About a year ago we told the girls that once Joe moved out they could move to the third floor and share the huge room as their bedroom. This would give them plenty of room to play and their own bathroom. Little did we know that Joe would find a girlfriend he liked so much that he would move out! Well, last Saturday he moved out and so on Sunday we began the week long process of moving the girls up and all of the junk on the third floor out. It was amazing how much crap we had stored up on that floor!

We spent most of Sunday moving stuff out of the room and then painting. The walls are pink, the ceiling is blue, and the walls are further adorned with dark pink (Uniqua Pink) and blue polk-dots. It actually looks pretty good. Truth be told though we still aren't quite done with their room. We have some more polka dots to paint, a small area around one window to finish up, and we have some clothes to store.

We then went to work on Emily's old room and converted it into a guest room. Lisa really wanted it to be the office but there was just too much other work to do without moving all of that furniture as well so for the time being it is the guest room. And, if I do say so myself it looks pretty damn good. I rearranged the furniture some, put a nice quilt on the bed, cleared out all of the books and anything else of Emily's, and hung two paintings by my mother's dad. One of the paintings is in really bad shape but I think it looks kind of neat on the wall. Almost all of the furniture in the room is antique - the bed, dresser, and cedar chest were all Lisa's maternal grandparents. There are also two antique hospital screens on one wall and an old quilt rack holding a few extra blankets. Finally we added one of our nice blue chairs to the room along with an antique library ladder to create a small reading area. I'm really happy with how it all turned out.

The last step was to make sense of all the crap we had carried downstairs and loaded into Shannon's old room so we could create an office/scrapbooking/craft room for Lisa.
We managed to get about 99% of everything organized and in place by the end of yesterday and now her office is ready to go. All of my books from the third floor are dominating the two bookcases in the room. There are also two long utility tables setup in the room to facilitate Lisa's scrapbooking (plus room for a friend) and there is a small table setup for Shannon so she can participate as well. Needless to say I think both Lisa and Shannon are pretty excited about putting that room to use. I know I'll be happy to see them making progress on their crafts.

In these last two postings I'm trying a new method of sharing photos. Please let me know if you like this approach or if you'd prefer to just have a link off to the photos.

#FunStuff #MyLife #General #Photos

Last Saturday Joe and I spent the day assembling a new swing set for the girls. It was purchased by the girls babysitter, Patti, and was constructed in her backyard. The swingset is really nice and is made by a company called CedarWorks. Patti purchased a fairly simple system with four swings and a slide but it was still complicated enough where it took the two of us most of the day to assemble it. Part of the problem was I just didn't have all the right tools, such as a 9/16" deep socket. I also didn't have a normal depth 9/16" socket.

At one point Joe and I had to go to Lowes to get some sockets where we bought two 9/16" sockets and a 1/2" socket so that sucked up about an hour of time. Then later, we realized we would need the deep socket so then Lisa had to go to the nearest auto zone for that. We also thought we had lost a bolt so Lisa had to go to Lowes to get a replacement. About 15 minutes after she got back I found the missing bolt - it was in my pocket. Even considering our poor preparation and my deep pockets the process still went pretty smoothly and the set went up without too much difficulty.

#FunStuff #MyLife #Photos

The Tony Danza Song

This is a fantastically funny song written and performed by my friend Ryan Parker.  Be warned, if your co-workers understand the urban dictionary very well this is not safe to play at work - otherwise it is completely unoffensive.

You can see more of Ryan’s songs at his website, Ryan Parker Songs

#video #tonydanza #urbandictionary #blumpkin #funny

Sure, technically, Shannon turned seven a few days ago but last night was her party - not the boring party with her family but the fun one with her friends from school. This year she had an Idol Gives Back party to coincide with the American Idol event of the same name. The last couple of years she has tried to do something charitable and it has gone over pretty well.

Last nights party was also Shannon's first where she just invited girls from her class and not every friend she has. Thus, Emily and I were locked up stairs while the gaggle of 7 year old girls screamed at the TV when Mylie Cyrus came on and each of them had little make-overs. It sounded like they had a great time.

