My ticket

I've realized this year that my kids are 'my ticket.' 'My ticket' you say, what on earth are you talking about?

Over the years, I've met numerous MN Vikings, been to more sporting and theater events, been invited into the studio of a radio station, been to parties and celebrations all because of my kids!

Consider this year.

• I've met and spent time with Tony Hawk. My oldest son was shown by Tony Hawk how to turn around on a half-pipe. Our entire family traveled to Chicago to do this thanks to Make-A-Wish


• I've met and spent time with 'Go Fish'. My second oldest son sang on stage with them. Our family traveled to Sioux Falls thanks again to Make-A-Wish.


• I've been to a MN Wild game, several Twins games, to a few theater productions.


• And today I shook hands with Stephane Veilleux and Pierre-Marc Bouchard from the MN Wild because Vicki happened to be in the hospital.

All of this happened in one year!

Here I am simply doing what God asked me to do and He's giving me all these wonderful opportunities. By no means do I worship any one of the famous people I've met. However, I do consider it a great honor to have had a chance to be next to them for a moment. They lead such different lives as famous people, but each of them has taken time to give back and put a smile on the faces of my kids and myself as well.

It's interesting to me that if I had not taken these children into my home, I never would have had these experiences. When we set out to adopt kids, we weren't really counting on any benefits. It doesn't really enter your mind - 'Hey if we adopt so and so, then in 10 years we can meet Tony Hawk. OK, I'll take that one.'

Today's visit was a big treat for me. I had been with Vicki in the hospital since Thursday night when she broke her left femur. It had to be surgically put back together. She had been a trooper, but we were both very tired. We were working on going home. She was up in her chair and we were about to go for a walk. We heard a buzz and someone said there are hockey players in the building. My ears perked up - I love hockey. We were about to leave the room when someone asked if we'd like to see the players from the Wild. 'Sure' I said. Before I knew it Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Stephane Villeux were in the room introducing themselves to Vicki and me. They shook my hand and I asked if they would mind signing the dog (Hajik). They said sure. I introduced Vicki (I wasn't a complete fool) and they gave her a T-shirt, signed their cards, said Hi to her and were on their way.

It had to have been less than a minute. After they left, I was speaking to someone with them who I believe works for the Wild. I told him how important this is for the kids AND the parents. His response was excellent. He said that this was a terrible time of year to be in the hospital and visits like this bring us back down to earth and remind us what's really important. I heard a nurse say that they had a little boy down the hall who's been waiting ALL DAY to meet these two.

I had been exhausted from caring for my daughter. I spent less than 60 seconds with two of the best hockey players in Minnesota and my spirits were boosted. That little boy was recovering from whatever put him in the hospital. He met the players and his spirits were boosted too. To them, it's a simply autograph and a Hello. (I'm not saying the players take it lightly merely that they don't view it as being an imposition to autograph a card and say Hi to some kids in the hospital) To us, it gives energy to continue doing what we need to do.

What a treat for me at the end of a long ordeal. Thanks guys for taking the time.

I'm thankful for 'My tickets' to these cool opportunities. Thanks God.

What They Really Said

You may have seen/heard that the Prez elect and his former opponent sat down in Chicago recently. The story I heard reported that they sat in identical chairs and talked about how to work together to solve the major issues of our country. You saw/heard what they wanted you to see/hear. I'm hear to report what you didn't hear.

-Prez elect: John, thanks for coming down - sorry about all those lies I told about you.

-Former opponent - Hey B it's OK, I counted them up and you only told one more lie about me than I told about you. I do wish you would have been nicer to Sarah though. She really didn't deserve it.

-Prez elect: Well, you saw what I had to say about H to get my party's nomination. After that there was no way I was going to lose to a gun-totin, governor from a state that's colder than the south side.

-Former opponent - Oh I understand, I just think that listening to you sayin all that wasn't really why I sat in that cell all those years.

-Prez elect: Hey John, that's all over now - after all you're pretty near the end of the road aren't you.

-Former opponent: C'mon B, I thought you were done with the negative stuff. I figure I've got two more elections in me.

-Prez elect: YES WE CAN! I mean, I'm sorry John old habit - no pun intended old boy - uh whew, ahem, forget it.

Let's get to why I really called you here. I gotta get some advice. I woke up this morning and said to myself "Oh crap, I'm gonna be leader of the free world and I don't know diddly (well actually I do know Bo, but he can't help me) about running a country, leading the military, or even what a real budget is." Even though I thought I wanted to run the world, I realize now that there's no way I can. I'm just not qualified. I told all those lies for so long that I actually believe them. What do you say about helping me out? I figured you could tell me all I needed to know about the military and leadership. I'm not real concerned about the economy though cause if we really do that Robin Hood thing it'll all be good.

-Former opponent: B, You're kidding right? We went through all the hassles and the travel and wasted millions and millions of dollars for you to call me here, get all cutesy with me and tell me this? I'm gonna have to say "Good luck" and be on my way (Long pause). Just kidding B. We POWs are loyal to the end, the bitter end if necessary, but you wouldn't really understand that now would you? If you'll get off your BlackBerry for a second, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do.

-Prez elect: (Pause) Look John, I'm glad you'll take care of it. I really can't be bothered with all the details right now, I've got 672 emails to reply to. I figure I can start running the country about May of next year. But thanks for coming. I feel much better and after all that's the kind of change I needed.

Market response

So where's the media now?

They forgot to tell you how the markets have responded to our election. They dropped. Significantly. The Dow Jones was down about 800 points in the first two days after the election.

What happened to all of that optimism about change?
What happened to all of the excitement about the new prez?
What happened to the belief that the savior of the world had just been elected?

It went in the tank, that's what happened.

After all, aren't the markets supposed be a barometer of everything good and bad in life? If the markets are up, life is good. If the markets are down, life is bad.

If the markets are a barometer of what happened in the election, then they're giving it the raspberries.

Too bad the media didn't tell you this.

That's OK, I did.

May God have mercy on us.

No Party

One of the beauties of the modern day is that while I am watching the election results, I can submit my thoughts to the world. 99.98% of the world doesn't care about my thoughts. But for that .02% here you go.

Our country is headed in the wrong direction. We have made an enormous error in judgement. No it's not the man that we elected president. It's the fact that we (in general) have thrown God out of our country. We have consistently said that we must embrace the ideas of all people as long as they are not the ideas of Christians. We are foolish if we think that the ideas of men alone void of the Almighty God are of any value. If we attempt to silence that God, he has told us himself that rocks will cry out.

