Thursday and the Peter's guy showed up before Anna and I left for school. He is going to install the blower on our gas fireplace, we have had it several years and still haven't broke it in yet. I helped him identify the electric breaker before leaving for work and this made us a little late for early morning band. Plan to play rball with Mark J tonight at the Y, haven't been on the court with him yet. Anna has piano at 7pm so we are thinking she can go to the Y tomorrow while Laura and I exercise :) Rball went fine, Mark is an average player. I think I will plan to get me, Mark and Mike H together at QU for cut throat, Mark would be a good fit for Mike. Came home ate and had to try the fireplace and fan, good thing Laura baked something to off-set the firebox smell. Saturday will be the big burn in day.
From WCK BB :)

The red truck goes to Strothers this AM to get the thermostat replaced and the radiator flushed. This should bring it right up to ready and comfortable. Jim T met me there and gave me a ride to work, such a nice guy. Keaton called me after school and before my lunch to see if the truck was ready. It worked out that he came and got me and we picked it up, I got to pay though :) Went home for lunch, Laura played for a funeral and then ate at Kelly's so she brought me half a sandwich. I had an eye appointment at 5pm and all is good with just a slight change after a year. I will plan to do a change towards the end of the year with lens' and frames because of insurance. I got home after my appointment in time to grab my book and take Caleb to piano. I read while he was at lesson. Ate chili-chips-n-cheese for supper, always good stuff. Watched a bit of TV and Kori called before going to bed and reading a bit more. She has been busy with school saying this quarter is the hardest and has spent a lot of time studying. She is planning to dog sit for Koz again this weekend.

Mom called me while I was on my way to work this AM and talked all the way to the parking lot. She was on her way to Houston by her self for a check up with her cariologist. It was cold but clear weather and she was making good time. Work was steady in the AM and I had a hair cut scheduled for 1:15pm. Laura and I didn't meet for lunch because of that. I ended up swinging by Logan's place to pick up his W2 on my way back to work, we have a tax appointment tonight. I met Laura and the young ones at Tower for supper right after work. Laura left from there to choir, the boys went home first before Keaton had trumpet and I took Anna home before taxes at 7pm. We got ours, Logan's and Adam's taxes done and still waiting on a W2 from BWW for Kori. All get money back which is always fun...
From WCK BB :)

No walk at lunch today we went to Panera for eats. Very cold everywhere it seems and kept my coat on for awhile. Supper time was roast beef and mashed potatos. Adam joined us for a very fine meal, Thank You Honey for all your wonderful work. I slipped in some reading this evening and that was about it.
From WCK BB :)

Woke up to a couple of inches of snow this morning and pretty cold. Probably had a total of 3 inches after it was done. The boys had a 8am soccer game today, they lost by one. I guess Keaton had a two pointer that the ref didn't count so they could have tied. Anna and I went to church together and the boys stayed home, on their own for lunch. We did our usual Sunday meal and then went to an open house on the north end and another one near us. The one near us in Wildhorse is a guy at work that is transferring out of town. It is a very nice two story house but quite expensive. Laura and I made plans to feed everyone for supper at Faler's and then went grocery shopping, Sam's, WalMart and then Aldi's. Laura made two big dishes of lasagna with garlic bread and salad. We took ice cream for dessert with whip cream and nuts and several topping options. It was later than what we planned but OH my goodness well worth the wait. Thank You Honey for doing that, you are ssooooo wonderful. I Love You.
From WCK BB :)

Laura and Anna had kids choir this AM. I took my time getting going this morning. Caleb wanted to get his staples out today so he could play soccer tomorrow. I called Tim J to see if he was working and find out if it would take long to get the staples out. He had the day off but assured me that it wouldn't take long, just get there before they closed at 1pm. Caleb and I decided to take the truck and head in to the clinic, I needed to check the new red wheels out again. There was a line to get signed in but we didn't wait long before getting in to have the staples removed. Dr Arndt did the job and Caleb hardly flinched, what a great patient, Dr Arndt is a very good guy too. Laura laid down to read and rest, Anna went to Briana's to play for awhile and I went to the Y to play rball with Pat H. I got there a bit early to walk on the treadmill and warmup since I was late last time. I had a good time playing and did real well too. I enjoy playing against him, it is very different from the other guys and brings back some good memories. I plan to beat him as much as possible for all the times he beat on me... Laura and I went out to eat at the Tower with Pat and his wife after rball, we had a very nice time together and learned some things about Pat that I didn't know before. Got to see Mack there which is always good too. Spent the rest of the evening relaxing and trying to keep my eyes open after 9pm... From WCK BB :)

