Blog Step-Child

Since we have a blog for the kiddos and one for photograpy, this blog has become somewhat of a red-headed step-child. That's really a terrible analogy. I never really thought about that one before.

Okay, anyway, I'm going to start posting more about us personally on the Prints Charming blog, which you can find here (Edmond, Oklahoma Photographers)

I hope you'll swing by from time to time and check out what we've been up to. My entire personal life is tied up in photography. Many days I work on it from the hour I wake up until the hour I go to bed, so I think it will be a good fit to have that blog become more personable as well as professional. I just posted a good personal blog on it this morning, so if you have time, go check it out.

Many thanks to all 3 of my regular readers. =)

New Zip Code

Hey, we're not moving, but the Post Office, bless their hearts, have created a new zip code for us since our area is growing so much. It's going to be 73012 effective July 1, 2007. Just wanted to let everyone know!

The Smoking Tree

I captured this photo literally just moments after the rain stopped this afternoon and the sun pierced the clouds. Five seconds later, the tree stopped steaming like this...


It was amazing to have been there at precisely that moment with camera ready in hand. We were there shooting a high-school senior but were in between locations when I spotted it.

Click on the picture to see a larger version of it where you can see the steam better. Hope you enjoyed the photo!

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's PSA (Public Service Announcement)

Here's a little tip for drivers living in or visiting Oklahoma:

Beware puddles in the road that have chunks of asphalt around the edge of it.

That's simple wisdom, there, but oh so helpful.

Gray Hair

I'm getting gray hair on my chest.

(*Always a great conversation starter over coffee*)

We're thinking about homeschooling

It's funny... seems the same month Addie (our first child) was born, people started asking what we were going to do for school. Um, we still have like 5 years to decide, don' t we? Well, Holly was homeschooled and my brother and sister were even though I went to a private Christian school for the sports. We all had good experiences with it and so we're thinking we'll do that with our kids, too.

Today on Facebook I ran across this interesting research on Homeschooling and thought I'd pass it along. Very interesting info!

Homeschooling Research

11:37pm Tuesday, Feb 27

A non-profit research group has released results from a study of adults who were homeschooled for at least 7 years. A small portion of their findings:

• 74.2 percent had attained some college courses or higher in their education. In the general U.S. population in the same age range, the number is 46.2 percent.

• 71 percent of the former homeschoolers are participating in an ongoing community activity, compared to 39 percent of all U.S. adults.

• The degree to which the respondents thought they could understand and affect society and government was also addressed. For example, fewer of the home educated (4%) than the general public (35%) thought that “politics and government are too complicated to understand.”

• 1.7% had ever been convicted of a misdemeanor.

• Taking all things into consideration, 59% of the subjects reported that they were “very happy” with life, while 27.6% of the general U.S. population is “very happy” with life.

Some more info...

***Academic Performance

The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.

Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.

Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers is not related to their children’s academic achievement.

Degree of state control and regulation of homeschooling is not related to academic achievement.

Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.

Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.

***Social, Emotional, and Psychological Development

The home-educated are doing well, typically above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development. Research measures include peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem.

Homeschool students are regularly engaged in social and educational activities outside their homes and with people other than their nuclear-family members. They are commonly involved in activities such as field trips, scouting, 4-H, political drives, church ministry, sports teams, and community volunteer work.

***Success in the “Real World” of Adulthood

The research base on adults who were home educated is growing; thus far it indicates that they:

participate in local community service more frequently than does the general population, vote and attend public meetings more frequently than the general population, and go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.

And a few more notes for the uninformed...

There are about 2 million homeschool students in the United States. There were an estimated 1.9 to 2.4 million children (in grades K to 12) home educated during 2005-2006 in the United States.

Families engaged in home-based education are not dependent on public, tax-funded resources for their children’s education. The finances associated with their homeschooling likely represent over $16 billion that taxpayers do not have to spend since these children are not in public schools

Homeschooling is quickly growing in popularity among minorities. About 15% of homeschool families are non-white/nonHispanic (i.e., not white/Anglo).

A demographically wide variety of people homeschool – these are atheists, Christians, and Mormons; conservatives, libertarians, and liberals; low-, middle-, and high-income families; black, Hispanic, and white; parents with Ph.D.s, GEDs, and no high-school diplomas.

Source: National Home Education Research Institute

What a Sunset!

Did you see the sunset tonight and the massive clouds moving in? It was awesome. If you didn't see it, here's a glimpse of what you missed.


Click on it to see the high-res version of it. Pretty awesome colors!

I am currently...

