A New Feel

Oooooookaaaaayyyyyy........ So We've established that my blogging skills are hardly up to par as my contemporaries who have won NABLOPLOMO awards. *A nod to Syhalla, Ricky, Ki, and everyone else I'm too tired to remember. Buuuuuut! I do have a unique solution! Instead of going on about my life I will give it to you in clips and phrases; most of all though photographs! To nutshell my life since August: I've Started educating myself in Real Estate investing (a perfect time to do it too! :D) quit Discover Card, (I had enough) Did Real estate photography, Then had my first baby, a boy named Hunter Jan 1st, (Anyone who didn't get notified from me personally don't feel too bad I didn't get to all my own family members or my wife's- we relied on the trickle effect) Hunter came 5 weeks early hence sudden filling of my life with busy scheduling, increased by being hired by Morgan Stanley (much nicer) and going to college at the same time.

Most weekdays I get up at 5 or 7am depending... and Don't get back until 7:30 or 9pm only to go to bed at 10 or 11ish. Remember I need to fit Philosophy and Photography in there and much more. BUT It was actually my photography class that inspired a resurrection of this blog! I decided I was taking too freekin' cool of photos so I had post them. It make sit easier to show people. (and get their comments *wink wink*) SO! I have a goal of continually sharpening my photo skills by posting 2 QUALITY photos a week. (my current photo quotient for class) I will get to intersperse my life in between the awesome photo's. With the sudden plastering of pictures on this blog you will undoubtedly caught on to this fact. So Huzzah for a new thrust into sharing life and creativity! *&!$#__ahhh friggin A! Then the photo up loading thing doesn't work!

Ta da! I Write Again!

Well, It's about time no? Everyone has caught up to me in person by actual visit or via phone. I am overjoyed with my friend Maddie's marriage and the visit of everyone that day, also Ricky's wedding celebration upcoming a few months latter. I've been called to teach the 14-15 year old young men and women in my church which is way fun, got to meet again Scott - Chani's hubby- and get to know him better(a good man indeed) and more. My finals are done; a 4.0 semester. Updated my mother board and a few other things and now have all my vacation photos on my computer! Carl's Bad Caverns is just one of many great ones. I'll hopefully get them all on Flickr today as well. Sadly, I'm feeling inept at this moment to put more than one photo on here. Pretty much I think I should make it a goal to actually write once a day. I know! you say "Impossible- Andy?! you think you'd actually DO that!???" Ah yes! if only a small tid bit of mind. You see travelogues of life are never as fun as deep real thinking. (Or lack there of, if the case may be-) So cheers! and good luck to that! OH! hey! if you read me leave a comment that way I know you haven't given up on me :D

VACATION!

Blahdeehaw! I'm on vacation and happy. No worries, open road, good sleep, happy times. We've made our way down to Mesa via cedar city, Grand Canyon, Snow canyon, KoA camps, and windy nights where the only way to stay warm is to snuggle close with the one you love. To all my die hard readers who always patiently wait for my funny stories I apologise. After vacation and my finals I should have more time for pictures blogging and stuff in general.

In Cedar City we got to se beautiful mnts, and then Snow Canyon in St. George. Next was the Grand Canyon-gorgeous even with tthe terrible wind. Montozumas well and now were in Arizona. Funnest was how I can sleep great out doors but H. is always too cold unless snuggled ever so close. I love the great outdoors.

What's in a Name?

Hoo boy! This'll be a doosey!

I have needed to blog for some time and update my flickr site.... lol but no time....:D

So the back room in done and we are moved out. (pictures will be provided) There is a bit of lingering residue of stuff rejected by my wife's aunt I need to get but we're essentially done. I still have taxes to do and class work to catch up in and preparation for a killer vacation to come. Oh and signing up for summer semester.... Blah.... and maybe time for myself. LOL!

All these things aside an interesting thing has been observed this week. Heather my wife went in for Laproscopic surgery this last Thursday to remove an ovarian cyst. It was originally the week before but was delayed due to fever from a sinus infection. Things went great. The cyst was drained and all that went well. What was discovered that we didn't know before was Endometriosis. Don't worry she's fine and every thing's okay, but that's my point isn't it? Give it a name and it strikes horror into you.

Later I was looking up endometriosis online and Heather asked what I was looking up so I told her. She started getting panicky because her sister had endo and was prevented from having kids because of it. I calmly explained as I did before about what it was and how we were just fine and still able to have kids. After talking about it with me and a bit with my family she's okay, but this still amazes me how a name can change everything. Let me give you another example.