Well just consider me one of the rocks. When we choose to leave God out of the policies of our country, He will give us the leadership we deserve. We have now elected a new leadership and I'm here to say that we are getting what we deserve.

May God be merciful to us.


And now a comment on our media.

Even on election night the media is so completely biased that they can't even help themselves. Charles Gibson said in the same breath that they would NOT project the winner until at least 270 electoral votes were cast and then turned right around as the polls closed in the western states and stated that they WOULD project the winner. THE VOTES HADN'T EVEN BEEN COUNTED. HOW on earth could they do that with the votes not even counted? I'll tell you how - they knew who they wanted to win and they just put it out there.

My friends, it's time to get back on our knees, put God back into public policy and get the media to stop calling elections months and years before they occur.

3rd party

I don't normally discuss politics with anyone but my closest friends. But I thought I'd share my views from the frozen tundra (Minnesota).

I'm a frustrated conservative living in a land of liberals. I've learned that liberals have some good ideas especially when it comes to those of us who deal with disabilities. Recently my frustration has grown to cover both Republicans and Democrats alike.

The recent vote to bailout the failing financial institutions pushed me over the edge. Both presidential candidates voted for it. The major flaw in the plan is the debt they put on the country in order to save private entities that were foolish. It was evident that this was wrong in the comments I received from my own Senator. He felt it wasn't the best of plans but *had* to do it to save the economy. Whatever happened to finding the best plan?

Before I get out of hand here, my frustration is causing me to seriously consider 3rd party candidates. The two party system is broken. There's corruption (and stupidity) on both sides of the aisle. I'm ready for our government to be shaken to it's foundations and get a fresh perspective.

I don't really like either presidential candidate.

In my opinion, John McCain some how believes he deserves to be president merely for his amazing service to our country. The service was and is amazing, but it's still not a ticket to the White House.

In my opinion, Barack Obama is well rehearsed and apt at playing the crowd and a camera. Whether or not he will be a good leader will be seen come January (in case you couldn't tell I'm resigned to the likelihood of his presidency).

The time has come for *real* change. Not the kind of change that blows with the wind or the latest poll, but the kind of change that is true, wise, foundational, and lasting.

I'm of the mind to "throw the bums out." Seriously folks, can we really do worse than where we are today?

Houston, we have completion!

Yipee! Woo hoo! Oh yeah! Far out! Scooby Dooby Doooooo!

We're in! Yes siree, it's done! Done enough to live in that is! You've seen the completed bedroom. Now feast your eyes on the completed living area. (small side note - the bathroom in our room still has some work, but hey we can use the rest!)

It's been nearly a year since we sent our boys "digging for gold" in the back yard. They were digging holes to try and find the sprinkler system. Since that time we've had a lot of ups and downs a TON of help and some pretty awesome stories to share.

In a time when the financial markets are a mess, the world is imploding on itself, nature disasters are prevalent, we find ourselves with this incredible blessing of a completed addition!

How did we spend our first night in it? Check out Vicki as she drives her chair in the expanded space. She wanted to work on her "reversing" and also took her dog for a walk. It's absolutely wonderfully awesome to see her spend extended time working on her driving inside the house!

You may also notice a certain male type searching the inside of his eyelids. He just passed out from being overwhelmed. OK he was tired from being awakened several nights this week. He was enjoying the new couch purchased one week ago from the neighbor who bought new furniture. Even the timing of that is amazing! Not to mention the color is perfect!

So enjoy the pics while we enjoy the house. Thank you one and all and especially Jeff W. And most important we thank God for choosing to bless us. Yes, God himself showed up many a time during this project and I'm confident He will have more to show us in the years to come.

A room with a NEW view!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, an event never before seen on television! The Prices move in to the master bedroom!

After a LOT of work by MANY people, the final key to this room was installed. Our feet are happy feet as they walk about the new turf. The laying of the carpet allowed us to move into the bedroom. The bath is not yet done, but we can still sleep soundly behind the new six-panel door. Soundly that is if the dog isn't getting sick.

Let me back up. On Thursday the carpet was laid. Due to other activities and logistics, we left the little boys in that room until Saturday night. After a long day of putting up shelves in the closet, a valence over the window and moving furniture, we turned in for a short fall's nap (as opposed to a long winter's nap).

We awoke to some clatter to see what was the matter. And what did appear, but Hajik and 8 tiny little, well not exactly. It was more like a bucket of... Oh wait I'd better not really describe it or you too might do what he did. You get the picture. He got sick. Vicki woke up. We got up. We cleaned up and went back to bed - for about 2.7 seconds. Then we got up again to lots of noise from the dog, but not so much mess. About 2 hours later the sounds and mess finally ended and we finished our short fall's nap.

However, the few minutes we did sleep in our new room were wonderful! It's a bit more spacious and the carpet is nice on the toes (Thanks Al).

So tonight I can say "Happy Fall to all, and to All a Goodnight."

Go Green!

No, this is not a post about saving the planet. After all, the planet is a ROCK and rocks don't need saving last time I checked. This is a post about getting some sod!

I'll begin with the Thank You's!

Gary, Jeff, and Rich and his kids for their time, ideas and muscle!

Andy from Nature Scapes Landscaping Inc. for his time, advice and help with the sod costs.

I continue to be amazed at what can be done with a few extra helpers, regardless of their age. What fun to see it go from dirt to grass in a few short hours.

We have been really blessed throughout this project with the right people, donations and materials at the right time.

Paint, and there was light!

We needed to spruce up the color scheme a little - off white is a tad boring. So we enlisted the help of Barb S. and Gaston K. and finished the two big rooms in one day! Thanks so much for your help. It's very nice to look at now.


Ever been in the dark? I mean the real deep dark where you can't see your hand in front of your face. I have. One time in a cave. That is a strange experience. Well, it's never been quite that dark in our addition, and now it never needs to be dark again - unless you want to get some sleep.

We have lights thanks to Grounded Electric. Need a good electrician? Give 'em a call at 763-753-6215.

Here's a small sample of their handy work.

20% to go

They say the last 20% is the hardest. You want to finish, but you want it to look great so you take the extra time needed. Well we're at that 20% and we can see the finish line.

We've primed the walls. Now we need some color - Laura wants it to be homey. I want what she wants :) That's my way of saying I really don't care what color it is.

