A Whirlwind of Activity

This is the story of Dana's and Joe's wedding and the surrounding events. It will be devoid of any pictures for the time being while they are being developed but will hopefully include many photos in the coming weeks. The next five blog posts, including this one, were originally one post. But, I decided to break them up for easier reading. :) I have peppered them with some humor amongst the narrative. Have fun!

I will begin with my journey back to Lincoln from Kearney.

Last week Wednesday I attempted leaving at 8:30 in the morning. My tires had other plans. I have been taught to check all my vehicles fluids and tires before leaving on long trips. So, after checking the oil, brake fluid, antifreeze, power steering fluid, I got my pressure gauge out. All of my tires were about 6 pounds too low gauging in at 26 pounds. I decided to get some more "go juice" (grandpa's nickname) and fill them up at the nearest free air location. Driving by the gas station, the air hose was missing. A quick call to Michael and he mentioned the other free air site in town.

I pulled up to the gas station, and proceeded to fill my tires. Every time I connected the hose, I heard a loud rushing noise instead of the gentle hum of air entering the tire tube. Not good! By the time I had attempted filling two tires, I had lost four more pounds and now were 10 pounds too low. I sighed, drove back to the T's and grabbed a handful of quarters. Driving to the "corner station", I plugged the outdoor air compressor and again tried filling my tires. This time I struggled with one tire and finally got enough air to enter the tire. I finished just in time to have the air compressor turn off once again. With three more tires to go, three more quarters were reluctantly thrust into the machine. This was my last shot. The last quarter in my pocket was not enough for another round. I managed to fill two tires before the compressor again quit. The last tire was just going to have to wait until I got home.

Finally, at about 10:24, I was on I-80 destined for Lincoln. On the way I contacted Mom and Kayla and found out from them the day's events. I had two errands that I needed before the wedding - pick up my tux, and find a black belt. (Please see thanksgiving post for the reason.) My mom also had two errands to add to my list and requested we all go shopping together. This was agreed upon by all, and I drove straight home. Our Lansing, MI cousins and grandparents were expected that evening and we had a lot to prepare before they arrived. So, after a nice lunch of lasagna, salad, and meat and cheese sandwiches, we headed back to Lincoln to go shopping. YAY!! My mother is not a shopper. Growing up, everything is usually rush rush and we rarely stop and smell the roses. The rest of our family is largely the opposite.

I really enjoy shopping as long as I am with someone that also enjoys it and doesn't zip around too fast. It also helps to have $$$ to spend. hehe... :) Our first stop was Men's Warehouse to fit and pick up my tux. hehe... That was really neat. Joe and Dana chose excellent colors. The coat and pants were black with the pants having a single silver stripe down the legs. The vest was also silver with a white shirt underneath. The tie was black and silver and matched everything perfectly. So I must confess that "I liked the way I looked" and the creepy, old guy "guaranteed it". haha... (Some of you may not get that joke)

After Men's Warehouse, we stopped at the O St, thrift stores to find a belt for me. The first one didn't have any that were even close to being the right length. The second one, however, had a nice leather black belt that was slightly too long and needed a hole punched in it to be usable. YAY! I finally had found a belt. I was pretty excited. It was even the right price! The next stop was Gateway mall to search for some shoes for my mom. *GASP!* I would have you know that the last time I was in the mall was at least a year ago. It's a very good thing dad wasn't along. He had already suffered through several shoe shopping trips and sighed every time mom returned and bought yet another pair of shoes. haha... Poor dad. :(

Mom seemed to find some comfortable yet still appropriate shoes for the wedding while Kayla and I offered suggestions and competed to find the least comfortable shoes in the store and also the ugliest. Mom, for some very odd reason, didn't seem to like our suggestions. hehe... :)Those 6 inch high, velvet red, sandals somehow didn't fit the ticket. Wow, I am continually amazed by what women will wear and the pain they tolerate to appear fashionable and be accepted! And this is just referring to shoes, not other articles of clothing. I won't go there though.

After purchasing the perfect pair of shoes at JC Pennys, we headed to the men's department in several stores to find out how much their black belts would have cost. JC Pennys had some sales, but still didn't have any belts they were giving away. By this time, mom was getting fairly tired of shopping and was anxious to get home but consented to check two more stores - Dillards and Younkers. For those of you that know the mall layout, you would know that both of these stores are adjacent to each other.

