Evening Ritual

I am the father of seven children.

At one point in each and every day, I tend to tell the children to go to bed, then tuck them in and the house gets really quiet.

It's nice.

Now, I should mention that technically, I only do this for four of my children. The oldest two, are beyond Daddy tucking them in, and are responsible for their own bed times. I still wake them up though, so it's not all paradise. Okay, I really only have to wake them up on an occasional Sunday morning, after I have dragged my tired butt out of bed. Happy?

That being said, the remaining four do have certain rituals that we go through. Maggie and Katie share a room, so they both HAVE to go to bed at the same time, otherwise the other will get mad and start whining, etc. In September, you can bet that Katie will remind me of my "you're not ten yet" rule, as she turns ten then. Anyway, we get them into bed and either Jenni or myself will lead them through our evening prayers. Then they get thirsty, or have to go to the bathroom, or have a headache, or can't find a stuffed animal, etc.

Good times.

Jessica is easy, and unfortunately, the one I tend to "forget." Actually, it's more like I am preoccupied by the evil computer, or some television show. Either way, she will patiently await my arrival downstairs to wish her a good night. With a kiss, a few good nights, a few I love you's, and a few sleep goods. Almost like clockwork, she will be off to the bathroom within half an hour. I usually don't notice, since I am upstairs while she is down, and there is a bathroom down there.

So sweet.

Which leads me to Danny. To give you an example of our routine, I present the following:

Me: Okay buddy, time for bed.

Danny: Dad, dad, dad, where's my fuzzy blanket?

M: I don't know.

D: I need it!

M: Okay, let me see if I can find it.

(three minutes later)

M: Here's your blanket.

D: Not that one. This one.

M: You had it the whole time?

D: No, what?

M: Okay, let's pray. In the name of the...

D: Dad wait! Where's Buzz?

M: Wha? Oh, he's right here and here (pointing to pictures on the wall)

D: Why isn't he here, Dad?

M: Those are just planets and space ships buddy.

D: Okay, kiss.

M: In the name of the...

D: Wait!

M: now what Danny?

D: There's Thomas and James and Percy, lots of them

M: Yes Danny, there are, it's your border.

D: Oh. Thomas James and Percy. Kiss now.

M: In the name of...

D: WAIT! I Start it.

M: Okay, go.

D: In the name of the Father

We do the following with Danny:

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

May angels watch me through the night,

And keep me in their blesssed sight.

After that, he's pretty much ready to go to sleep. One more kiss, and I am free!

Now don't go thinking that I am complaining, because I'm not. I mean before I know it, none of them will "need" me to tuck them in and give them a kiss goodnight - then I'll start complaining.

Good night and God Bless!

Stupid Feral Beast

Pesky little feline messing with mine, I will catch you soon, just not this time. Better watch your step, until next time.

The Getaway #1

"I just can't take it anymore."

That's how it all started for me. I had quite the successful life, earning well into six figures. My children were all being taught at the best schools, and we took lavish vacations.

Then it all changed.

Too much in life was being taken for granted, by people that felt entitled to anything and everything. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy helping out someone when they are down and out, but it gets a little frustrating to be in line behind someone using food stamps and then driving away in a nicer car than my own.

I had some pretty nice cars, let me tell you.

I think the final straw was when my boss decided to continue to allow some of his employees continue walking all over him. I'm sure that he thought that he was helping out, but all he was doing was empowering them to continue walking over him.

Then he got fired.

In order to bring more order to the office they brought in some hotshot that had a history of fixing branches and returning them to a more profitable situation. It wasn't a case of us not being profitable, we were, it 's just that they felt that the new guy could do so much more.

Two weeks later, I gave my notice. A week after that, my wife and I decided to leave. Everything. The house, the schools, the fancy restaurants, everything.

Like I said, I have had several great years where we made more than enough money to live off of. We had a good eighteen months worth in reserve, so when we sold the house and everything else, we felt comfortable that whatever we were going to do next, we would be able to survive it.

Little did we know...

