End of June.

Time is flying by. Well not at work per say, but out of work time flyies by. You are aware of this, but to me it is just fascinating, how I have dropped my second job, and still I am running, or biking, like a pack of wild chickens with there heads cut off. The end of June is here. We are scheduled for a "small" family gathering in Michigan territory. Johnson's, Labarge's, Young's oh my. So this weekend will go by quickly. I will try to stop and smell the tulips, if there are any left. Maybe also grab a picture or two for those of us who will not be there. July's right around the corner.

Family Golf outing.

This past weekend we had a family golf outing/cookout to celebrate my Uncle Phil and my cousin Cassie's birthdays. We played on a par 3 course, pretty small one at that. So Saturday we took a practice run, Becky, Mike, Ben, my Dad, and myself. It was Becky's first time ever golfing. She did awesome for a first timer. Got right into the spirit of golfing by getting frustrated a lot. She finished with a 76. My dad bested us with a 63. Well on Sunday was the big gig. We had 20 people playing. All ages, male and female. Well the defending champ, my uncle's brother-in-law didn't show up. so it was wide open. Now there was no way I could win my dad was to tough. Also he was in the group behind us, so know way to know his score. So Ben, mike , Becky, and I played. I was lights out. Making shot after shot. Chipping with good precision. Ice in the veins when it came to putting. I finished with a 59, 4-over par. That was stellar. Come to find out my Dad six putted on one green and had a bad day as well. I was the winner. Ben came in second with a 62. Becky brought her total down to 74. She finished in the top 10 which for a second time out was great. Good job babe. So know I go into next year as the man to beat. No pressure!

Who would have thought, biking, frusterating.

OK, so I have been biking for a month now and boy I have learned a lot, beaten some odds, and continue to get better, at least on my way to and from work. Lately we have been doing some tweaking as you say. Know this bike is probably one of the first ever made, so it's not top of the line stuff, but it fits the job none-the-less. So we got new handlebar grips. We also got knew pedals that you can fit your shoes in. We purchased gloves, necessary after the first few days I realized it was hurting my hand right below the thumb area. of course we has helmets and thank goodness for that today(that story coming up). So last week we tried switching the pedals. The right side went like a hot knife through butter. Next we started work on the left pedal. Easy factor, not so much. It wouldn't budge. Not an inch. We torqued on it, pounded it, soaked it in all sorts of concoctions, We ran around it, through it on the ground, the pedal didn't come off. So we let it sit for a few days till I could get a socket to remove the pedal arm from the bike. So Friday we gave it a try again. We got the bike pedal off the frame and started to pound on it again. We used Brut force as our clamp, and pliers and a hammer. Now a few days ago I had a notion that the pedal had to be unscrewed differently than when we did the other one, but I blew that idea off and continued in my stubborn manner. Well after struggling, we decided to check the Internet to see what we were doing wrong. Well we found out that the left pedal unscrews opposite the right. So we have been tightening the pedal for hours. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well By this time I am a weeeeeeeeeeee bit frustrated. So I grab the pedal and start hammering it the other way. The pedal goes flying out of my hand flush off the ankle bone. OUCHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Well that was it. I was done. To which in about three minutes Becky gets it off and unscrews it. So She takes the bike and moves it. As she puts down the kickstand, she plants it into her big toe, right on the bone. She could barely deal with the pain. She is a tough cookie, but even that amount of pain is overbearing. So fortunately we are back up and running. Which brings me to this morning. I tried the new pedals for the first time. I found it very tough to get both feet in the strappy things. However I finally got it to work. I made it to me first stoplight at a very busy intersection. Low and behold I didn't have the ability to get me feet out and i lost my balance and fell off my bike pretty hard. In front of I'm sure dozens of laughing car drivers. I was super embarrassed. I twisted my wrist in the fall as well. So it has been a bit of a troublesome last couple of days. I may just want to walk to work now.

Getting up there....