Today is the debut of the red truck to school. Keaton is supposed to get a parking spot assignment today too. He has all his paperwork and cash, I think Mr Mosley will escort him and make sure he gets one so he dosen't have to keep wrestling with Keaton trying to work the system. The boys got their midterms the other day and Caleb is doing so poorly that I shut off his cell phone and he will be spending some quality time at home until things change. I really don't like taking things away from the kids but some times you have to get their attention. Busy at work and short staffed but all good because it is Friday. Ate supper at home before going to Turner Hall for Fielder tonight, one of the few early shows that we feel we can attend. T&K met us there and we had the young kids too. Plenty loud music and they sounded good. They have some new stuff and it will be nice if they can get some recorded and on line. We went to Kelly's afterwards and had cheesecake while T&K ate supper. Very cold night with too much wind.

From WCK BB :)

Today is finally the truck trade day. Michael agreed to take delivery this evening and will drop off the money tomorrow after he goes to the bank. Met Laura around 1:30pm at the SoS to do all the license and registration stuff for the trucks. She wasn't feeling very good so we didn't do lunch together this day. I called the insurance people and made the change there so the red truck can be driven tonight. Keaton was in charge of cleaning the blue one out and when I got home I noticed that it was looking good, WELL as good as it can. Keaton cleaned the red truck out too and Adam was at the house cleaning up his ride, it had something to do with the 50 degree weather I'm sure. We figured out supper plans and Keaton and I delivered the truck to Hummel's. After that I ordered Papa John's cheese sticks, Keaton and I swung by and picked them up and then went home. Anna and I turned right around and went to piano with a small cheese stick box and a book to read while Anna practiced. Keaton and Adam took the red truck out for a test spin to make sure the license plates work :) and to pick up some food. We all got back at about the same time. Got to bed at decent time.

Laura is going to accompany J&L to Jan's Dr appointment in STL today. Jan is having a test done today that will make her heart beat faster so they can take some measurements via an echo. This will help determine if she will need any extra heart related device to stimulate functionality. The girls would just feel much better if there was one of them along for the ride. Busy night tonight with soccer, piano and trumpet. Probably try to eat after all that. Laura got home by 7pm and went with me to pick up Caleb and then Anna. Jan's test was a nuclear med test that wasn't quite as bad as they thought, better to be comfortable. We ate at JJ's and then Caleb and I went to Wal-Mart and he bought an iPod Touch with his PSP sale money, pretty cool.
From WCK BB :)

Kori turns 22 today and we have a new president. Laura said she emailed Kori 22 e-cards this AM so I decided she probably needs 22 text messages :) I will send mine throughout the day. Laura gets a hair cut today @ 1pm so I will do some banking before we try and meet for lunch. Adam joined Laura and I at Wendy's today and we had a nice visit. I plan to play rball after work probably at QU. I think Chloe may come over for a bit tonight while Jacklyn goes to a meeting with her Chis. I will give Michael a call about the truck too. Adam ate supper with us at home and then finished his laundry before leaving. Kori called me as I was leaving for QU and we talked for a bit. She was going to study and then out to eat with Koz and maybe some others. She called and talked to Anna and Caleb and then Laura talked to her after choir. Kori was having a good b-day with her new friends.
From WCK BB :)

A dusting of snow on the ground this AM. The kids don't have school today because of Martin Luther Day. I hope to hear from Michael H soon about buying the blue truck, Dave was going to check on the insurance. Peters Heating will stop by today to service the furnace. I went home for lunch and the boys and Gabe were watching a movie. Peters came and went this morning and said they cleaned some things and that should help. I expected Caleb's head to be giving him some pain but he said it wasn't really bothering him. Planning on Tower for supper right after work and some Bowen's will join us. I went out to Liberty tonight after supper to get Elmer's signature in the right spot on the red truck title, should be good to go now. Came home and watched a little TV and read in bed.
From WCK BB :)

