20260124 + Tommy's 49

20260124 + Up at 5:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. Up and had some coffee with L and then prepping the bedroom for some work in there today. Heading out to drop off a shipment, get some stuff at Home Depot, gas in L's car and pick up auction wins. Home and unloaded everything and got to work in the bedroom. First job was to to install a new properly grounded outlet for the new grounded sheets. Hope I don’t electrocute us in our sleep… second project was to hang a TV on the bedroom wall and run electric up to it. Well first job went way easier than expected… second job made up for that and was a nightmare! Figured it out and got it done. L&I then headed to our friend Tom’s bday party with his family. The McClains were there too and it was a really good time. Home and to bed. 

20250906 + OSU 2&0!

20250906 + Up in the am and got the brisket flat in the smoker and made a list of stuff to do for the weekend. Headed to the grocery store and got some goodies for the game. Home and watched the OSU game and got a couple little things done in around the house. Chaff came over to watch some of the game and then Terrill, D, DGF13 and Hank, J and JGF7 and Chris Bowman came over to watch Xichgan get beat! The brisket was done and I had the smart idea to put it on the grill for a minute to char the fat cap... well all the juices spilled out and cause a fire and charred the whole outside of the thing... It was still good and folks ate it up. up late watching football.

20240505 - New Door

20240505 - Up and pulled L's car in to the garage and started tearing it apart. I took the whole center console apart to replace a tiny little piece of the spinner for the computer system. Got everything back together and it WORKS! I then headed out and put the pump on the well in the backyard and that turned in to cleaning out the shed... back up to the house and spread poison around the house and sprayed some inside. L&I attempted to install the new screen door then realized it was a right-hand open when we need a left hand open... So we headed to Home Depot and exchanged the door. home and Derek stopped by with some trek wood for me to replace boards on the playset with. He stayed to help put the door on. It looks GREAT!

20240417 - Rain Out Bingo

20240417 - Up and J home for the morning to get his passport submitted. I had to wake him up so he didn't miss the window at USPS. On the PC on calls and working the P&L. Raining this morning. I forgot Hazel outside and she got soaked. I was at the desk most of the day. Took a break to take Hazel on a walk. Headed to the baseball field and got things set up in the concession stand and then headed to the press box. Got everything up, got the rosters 7 min before game start… and got things rolling. 1 inning in and lightning struck and the skies opened up with rain and hail. Game got suspended to another day and we headed for the car and got SOAKED! I dropped L off at home and then headed to Signature’s for bingo with Tom. D stopped by for a beer and the Ferguson’s showed up and we had a good time. Home, chatted with L a bit and then went to bed. Woke up at 2 and was awake until 4…

20220803 - Clippers Game

20220803 - Up in the am and headed to the Worthington office. CB came in for just a min, he’s sick. I was at the desk all day. L texted in the afternoon, after she took G to school to pick up his laptop get his pics taken and walk his classes, that Hazel was attacked by the dog from 3 doors down while they were on a walk… ugh!  I finished my day and headed home. J was home so chatted with him a bit. Hung out on the patio waiting for our ride to the Clippers game. G&I are going with Chad and Taylor Neer, a kid he’s played baseball with for years. We sat tin the box and had food and drink and enjoyed the game. It went extra innings and we watched a storm roll south of the city as the Clippers pulled off a walk off win! Home and G drove to Andrews to spend the night, I chatted with Terrill a bit and then headed home and to bed.

20220213 + Walk and Bet

20220213 + Up in the am and G’s baseball has been cancelled this am. I do a couple things around the house and it is a pretty lazy day. In the late afternoon G got picked up by a buddy and headed to his basketball game. L&I got ourselves together and headed downtown to meet the Pettits and take the Valentine’s Chocolate & Cocktails walk around to various Creekside businesses. There were about 8 places on the list and we went from place to place having some tasty treats and drinks and good conversation. It was a nice afternoon. Home and G was there with Gma&paW, they had come down to watch his game. We visited for a bit and then they took off and L started cooking some Super Bowl treats while Hazel and I took G out to Andrews to watch the game. Home and L&I had our snacks and watched the game. Got a text from Terrill that G won $160 in a bet they had at the party… The Game was ok, halftime show too strange for me and the commercials aren’t as good as they used to be. The Bengals lost so that was a bummer. I headed out and picked G up. Home and shut down for the night, ready for a busy week. 

