Family Hayride 2009

Welcome back hall family blog

check it out on the left, over a year, but he is back!

too funny not to pass on

<a href="http://www.cmt.com/video/" target="_blank">Tom Mabe: Eavesdropping</a>

Tom Mabe: Eavesdropping

mark this off my bucket list

http://onyoursideline.com/osu-football-dot-the-i.aspx?mId=31765767.3

We are Proud Parents!

http://suburbancommunitynews.com/articles/2009/10/08/bartlett_express/community/doc4ace14c478adb482331776.txt

Safely home

I made it home yesterday PM. I was worried again about getting stuck at Washington DC airport, this time due to high winds. They were cancelling flights due to severe weather in the Carolina's and it was very windy at Dulles airport. My flight was delayed about 30 min, but made it home fine.

Met Corey at the 5 Guys at Easton, since he had never eaten there. He was impressed and I was happy with eating there 2 of last 3 days! Angela was glad to see me and I her, didn't miss much at home but some the family is having issues:

• The Thomas family dog, Gracie, was at the vet most of the time I was gone. Think they found out it was an infection in the neck, but was very serious for a while.
• The Bonner's are head to Las Vegas to the Mecum Car show, this is becoming an annual event for them, last year we saw them on TV.
• Tyler and Rachel added another dog, a white Siberian Husky he found at school, will give dodger someone to play with
• Memi, Angela's mom, is having problems with an old family acquaintance calling her constantly, very long story, but let's say that it is getting very annoying.
• Aunt Rhoda's house still for sale, shown it a few times
• Brandon and Corey still looking for jobs

Counting down to Gatlingburg! less than 30 days!

Welcome to Canada, eh?

I finally made it to Brockville, Ontario, Canada. My flight was delayed out of Columbus for mechanical reasons, so I missed my connection in Washington, DC. Try not to get too worked on airplane problems. My philosophy has always been, fix the plane so i get there safely and i will deal with travel delays on the other end. Seems to have worked so far.

Silver lining behind that dark cloud (Note to self, ask Pastor Dear if this one of the myths Christan believe, for those not from our church Pastor is preaching series on myths Christians believe) was that there is a 5 guys burgers next to my gate. If I had made the flight = no lunch at 5 guys. Flight delay = 5 hour, but delicious 5 guys bacon cheeseburger and fries.

Finally made to Ottawa 5 hours later, then 1.5 hour drive to Brockville. I was so tired when i got into my room i just watched a little football and then to bed. Another good things about 5 guys, it lasts a while.

Today had lunch at Swiss Chalet, famous, here anyway, for roasted chicken, they use some kind of sauce with ginger in it, very tasty. Going to crash tonight, very tired after class, may try to find Angela a birthday present from Canada, but bed early since I have to be at airport by 0800 for a 0900 flight.

Nothing much else going on, class went great today, work getting very busy until end of year.

That's all for now, pressing on!

week in review 10/2/2009

Very busy week at work, here are the highlights as I remember them.

• Angela fixed Mexican shrimp and grits for dinner, quickly became one of my top favorites
• Finished off both desserts left over from Sunday, any doubt why I am overweight would be solved by a visit to our house.
• Brandon still waiting to hear on his job with the po pos (police) in Kansas
• Corey making some $$$ this weekend, rented a lawn aerator, makes holes in lawn, and renting it out to neighbors for $50 per. My little entrepreneur! So proud, no other jobs on the horizon but substitute teaching.
• Tyler and Rachel nothing much new, that I heard
• CONNECT Group hayride postponed, so Angela's sister's coming for chili supper, oh joy!
• She had a flat at Tim Horton's today, glad Corey was home
• I am going to Canada next week for work for 3 days, bad part is you cannot get there from here. Fly to DC, fly to Ottawa, drive an hour, ugh. Repeat on way home. Really bad part, they are small planes all the way, double ugh!!
• Obama and Oprah could not bring the Olympics to Chicago. Looks like the rest of the world is starting to lose their love for Obama.
• Pretty funny video to follow, Pressing On!
• Gatlinburg in 35 days?

Catching up

A few people at church asked me to provide an update on what's going on.

