A time for thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I think we would all agree, and some of you have written, about how we sometimes do more complaining than thanking in our daily lives. I include myself in that bunch and always promise to do less but yet it is not always the easiest thing to do. It's too bad that we sometimes wait until the last Thursday in November to stop and give thanks for all we have. That "L" word, you know "life" seems to always find a way to grab your thoughts and turn them sour. Well, not today at least. Today, let's give thanks. I'll start my list with the one who should matter most.

- Dear God, thank you for your son and his sacrifice.
- Julie, thank you for being my wife and being a good mother to our two boys.
- Jackson and Nathan, thank you for being such great sons and providing me with joy every day.
- Angel Belle and Paco. Thanks for being good dogs and learning how to go outside to do your business. :-)
- Mom and Dad. Thanks for being such loving, wonderful parents. I miss being with you all today and dad's grilled turkey.
- Jack and Martha, I couldn't have asked for more wonderful in-laws. Thank you. And Martha thanks for agreeing to make fried oysters for Christmas!!
- Mike, Chris, Anne, and John. We don't often say thanks or really that we love each other as often as we should. I want you all to know that I do love you all and wish we could get together more often.
- To all my extended family. Distance keeps us apart but know that you are always in my heart. Thank you for being a part of my family.
- To the President. Thank you for making tough decisions. Maybe not always the right ones but you have kept us safe since 9/11. Thank you.
- To our men and women in uniform. Thank you for your service and sacrifice to keep us and others safe.
- To all my Friends. Thanks for being a part of my life in some way, shape or form.

I know I am thankful for more in my life but it's the people that I am most thankful for. So Happy Thanksgiving and may we all be more thankful, more often in the coming year!

It's been awhile..

...since my last post. Let's see, how much has been going on since then? Tons. How about a quick update. I still haven't finished staining my fence. I have finished, thanks to my dad and sister, putting on the first coat all the way around. I just have one section left to put on a second coat. Now if I could just warm up the weather above 40 for a few days that would be real nice. Brrrr.

Speaking of family, my parents, sister and her kids all came to visit last weekend. It was great to see all of them. It's only been since last August. Too long. All the kids were great and got along for the most part. It was rather hectic with the little ones (2-2 year olds, 5 year old, and 10 yr.old) but was still manageable. Unfortunately, someone got sick and gave it to EVERYONE!! A special thanks goes to my sister and dad who assisted with putting on a first coat of stain on my fence! My dad also offered up his assistance with mowing my lawn (remember the tractor?). I think he loved it so much that he wants to buy one for himself. Thanks pops! We had a good time going to Savannah to let the kids run rampant at a play place, took them to the beach for pictures in 55 degree weather. Nathan was already feeling ill so we thought it would be neat to let him take his socks and shoes off and run in the ocean water. The water temp. was around 54. I wonder why he is so sick?

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to take Jackson on his first campout. The camp site was unbelievable. 100 acre family owned land right on the marsh overlooking the Atlantic. Cool place. We were able to see the Space Shuttle take off. It looked like the sun rising into the night sky. Beautiful sight. The only time I got worried was around 3 a.m. when I awoke to a huge flash of light....followed by a distant sound of thunder. Uh-oh. Thankfully it passed around us and not over us. We would have been in some trouble. But Jackson had a good time preparing and cooking food, tending the fire, wittling with his knife, making smores, and going on hikes. Hope we can do some more of that soon.

I will be happy when things start to slow down around here. Though I don't think I know what slow is. Maybe I will just settle for being happy when everyone has recovered from being sick.

Sometimes it's the simple things.

Hi my name is Bryan and I am an idiot. Each year at the end of the summer and into the fall, I like to mow the grass as low as possible then run the aerator over the lawn really good. This helps to decompact the soil, allow for more Winterizer fertilizer to penetrate deeper into the roots and supposedly provide for a healthier lawn in the Spring. Incidentally, the Winterizer I use is also supposed to help kill weeds and ensure that fewer of them return the next year. Not in this part of the universe. I am not sure that anything stops weeds from coming back except asphalt.