The oldest man in the world told the paper he was sorry for being "so old" in a report I read. That is a long time. What do you do when your that old? Do you get super discounts at Mcd's? Do you get free bus fare? do you need to live in a super old persons home? A lot of questions come in to play when you think of someone that old. The oldest know person was Jeanne Calment who new Vincent Vangooh. She lived to be 122yr, 164d. Sarah Knanss was the oldest US citizen at 119y, 97d. Christian Mortensen is the oldest confirmed male at 115 years old. The oldest living male and female know live in Japan. I wonder if eating sushi may have something to do with it? I think that if you live past one hundred you must be doing something right.

What????????

If you are eating, wait to continue you this post. I was riding on my way to work and came to something I would soon forget. ROADKILL!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh man! I nearly retched my guts out. I don't know of anything that could smell much worse stuff you could smell, but fermented yuck. Enough said.

Biking.

Well we got the road bike fixed up last Thursday and today was the first day I was able to ride to work. I was flying like a semi-warm knife through butter. 24 minutes on the clock. I may just shoot for 20 minutes. We started out at about 35 minutes and have cut it down big time. Twenty more years like this and I might pretend I'm riding in a big race. HEHEHEHE.

Road trip.

So about seven of us from our Church go down to Bloomington, IL, to help get some support for our missions in Senegal. This was about a 3 1/2 hour trek. On the way you know there will be at least one stop. It's expected with females, and people who just put down a thermos full of coffee. Well we stop in this "interesting" little town called Tonica. I'm not sure they celebrate Hanukkah.
So you know there is trouble when you go about three miles off the road to find the nearest gas station. Problem two you know it's bad when it looks somewhat deserted. Yea, I'm getting that creepy movie feel two. Well I am sure you can guess how there restrooms looked. I may have taken the outhouse option. Lets just say when the call of duty comes in, I can handle most anything. This was sad shape. No need for details. Let our mind take you whereever. So we make it out unscathed. Now the females mentioned how bad those were. All the rest of the way. Well on the way back were cruising, I am napping as best I can in the back of a jeep with 5 people. When I feel the car rumbling over a gravel section of road. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We stopped again in Tonica, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts and prayers go out....

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Smith family in Kansas who lost there daughter this past weekend. It what appears to be a ha nous act of manslaughter, she was found dead yesterday. It is times like these where I say why, why? But this is not mine to question or to search for the answer. it just reminds me that the family and Friends in your life, are important. They need to be reminded of that. We just don't have a guaranteed life time on this earth.
we may never see tomorrow. We will have the memories and the love to carry us on. there is a phrase which goes " That which will not kill us , will only make us stronger". It appears the Smith's will grow and come out OK, but it's hard to see right now. So call your friends, family and just tell them you love them. You care, and if they need lend them a hand. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord". (from Job).

Behind the eight ball.

I am sorry vivid readers and others from across the globe who randomly tune in to read my thoughts for the day. I have been super busy. I will say that riding to work is an interesting adventure in itself. Today while it took me 31 minutes to trek the 5.4 miles to work I was stopped at a busy intersection. Now I was stopped short of the light so as to let some cars turn right onto the busy intersection. Well this one car stayed being me about 25 feet. As soon as the light turned green for me to go and I started pedaling, he peels right in front of me and turns right. WHAT IS UP WITH THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!! You had more than a minute to turn while my light was red. It wasn't a no turn on red because the 5-6 cars ahead of you had already turned. I have noticed the lack of respect cars have for bikers. Let's grow up people. I understand we may be a slight inconvenience to your road ways, but last time I checked I have as much right on them as you do. so with that being said, I am trying to make this bike thing a workout thing, and improve my bile times. My goal is to make it in around 26-27 minutes. so will see.

What am I doing?