***

Thus begins a story that I have been playing around with. Yes, I know that it is rough, but that's why we write and then rewrite, and then rewrite again. It's what we do. Lucky for you, I need someone to check it out and give feedback, positive (would be great) and negative (not as great, but ever so helpful and I do not take it personally, ever), just as long as it is feedback.

Why would you want to do this? Great question. My answer is because you want to help me out and possibly learn along with me. I'm not selfish. So what's going to happen? Another great question, to which I answer: I will be posting chapters under the title... hmm... let's go with The Getaway, followed by a number, which will coincide with an installment, including a revision level. For example this chapter, or part would be called The Getaway #1, and all subsequent revisions will be listed as #1a, b, c, etc.

Got it? Good.

Also, I'm thinking of getting together with my fellow readers to write a story, together, through each of our blogs. I think that this will be a lot of fun, and I am looking for some partners. I figure that it can't hurt my blog traffic, and I want to see what we can come up with. So if you are interested, let me know and we'll take it from there.

Okay, I'll be back... :)

Putting My Neck Out

Lame.

I have an excuse though. Really.

Sharing it right now would violate all of the paperwork that I signed though, so I must talk about something else.

That is a problem though, because I can only think about one thing.

Okay, make that seventy-five things!

Isn't the human brain wonderful?

Except when it is assaulted by pain.

Lots of pain.

Stiff-Legged Dogs

Deep thoughts.

Really Deep thoughts.

Thoughts so deep, I'm going to need a light soon, cause it's getting dark.

Must be time for another attempt at a quality blog post.

Or maybe I'm just stalling.

Today, I want to tell you about my dog, Quigley. He is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, that apparently forgets that he is a dog. Like when it comes time to jump, anywhere. I mean what dog can't jump?

He also appears to be not very bright either. Granted I know he is a dog and that dogs have the brains of, well a dog. They have no opposable thumbs, which gives us the power to rule over them. If ruling consists of feeding, bathing and cleaning up after them, that is.

Anyway, my dog Quigley, is a great dog really. Not a fan of his not being able to jump, but other than that he's a good dog. Unfortunately, he also has some serious allergies, which makes him a not-quite-so-attractive dog anymore.

So, tonight he had something in his mouth. We all knew it.

Jenni knew it.

I knew it.

Jessie knew it.

Quigley knew it. Oh he sure did. He just knew that he had something in his mouth because a) he had a really guilty looking face, b) he kept trying to avoid being near us, thus saving him the embarrassment of having our fingers probe his mouth (eww, just in case you were wondering... eww), and c) his back legs quit moving naturally.

Huh?

That's right, his rear legs do the whole stiff leg routine, kind of like if you were to walk without bending your knees. It looks funny on humans, now imagine it on your dog, or cat if you prefer. Pretty funny if you can imagine.

You can tell when your kids are lying to you or did something wrong, for the most part. Well, I have a dog that I can read pretty well too.

Speaking of my dog, he just left me a present to clean up. Such a good boy!

Planet of the Dead

That of which I am speaking , is that of which I am watching.

Pay no attention to that, because Jenni just changed the channel - ooh NCIS!!

Yes folks I am live-blogging my evening here at the Miller household, at 10:10PM (*waving to all of you fleeing in terror). Actually I'm done doing the live blog thingy, because it's pretty dull to be honest.

College preparation, day one. WOW!

Andy is one lucky kid, and has some AWESOME grandparents!! And if he didn't say it, I will. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

It helps when you answer the following question: "So what will you bring with you, when you head out to school next month?" (I Know!!) Wanna know his answer? Are you sure? Okay, here it is: "Clothes."

Lights and sirens started going off in every one's head, except Andy's of course. A plan of action was formulated, followed by a trip to Wal-Mart. Two very full carts later...

Like I said, thank you Nana and Poppa! You rock!!

I should explain the title, right? It's a Doctor Who episode, one that sends our fearless time lord to, you guessed it, the Planet of the Dead. Ooh scary. Actually, I found it to be very entertaining, but Jenni saw it already, so we're back to watching every NCIS episode ever made. I can live with that.

PICTURES

Not going to happen today - stupid computer!

