Posts filed under 'Friends'
Well, we are back and I for one am glad to be. I have to rant a bit about the chaos that we encountered.
It was very chaotic and stressful for us this year. All the plans that were set in stone before the trip were either changed or cancelled at the last minute. The time at my parents home was total chaos with all seven grandchildren gathered in front of the Christmas tree in a 900 sq ft trailer. I cleaned and cooked all the meals up to Christmas Dinner. After that dinner, I limited the amount of time and energy that I spent on helping out.
My family painted a very grim picture of my sick mother, but in reality she spent more time driving or at the store than visiting with us. She is oblivious to how sick she is and continues to smoke like a chimney. If inclined to do so, pray that she will see the light before it is too late. She states that the doctors told her that her lungs were clear. But, in reality, the emphysema does not go away. So, she is still in total denial.
The last three days of the trip were awesome. My brother-in-law Josh and sister-in-law Shawna were such a blessing to us. They made us feel very welcome after the previous weeks ordeal. We had a great time with them and we were all very saddened that we couldn’t spend more time with them.
To top the trip off. Our trip home started about 2pm. Leaving Josh and Shawna’s home and driving about 1 hr to the airport. The flight was 30 minutes late, then arriving in Vegas for about 1 hr layover we found out our plane was in deed cancelled due to mechanical problems. The next flight out was over 2 hrs later, so needless to say, I gambled a little on the 5 cent slots and lost but it was fun. The flight out from Vegas ended up being 30+ minutes late so we didn’t end up getting in until 2:15 am. Our pastor from our church had to come and rescued us from the airport which ended up being a blessing in of itself.
So, overall, I think I can speak for everyone, “There is no place like home”. This trip sure has taught us who and what you can depend on. I wish to personally thank my friend Teri for being willing to house sit for our animals. You are sure a blessing to our family. With all the pain you have suffered in the past 2 yrs with the loss of your son, you helped us without wanting anything in return. Hopefully someday I can repay the favor.
January 4th, 2006
It’s moving day, and I’m just about to take the computer down. We’ll be in the new place today, but we won’t have Internet hooked up until sometime Monday. This is the last post I’ll be able to write until probably Tuesday when things start to begin to slowly seem to maybe consider think about getting back to normal.
September 10th, 2005
Well, they are finally all done. There are a lot of pictures for you all to enjoy in the photo gallery. Now maybe I can finally catch up with all the posts required by law from when a bunch of people recently tagged me. Patience…
September 7th, 2005
I have almost all the vacation pictures ready in the photo gallery. For lack of a better system, I have them organized by day. As of now, it is complete through day 13. Actually uploading the photos is trivial, but I want to have a caption for each one, which is proving to be a bit more time consuming than I thought it would. Day 14, which I hope to have ready sometime tomorrow, will have all the pictures from our trip through Yellowstone National Park. I took over 180 pictures that day, and I’m going to upload 70 of them for your viewing pleasure, plus I have five photos from Day 15, the very last day of our vacation, including the aftermath of a very scary and potentially deadly highway incident (don’t worry, we’re all fine).
I’m also going to have a bunch of posts soon about more specific things on the trip, general observations, as well as things we learned about long car trips, kind of like a how-to guide for family vacations via automobile. What worked and what didn’t, ya know?
This was an epic journey for us (5450 miles in 15 days through nine states to visit several family members, three national parks, and a seemingly endless parade of tourist traps), and I don’t know when (or if) we’ll ever be able to do it again. It was a lot more expensive than I’d planned (we spent $687.50 just in gasoline), but I would gladly do it again if given the chance, and if I had it to do over, I would change very little.
September 6th, 2005
Everyone has a list, right? Some people’s list contains the things they want to do before they die, and they check each one off as they do it. Skydiving, bungee jumping, running with the bulls, whatever. I don’t have a list like that. I’ve always thought that if I did manage to do everything on my list, what else would I have to live for? So my list isn’t titled “Fun things I must do before I die”, but instead “Fun things I’ve done while alive.” That way, my list can grow and grow, and I never feel I have to stop adding to the list, and I won’t be disappointed if I leave this life before my list is complete.