... Retouching pictures, checking text messages and email, checking the weather for upcoming shoots, talking on the phone, eating Oreos and reading a book entitled, "The Ragamuffin Gospel." In this crazy day of multi-tasking, I really am trying to slow down and do one thing at a time, but when I have to wait on the computer, I fill the time with other things and try to increase my efficiency.

Anyway, here's a good quote I just read from "The Ragamuffin Gospel." Thought some of you might enjoy...

"Gerald May, a Christian psychiatrist in Washington DC writes: 'Honesty before God requires the most fundamental risk of faith we can take: the risk that God is good, that God does love us unconditionally. It is in taking this risk that we rediscover our dignity. To bring the truth of ourselves just as we are, to God, just as God is, is the most dignified thing we can do in this life.'"

"Lord Jesus, we are silly sheep who have dared to stand before You and try to bribe you with our preposterous portfolios. Suddenly we have come to our senses. We are sorry and ask You to forgive us. Give us the grace to admit we are ragamuffins, to embrace our brokenness, to celebrate Your mercy when we are at our weakest, to rely on Your mercy no matter what we may do. Dear Jesus, gift us to stop grandstanding and trying to get attention, to do the truth quietly without display, to let the dishonesties in our lives fade away, to accept our limitations, to cling to the gospel of grace, and to delight in Your love. Amen."

Camping with the Guys

Had a fun weekend out camping with the guys Friday night through last night. I was outside of cell phone coverage, though, and when I got back in coverage, I had no messages, so it made me wonder if callers were getting an error message rather than my normal outgoing voice mail message. If you got a strange message, let me know!

I'm sore today from riding dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. It's quite a workout! I didn't bring my own, but as people got hurt, they would let me ride their bikes. I got to take turns riding four or five different bikes and it was actually a lot of fun. I didn't get half the reading done I thought I would since we were camping right in the middle of the park and bikes and 4-wheelers were constantly whizzing by us, so it wasn't really restful at all. Oh well, it was an experience and fun to be hanging out with all the guys. It really was a great group and a lot of them I hadn't seen in several years since back before we got married.

Welp, it's time to get caught up on everything, so I gotta scoot. Hope everyone's doing well...

New Website for Prints Charming Photography

Well, we've finally done it! Our old, yet functional website has been retired and a slick new one is here! We're so excited!! We'd love to hear what you think of it. Check it out and drop us a comment whenever you have time.

Here's a screenshot of the welcome page as it looks now:

From this page, you can select either to go to our blog, the flash site or an html version for users with slower internet speeds.

Here's a screenshot of the main page in the flash site. It's a slideshow, so you can just sit there and watch it flip through a dozen or so pictures from recent sessions while listening to several great tunes.


There are a few more things that we need to do on it, like updating the galleries with more photos, etc. We need to create a few new galleries, too, with bridal portraits, weddings and commercial photography. It would be easier to get this done if we weren't so busy with senior photography right now, but it's too exciting to ignore altogether. =) Besides, we may be this busy for months and we just can't put it off indefinitely. We figured as it is, it's already better than our old site, so we might as well go live with it and continue to update and improve it as we go along.

As we add new pictures from our newest photo sessions, we'll replace the older photos, so the site will be kept up to date and be constantly changing and improving. That's the plan, at least!

We've been as busy as ever with photography and plans to make that our full-time business. It's been an overwhelming stage of life for me with so many responsibilities and really huge decisions at ever bend and I've been struggling through it for a couple of months, now. After a really encouraging talk with my Dad yesterday, he shared how he dealt with the same feelings after marrying Mom and inheriting three little kiddos (Sean, Dana and me). I'm all about living without regrets and something he said really struck me. He said that he regretted letting the anxieties and worries of the day steal his joy during those first difficult months or years after getting saddled with so much. Wow... Yeah, I can totally see that just for the past couple of months in my life. I've been so overwhelmed and anxious that it's weighed me down and I've been frustrated and burdened to the point that I haven't enjoyed life.

No more! Dad said that if he could do it over, he'd remind himself every day and as often as necessary that we have a loving heavenly Father who is out to bless us however He can and that things will work out! What a huge blessing and relief!! I can feel a really major difference already in my life and I'm sure those around me can feel it, too. One of the biggest bummers about being anxious, worried and overwhelmed is that it affects those we love the most. And that only serves to make us feel even worse about the entire thing. What a vicious cycle.

I'm really thanking God for His love today and for the many blessings we do have. I'll just do what I can and leave off the worrying. God is in control and if I, being a selfish, earthly father want the best for my kids, I can only begin to imagine how God loves us as His children and wants the best for us.

Dry Cleaning

Did you know you shouldn't leave your dry-cleaning in the plastic they come draped in? Yep... if you leave that plastic on your clothes for any length of time, they will yellow. Something in the plastic causes it.

