Treasures of the Past

So often we take life for granted! So often we go along our daily activities, blind to what God has blessed us with. So often we are in search of what we already have in our life that we forget to stop and really see what is important!

I was able to pull up this old video that our friend put up on YouTube for us years ago (Thank you Samm!) Seeing this old video of our daughter Kailee when she was only 4 years old makes me realize just how quickly life goes by. The only thing that truly should give us joy, peace and happiness is God, family and friends in that order.

I am remembering even now as I write just how many wonderful memories my family have put in our lives together. My mental book is being written everyday I get to spend on earth with my family, learning about God, and all of the crazy things I did when I was a child all the way up until I became a responsible father and husband.

Although I don't think we should ever forget to be childlike!

I sat down just about an hour ago watching our daughter Kailee who is in the video now taking roller skating lessons. Watching the smile on her face while she skates around the rink trying to dance as best she can to music playing on the speakers. I realize just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful daughter, step daughter, wife and family.

There are so many pages that have been written and so many more that are blank just waiting to be filled with new and exciting memories. I can't wait to turn the page and see what is next! Remember to see what is around you before you miss it! Before I know it my kids will be grown and out of the house, I dread those days are soon coming faster than I care to admit!

So hold on, shut up, sit down, and have the time of your life with God as the driver and your family in the back seat of this great thing we call......Life!

God Bless and Have Faith!

xxx Under_Construction xxx

I thought I would keep it simple today and see if anyone out there could give me some help on making my blog look a little nicer. If you know of any templates or nice places I could go to find some really nice backgrounds it would be appreciated! I am looking for a template that has 3 three column layout. I have the two column now, but I don't see a three column layout anywhere. Like I said, I am still getting used to Blogging so at best I would say that I am an amatuer.

My wife helps me quite a bit and I am not ashamed to say that she is a pro at Blogging while I stumble, but still mange somehow to figure this out as I go.

So if you get a chance, post a comment on some of the sites you use to update your blog, and if you have any trade secrets maybe we could make a deal! Ha Ha....

It would be grealty appreciated, so take care and everyone have a wonderdul day!

Meeting new Neighbors

It's always interesting meeting new neighbors that have children. Your kids immediately introduce themselves and become best friends within a matter a minutes. Which if you think about it, parents and adults should follow these simple rules about meeting new people. Kids have no preconception of who they are about to meet, what they look like, how they dress, and what type of career or job they have. Kids simply say "hi my name is" and the rest is shall we say history. "KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid" would be the acronym I would use to describe how to meet new people. The world would be so much better off if we used it more.

As it turns out, our neighbors seem to be very sweet and have children almost the same age as ours. We have let our daughter go roller skating with them at the local skating rink, and they seem to get along very well. It seems to spark the whole neighborhood when new kids are thrown into the mix with the kids that have been around a while.

I was almost thinking when they moved in, are they going to be neighbors from the movie The Burbs. A family that has no common thread of ordinary at all. Thank goodness everything turned out alright and they are very nice. It is shocking that the kids are so well mannered. You can tell a lot about the parents if the kids act kind and are brought up right. It seems that when you have a strong presence of both parents, that the children are very stable and well mannered.

Well enough of my writing for now.

Just remember to meet new neighbors and people with open arms and open hearts, you never know they might turn out to be your best friends.

Take Care,

"Canary in a Coal Mine"

Have you ever heard this saying?

It is a quote from the old mining days when miners would hit a pocket of gas or discover a new mine shaft. The miners would bring a Canary in a cage, if the Canary sings and stays active for a certain amount of time then the miners were safe from Harm. If the Canary gets sick or dies quickly, the miners have to vacate the mine and ventilate it until it is safe to go in. The Canary has one purpose, to breath in and out until enough time passes where it either dies or it lives.

The expression has been passed down from the past to people who use the term when they feel like they are being put in that exact position. Do you ever have to come out of your comfort zone? If you do, you feel like you can't even catch your breath until you go back to the comfort of your safe place. I am being put in that position it seems like every day lately. I am actually realizing that I am not only starting to feel comfortable, but I am really coming into my own. I am starting to like the position I am in and how it makes me feel.

Now if I can keep balancing my family life and work life, I will be in pretty good shape. My wife hopefully is happier now that I can spend more time at home while I am in this position. It has been so nice to be home more and I hope that this will continue for a long time.

So if you ever feel like you are a "Canary in a Coal Mine", remember to breathe in and breathe out, for you too will survive whatever life throws at you. God never gives you more than you can handle. God gives you what you need, not what you want.

The Younger MTV Generation

I can't believe that I am actually saying this, but I don't get the younger generation. They are all about sexually explicit subject matter, greed, profanity and Tattoo's. Okay, I know I am generalizing, but am I wrong or is everything I see about sex, drugs, rock n roll, and tattoo's! My Wife and I were watching the MTV Video awards because my wife likes the movie and books about Twilight. It is about Vampire's and a love affair between a human and a vampire who beat all of the odds by falling in love and being together despite the differences. My wife is such a romantic, and I am trying to be as much as I can. Well, anyway, while watching the MTV awards I found myself appalled by all of the sexually explicit matter, profanity, and tattoo's that are plastered everywhere on peoples bodies.

There is nothing that shocks the youth of today, because of T.V. Movies and the Internet. You can watch anything that you want to without any consequences. I thought I was indestructible when I was a kid? You should see what these kids can do now. Motorcycles doing back flips in the air, extreme sports of any kind just send chills up my spine even looking at what the youth can do now. I pray that God puts some sense of fear in all of the young children these days just so they don't kill themselves in some freak accident involving jumping through fire over a gorge filled with Alligators. Okay I know I am going overboard here, but don't think that some young guy is thinking of this stunt and saying yeah, I could do that.

All in all, I am so glad that I will be reaching my retirement years with all fingers and toes in place and where they should be. I know that I have slowly been turning into my Dad, but now that I am getting older, that is not such a bad thing anymore. I am scared to even think that the youth are going to be running the country soon. Maybe that is why the older generation just wants to be left alone somewhere where they can have peace and quiet. Well, so much for me writing about the younger generation. I think the term Ranting and Raving or venting about the younger generation would have been a better title.

So, shoot me your comments on this topic and I hope to hear from you soon.