Here's a couple of prime pics from our sheet-rocking and paint job.

God's sprinkler system

If you haven't figured it out by now, I believe in God.

I also believe in sprinkler systems.

Do you believe that God cares about sprinkler systems? I do.

Over the last 4 days I have embarked on a journey to the center of the earth. OK it was only 18 inches, but it seemed like it was deeper to my office-job-weakened-muscles. This was my time to resurrect something from the dead - my sprinkler system.

It was dealt a lethal blow by the excavators last fall. I knew then that I would lose my system if I didn't do something so I severed the one zone I thought would be affected. I failed to remember that there was a feeder line AND electrical lines between my two valve boxes. I was enlightened to that fact when I saw extra line and electrical lines in the grips of the back hoe.

I was dreading this project most of the winter because I thought I would have to call in professionals.

As I was digging the 18 inch by 100 foot trench this last week, I ran into a number of "coincidences" or "good luck" or "fortunate" events.

-First my 5 year-old accidentally found the wire from the first valve box. He was helping me dig the trench and simply stumbled on it. It saved me about 40 feet of digging plus any time looking for the hidden wire.

-Second I found a broken zone that I did not know about. I would have eventually found this, but the fact that it was right in the trench I dug was an amazing find.

-Third, I found the end of a zone I knew had taken a hit, but planned to leave it unconnected. Since I found it, it was easy to reconnect.

-Fourth, when I connected what I thought was the supply line, it turned out to be the disconnected zone. Guess where the supply line was pouring out? Yep right in my trench! So I swapped the connections and had the supply line up and running.

-Fifth, I found the second set of wires with little effort. I was a little concerned that I had the wrong wire when a portion of that wire went down almost to China. It went straight down for a LONG way - likely due to being caught in the back hoe. After digging down the depth of a long shovel, I gave up and simply used the line I had found. It turned out to be the right wire.

So these five things combined with the fact that I was able to reconnect the electrical lines and the water lines with no MAJOR hassles was such an exciting endeavor that I really had to consider whether God himself was helping me. I rarely if ever have projects get completed without some major issues. This was beyond anything I expected.

He doesn't promise us that life will be easy. But He does promise us that He will be with us and that He will take care of us.

The Bible tells us that He has the hairs on our heads numbered. So if He counts hair, He can certainly help with sprinkler systems. I KNOW He did with mine.

RSVP

When I was a kid, I made up the words for RSVP - Respond Soon Very Please. Of course the grammer is slightly askew, but hey it worked for me.

Over the years we have encountered a number of people who do NOT respond, not soon, and not at all. People forget, get busy, or simply don't care and as a result don't respond to you. In recent weeks this has intensified as we've had no less than 5 encounters where people have not responded to us.

It starts when I leave a message saying "please call me." It gets a little more specific when I say "please let me know your decision." And finally I've even said, "Please call me either way so I know your status."

A majority of these encounters are with young people who have interviewed with us. They indicated a desire to work with our daughter, but then fail to follow through. Most simply do not call back at all. Others state that they will call, but don't.

So what have we instilled in this generation that makes them think that they can hide behind their cell phones and text messages? Have we forgotten to teach them common courtesy? After all, even if you don't want the job how hard is it to say to someone, "I've decided not to accept the position." It's not as if the prospective employer is your best friend, you haven't even worked for them yet.

I know that each generation tends to complain about what the next generation is lacking. Well this is my complaint - the current 18-25 somethings are lacking in the "courtesy gene." Perhaps they never had it passed on to them, or perhaps it's not a gene after all, but an environmental issue - their parents never taught them. Either way, it's annoying.

Of course with every problem, you should offer a solution or you're simply part of the problem. So my solution is this:

With each interview, I now charge a $5 interviewing fee. Yep that's right, if you want to talk with me about a job it costs you a five spot. This will be refunded if you return my calls AND return for your first shift. If you don't call me then hey I just got myself a free gallon of gas for my trouble - but that's a subject for another post.

Thank you - 6

Progress continues with work on sheetrock! We're getting close now! A number of BIG 'Thank yous' are due. Here they are:

Jon and Joe at Riverview Home Improvement for their contribution with the siding.

Men from Constance: Lee, Mike, Ken, Rob, Chuck and of course Jeff for their time hoisting, cutting, and hanging sheetrock.

Just to be silly, I'm thanking myself for time spent working on the sheetrock. Not that I need the thanks, I'm just curious to see how closely you're reading :) Plus I'm very excited to be able to do something that I can handle!

Insidulation

I'll be you've never heard the title of today's post before. Of course you haven't since I just made it up. It's a word to capture the work that's been accomplished the last two days.

On Monday just before 7 am, the siders were here ready to go. Just before 8 am the insulator was ready to primp and fluff the place. It's just amazing to me what gets done when people are professionals in their trade. Things that would take me forever (if I could even do it), take them only minutes or hours.

The tricky part comes when I the homeowner need to make decisions, but I don't really know the answers. I end up getting a little concerned because I don't have the expertise. It seems to work out best if I get options from the professionals, weigh them out and then make an educated guess. So far it's working.

By afternoon the insulator was done and the inspector signed off!

By the end of the day the only thing left for the siders was the back. They had to piece our existing house together with what we had torn off last fall. They did an awesome job!

Another Day in the Life

Have you ever stopped and captured your day? I'm frequently amazed at what happens in one 24 hour period. Not that this second "Day in the Life" post will be terribly exciting, but it gives me a chance to capture a single day.

5:45 am Rise and shine

6:00 am Get Josh up

6:20 am Get Victoria up

6:45 am Start waking middle-schoolers, the little boys just get up by default.  Today the siding crew begins to show up.  There will be a big change today!

7:05 am High Schoolers out the door, boy it's STILL cold!

7:06 am Get middle-schoolers breakfast.  Start answering questions from the siders.  They need to know how our platform will come out away from the house.  Call to my project leader for clarification.  Talk more with the siders on where to put the "hangers" for the platform.

7:45 am Insulator shows up. Now we get work on the inside AND the outside.