Church this AM and the 3 youngest made it up and we got there in time. Did the Wendy's lunch and slipped by Big Lots for a heating pad and I got a couple of floor mats for the red truck. Started to relax and read when Caleb called to let me know that Blake C hit him with a rock while they were at the creek and he may need stitches. Tony brought Caleb home and we took a look to see what might need to be done. I called for Tim J but no one answered so we decided he should go to the ER. We saw Dr Arndt and he suggested a xray to make sure there is no head trauma since it was such a big rock. The cat scan came back fine and the Dr proceeded with numbing the area and putting five staples in. Caleb opted for this since it would be the easiest and quickest. We were only there for about an hour and Caleb was VERY brave. Laura washed Caleb's hair when we got home and he took some ibprophen as needed. He was feeling good enough to have a female friend over for awhile so I guess he will survive. Was able to spend some of the evening reading again.

From WCK BB :)

Played rball this AM with Pat Humphry, haven't done that in all of 25 years. Had a good time and visited some too. Keaton helped me take down the Christmas tree today and Caleb helped me get it downstairs. Michael H came by to test drive the truck and is interested. Got some reading time in this afternoon, Laura had a sore neck and a headache so she was trying to shake that with some medicine and rest. Went to Sam's and WalMart and then ate at Kelly's. Caleb and Anna went to Bowen's to watch Briana while Kendall went out. It is 1am and the kids still aren't home. The furnace here at home is not working so could be a little chilly by morning.
From WCK BB :)

I played rball for the first time since new years day, and baby'd my foot some. I was surprised that it didn't hurt after that. The boys won their soccer game. Keaton scored low in the corner and Caleb had a fancy goal, juggle up over the goalie and headed in. SWEET!! Laura had supper ready after the game and she invited Adam to join us. Adam came over to work on his car too, he bought some used fuel injectors with fuel rail on ebay from I guy in Hawaii and planned to install them tonight. He was doing real good until he got some gas in his eye and had to take a break for minor medical attention. We all ate supper to a gasoline fragrance this evening but the company was wonderful. Adam went back to his car after we ate and I went out to see what I could do to help. He was just about done when I got there and after connecting the battery he fired it up for a test start and drive. He said it is doing much better and will plan to return GPa's truck tomorrow if it stays running. I parked all the cars back where they belonged for the night and relaxed in the warmth of the house. Thank You honey for another fine meal.
From WCK BB :)

Colder than cold this AM -9, SOooo cold that the public schools don't have school today. I guess the kids can go outside and do some chores or just play in the yard :) Thank goodness for heat, my car was slugish at lunch time after setting out all morning. Took a late'r lunch today, got caught on the phone. Had some soup and saved some room for angel food cake on behalf of Larry W's retirement, 41 years of service. (Very good guy) Planning to play rball at 5pm for the second time this year, hope my foot holds up. Boys have a soccer game at 6:30 that I will be going to and then home for supper.
From WCK BB :)

Had three people interested in the blue truck yesterday down to two today and now I can't get them to return my call. Also found out that Elmer signed his name in the wrong spot on the red truck title so I will have to make another trip to Liberty. Laura had a busy morning and we met at Wendy's for lunch. Anna PSR, Caleb piano and yes Keaton trumpet tonight. I took Caleb and read my book while waiting in the truck, very cold but I have to get it done tonight. Came home and did finish it and had some hot chocolate and watched some hockey with Caleb. Keaton got home late and said he enjoyed trumpet but forgot to pay.
From WCK BB :)

I am showing the truck at 10am, 1pm and 5pm today, got some good bites. Dropped off SSB paperwork for the refi that we are going to do. In to work a bit late today and will get caught up hopefully. Laura called for Char today and ended up sending her an email. Laura is such a great person and does such a good job at that, what a gift she is!! She picked me up for lunch and we went to Panera's, it was definitely a soup day. The 5pm truck show was another offer, I will make a callback later to strike a deal. Laura made supper and had choir, I picked up Caleb and hung out at home for the evening, way too cold to get out. Rick doesn't want the truck after all so I will call the next in line and see what I get. Pretty crazy...
From WCK BB :)