So in the midst of all the other projects that I have been undertaking such as power washing the house and fence, cleaning out the garage, staining the fence, and trimming all the hedges back, I decided to get to that project which seemed to be the easiest on my list...mowing the grass. I was actually excited about the last mow of the year. The grass has been slowly moving towards hibernation although I have still been watering it so it would grow another half inch.

So one day last week, it was time. Perfect weather for mowing. Out to the garage I went. Eyeglasses in place, hearing protection on, a quick turn of the ignition key and nothing. Let me repeat myself here. NOTHING!! Not a single noise came from the trustworthy mower (it's a Craftsman) I have been using for 3 years. I ran into the same issue last year when I had to replace the battery, but that was just a year ago. I was not a happy camper. Why would my mower die with only one cut left? It was a conspiracy.

I quickly got out the jumper cables for a quick start and after a few minutes turned the key and again NOTHING!! I grabbed Julie and the kids and ran to Sears to get a replacement battery. After all it had been only a year since this thing was replaced. Surely, it was under warranty. "You missed it by 10 days" is not a phrase you want to hear when you are ticked off. Long story short, I bought another battery brought it home and installed it. A quick turn of the key and silence!! It was time for me to phone a friend. Who else but my trusty neighbor Scott. He has had plenty of practice on mowers. His wife ran theirs into the house and he had to rebuild the front end so I figured he would be able to figure out what this problem was.

A few minutes later Scott came over and analyzed the situation. The battery seemed fine. Scott asked me for a wrench which he pressed against the Solenoid. A quick turn of the key and Whammo!!! The engine was on. The good news was that we knew that the Solenoid was bad. The bad news was that I just purchased a new battery for nothing. It was too late to mow the grass so I shut the mower down and was set on getting a replacement part and be up and running in no time.

A day or so later, I managed to get a replacement Solenoid part for the tractor and Scott came over to help install it. Within a few minutes, the new part was in and the tractor was all together again. I was finally ready to go. A quick turn of the key and again with that silence thing! Scott and I could not believe it! We checked all the connections and everything seemed to be fine. We were dumbfounded as to what could be the problem. I was all set to call Sears to have a technician come out and dreading the $180 service call when Scott started to go through the checklist. He reached the part about this certain lever that engages the blades when I got a really stupid feeling inside me. You see I glanced at the lever and sensed that something wasn't quite right. I went over and confirmed what I thought. The lever that engages the blades was in the "ON" position. In this position, the mower will NOT start because the blades would immediately start rotating. A Safety NO-NO. I pulled the lever down to the "OFF" position. Scott turned the key and WHAMMO!! The engine roared to life. A simple solution which I turned into an $80 dollar problem. Too late to return the battery.

So my tractor now works again and I have a replacement Solenoid for when the actual one really goes out. I still haven't cut the grass yet. I have no idea how the blade lever got into the up position, although I have a sneaky suspicion that it may involve a 10 year old or two. Having lots of projects to do is a good thing. However, trying to do too many too quickly usually means getting nothing done. In my case, it also cost me money I didn't have to spend.

Dear Norton

Dear Norton,

Thank you for screwing up my computer. Several days ago I had approximately 30 days left on my initial Norton Anti-Virus software. Other than the occasional pop up of you reminding me that I had 30 days left until I needed to update it, my computer ran somewhat smoothly. I kept reminding you to "Remind Me Later" that I will need to purchase a newer version. I guess that wasn't good enough for you. You see, somehow you managed to go in and erase all my passwords from my computer and not allow access to any previous pages that required passwords. I am not sure how that happened but rest assured it did and it pissed me off. Next I spent over an hour attempting to download the "newest" version of your Norton 360 which was supposed to be a cure all for my computer woes. Unfortunately, it seems to be just the beginning. It seems now that my computer continuously loses the internet connection, can't figure out my stored log-in information, streams me a continuous pop up ad, and generally makes the computer run slower. What the heck did you do???? Worse yet, what the heck did I spend my money on??? I am giving you exactly one week to straighten yourself (and my computer out) or else....or else what? I am screwed. Thanks. I should have bought an Apple. They don't get screwy, they just work.