MOTIVATE

"Never say never, for if you live long enough, chances are you will not be able to abide by its restrictions. Never is a long, undependable time, and life is too full of rich possibilities to have restrictions placed upon it." ~ Gloria Swanson

FUNNY BONE

Aging Mildred was a 93 year-old woman who was particularly despondent over the recent death of her husband Earl.

She decided that she would just kill herself and join him in death.

Thinking that it would be best to get it over with quickly, she took out Earl's old Army pistol and made the decision to shoot herself in the heart since it was so badly broken in the first place.

Not wanting to miss the vital organ and become a vegetable and burden to someone, she called her doctor to inquire as to just exactly where the heart would be.

"On a woman," the doctor said, "your heart would be just below your left breast."

Later that night, Mildred was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to her knee.

:-D

Your Challenge

Come up with a brilliant idea, that everyone will agree to, both liberal and conservative, which will help move the United States into an era of great growth and prosperity, and leave no one behind.

Have fun! I'm off to watch NCIS, so I shall not be participating at this time.

Love ya!

The Rain Rain Rain came Down Down Down

And it all started with a little drizzle.

It's been a long time since I have felt lightning. Okay, technically it is the sound waves (also known as thunder) that I felt, but still it's pretty cool if not a little unnerving.

Makes me wonder about my whole living in a cave idea. Going to have to make sure that it is waterproof, as in the torrential rain falling kind of waterproof. Of course if the cave is deep enough it probably won't matter, as long as I'm uphill, or up stream at least.

There is something magical about storms, and mysterious, and if you are prone to being afraid of loud noises, I guess there is a fear factor.

***

That show was wild, and if they didn't have the whole eat-what-sounds-gross-so-it-messes-with-your-mind-and-makes-you-want-to-puke part, I so would have tried it. Seriously. I think it would be cool to try to capture a flag inside a tanker full of water, well half full anyway.

***

I forgot how much I enjoyed the show Eureka. If you haven't seen it, go check it out and tell me what you think. It's on the Sci-fi channel, oops, I mean the SyFy channel. What a stupid name change. I want to call it the "siffy" channel now.

***

Here is a question for all of you, please answer. Choose between either being stranded on a deserted island, or "stranded" in a cave, which would you rather have? Why?

Blocked!

I hate when it happens, but maybe I'm just getting tired. Anyway, I cannot think of anything to write here, so unless you see a whole bunch of words following this sentence, we'll see you later.

Ever think of living in a cave? I mean the temperature would remain fairly constant, so as long as you got used to that, I imagine it wouldn't be too bad. Besides, you can always set up a stove or something to heat it. Plus, if you have lots of blankets... Then there is the whole dampness thing, so I imagine some sort of heater would be necessary.

If your cave was in a forest, you would have plenty of fuel for your fire. A fire that would be used to heat your cave, keep your cave dry, keep mosquitoes away, oh yeah, and cook with.

But what do you cook? I mean are you headed to your cave with an endless supply of non-perishable foods? That's not very practical. You can always bring along, let's say, a year's worth of supplies, and make sure to include seeds to plant for future fresh veggies. If you want some meat, or fish, well I can't imagine being squeamish will help you much there. Granted you can just eat it raw, but until your body gets used to it, you will probably get sick. A lot. So cooking your catch would be preferable. I imagine fish would be the easiest, and if you live near a stream or river, or even a lake or pond, they would be the most plentiful.

Hm. I just looked up from the monitor and my mind went blank again. Well, at least I have some issues to work out for my character, or maybe I will make it a couple of characters. People that want to give it all away, or should I say run away from it all.

Oh well, at least I have something to work with. Who knows maybe I will bring it all back.

Tootles.

My House Has Been Invaded!

Andy invited some friends over.

So they came.

Lots of them.

Normally they would head down to the basement and our massive theater room, but tonight the just want to hang with Jenni.

I am so jealous.

Then again, maybe they want to see Timothy.

Babies do that, I hear. You know, attract the attention of teenagers, especially teen aged girls. Lots of oohs, and ahhs.

One of Andy's best-est friends of all, Megan, brought over a friend of hers that is going to the same college in the fall. Wow. They are even majoring in the same thing, I think. Wanna know what is funny about the previous sentence there? I was just going to mention how he hasn't even talked to her.