20220204 - Snow Day 2

20220204 - Up and to the desk while everyone else got to sleep in. I got on with my day and L brought me lunch. G and Andrew finally got up, bundled and headed out sledding for the day. I finished up my day and came out of office. L&I hung out watching the opening ceremonies and I worked on an app for work most of the night.

20211213 - Swab and 50th Bday

20211213 - Up in the am and in to the office a bit before heading to the school to get G and take him to his orthodontist appointment. It was a quick visit and we had some discussion with the Dr about getting braces off, but G needs to actually wear his rubber bands so things get where they are supposed to go... Dropped G back off at school and headed home, phone was blowing up the whole time I was on the road, still having massive connection issues at work... Back to the desk for a bit, overwhelmed with the things that have to get fixed/done. Took Hazel on a walk and was on the phone the whole time. Back to the desk, J home, L home and we got notifications from the school that J was in close proximity to someone that has tested positive for COVID so L ran all over town to find him a test. L home with the test but our home internet was down... I got that working and J got online with a nurse and took his test, it was negative. L&I packed some stuff up and headed to Sunbury for her friend Steph's 50th bday dinner. It was a good time and a nice distraction. After we ate L drove us to the office in Worthington so I could set my laptop up so they could access it and and use it for testing tomorrow. Home and L&G took out the trash and J is home tonight playing on the Xbox with G. L did a late night bathroom cleaning and relaxed a bit.

20211023 - OSU Party!

20211023 - Up in the am and taking our time getting things ready for tonight's party. L ran G to the school to catch the bus to go run in the cross country District Championships and then back home for a bit before headed out to watch him run. G ran in the 'open' race, not the actual championship due to his hip injury he's been working on. I moved, things, set things up and got things around. J came home and helped with some stuff and then took off. D showed up and he hung out and helped with all the final details. We got the chili cooking and Gma&paW showed up and D helped carry in a bunch of stuff. We then got the hot dogs cooking and nacho chees fired up. L home and drinks out, TVs on, we are ready. Soon folks started showing up and we had a good time at our annual OSU Football Party. A nice crowd, not to big due to COVID concerns. Good to visit and catch up with folks.

20210930 + Flashy

20210930 + Up late, had a rough coughing night. LJ&G at school. We got calls from the school because J&G were late. I got up got myself around and jumped on a call. At the desk for the day. Did some touch up mudding and caulking between tasks. After work I had to go fix the mower, a spring on the end of a cable broke. I had a spring and made it work. J was busy cleaning his room so I mowed and had to put the belt back on about 10 times. L ran G to a XC dinner. I finished caulking the tub and L&I ran to Home Depot to return stuff we didn’t use and get some final touches. We dropped off the trim router I borrowed from the Varney’s and checked out their Senior Night stuff they are doing for Donovan and their new floors. On to pick G up and swing through Wendy’s to pick up dinner. Home and watched the Bengals game, D is there and sending us pics. 

20210731 + Dave's 50th

 20210731 + Up in the am and got some things done around the house. L gave me a haircut and then I rinsed off and Hazel and I headed out. We swung by the post office and Goodwill on our way to the dog park for a short visit. We then drove through Wendy's but J was working back on the grill so we didn't get to see him. Home and I dropped Hazel off and went to the grocery to pick up some stuff and Benadryl for L/s bee sting. Home and got some things done for work while watching the Olympics and throwing the ball to Hazel. D called a couple of times, his move was going good and they are in the new place already. J home from work and is going to spend a night with a friend. G called from the pool and is going to spend the night with a friend. L&I got ready and headed up to Mansfield for Dave's surprise 50th bday party. It was a nice crowd and some old faces I haven't seen for years were there. It was great to catch up folks and celebrate with Dave. We hung out a little while and then wanted to head home before dark. Home and got Hazel out of the cage and finished up work email.

