Last Post of the Day

I really need to get some sleep, since my day starts at 4 a.m. tomorrow. First, I wanted to throw a few more things out there.

Heather’s mom planned on coming to Minnesota at the end of July, so that she would be here when our second baby is born. Unfortunately, she had an accident a few days back, and I am not sure if she can make it. I know that she reads this, so of course, I will say what I would have said even if she did NOT read this. Come on out anyway! Well, we hope that Laura can make it when the baby is born, but she has so much to deal with in getting better that if she cannot make it, we will understand and will visit her and the rest of the family in Indiana as soon as we can. Heather’s mom headed home from the hospital this weekend, but has a lot of healing to do on the road to complete recovery again. We are all just thrilled that she is okay. It goes without saying that accidents are scary, especially when family and parents are involved.

Gabriel does love his nana, so whenever we get together, he will get a big kick out of seeing the rest of Heather’s family. Oh, he also really enjoys the antics of his uncle Josh. Their immediate family is smaller and they are a close-knit bunch. Getting together with them is great fun, so I am looking forward to the next visit. I know I can safely say the same thing for Heather and Gabriel. We eagerly anticipate the family visits that will be coming this year and in the future.

Okay. I am off to bed. Rest well, good evening, and when you awake and find yourself immersed in a Monday, remember that Friday is just around the corner. Hang in there. Good night, folks.

Just Stuff

I see that I recently mentioned the names we have chosen for our baby. Oops. Thanks for overlooking my forgetfulness. =)

A couple of days ago, Heather, Gabriel, and I went to see 'Evan Almighty.’ I loved it. The movie is appropriate for all ages, which is a good start. The movie is funny, right from the beginning. I expected a cameo from Jim Carey, but I did not see him, unless he was in disguise or I missed it. Heather and I both agree that this movie will have a place in our movie library. Without being too preachy, Evan Baxter follows the commands of God, even though what the Lord is telling him to do does not make sense to him. At first, Evan worries that others will think he is nuts, especially since he was just elected a U.S. representative based on his slogan of “Change the world.” As time goes on, he becomes more comfortable with just doing what God wants, even though it makes him look a bit out of place in the world of politics. Ultimately, the movie reveals that it is a great tale, is funny, isn’t too preachy to give the positive message to the general public, without causing discomfort to those who see it as either just funny from a secular viewpoint, or a modern-day retelling of the story of faith of Noah, from an allegorical perspective. I could go on and on about why I really loved seeing this movie. Briefly, the movie is entertaining, funny, and I can take my kid to see the movie, without worrying about the content whatsoever. For a parent, that is a good start when it comes to movies.

We watched another movie today that fits the same description of superb and family-friendly fare, though with less of a modern-day retelling of a Biblical story. The second movie is ‘Bridge to Terabithia.’ My little sister said that she did not really like the movie, so I was not sure what to expect. I like this movie. It has its emotional moments that tug at your heartstrings, to throw out an overused cliché. The message was about friendship and the importance of family, among other things. It rather parallels some other stories from a decade or two ago, such as ‘The Neverending Story’ and tells you that by using your imagination, your life can really come alive. Of course, that is my interpretation. Anyway, ‘The Bridge to Terabithia’ is a good movie, and is ideal for families. Oh, by the way, this is another great movie from Walden Media. I do not own stock in the company. I just really am happy to see these family- and faith-oriented movies. Other movies in the same vein that Walden released lately include ‘Because of Winn-Dixie’ and ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’, both of which I really enjoyed and will watch with my children again and again. Along with Fox Faith and its wholesome movies, finally, someone is getting it right, for families.

Baby Talk

Last weekend, the brother also known as Dave, was here visiting. We installed the air conditioning in the bedroom, but have not had it running until this weekend. Rumor has it that being pregnant in the summer is not a pleasant thing, due to the heat of biological normality for pregnant women… or something of that nature. Heather has not really said much about the heat. She is now about five weeks from the due date of our second child. We both went to the ob-gyn appointment a week or so ago. Heather is a couple of weeks from the point that is considered ‘full term’ for the baby, in terms of gestational development. Gabriel was a large kid when he was born, so Heather is lobbying her MD for a delivery a week early. Stay tuned on that front, but if the pregnancy goes full-term, before August 1, our second child will be out in the world.

We have names chosen already. Whether this is a boy or a girl, we have it covered. Heather and I just did not want to know the gender of our baby until he or she is born. What can I say? We like surprises. I would have to read in earlier blog postings myself to be sure if I already mentioned the names that we have chosen. If not, well, here goes. If our baby is a girl, her name will be Avigayil, which means ‘My Father’s joy.’ On the other hand, for a boy, the name will be Jericho, with a middle name honoring our close friend, and Heather’s uncle, who helped her find outstanding medical care when she was a kid with health problems. As crazy as it sounds, I am hesitant to put the full name of our baby here, first and middle names, because with identity theft being what it is, why give some creep out there any ideas?

Manic Monday

While I have not written any updates lately, I am going to try to make up for lost time tonight. My apologies go out to those who read the blog and look for updates. My schedule is full lately, but I am sure that is a familiar statement for many people, or more accurately, I would guess, life is just hectic for most people, myself included.

I have a class in the morning in the Twin Cities. I need to be out of bed by 4 a.m. so I can hit the road, but that is fine. I usually do not get that much sleep, so it is cool. One of my techs is heading down here and riding with me to the office for the training session. Then, we get to clarify and audit his service vehicle inventory. It is as much fun as it sounds. I figure that the class will be under four hours. I do not go to the office that frequently, so when I do stop in, I try to get a lot of work done. No doubt tomorrow will be a long day, five hours of driving and about six to eight hours of shuffling papers, filing and expense report justification, and administrative work. Such is life...

I do not hate Mondays. Hate is such a strong word... I just really dislike Mondays. Alot.