movie! Highly recommend, two thumbs up, WAY up! A true story about Francis Ouimet and the 1919 U.S open championship. Great photography and a great feel good movie!
Saturday was a tiring day simply because I was awake for 32 hours the day before, sluggish and not motivated to do much. Our son Ryan came home for dinner about 6pm bearing gifts for my birthday! He also had his lovely girlfriend Myoko with him! We had a nice dinner of BBQ'd Jamaican jerk chicken, rice and salad.
After dinner I opened my gifts which was a very nice Washington Husky polo shirt and an unopened bag of Kookaburra Liquorice. Rich, Chewy & Delicious. Old fashioned red!
I performed only one (well, actually two)Magic trick for Myoko, I chose the crazy mans hand cuffs and you actually heard her jaw drop! Not really, but her eyes did pop out of her head! O.k. o.k... so I am exaggerating a little. But you get the idea. The trick really shocked her.
Sunday we went to church was quite relaxing and then I drove to my friend Steve Ameden home to pick up a nice unfinished wood dresser. I think it is a straight trade for a performing table I made for him. Like they said in the movie Dances With Wolves, good trade! Steve and I sessioned for a couple of hours and I did some video of Steve working some card tricks. Nice stuff. It was a good session. Steve shared with me some fine coin work as well. I think he is setting me up to learn some of it! That would be fine by me! Steve has some great chops and a very relaxing demeanor. I look forward to spending more time with him!
I didn't go in to work Sunday night because I wanted to attend a funeral for a friend whose mom passed away. The funeral was a Catholic service in Renton. I met several people that I haven't seen in a long time. Nick De'torre who was the best man at my wedding 26 years ago. Also, Mike Arrends who did a reading at our wedding as well. Two others from my high school days. We were all there to give support to our friend "Skip" Deblasio. It was his mom who died last week, She was 85 and married for 65 years. Good for her!
To my utter surprise my nephew Kene was at the funeral. He is friends with the deceased's grandson. It was good to see Kene. Later at the luncheon his brother Jonathon showed up, so I got to visit with two of my nephews... Small world eh!?
Monday evening found me at my friend Jose's house sessioning with him and several others. Mark Storms and his friend Greg. Adam Truitt and his father Harry, and of course new comer Leslie Thyagarajan. I arrived early at Jose's and we watched two egg bag dvd's. After everyone else arrived we watched them again. Mark and Greg weren't too interested in them although they watched them. Gazzo is always fun to watch! Leslie had brought several of his egg bags. Two of them turned into chickens as an ending. The session moved into the dining room and some serious card magic was going on. Adam performed a wonderful 3 card monte routine done in the hands. Jose performed his new and improved cups and balls and I videod it for him. He is getting so much smoother and more relaxed. Right on!
I showed everyone my new WOW trick. Everyone of course said, WOW! I think I just sold four more of them for Masuda! It is that good! WOW! I need to do it several more times to get natural with it! Taught Adam the Jordan count and did an Aronson trick for him that uses it. All in all it was a productive evening.
Leslie wants to learn some cups and balls, I will be working with him next Monday. Mark is excited to get back to sessioning and I said "how about Friday night at my place"? He said that'l work.
Time to get busy with it!