To be the most time efficient, mom went to Younkers and Kayla and I went to Dillards. lol Kayla and I spent a long time trying to find the men's department. We looked on the mall level and all we found was ladies clothes, we went up the escalator and were greeted with more ladies stuff. hehe... I was beginning to wonder whether Dillard's had apportioned any room for guy's clothes. Finally, we went into the basement and found that one level was all men's while two floors above was mostly all women's. haha... Dillard's knows where the money is to be found. :D

After looking in both stores and unsuccessfully finding a belt comparable in price and value, we headed for our second to last stop - Koals. Mom had to return her other pair of uncomfortable shoes she bought and I had to get some wedding wrapping and a pretty bow for Joe and Dana's wedding present. By this time, Dad should be home from work and was probably expecting us to be slaving over the house preparing it for our relatives' arrival later that day. :P Little did he know that I had kidnapped them for a shopping excursion around Lincoln. hehe... The last stop was Super Saver. That was fairly quick and uneventful.

Upon arriving back home it was a mad dash getting the house all ready. The tables needed to be set, some food needed to be prepared, slumbering arrangements, and some miscellaneous cleaning. Dad also had made a list especially for me. I feel soo special!! :) On that list was, unplug bathroom sink drain, fix truck, and update antivirus software on the two computers. The truck was first.

Mom and Dad had unsuccessfully attempted putting a new belt on the truck the night before. I can't blame them though, it was bitterly cold outside then. The belt had to go around at least 4 pulleys and was a fairly complicated puzzle. I give all the credit to God here. Somehow, with His help, I managed to get it on correctly in just a few minutes. It was fun!! With one task crossed off, I headed to the drain. That is always a fun job. lol jk

Unplugging the drain involves disassembling the pipes underneath the sink and somehow flushing out all the disgusting gunk. I won't go into any more details, but let's just say it is not my favorite job in the world. Ever since I was a child, I hated getting dirty. I loved playing in the dirt but held a firm disdain for the mud. I would avoid it at all cost. I was, and still am, a rather strange, human, male, specimen. I remember Dana loved the mud and would taunt me with mud throwing if I wouldn't do her bidding. hehe... Ahh... The childhood memories. We were very naughty to each other and bitter enemies most of the time until we were both teenagers.

But back to my story. Dana and Joe also were expected that night for supper. At about 7:30 everyone was finally seated and we ate supper together. It was a great meal. The next two days were a whirlwind of activity and very difficult to remember all the details. Dana had finished school the week before and wedding preparations were in full swing! People were dashing everywhere.

Thursday, the day before the wedding, Grandma, Grandpa, my cousin Joel, and I all went shopping together. It is always fun shopping with Grandma. The goal was to find a new overhead microwave for my parents for Christmas. We went to Lowes, Home Depot, and Menards and found the best deal at Menards. At noon, I had a dentist appointment and was dropped off there while everyone else went to Gateway mall.

After being picked up, we ate lunch at Valentinos. I had a good report about my teeth. No cavities again but a warning to brush around my wisdom teeth better. I have only had two cavities in my life and that was when I was fairly young. It is such a blessing to be able to say every time that "No, I do not take any medications." YAY! Praise God!

I ate too much again at Valentinos. Something that takes a lot of self-control to avoid at such an establishment. We then had one more stop before returning home. That was Super Saver again. Grandma wasn't satisfied with the groceries in the house and insisted we buy much more. Before driving to Super Saver I had an interesting IM conversation with Rance on my blackberry that I would like to paste here. My Gtalk status at the time was something along the lines of "is going shopping with Grandpa and Grandma".

Rance: tell grandma I said "Hi"

12 minutes

1:48 PM me: Okay. I will tell her a really strange old guy is saying hi.

  :D

1:49 PM Rance: One day (if you live) you'll be strange and old. In fact, you're already half way there.

1:52 PM me: Haha... I told her that. She thought it was funny.

  Grandpa though has an additional question.

1:53 PM He wonders whether I am halfway old or halfway strange. :)

1:59 PM Rance: how about halfway as in 1 for 2 strange but not yet old

Hehe... So there you have it. :D

With only one more stop I made the claim that we would be going home within half an hour. Grandpa just laughed at me. He knows better and has much more experience shopping with grandma. As it turns out, we were finished in about 40 minutes. So, not too bad. We rushed home to install the new microwave before Mom and Dad returned. We had a lot of helping hands and just manged to accomplish that goal. My uncle Bryan and Grandpa were the brain behind the project. They did an exceptional job.

Next up... Dana and Joe's wedding rehearsal! :)

Dana is getting married!!