8:00 am Middle-schoolers on the bus, everyone else ready to leave

8:15 am Answer questions from the insulator

8:30 am Catch up on messages, emails left, schedule appointments

9:00 am Discuss questions about addition with Jeff

9:30 am Get some work started

11:30 am Finish morning work, get a quick lunch

1:00 pm Call client. Phone training

2:15 pm Finish a "crisis" with a co-worker

2:30 pm High schoolers home

3:15 pm Take middle-schoolers to bowling

3:30 pm Set up middle-schoolers at bowling alley

3:45pm Pick-up meds at pharmacy

3:50 pm Pick-up mower at hardware store

4:30 pm Watch Josh's adapted softball game. Take pictures. Talk with parents.

6:00 pm Head home, Mustangs lost :(

6:15 pm Arrive home, Laura leaves with Timmy for Awana

7:00 pm Homework with Vicki

7:30 pm Start bedtime routine

8:00 pm Put kids to bed, Laura goes to get Timmy.

8:30 pm Finish up work projects that couldn't be completed during the day.

10:00 pm Last email, turn computer off, watch a little hockey.

Amazing What a day! Filled to the brim with meetings, appointments, messages and even some sports. I've begun to realize of late that if it weren't for the kids I have, there would be MANY things that I would not have the opportunity and privilege to experience.

Thank you - 5

Progress continues with the addition of a furnace and duct work. A number of BIG 'Thank yous' are due. Here they are:

Tim Yeager and Northern Heating and Air Conditioning for their contribution with the furnace.

Dave Klein for his huge contribution of duct work and time.

Steve Ruzicka of L & R Building Supply in Ham Lake for his contribution on the windows.

Frank and Giuseppe Garruzzo for their cash contribution

Mel and Margaret Price for their cash contribution

Athlete of the Week!

As if the championship didn't burst my buttons enough, we received a call from Josh's coach on Monday stating that he would be a Star Tribune athlete of the week! WOW!

In the last week, he's been a part of a team that won the state championship, been on KSTP Sports Wrap, been in the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press and now this!

What else can I say, but I'm proud of him!

Check it out here (never mind that they say he's a senior).

Undefeated Champions!

You may have heard of the New England Patriots. If not, they're a football team who were almost perfect this past season. Well almost doesn't cut it.

You may have heard of the Anoka-Hennepin Mustangs. If not, they're an adapted sports team who were perfect this past floor hockey season. Yes sir, a perfect 15-0 record! 12-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the state tournament to capture their second Adapted Floor Hockey championship in as many years.

We are the proud parents of two of the members of this perfect team. Yes I admit pride is bursting out of me. Since I can't contain it I'll share it here. Before I talk about our boys, I want to acknowledge that each member of the team contributed to this perfection in such a way that a LOT of it goes unnoticed.

There are paraprofessionals who do so many things that I don't even know all of their jobs - equipment, scoring, checking bus lists, encouraging etc.

There are the coaches who put in countless hours planning, preparing, scheduling, worrying (maybe a little?!) coaching, training, working, encouraging, challenging and many more "ings."

There are all of the players who work hard at practice and at game time. If they're not on the floor, they're cheering and encouraging the others.

There are the parents who make sure that their kids get to practices and games and have the right snacks and their uniforms.

There are bus drivers who we rarely if ever see.

There are PCA's who dedicate extra hours to making sure their charges are at the assigned destination. There are fans who come from near and far to cheer on our kids.


Yep, it's true. You've heard it said before, there's no "I" in team. My oldest son exemplified this when he was interviewed by the Star Tribune in this quote "It feels pretty good," said Josh Price, a sophomore winger, "But I'm not the only person that's a star. I'm a big part of it, but I'm not the star."

He knows like all of the kids do that they are a star on our team. He also knows that he can't (and didn't do it alone).

So while my buttons are burstin with pride, I must also say that I am moved. Moved because each and every one of these kids is out there playing SO HARD while dealing with some kind of physical or cognitive challenge. These kids have a 1000% more heart than any paid athlete I have ever watched. You can not help but be impressed by these kids.

In addition to their heart, is their ability to let go of the things that just don't matter. Very shortly after each game, they return to being just themselves. They chat with each other, or play in the pool or turn on their iPods, while the rest of us adults try to figure out why the officiating might have been good or bad or why some coaches seem to play for blood or even why we ourselves are so concerned about these things.

So the pride wells up in me and the things that move me take me back down.

I realize that it's important to be proud of my kids - not because they've won a championship, but because they gave their all. It's important to be proud of them - not because they were perfect this season, but because they work so hard to overcome their challenges both on and off the floor. It's important to be proud of them - not because they scored a lot of goals or made a lot of shots, but simply because they are my sons.

Yes I am proud, and thankful that God himself gave me my sons to teach me some of the really important things in life.

I mentioned that I would be talking more about our boys.  In the first game, Josh scored 5 of the 11 goals as they beat Mpls South 11-2.  Matt (number 4) played enough to record a few shots and as he put it to me "Dad, I was really movin out there."

In the Semifinal, Josh got one assist as they beat a tough South Suburban team 4-2.

In the championship game, Josh led the team with 2 goals to beat their rivals by a score of 4-2.

There are a few short articles at the following locations about the Mustangs and their victory. Josh was interviewed by the Star Tribune and was seen on KSTP Sports Wrap on Saturday night.

Star Trib wrap

Star Trib article

Pioneer Press article

State High School League Article

Hospital Work

Have you ever spent a day going from home to the "waiting room" to "pre-op" to the "waiting room" to outside to the cafeteria to a "hospital room?" Well I just did for the last 24 hours plus and I'm pooped.

I followed my girl and the alpha male in our home through these things and let me tell you, I worked hard! Some of these places were new and slightly strange. We started by having my girl "check-in." They took her right front paw and wrapped with something that had her name and other words I can't read on it.

Then a male with wheels came and took us back to a bed. I was thinking "we just got up, why are we going to bed again?" Then someone called a "nurse" came and asked the alpha male and my girl all kinds of questions. I have no idea what "allergies" and "medications" are, but I do understand "when did you eat last?" My answer was "a long time ago" because I can eat any time.

After the "nurse" then a "doctor" of anesthhh, a nest, oh they said something about going to sleep - something else I understand - came in and talked about my girl going to sleep. What a perfect day I thought, sleeping for a long time!

After the "doctor" came another person called a "surgeon." She said something about replacing a "pump" oh brother! you humans have too many hard words. Then my girl waited while they put some "medicine" in her arm. The alpha male said she was doing a good job being calm. HEY, what about me, I'm not just lying here because I'm cute ya know. I was trained to help her stay calm. I wasn't sitting on that chair next to her bed because I liked it.