I was in at a routine check up for a sinus infection and the Dr. informed me besides the sinus stuff I had this and the symptoms were that ,I would get tired and the cure is to rest, and it would periodically reoccur. They call it a disease of all things which is so DUMB. Oh gosh! don't let me get ti--...zzzzzzzzzzz.

But here's the name....Mono. *gasp!* Suddenly everything jumps to mind how it totally leaves you waisted, stuck with you the rest of your life, the kissing disease, etc. etc. But just LOOK at the symptoms! how dumb and silly is that!? It's all in the Name.

Names are powerful.


So when you watch Lion King and Timon and Pumba are going off about the warthogs lack of appeal due to flatulence and the part comes in,"I gotta change in my name!""Oh what's in a name?!" You'll know.

Time Flies when it's All Used Up

Wow yet again it has been a while. Not because I haven't wanted to add to my posts and become more regular at this, (and no, not the Metamucil kind) but because I have spent my time like the valuable cash it is. First, I work. Work used to have the option of "flexing up" meaning you could spend more time there if you wanted to. I used to only need to be there 6 hours but I generally stayed 7 unless I had a time crunch. Since the beginning of the year they upped our hours goal to be more productive so I now need to stay all 7 hours. This normally would be so bad but I'm going to college.

Secondly therefore, I have an English class which is reading intensive, writing intensive, and presentation semi intensive. My Astronomy class is some what read intensive, but a big long test assignment each week that takes 4 hours intense. Thankfully my Technology class is lightly read intensive and mildly presentation paper intense. With those two alone it stretching to strike a balance, but to add to the joy I'm remodeling and moving.

Third and finally, the room. As you can see on the pictures it was supposed to be a medium project, tare out a corner and replace a little bit of the water damaged dry wall. That went to pot when we realized since this was an addition onto the house they nailed the drywall strait to the old outside shingles.Though the ceiling/roof is attached well they basically placed the wall next to the old shingles really close and so water was being driven in with wind from the side. We needed to do it right. We tore out the old shingling down to the wood nailed to the brick for the shingles. (which we'd use to screw on the new dry wall) We tore out the corners because the wall was moving 1/2 and inch back, replaced the insulation, filled in the gap to the outside with expandy foam and siliconed the outside, used water resistant dry wall, filled in the gap now at the ceiling, remounted the heater controls, repainted, and still need to remount door and it's accompanying frame. As you can see I've been busy. Thankfully for the moving part my wonderful wife Heather has slow and stedily been packing away things for storrage and moving. She still asks me to get boxes.

So to all you loyal fans (hopefull) my appologies for the long awaited next addition but here you are! P.S. check out my Flicker site I've updated.

The Rebel and Remodeling

So today we get to do some big remodeling of the room Heather and I get to move in to. We replace a corner...(DESTRUCTION Yeah baby!) with dry wall and primer it all and rip up carpet. The cool thing about the Rebel is it is a camera. A sweet SLR digital! I got it on sale at best buy with a telephoto lens to boot! and already I have pics! as you shall see. So Ki's love Thursday will have an answer here with Weirdo Wednesday. LOL but here's a fun one while Weds. comes around again.


This is why we worry about Mom sometimes. :D

Time Off?

So I decided to finally took a day off from all of the people on the phones. I used the time instead to catch up on much needed work for college!

I read 4-5 short stories that didn't seem that short. Then spent 2-3 hours doing a take home astronomy test where I had to double check my answers even though I basically knew I was right. .....must check! .....need kudos! I still have commentaries to write on those short stories and 5 chapters to read from I book I still need to get by downloading. Huzzah for going for a 4.0! and thank goodness for Saturdays!

Gratitude

It has come to my acute attention that nobody listens. Yes it is a sad truth. I work in a customer service job for a credit card and when people call with problems I'm the one to help out. I do this especially if they want to close. Yeah, I can hear you roar-"Your one of THOSE GUYS?!" I weep. Yes and duh!

I have had people who'll explain their problem and I know exactly what can help them. I explain in detail (If they'll let me) that I have exactly what can help them in the way they wanted or even better and they still don't take it..... go fig.

Other people once and a while call in for something, and the more I help them, the more I'm nicer and helpful, the worse and more rude and upset they get.

Then people will call in as if they were the king/queen of Sheba and expected to be rolled out the royal carpet. I then proceed to do just that, and pull a rabbit out of a hat, but because it wasn't "good enough" they refuse all help even though it's what they wanted and needed. I guess we need to drag our managers into the street, shoot them, close our business, live homeless and give them all the money. Then will they be satisfied? Sometimes I doubt it.