To begin, I will provide some background information about Dana, Joe, and their wedding. Dana and Joe dated for about a year and then were engaged this past spring. They planned their wedding in mid December after the school semester. In July, Dana found a dress and promptly ordered it from New York. As the school semester began, Dana was working three jobs and also going to school. Joe is a marine and is also going to school in Lincoln. On top of all that, Dana obviously had a wedding to plan. Thankfully, she had lots of assistance from family, friends, and extended relatives. When December rolled around, Dana had already gone to four wedding showers, sent out more than 200 invitations, chose the wedding colors, ordered bridesmaid dresses, and other very important wedding details. I don't know how she did it. All I can say is that you are an incredible sister, and I love you Dana!! :)

We were getting a little worried when thanksgiving came and Dana's dress still hadn't arrived. The first week of December passed with no sign of it. Dana had sent the dress designers several emails pleading for them to send it soon, or ELSE!! The "else" happened to be one of Joe's uncles that is fairly muscular and lives near New York City. hehe... The dress designers would be pleading for mercy if he had to come for a visit. I don't know what Dana wrote to them in those emails, but it really sent them scurrying to abide by her demands. On the 9th of December, the dress finally arrived with the wedding planned on the 18th. After trying the dress on, a few alternations were required before it could be useful. After a snip here and a strap there and there, the dress was ready for action! And boy was it ever stunning!! :)


Thursday night we had a wedding rehearsal and dinner planned at Zion PCA Church. It was supposed to start at 6 p.m. We arrived a little before six, but the traffic that night was horrendous. The rehearsal didn't start until closer to 6:30 because we were missing the maid of honor and a couple best men. They had all gotten stuck in traffic. :(

Finally the rehearsal began, and went mostly uneventful. I kept on forgetting where I stand, and Dad made a, what is now, famous mistake that sent us all giggling. I will describe this incident in a minute. I also had a very hard time relaxing and not acting tense while walking down the aisle. hehe... But my uncle saw me and helped me calm down and walk much more naturally.

Now to describe Dad's famous wedding blooper. After all the wedding party was up on stage, Dad came in with Dana and stood before Pastor Kerns. Pastor Kerns asked dad the usual question, "Who gives this women to be married to this man?" My dad confidently responded "My mother and I". haha... That was sooo funny!! Poor dad, I think he was a little embarrassed. The rest of the rehearsal went without a hitch.

Dad was determined to get Dana's wedding on video for posterity and memory sake. However we didn't have a functioning video camera. Dad sent out an email to the Zion email list asking to borrow someone else's camera, but didn't get any responses. He looked on craigslist and the ads to see if someone was giving away a nice one. Sadly, no one was. So that night, Dad and I went video camera shopping. Michael had recommended either a Canon or a Sony.

After finding the one we wanted at Target, we were disappointed that they were out of stock. But, that didn't stop us. hehe... I got on my blackberry and we began calling other Lincoln stores. We found that Best Buy had one left in stock but it was a boring grey color. Then Dad called the South Wal-Mart and was excited that they had one left in the blue color. So, about 10:30 that night, we hurriedly drove to Wal-Mart to claim our prize. It had 60 X optical zoom and a 60 gigabyte internal hard drive plus the extra capacity of memory sticks. YAY!!

That night we charged the battery and got it all ready for use the following day. The included battery only lasted 80 minutes. An additional battery would be purchased the next day at Best Buy. The next day was the wedding day - the 18th of December. A lot of preparations still needed attention. I was assigned helping Joe move into Dana's house, and be at the church at 1 p.m. for pictures.

I awakened fairly early that day to a bustle of activity. I left at around 9:15 to go to Joe's house. Joe's brothers and his best man were there to assist me. It was quite an interesting time. I had brought our truck and Joe had mostly everything strewn about his room. Packing someone else was rather entertaining. I did Joe a big favor and tossed random stuff into boxes. I figured that he had the rest of his life to unpack and we joked that we would put his shirts with his dishes. hehe... :)

If you haven't been to Dana's apartment, you wouldn't know that she is on the top floor and has a fairly narrow staircase leading up to her apartment. The biggest challenge for us was Joe's king sized bed. Joe claimed that there was no way we would be able to get it up the stairs, but Dana had faith that we would find someway to squeeze it up there. hehe... She was right, but not without busting a light bulb on the ceiling, and almost breaking a picture frame on the wall. We also used the mattress as an umbrella against the melting snow from the roof. But shhh.... don't tell them that!

After successfully getting Joe's boxes moved into Dana's apartment, I took a shower and we made a quick stop at Best Buy for another camera battery. Best Buy was very crowded. Finding parking was practically impossible. So I happily parked several stores to the north with our big extended cab truck and rushed in the store. It was about 1:10 and pictures were scheduled at 1:30. Lunch was put on the back burner and we rushed over to the church to get dressed into our tuxedos.

Next up... wedding pictures and ceremony!

