We carve Pumpkins too!!!!

So I may be a little late, but we carved Pumpkins at Dad's tonight!! Carolina took a test today, passed, and to celebrate we went to Dad and Anne's and had a great dinner. Boiled shrimp, cheese soufle, aspearegus and rolls. It was deliscious!! After that it was Pumpking carving time!!!!

Carolina had never carved a pumpkin before,

so we broke her in properly. I somehow managed to pick the hardest pumpkin known to man. This thing was like cutting into a frozen brick.

Anne had the largest pumpkin and as usual she made it look easy.

We really enjoyed the event, as Halloween is

Friday and the temperature outside reminded us that it is indeed Fall. Once it was over it was picture time. We lined them up, lit them accordingly, and Dad snapped the pics.

It was a good time had by all.

Okay.......

So being a Buckeye sometimes means feeling the sting of defeat too.......I still love 'em. But that too is being a Buckeye. A loss means a lot more to us than most schools. We will still play a New Years bowl, we will still be in a bowl period. We will still act like the Michigan game is the ONLY game that matters. We will still throw a party, even if its the Alamo Bowl.

Anticipation.......

Scarlet and Grey are my primary colors. The knot in my stomach chokes any appetite I had leading up to the game. I pace and swing my foot with nervous energy. A necklace of worthless nuts hangs from my neck. Kickoff approaches, and so does my worry. I worry because every game they play has national ranking and national title implications. This is being a Buckeye. This IS Ohio State Football.

We are the most intense, supportive, biased and hungry fans in the nation. We are loyal, we are under rated and under appreciated. We speak out own language (OH-......) We fly flags in our yard, we put stickers on our car, we dress our 3 month old children in buckeye gear, we know legend as one name.....Woody. We don't give a damn for an entire state. We think, no, we KNOW we have T.B.D.B.I.T.L. We eat at restaurants just to see a Heisman Trophy and to support the Buckeyes who own it or have thier name on it. We are hated by the entire country and LOVE it. We can go anywhere in the world and see a red hat and a grey O and strike up a conversation. We remember our grandparents cheering them on. We have been or want to be one of 105,000+ WE ARE OHIO STATE FOOTBALL!!!!

Not much....

This is somewhat of a rambling Bog. I have no global issue like hunger or economics on my mind. Nothing is troubling me, which I view as a good thing. It's heavy carrying a worldly concern!! Today is just a day to reflect on the beauty that surrounds us. I went out into the yard today and just played around with the camera, snapping pictures of the everyday beauty around me. Things you never look at on your way to your car, when you take out the trash, or yell to the kids to come inside for dinner. I started thinking, sometimes beauty resides in the thing we're scared of most......

That one was for you Cheryl. I also started thinking about how much I really do like Fall. It is the Winter that follows that I am not so fond of. Who wouldnt like all the colors, the crispness of the morning air, the long shadows strewn across the landscape in late afternoon.....

Sometimes it is just nice to go outside, without purpose or direction, look around at what God has made and look at beauty in a place youve not looked in a while, or maybe never looked.

Decision '08

So after much study, thought and prayer, I have decided who I am going to vote for. I have to follow my heart on this and go with the candidate who most resembles my values and beliefs. McCain - Palin will get my vote on Nov. 4th. It will be countered with a vote of Obama - Biden by my lovely fiance, Carolina.......

A Love Blog for someone special

I just want to take a moment to write a little something special for a deserving loved one. Now, this loved one has been there for me in good times, and in bad. This loved one has given me support when Ive needed it, provided comfort and joy. We hang together and watch football, we cuddle with a blanket and watch movies, we sleep together oh so soundly like a little baby. This loved one is.......my chair.

She is beautiful with the most wonderful, tan, soft skin. Her arms wrap around me and warm me on the coldest nights. I LOVE MY CHAIRY.

