20161130 - Blah

20161130 - UP and in to work. J home from school sick. Long day at work, building a spreadsheet. Home, D at baseball conditioning, G had stomach ache so no baseball for him tonight. Hung out at home getting things done.

20161129 - Drilling for ?

20161129 - Up in the am and J not feeling well so he stayed home today. Bill passed me on the way to work blowing his horn trying to wake me up. In to work and knocking things out in the am. GpaW had a well drilled at the Farmhouse today, no oil :-( I stayed late at work and knocked out my final class to renew my PMP Certification. Home and hung out with the sick boy and the fam.

20161128 - D the Scrivener

20161128 - Up in the am and got to see J at the bus stop on the way in to work. Got to work, had my morning meeting and lining things up to get done for the week.  Seemed like a very long cold day spent in my office.  I did get out and toured the floor to check on everyone's holiday.  Then spent a lot of the afternoon trying to get a class done.   Home and J&I not feeling 100%  We had dinner and then D&I headed to Scouts where he worked on the December newsletter and I sold some baseball discount cards.  Home, hung out with  LJ&G for a bit and shipped things for D.  D home, I got Doc and headed to a good session of Bible Bangers.

20161127 - Lights Up & Bday

20161127 - Up in the am and got some things done at the desk.  L out shopping, DJ&I + DGF7 got the lights hung on the outside of the house, not as frigid as years past.  Soon the noise was back home, I mean G... And today is GmaW's bday.  L had baked her some cupcakes.  We sang Happy Bday and had a short party as Gma&paW wanted to get back on the road and I am sure to some peace and quiet.  Night fell and I checked out our work, looks pretty good.


20161126 - GO BUCKS!!!

20161126 - Up in the am and getting a ton of things done at the desk.  Got cleaned up quick, grabbed Doc and then LDJ&I + DGF7 & Doc headed to the Pettit's for our annual OSU Michigan football game.  The Buckeyes offense played HORRIBLE, but our defense kept us in the game and by some stroke of luck adn several heart attacks later the Buckeyes WON!!!  Amazing stressful game.  J had bailed out at halftime to go to his soccer game and then rod his bike to a friends.  D&DGF7 headed out on their own and L&I stopped by Dave's warehouse to pick up things for D to list.  We then swung by and got J and his friend on our way to teh McClain's where we checked out their new TV, had some pizza and watched some more football.  Home and J and his buddy up late on the xbox.

20161125 + Black Friday

20161125 + UP in the am and L&I headed out for our Black Friday shopping spree.  We hit all of the usual places and got a ton of stuff for the boys.  We had a nice lunch and L feel asleep in one of the stores....  We got back to the Farm ahead of Gma&paW and the boys and got things loaded up and ready to roll.  G decided he would stay a couple extra days with Gma&paW.  LDJ&I headed home and the traffic was pretty good.  We swung through Wendy's on the way home, got home and ate and then watched the new 'Mechanic' movie.  All exhausted and to bed in good time.

20161124 - Thanksgiving @ the Farm

20161124 - UP in the am and DJG&I got dressed warm and orange and headed out with the hunters: Roger, Johnny, John 3, Sierra, John C, Greg, Christopher, We walked the usual route and D got a bird, J&G hit the brush with sticks and found bones, I got a bird and we all learned we are pretty horrible shots... Back to the farm house and I cleaned my bird and D helped Christopher clean his first bird. 




Up to the house to get cleaned up and then down to the Farmhouse where the Family gathered around the large tables for grace, fellowship and stories like we have for generations. It was a great meal and put most of us to sleep. 



We then mustered up the energy to head up to the Falls for a brisk hike.


Back to the Farmhouse where the ladies worked on a craft and the boys headed out for some more shooting. 


After everyone left we got cleaned up quickly and headed up to Gma&paW's to hang out and watch a movie. Very thankful to have such a big family.