With Storie being born not too long ago, I hadn't been by the dry cleaners to pick up several shirts I had there. They called over the weekend to let us know it had been a month and Holly was concerned that they'd give away my shirts if I didn't pick them up soon. Yep, they do that, but only after 6 months, so the shirts were safe.

Just thought you might like to know. =)

I think I'm going to try switching to decaf slowly. I started today with 1/2 regular-1/2 decaf vente house blend coffee. I'm hoping maybe the switch will help me to deal with pressure and stress a bit better. I know regular coffee can rob you of vitamin B which helps deal with stress, and I need every bit of B I can get. =) So, that's the plan. We can still do coffee, but I'm sipping decaf, at least for a while.

Need to get cracking on taxes or I'm going to have to file for an extension... Just one more thing to do ASAP.

I got the front struts replaced on the Toyota today (after 140k miles, I guess they were ready) and it feels like a new car. Amazing how struts make a difference. It was getting noisier and rougher for the last several hundred miles and I didn't really notice until last week when a clunking noise developed. Now I have to get it aligned... Good thing we have the Firestone lifetime alignment deal!

Oh, and I had the oil changed yesterday and I put some Lucas fuel injector cleaner/upper engine cleaner in it. Man, that stuff really is amazing. I could tell a difference after just about 50 miles. Starts up quicker and just seems to run smoother. It's nice to find products that actually work as expected.

I've been really overwhelmed recently with all I had to do, but I've been looking at everything all at once instead of just one thing at a time. So, I'm trying to focus on what God would have me do just right now to get through the craziness of life at this stage. Today's already been a better day just because of that. I've always heard that God never gives you more than you can deal with, but when you're in the middle of it, sayings like that don't really help much. I've heard life is continually lived between three stages, like a vine: growing, fruit-bearing and pruning. I guess we're in a pruning stage right now and it kinda helps having that in mind as I continue to face challenges and frustrations during this stage of life.

Well, that's all for now. Catch you over coffee again soon, hopefully. Maybe after I catch up on about 30 or 40 more things...

Napping for Peak Performance

Having a newborn around the house (well, she's 10 weeks old now) has once again reminded me of the restorative power of a good nap. When I saw today's "Weekend Reading" article from David Schlosser on the subject (a reprint from the original Men's Journal article, Jan. '06) I was interested to read it.

Here's a link to the article, if you're interested. They give tips on why and how to nap, but I needed neither of those questions answered. =) I was most interested in the "How long?" for the most effective nap. Here's the summary from the article...

How Long Is A Good Nap?
THE NANO-NAP: 10 to 20 seconds Sleep studies haven't yet concluded whether there are benefits to these brief intervals, like when you nod off on someone's shoulder on the train.
THE MICRO-NAP: two to five minutes Shown to be surprisingly effective at shedding sleepiness.
THE MINI-NAP: five to 20 minutes Increases alertness, stamina, motor learning, and motor performance.
THE ORIGINAL POWER NAP: 20 minutesIncludes the benefits of the micro and the mini, but additionally improves muscle memory and clears the brain of useless built-up information, which helps with long-term memory (remembering facts, events, and names).
THE LAZY MAN'S NAP: 50 to 90 minutesIncludes slow-wave plus REM sleep; good for improving perceptual processing; also when the system is flooded with human growth hormone, great for repairing bones and muscles.

Pretty interesting... That gave me an idea. Someone should develop an eyeshade for napping that measures your eye movements to tell exactly how long you've been napping. You could set a timer on them and you'd be awaken after the proper amount of napping. Without something like that, you'd never really know when you'd fallen asleep and how long you'd been napping. Royalties accepted made payable to Christian Sangree... Thanks!

On a side note, it's snowing in Oklahoma as I type. Crazy weather. Gotta run cover all the plants that we planted 3 weeks ago and that are blooming nicely.

Google's Offering Free Internet

If you haven't noticed, Google's offering free internet on their classic web search page. It's hard to miss since there's usually nothing on the page but a field for entering search string data. As of right now, it says:

New! Get FREE breakthrough broadband with Google TiSP (BETA).

If they still have it up, check it out... It's a great article and amazing technology. Click on the "How TiSP Works" link and check out their great diagrams, etc.



If you don't have time to do all that, basically, they're offering free internet through city sewer systems. They provide you a model and a long cable to flush down your toilet to waiting technicians.

I wonder what those technicians did to get put on TiSP duty. Bummer of a job...

=)

Wildfire at Woodvine

Coming home from work today, I saw smoke billowing from our neighborhood. It was just getting going, so I ran home and changed quickly and then headed over to help put it out. There were already a lot of people there helping, but I did what I could and then took some pictures before heading home.