The alpha male put on this white thing that covered his entire body except for the blue hat and fancy thing to cover his face. Then they took my girl away and LEFT ME ALONE. When the alpha male came back without my girl, he said she went to sleep very easy. Well it wasn't easy for me being left. I'm supposed to take care of her, but they wouldn't let me go to this place called "O.R."

The alpha male and I went to the waiting room and he talked for a long time. Then we took my girl's wheels up to her "hospital room." We returned to the waiting room. By that time, I was thinking I need to "hurry" and I don't mean move faster. The alpha male was called by another "nurse" and there was my girl!!

She was on another kind of wheels. This kind let her lay flat. We rolled her up to her "hospital room." There were more "nurses" and "aides" than I've seen in one room. They moved my girl to her "hospital bed" and I finally got to go out and "hurry." And not a moment too soon.

The rest of the day was spent in the "hospital room" with "nurses," "aides," and "cleaners" coming in and out. I did get fed thankfully and was finally able to get a decent nap.

In the evening, my girl went to make some "craft." I found out later that she make a bag to hold some treats or a small amount of food for me. That's what I call a "craft"! I met one of my fellow working dogs. Sonic was on a ten-day hospital stint with his boy. Sonic said he'd rather be playing too, but he knew how important it was for his boy to have him here. I know it doesn't always seem like we're working, but we can tell that our kids need us. I liked Sonic, but he, ahem, sheds and well he's brown. I like my black coat just the way it is thank you.

Later we walked around the "clinic" side of this hospital and it's amazing how different it is when there are no kids or "doctors" around. It was a peaceful walk until my girl's machine beeped. Then we had to move faster back to get the beep turned off.

Over the evening hours we tried to get to sleep, but they kept working on my girl. It's so much less complicated at home. We don't have all these intrusions on my resting time. As a matter of fact, all night long a "nurse" kept coming in and doing something to my girl. After a long working day, I needed some sleep. Unfortunately I only got a lot of dog naps.

Today I heard several times the word "home." Oh yes, home where my kennel is. I can't wait. My girl had to get an "AFO" fixed for her back right paw, see some "doctors," get a bath, get fed, have the "doctors" write papers called "prescriptions" and we can GO.

I'll tell you straight out, hospital work is OK some of the time, but I don't want to be here every day. I know that the over 30 people that worked with my girl helped her out, but I also know that I can take care of her much better at home. Well OK part of it is that I miss my bed too.

For my girl,

Hajik

Pump replacement

For those of you who have either had surgery or have watched a child go through it, the experience gives you cause to pause. Pause and think about whether or not this is the best thing.

After all, you or your child are being placed into the hands of people you either do not know or know only a little. And those people have control of your life for that time. If they fail, your life may be harmed or even ended. If they succeed, your life will improve (after recovery of course).

Yesterday in church, I was moved during the service. I couldn't tell whether I was moved because Vicki was coming up on surgery or if I was moved by parts of the service. I just realized that no matter how many times you go through surgery, you can't take it lightly. So we prepare, plan, and pray and then trust that everything will work out. And even though things do work out most of the time, you simply can not take these procedures for granted.

So thank you for your support and prayers. Here's a recap of Vicki's day.

Vicki had her baclofen pump replaced today. Every few years, this really cool device wears out. So today was the day to get a new one.

Her biggest worry was "what is my room number." She did very well during pre-op. She was calm and only got agitated about 1/2 hour before the procedure.

I was able to walk with her into the O.R. and watch her go to sleep. She remained calm the entire time.

As I write (from her room) she is awake and worrying about tomorrow. I guess you'd say she's back to normal.

Hajik has been a faithful friend waiting for his girl when she went to surgery and now sleeping at the foot of her bed waiting for her to beckon him to "visit" on the bed.

Thank you for your prayers and your support.

Vicki's Stander Article

Vicki's fame continues.  Her story has been posted on the EasyStand site.

Check her out when you have time.

Musings - death

It's probably true in most of our lives that death seems to come in waves. In the last week, I've heard about 4 deaths. One was the tragic lost of a 20 year-old daughter. One was a loss of a husband while preparing for another funeral. One was the loss of a father. And the last one was the loss of Larry Norman, known as the "Father of Christian Rock."

When we lose someone close to us, it sort of "slaps us" back to the reality that we will all die some day. Most of us will not get to choose the day we die. The most amazing thing to me in all of these deaths, is that God KNEW exactly when each person would die. Even when people take their own lives, God KNOWS when that will be. Unfortunately we don't. We have no idea when our last day on earth will be.

Pondering death makes most of us melancholy. Even if we believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will live in heaven for eternity, death still is not a pleasant subject. After all, we miss those who leave this world while we are left to carry on. We have empty places in our hearts when that person leaves. We often ponder the "what ifs" of missed chances to talk or visit with that person.


Larry Norman was known as a "rebel" in some circles of Christianity. He was very vocal about his faith and his frustration with the often luke-warmness of the church. He has a number of songs that talk about the stark reality of death. At the end of this physical life, there are only two options - heaven or hell. We all have chosen to believe various things about these two places. We all have chosen what to believe about how you get there.

We as humans tend to complicate God's amazing offer. He sent his son, Jesus, to be a savior for all of us. We tend to add or subtract things from the simplicity of either believing in Jesus as your savior or rejecting Him. We want it to feel right or fit our way of thinking. But it's just a simple yes or no question - Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? If you do, then He guarantees eternity with Him. If you don't, He makes the opposite guarantee - eternity without Him. Yep, it takes some faith to believe that, but if you don't exercise your faith, you still fall into the 'no' category.

Here are the conclusions I've made about death with this round of thinking about it:

-God knows when you will die
-You do not know when you will die
-If you believe that Jesus is your savior, GOD guarantees eternity with Him
-If you don't, GOD guarantees eternity without Him

So it seems to be in your best interest to decide sooner rather than later what you believe about God's offer of salvation through Jesus. It's in your best interest because you can be 20, 53, 60 or in your 80's and it could be your last day here.

As one of the titles of Larry Norman's songs says "I Wished We'd All Been Ready."

I'm ready, are you?

Undefeated!

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE hockey. My Aunt Mare got me started when I was 10 by taking me to North Stars games. That's right people, the Dallas Stars actually owe their success to the fans in the frozen tundra. But now that we have our Wild who cares about the Stars?