20161123 - Setting Out Pheasants

20161123 - Up in the am and did not go into work. Got a bunch of things done around the house and we got on the road about 1pm, got gas and a couple of pizzas from Little Ceaser's to eat on the road. We dropped off a wreath on the way out of town and headed to the Farm. The traffic wasn't as bad as past years and we made good time. John Benepe and his son Logan were there and were installing a door for GpaW, D&I lent a hand, but the door was the wrong size... We headed down to the barn to look at the roof and it is a BIG job, trying to keep it from collapsing... In to the Farmhouse and we helped get things set up and soon Roger and Spencer showed up with the pheasants. DJG&I with Roger, Spencer, John C and Mary headed into the fields with the boxes of pheasants to set them out. We put out 20 birds and it is always an adventure. Everything set up and ready we headed to Chinatown for a nice dinner, then home and watched Eagle Eye. All to bed in good time.

20161122 + Gahanna Baseball 15% Discount Cards

20161122 + Up slow in the am and in to work. Got some things done. Worked on the website for the baseball discount cards a bit more sharpening it up from last nights updates. Had calls and meetings peppered throughout the day. Pretty quiet.  Drove through horrible traffic on the way home.  home and hung out, not a lot going on tonight.  Up late getting things ready for tomorrow.

20161121 - My Squaw

20161121 - Up in the am, L dressed for her Thanksgiving feast at school, I headed into work.  Delivered wreaths and walked the shop floor reallocating space.  Had meetings and the usual all day long.  Prepping for another class I have to get done quickly...  Home and had a nice dinner with the fam, everyone talked about their day.  D headed off to Scouts, J&G did the dishes with L and I headed to an Athletic Boosters meeting.  Home and wokred on the PC for a min then got Doc and headed to Bible Bangers.  It was a light crowd so we didn't stay terrible late.  Home, watching 'Once Upon a Time' and working on the baseball team discount card website until WAY TO LATE...

20161120 + Wreath Packers

20161120 + Up late and in to the office to get things done. Took a break to go to Dave's warehouse with J&G and see his new candy station and get stuff for D to sell. Met D & DGF7 to pick up Scout wreaths. Home and got all the wreaths divided up for delivery. Had some dinner, got more done in the office, D&I made a couple of deliveries. Home and had a meeting with Vinnie on an idea he had. Couple of guys swung by to watch The Walking Dead. Not up late tonight.

20161119 - Troop98 Thanksgiving Dinner

20161119 - Up in the am to a quite house with the 2 big boys gone.  I had to get some things done at the desk and eventually G&I headed out on some errands.  First stop was Waffle House for a huge meal.  Then we hit the gas station to get a lotto ticket for the next month.  On to Goodwill looking for book I donated and now need...  Kroger to get bags for the awards tonight.  Home and took stack of stuff to basement to work on while we watched the Buckeye game.  Got flyers and awards ready for tonight.  Set up Paypal for the troop to collect wreath $ this year.


We then got bundled up and headed to the Boy Scout Thanksgiving Dinner and Annual COurt of Honor.  We had a good meal and weren't to cold.  It was a nice Court of Honor and some good speeches were given.  We got some extra supplies to D&J and headed home in good time.


We settled into the basement to watch some more college football and I worked on stack of stuff until 2am. G watching (sleeping) college football with me.

20161118 + Single Santa Scan

20161118 + Up in the am and in to work. Had a productive morning knocking things off the todo list.  Headed out a bit early to pick up awards for the upcoming Scout Court of Honor.  Home a bit early despite the hour drive...  Relaxed on the back porch with L while D&J got their camping things packed up and headed out for a long cold weekend of camping.  LG&I headed out and got stuck in horrible traffic so took some back roads to get to Polaris and find a place to eat.  Ate in the food court and then walked around the mall a bit.  Then we headed over to Toys R Us for our yearly Santa Scan with only 1 boy :-(  We alked and looked at things until we could barely stand.  Home and to bed.