I'm such a spy.

Not really.

I am actually surprised that the little ones, sans Timmy, haven't woken up yet. The volume is definitely increasing. Makes me want to say SHHHH! Like a librarian.

I'm so jealous of Librarians.

They get to say SHHHH! with such authority.

I think I am done now.

Short!

Or maybe it's an open, I really don't know. However after spending more than seven hundred dollars, cars should not stop working

It's Not What I Think

Because that just wouldn't make any sense.

I will now try to explain, but first you should know that I have been up, more or less, since three this morning. Roughly twenty hours, so maybe you might want to turn away now, and just come back tomorrow. This may not be pretty.

Alrighty then, I have my nonsense out of the way, let's get to the meat of the matter...

Why are newborn babies feet so cool? I mean they just are the cutest little things, aren't they. Currently Timothy's foot is as big as my thumb. Check back in a decade and we'll see if it has grown any.

***

I am really very excited that football season is about to start. I don't know why, just that I'm pretty excited about it, even though NO ONE thinks that the Denver Broncos are going to do anything this year. Bummer.

***

I wonder how well read a review of all the books in the Bible would go over.

***

Torchwood is kind of a cool British show, sort of a spin-off of Doctor Who. It is too late for me to watch it now, but I do have a DVR.

***

USA plays Honduras in soccer, at Soldier Field in Chicago. I think it would be cool to check it out, but I think I will just watch it on the television, even if it is in Spanish.

***

I'm surprised that I had this much to spew, I figured I would give y'all 22 words and be done. Now I can't seem to stop, but I know I should, so...

Bye!

Super Sunday Sensational Stuff #2

Look at that, two weeks in a row for the 4S, let's see what we have on tap this week.

NEWS STORIES THAT CAUGHT MY EYE (maybe I should change this heading)

First up, check out this calendar here. These calendars look really cool, but I don't think that they would work very well in my house, something about an open ink bottle and seven kids that just doesn't mix.

Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has designed a calendar that uses the capillary action of ink spreading across paper to display the date.

Each month, a bottle of coloured ink spreads across a sheet of paper embossed with numbers, colouring them in as it goes.

The ink colors are based on a spectrum, which relate to a “color temperature scale”, each month having a color related to our perception of the weather on that month. The colors range from dark blue in December to three shades of green in spring or orange and red in the summer.

(Hat Tip: Dezeen)

***

Next up, have you ever wondered what you could do with all that wasted heat in your car, while it sits in a parking lot under the hot sun? Well the people here have, and this is their result.

What's better on a swelteringly hot day than warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies? With this recipe you can bake a batch of cookies on your dashboard in just three hours.

(Hat Tip: Jezebel)

***

WHAT'S ON ROGER'S CAMERA PHONE? (AKA: Some photos that may or may not actually be in focus, we'll see.)

A couple of older pictures, that's what!

First up, we have Katie and Maggie riding Spacely Sprockets at Six Flags Great America. That's them in the front row. Maggie is on the left, and Katie on the right.

Not to be outdone, here is Jessie and Danny riding the same ride, same seats, moments later.
Here's one from last night, our friends treated us to a Chicago Fire soccer game. Here is Sparky their mascot. I would have had some "action" shots from the game, but they didn't turn out so well. Go figure. Here Sparky is getting two sections of the stadium to "battle it out" for being the loudest. We totally kicked butt! ***

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTATION:

Be fit for more than the thing you are now doing. Let everyone know that you have a reserve in yourself; that you have more power than you are now using. If you are not too large for the place you occupy, you are too small for it. ~ James Garfield (20th President of the United States)

***

JOKE FOR YOUR WEEK:

70-year-old George went for his annual physical. He told the doctor that he felt fine, but often had to go to the bathroom during the night. Then he said, "But you know Doc, I'm blessed. God knows my eyesight is going, so he puts on the light when I pee, and turns it off when I'm done!"

A little later in the day, Dr. Smith called George's wife and said, "Your husband's test results were fine, but he said something strange that has been bugging me. He claims that God turns the light on and off for him when uses the bathroom at night."