Smile Pretty for Tonight we die! :)

I believe the pictures were done the proper way. Joe was not allowed to see his bride in her gorgeous dress until the proper time. Pictures of the groomsmen and the bridesmaids were taken and numerous pictures were taken of Dana alone. Some family photos were taken on both sides, and even a few with just Dana and me. :) In all, I think my uncle said he took approximately 1200 photos!! Some of those I hope will ornament this awfully long blog post.

After pictures were finally done. Dana requested that some pictures were taken of her in the snow. YAY! She looked even more gorgeous with the snowy white background. Then we all prepared for the big event. The little flowers (crisauges??) were permanently attached to us guys and we all lined up for the march down the aisle. After the grandparents and parents were all seated, we calmly walked slowly up to the front.

I learned so much about weddings throughout this experience. I didn't know that the mother of the bride was the one that stood up first as the father leads the bride down the aisle. I also didn't know that the best man is traditionally responsible for cleaning the car the bride and groom will take later. Nor did I know that the best man and maid of honor are witnesses and required to sign the marriage license after the ceremony.

Dad said his lines correctly this time and the rest of the wedding went mostly without any excitement. The only thing out of the ordinary was that the best man accidentally gave the officiator the wrong ring. But, the mistake was too inconspicuous for anyone to notice.

After the wedding, Dana and Joe formed the receiving line and were very patient as 200+ people came and said their congratulations. Next, it was time for the birdseed toss! Guests were given a handful and I positioned myself next to the car to get one of the last tosses. hehe... That was fun tossing birdseed at my own sister! One of those once in a lifetime experiences.

I had been told that Dana didn't need me anymore at the church and began driving my grandparents to the reception. About halfway there, we receive a call that we are desperately needed at the church. So we turned around, had a few more pictures taken and rearranged the worship hall for Sunday services. So far, mostly everything had gone according to plan and was very well organized. Well... that all was about to change. :)

Next up... Vehicle excitement and reception!

God had a different plan...

Upon leaving again we just happened to be following Dan, one of the best men, driving Dana's car with all the presents stashed in the back seat. As we neared 27th and Hwy 2, Dana's car died and the three men got out and pushed it across 27th onto a side street. After we had passed, Dan got the engine running again and just managed to get through the 27th and Hwy 2 intersection when the car again stalled. With some effort, he parked it at Arby's, locked it, and had someone else pick them up to go to the reception.

We continued driving to the reception at Chez Hay downtown. I am going to stop here and say that I don't like driving downtown Lincoln especially with all the one way streets. I usually try to avoid them like the plague. On the way to the reception I successfully drove the wrong way on two one way streets. It was enough to give my grandparents quite a fright. I praise God again here because the second one way street I turned onto had oncoming cars in all four lanes, and God provided a little business parking lot just at the right time to get reoriented. After a sigh of relief, and a quick prayer of thankfulness, we were on the road again.

By this time I was quite fearful and parked a couple blocks away from the reception to avoid those awful one way streets. :P Consequently, we arrived at the reception a little late and found out they had been waiting on my Grandpa to say the prayer before the meal. It was very nice being at the head table and being the first to dig into the delicious delicacies. I had learned my lesson from previous weddings, that you had better load your plate the first time, otherwise you will be waiting a long time for seconds!

After the meal, the best man and maid of honor gave their speeches and then the toasts. The head table was given champagne to drink but I just used water because I am not yet 21. Which was probably a very wise decision considering what happened later that night. hehe... My Uncle then gave Joe a little quiz. He first asked Joe what I like to eat in between meals. Joe's answer was food. Then Uncle Bryan played a very old track of Dad asking me what I like to eat in between meals. My answer, "magazines..." Haha... I was very young, don't worry. ;) Two more tracks and questions were asked about Dana but I will refrain from embarrassing her further.

After everyone had finally shuffled through and gotten their food, the cake was cut and served. Then the dancing began! Yay!! Dana and Joe did their first Dance together as husband and wife and then the dance floor was open to everyone and anyone. I enjoy dancing, but know very little. I first danced a song with Dana, and she taught me some. Later, I danced with the bridesmaid Renae for a couple songs. It was pathetic. I only learned two swing moves that night and the repetition was soo boring for both of us! She deserved a far better dancing companion then clumsy little me. :)

After talking with some friends and various relatives, Dana noticed that Joe had been dancing with just about every other girl there and requested he dance with her again. It was pretty funny... lol After that final dance, Dana was getting wearied and told us that she was tired of people and desperately wanted to leave. So, around 10:15 that night, the two guests of honor left together for their honeymoon. More on their honeymoon in a moment.