So I am feeling much better now that the turbinates are trinated or the trinates turbinated, or well it got fixed. I am starting to breathe a bit better every day. So last week I noticed on a sign at a bar it was bike to work week. Now I figured Chris would have taken the opportunity to let us all know this, especially since it was bike month. So I learned about it from a bar sign in Milwaukee. Since gas has gone up to a biggillion dollars a gallon, I figured this was a good idea. So yesterday I went to work on my bike. About 72 blocks to work. From 116th street to 154th street it is all up hill. Not one of those gradual climbs, but a giant mountain. So I was able to trek up this gargantuan hill. I was pooped to say the least. Good news for the ride home. Well today I did it again. When I got to the hill of difficulty I knew I was in trouble. My butt hurt, My legs screamed of burnout. I still had 40 blocks of this to go. I remember the great Marni's speech. How she wanted to quit. Near tears. So I forged through. Wind blowing in my face. Somehow I did it. yeah. Day two in the books. Can't wait for day three.

Young's visit Holland.

For the first time the Young's visited the land of Tulips. I thought it was amazing to see tulips lining the streets everywhere you looked. I was able to play euchre for the first time in the LaBarge family tournament. I came in fourth. Now i have been in online boot camp for the last week trying to set a strategy, which for this time worked pretty well. That was fun. I got to bowl in Dave's youth group outing which was an overnighter. I got five games in before I called it a night. Two times I held the lead, but someone around three a.m., who was impelled by 18 mountain dews came in with a 230. The weekend had it's funny moments. My favorite is 1/2 percent milk. This milk is native to only Michigan, I guess. Never heard of it before. We are the dairy state you know. I think we should know about our dairy products. Don't worry. Soon to grocery stores everywhere. 1/3 milk, 1/100 milk and 2 3/4 milk. Look for it.

Bowling season roundup.

Well the season is over. I would like to report that we won the championship, but that is not the case. While it was a good season, I feel sorry for the guys because for them it was an opportunity that comes not very often. I bowl with three guys who average under 150. Over the course of the season it all adds up. We struggled down the stretch, and just didn't have it in the end. Championship night the lanes broke down and the night didn't go all to well, and it seems like an excuse, but it is so easy to look for those when things don't go well. Your focus is lost, but it takes stronger person to fight through it and get it back. We couldn't. On the flip side I finished with the high average of 197, high game of 280, and second in series at 721. One of the other guys ion the tam finished third in high game with a 264. Our team finished first in series with a 2534. So it was a successful season. This weekend I am off to state to see what I have left in the tank. Saturday is singles and doubles. Sunday we bowl team event. These guys I have bowled with in our league over the last couple years. Even though there not on our team, it is fun to bowl with better competition.

Thoughts and Prayers.

This is just a quick thought and prayer for the families and friends that lost loved ones in the shootings at Virginia Tech University. While alot still has not been answered, it all seems so senseless I guess. It just goes to show that you should live every moment to it's fullest. Nobody is guaranteed time here on earth.

Opening day part two.

Well as promised here our the opening day pictures. I forgot one key component that day, more batteries, but we still got some good ones. The game was a great time. it was warm sunny. Things we don"t equate with baseball in April. It was fabulous game as well. Ben Sheets pitched a complete game two hitter. At one point in the game he retired 22 batters in a row.

This is to be the first of several games this year with scheduled stops in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Chi' town.

Experiment gone bad.

You know how when people first baked things or made things, several of those " ideas" came by sheer accident. Well at Oscar's yesterday someone mixed our burgundy cherry with our lemon berry. No one is sure who did it or why, but they decide it was a good idea to run the custard like that and sell it under the alias of lemon cherry. Now I know you are probably watering at the muth right this moment, but don't be fooled by the name. It was like looking at someone who mixed the red and yellow play doe in kindergarten. It tasted real nasty. Real nasty. There are some things nobody should mix. This is definitely right up there.

This stuff really happens.