The fire was apparently caused from someone flicking a lit cigarette butt out of their car window. It was a windy day and with the dry grass grown up in this field, conditions were perfect for a fire. I see people toss lit cigarettes out their windows all the time. People, think! I wish you'd stop doing that. Nobody lost their home today, but a lot of damage was done to fences and property in people's yards.
















Just about a week ago, I called 911 to report the tag of someone tossing a lit cigarette out of their car window and into a pile of dry grass just about a mile from our neighborhood. The mayor set up a special hotline number last year to call if anyone sees someone toss a smouldering cigarett butt onto the ground, but I don't think it's in service still.

Sometimes people can be SO stupid.

AutoZone Customer Service

I keep forgetting to blog about this, but I finally remembered today! =) AutoZone has a great customer service offering where they will help you read your check engine light code with a ODBII code-reading tool. AutoZone sells car parts and so this little extra service of theirs helps customers figure out what's actually wrong with the car rather than just guessing and repairing several things before figuring it out.


Over the last few years, I've taken my cars to AutoZone multiple times just to see why the check engine light is on, saving me a $75 diagnostic fee every time. Then, after reading the code, you can reset it using the tool and see if what you did to repair it actually worked.

It's one of those little-known facts, so I thought I'd pass it along. If you ever have a check engine light, you can save a bundle by going to AutoZone rather than a dealer.

Only Two Fears

I read something recently about fear that was fascinating and seemed to ring true. We are all born with two fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of being dropped. All of our other fears are learned, and as such, can be un-learned.

Peanut Butter Woes

With the recent outbreak of salmonella related to peanut butter, we checked our stash and -- low and behold! -- we are lucky winners of the dreaded batch starting with "2111." I've single-handedly eaten more than half of our big jar and haven't been sick yet, but it's not worth the risk.

I might have rethought that hasty decision to throw it away, however, if I realized that every jar of regular peanut butter at the grocery store had been removed from the shelves. So we've been peanut-butter-less for a few days now. It's been tough. Especially when the ice cream and brownies come out.

Speaking of... the brownies are ready. Special thanks to our friends Patti & Rodrick Rhoads for providing such a nice meal for us the other day!

The Worst Roads in the USA

Bad roads and bad road signs... Both are huge pet peeves of mine. This week, I followed signs twice to nowhere. And I live in this town. Drives me nuts! Coming south on I-35, I followed signs to I-44 to cut diagonally across town from NE to SW. The exit ramp "to I-44" took me directly to the turnpike to Tulsa. Nice. You can imagine my frustration when I saw that the first place to turn around (legally) was 44 miles away. So, I spent a pleasant hour and a half driving halfway to Tulsa and back.

Oklahoma has some pretty poor road signs... and terrible roads.

My first few months living here, I bent three rims on my car from water-filled pot holes. I thought Chicago was bad, but after several years of living there I never bent a rim. And the City of Chicago would actually reimburse people who bent rims due to poor streets and highways.

An acquaintance of mine blogged recently about the big traffic jam he was in a few days ago in Pennsylvania. They spent 18 hours in their car, unable to move or turn around. People were running out of gas, etc. Quite the mess. He referenced this article that ranks PA to have the 2nd worst roads in the US according to pro truckers. I don't see how that can be since I've lived in PA for half my life. Oklahoma has worse roads by far, and our "cross-town" I-40 is #5 on the worst roads in the US. PA's I-80 is #2 on the worst road list, but is also #2 on the most improved road list.

I think they got the bad rating just because they get more truckers through there than Oklahoma does.

Colts Praying after Super Bowl XLI

How cool is this? Here's a photo of the Indianapolis Colts praying after the Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears. How awesome... Peyton Manning has had a huge impact on the team with his Christian testimony, and now the entire team impacts the world by publicly acknowleging God after winning the Super Bowl. I love it.


You really never know how you'll impact the world. Treat every person you meet and rub shoulders with as a significant world-changer.

HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE STORM

Tue Feb 13 2007 19:31:25 EST

The Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building has been postponed due to inclement weather. The hearing is entitled “Climate Change: Are Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Human Activities Contributing to a Warming of the Planet?”

The hearing will be rescheduled to a date and time to be announced later.

