Like, Love and Don't Like

Apologies to the Kansas City Chiefs for absolutely jinxing their chance at a Super Bowl threepeat. The Eagles didn't hold back. I'm not sure what the NFL script writers were thinking. 

This week, I like Amazon. There are lots of reasons to like Amazon by my specific reason here is for fast shipping. I know not all areas enjoy the same shipping timeliness as where I live but, man is it nice. 

Oh, I'm not talking about 2-day shipping. I'm talking about the less-than-24-hours shipping I benefitted from this week while dealing with a plumbing issue at the house. At 10:00 pm this past Sunday night, I fired off an order for a product that would assist with this issue. The product was at our front door by 3:00 pm the next day. Bonus: it definitely helped with the issue.

There are lots of horror stories from Amazon employees about their working conditions and treatment. And, as the son of former small business owners, part of me cringes when purchasing from Amazon. But that timeliness sure beats driving to the store or waiting until store are open.

This week, I love getting help from my sons with yardwork. In addition to plumbing issues, this past weekend also featured weather that was warm/dry enough to tackle some overgrown, sun-robbing trees in the back yard. I'm not sure what kind of trees they are - maybe cherry laurels or bay laurels - but they had grown too tall and spindly. They drop a lot of leaves throughout the year, too. 

So, the boys and I cut them down and hauled 5 or 6 truckloads of limbs and logs down our steep driveway. They were a huge help and really saved me a lot of time. They didn't complain, either. I'm not sure how I pulled this off but I'm crossing my fingers for similar experiences in the future!

I was so caught up in the moment that I took no photos of the boys in action. But, I did capture of video of the city hauling off Harris and Graham's output. 

This week, I don't like my iPhone's keyboard. As a long-time Android user, my exhaustive efforts to "Googlefy" my iPhone included installing Gboard to replace Apple's default keyboard across all apps. Despite having this phone for 2+ years, its predictive text suggestions aren't quite right and I "fat finger" messages way, waaaaaay more than I ever did with my Android phones. 

This may seem like a small issue but I'm telling you...it is so annoying. But, at least I can send clear photos and videos to other iPhone users, right? 

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like geneaology. I think knowing about your ancestors is important, but I've never been able to get myself motivated to dive into it. That changed when my parents gifted me a subscription to Ancestry.com for Christmas. 

I might be a little differnent than first-time Ancestry users. I already had a document that traced the past 7 generations of my father's family. I've been able to use that info to get started building a family tree. I really don't know how else I would have gotten started or filled any gaps. However, Ancestry has helped me learn some of the inaccuracies of the document - especially with the information about the older generations. 

There's also a lot of info already in Ancestry about my mother's side. I look forward to having a better understanding of those that came before me!

Here's an old photo of Dad that I used to represent of the tree I'm building.

This week, I love 1-on-1 time with our kids. Julie and I made a pact to spend more 1-on-1 time with Graham, Harris and Ellen this year. So far, I've enjoyed a nice meal with Harris and danced the night away with Ellen. Graham is up next...I'm not sure what he and I will end up doing, but it will happen soon.

These moments have been great. It's nice to get out and have conversations with them. I hope these outings will last for a long time!

This week, I don't like missing my weight loss goals. Over the course of 2024, I managed to lose about 23 pounds. That journey began when my doctor explained I was technically obese (accord to my BMI measurement) at my 2023 annual checkup. 

At the end of 2024, I took a break from exercising and enjoyed a lot of holiday sweets. That resulted in me gaining about 15 pounds back. It's totally unfair how easy it is to gain weight! 

When 2025 began, I resumed my 2024 weight loss efforts with ease. But I'm not seeing the results just yet, and missing my biweekly goals has been frustrating. I'm gonna keep going though...it feels like that needle will start to move very soon!