Not me, in fact I'm much more partial to the Mustangs. Ever heard of them? No? Get with it will you! After all, they're undefeated this season! They went 12-0 during the regular season with Josh being a leader on the team. Matt contributed this year with a goal in a game early in the season! Yep, I'm pretty proud (and loud at the games) of these guys.

Adapted Floor Hockey is a much more intense sport than professional hockey. Hey those guys are paid big bucks to play on a sheet of ice - whoopie! These kids are paid nothing except the pats on their backs from the parents to play on a floor with some of the players being in wheelchairs. Try stick-handling around several ambulatory players only to look up and see this monstrosity of a power chair guarding the goal! And remember, you can't run in this sport or you get 2 minutes in the sin-bin (that's penalty box for all of you non-hockey people).

In their second season, Josh and Matt are on their way to a second state high school tournament. They take not only an undefeated season into this tourney, but are defending champions from last season. Only time will tell if we have a repeat. Wanna hear me scream at the top of my lungs for an hour? Or maybe you're more interested in what happens on the floor! Either way, come watch a tournament game on March 14, 15 in Bloomington. Just don't sit in front of me if you want to keep your hearing. Stay tuned for more riveting hockey stories in the next few weeks or so.

Go Fish

I'll bet you thought I was going to write about a card game that you've played before. Well, that's not even close!

We had the awesome privilege of meeting the group "Go Fish." We now have a family member who is a semi-famous singer with this group. He made his on stage debut in the great city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota on February 17th. He's now local famous (that means we know about his fame and so do you because you're reading this).

Who is he?

How did he get on stage?

Can I get his autograph?

Matt Price is his name and he is the 14 year old phenom who placed a wish with the Make-A-Wish foundation. His request was to sing on stage with the Go Fish Guys.

Make-A-Wish contacted the Go Fish Guys and they graciously agreed to meet Matt. They did more than just meet him. They allowed Matt and his family to attend their sound check before the concert in Sioux Falls.

We had an incredible evening talking with the guys, watching them prepare for their show and even helping a little! The kids assisted Jamie as he blew up the beach balls used in their show.

Matt's autograph is available for those who wish! We don't charge for autographs in honor of the Go Fish Guys who like us are happy to share two things - a signature and the fact that we love Jesus.


Here is Laura's recap of the trip in case you haven't seen it yet:

A Disclaimer - kleenex may be warranted for this section. We accept no responsibility for tears spilled. Don't even think about contacting your lawyer if you cry during this section!

Make-A-Wish rented 2 vans for us, one accessible van for Vicki and another mini van as we would not all fit into one. I drove the "other " van with the 4 boys in it. They were thrilled because there was a DVD player in the ceiling. The wheelchair van did not have it's own DVD player but our wish granter had lent us her own with 2 screens, so Vicki got one and Rachel the other. That sure does help the time go faster.

Our first stop was in Mankato where our long time PCA, Ashley, goes to school. We got to visit her apartment and have lunch with her. She was amazed how small her apartment seemed when all 9 of us were in it!! She sent us off excited to hear we would swing back through Mankato on our way home and share our stories with her.

We had 3 rooms booked for us right across the hall from the pool at our hotel. There was a bouquet of balloons, cheese puffs and an arrangement of candy bars waiting for Matt in his room. The pool had a smaller slide which kept the boys going, and a hot tub for us all to relax in.

We swam some more the day of the concert and watched "Enchanted" on pay per view while we waited for time to pass for the next activity. The restaurant next to the hotel brought Matt's favorite meal, spaghetti, for us with a virgin strawberry daiquiri for him and huge, delicious desserts for us all. We waited to dress for the concert until after the meal, thankfully!!

We were picked up in a limo bus with a wheelchair lift and whisked off to the Sioux Falls Convention Center. We went in and sat in some chairs waiting for "the guys." Jamie came over in jeans and a tee shirt. My same children who have been SO EXCITED to meet the Go Fish Guys all of a sudden shyly said,"Hi." They looked like every day guys, and... they are!! Thankfully they are all dads too so they weren't too stunned when Tim jumped up from his seat and hugged Andy around the legs (they are all pretty tall) and started crawling through Jamie's legs!

They took time to sign each of the kid's Snazzy shirts. Then we took a group photo.

We talked about Matt's wish to be on stage with them and that Victoria's favorite Go Fish song is 'You're My Little Girl.' They don't usually do that song on this tour, but decided that would be a good one for Matt to join them on. Scott told Jamie that a glow stick might be a great mic for Matt. :)

We got to watch as they did their sound check and chatted some more with Jamie as he blew up the beach balls for the performance. They even do some of their own grunt work!!

The concert was GREAT!! They are very good performers but also really try to make connections with the audience, waving to many of the kids and later coming out and giving high fives during one of their songs. The most demonstrative of our kids was Rachel who screamed with delight through most of the show.

Then it was Matt's cue. He and the Sioux Falls director of Make-A-Wish went back stage. Jamie talked about how this was a special night. He told how Make-A-Wish had contacted their manager about a 14 year old boy, Matthew, who could wish for anything in the world, and his wish was to be on stage with the Go Fish Guys. It showed in their actions that it meant a lot to them too. Jamie invited Matt to join them in singing Victoria's favorite song since 3 part harmony is good, but 4 part is better. Matt was a little tentative as he walked on stage and stood between Jamie and Andy. Jason made a comment that he likes Matthew because he has hair. (Andy and Jamie have both shaved their heads). Matt used his glow stick to sing with "the guys." Andy waved to Victoria as they sang and Matt mainly stared in awe at Jamie during the verse but then did join in for the chorus. When the song was finished, the audience gave Matt a standing ovation. Matt waved to the crowd, and Mom and Dad cried.

After the show, some of the concert goers would stop Matt and say "Hey, aren't you the singer with the Go Fish Guys? Way to go!" It was very cool. He told me he had been nervous before the show. I assured him that the guys probably were too. His other comment to me was, "Mom,I got to stand next to Jamie."

We hated to leave, but there was a huge line for other fans to have items signed and get to say hi to the group. We went back to our hotel and ate the left overs from our spaghetti lunch. They had given us enough for 2 meals.

Matt had not slept well the night before, but slept very well after the concert. The next morning we all got up, went to breakfast in the hotel lobby,went swimming, and then finally had to tell Matt he had to get out of bed at 11 because we had to check out!!