I like it though when I call to lower their interest rates and give them money we owe them. People will hang up without listening even what I'm calling about. It takes 10 seconds REALLY! The best is when I actually get to lay it out to them and they say," No, I'm good." Okay! give me the money then! and your low rates! You know they'll be the ones calling in saying,"Well you never called me, and you never lower my rates or gave me money back!"

Now before this comes out as a total rant I want to say Thank You. Thank you to all those sweet nice people who do listen. Because even when you choose not to accept, or it really doesn't help you, we'll actually know and be happy about it because we still served you. By listening, even if you didn't want it, you showed gratitude for us being alive and asking.

Wow That was a while....

SOOOOOoooo yeah...

Lots of stuff

Let's go chronologically.
The Anniversary was a smash hit! I did everything Heather alliterated and a bit extra. Sorta.. ish. I got her some roses with I love you and Happy Anniversary on them (She wanted 2 dozen but I thought they were cute). While she was getting her hair done, which she so desperately wanted to do.(and later her nails as well) We went to a family parties at my brother Nate's and then off to dinner a Tucci's. (highly recommendable) There I pulled out Heathers ring with the two side additions at which time her jaw simultaneously dropped and spread into a huge smile. Why was it all so good though? I was a surprise! SURPRISE! Wait... how could it be with a ring missing for a month? Leaving while she gets her hair done? How do I do it you ask?! LIES! Pure rubbish spewing through my teeth. To get the flowers and ring "I was filling up the tires" Which a made a 5 minute speech on how I hate you have to pay for air. (I really DO hate that!) For The dinner I told her and eluded to in my post here about dinner made by me for us here by candle light. The Ring was so funny because we went in to get it cleaned, re-sized, and discuss options for enlarging it later. (Good thing I had good bonuses from work) The shop guys mentioned that one of the diamonds was a tiny bit loose but okay. So they kept it longer to "fix" that problem after enlarging it. It worked beautifully. Funny thing... later we did have 2 tiny diamonds pop out of the additions but they re-did it for free and soldered all of the sections together. Now that it's thicker we need to re-size it larger! LOL.

New Years was Fun at my Brother Nate's.

I had 2 GREAT friends each stop by for a while New Years Week though they missed each other. Gawl! There is no better thing than to catch up with an old friend and have fun like you used to. Ricky came from New York and Alex with Becky from Alaska. Life and scenes may change but real friendship stays the same.

My wife and I found out we're being, ..... how do I put it...., thrown out? Replaced? Suddenly relocated without arrangement of arrival? ....anyway. THAT by my wife's aunt. We were told and not by her (we weren't ever consulted or asked by her) that She was moving to SLC in March into Grandma's basement where we currently reside. This was decided upon by Heather's aunt. Good to luckily find out (with no help from her) with 2 months warning! There's lots of positives though... Don't have to worry about Grandma or Heather's aunt prying in, she'll be here. We'll also have more freedom of time. As for space and money we shall see. We're thinking of moving back into my parents place in the rear room. It might be lass space and we will pay rent this time but you can't beat the company! Parents, my sister Ki and her family, and with Tom and Syhalla constantly dropping by we'll always be having fun in the best house ever. Now this isn't settled yet. We're also kinda thinking if we can find a good place that meets all our needs in life for the same price we might go for that... but we need to find, it set it up, and have the money for it.

So Yeah,

There you go. The major events catch up game is compleet. OH! I started my next semester of college and my astronomy teacher ROCKS! ;D

The Season

Well, I picked a FUN month to get married! School semesters are ending with finals on the way and Christmas melodies fill our hearts while our wallets empty . Yet here was a perfect time for marriage. Not to soon and not too late. I'm looking forward to making my wife a romantic meal in front of candle light while we watch her favorite movie. With everything coming up I may fit in a whole ice cream desert!

Now my sister Ki made an interesting note. In my family some holidays are important but not in the normal way. We don't exactly do all the fru fru party stuff, we are just a family to share the time and little special traditions with. Big exciting productions just don't fly. Example; one year thanksgiving was in the middle of a rough week so we got a take and bake pizza for the main meal. Other times we keep something religiously, i.e. the family Christmas tree. The little things are never a sweat for us because we just don't sweat them. This normally isn't a conflict until we're with normal people. My wife is normal.

She actually expects (hold your breath now...) flowers!, a fancy dinner!, and! (dare I say it?!) a good gift (GASP!) for an anniversary. For my family just a total dedicated day to a person picnicking or seeing a fun place is good enough, so this is all culture shock. After my wonderful Valentines debut (may we never speak of it again) which I 'll never live down (don't ask) she wisely became vocal about her expectations of what romantic is. With my backward simple ways I only hope I don't let her down. *wink* Here's to luck! or Forgiveness! (maybe the latter)