20161117 - Cake Auction

20161117 - UP in the am and in to work. Had a staff meeting and then ran to the BMV to FINALLY get the title for Dylan's car switched around and the license plates corrected. Now I just need to finish up with the Ohio Department of Taxation on this mess... Ran past the sport shop on the way back to the office and traded my ski boots for some gifts for the boys. Back to the office and pounding things out. With the long day over I headed home through horrible traffic: 1 hr to get home... L&J to get groceries with his Patrol then on to a meeting about a school trip out West.  Got D to go to grocery with his Scout Patrol and then he headed to DGF7's. I got home, ate fast and then G&I headed to the Pack 98 Fellers Cake Auction, bought a bunch of cakes and had a good time. Home, everyone there, had some cake. Up late getting things finalized for the Troop Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.

20161116 + Dinner with D&J

20161116 + Up in the am and in to work. LONG day at work getting things moving. Home and L&G were at his baseball conditioning. DJ&I headed to Arby's for some dinner. Nice but not the same as a one on one dinner; D staring at his phone and J worried about being cool enough for D... But still nice. After dinner we stopped by Kroger to get supplies for G's cake. Home and helped D ship stuff, J played the xbox. L&G home and G&I baked a cake. All boys to bed. I stayed up late working on the flyer for the upcoming Scout event.

20161115 - Friendsgiving Dinner

20161115 - Up in the am and in to work for an incredibly busy and stressful day... D and DGF7 came to my work today to give his pitch for his Eagle Project and get some supplies from us for his donation list. I headed home and stopped at the glasses place to finally one month later get my new glasses... Home and helped J on the xbox for a min, changed and L&I headed out for a "Friendsgiving Dinner' at Cooper Hawk with some of the folks from work. Dave sponsored the event and it was a very nice fun evening. Home and to bed.

20161114 - QE Grant

20161114 - Up in the am and in to work. Getting things organized and ready for a busy week. Finished my day, headed out a bit early for a meeting. Home and had dinner with the bickering boys and L. D&J were getting ready for Scouts and G counted out his change to see if his gift card plus his change was enough for us to get ice cream :-) D&J headed to Scouts and G&I headed out to return the cable box we used for the party. We got the box returned and then headed to Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream treat. G's card didn't have as much as he thought it did and I had to provide a financial bailout ;-) We walked around Creekside for a min trying to get some floppy fish Pokemon but didn't find any. On to Scouts where we ate our ice cream in front of everyone. Home for a min, I got Doc and headed out for a really good discussion at Bible Bangers.

20161113 + Swing Time

20161113 + Up slow in the am and everyone pitched in to clean up.  It went much quicker than in past years.  We got the yards cleaned up, then the garage and house.  Everyone helped and got our chores done.  L ran to the craft store.  D did some ebay, Scout stuff and then headed out to DGF7s for the rest of the day.  J&G playing Titanfall2,  I worked in the office a bit and then headed to the basement to play Titanfall2 with J&G.  In the evening we headed upstairs to get some dinner and watch a funny movie.  Soon some friends showed up to watch The Walking Dead.  D home, we shipped stuff, all to bed in good time from a long fun weekend.

20161112 - 11th Annual OSU Football Party

20161112 - Up in the am and G&I headed out to get the final supplies.  Home and everyone helped get ready for the party.  We had some folks come early because the game times were not clear due to last minute scheduling.  That was fine, we put them to work.  Soon more and more folks started coming in.  We had a ton of folks stop by and eat and stay and chat to watch OSU destroy Maryland.  No pinata this year, kids are too big...  A lot more hands off managing the kids though so I guess the change is good.  Had a lot of good conversations with people we don't often get a chance to sit and chat with and are always amazed at the folks we know and how they are interconnected; putting those connections together is always fun.  The sun went down a bit to early and it got really cold really fast.  That didn't slow down the kids though, they were playing outside.  We had a big fire and folks were in and out watching various games throughout the night.  A good time!