Thelma exclaimed, "That old fool! He's been peeing in the refrigerator again!"

:>)

Enjoy your weekend!

On Second Thought

I have expressed my desire to have a Kindle before, and even tied my weight loss to it (currently down 20 pounds), but this story disturbs me.

 

This morning, hundreds of Amazon Kindle owners awoke to discover that books by a certain famous author had mysteriously disappeared from their e-book readers. These were books that they had bought and paid for—thought they owned.

But no, apparently the publisher changed its mind about offering an electronic edition, and apparently Amazon, whose business lives and dies by publisher happiness, caved. It electronically deleted all books by this author from people's Kindles and credited their accounts for the price.

Sure Amazon gave the money back and all, but like the story mentions later, this is akin to Bares and Noble sneaking into your house at night, and replacing your book purchase from your nightstand and leaving a refund check.

Not lost is the irony of the titles taken back, George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. 

So maybe I don't want one now. I definitely have something else to chew on, especially when it comes to the purchase of this gadget. Sure it will save some space, but it just became a little more intrusive if you ask me.

Who Knew?

I have a DVR.

DVRs are way cool, because you can record your favorite show and watch it anytime you want.

DVRs are way cool, because you can skip any and all commercials with the touch of a button.

Lately, I have been taping, uh Digitally recording the show NCIS. As a side, I just have to say I LOVE this show!

NCIS comes on a variety of channels at a variety of times, which in turn, gives you a variety of commercials. Some are harmless, like the Vlasic pickle commercials, others are humorous like say a beer commercial.

Then there are the, uh, how shall I put this? Commercials that talk about enhancements. Male enhancements. Why? I mean seriously, why? Does the Sleuth channel really think that they have a bunch guys watching the show that have nothing else on their minds?

My point.

Nothing, other than I just saw a new one that dealt with vacuum. Eww.

I need to use that fast forward button more.

When You Got a Virus, Get it STOMPED!

I enjoy using my computer.

Scratch that

I love using my computer.

I especially love using my computer when it's working in tip-top shape.

Problem is, there are some bad people out there that enjoy messing with my computer from time to time. I do not have the expertise to figure out everything that goes wrong, so who do I call?

Ghost busters?

Get serious, will you?

Uh, sure. Who do you call?

Why Virus Stompers of course!

They have the skills you need to get your computer up to speed!

Fellow blogger Jeff, over at View from the Cloud and his most excellent genius of a son have conspired to bring their years (more than 20!) computer experience together, to bring you an inexpensive and hassle-free way to fix your computer.

How do they do it?

By bringing their computer to you, via the Internet and modern technology. Now, there may be problems that they can't get over the lines, but have no fear, they have the tools you need and you can easily send your faulty computer in for some top-notch service, and they promise to return it to you, in better-than-ever condition. Seriously.

So, where can I go for this service?

Why you can follow the link above, the one here, or click on the cute little virus about to be STOMPED in the sidebar. I try to flood you with options, because I roll like that.

So what are you waiting for, get your viruses stomped, and your computer back to running as smooth as silk. Jeff and Brandon will appreciate the business. They are what makes America great, creative ingenuity and good old American know-how.

Yea America!

It's Now The Big Willy!

Yes folks the Sears Tower is no more, it is now the Willis Tower. Yeah right.

Why Government is Evil

Just take a look at this chart, describing the House Democrats Health Plan (socialized Medicine). Now, I know that this chart was presented by the other side, the Republicans, but having dealt with government bureaucracies in the past, there is no doubt a lot of truth to the whole thing. No wonder they don't read the bills that they sign.

So what can we do about it? Nothing at the moment, except to pressure your congressional delegates to slow down and put together a good comprehensive plan, not one that has been thrown together at a break neck pace. I mean the only reason that everything is getting pushed through so quickly, is because the president and his party are starting to wear on the American people. Would I like to see health care costs come down? Sure would. Do I think that the government should get involved? Heck no. Look at Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and any other government run beast. You will generally find a paperwork nightmare, where just because you got some overtime, it now means you no longer qualify for government aid, yet you stand in line behind someone wearing designer clothes, talking on an iPhone and driving away in an Escalade, pay with the food stamps that you don't qualify for.