20210728 - Creekside Fun

20210728 - Up in the am and G at XC and his buddies are asleep upstairs. I got on the PC and calls and got the day rolling. G and his friends up making noise so I shut myself in to finish the day. At the end of the day the McClains showed up and we walked down to Creekside to have dinner and listen to some music at the park. It was a good time and we finished the night off with a game around the table. 

20210721 - Big Try

20210721 - Up in the am and feeling better today. Drove myself to the office and we dove right in to the meeting. It was productive and took the first half of the day. Everyone headed out to do their thing and I stayed in the office for a couple more hours to take some calls and get some things done. Home and got Grant and we headed over to the Bo Jackson Dome in Hilliard for another baseball tryout. There were 67 kids there trying out, it was crazy. G did eh ok at fielding, but ran, hit and pitched well. Bill, Tom and a bunch of dads I have met throughout the years were there and we chatted about this and that to pass the 3 hours we were there... After the tryout G&I took Andrew with us and we stopped at a Waffle House, but they were closed, so we just headed home. I saw a sign for another Waffle House on the way home, we swung in and it was open. We sat down and had some dinner and and the boys blah blah blah the whole time. We were full and headed home. I told some bad dad jokes and we got Andrew delivered home. G&I got home and settled in for the night.

20210702 - Sliding Catch

20210702 - UP in the am and did a couple of quick things at the desk and then L&I headed to Cincinnati. We got to the university baseball field and got to watch G play on this beautiful field. My buddy Chris' son lives here on campus and he grew up around my boys in school and scouts and he swung by to watch and chat and tell us about life in the big city. G played well and had an amazing sliding catch the PBR featured on their social media. After the game LG&I headed to Quaker Steak and Lube where G and Trent had arranged for the team to go and eat. No one else showed up... We ate and then headed to the hotel. We got there and they don't clean the rooms unless it is prearranged, that didn't happen. There were no towels, took us 3 different trips and 5 different keys to get in to the room and it was a shit show from 3 boys staying there last night... and they are completely booked so I can't just grab a clean room... We headed to the Reds game and met up with G's team. It was a great time, the Reds won and there were fireworks afterward. Back to the hotel and they had cleaned the room up a bit after my talking with the manager on the way out. Checking on things and J still not home, 2am, Hazel been locked in her for 6 hours... Not happy with J...

20210629 - Beauties

20210629 - Up at 5:45 to make sure J was up to go to work. Up at 6:45 to make sure G was up to go to XC. My calls started at 8:30. G stopped by the house during his run with a bunch of guys today to get them water. It’s like 100+ degrees out already! G home and took a nap I got him up to take him to pitching lesson and I did email while there. After pitching I ran G to his dentist appointment, all good. Home and changed and headed in to the office for a meeting. Home and got G and headed to Groveport for G’s basketball games. He played quite a bit and they won both games. After the games we headed across the street to Waffle House only to be met by a handwritten sign on the door that said ‘Closed until 9pm due to lack of help’. So we went to the next closest Waffle House where the staff was arguing and it was a mess. We ordered and when I asked for steak and eggs they told me ‘sorry we don’t serve that anymore’. What? That’s what they’re famous for… we ordered and ate and got out of there. I took the long way home and stopped by another Waffle House just to double check and see if some idiot at Waffle House HQ really took steak and eggs off the menu… 3rd Waffle House had steak and eggs and had no idea why the other one said it was off the menu… Home and played with Hazel for a bit and then watched college baseball World Series with G until late. L called us she is having fun. Talked to GpaW and his back is better but now there’s something wrong with his teeth. To bed late.

