Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like being wrong on occasion. It rarely happens to me, but I recently learned that being wrong can be refreshing. In my last post, I forecasted an easy series win for LeBron James and the Miami Heat over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. But a funny thing happens when you mix in a 7-foot German with a delicate shooting touch. What’s better than LeBron losing? Watching the media rip him to shreds. Had it not been for his comments about us regular people with miserable lives after Game 6, I don’t think the press would have been so hard on LeBron. And boy was I wrong about LeBron’s dominance in this series. He could not have played any worse – especially in the 4th quarter in most of the 6 games.



This week, I love my new limb saw. First, a little background on why I needed a new limb saw. We had a very tall holly hedge in our back yard and I wanted it cut back and shaped up. I couldn’t get a landscaper to take on the job (more on that later) so I tackled it myself. I bought a new limb saw to get into the tight, interior branches of this overgrown hedge. This saw, from Corona, made quick work of the large limbs. Very quick work, actually. GET ONE TODAY. I’ve included some before and after photos of the hedge.









This week, I don’t like vanishing service providers. The cable guy has always gotten a bad rap for never showing up when promised. I’m ready to put landscapers in that same category too. I called the landscaping company that services our neighborhood association and asked for some help with the hedge in the back yard. After another phone call and a week of waiting, the company secretary finally returned my call. I was informed that someone would go to our house, take a look at the hedge and call me with a quote. I got that call two days later. A guy called me while he was in our yard, observing the hedge. I could tell that he wasn’t very anxious to take the job. He took a deep breath, let out a long sigh and promised to call me later that afternoon with a quote. Four days go by and no quote or returned phone call. I decided to man up and do the job myself. I’m just glad my neighbor was patient with me – I had promised to get the unsightly hedge trimmed before I made the initial call to the landscaper.

Brother PE 770

On May 15th I celebrated by 29th birthday (can I really be 29).  My family was in town that weekend for a wedding so we all got to celebrate together which was fun.  Unbenounced to me Nick and my parents had been plotting behind my back to surprise me with a new embroidery machine!!!!  The Brother PE 770 to be exact.

I have put this on my Christmas and birthday list for about 3 years now but never really thinking that I would get it, but they were very sneaky and gave me a big surprise.  Now I can monogram and applique til my hearts content!  These are a few examples of what this machine can do:

Thanks Nick, Mom and Dad!  This is going to be one well dressed baby!!!!

2 + 1 = 3

That's right...come December our family of 2 is going to become a family of 3!  There are really no words to accurately descride the feeling other than to say that we are thrilled and honored that God has chosen to give us this wonderful gift.  There are a lot of things in my life that I haven't known, but one thing I have always known is that I wanted to be a mom, and now that it is a reality I am overcome with joy and excitement.

We found out we were pregnant in late April and had our first prenatal visit on May 18th!  We were able to hear the heartbeat and will get to hear it again this Thursday when we go for our next appointment.

The process of telling family, friends and coworkers has been a blast.  And as an added bonus one of my best friends Emily Branch is expecting as well, and we are due on THE SAME DAY.  Not sure what those odds are, but nonetheless it is so much fun to have a friend that is going through this process at the same time.

I know that I have been a terrible blogger lately, but I hope to be much better in the coming months.  On top of the pregnancy I have been consumed with calligraphy.  Since late March I have addressed 555 double envelopes, written out 2 invitations, 2 reply sets, and 1 reception card.  May not seem like a lot, but trust me...it is (especially when you have a full time job)!  I have about 375 more invitations to go...  Then I get to focus on decorating the nursery, smocking, and learning my new embroidery machine!  I cannot wait!

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like being lucky. I am very fortunate. I have a wonderful wife that loves me and lots of great material items. I have everything I could ever need but I have never thought of myself as lucky. At least I don’t feel as if I am as lucky as other people. Well that all changed last Wednesday. Here’s a breakdown of my day:

* Got to represent my employer at a golf outing.
* Won a door prize at the golf outing.
* Won a closest-to-the-pin prize at the golf outing.
* Came home to find a voicemail from Timberline Golf Club explaining that I had won a free round of golf!

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my day! But if you’re keeping score at home, the luckiest day I ever had was the day I went on a blind date with Julie.

This week, I love Mint Condition. This book takes a broad view at the baseball card industry – from the early days of tobacco cards to today’s numerous and confusing card sets. I collected baseball cards during a time when it was thought that pieces of cardboard would fund your retirement. Mint Condition does a great job of explaining how baseball cards were transformed from something enjoyed by kids into a greedy industry. This industry gave us one of the best examples of how oversupplying can ruin a good time for everyone. Baseball cards have a long history that has been documented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress. There is a definite point in this history when greed took over. Mint Condition helps me see this point and also understand why my own collection is now worthless.

This week, I don’t like LeBron James. This has been the best season for the NBA since the mid-1990s. The talent difference between teams is razor thin. And this great season is about to be tarnished because LeBron James is going to win his first championship. One of the last guys that was allowed to skip college, LeBron is now more famous for dumping Cleveland and his home state for a franchise that is buying a championship this year. LeBron is the 2nd best player in the league (see: Kobe Bryant) and he is an amazing athlete. But his on-court antics, chest pounding and “look at me” celebrations have turned a lot of fans against him. I will definitely be pulling for the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk is the anti-LeBron and one of the best players ever to come from Europe. Dirk even has an Auburn connection…what would be a highly illegal connection. But a connection nonetheless. Go Mavs!