Monday was travel day back home, ready for that :) I was able to leave about 1pm, weather is fine just some wind but sunny and 40'ish. While driving home I returned a phone call about the blue truck we have for sale, I parked it by Ellington while I was gone. Ended up driving straight thru and got home about 5:15pm. Anna and Laura were the only ones home at that point so got my hugs and unpacked before supper. We decided to go out for supper so we bundled up and swung by work and then headed to Applebee's. Keaton met us there and Caleb ate with Logan C. Chilled the rest of the night.
From WCK BB :)

Sunday in Springfield, Mo. I slept til about 8am and read a bit before showering. I went down to breakfast around 9am and had biscuits-gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, orange juice and coffee. I took some peach yogurt and granola back to the room for lunch. I wandered outside about noon and went to Wal Mart and got an arch band for my foot to see if that will help when I exercise and play rball. I found a gas station after that and will wander more from there. About 2pm sunny and 45 degrees. Stepped into a music store to look at electric drum sets and learned of Ion drums that will interface with xBox and also stand alone. I sent a message to Caleb for more research. I went in Best Buy next and then to Barnes and Noble. That may have been the first time I walked into their store with the intent of buying a book for myself to read. I found one, bought it and then had to get a cup of coffee for the way back to the hotel. Barb and I hit snack time at the motel and then went to Lamberts Cafe (throwed rolls) for supper. Not bad, plenty of food, would be more fun with a bigger group, BTW they don't take credit cards.
From WCK BB :)

Slept OK last night for a motel room. Showered and read a chapter before breakfast. They have a good hot selection here at the Drury. Barb and I ate and then wandered over to the ADM office for the morning. The temp yesterday was about 65 and this morning it is 25 and windy, not very pleasant at all. Things went well during the morning and we had lunch brought in so we hung out at the office until about 3:30pm. Came back to the motel and read a bit and then went downstairs and worked out for about half an hour. Went to happy hour and had a few snacks before we went to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. Gauldin's are big Arizona Cardinal fans so we ate and watched the first half of the football game. They played well and were several good plays. That was the first time I actually watched sports at a sports bar. Wondered back to the motel and watched the rest of the game and phoned home to talk to Laura. She had a good day with the kids and took them to a movie. She also did way too much work around the house again. Thank you Dear for all the things you do, I Love You.
From WCK BB :)

Got on the road about 7am and headed south. The sunrise was pretty cool this morning and I tried to take some pictures while moving in the van. I made it to Lebanon, Mo. before stopping for a break. I found a McD's with a potty, cookies and more coffee, can't beat that. It was getting so warm in the van that I turned the air on low. I got to Springfield, Mo. at about 11:30am and the motel I am at is the same exit we have taken twice before to eat at Cracker Barrel when traveling to Texas, huummm. Checked in and was able to read a chapter before meeting Barb at the office. Spent the rest of the afternoon learning the new office and working. I got my 12 hour day in and Barb and I went back to the motel to freshen up before heading to Red Lobster for supper, always need to eat good on the company :) Made it back to the room and watched some TV and read some more.
From WCK BB :)

Finally got a text back from Logan today and he felt OK enough to work last night but he said he is not quite back to normal. I actually talked to him as well and he sounded good too. He is eating bananas and drinking orange juice.

Jan has an appointment with her cardiologist today in STL. She will have an echo and visit with the Dr right away. Hopefully all is good and she can start training soon :)

Downloaded a new free checkbook register program to my BB (very cool) so I can get rid of the Palm Pilot device finally.

I picked up the ADM fleet van that I will be taking to Springfield, Mo. Friday morning and drove it home for lunch. It is brand new with only 1500 miles on it. I am anxious to see how it does on the road. Took Anna to piano in it tonight and need to go to Staples and mail a package and get a marker for the old truck so I can write for sale on the window and park it near Ellington for the weekend. Hopefully we will get some interest so we can sell it soon.From WCK BB :)

Stayed pretty busy at work today and didn't get to leave for lunch. I did slip out to the bank to deposit and get a money order for Keaton's cap and gown order. Laura took Anna to the Dr today to make sure that her petechiae (red spots) on her arm wasn't anything more. She was running a slight temp and the cardiologist told Luara to keep a close eye on things. Anna stayed home from school to get some rest. The spots seem to be going away some now. Started snowing before I left work and I stopped by Aldi before heading home. Seems real cold and some wind, not sure if we are supposed to get any accumilation. Walked in the back door at home to the smell of chocolate chip cookies, what a wonderful Laura. Piano night for Caleb and chill for the rest of the evening.
From WCK BB :)