Government is meant to only provide for the common defense of our country, the general welfare (meaning making sure that we have good food, medicine, roads, etc. not people getting on and staying on welfare), insure justice, and domestic tranquility and secure the blessings of our liberty. No where does it state that medical care is a basic human right that the government should provide. Our country is what it is, because of the people living here, not because of the government. I could go on, and probably will, especially if this whole being allowed to rent a house that you got foreclosed out of, gains steam. I mean, at the rate it's going, there really will be no need to work anymore because the government will take care of you.

A scary proposition, indeed.

UPDATE: Apparently my image is in the wrong format for Blogger, so disregard that part. Sorry. If I get a chance to save it in a different format, I will be sure to upload it later. Or you can see it on the Drudge Report main page, for now.

720!

I had nothing, then I noticed that this is post 720.

Still don't have much, but I'm gonna run with it, okay?

I am willing to bet that anyone that has lived in Chicago knows what those numbers mean. Or maybe they won't, I told you it was weak but I must carry on.

Why?

Well because I'm going to share something with you now. Something that may end up being a painful experience for me, but also something that I want to share. You know, for moral support, or something.

I am thinking of doing a 1,000 word a day challenge.

That would be 1,000 written words. 1,000 different words, at that. Why would I put myself through that? Because it is my mountain, and it's there. I do not have a start date, for this project, but I will run this down quickly for you - the rules, if you will. Write 1,000 words a day.

Pretty straight forward isn't it.

Of course, there is a catch. I only have to do it six days a week.

Stay tuned.

Oh, and 720 is just the radio frequency for radio station WGN, here in Chicago. Pretty exciting isn't it?

There She(He) Blows!

Timmy is a week old today!

It is so awesome to watch him as he changes and grows up, true a week doesn't seem like much, but I notice things. He is getting better control of his neck muscles, a little bit at a time. He seems to know what he wants his hands to do, but they don't always listen. Oh, and he stares at you when you talk to him, it's almost like he is listening and comprehending everything you say. He might just be doing that, I'll test him in six yeas to see if he can retain the story I shared with him.

Like from his first post-hospital checkup...

It's a simple checkup that is used to see how the baby is doing after a few days outside of the hospital, Timmy was four days old and this was the day when his billirubin(sic) would peak and his weight would bottom out. They also check the vitals, including height, head size, pulse, temperature, etc.

To check a newborns temperature, there is one universal location to have it checked. Most people squirm when they think about it, in fact I just did an involuntary shiver thinking about myself. Anyway, Timmy was squirming and fussing around a bit, because a) he's in a strange place, b) he's on an uncomfortable table, and c) he's naked.

Doctor offices aren't always the warmest places.

Well, the time comes for Timmy to get his temperature, and the nurse lubes up and inserts the thermometer. Timmy gets quiet, and has a calm and almost serene look on his face, which quickly changed to concentration, and Jenni joked that he was gonna "poop the thermometer out."

He did.

It was one of the funniest moments I have experienced in a while. I mean here is this newborn boy, clearly not enjoying what is being done to him, solving his problem the only way he knows how.

My son is a genius!!

To make matters even more clear of his dislike of the nurse and/or Doctor's office, he waits for the perfect moment to display more displeasure. We have the table all cleaned up and are finishing up when "there she blows!" (okay technically it should be he) Timmy decided to baptize the office with his urine.

AWESOME!

Good flow too.

Super Sunday Sensational Stuff, #1

Also known as the four esses.

Or if you prefer 4s.

Also known as another attempt to start a meme of sorts that will catch like wildfire, you know, because I need to feel justified about stuff. Especially stuff here.

I also might be a tad insecure.

So what will Super Sunday Sensational Stuff include?

Good question, with the obvious answers being it will happen on Sunday - which historically (like I really know this) no one visits blogs on Sundays. Something about having a life. Silly thing life, right? Not that life itself is silly, just the thought of having one might seem that way to, uh, some people. Not me, nope. I have plenty of life and lots of it, thank you very much. So that's one ess down, three more to go.