Septic Tank Fiasco

So, as I mentioned in my previous blog, we have been having problems with the septic tank. Well, Carolina had finally had enough of walking into the back yard after taking a shower and smelling poo. Yesterday I called around and got a price estimate for a pumping service. Everyone seemed to be in the ballpark of 200 (given 1,000 gallon tank and how far you have dig down.) So Stanley Septic and Environmental came out today to pump 'er out and fix our stink. As they uncovered the first lid, we (I hung out with them and watched the whole process, it was like watching a live episode of Dirty Jobs in your own backyard!) discovered a broken lid on the tank. This broken lid wasn't the problem though, as Jeremy the Septic guy said, "this is one of the fullest tanks I've seen." So he slowly pumped it out as I watched him and Filberto, his co-worker, push and suck and stir at least 15 years of waste. Disgusting!!!! But fascinating!!! So as we began discussing the broken lid situation, he asked if I would be willing to pick it up and put it on myself, because doing so would save about 100 dollars. The pumping cost 195, the new lid cost 125 and to deliver and put it on would have cost 100 extra. Naaaah, I can do that. So this afternoon I called Dad, who was more than happy to help since it got him out of working the rest of the afternoon, and he came over in his Tundra. We went, picked it up, and came back to the house and dug enough around the whole so it would fit, put it down in and covered it back up. THANKS FOR THE HELP DAD!!!! So no we can take a shower and wash the clothes without worry of creating a stinky situation in the back yard.

Elephonkey

Let me just say, for the record, that even after sitting through a 2 hour debate tonight, the Vice Presidential and Presidential debates previously, reading and watching more coverage than I care to remember, and much independent thought, I AM STILL UNDECIDED.

Initially I thought that maybe it was the usual strategic positioning of the middle by each candidate, however tonight's debate put that to rest. They agreed on miniscule points of greater issues, issues that they couldn't be farther apart on. So, now I am left to wonder, is it me? Am I a fence rider? I never thought I was before. I am a registered Republican and have usually voted a 75% or so Republican ticket. But as I am getting older, and I hope more wise, I find myself leaning closer the the middle.

Im an Elephonkey.

So......

So lets give this a try. I find myself always checking to see if Cheryl has updated her Blog. This got me thinking to myself , "Self.....maybe you should blog." Cheryl told me she really enjoyed the couple of venting sessions I put in written form on my Myspace page, so I might just be readable. I don't know that I will always be deep, meaningful, or coherent but I will give you words to read!

I guess I will follow the template given by my sister, and just speak about life these days. Lets begin with the big one story that everyone wants to talk about. I got engaged two weeks ago today. While she tried her hardest to make it difficult to ask, I managed to find a way, and she said yes!! We have not set a date yet, but we will do that once she is done with R.N. school. I consider myself highly favored in this blessing of a woman to share my life with. She is everything I could ask for and everything I didn't know to ask for. She is my bestfriend, my confidant, my accountability partner, and my lover. She has taught me so much about who I am, what I want, and what I need. She has opened my eyes to what the world has to offer and even what it doesnt. She has made me realize what is possible and what is already achieved. I love her more today than yesterday, and will love her more tomorrow.

Other than that little piece, work has sucked. This economic crisis is hitting us pretty hard. Every rental car company is laying people off, and Avis has decided that, to avoid paying unemployment, they will put the heat on in various ways and fire people after multiple write-ups to establish just cause. I recieved a write-up (the first I have had in ANY job) for "not over coming the objection" when a customer said he didn't want any insurance for the car. I was supposed to counter-offer, but I took a no as a no and that is a no no. So I have decided to be the marionette and do the dance. I am not going to give them any reason to let me go. Especially when the heat is on others worse than myself.

The septic tank has been backing up and this is creating a stinky problem in the yard. I thought initially that stopping use of anti-bacterial soap may thwart the issue, but no. Now I must call someone and get them to come out and fix this nasty nuisance.

Carolina is still studying hard and having issues in school, but nothing we dont feel she cant overcome. I will keep you posted!!