Grandma suggested that I go fetch the van to load up the rest of the presents. So I found the van again and began driving back to the reception. After parking in front of the building, I was told it would be more convenient to park around the side of the building. So, I proceeded to drive around the block. About halfway, I see flashing red and blue lights behind me. I pulled over and waited for the cop to approach me. That night cops were everywhere checking for drunk or drugged drivers. I suspect that was what he thought about me. It sure was a good thing I didn't drink any of that champagne!

He walked up to me and asks the usual question. "Do you know why I pulled you over?" I honestly said "No, Sir" He says that I didn't have my headlights on. I look at my dash and notice that my dash lights are on but the headlights were not. Story time! I then explain to the cop that this is not my vehicle and that I was just driving back to a wedding reception to retrieve the presents. He must have bought my story because he then asks me for my drivers license, proof of insurance, and vehicle registration.

I calmly handed him my drivers license and rummage through my grandparent's glove compartment. Shuffling through the papers, the cop saw the insurance first and I handed it to him but I couldn't, for the life of me, find the vehicle registration. Since it was registered in Michigan, I had no idea what it should look like. After fumbling around with the papers some more, the cop said that he would go look it up on his computer and then return.

I waited what seemed like an eternity and contacted my Dad and uncle to inform them what had happened. Finally he came back and announced that the vehicle was properly registered and handed me a warning about the headlights and vehicle registration. I was soo thankful for that very generous cop! I think my tuxedo helped give credence to my story. hehe... Although it may have been exciting taking a breathalizer test or a BAC test.

I finally got to the correct location and we loaded the presents into the van. My Aunt told me not to feel bad because she had been pulled over in Grandpa's van for the exact same reason. I really think vehicle manufactures should prevent the dash lights from being on without the headlights. That is the way my car works and is far more user friendly.

Then I made my way back to the dance floor and requested from the maid of honor that she teach me some more swing. I found out I don't even know the basics, so that was where we started. My lesson was short-lived however, because the music stopped and we were being kicked out of the restaurant. Sigh Maybe I can learn how to dance another time. ;)

That night, we drove home and made plans to fix Dana's car. The next day was going to be quite the adventure!!

Next up... More vehicle adventures

Adding some Frosting to the Cake

Saturday, I woke up to find that Dad had already left and breakfast was just about ready. After breakfast, Dad called me from Arby's and announced that Dana's car was piled high with gifts and he didn't have any keys. (What a temptation for a thief!) Dana and Joe had already left and we didn't want to contact them unless it was absolutely essential! He had given the last set to Joe the previous night. I contacted the best man and found out that Dan still had the keys. I tried contacting Dan, but he wouldn't answer his phone! Finally, several hours later Dan contacted me and his friend met us at Arby's with the keys. Dad called Arby's and told the manager about the situation.

The plan was to get Dana's car running long enough to get it too our house in Roca approximately 15 miles southeast. With that goal in mind, Dad got behind the wheel and attempting starting the engine. The engine didn't even turn over. So I pulled the truck in a position to jump start Dana's car. After a successful jump, Dad began slowly driving Dana's car out of the Shopko parking lot. He had almost reached the light in the left turn lane when the engine died again. So I pulled up in front of him with the truck and again we jumped the car. Again, the engine roared to life! Dad got going again and I got myself turned around to follow him. None too soon, because someone had called the cops on us and the patrol drove by soon after Dad had left.

My phone rang again. Dad was calling to tell me he was eastbound on hwy 2 and the engine died a second time. I happened to be in the wrong lane on 27th to turn right, so I had to again get turned around before I could rescue dad again. Finally I got behind dad and Dana's car, but then saw my opportunity to get in front and back up to him. Apparently we hadn't communicated very well because Dad wanted me behind the car. So I again turned around and Dad devised a new plan.

This time I would come behind him with the truck, Dad would put Dana's car in neutral and I would literally push him down hwy 2. (bumper to bumper) haha... That was fun! A little tricky because Dad was the steering wheel in Dana's car and I was the gas in the truck. Just past the light near Union Bank, there was a side road into the neighborhood that we aimed to take. As we neared the road, I let go of the car and dad gracefully coasted it off the highway and onto the side street.

There we checked under the hood to investigate the problem. The first culprit was the battery. O'reillys Auto Parts was just up the street and we took the old battery to be tested. After a couple minutes in the tester the salesmen informed us that the battery didn't even have enough voltage left to be tested. It was most likely a toasted battery. But what had toasted the battery the first time? The second culprit was the alternator. (I later learned that the alternator is the part responsible for charging the battery while the car is running.) We bought a new battery for Dana and used it to test the alternator. The test was negative, but thankfully it would hold enough of a charge for Dad to drive it home and replace it. YAY!