That is just TOO funny! I heard a guy on Jay Leno last night that made good sense to me. He said basically, I'm no scientist, but you'll have to excuse me if I don't trust the accuracy of earth temperature measurements taken back 100 years ago. Even if they are accurate, we're talking about a 1.8 degree difference in average temperatures today vs. 100 years ago. Wow. No wonder everyone's really getting worked up over it! (*Sarcastic grin*)

Then he started talking about President Bush and the way he's been fighting terrorism. He made a good point when he said that he judges how well he's doing based on how long it's been since we had an incident of terrorism here on the continental USA. Do you realize it's been more than 2,000 days? Not too bad, considering the climate of terrorism in the world. I'm all for taking the fight to them and not retreating, bringing the combat zones any closer to home than they have to be.

Just my $0.02.

Those Yellow Rubber Bracelets

My "Live Strong" bracelet broke a while back. Found this online today... Is this cheaper than the original "Life Strong" bracelets? =)


The Onion is so funny...

CF Bulbs, Paintball

In the last 2 or 3 days, I think I've replaced about 30 regular incandescent bulbs around the house with compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs. If what they say on the packaging is true, we'll save about $2000 in electricity over the lifetime of these bulbs. Not too shabby.

These are the old ones. The incandescent bulbs that I hear California is trying to outlaw by 2010 or some such madness.

And here are the new CF ones.

The CF bulbs have come a long way in just a few years. They're a much more pleasant soft white light now than they were back when we tried them last. I got some "Sunlight" temperature bulbs to put in the closets, too. They are 6500K light (same color temperature as daylight) so it helps when you're picking out your clothes in the morning.

Anyway, it was a pretty fun project. I like working on things that will eventually save money, even if it costs $200 up front for all of the bulbs.

Had a fun time playing paintball with Titus (Holly's brother) and some of his friends. Here's just a small gallery of pictures, if you're looking for them, guys.

The Joys of Babies

Today has been one of "those" days already. It started out with a terrible night's sleep since Storie was up every hour to beg another meal. Then Addie woke up and erased any hopes of catching a morning nap.

The brain is a wonderful thing, erasing horrible and painful memories very efficiently. We had mostly forgotten what it's like to have a newborn in the house, but we're shocked back into reality.

How do other couples do it?! We have such a wonderful support network. Probably second to none. Seriously. I mean, Holly's Mom spent the first week back at home with us and did SO much to keep the household going. Neighbors have made and brought over multiple delicious meals with salads and desserts even! And our church gave us a really nice gift card and has brought over meals and has been praying for us... My parents are planning to come next and stay for about a week, then travel on to visit my brother in California, and then back here again for several days to help out yet again.

And with all that, we're still reduced to tears today in frustration at not being able to sleep or keep up with all that needs to be done just to live and run a household and business (and it's our slow season even!).

And here's another interesting fact... Today, and the feelings we have today, will all come back to me the moment Holly brings up the idea that maybe it's time to have another baby. I'm immediately overwhelmed with the awesome and daunting work and responsibility of it all. Not Holly, though. She thinks of all of the beautiful and cute things that come with kids. I wish we could put our heads together and combine both of our thoughts on it when it comes up in a couple of years. =)

I guess that's life, and the difference between guys and gals, if I can be so bold as to make a broad generalization like that. I know it's not always the case, but it's generally the case, I would say.

Anyway, hope I haven't completely bored you. Today is our 4th wedding anniversary, so I hope Holly can get a nap in so she might be able to enjoy going out to eat or something. The kids are headed down to Grammy & Pa Pa's house as I type. Talk about a welcome relief and an amazing support network. Maybe we'll just sleep our entire date night tonight. I can't imagine we're going to feel like watching a movie or spending a long dinner at a favorite restaurant.

Safety vs. Looks

A funny thing happens as we get older. We seem to care less and less what other people think. At least I do. I realized this today when I shamelessly put attached little circular mirrors to both our cars' side mirrors and donned my tight black circulation-socks before putting on my black velcro dress-sneakers.


Don't look too closely, my mirror is actually dirty, as it my car. Murphy's law of car-washing and weather keeps kicking in when I wash it. (Oh, and I took this photo with my camera phone, that's why it's not very good quality. Had to put that disclaimer in there. =)

Anyway, it got me thinking, life would sure be a lot easier if we learned earlier on not to really care so much what other people think. I mean, it's good to care what your spouse, parents and family think, but all too often, we care more about what our friends think. Or what total strangers think.

I saw a really nice car driving down the road last week with heavy-duty rubber adhered around the entire back and front bumper. I guess the guy likes to bump into cars as he parallel parks, or maybe he bumps his garage wall when he parks it at home. I say, "Good on ya, man!" Way to be functional and do what makes sense regardless of how your Lexus now looks. Beats repainting your bumper every 3 months.

Okay, I was joking about the compression-socks and shoes, but the mirrors are great and they're staying. I don't care what you think. =)

Happy Groundhog Day

We heard on the radio that Punxatawnie Phil (the official Groundhog Day mascot) has been right only 38% of the time. That's quite a bit better than our TV meteorologists.