So I added “floating” to my list yesterday. The rivers here in Missouri are very different from the rivers in Oregon, at least the rivers I’m familiar with. Oregon rivers are deep, fast, and they seem to claim the lives of about a swimmer a week during summer. Here, the rivers are shallow, slow, clear, and warm. Kathy’s cousin and his family took us to a place called Dawt Mill, where we rented two canoes and four tubes. We were then taken by converted school bus, with the canoes and tubes and our coolers on a trailer behind us, upriver about eight miles, and we got in the water about 12:30. We floated back downriver, and arrived back at Dawt Mill at about 6:30.
During those six hours, the water never got more than about four feet deep, and in some places the bottom of the canoes actually scraped along rocks and submerged logs. We stopped a few times along the way at little sandbars along the banks, to have lunch or to relax. It was a completely wonderful time.
Now for the bad news. If you’ve ever been in a canoe, like Kathy and I had not, you know that they can be really hard to keep balanced. Number of times we flipped? Two. Seconds after we got in the water that we first flipped? About 15. At some point along the way, Kathy switched with Matt, so he was in the canoe with me, and she was floating in the tube behind us. We went through a bit of a “rapids” section, and Matt and I got hung up on a submerged log. Kathy came barreling toward us, and flipped her tube. As she was trying to right herself, her glasses came off, and she dumped her beer. Tragedy. She had just opened that beer. We never did find her glasses or the beer.
So this morning, we’re all putting aloe on our sunburns, massaging the bruises we got from falling in the water and hitting the rocks on the bottom, and getting in touch with a local optometrist to get Kathy replacement glasses. We leave Missouri tomorrow morning for a long slow drive back home through several points of interest none of us have ever seen.
August 29th, 2005
We’re gonna get rid of a whole bunch of, well, junk and stuff, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We’d love for everyone in the area to stop by, maybe to atone for not making it to the picnic, hmm? Just kidding, totally. Seriously, please stop by, even if you’re not in the market for our leftover crap fine used household items. We’ll have some snacks ready for any friends who stop by.
If you want our address, phone number, or directions, just email me (link is at the top left of this page). If I don’t email you back, it means we probably don’t want you showing up anyway!
August 2nd, 2005
The picnic was loads of fun! OK, so not a lot of people showed up. I know that Breanna and Rebecca Marie had health issues that prevented their appearance, but why no one else? Feel free to leave explanations as comments to this post. I mean, I wasn’t even able to give away all the wide-screen plasma TVs and Sony PSPs that I had as door prizes! OK, so there were no high-end door prizes. Actually, there were no prizes at all, even for the winners of the two games I had available for everyone to play. I’m not sure who won “Guess The Blogger” (thanks RM for the most amazing artwork), but I’m pretty sure I speak for all of us in attendance when I say that Stephanie was the winner of the “How Many Words Can You Create From The Letters In Blogger Picnic” game, based solely on being the first one to write down “boner”.
Even though we couldn’t setup a live webcam (no wi-fi within range in the area), Gabe and I were still able to geek out. Each of us used our Blackberry to leave a comment on the previous picnic update post while we were munching on chips and yelling at our kids to stop leaving the cooler open.
Is there a second Blogger Picnic in the future? I’m not sure. There was a lot of preparation that went into this, just for almost no one to show up. Summer’s winding down, anyway, so if I am going to try to plan another get-together, it will probably have to be something indoors. I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted if anything comes to mind.
Still, even though there was a very low turn out, it’s always a party when the two Hayes families and Justin and Stephanie get together, so of course we had a blast. There’s a whole bunch of pictures in the Photo Gallery, just click on Blogger Picnic.
July 31st, 2005
- A campfire can be made hot enough to melt an aluminum can.
- A 6′ 2″ 270lb man can still outrun his 13 year old son.
- However, his feet can’t.
- Grass is not very soft when you fall at a full sprint.
- Shoulder injuries hurt.
- Shoulder injuries are made worse by batting balls.
- I am not nearly as good a batter as I thought I was.
- Slingball is one heck of an interesting made-up game.
- Slingball is hella fun.
- Camping with more than 30 of your close friends is about the most fun you can possibly have.
July 4th, 2005
Woo hoo! Three day week-end of camping!
Have a safe 4th of July, everyone, and I’ll be back with more posts next Tuesday.
July 1st, 2005
Go here and here to see what this is all about.
1) You have unlimited funds to buy Kathy ONE gift. What do you buy her and how do you present it to her?