After the party died down we cleaned up a bit and headed in for a good nights sleep in our warm beds.

20161111 + HOPE

20161111 + UP and Gma&paB here.  L has the day off today too.  We all went to J's school for the veterans day celebration.  J carried in the flag and was part of the flag folding ceremony, very nice.  On for a nice lunch with D.  On to G's school for their celebration and it is was very emotional.  We (as a Country) are going to be ok, 500 kids singing the National Anthem as loud as they could, all colors, religions, shapes and sizes.  There is hope...
Home and we started getting the garage ready for the party.  We all went to Genj-Go for dinner.  Home and finished setting things up.  To bed not too late in anticipation of a busy day tomorrow.

20161110 - Cheaters

20161110 - Up in to work, normal day.  Home and everyone at home tonight.  J playing xbox, DG&I played Trouble.  D&I were cheating something horrible and G couldn't stand it :-)  We had some fun tonight despite the country going crazy...

I was going to forgo the sending of my 11/11 letters because it is so much work.  But I sat and thought about it and I really need to keep this tradition alive, so I was up until 4am writing my letters and sending them out.

20161109 - CHANGE


20161109 - The election results came in about 3:30am and we have a new President Elect = Donald Trump...  Going to be interesting...  To bed got some sleep.  Up in the morning greeted by many upset friends on social media.  Not exactly happy that Mr. Trump won, but not horribly disappointed I felt I needed to respond to the people I knew and level us all out.  We need to be ONE NATION...


My Statement on the Election:
I have many friends on all sides of all of the various party lines.
I see them today claiming great disgust or rejoicing for the events of last night.
They are unfriending people and creating an even deeper divide in our America.
This can't happen. 
Did you vote? If you didn't, please remove yourself from any political conversation until you learn to exercise your fundamental right to Vote. If you don't get this, you will get nothing else… 
If you did vote and voted for someone other than a Democrat or Republican, than good for you. You may be ahead of many of us in your ideals or beliefs, or you may be way more twisted than the rest of us and do not belong in this conversation.  
The simple fact is that both of the candidates are horrible. If you voted for a specific person based on their values or beliefs you need to do more investigation on that person… I believe this election was NOT about a candidate, it was for change or more of the same.
I do not like change, no one really does, it is scary.
I do not like the path we were on, it is scary.
I am uncertain about the direction our path just took.
However I live in a democracy that was set up to allow change and growth.
I will support the decision my fellow Americans made last night and be a positive force for change.
It is our obligation as Americans to take action to make changes if we do not like the situation we are faced with.
We need to remove the barriers between us.
We need to stand together, talk to each other, learn what each other need, and work together to make this America one we all love and can rally behind.
From a very young age I have pledged an allegiance to the flag,
     of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

After work L&G were at baseball conditioning, J&I were on our own so we ran some videos back and then had a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  Home and watched news until late.

20161108 - Bad Choices

20161108 - UP early and to the voting poll to cast my vote for one of two creeps...  It took about 20 minutes to get in and out and on my way.  Headed to the gas station next to fill up and on to work.  Had a couple morning meetings and took a walk around the plant to make sure folks had or were going to vote.  After work I headed home for a nice night at home without a million things to do.  Spent some time with the boys but L&I were more interested in watching the election results.  Settled into bed for a long night as things are not going as all the 'Experts' have predicted...  It is going to be in interesting night.

20161107 - Playroom -> Bedroom

20161107 - Up in the am, the boys are home from school for some reason today...  L&I headed out to work.  I had a busy morning of unscheduled events while monitoring the slow progress D was making at listing items.  It was a busy day and I left a bit late.  Home and had dinner with the whole fam.  Then D&I shipped a bunch of things that sold today.  D&J headed out to Scouts, LG&I settled in and watched the '5th Wave' while I reduced one of the pile from my office.  D&J home, we finished watching the movie and all boys cleaned up and too bed.  G is in his 'new room' as L has been busy converting the playroom.