Make-A-Wish had arranged for us to go to a butterfly house in Sioux Falls, but Matt was not interested and we were anxious to head home. Unfortunately, we did not include the little boys in that decision and they were very disappointed when they realized we were not going there. We were in Mankato and they told me in no uncertain terms to GO BACK!! Sorry boys.

The road was rather scary as we drove on I-90 and saw about 2 dozen cars in the ditch. The wind was blowing straight across the road and there were big patches of ice. I was glad we did not have our full size van as the mini vans did not seem to catch the wind nearly as much.

We have some video of Matt's debut from back stage and Scott is putting together a movie of our trip, but for now you will have to see the photos we have. (No videos or pics will be posted here to respect the copyright of the Go Fish Guys).

We are very thankful to Make-A-Wish and the Go Fish Guys for making Matt's wish come true. Thank you for all of you who prayed for us. It was a very special trip.

Thank you - 4

Lance Henrickson and crew for labor on our concrete floor!

Robin Tacheny for our dumpsters so we could throw out all of the old materials and trash,

Brad Schmidtbauer of North Valley Paving for the use of dump trucks and other heavy equipment.

This list keeps growing and so do our grateful hearts!

EasyStand video

Last fall we told you that Vicki was a model for a day. At that time, they also shot a video to capture some of our story about her stander as well as her bowling.

You can see the YouTube video here.

Musings - a day in the life

Have you ever stopped and captured your day? I'm frequently amazed at what happens in one 24 hour period. Not that this post will be terribly exciting, but it gives me a chance to capture a single day.

5:45 am Rise and shine

6:00 am Get Josh up

6:20 am Get Victoria up

6:45 am Start waking middle-schoolers, the little boys just get up by default

7:05 am High Schoolers out the door, boy it's cold!

7:06 am Get middle-schoolers breakfast

8:00 am Middle-schoolers on the bus, everyone else ready to leave

8:15 am IEP meeting for Rachel

9:30 am Catch up on messages, emails left, schedule appointments

10:00 am Discuss furnace placement in addition with Jeff

10:30 am Go get Matt for appointment at Gillette

11:30 am Check-in for appointment, see one doctor and orthotist

2:00 pm Call school and let them know appointment went too long. Matt won't be back today.

2:15 pm Check messages, find out PCA is sick. Get a second PCA.

2:30 pm High schoolers home

3:00 pm PCA comes for Vicki

3:10 pm Rachel home

3:15pm Leave for Xcel Energy Center to see figure skating championships - in a SUITE! Tickets provided through Tix for Tots.

4:30 pm Arrive at X. Find our suite.

4:45 pm Watch Senior Dancing championships. Met founder of Tix for Tots! Had a great time in the suite at center ice!

6:45 pm Leave X

7:45 pm Snacks and bedtime for all - well the kids anyway.

8:30 pm Time to recap the day, respond to emails, look at appointments for next day. I'm tired, let's go to bed.

Amazing What a day! Filled to the brim with meetings, appointments, messages and even a free ice skating performance. I've begun to realize of late that if it weren't for the kids I have, there would be MANY things that I would not have the opportunity and privilege to experience.

Useable Space!

For the first time since we started, we actually used some of our new space. Rachel, the little boys and I played my favorite game - hockey. Here's a peek at their performance.

A Tale of Two Days

Many of you read this back at the end of November in the form of an email. It is reposted here.

Day 1

So we're in the midst of this building project and we need to tie in the plumbing from the addition to the existing house. To do that two things had to happen:

1. A large hole (the one that will eventually be the access to the lower level of the addition) had to be knocked out/cut of the basement block. This would be messy.



2. A LONG trench had to be dug - think the entire length of the house back to front. Before it could be dug, the concrete had to be cut with a saw and then jack hammered.





So our new friend, Jeff Wunderlich, from church had the saw. We busted a small hole in the house and then embarked on cutting the concrete. We were warned that the concrete dust would be *everywhere*. I put poly up over all doorways and taped it tight - it helped, but the dust was everywhere.

During the process, we had to step out of the basement several times for air. Try running a gas engine in a small room and add enough dust that you can't see your hand in front of your face - now you know what I mean. Jeff actually passed out for a few seconds near the end of the cutting.

We also had to warm the addition so a trench could be dug for plumbing. A propane heater was brought in to do this. Well with the need for fresh air from the dust a few windows were opened in the house. This turned out to be a bad idea because the house filled with propane fumes. For Jeff and I, we were exposed to high levels of CO with the engine plus the propane.

Laura managed to put all of the kids to bed. Little boys in our room, big boys on the floor in the living area and the girls in their respective rooms.

When I came up around 9:00, it smelled bad. By 10 it seemed worse and the CO detectors in the smoke alarms were beeping. We went to bed but felt uneasy. By 11 we made the decision to call Laura's sister, Elaine, and ask if we could bed everyone there for the night. They graciously agreed and we loaded up 2 cars with kids, blankets, pillows and some necessities. We were in bed by midnight feeling safe, but concerned about our house with all of the gas.

I was very discouraged. We had a big mess, I had put my family in danger, we had not made enough progress on the trench and the plumbers were due to come. It was at this point I said to myself "I wish we had moved."

Day 2

When we returned in the morning, the house was still there and so was the smell. We got everyone off to school and I sent Laura and the little boys out for the day.

We found out today that Jeff's wife sent him to the ER last night to be checked out because of his 'fall'. His CO2 level was high enough that they put him in a hyberbaric chamber for 90 minutes to force oxygen back into his system. We felt sure that our decision to leave last night was a good idea.

I had called a friend from church to come help me with the trench. I knew I couldn't do it by myself. He came and used the jack hammer to break up the rest of the trench. In about 45 minutes, he completed the breaking of the concrete. All that was left was to haul it out and break up any thicker chunks. In that 45 minutes of time he turned an all day project into a half-day project.

My spirits were lifted and my discouragement was gone. Once again I saw how *each* time we've needed help in this project, God provided whatever we needed - the money or materials or the right person to help. So by now you'd think that I should KNOW that He will provide. I've seen it time after time, but somehow keep forgetting when the project hits a low point.

So I'm thankful for God's provision AND for wonderful friends and family that help us during our time of need. THANK YOU!!

Thank you - 3

With a project like this, gifts keep on comin' and we try to keep up with the 'Thank yous.' Here are a few more:

• Scott Wold and his business, SWWold Construction

The following have donated time or personal items:

• Rich Rumsey, thanks for bustin' the concrete


• Ann and Tom McMahon, now we can clean up the place!