Next, and which should have been first (just look at the title), is super. Now what do you think about when you hear the word 'SUPER' - well I think of bigger and better, like SUPERman, or SUPERsonic, or SUPERTarget. You get the point, I think. That being said, I may be biting off more than can be chewed, because super also means the best, so does that mean these posts will be the best I have to offer all week? Maybe. That is my intention, believe it or not.

Seriously.

I want to set the bar up so high, that you gentle readers (or are you agitated by now?) will just look forward to your Sunday blog reading. I should point out that the Sunday posts may be later in the day than this one is, since I tend to get some free time in the late evenings. Sometimes I even get them in really late. I'm just saying. However, I do have a plan to combat that, see STUFF below.

Next up Sensational - I didn't do an all caps for that one, because, well, it's SENSATIONAL. Did you see that? I bet you scrolled down and saw that first, didn't you. all-caps does that to you. So what will be sensational about these Sunday posts. Meriam-Webster says this:

Main Entry: sen·sa·tion·al
Pronunciation: \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\
Function: adjective
Date: 1840
1 : of or relating to sensation or the senses

2 : arousing or tending to arouse (as by lurid details) a quick, intense, and usually superficial interest, curiosity, or emotional reaction
3 : exceedingly or unexpectedly excellent or great

Sounds impressive, no? Not anticipating a #2 either, are you? After all, I have tried many a different theme for Sunday, and I either forget them, or... nope I just forget about them.

Stuff is easy, and what I am a master of. Yep, stuff. I have email folders labeled as stuff. I have folders labeled as stuff. I even have folders inside of other folders that are labeled stuff. Let's not forget the blogger label I have for this blog, also called Stuff.

My point.

I know stuff. I like stuff. I write stuff. So stuff seems to be a natural word to use, and while super and sensational may change, I can guarantee you that Stuff never will. Ever. Ever-ever!

There you have it, my rules have been laid out, and now we can begin bringing you the 4S for this week. I should also mention, that I thought up this idea a few minutes ago, as I started typing this post up. So, be warned, these posts may be really long, or extremely short. I probably should have mentioned that earlier, but I forgot.

Danny's smile qualifies for a 4S - easy!

Maggie's going to be an architect. She can build our dream house for us. 4S, 4 sure!

It's not Abbey Road, but Andy, Marissa, Kevin and Benjy are trying to recreate it at Wrigley... okay, not really, but hey, watching a game at Wrigley qualifies as a 4S!

Have a great Sunday!

P.S. - I have no idea why there are all the different colors, since I only added the red. Ah, the joy of Blogger.

11:11

Amazing how this time seems to show up in my life.

Sometimes in the morning.

Sometimes at night.

Amazing, right?

Okay, maybe it's not that amazing but it's what caught my eye as I sat down to type this piece of art out.

Oh yes, it is art. In fact, if you want to buy it, I will gladly sell it to you. In fact, if you want to see more and more of my art, just let me know and I will work something out with you.

11:11.

Amazing.

New Favorite?

I have found a new favorite, and it's old, however thanks to Digital Video Recordings I can watch it whenever. Bye now.

Vacation is Killing Me!

Okay, maybe that's a bit much, but I'm getting worn out with this time off.

(Starting the violins now)

I'm so exhausted that I don't even know what to write.

(Yet he continues with writing, whatever)

Didn't sleep well last night, not because of Timmy though.

(Hey don't you owe us a birth story?)

Instead it was my couch. You know. The one I seem to fall asleep on, at will.

(Get your lazy butt up and walk the forty-seven feet to your bed.)

Not to mention that the television was on, and there would always be something to stimulate my mind on.

(Yes, I counted.)

Stimulate might be too strong of a word.

(Stimulate might be too strong of a word.)

Uh oh.

(Uh oh.)

Better sign off now, because my thoughts and I are in agreement here, and that can't be a good thing.

(I agree.)

Dangit.

(Dangit.)

Nighty-night sleep tight and don't let the big-ol-freaky-looking-bug that freaked out Jenni and possibly Andy out, bite.

(Yeah, what he said.)

I need a vacation.

