Thankful!!

I have been kind of a pain in the neck lately so I need to go throught what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my beautiful wife Deborah who is one of the brightest lights in my life and eternally will be.

I am thankful for my children and their abilities to make me laugh even when I am in one of my moods.

I am thankful for my job for there are so many people out of work and more and more are losing their jobs everyday.

I am thankful for Heavenly Father and his willingness to forgive me.

I am thankful that I have a house and a place to call home

I am thankful for my wife and children for making that house a home!!

I am thankful for my sister who is beautiful and loving

I am thankful for my Mother who has taught me so much about this life and continually teaches me about the little things that no one but her can teach me.

I am thankful for my Father who is a great influence in my life and has taught me how to be a good father, a loving father and a firm father.

I am grateful for my friends who have given me opportunities to love beyond what I have known.

I am grateful to be a worthy priesthood holder.

I am grateful to be able to bless other peoples lives with that samesaid priesthood!

I am grateful to be able to bless my families lives with the knowledge that I have both spiritual knowledge and temporal knowledge.

I am grateful that my heart is able to be teachable and softened by the Holy Spirit!!!

I am grateful for the love that I feel everyday from two beautiful girls and a terrific woman!!

I am grateful for the love that I feel everyday from my Father in Heaven!!!

I am grateful that I am able to work and breathe and love

I am grateful for friends and family that are willing and able to help me and my family.

I am grateful to all who read this just to get to know me.

I am grateful for love, peace and happiness

I am grateful for computers because without them I would probably be jobless

I am grateful for a patient and loving wife and family

I am grateful for the safety of my wife and children when I am not home to protect them.

That is about it and I really feel my attitude changing already. I know this kinda dragged on but I have a lot to be thankful for and hey, you kept reading :-).

I...

I got this idea from both my sister and my wife. I figured since no one really reads my blog anyhow I could try it out



I live my life for my wife and children but mostly God.

I work in the coolest place in the world to me and FINALLY LOVE MY JOB!!!

I talk too much especially in the car.

I wish for a better sense of what others need as well as what I really need.

I enjoy good food and company.

I look odd but I am loved

I smell good I bathe often

I hide from life at times bu am quickly brought back to reality.

I pray for everyone I know and often.

I walk not too much except when I am angry.

I sing loudly and out of tune by myself.

I can do anything!!

I watch my children grow and sometimes get sad about it.

I yearn to be a better person.

I daydream about fortune and fame and then realize it aint all it is cracked up to be.

I want my children to know that they have a safe place to call home.

I cry, watching the biggest loser and tv commercials.

I read to enlighten myself and oters around me.

I love unconditionally once I trust you.

I wonder about the afterlife and am I good enough to enjoy it?

I touch softly but firmly.

I hurt easily

I fear satan but more than satan I fear Heavenly Father's wrath

I hope I will be a great example to everyone around me as well as accepting my short comings

I break glass just to hear the sound

I eat nothing I wouldn't expect someone else to eat with me

I quit chewing tobacco almost 10 years ago

I bathe rarely but I shower everyday.

I drink way too much soda pop

I save memroies in my head because that hard drive wont crash!

I hug anyone who needs it and some who don't.

I miss my family when they aren't here.

I forgive easily.

I learned a lot and hope to learn a lot more before I die.

I have so much more than I realize!!!

I don't have patience with a lack of common sense.

I kiss my Daddy and Mommy!!!!

Merry Christmas

I have been thinking a lot lately and I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have! Both in the spiritual sense and in the temporal sense. I am grateful that I have a job in these times of tribulation for so many people. I am grateful for my wife being able to stay at home with our children and raise them according to OUR ways of thinking. I am grateful for those two little girls, who aren't so little anymore. I am very grateful for my Mother and Father who have taught me so much about life. I am grateful my beautiful wife who is supportive and loving at every chance. I am grateful for the knowledge that Heavenly Father has allowed me to have in this life. I am grateful for my sister whom I love dearly and with all of my heart. I am thankful for my brother-in-law who taught me how to love the sport of fishing and love others as I am loved. I am grateful for my Mother and Father in law who have taught me a great deal about selfless sacrifice and service to others. But most of all I have to say I am grateful to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and his Atonement! Without that none of this would be possible. I Love Him Very Much!!!! Please remember him at this time of year that we celebrate his birth!!