• Mark 'video' Johnson


• Many, many men from Constance Free Church, some we've never met!

More to come...

Hard as a rock

After a number of weeks of holidays and school breaks, our project got underway once again. Our lower level now has a real hard floor! The concrete was poured today with the temps hovering around 15. The inside temp is a balmy 60+. Enough to cure concrete and keep the boys from getting frostbite.

Check out the cement truck in my back yard! The ground was frozen enough to allow it to come into the backyard. A bucket loader was still needed to pour the concrete into the basement. It saved a lot of time to be able to back it up into the yard.

Thank you - 2

We want to thank the many businesses that have donated to our project. The following have contributed materials and/or labor in some way.

Independent Luxury Homes
Sowada and Barna Plumbing
Lamperts Lumber
Cemstone Blaine
Lowe's Coon Rapids
Saint Francis Community Hotline - Michelle Anderson

More to come...

Thank you

And now, a much overdue 'Thank you.' We have been so very blessed to have many, many, many family, friends, businesses and people we don't even know help us with our project to date. Some have donated money, others time and still others materials. Some have even donated a combination of items.

Words seem so trite, but we do give our heartfelt thanks!

Chuck Hayes and the elders at Constance got us started with prayer and guidance.

Steve Cram and the Men's ministry at Constance for their incredible gifts of money and time to give us such a boost. Hope your knees are OK Steve!

Tim Grill and Pat Schmeichel of Independent Luxury Homes have been our amazing general contractors.

Deb Lehman has given us wonderful financial tracking.

Jeff Wunderlich has been our coordinator from Constance Free Church. He has been an amazing help in organizing, and working. He was instrumental in putting a hole in our house :) to connect the existing home to the addition. He also put his life on the line when cutting the trench for the plumbing. Ask him about his time in the hyperbaric chamber at HCMC.

The following have donated cash - in order of receipt,

• Andover Lions
• M. Erickson
• Dr. Kevin & Erin Steadland
• Mary and Len Powell
• Barbara & Rodney Erickson
• Timothy & Pamela Beadell
• Jeffrey & Nancy Beyer
• Rich and Jill Erickson
• LeRoy & Shirley Gardner
• Gerald & Barbara Schloegel
• Eric and Mimi Noyes
• Kirk & Elizabeth Dykema
• Rev and Mrs. David Jore
• Bradley & Trena Martinson
• Constance Evangelical Free Church
• Rev. John Welsch Knights of Columbus, NJ
• Sharyn & John Nelson
• Eric & Brenda Clausen
• Mary & Ken Price

Old Posts

These posts are from the original site at St. Francis Community Hotline.

Posted 11/1/07
Along with Independent Luxury Homes, the Prices would like to Thank all of those who have already stepped up to help with the addition: Mary and Len Powell~ Dr. Kevin & Erin Steadland~ The Andover Lions Club~ Sowada & Barna Plumbing is donating all of the time for the plumbing~ Flex Fitness

At that time, a handful of folks had agreed to support us. Since that time MANY more have come on board. Watch future posts for a proper "Thank you."

Posted 11/17/07
We are making some nice progress, but still have a long way to go. On November 10th, 8 guys from Constance Free Church were here for the day. They took it from foundation only to a framed addition in one day! It was like our own version of Extreme Home Makeover. It was very exciting to see.

Our Addition

In 2007 we began a journey. We contacted a number of people to help us get started with an addition to our home so we could bring an addition to our home. Huh? Stay tuned and you'll see what I mean.

Since that time, we have received a LOT of help. I'd like to chronicle some of that for you in future posts. This was our original post on the St. Francis Community website:

We are looking for builders, contractors,

anyone in the Home Improvement Industry,
and anyone who is willing to pound a nail,
or donate a dollar.

Come join Independent Luxury Homes, Flex Fitness and www.SaintFrancisCommunity.com, help the Price family add on to their home to give them the space required to take in another special needs child into their family.

Read the Price family story(see below),
and let us know if you are willing to help.
Please contact Rich at Flex Fitness for questions at 763-413-1200.

If you would like to donate materials or labor, or if you or your business is interested in donating money towards the project, please contact Deb at: Deb@independentluxuryhomes.com or (763)-753-5897

All businesses that wish to become involved in this project will receive recognition on the News & Photos section of the community website. Check back to www.SaintFrancisCommunity.com to see the progress on the "Raising Price's Special Addition"

Here's the "Price Story" mentioned above.

My name is Scott Price. My wife Laura and I feel we have been called by God to adopt children with special needs. To date, we have adopted 5 children with varying degrees of special needs.

Our two oldest boys are 16 and 13 and have a form of Muscular Dystrophy called Myotonic Dystrophy. It affects their muscles in a way that will progress over time. Our daughter is 15 and has cerebral palsy. She is confined to a wheelchair and depends on a caregiver to meet all of her needs.

We thought we were done adopting until about 5 years ago. Through a long journey that started by bringing home a newborn baby that returned to his birth mom 7 weeks later, we then adopted two other boys who are now 4 and 2. These two are at risk and their future is unknown due to prenatal drug exposure.

Once again we find ourselves on a journey. We have been asked to bring my cousin’s daughter into our home. My cousin is starting to experience difficulties with MS and has realized the need to place her 12 year-old daughter who has significant special needs in a family that can care for her long term.

There are many challenges we face on this journey. Some of them we feel we can deal with and overcome. Other challenges require outside support. We have finished off our basement, used up all of the livable space and really don’t have a bedroom for this young lady. We truly need to add-on to our home to accommodate this growth in our family. The addition is by far our biggest challenge. We are looking to partner with a number of people with varying expertise to help us overcome this challenge.

Intro

Well it's time.  We've been asked to let you all know what's going on from time to time.  The email thing works for most, but it leaves a little to be desired when you need to show a pic or two to everyone.  So here we are in the 21st century blogging.  Not that what we have to say or show you is so earth shattering, but maybe, just maybe you'll find something interesting.

We hope this tool will be useful to those who want to read what's happening as we are continually "Raising Prices."  It can be expensive - financially, emotionally and time wise.  However the rewards are equally extravagant - well some anyway.

So, stop by when you feel the urge to peek in on us.  We'll be here to give you a good laugh or six.

Pressing into the Father, for there are no other options,

Scott