20210628 - Guys Night

20210628 - Up in the am and to the desk. Not many meetings today so I was able to get a lot organized. J headed out with some friends. G got home in the afternoon with Trent and Owen stopped over to hang out with them. I worked a bit late and got G as soon as I finished up and ran him to his hitting lesson. His lesson was with a teammate that needed introduced to his hitting coach, they split an hour. I stayed and chatted with the kids dad about how our season has been… lesson over and G&I ran to the Burnworth’s to pick up his hat he left there. We swung through Jet’s to pick up some pizza on the way home. Home and ChrisP was there and then DaveB, ScottH and VinnieT showed up. We just hung out on the back pork having some drinks and chatting. Everyone headed home about 11. I got things cleaned up and got J&G to bed in good time for their busy days tomorrow. And then I couldn’t sleep…

20210617 + SO BIG

20210617 + Up in the am and J at work and L&G headed out to Newark for baseball. I got right on calls and was on ALL DAY. I watched G's games and sort of glad I wasn't there... J come home and shoed me his paycheck $$$$$ and then complained about the taxes taken out :-)  L&G home and I chatted with them about the day. G did meet up with some of his buddies at the fields and they got a picture taken, they are SO BIG. L&I hung out on the back porch and caught up and threw the ball to Hazel. I got online and tired to figure out vacation for this summer...

Brady, Trent, Zach, Grant, Cade, Landon, Andrew

20210605 - Baseball Day

20210605 - Up too early in the am and LG&I headed to his game in Utica. It was on a field D used to play on long ago and G was the bat boy. G was the starting pitcher and had an amazing game. Here is an excerpt from the GameChanger recap:

Arsenal USA (OHIO) Dennis 14U stole the lead late and defeated Licking Valley Dirtbags 14U 13-4 on Saturday.

Arsenal USA (OHIO) Dennis 14U tallied six runs in the sixth inning. The offensive onslaught came from a single by Trent Bowman, a sacrifice fly by Zach Akers, and a double by Grant Winger.

Winger took the win for Arsenal USA (OHIO) Dennis 14U. The righty lasted six innings, allowing four hits and four runs while striking out five.

Arsenal USA (OHIO) Dennis 14U had ten hits in the game. Winger, #10, and Cade Schreck all collected multiple hits for Arsenal USA (OHIO) Dennis 14U. Winger went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead Arsenal USA (OHIO) Dennis 14U in hits.

After the game we headed home and swung through Cane's to get some lunch. Home and ate on the back porch. After a bit a couple of other families from the team that live in Grove city came over to hang out with us so they didn't have to drive all the way home between games. After a bit G&I headed to Licking Valley HS for his second game of the day, L stayed home as her girlfriends and their husbands were coming over to go to dinner for Marlene's 50th bday party. The second game was a bit closer, but they won! G&I stopped by Texas Roadhouse on the way home and I got the boy a steak, winners get steak! We had a nice meal and then got home. L's friends were still there and we hung out on the back porch chatting for a bit. before everyone headed out and we got to bed for more baseball early tomorrow.

20210522 - I got BURNED!

20210522 - Up in the am and LG Hazel and I headed to Galena for a double header. While the teams were warming up Hazel and I took a walk back along a creek and through a small woods. We stayed out in centerfield where we found some shade and a nice breeze. L joined us and we watched some baseball. G was having an off day on the field and at the plate. The boys lost the first game, we had a short break and then started the second. Second game not much better. G's bat did wake up and he hit a nice double and got called to the mound where he did a great job. Loss #2 for the day and we headed home, got changed and headed to the Bowman's for a team cook out. It was when we were changing that I noticed I got burned. Not a little. Like lobster red on my knees and shins. I was in the shade?! We had a good time at the bowman's chatting with the parents and the kids had a blast. Their young coach fit in great with the boys and adult enough to fit in with the bigs. Home and Luke came with us and G and Luke headed back to the school to play basketball with some friends. G didn't come home with Luke, but came home with Madden and Madden was spending the night. I have no idea how these things happen... I played the boys in trouble and then they vanished upstairs. I applied aloe several times while up late on the pc.

20210225 = Official Visit

20210225 + Up in the am and L headed to work and J&G online for school. Hazel and I did our routine and I moved in to the office. I was on the phone most of the day. I got a call and a text from a buddy, he was in my front yard, so I got off the phone and he came in for a nice visit. I haven't seen Gregg since the pandemic hit and and glad he stopped by. We chatted and caught up for a long time, such a pleasant surprise! I finished the day, L made dinner and D&DGF13 stopped over for dinner.