Heart Attacks and Pulled Muscles

Well--I survived the week from hell for me and my wife (I think that she survived also). It all started on Sunday when I started getting chest pains in my left chest. I didn't think anything of it due to the fact Chloe was in bed with us all night. I wrote it off as the former and went on about my business of getting ready for church. Well I got out of the shower and the pains were starting to go down my arm a little and I decided I better at least tell Deborah. So I did and I decided to go on to church. As I sat in the pew the pain started to radiate down my arm more and my hand began to tingle. So we visited with a cardiac nurse in our ward who told me to go to the hospital. So I went to the veternarian hospital across the street (not really a vet hospital but it should be). They proceeded to check me out and hook me up to every machine there and decided after my blood tests came back and my triglycerides were at 702 to admit me and keep there eye on me. So I spend the night in the cardiac wing of the hospital. The next day in the morning they did a stress test on me and I went back to wait for the doctor to read it. I saw several doctors that day but apparently it was not the one who could read my stress test. That particular doctor decided that it was not important enough to read my stress test that day (oh lack of income didn't occur to him) so he came in at 5:00 pm and left at 7:00 pm and said "don't page me" to the nurses. Well I sure am glad I wasn't dying and needed his help, that party was much, much more important ya know. As I later found out he was at a birthday party for a collegue. So I spent another night in the hospital and became more and more angry about the situation of feeling like my needs were not met. So I decided to tell them about it on no uncertain terms when the charge nurse came in and said "how has your stay been so far?". Wrong question to ask a surly 38 year old who is becoming more and more angry by the moment. Oddly enough the doctor came in about 20 minutes after I gave my opinion that I would rather die then come back to the hospital that I was staying at (Community Health Partners in Lorain, OH) I strongly suggest if you don't have to go there DON'T!!! The nursing staff however was top notch and whenever I needed something they were there in just a few minutes (usually 5 or less). So that made me feel better. Well after I left the hospital I needed to follow up with the family doctor who wanted me to get a heart cathedar done. The procedure was not bad at all it was the nervousness before the procedure that about killed me. My mom and dad even came down for the procedure. Then the cardiologist said everything was clear. So off I went home to sit on my behind for the weekend so I didn't bleed to death (that wasn't so bad though). It ended up it was a strange pulled muscle that pinched a nerve (Deborah thinks it was from playing the Wii but I won't be giving that up too soon). Everyone around us was so willing to help with all that needed to be done and I am thankful to everyone of you!!!! THANK YOU!!!! You get to find out who your real friends are and who is really willing to help not just say they are willing to. There are two that touched me the most and that is my best buddies Angelo and Dave who are absolutely AWESOME!! Not only were they able to give me blessings when I needed them but they were all over with support and even hugs. THANKS DUDES(I will shoot them later :-) ). I am also very thankful to the Philips family who not knowing us very well volunteered to take our children (even overnight if needed) that Sunday. THANK YOU!!! But I am most thankful to my beautiful wife Deborah who was by my side and grumped right along with me the whole way :-). She is AWESOME and I LOVE HER with all of my heart and soul. I am so glad she was there for me and looked (and looks) out for me even when I don't. Thanks for caring sweetpea!!! My family and my friends are the most important thing to me next to Jesus Christ and I just wanted everyone to know how thankful I am for you all!!! If I forgot someone just smack me when you see me (not too hard I bruise easily :-) ).