I’m going to veer off the reality highway and rush headlong into the realm of make-believe. I would go back in time and give Kathy a proper marriage proposal. Allow me to explain why: I proposed to Kathy over the phone. No engagement ring, no tearful soul-baring on bended knee, no man-to-man talk asking for her father’s permission; nothing but a “Hey, would ya marry me?” She deserves so much more than that.
In my defense, I was only 16 years old, and didn’t know any better. Yes, 16. Kathy and I have been going out since we were 16. We were married at 19, and our first child was born when we were 21. That’s how we can be about to celebrate our 17th anniversary, have a son who drives and will be a sophomore in high school, and still be just 36 years old.
But if I knew then what I know now, I would have made sure to do it right, and I’ve regretted it ever since I knew enough to know that I should be regretting it.
2) Tell us a secret….
I once ate an entire 1/2 gallon carton of Breyer’s Cookies and Cream ice cream (the original, not that newfangled stuff with Oreos) in one sitting.
3) You’ve just laid the deed to your house on the black jack table. You’ve been dealt a seven and a five; the dealer has a nine showing. Do you take a hit? Tell us your thought process.
Take a hit? I didn’t even inhale. Drugs are bad, mm’kay? Now pass the Doritos, I got the munchies reeeal bad.
Seriously, I’m not a gambler, I don’t know anything about playing the odds in blackjack. I guess I’d take another card and hope for the best, and whatever happens, happens. If I lost the house, I guess I’d be pretty ticked, but I’d do what I’ve done in the past: Start over. One thing I’ve learned over the years is no matter how bad the situation is, you can always start over, especially when it comes to something as insignificant as money. The things that are really important can’t be lost in a card game.
Quick example: When Billy and Matt were babies, I was working three jobs (yes, three) to support us, and Kathy had broken her ankle and so she couldn’t walk or even take care of the boys. I had to drive them down to L.A. to stay with her mom while she healed for several months (driving straight through and back in one week-end with no sleep, ’cause I couldn’t take any time off), and I wasn’t able to even talk to them for several weeks since our phone had been shutoff. I even missed seeing Matt take his first steps. At the time, I felt like a complete and total failure, and pretty much worthless. Now, 13 or so years wiser, I realize that a person’s worth isn’t measured by how much money they make, or where they live, or how many letters are after their name on their business card (or if it says “trainee” on the nametag on their uniform.)
4) It’s all up to you; does the United States re-instate the draft or instate a mandatory two-year military commitment from everyone over eighteen? You must choose one, and state why.
Whoa, tough one. My dad was in the Army when I was tiny (I was actually born in a military hospital on an Army base in what used to be West Germany.) His service was up and we moved back to the States when I was about two. I have no recollection of any of his service, so I’ve never considered myself the son of a military man. My brothers and I have never served either.
Billy and Matt have occasionally mentioned that they might like to join the military when they get out of high school, to help with education, serve their country, gain experience, etc. Not much serious talk of that recently, however.
As much as I may disagree with idea of forcibly inducting some people into the armed forces, I guess I am even more strongly against a mandatory stint in the military for all adults. That just seems more un-American.
5) Why do you get so mad?
Stupidity makes me mad.
People can be ignorant, and people can be stupid. Ignorance is not bad. All of us are ignorant of most things. If something goes wrong with my car, for example, I can’t fix it for the life of me. I’m ignorant of the knowledge needed to make it start working. That’s OK, because I don’t really have a desire to learn it, it’s not worth my time, and I’m fine with paying someone else to fix it who does have that knowledge.
However, if I keep driving when I notice the “check engine” light come on instead of taking it to a mechanic, and my engine explodes, I’m not being ignorant, I’m being stupid.
OK, so I’m supposed to extend the invitation to be interviewed by me to the first five people who request it. However, seeing that it took almost three days just to post my answers to RM’s questions, I probably won’t get around to coming up with five interesting questions for five different people within our lifetime. So… I’m going to extend this invitation to just two people. I know, I’m probably going to suffer a terrible accident for “breaking the chain” or something, but I’m willing to risk it. Any takers?
June 23rd, 2005
Our friends Justin and Stephanie have an on-line store here. They sell soaps, bath salts, gift sets, and more. Kathy’s buying some raspberry bubble bath and some kid’s soap. Check ‘em out!
