Hint for the day

If you sign into your mom's computer to check or write a blog, you should sign yourself out lest she write something horribly embarassing on it. But I have pretty much exhausted my supply of embarassing stories and knowing that he doesn't embarass easily, I will refrain. However, I didn't know you had blog Dan. I'm busy with my own blog or I'd read it. Love ya son!

Snow...

I remember the days, as in 2 days ago, when I woke up and really had nothing to do. Now, when I woke up this morning I was met my 6-7 inches of snow covering mine and my wifes car. And of course that snow is not going to move itself, and me being the good husband that I am, got nominated by God (who so graciously have me a penis) to move it.

Why in the world would anyone live in an area of the country where the daily labor is added to just because the season has changed. Snow offers VERY little benefit for all the headaches it causes. Just today I helped a young lady get her car unstuck AT ROBERT & COURT STs!! One would think that you would be able to putt your way through the metropolis of Ludington without having to get stuck along the way.

But seriously, it causes delays in travel, it makes driving a hazard both road conditions and viability. IT KILLS PEOPLE! Why do we put up with it? Where is global warming?

Dogs...

I have never understood what possessed people to start keeping animals in-doors with them. I titled this post "Dogs..." but it could be applied to anything that people keep as pets. While dogs have been popular animals for hundreds of years, it is still weird to think about how the whole thing came about....because dogs used to just be another animal that would roam around and eat garbage in midevil times.

Some people love their animals so much that they would do anything for them. Some people prefer dogs over kids, or contact with other family members. Some people down right hate dogs. Dogs are used to many many things; including finding things (drugs, guns, bombs, people, dead people, rodents), or helping with cattle, or pulling a sled (transportation).

Dogs can be expensive or you can get one for free or next to nothing. Bottom line is that a dog is a dog. Some are better looking than others and some are better behaved. But they all have personality. All my dogs have a different one and that is why I love them all so much. Titan love to play, too much actually...anything you pick up he thinks you are going to throw. He could, and would, play fetch until your arm is about to fall off. Harley is a lump-it is impossible to get her to do anything that she does not want to. And when she is not waiting for her next meal, she is usually sleeping. Zoey....Zoey is a scavenger. Always looking for food, thinking about food, dreaming about food. Not dog food...that would be too easy. When we feed her she often sticks her face in the bowl and walks away in disgust because it Purina and not ribeye.

But most important of all dogs are great companions. They can help you feel better when you are sad or help celebrate when your happy. They can be a "person" to talk to or a shoulder to cry on.....people love them and so do I!

Christmas coming early....

Seems like every year Xmas songs some on the radio, decorations are sold in stores, and people start saying Happy Holidays earlier and earlier. I don't hate Christmas, I hate people getting so into it more than a month beforehand.

You do not see this with any other holiday or anything in general. Not even little kids start looking forward to birthdays a month+ ahead of time....its getting old, and it is officially 2 days after Thanksgiving....Thank you national retailers, and syndicated radio programs, and TV stations for ruining another Christmas for me. Because by the time I get to church for the Christmas eve service and sing the carols, it will be the 18,000th time I have heard them this year already.

Giving Thanks

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here is list of some things I am thankful for: my wife, my unborn fetus, titan, harley, zoey, my house, my job(s), the people that helped me get my house and my job, my health, the health of my family, my father and mother, siblings that I can finally stand (childhood was rough), reliable transportation, a loving church family, friends that would do anything for me....just a few, Lord knows there is more.

I think that often things that I love and need are taken for granted. Just a few short months ago, I was living in a crappy apartment living paycheck to paycheck...and they were not even my paychecks. I was between jobs and things were not looking too great. After a while, I got a job at a group home for mentally disabled adults. It was not the best paying job and it was a daily struggle for me to drag myself into work-but it taught me a lot of things, most of all patients and understanding. I know it was hard for Jessica too because my attitude was terrible during that time and it showed at home.

After a few months I got a call from a friend out of no where telling me about an open ranger position at the State Park (where I had worked before), and was lucky enough to get an interview and better than that a job. Jessica and I had closed on our house shortly before and had gotten an amazing deal on a beautiful house in a nice area...out of town!

It is amazing to see how much my life has changed in just a short time. I know I don't deserve it, and I know that I'm not thankful enough.

1st Ultrasound

So...yesterday was the wife's first ultrasound for the little stinker on the way. She is 14 weeks starting so we will not know what the sex of the baby is for a few more weeks yet...bummer.

But as I stood in the room waiting for the doctor (Dr. Murphy is our OB/GYN, and he is awesome) to move out of the way of the machine so I could get a look I found myself neither worried or scared (like I thought I might be)....but happy. I had a huge smile on my face that I could not have removed had I wanted to. Hit me right then and there that I was for real going to be a father. And I like that.

While the task of being a good parent is often challenging and frustrating...ask my parents. I am looking forward to holding the little crap-head in my arms, and trying to be the best daddy I can be. I take comfort in the fact that I am in so very many ways exactly like my father...and he did a darn good job if you ask me!

Silly silly people...

Although I was unsuccessful making my arrests that I wanted to tonight I did get to see yet another unfortunate living situation for a "family". Picture this:
A man and woman and 13 year old living in the same house...not too bad of a start.
The man and woman have separate rooms and both sleep with the doors locked and want to have nothing to do with one another. Man wants a bath robe while the woman is sleeping and uses a screwdriver to break into her room and get said robe. Woman maces man in the face! Woman calls police scared for her life while man can't even get his face out of the sink.

Seriously?! I never could and never will understand why people continue to live in situations like this for as long as ill live. The lady's excuse was "he is the father of our son"....that kind of makes sense but the kid is 13 years old. He is old enough to understand mom and dad cannot live in the same house without being civil...call it quits. And what is worse is that neither of them had a friend of family that they could call to go stay with....makes me thankful for the wonderful support system I have in place with all my family and friends!