20161106 - Jacks Turn to be Chef

20161106 - UP in the am and D headed to the zoo with DGF7, the rest of us went to church.  After church J&I headed out, made a deposit, dropped off a bday present and got some groceries.  Home and L was upstairs painting, J started pealing potatoes, G made a salad and fruit salad.  J then cut up and cooked some meat and mushrooms and made gravy.  It was a great lunch!  L cleaned up and JG&I threw the football for a bit.  The boys took turns playing the xbox and I got some tings done at the desk.  In the evening J went to youth group, G&I played Trouble until time to go down to watch the waling dead.  A couple of the guys stopped over to watch The Walking Dead.  D got home late.

20161105 - Nickel Hockey

20161105 - Up in the am, D headed to a baseball clinic, J&G taking turns playing on the xbox, L&I watched a movie on the couch.  J was picked up to go to soccer, L&G headed out to a bday party for one of G's buddies, and I headed out to run errands: USPS, Glasses place to get temp frames, Goodwill, ABCO, BmB, then home.  D done with baseball and picked me up to get haircuts, groceries, Gahanna Hardware to ask for an Eagle Sponsorship, Home Depot for supplies and dropped a video off.  Home and D took his sink apart, I replaced the toilet seats and got some things done in the office.  I then headed out to the shop to clean it up for the party.  G&I got distracted for a couple of games of nickle hockey, L headed out to have dinner with her girlfriends, D to DGF7's, and J went to a movie with Conor.  Got done in the garage, J home and JG&I headed to the new MOD Pizza for dinner.  home and watched the OSU game, they finally started passing the ball!

20161104 ‡ Movie Together

20161104  Up in the am and in to work.  Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for catching up and completing some tasks.  Finished the day and headed home.  D took J to a school dance/fun night and then on to DGF7's, LG&I headed to GFS to get supplies for the party and then dinner at Steak'n Shake.  Home and J back from his event, he had a blast, said his buddy Conor was the hit of the party.   We started watching the new Star Trek movie, D home.  All to bed after the movie.

20161103 - Tired Boy

20161103 - Up in the am and in to work. I feel a bit better today and getting things cleaned up and in line to get knocked down. Setting up 4 PCs takes time... Home and met a guy from work and D&I helped him load up the old Mercedes we got and he took it to see if it is worth repairing... In to the house and we had some dinner. D headed to DGF7's house and LJG&I just relaxed and hung out watching TV. G didn't last long, he fell asleep about 6:45 and was done for the night. I stayed up late setting up a PC for L so she won't have to use mine :-)

20161102 - Scrub a Pup

20161102 - Up in the am and still dragging... Was up very late hacking and couldn't sleep. Got in to work, had a couple meetings and locked myself in to figure out some complicated part forecasting equations and a marathon call. Finished up the day in a slight haze. L gave Lilly a bath today and then took G to his baseball conditioning. Home and got something to eat with D&J and then we headed to the McClain's to watch game 7 of the World Series where L&G met us. It was a super stressful game and the Indians were not doing too well. We headed home about 11pm to watch the rest of the game. The Indians had a great comeback and tied it up! But in the end the Cubs pulled off the win. Good for them after waiting 108 years. 

20161101 - Sunset

20161101 - Up super slow in the am and barely made it to work.  People were telling me to go home all day... Got some stuff done, but not productive or focused :-(  After work I headed to the McClain's to help Bill move a washer and dryer set out of the house, scraped up my arm in the process.  On to Westerville under a beautiful sky to pick up Penn at the car dealership where he had to drop his car off.  Had a nice chat with him on the way home.  Dropped Penn of and headed home.  Got some dinner and then we all headed downstairs to watch the Indians lose big style.  Now the World Series is 3 - 3...