So, I thought I'd just let everyone know not to worry about us during the forecasted "Deep Freeze 2007" since they turned out to be incorrect again. It's like 40 degrees outside, compared to the expected wind chill index of like -10 degrees.

Crazy meteorologists. I say we cut their base salaries and give them bonuses for every time they're right. Maybe that would give them some incentive to be accurate and stop predicting weather 2 weeks out.

I think this guy has a good idea: If groundhogs can be so accurate in predicting the 6-week forecast, why don't we use them all the time? Check out the answers... So funny!

Blogger Uploading Only 2 Photos at a Time

What's the deal with Blogger only allowing me to upload two photos at a time on the blog I host on my Prints Charming Photography site? I can upload 5 at a time on the kids' blog and on my blog, both hosted on Blogger's servers. Seems like they'd not care about limiting photos on private servers. It's just a waste of time.

If anyone knows how to change this, let me know what I can do! Thanks!

"Deep Freeze 2007!"

The local news channel is just killing me. Every time we get a weather "event," they feel the need to come up with a catchy title for it with special graphics and all, like they're promoting a concert or something. It's comical.

The other thing they always do it talk about the number of "waves" of the storm we are going to get hit with. Like this afternoon, the guy on channel 4 was pointing to the animated radar, telling the TV audience that we're only experiencing "wave #1 of the big storm. Wave 2 and wave 3 are on their way and will hit us over the next day or two." That got really old after we heard that phrase for a week solid just 3 or 4 weeks ago during the "Ice Storm 2007." In reality, we just got hit one time and the ominous and threatening waves 2 and 3 hit somewhere else.

Meteorology must be the only job in which you can be so wrong so often and still get paid big bucks. Just crazy, don't you think?

I just went to the KFOR (TV Channel 4) website to try to find their graphics for the "Deep Freeze 2007" but they're nowhere to be found now. They must be afraid that the other channels will rip it off, it's so good. It must be a very competitive local TV News market down here. =) Here's the 7 day forecast.


Quite forbidding, wouldn't you say, family in PA? and in Toronto? I mean, the long list of school closings hasn't stopped since we turned on the TV an hour ago to watch Jay Leno. And it doesn't matter how well anyone can drive in this stuff because everyone else is driving crazy on old slick tires.

I just think it's funny.

Newborn Babies

Newborn babies smell so good! I can't decide if Storie smells like Tapioca pudding or like hot fudge. Actually, she smells like warm milk right now. It's amazing how they smell good for days without a bath.

Speaking of smell, it's very fortunate for most new dads that newborn poopy diapers don't smell bad, either. They just don't smell at all, which is a welcome releif from Addie's atomic diapers. =)

Went to the hospital again today. We need a Hospital fast-pass card, I think. Holly's legs weren't feeling right, so it wasn't actually a joking matter. Nothing appears to be wrong at this point and after coming home and spending a few hours in bed, her legs aren't feeling as bad as before. I think she was pushing herself too much considering she just had a baby.

And tonight, Danielle Hill brought over dinner for us. What a welcome gift! We met the Hills at Providence Fellowship, where we've been attending for the past few months. What a great group of believers God has gathered to meet together over there! I'm looking forward to getting to know a lot of the men there. They seem really genuine and real and open and many of them have been a huge encouragement to me already. It's been really cool to be able to meet them over lunch and coffee since so many of them live and work closer to us than the members of our previous church.

Well, I guess that's all for tonight. Gotta get some rest... Early morning chiropractor appointment. My back popped out somehow while Storie was being born and it's still not right.

Apple's New iPhone

This is a totally sweet phone! I just spent like 20 minutes watching Steve Jobs give a demo of it and it blows away anything else I've seen. For a long time I've advocated having separate peripherals (i.e. cell phone, PDA), but with constantly bulging jackets, it's become a pain. I've looked at a few Smartphones, but nothing comes close to the new iPhone (which hasn't actually been released yet). Check it out...

Click on the picture to go to Apple's site and see all the juicy details. This is definitely on my Christmas list for this June. =)

Don't Try This

I got this from Titus today. Yeah, I think this would really get a rise out of someone.

Next time you are sitting next to somone who irritates you on a plane or train Follow these instructions:

1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.

2. Remove your laptop.

3. Start it up.

4. Make sure the guy who is annoying you, can see the screen.

6. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.

7. Then hit this link: http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf

I think if this prank were pulled on me or anywhere near me, I'd instantly smash the computer and strangle the owner, so I don't think I'll try this any time soon. Even if you didn't get hurt pulling a prank like this, you're bound to cause everyone around you to scream and get really upset. Probably would end up in jail at the next stop, too.