So I am working last night at the custard stand. A lady pulls into the drive thru and precedes to place an order. As she pulls toward the window to pay her car dies. So I get summoned to go help push the car out of the driveway. Well this was a brand new Chrysler 3000. Sorry not up to speed on my car makes and models. I ask her to put the car into neutral. she was definitely unsure how that was going to work. So I helped her do that. I pushed her to a parking spot. To which she didn't say thanks or anything of that nature. If by now you haven't guessed the car problem , let me lay it out for you. She ran out of gas. That's right folks ran out of gas on a new car. She says to me, I had no idea it was that low. Now maybe being a guy, and a weeeee bit paranoid of running out of gas and being stranded, but what is one of the top two things you do when starting your car. I look at my gas gauge. Call me crazy. That's what I do. Now I am not trying to bash women at all. So please ladies don't come after me like it's a witch hunt. Don't you look at the gauges on the car. Maybe not all of them. Doesn't the gas gauge concern you at all. Well in just talking with this lady, who surprisingly wasn't blond, I understood how it could have happened. So she calls her husband to come get her. He was only 30 miles away. So he was not pleased as I am sure you could guess. she gets off the phone to tell me her husband was upset and that what she did was bad for the car. You think? No gas, no movement in car. Also you might get stranded in a place which is not so nice. The lesson we learned here tonight is always check your blinker fluid, windshield wiper brake pads, and lastly just make sure you have some gas, or go to the nearest gas station and fill up.

Anybody say Chinese water torture.

So I come into work today. All pumped from opening day( more later. Efforting the whole picture thing) and what should I walk into a puddle by my desk area. Now I have been working there awhile now. It does rain a lot. All of a sudden it appears there is a leak in the roof that drops through three floors through the grating down on my floor. Oh and the best part is it is right at my area. All day now it will be drip, drip, drip, drip, on my head. I thought work was torture enough. Now this. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

opening day part 1

well today is opening day at Miller Park. Another season of high optimism, followed by injuries and shotty play, combined with the fact we can't beat Pittsburgh(are you kidding me), followed up by another losing season, meaning massive depression by years end as we watch the Cardinals, Yankees and others battle for the title. OK so maybe this year will be different, right? I am not going to hold my breath. Besides nobody looks good in that shade of blue. I will be there today. So I do hope that the season goes well. I am excited to watch the game. October was a long time ago. So here is to the tailgating to all the brats I can put away. The game encounter a bit later with, some pictures hopefully.

For the championship!!!!!!!

Well we have come to the end of our bowling season. While our goal was to win both halves we were not able to accomplish that. With that being said we still have our spot in the final next Wednesday. So while our cousin, Chris, a.k.a, Thee Colorado Flyer, won a big bike race. I am on to trying to win my second bowling title. The first was when I was about 20. So it has been awhile. The team I was the least experienced. Now I am the main guy. So it will be fun as well as a wee bit stressful. I finished the year with a 197 average. My highest ever in a sanctioned league. So will see what the pins have in store. Also I am headed to state April 21-22 in Milwaukee this year. So it hopes to be an exciting month for bowling.

It's go time.

Well folks it is that time of year again. The stretch of April to October. This is where I have found I am able to maintain a high level of energy and lose weight. The last two years I have lost 35, 45 consecutively. I also started at about 260 each year as well. This year is different. I am at 226. It would seem to me that the task at hand is more difficult this year. Also I am being challenged by my wife, ex sports medicine/physical fitness guru/ registered nurse. She went to a consultation at the club we work out at. So she is primed and ready to go. She has set goals of 145 by may15th, and 135 by august 15th. That's my birthday by the way, so I will be expecting loads of gifts. OK. Just kidding about the gift part. So in her competitive spirit has started saying how she is going to beat me. Well this just won't due. However not willing to get a consultation myself, which comes with the membership, I still feel I can win. The question is though am I being to much of a "MACHO" guy because I don't want to get help in the process. Or is it I think I can win with all the factors stacked against me? So we start our quest for 195. That is my declaration. By Sept 1 I am going to try to be 195. I think the last time I was under 200 was like 1994. That was a century ago. So with that folks, it's go time!!!!!!!!!!