Love to you all!!! I am doing much better and plan on only getting better from now on. Between my better living through chemistry (alias the battery of medications that I have) and better diet and exercise I should go on for awhile

THANK YOU ALL!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Technology, Life and Negativity

Life like technology always is changing. I think of how life will be in the future when my children are older. The increases in technology now baffle me let alone what they will see. They will look back at this day in age and probably think that we all lived like the Flintstones or something like that. I really like technology and I should like it, I find it facinating and interesting. Just think if it wasn't for some geeky teenagers idea to make a operating system that everyone could use the PC and the MAC would not have been born. That just created a snowball effect of technology. It kinda boils down to the ripple effect. Everything that we do has an effect on everyone or everthing around us in one way or another and that is what makes life interesting. I was reading another blog today and they were saying how everyone that they knew had a negative outlook on life. I find that to be more and more the case as I progress throughout my life. I often feel like my attitude is becoming more and more positive and everyone else is becoming more and more negative. I think (and this is my opinion) that the negative people ought to try to forget what is making them so negative. That is a grand feat in itself as I have had a difficult time in forgetting recent negative life experiences myself, but they all heal in time. Rather that is minutes, days, weeks, months or even years. I also find that the more I concentrate on the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and serving others that these negative experiences become not so important. Another thing that I try to remember is that there is always someone out there who has it worse off then me (perhaps the people who wait for me to update my blog :-) ). That always seems to make these negative experiences disappear. Finally if neither of those approaches work and I feel like the world is starting to close in on me. I get on my knees and I pray doing nothing but counting my blessings. I try to kneel for five minutes (get a pillow for your knees) and do nothing but thank Heavenly Father for everything that I can think of no matter how miniscule it may seem! I especially thank him for the atonement and the gift of life and that really makes the "problem" become small! I have veered from the topic of technology and seemed to veer into religion and my religious views. I am not sorry for that at all because my religion is a major part of my life. It has been the third best thing that has happened to me only second to my children and my marriage. Anyhow--I hope that this has helped you to cope with whatever your negativity is and that it will guide you in the future. It is only a suggestion but it has worked for me

Later and have a great day!!!

Funny from aha.com--Reminds me of my hometown

A redneck oil changeThe Redneck Oil Change Checklist1. Go to O'Reilly auto parts and write a check for $50 dollars for oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and scented tree.2. Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of taking it back to O'Reilly to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.3. Open a beer and drink it.4. Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.5. Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.6. In frustration, open another beer and drink it.7. Place drain pan under engine.8. Look for 9/16 box end wrench.9. Give up and use crescent wrench.10. Unscrew drain plug.11. Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil; get hot oil on you in process.12. Clean up.13. Have another beer while oil is draining.14. Look for oil filter wrench.15. Give up; poke oil filter with screwdriver and twist it off.16. Beer.17. Buddy shows up; finish case with him. Finish oil change tomorrow.18. Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.19. Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.20. Beer. No, drank it all yesterday.21. Walk to 7-11; buy beer.22. Install new oil filter making sure to apply thin coat of clean oil to gasket first.23. Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.24. Remember drain plug from step 11.25. Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.26. Hurry to replace drain plug before the whole quart of fresh oil drains onto floor.27. Slip with wrench and bang knuckles on frame.28. Bang head on floor board in reaction.29. Begin cussing fit.30. Throw wrench.31. Cuss and complain.32. Clean up; apply Band-Aid to knuckle.33. Beer.34. Beer.35. Dump in additional 4 quarts of oil.36. Beer.37. Lower car from jack stands38. Accidentally crush one of the jack stands39. Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during step 23.40. Test drive car41. Get pulled over; arrested for driving under the influence.42. Car gets impounded.43. Make bail; get car from impound yard.Money Spent:$50 parts$12 beer$75 replacement set of jack stands; hey the colors have to match!$1000 Bail$200 Impound and towing feeTotal: $1337

Merry Christmas!

I was very blessed this Christmas season! I got to experience Christmas through the eyes of my 7 and 3 year old girls! This was wonderful, aboslutely wonderful! I have, of course, experienced Christmas with my children before but for some reason this Christmas was very special to me. I experienced their expressions and their excitement and their absolute love for the holiday. Christmas eve we spent most of the day driving back from Michigan but that evening they made snacks and cookies for our neighbors and Santa Claus. Christmas morning Deborah and I had to wake up the two girls and then the wrapping paper flew as the tore into the plethura of presents that Santa brought. One tradition that I hope that we can keep is that on Christmas eve I read the story of the birth of our savior and Lord Jesus Christ from the Bible. To everyone who may read this I throughly enjoyed this Christmas season and I hope to be able to have many more like it. Love to you all!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!