Funny, though, and I couldn't resist sharing it. Thougth you might enjoy it.

Baby Storie is here!

Praise the Lord for a healthy delivery! Baby Astoria Rose Sangree arrived at 1:08AM CST, measured 21 inches and weighed in at 7lbs 14oz. They say she looks like me: dark hair, my nose and a good set of lungs. =) We have some great pictures that we'll try to put up on the blog soon.

So grateful for your prayers!

Progress...

Looks like the baby will be arriving very soon! Hol's dilated to a "9" and the baby is at a "plus station" and she's "100% effaced." And if you understood all that, you're most likely not a single, heterosexual male.

I just posted on Addie's blog how much I love epidurals. I think I'm about as relieved as Holly is to see the anesthesiologist come in. There's nothing like that feeling of complete helplessness when your loved one is in pain and I'll do just about anything to avoid it.

Oh, after poking Holly's veins several times in each arm, we prayed and the very next poke struck gold. What a relief. We were waiting for that IV to start before they would do the epidural. So, there was just a little bit of tension in the room! Hol was a real trooper, though.

Check out the cute video I posted of Addie from last weekend when she was really sick. Her raspy voice and sleepy eyes are just SO cute. She even bats her eyelids a time or two. What a sweetheart.

Checked In and Ready to Roll

Just a really quick update to let everyone know that we're checked in
and having a baby! Holly's all hooked up to everything and the
anesthesiologist just left, so all's well. Thanks for praying! Looks
like everything is progressing nicely! Will try to keep everyone
posted. Lots to do...

False Labor

Okay, so if any of you were up early enough to catch it, we posted that we were on our way to the hospital. Turns out it was false labor, due to dehydration. A couple of glasses of water later, the regular, strong contractions stopped altogether and we found ourselves sitting in the hotel... er, hospital room just twiddling our thumbs. So, we pulled out the computer and played a little online poker together (just play money, don't worry).

We're back at home now, and after naps, cleaning the house, getting a haircut, washing the car, etc., contractions seem to possibly be starting up again. Holly, intent on not going through another false labor, is drinking heavily. =) There's a really cool online contraction timer that we've been using that helps a lot.

Holly's still laughing about this morning. After bolting out of bed at 4AM, Hol decided she had time enough to take a bath so I hurriedly jumped in the shower. I was so intent on rushing that I ended up taking as much time as I normally do in the shower, because I soaped up twice in my haste. =)

Well, I may just jump in the shower again since I just got a haircut in our "down time" this afternoon. I was trying to stay out of the house so Hol could get a nap. Oh, I just filled up the Toyota and thought I'd take a picture for everyone else in the country to turn green over. I'm loving these gas prices!


And while I'm downloading the camera, I noticed one from back when we were snowed in. After a few days of being snowed in, I had to run out for a few staples that we had run out of. Here's a picture that we couldn't resist taking after I got back from the grocery.


We came down with colds, so we haven't even touched our stock, but we'll be ready once we're back to 100%. There's just something comforting coming home knowing that there's plenty of Dr. Pepper to go around. =)

Mall-Walking

Holly and I are both feeling better today than yesterday. Maybe it's the NyQuil? That stuff is powerful! I feel like I'm buzzing whenever I get up from the couch.

Anyway, we're both hungry and Addie is visiting Grammy, so I think we're going to go walk at the mall and eat at our favorite little Chinese place there in the food court. Their orange chicken is rivalled only by Panda Express, which we don't have here in Oklahoma for some poor reason.

Since Holly could go into labor any moment, we have to be ready despite feeling sick. No going days without shaving or fixing hair. And, Mom, you'd be proud, we're all wearing clean underwear here. Including me.

Minority Report

So last night, after going to bed, my Sudafed wore off and I started dreaming due to the pain behind my eyeballs. I was in a dirty back room of some house and was getting a cornea transplant. It cost me $225 and I remember wondering if I'd done the right thing by shopping for the best price. =)

Then I woke up and took some more Sudafed and Tylenol.

Looks like the meteorologists didn't read the stars quite right regarding our snow storm. It's still sleeting with no accumulation. I don't think we're going to get more than a few inches this time around, which is a releif considering Holly's pending labor and delivery!

Labor, Weather, and Cars

Holly's dilated to 4cm and is 50% effaced. We could have baby #2 any time! At the same time, big storm #2 is arriving in about 2 hours. Last estimates were for about 10 inches of snow. That on top of all of the ice that we still have, could pretty much shut down town. We called the hospital today and all of the delivery beds are full and there were 4 ladies on the waiting list. Everyone wants to have their baby before the storm hits, I guess.