"Yes Drill Sergeant!!"

I had an opportunity to play in the Marine Corps League fundraiser golf tournament this past Saturday at Jekyll Island. They had a pretty good turnout, somewhat surprising because it was the Georgia v. Florida football game which usually shuts everything down in this area. The course was in great shape and we had a great team and played very well. We didn't win but we also didn't figure to win. We just came to have a great time and support a great cause and we did.

The tourney started with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the National Anthem and then some motivational words from three Drill Instructors who came down from Paris Island. Those same drill instructors were also stationed at hole #3 to either collect a $5.00 donation for Toys for Tots or provide you with some "extra" motivation during your shot or as in most cases BOTH!! Let's just say they did a great job of both. I don't think I would want to be an 18 or 19 year old kid and have to live through that every day for boot camp. Once they were done harassing, I mean motivating you, they were very respectful as one would expect and made sure to personally thank and shake hands with each golfer. Quite a difference from the not so fine folks I had a run in with during an anti-war rally in Washington D.C. back in 2000. The Black Bloc can best be defined as a group of 16-23 year olds who would rather cause as much disruption for absolutely no cause that be a contributing member of society. They are not about peaceful protest. They are about throwing trash cans through the windows of banks and Starbucks coffee shops. Let's just say that I enjoyed every minute of fighting with those idiots and I know we came out on top!

But I digress, back to the day at hand. The round was rather lengthy which is usually the norm for those type of events. On the tee boxes of every hole were placards of the hole sponsors. I didn't pay much attention to the sponsors until one particular hole when we had a little bit of time before tee off. In addition to the sponsor placards, each hole had a placard (or several) dedicated to the memory of a fallen Marine in combat in Iraq. I tried to make a point of reading each name and remembering that behind each name was a life with a family back home who will never see their loved one again. I was humbled by their service and sacrifice to this country.

This is just a reminder to those that sometimes forget that there are those that walk the line of freedom in this country and around the world. They put their lives on the line so that we may enjoy the benefits, freedoms and opportunities that this country affords us. Too often those lives have been politicized and or forgotten too soon.

As we prepare to elect a new leader for this country and move in a new direction, I say that perhaps we should look to the past. John F. Kennedy asked us "to ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." I believe that sometime during the past 45 years, that idea has been lost by a majority of people here. It seems that idea is now more about what can my country give me without me doing anything to earn it. I thank God that it has not been lost by those who stand that line of freedom each day and night.

Catching up.

Time flies really fast. It's hard to believe that over a week has passed since Julie went to New York. Somehow, I missed detailing my second day with the boys. It must have been the exhaustion. Well, the day was a complete success. I ventured south of the Georgia border and took the boys to St. Augustine where we enjoyed visiting a massive playground, the Ripley's Believe it or Not musuem, old town St. Augustine, and the Fountain of Youth. The boys were great. Jackson was very helpful and Nathan saved his screaming for limited moments. My favorite part of the day was getting our only picture together with the three of us at the Fountain of Youth. At that point, the camera battery went dead. The nice lady who took our picture told me that at least I have some proof of my visit. I like to think of it as a memory for my boys. At the end of the weekend though, we were all glad to see momma!!! So the weekend was a complete success and only small scrapes and bruises had by all. Oh I almost forgot another classic that I unfortunately could not get any pictures of. Nathan having a great conversation with a few peacocks at the FOY. I have no idea what they were saying but they WERE talking to each other. No one can make that much eye contact and yap that long without saying something. Enjoy a few pics from my visit.

Julie's away...the boys will play.