• As you can tell from the pictures on the last post, we had a great time in Nashville!
• It was good to see Tyler and Rachel. They are very busy with Tyler starting his new program for future education leaders, never did find out the exact name. This invitation only program will allow him to go into administration, without having his Doctorate.
• They still find time to enter, and win, a big BBQ cooking contest last weekend. 1st in Sauce, 3rd in ribs and shoulders. Tyler was very excited since this was the largest competition with 15 teams entered. Their team name is Big Mouth Smokers. you can see pics on FB.
• Think the next time they come up I might get him to cook for our CONNECT group, will draw a big crowd for sure!
• Brandon has moved to Kansas to be with his fiance Julie. They went to a church yesterday that Julie picked. It was small and very different, they were swarmed by the people when they arrived and had to sit through a 2 hour sermon that was very repetitive. Brandon made it clear that next week, he is picking the church!
• Brandon also called last week and asked to think about getting my ministers license and officiating their wedding!!! I felt very honored and humbled they would think of me. Angela thought it was funny. Stay tuned to see how this works out. I would do it, but want to talk to Pastor Dear and get his advice.
• Corey started deer hunting Saturday AM. It is bow season, but so far has not seen any bucks. He is still looking for a job, but is leaning to going back and get his Masters degree in some type of occupational or speech therapy type of area.
• Angela out did herself yesterday when we had 2 couples over after church for lunch. Great meal and two super desserts. We had such a good time, the couples didn't leave until after 5, and didn't finish cleaning up till after 6 PM. Hated to miss church but time just flew by and we had been trying to meet with these couples for a long time.
• Things for me are going great, traveling to Canada next week for a few days. Work is work, thankful for my job.
• Started a new CONNECT group yesterday on Spiritual Discernment. As I study it is reminding me that if cannot spiritually discern right from wrong, we begin to backslide in our faith. If we are not maturing in our faith, it only makes sense that we moving backwards. There is no standing still. I am looking for to the next 12 weeks, not too late to join us any Sunday 9:30 AM.
• CONNECT Group was almost full, not sure if it was due to the teacher or the fact Angela made the breakfast. Our class motto, "The teaching may be mediocre, but the snacks are great!" came true again, I guess next week will be the test.
• That's all for now, better get back to work, 1st meeting not until 11:00 AM.

Pressing On!

Jeff

Our weekend in Nashville, Tn -

Rachel's Fantasy Football tip of the week

Just got off the phone with Tyler and he let me in on Rachel's secret for picking her starting players this week.

She has 3 running backs on the roster, but can only play 2 of them. How to choose?

She looked at their pictures, but "they all looked like thugs".

So she wrote each name on a post it note, put it on the floor, put a dog treat on each one. The 1st 2 dog treats that Dodger, the dog, ate was who gets to start this week.

That is some of the most creative thinking I have ever heard, you can see why she is daughter in law #1!!

The Ant and The Grasshopper (from Angela)

OLD VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.' Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant 's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar. The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ants food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

Women and Fantasy Football

First I must say that love my Daughter in law Rachel, she will always be #1 in our hearts. Today she entered her first Fantasy football draft. Tyler sent me her picks and more importantly her reasons for making the selection.

This is from Tyler,

"She would either tell me the position or players she wanted and then I'd pick 3-5 for her to choose from. Please enjoy the following:

1. Larry Fitzgerald- He has long hair.
2. Reggie Wayne- Peyton Manning throws him the ball (and he wasn't available).
3. Kurt Warner- She knew him. Said he looked nice and is a Christian.
4. T.J Houshmandzadeh- His name is impossible to spell. This intrigues teachers.
5. LenDale White- Because he plays for the Titans. (they live in Tennessee)
6. Owen Daniels- I told her to get him.
7. Cedric Benson- His picture looks like he just got out of jail. Maybe he’ll run like he stole something?
8. New England- Best available def.
9. Ahmad Bradshaw- She mainly liked his name but thought he looked nice compared to the others.
10. Tim Hightower- He has nice braids.
11. Domenik Hixon- Looks “friendly.”
12. Kerry Collins- Even though she thought his picture looked like someone who was on the Tennesee state registry she picked him because he played for the Titans.
13. Nate Washington- Plays for the Titans.
14. Adam Vinatieri- The only kicker on the list she knew.
15. Joshua Cribbs- Even though he looked like he was just out of prison, he still looked more clean cut than Cedric Benson. Plus if she took Michael Vick then Dodger (their dog) would have been mad."

I must admit she did pretty good, I may have to change my strategy next year. Good Luck Rachel!

another 2 blogs added to those I am following

check out owen strachan's blog and Pastor Dear's "My Mornings" blogs on the left.

New Blog Added to blog list on left

I am not big on advertising, but I ran across a blog for Lynd's Fruit Farm. I got some peaches there last week that were really good.

Check it out! If you find a good recipe and need a taste tester, let me know, am I pretty good at it!! LOL

I can provide references!!!

week in review

Where has this month and year gone? I cannot believe that tonight high school football starts, Tuesday is the first day of September, college football starts, next week and the pros one week later!

