Memories Stored in a File

So the other day I got this great idea, on the last days of the year I will transfer all of my pictures to shutterfly.  This will protect my pictures in case of a fire, computer fritz, or whatnot.  So why bring this up today?  Obviously, cause I am downloading pictures.  I wish I could say just this years but I have gotten a little behind (2008 currently half way done)

While I am transferring files (current run will take about 27 minutes) it got me thinking about the olden days, when you would sit on the floor with a shoe box flipping through the memories.  Now as I go through mega and terabits of pictures I forgot I had I wonder, will we eventually stop printing pictures?  I don't think so but really; e-mail has replaced letters, texts replaced phone calls, Facebook has replaced face to face story telling, and blogs replace journals (or if I was a girl, diaries).  Will our kids or our grandkids know a world where camera's are still separate from their phones?  I hope so but the only people who I can think of that print pictures are parents, and only of the 1st born, can you think of anyone else who prints pictures?  I will admit that we (wife and I) are HORRIBLE at taking pictures. Worse at showing them and horrendous at printing them...in the last 4 years we have printed 4 pictures a year and those were shipped to someone else for a calendar that is made for my Grandma.

Here's to me getting better in the future.  This year was the first year (in 15 of being together) that we sent out a Christmas Card and that was using photos from this year. I feel its a good step forward but then again maybe someday we'll be able to electronically transfer memories to a file without taking pictures.  But till then, we'll have to keep sharing them with stories that start with "So the other day..."

Bragging is not against the law

So the other day I got to do one of my favorite things.  Simply put, brag about my family.  I try and do this whenever I can, I'm sure that it can be annoying to many; but it is something, that when done correctly, you can see the envy in their eyes but they appreciate the joy you have in sharing that moment with them.

So this day it was my wife that I was bragging about...I brought her home-baked goodies into work.  Homemade toffee,Chex mix, Butterscotch fingers and this upside-down apple cake that both magically melts in your mouth but lingers with awesomeness on the back of your tongue.  As my coworkers, some of whom had not had the chance to enjoy my wife's baking, ran to my desk they would begin to exclaim on how amazing everything tasted.  I then would get to talk about how my wife is pretty much better than sliced bread, and then everyone had no option but to agree that they wish they could be married to her...

I know that I shouldn't boast and brag about those things that God has given me, oh there's no doubt that she was given to me by God, but it's so hard not to when you have the best.  I have never lost a "My wife is better than your wife" competition and I can only hope that I can continue to help her win her "best husband" battles.

Till the next post I pray you continue to focus on all the real joys of Christmas...and that you remember that Jesus was born on this night, the other day

Echo echo echo...

So the other day my daughter and I went and saw a movie.  We were the only ones in the theater and it became a great time.  Hanging out and being able to talk and laugh freely and since the daughter was 9 at the time there were many times when laughter would break out.  The movie wasn't a Oscar winning film but the memory was.

The reason I bring this up...last night, my daughter and I got to repeat the event.  We went and watched The Muppet movie, and we were surprised to see that we were again the only ones in the theater and then she says "Remember when this happened before?" and I was brought back to that day and the memory again...

I don't know if you will ever have the chance to see a movie in an empty theater but you will have the chance to make a memory with your kids.  Do it, you will not regret it.  I have a couple of running ones like the car wash with my daughter and lacrosse games with my son.  It's these things that they will remember and then be able to repeat to their kids.

And you know what's really cool?  I love when I hear my kids say to their friends "So I was hanging out with my dad the other day..."

Big bargains pay off

So the other day I'm at Kohls, and if you know Kohls, you know I was there looking at their 60% 70% and 80% off racks.  While I'm hunting through the racks, I find this 2XL Adidas "dry fit" shirt on the 80% off rack.  I calculate it at about $5.25.  Me, currently wearing 3XL, like a glove, sees this as a great bargain. mainly because if I can't ever wear it I'm only spending $5.25 and if I can somehow ever, Bonus!

So I get up the the register, yes I am promoting Kohls (and this is why I will forever) and the cashier rings up my $5.25 shirt. Unfortunately for my plan,  I see that my $5.25 awesome workout shirt (yeah, workout) is now $26.25 and I'm like, "Um, I found that on the 80% off rack."  The cashier looks at me, and without a blink of an eye says, "Oh, OK, no problem" hits a button on the screen that says "Make it Happen" and she changes the price to $5.25.  Seriously, no "are you sure", no "I can't do that", just a hit of a button and this fat man has a new workout shirt (Again yea, right).  As I am walking out of the store, I look over at a rack and there it is, the display that my shirt was suppose to be on.  My shirt $26.25 full price...Funny story, I get home that day and think well I can fit into this shirt Now. put it on and stand looking at myself in the mirror.  I look good I tell myself and then proceed to try and take the shirt off...Eventually I was successful with a little help from my wife...EF (epic fail)

So that brings us to today...why did I bring this up?  Well, I recently have been losing some weight and today I found said shirt in the bottom of the workout clothes drawer and I decided to put it on.  I am happy to say.  It looks dang good and I'm also pretty sure that I won't need my wife's help getting it back off.

So remember, bargains that you got the other day are only as good as the story you get to share about them!

A first for me

So my daughter's "boyfriend" is coming over today. The other day I was going over to my first "girlfriend's" place (see how this works(20 years ago)). And now, its weird that our family is old enough to be looking at increasing and decreasing as teenage love blossoms and disintegrates.

Today is not the first time we will meet this boy and really she has been seeing him at school for maybe nine months? But this is the first time he will be seeing her off school grounds, well that we are aware of anyway.

He'll be joining us for dinner, my wife's basically famous Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo from scratch, then I don't know...maybe game, movie etc. I'm sure a night of awkwardness and stumbling and making sure there is a space big enough for Jesus between them.
No leaving the main floor, no going into your room, etc. We know what happens when you can, your born to 19 year old kids.

Just the other day

Let's get this started

I have been thinking for the last couple of months that I should get my own blog.  I follow about 18 blogs - about 5 post- and there in-lies the issue.  If I have a blog but don't blog, why have a blog?  I think I can do this pretty regularly, we'll see.  But I just couldn't start a blog without the perfect name...for me.

So today, I give to you My personal reflection from "the other day"

So why is "the other day" in quotes (or air quotes if i was in person)?  GREAT question.  Apparently,  I tend to start sentences with the phrase "So the other day..." which to many of my friends this means yesterday, last week or 5 years ago.  I still don't see why this is frustrating or confusing to them, go with it people we all have flaws.

So I was talking with my bride "the other day" (Wednesday (funny I actually almost forgot what other day it was)) and I started the sentence with "the other day" and it hit me so I decided then that I would start a blog.  

As this hit me at work and everything you see here has been done over lunch I will add more later.