Patriotic Pride

Check out this video, of a young man singing the National Anthem at a Boston Red Sox game, when he ran into a little trouble, even giggling a bit. Then, something amazing happens... watch!

Doesn't that just make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

HT - The Anchoress

He's Here, Part Deux!

Having problems with uploading these photos and keeping them formatted properly, etc. So, here they are, caption-free, until I figure out what I'm doing wrong - because it has to be me. Besides, a picture is worth a thousand words right? So here is 15,000 (words!)

He's Here!

This post will be a slight disappointment to some of you.

Others will say, wow, he's tired.

Still others will say -

we don't care how tired you are bub, you owe us an update, and maybe even a picture, or

two.

Yes, I am tired. I am als

o very happy and proud. Of my beautiful wife Jenni, and my gorgeous new son, Timothy.

That would be Timothy Alexander Miller, the one

born today at 2:37PM, weighing in at eight pounds,

eight ounces and measuring in

at twenty and one half inches in length.

I have so much to say, and so much to show you all,

but I also don't want to do his arrival a disservice, because that just wouldn't be right. I will tell you that he is healthy, and

Jenni is doing great, and I just lost my train of thought. This is why this post will disappoint

some. I better just get to some pictures. What do you think?

Here they are, a small

percentage of those pictures taken this afternoon. More to

come, along with a great delivery story, later. So, with

that being said...

Before,

After!

Holy Blogger takeover!! I have no control and can't figure out what is happening - I be tired, remember. So if this post looks odd, well, it is. More later, once I figure out what is going on.

Snapshot Sunday

A few snapshots, for your viewing pleasure.

A riddle -- answer at the end.

Danny and Lucy

Five out of six, Andy had to work that day.

Katie in a box. Proof that we don't need to buy anything, except empty boxes for gifts. They are very versatile.

No monsters under this bed!

Jessie at her desk, in her room.

Kirby

Quigley

The answer!

Good night and don't forget to stay tuned for the exciting play-by-play on Facebook tomorrow, as we have ourselves a baby. For real's. Finally. No doubt about it.

Unless the Doctors change their minds again, in which case I may be live-blogging from jail. :)

Independence Day - Muppet Style

Happy Birthday USA!!

Awoken at 6:00.

Asleep at 6:01.

Awake at 7:30.

Very apologetic.

Hospital 10:30.

Home 1:30.

Party 3:00.

Home 9:45.

Still NO Baby!

Friday Holiday's Are Weird

Today was a great day.

Today, I could sleep in, because I had the day off.

Last night, I double-checked the alarm, to make sure that it was turned OFF.

I had visions of sleeping in.

I woke up at 6AM.

Dang bladder!

Brick Wall

Tired.

Exhausted.

Fatigued.

Ugh.

I think it was something I ate.

I apologize and hope to return to my normal cheerful self, tomorrow.

Short Notice

Which of course means that I have less than an hour to get something written here that will make sense and just invite y'all to come on back.

Problems that I have though are these:

1. No baby yet.
2. Pretty boring day.
3. It's getting late. (why I stopped posting a bunch during the day, I have no idea. Maybe it's that job-thing.)
4. Too many channels with too much on, and yet nothing at all.
5. I had something, but it ran away screaming, maybe I'll catch it later.

Scary sights/sounds:

1. Hearing a loved one stop breathing.
2. Hearing a loved one try to breathe.
3. Hearing a loved one coughing uncontrollably
4. Being completely helpless in said situations.
5. Thankful that everything turned out okay.

Why did this become a group of mini-lists?

1. Lists are cool, and people read them.
2. Lists are the next BIG thing and I want to a part of it
3. I can slip things like this sentence in here, and you might not even notice.
4. The Ottoman Empire was/is the root of all evil in the world, or maybe it's just some of it.
5. If Eve didn't eat that apple, would this be a better place?

Survivor man is absolutely nuts! But who hasn't fantasized about being stranded in an African plain, with nothing but your wits and a few supplies to survive on? Okay, maybe you haven't, but it would be fun to try, in my mind. First challenge for me, please: Survive ten days in Walt Disney World.

Getting lame, so I better sign off.

Goodnight!