Dad went home, and I ran a few errands. That day I was in the mall for the third time in two weeks!! Pretty impressive I should say. lol ;) Well, that ends the week of fun, and excitement. Hope you enjoyed it!

Some last few notes about Dana and Joe. They planned their honeymoon together several months in advance and had together purchased tickets to Puerto Rico! They had gotten a really good deal on them but it was also non-refundable. Their flight left from Chicago. After their wedding and reception, they went to Chicago expecting to be in Puerto Rico Sunday night. Unfortunately, bad news awaited them. Their flight was canceled to due bad weather and the airline refused to refund their money or book them for the next flight to Puerto Rico. :( They were simply devastated! But I am positive they still had a wonderful time with each other spending their first white Christmas together. :)

So yes, these are the posts that I have been piecing together the past several days. Combined, it was only 5,420 words! hehe... Hope you enjoyed it and give yourself a treat if you managed to read it all!

Maybe not what you were expecting...

This blog post is in response to some very desperate people. With very frequent visits, and even some early morning visits, I am inclined to think someone is expecting an update. lol! *Not pointing the finger at anyone in particular* hehe...

I hope you aren't expecting an hour by hour synopsis of my "bachelor" days. That would most certainly bore you and cause snoring all around. To prevent that racket and have mercy on your poor listeners, I am only going to touch on the high points of my few days, mostly alone, here at the T's. :)

To begin, I am going to start with some Tillotson observations. The first is about the mice. Those are some very spoiled mice! They are served elegant foods that apparently are not fit for human consumption. They were given an exquisite bag of Chex Mix with Hershey's M and M's. What if I want M and M's and chex mix!! hehe... Ahh... the life of the Tillotson mice. It is one that would make all the mice at the store very envious.

The T's kindly left a pitcher of orange juice for us in the fridge. But the question remains, did they leave it as a temptation for us? Was it carefully measured beforehand to determine exactly how much should be consumed in their absence with the usual prescribed dose? hmm... If you haven't been present for a T breakfast, than you should know that juice is militarily rationed each day for each individual. Those who dare allot themselves more are hung at dusk for the first violation and burned at the stake for the second. ;)

The T's left in a great hurry Wednesday morning. This is evidenced by their forgetfulness. About half an hour after they left I get a call from Mrs. T asking if they had left behind a box. I run upstairs and find that the food they very carefully prepared for the trip had been completely forgotten. haha...

In Vanessa's words. "Well, that's just too bad for them".

I responded, "It means more food for us."

They had left granola bars, several boxes of  crackers and a huge bag of peach filled rolls. They were delicious! hehe... Thanks T's!

While I was twiddling the hours away, I found a neat program for my Blackberry that solves an important problem. Before, people would send me text messages but I wouldn't always receive them. It was really weird. Now, I found a program that will record all incoming and outgoing text messages to a secure website that groups them into conversations very similar to the GMAIL conversation concept. I have been very impressed with its performance thus far.

This also helps archive and store unlimited text messages somewhere  besides my phone. Needless to say, I was pretty excited. Now, I just need to find a way to import my old text messages into the system. hmm... That will have to wait until after the school semester ends and the craziness of this week subsides.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the observations. During K's absence, she received two packages from a very curious location. It puts her contentment into serious question and makes me wonder why I am not receiving packages from this place. lol (jk K) This mysterious center is suspiciously called "The Fulfillment Center." hmm... So, if you ever need fulfillment, consult the pros at the fulfillment center. :)

Except for some snow shoveling and a few aches and pains, that is all the excitement from the first three days. hehe...

I went to Lincoln Friday afternoon for about a day. I went to a Christmas party for my Lincoln church (Zion PCA) that night and then watched a movie with my dad until 1 A.M. I was in charge of the movie rental selection, and decided to try Home Alone 2. It was very predictable, and according to my uncle, "It was not worth staying up till 1 to watch". I would readily agree to that statement. It wasn't dreadful and actually humorous at times, but definitely not worth renting.

The next day we Christmasized the house and went to another Christmas party in the morning at Roca's very own Table Rock Bank. haha... For those of you that haven't been to the bustling town of Roca wouldn't understand the humor. Allow me to explain. Roca is a village of about 220 people and five years ago had only the post office and a bar. Since then we have a community center, an auto body shop, a coffee shop and a bank! We are moving up in the world. :) hehe...