So, if you think of us, pray that everything will work out okay! Holly's falling asleep as I type and despite the early hour (8:30PM) I think we're both going to bed. No sense going into this with any kind of sleep deficit!

Addie's pinkeye has improved drastically and her cold is just about gone completely. Now Holly and I are fighting it. Bad timing, I'd say. Addie is a little germ host/carrier. Seems like we always get it worse than she did.

We sold the red Explorer this week to some friends from our old church. Should be a really good vehicle for them. It was really dependable for us and they got a great deal on it in the end. Last thing to sell is the Aprilia RST 1000 (motorcycle). It's all cleaned up and being showcased in the waiting room at Guy's shop, looking good. Makes me want to keep it and I probably would if we had the room. The Avalon doesn't leave nearly as much room as the Miata did in the garage. =)

I'll Take Two

Well, I thought maybe it was just our family, but I guess not! Everyone loves a good back-tickle!! Man, I think I'd pay a dollar a minute for one of these beds. =)

I could use one at home and one at the office. =)

Pics of Massive Storm of 2007!!!

Okay, folks, here are the pictures you've been waiting for! The reason everyone's been locked in for the last 4 days and the cause for our declared state of emergency last Friday. Check it out! It almost covered all of the grass by the toys in the backyard!!!


I sprinkled birdseed on top of the snow and the birds just loved it!


We finally got our birdfeeder hung. Auntie Margie and Uncle Robert (from Toronto, Canada) gave it to us back in 2005, but we finally got it hung, and in style! Isn't that a cool way to hang it? I love that wrought iron hanger. We can see it nicely from the kitchen, so I got a few pictures of the pretty birds as well. Sorry about the blinds being in most of these pictures! I guess I need to raise them before the birds arrive. The would have flown away this time.












Apparently, the birds are ground-feeders. They'd rather not eat at the bird feeder, so I have to go out and spill it out of the beautiful spill-resistant feeder for them. =) I put some seed up on top of the trash cans to see if I can get them closer to the feeder. From the top of the trash cans, it's just about 18 inches to the feeder, so maybe they'll see it and realize there's more food up there. =) Baby steps... (If you haven't seen the movie, "What About Bob," that's where the "baby steps" quote is coming from. Go rent it and don't have any compassion for the psychiatrist - you'll enjoy it more that way. It's really funny.)

Ice Storm 2007

Well, we've survived another ice storm. I think we got 2" of sleet this time. It froze nicely on the front yard so you can even drive over it and it doesn't crack. Wish we had a good hill around here to sled on. You could really get going on this stuff...

We had a long weekend and decided to camp in at our place for the weekend to avoid the crazy drivers on the roads in their 4-wheel drive pickups and slick summer tires. =) With such little winter weather, people just don't think about preparing for bad weather down here, so it's always a state disaster. Literally. Our Governor declared a State emergency before it even started sleeting. Better quit now or I'll never stop.

Mom, we go the curtain in the guest room hung! How do you like it? We like it a lot. Thanks for all of your help with the decorating ideas! Got the wall-hanging hung as well, but I need to make some changes to it so it's not draping a few inches away from the wall. I guess the curtain-rod idea wasn't the best solution for it.


Addie was enjoying watching me get all bundled up to brave the cold every time our firewood stock ran low in the living room. After a day or two of everyone being couped up in the living room, she decided to dress up like me. You can hardly tell it's not me in these pictures.




And in the last picture, Holly is making a really delicious Chicken Piccata recipe. Oh, man, that was SO good. Please don't lose that recipe, hon. She even improvised, adding sun-dried tomatoes in addition to the capers it called for. (PSA: Capers are a plant blossom, not a fish!) We had it for lunch again today and it was just as good left over. It's easily one of my top 5 favorite dishes of all time. Oh, the picture... Yes, Holly needed a chicken tenderizer and I had just the thing for her. This 22-ounce Estwing framing hammer (recognize it, Sean and Dad?) has been neglected long enough. Time to bring it out and put it to work again! It did the trick nicely after a thorough scrubbing in the kitchen sink.


Well, the long weekend is over and it's back to work in 6-1/2 hours, so I'm going to hit the hay. Hopefully Addie sleeps better tonight than last night. We've already had her up a couple of times to put in eye drops and give cough medicine. I ran out for some Vicks vap-o-rub. We used this stuff all the time when we were kids. Holly had never heard of it, but I think she'll like it considering Addie hasn't coughed in the last 2 hours since we put it on her and put her back in bed. I guess there's a lot of good in those old childhood remedies. When the kids are sick, we'd be willing to try just about anything.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!