Boxed up some items for Kori last night and will plan to ship via UPS today so she can have what she needs for the weekend. Took the box to Staples during lunch and it should arrive at Kori's school on Friday. I met Laura at Wendy's to eat. Laura has choir tonight, not ready to go back. I tried to help Anna with some science homework but didn't have much luck. She will ask her teacher for help filling in the chart. Watched some TV and wondered to bed about ten.
From WCK BB :)

The first Monday of the New Year (2009) and the kids start back to school. Wasn't too bad getting them up and going, I think everyone made it on time. I had two 4 day weekends in a row, very nice. It didn't take too long to get back into the swing of things at work. Laura and I met for lunch today and then we met at Tower after 5 to eat pizza there with the three youngest. Logan is sick with the flu and Adam may swing by tonight for laundry and left overs. Laura and Anna went to the store for Sprite and crackers and will drop them off to Logan. Caleb and I made a Wal-Mart run after dinner to get a memory card for Kori's picture frame and then made our way home...
From WCK BB :)

Kori called to let me know that she will be needing her bolster by the weekend for clinic. I knew there was something she would forget but didn't know what it would be. I think I have everything laid out that needs to go in the big box, she added a couple other items.
From WCK BB :)

Saturday and Kori is flying back to Colorado this evening. We didn't have anything to do in the morning so it was nice to not have an alarm set. Laura made pancakes and we had a nice leisurely morning.

Lunch plans were at The Pier with J&L, Alex and everyone else except Logan, he had to work. We had a very nice lunch and get half price meals when we have Adam with us. I like taking the kids there and being able hangout, eat good food and overlook the river, bridges and eagles this time of the year. We shared desserts and I think everyone got plenty of food.

We came home after that and told Kori goodbye and saw her and Alex off. It started to get foggy so I prayed they would have safe travel. I sent her a message later in the evening and she had arrived just fine with a sprinkle of snow coming down.
From WCK BB :)

My foot is still sore and walking is slow. I setup to work from home and did in the AM. I sent my boss an email and it didn't seem like much was going on for the day, I think there are still a lot of people on vacation. Laura had to play for Greg M's funeral and I went to STL to pick up Logan from the airport. I got to the airport just after noon and Logan was waiting inside. I parked and got his attention quickly so I didn't even have to pay. We stopped for $1.32 gas at Cave Springs and grabbed a McWrap and coffee before getting back on the road. We had a very nice visit on the way back and talked about several different subjects. Dropped Logan off at his house and Adam and Zach L were dog and house sitting, and maybe playing Wii.

I got home and Kori was giving Laura a message in the piano room, she said Kori was doing a wonderful job. After they were done Laura and I had an appointment in Liberty at the bank and then to purchase a truck from Ray and Elmer. Elmer is 88 and failed the vision part of his driving exam. It was very sad as they watched me drive away in the 1995 GMC Sonoma pickup. We got home with the truck and Keaton and Caleb were ready to go for a spin around the block.

Had a pretty good time last night even though we were treated as outsiders, sat on the band side to eat, bad service, Laura got free dinner, expensive food, no heat, Laura had to eat while we watched, interesting glitter balls, terrible champagne, good music and fun band. I actually danced (or what ever you call it that I do) the whole night knowing that Laura would appreciate that :) I tried to get her over heated with her cuddle duds on so she could get a good workout. There were lots of interesting little Club parties around the dance floor to keep us entertained, we could always use more so we can joke about something. All in all we decided that it would be nice to have a place to go where there was even more people for minimal dollars, not sure what next year will bring.

I made plans to play racquetball at noon with several guys and ended up taking Anna with me, she finally found her swim suite. I played several games and ended up hurting my foot to finish the day. Limping around quite a bit and very sore.

Anna and I were late getting to the b-day party at 2 but Adam didn't get the message and Kori was feeling rough from the night before. We got a very late start and Mom was not a happy camper, we were invited to the Jacobs for supper and missed that but Laura and I were able to go over in the evening and spend some time with big people and good friends. We had fun and enjoyed great conversation.

Happy New Year to all and especially to my Wife, I Love You...