The main reason for my trip to Lincoln was fulfilled that afternoon. Since my sister is getting married this Friday, going on a honey moon to Puerto Rico, and spending Christmas with his family in Chicago, we decided to celebrate Christmas with them before the wedding and departure. (Phew!!) Sorry for the long sentence. lol

Some of the gifts I received were a giant magnetic dish, several knives, a sheet metal cutter, an amazing t-shirt, and an ingenious sticky pad for my cell phone in my car. I also received a 6 in 1 combo key with several functions and a really neat picture from Grandpa. haha...

Click on the picture to enlarge. :)

After being warned that bad weather was coming, I left fairly quickly and slowly made my way back to Kearney. Soon after I got on the interstate, my left eye was watering quite a bit. It was very difficult keeping them open and paying attention to the road. So, I cranked up the Christmas music and joyously sang with the songs that I knew. That kept we awake for awhile, then traffic was getting heavier and required more lane switching. By the time I had passed Grand Island, my eyes were fine and my voice couldn't take another verse of "Joy to the World". haha...

I had gained considerably more goodies and snacks from my trip to Lincoln and ate a very healthy meal of cajun chex mix, caramel popcorn, springilies, (spelling??) and various chocolate candies. My mom and Mrs. T would be proud! Vanessa and I made a nice, cozy fire and I prepared for Sunday's discipleship hour (Sunday school) class.

After an eight week introduction on the Sacraments in Sunday school, we are finally delving into each sacrament much more deeply. This morning we began tackling the sacrament of circumcision. While some people may consider this a very controversial subject and even touchy, I believe that these subjects should not be excluded from teaching. If it were, we would be teaching the children to run from controversy instead of facing it head on!

Well, I have only two more days of school before Christmas break begins. YAY!! I am really excited. Three finals, and I will be free from Algebra and free from Accounting. Yippee!! I am planning on getting plenty of sleep tonight and then waking up soon after the transition from P.M to A.M. and studying for them. Gotta love college life! I now have plenty of snacks to keep me occupied for many moons. hehe... :)

I have one final thing to add to this blog post, and that is a curious note that appeared on the front door this afternoon. I thought it was funny and deserved to be included.

People... People... LOL!

Haha... You put me in a very awkward situation. You know I am here at the T's almost alone and are expecting long... funny... bachelor stories again. Well, I hate to break the devastating news to you all, but the T's left us plenty of food, and I don't have to do any watering this time. Hooray!!

I do have a few stories to tell, but I also have considerable homework to complete before I can be all finished for the year! So... you can stop moping now and patiently await my next blog post. hehe... :) In the meantime, I am going to work on studying for my Accounting and Algebra finals. Ta.. Ta.. for now!

An interesting turn of events...

Several months ago I received a jury registration via snail mail. After registering, I was given several dates when I  may be required to make an appearance. After consulting the T's, none of them have actually done jury duty yet. Mr. T has received notices but hasn't ever had to actually come.

The way it works is that I am required to call an automated system that checks my number in their database and notifies me if I am due to appear. My first opportunity was a couple weeks ago. I was working on school one Monday morning and had completely forgotten that I may have to appear that day. By God's grace, I remembered almost an hour late and hastily called the automated system. I was relieved that I hadn't shirked my duty and wasn't required to appear that morning.

They recommend calling in on the Friday prior to the scheduled date. Yesterday, I called again expecting a second rejection. But to my surprise, I am required to appear on Monday morning by 9 A.M. sharp! hehe...

This could be very interesting. I have only been to one court trial in my life. That was many years ago when my mother had jury duty. I remember very little from that experience.

While this is a neat opportunity, it also detracts from school time and I may even miss a class! I hope and pray that I am not detained too long and can still attend my class. I am quite sure I successfully bombed my logarithm test yesterday, so missing another Algebra class could put me even farther behind. Anyway, I ask for your prayers. Thanks!

In preparation for Monday, I am going to attempt to complete one of my classes today for the year. I completed the last assignment last night, I just have a couple chapters to read, and several quizzes to take and one final test. God has given me sufficient rest lately, and I pray that I will use my time wisely and effectively.

Finally! It's a new blog post!

I know my blog has been largely inactive for the last few weeks. So, here is my attempt to liven it up again. Breath some new life into it you know. I hope this long blog post will compensate for the many days...

I have just two more weeks of school for the semester! Yippee!!! I am really excited, can you tell? :) Then it will be party time! Speaking of parties, my elder sister is getting married during my last week of school and it will be a HUGE celebration. I will just dedicate at least a piece of cake towards my celebration. hehe...