6:35 a.m. - Well this is it. Julie's big weekend away to the Big Apple. It seems to have started innocently enough except for the fact that I had to wake up at 4:30 this morning. Julie didn't wake me but I felt compelled to get up and make her a cup of coffee. Jackson was already awake and watching the tele' in the sunroom. As it turned out, I was too late to in the coffee making duties because Julie's ride arrived right on schedule at 5:00 a.m. and after a short goodbye she was gone. All we heard from her was the "hell yeah baby!!" on the way down the street. So Jackson and I watched Eli Stone on the DVR and began our morning of planning for the weekend. (Sidenote: if you haven't watched Eli Stone yet, treat yourself to it.) So what's on tap for the weekend you ask? I'm still not sure but I am determined to do something other than sit around the house.

11:07 a.m. - My first attempt at getting the boys out of the house fell far short of expectations. I began by researching the Brunswick Stewbilee held in downtown today. Sounded like fun, kids activities, street fair, dog show,and of course the best part the stew tasting competition. I prepared the boys by feeding them breakfast first. Maybe I should say prepared them breakfast. Jackson ate a small portion of his eggs and toast, Nathan greeted his plate of eggs and toast with laughter and spent most of the breakfast time out of his chair. Eventually I gave up trying to make him eat and let him run around. Next, I got a bag with diapers, wipes, and the all important camera and placed it on the counter in the kitchen while getting the boys ready to go. We finally hustled out the door by 9:15 so we could make it down to the park in time to watch the dog show. We caught the last part of it from the car as we were looking for parking. After putting Nathan in the stroller, I realized that I had left bag with the diapers and camera sitting on the kitchen counter. Great planning, poor execution. Walking down to the park, I caught the smell of all of the Brunswick stew cooking. Mmmmm..Mmmmmm...good. I knew I could count on a good lunch down here. What I didn't count on however, was the weather. Overcast and misty turned into dark clouds and rain. Nathan was getting soaked even though I brought umbrellas. Back to the car for plan two. On the way home, I made a short trip to Blockbuster for a PSP game for Jackson. Time to feed the boys lunch and think of a plan two.

7:25 p.m. - What a rebound!! After getting the kids home and fed. I attempted to put Nathan down for a noon time nap. Somewhere around 1:15 p.m. I was rudely awakened from my cat nap with Nathan screaming "outside dada outside!!" Truth be told he never slept and wasn't about to. So I jumped up and checked the weather outside. To my complete surprise it was beautiful! Sunny skies, 74 degrees. Time for Plan 2. I loaded the kids in the car, along with the diaper bag and camera, and headed down the highway to St. Augustine. We got from Exit 38 to Exit 14 before I could take no more. Nathan was screaming the entire time that he wanted to go outside and wanted some apple juice. Time for a U-Turn and Plan 3. Jackson said "Dad, where are we going now??" How about Jekyll Island? Jackson was less than thrilled with the idea. I stopped for gas, drinks, and snacks for the boys and suddenly everyone was in a great mood. Once we got to Jekyll, I drove over to the huge playground and let the boys have at it. Nathan got plenty of "outside" time and Jackson had a ball playing Indiana Jones. I even managed to get a few shots of the boys playing. Nathan and I shared some good father son time on the swing. We had a good conversation. I think it went something like this..."Nathan, are you having a good time?" Followed by Nathan's response..."Dada, weeeeeeeeee!!!" Awesome!!

Once we left and made it home, it was time to fix a fine dinner of Macaroni & Cheese, pineapple, and Chicken Strips for the boys and a bowl of Cream of Wheat for me. As I write this, Nathan is fast asleep in bed, Jackson is in the sunroom writing in his diary and I am watching the end of the Michigan v. Penn State football game. What a day! I survived day one with all parts intact. I can't really say the same for Julie's car however. Nathan kind of had his way with the Cheese Nips I gave him for a snack. Hope Julie's having a good time, she's got some cleaning up to do when she gets back. Haha. Of course I am kidding! Looking forward to what tomorrow brings. I am actually toying with the idea of taking the boys down to St. Augustine tomorrow. We'll see.