I always enjoy the beginning of football season for many reasons. Other than loving the game of football, I know that by the end of football season, the weather will be cool (wait it's only going to be in the 60's on Sunday) and the holidays are almost here.

This week, Brandon sold his truck and bought a new to him car, thanks Ron for taking care of him. Corey was offered a job working for Abbott through Manpower, and Tyler made it back from his weekend team building experience with his cohort for the new leadership class he will be starting.

Angela and i have been re-adjusting to having Brandon back in the house. His lease ran out and since he will be moving to Kansas soon, he is staying at home for a month. #1 nephew Blake spent the night last night since his mom is still radioactive from taking her cancer treatment (update today, Angela said Pam is doing much better today, thanks for the prayers).

Finally got Rhoda's emptied out of all things worth keeping. As a part of this my dad had to clean out his room to make room for a new bed we brought from Aunt Rhoda's house. Seems like his bed was the same one they bought when they moved into the house ..... in 1975! Dad said he had to put several blankets down to keep the springs from poking him in the middle of the night. When they moved the old bed out, Corey said there about an inch of dust underneath it, UGH! Dad did throw out about 200 magazines he had been saving in the bedroom, because he knew that one day he would get around to reading them. NOT! Just glad he got rid of them. They also have a full size freezer in their garage that I suggested he get rid of because it has not worked in probably 20 years. He said no because one of these days they might need it because it probably needs just a shot of freon. I told him freon was outlawed about 1995 and that he could not get it anymore and that if he "had not got around to it" by now the odds are he never would. The funny thing is their freezer in the house hardly has anything in it so I cannot imagine why would want or need a full size one.

He also called someone haul away the junk leftover from Aunt Rhoda's house. That turned into one of the funniest things this summer, because he called all excited and asked , "What is the difference between trash and junk?" This led to a long and funny (to me) conversation about how people viewed things, poor Angela was in the middle of that conversation for some reason and was perplexed by the whole thing. I just told Dad that junk is things you find at yard sales, and if nobody buys it then it becomes trash. It all started because he wanted to make sure what to tell the junk man to haul away, and would he haul away the trash too or did we have to call someone else? all I know is they were supposed to come today, so we will see if they took it all or not.

Fantasy Football draft is this weekend, I love playing this. I am in a league with people from church and another one with family members. It makes watching football even more interesting.

Finished teaching at MVNU last night, class ended well. It was the smallest class I ever taught, only 4 people. but all were Christians and we had good discussions about human resources (subject of the class) and our christian walk.

Think the is all for now, Go Newark High Wildcats (I played there a long time ago) who are playing Zanesville tonight. That was our arch rival back in the day, last game of the season, today they are in different leagues and play during the first week.

That's all for now, keep praying for Pam Thomas and her recovery, go to church this Sunday and show someone how much you love them this weekend, because talk is cheap and actions speak louder then words!

Pressing on!

Jeff

Debt Clock - when will it stop?

Ye Olde Mill CONNECT Group 2009

The Paula Deen Workout (for Angela)

The Paula Deen Workout

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Discouragement

Been talking to some people both at work and outside work who are very discouraged. In some cases they have good reasons, no job, broken relationships, medical problems, money problems, etc. I have been doing doing ok personally but things with my mom, cars and life in general can bring you down if you let them.

This week my quiet time has been on this subject. Psalm 16:7-11 says

7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I'll stick with God; I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.
9-10 I'm happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that's not my destination!
11 Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way.

Dr. Charles Stanley can say it better than I can;

"Discouragement is a powerful, destructive force. Before we can understand how to rid our lives of this deadly landmine, we must recognize its harmful nature.

Understand that discouragement…

1. Is something we choose. Nobody else can make us discouraged; it is a choice that we alone make when facing disappointments.

2. Is universal. Everybody will face periods of disappointment and discouragement from time to time. This simply cannot be avoided, because we live in a seriously flawed world that is filled with equally flawed people.

3. Can recur. Sometimes we think we’ve settled an issue, which later resurfaces when we least expect it. Or, we may have old emotional wounds that are torn open by something a person says or does.

4. Can be temporary—or it can destroy our life. The choice is ours. If we refuse to deal with discouragement head-on, we are opening the door for it to completely dominate our life.

5. Is conquerable. With the Lord’s help, we can choose not to be discouraged. If we don’t believe discouragement can be conquered, then we’re actually saying that God doesn’t want His children to have a rich and fulfilled life.

Are you stuck in the throes of discouragement? If so, it will simply be impossible to experience the peace and inner joy that God wants for His children. Let Him help you out of that lowly state: start by believing that the Father wants to lift you up and get your life back on track with Him. "

someone out there needed me to share this, Pressing On!