Speaking of the wedding, this past week I was measured for a tuxedo. It's one of those special suits that are not a suit yet bear a very close resemblance. (What the exact differences are, I don't know.) That was fun! But, it has it's disadvantages. One important one is that I can't get fat or skinny before that date. Otherwise it will be a tight squeeze or I will be swimming. hmm... Anyone that knows me understands that getting considerably more plump would be quite an accomplishment considering I resemble a stick and yet maintain a good sized appetite. lol

Thanksgiving was a good time for all. I was disappointed my cousins from out west near Cozad were not able to make it, but we still had a wonderful meal with my grandparents and one set of cousins at our house. After the meal, it is our family tradition to play football. Well... not quite directly following the meal. Most people require time for digestion.

I was made differently for some reason. I can vigorously exercise directly after a meal without having any ill effects. Tis very strange. Maybe it's those hollow legs my parents kept saying I had. hehe... :) Well anyway, we playing a rousing game of two-hand-touch football for a couple hours until the 'older' players were fatigued. I was not one of them, I could have played for at least another hour or two. Oh well... all good things must come to an end eventually. I did manage to successfully break my belt while making a sliding tackle that unfortunately didn't save the touchdown. grr... So now I am in the market for another black belt.

Friday started a lot earlier than usual and saw Kayla and I black friday shopping. I made a priority list the night before and decided finding a new computer monitor for mom was the highest. We arrived at Office Max at about 6:15 a.m. There was a line of about 15 people waiting patiently for the clock to chime 7 o-clock.

I was very impressed with Kayla's performance. I didn't give her enough credit and thought that she would complain while waiting outside in the cold for 45 minutes, but no, she did very well and didn't complain once! She actually enjoyed herself. We talked with other people waiting in line and found out Toys R US opened their doors at midnight and Old Navy had a line all the way to Michael's at 2:15 that morning. We weren't that crazy!!

Later that day I watched my first Husker game of the season. Yes, I am a Nebraska reject and rarely even wear the right colors on game days. hehe... I thought we did fairly well against Colorado but shrink thinking about the game against Texas this Saturday. I don't quite think we will be slaughtered, but once our defense is tired, our team is pretty much sunk. If we can't run and pass well against CO, then Texas will be a nightmare.

Saturday I helped Dad with one of his rental properties. The previous owners had trashed the place and left behind mostly junk but some usable assets. The neighbors claimed they were drug addicts and didn't leave the house ever, but used welfare for their livelihood. They must have been raking in our tax dollars because according to my uncle, they managed to scrape up enough money to purchase at least a 50 inch television. It was not a loan, my uncle saw the original receipt. Sounds rather freaky too me.

Anyway, we tore out all the stained carpet in the basement and somehow managed to drag a '96 pontiac out of the garage with two flat tires and one tire that barely held air. After struggling pushing it 3 inches, my dad found a chain to hook onto our truck. The first couple tries securing the chain failed, but after finding a bolt and an old rusty lock, we were able to successfully pull it out. Later, dad would fill out the necessary forms so that the police can haul it away.

After finishing at the house, I delivered some leftover thanksgiving food to my uncle and cousins and began the long trek back to Kearney. I arrived shortly before 5 that day. Michael and the gang had already decorated the treehouse the night before and the office that same day. They did an outstanding job!!

Well, now I would like to provide a brief school update.

The week before thanksgiving I was given the second of two monsters in my Principles of Accounting class. They call it simply principles of accounting, yet it seems to cover a broad range of topics. The monster involved journaling at least 25 transactions, calculating inventory, setting up trial balance sheets, income statements, and balance sheets. After struggling with it for several hours, I enlisted the help of some fellow students and together, 15 hours later, we had just about subdued the formidable foe. I didn't do quite as well with this monster and scored three points less. But I was still happy with a 96.

Around the same time, my College Algebra course was finally covering some new material that I had never seen before. We were studying logarithms and their properties. Fun stuff! hehe... That took a long time. For the next week I found myself dutifully taking notes during class yet not having a clue what we were doing or why were were doing it. Rance helped me out and explained the why and part of the how. He is such a great help, yet his assistance always comes with extra fascinating baggage. This time I learned about two kinds of infinity and the origin of calculus. hehe... funny story.

It turns out that calculus was actually developed by two people in completely different geographic areas. Isaac Newton was actually the first and he discovered calculus on the week he was sick with the flu. hehe... I just thought that was funny. The moral of the story, is that next time you want to discover something incredible wait until you have influenza. haha...

According to Rance, there are actually nine infinities currently known to man and they all are larger than the one before it. If you can wrap your mind around that concept, you are doing well.

Well, sadly, I need to end this blog post and get something more productive done. Just as a warning, the last two weeks of school may contain very sporadic blogging but I will try to keep you all updated with any major happenings. But for now, I will TTYL!! :)