May 3rd, 2005
I don’t think I’ve ever been called the brightest bulb in the box. And, I’ll be the first to admit that as I get older, I’m getting even more and more dim. So it took me quite a while to realize that some of the anonymous postings on some of the articles recently may have been from former co-workers (whom I still very much consider friends). I’m going to take a couple guesses, and I’ll address you simply by your first initial:
B: Have there been any complaints about an odor problem at your new office?
S: I know that Super Bowl Sunday was a bust, but have you had any “good luck” since?
Let me know if I’m right by posting more comments to this article, and you can still post anonymously if you like.
Now, the reason for all this is because the aforementioned B and S will remember the “gallery of scary foods” that I keep on the shelf at my desk. In fact, S even contributed a much appreciated bag of dehydrated iced tea (”Sqwincher, the activity drink! Just add 1 gallon water! Makes 1 gallon tea!”).
So aaanywaaaay… I went to Grocery Outlet yesterday morning to buy some expired Pop-Tarts. I love this store, if for no other reason than the weird foods you can find there. I snapped pictures of two different canned goods that caught my eye. I did not purchase either item.
I don’t know if I should be offended or not.
“What did you call me? Pasta what?”
Eww. “Imitation abalone” sounds bad enough.
“Prepared from giant squid” sounds even worse.
March 4th, 2005
Whew. Almost a dozen first-graders were running around our house today during Lexi’s birthday party. Where do they get all that energy? And why can’t they hear how frickin’ loud they’re being?
Of all the presents Lexi got, I think this is the one I most want for myself. Not just a Barbie doll, but a Fairytopia Sparkle Fairy Barbie. Just being in the same room when this gift was opened made me feel pretty.
(And, yes, that is a green ribbon on my daughter’s head, thanks for asking.)
February 5th, 2005
Terri is our friend who lost her 14 year old son Steven to a brain tumor a year and a half ago. She had an accident a few days ago and broke her ankle. She tripped and fell sideways across a curb while walking through the parking lot at work. When it happened, she thought she may have broken a few ribs. She was taken to the hospital, and she called Kathy in tears to come and be with her for a while. Kathy and the kids rushed there and hung out in the ER waiting room while they X-rayed her. Terri was in great pain, and they thought she may have ruptured something internally, which would be pretty serious, and apparently could have been life-threatening.
My 14 year old son Billy took Kathy’s cell phone out to the car to call me and let me know what was happening. When he got off the phone and went back in to the waiting room, Kathy had taken the other kids somewhere. He went to the receptionist to say that he wanted to visit Terri, and the nurse (who was under the impression that Billy was her son) went back to find out where Terri was and to let her know that she had a visitor.
So picture this: Terri, of course as always still grieving for and thinking of her dead son, is in extreme pain in the ER, with unspoken thoughts in her head that she may be dying, and a nurse comes in and says something like “It’s OK, your teenage son is waiting for you, you’ll be with him very soon…”
August 21st, 2004
Wow, long time since I’ve updated this page.
We went camping over 4th of July week-end. Left the house about 11:00 AM to meet my brother Gabe and his family at the campsite at about 12:30. At about 12:15, literally 2 miles from the campground, we were hit by a little old lady driving a Ford Taurus. She was trying to pull onto the highway from a little general store, and apparently didn’t see the bright black minivan with roof-top carrier and bike rack barreling toward her at 40 MPH. She pulled out quickly and hit us square on the right rear side of our van, sending us sliding sideways in the road. Bringing forth the knowledge gleaned from many years of watching Dukes of Hazard every Friday night, I was able to bring the slide under control quickly, and after Kathy and I determined everyone was OK, we exchanged information and called our respective insurance companies (is there any one left in America that doesn’t carry a cell phone with them at all times?)
Camping was great fun, we all had a blast.
The following week, we took the van to her insurance company’s adjuster. He stopped counting damage when he reached $3300. They estimated our van’s value at around $2900. Since the van still drove just fine (I had removed the bent piece of body trim that was rubbing the tire, replaced both rear tires with new rubber, and installed new glass and vacuumed out the shattered cubes of safety glass), we decided to keep it. After deducting their salvage value, and adding the DMV paperwork fees, her insurance company gave us a check for $2602.
August 3rd, 2003
Steven’s funeral was last Wednesday. Things are finally starting to get back to normal. I have a bunch of stupid things that tick me off swimming around in my head, and I’ll post those here soon.
May 31st, 2003
Billy and Matt’s good friend Steven died this morning. I don’t really feel like writing anything more now.
May 23rd, 2003