This past weekend we had a little family event for her with a Carvel Ice Cream Cake. This weekend Lisa's parents are going to visit so we will probably have some other little shin-ding for her then as well. I'm sure, if anyone wants to visit the following weekend, Shannon would be happy to continue the celebration through the end of the year.

#Family #FunStuff #MyLife #Photos

Back in the early 90's when I was in the Army I had a bunch of good friends; however, one stood out - Marcus Fiumefreddo. He is a German born guy who ended up living in the states and enlisting in the US Army while still a German citizen. Our first meeting occurred one morning when he was on "Fire Guard" and I was late for PT formation due to excessive partying the night before.

All the guys in our unit called Marcus "Fred" because the letters "fred" were buried in the middle of his last name. Typically, in the Army everyone is identified by their last name but his was so long we just shortened it to Fred. He is also an artist - though he never seems to want to admit it - specifically he typically drew fantasy art; dragons, elves, superheros, etc. It was his drawing ability that drew my eye to his desk that first morning we met. I was rushing to get out to PT and he was doodling on a notepad. I think it was a dragon but whatever it was it was cool enough to stop me in my tracks and, subsequently, get me in more trouble for being even later to PT because I was gawking at a piece of paper.

Pretty much, from that morning on, the two of us were inseparable so long as we (read: he) were not dating anyone. We did everything together; partied hard in Juarez, went to Saudi and gave Spc Livengood endless hell, got in trouble, nearly wrecked a few different trucks, painted lines in remote parking lots, played chicken, had rock fights, went to concerts, and generally just had fun.

One of his favorite stories to tell is of when we first got back from Saudi. We all had some money saved up from our sixth month deployment so Fred went out and tried to buy a new car. I think it was a Hyundai. It was late on a Friday when he went to the dealer so they couldn't process his financing application in time for the weekend. However, the dealer was certain he would be approved and suggested he take the car home for the weekend. It was our first weekend back in the states and everyone in the unit was eager to get some booze and party. I had bought a small bottle of vodka and a small bottle of gin and a big thing of juice which I subsequently drank before we even went out to the club - I was feeling really good.

Once we got to the club I opened a tab and we started to drink and found some girls to dance with. Things were going great - though I was getting really, really drunk. Finally the girls suggested we go somewhere else (back to the barracks I think) and Fred and I were ready to go. The three of them stood up and then looked at me enquiring if I was coming. I said "sure" but didn't move. I was too, I'm ashamed to admit, too drunk to really be doing anything at that point. The girls were disappointed and left. Fred got the bouncer to help get me to his sparkling new Hyundai and into the passenger seat. I buckled up. He told me that I was not allowed to throw up in his car. I assured him I would not. He drove through the parking lot, hit a speed bump, and I immediately threw up. I tried to aim out of the window but I'm not sure it was open. His new car was scarred. You can't get that smell out. It just can't be done.

That night I was as drunk as I have ever been. Once he got me back to the barracks he had the fire guard that night help drag me down to my room. I tried to refuse to get out of bed for the rest of the weekend but he and our friend Spc Meadows insisted I get up and get some food. Fred tried to clean out his car but couldn't. It was still nasty looking and stinky when we got up for work on Monday morning. When we got back from the motor pool for lunch Fred had a message waiting for him from the Hyundai dealership - his credit had been denied. That afternoon Fred took the car, vomit and all, back to the dealership. It was priceless.

I got out of the Army back in the mid 90's but Fred stayed on. He was working on getting his citizenship (if he got out beforehand he would have had to go back to Germany). I pretty much lost contact with all of my Army friends; Fred, Ellington, Oswald, Epps, Turner, Anderson, etc. They were all great guys but it just wasn't easy to stay in touch. However, every once in a while Fred and I would still communicate but that was very sporadic and only happened once every few years. Fred in the meantime got stationed in Hawaii, deployed to Haiti, got his citizenship, stationed in Colorado, deployed to Germany, and stationed in Ft Hood Texas.

Yesterday, however, we spoke on the phone again. I really don't remember the last time we spoke - though I think it was before Emily (now 4) was born. It was good to hear from my old friend and to know he is doing well. He only has a few more years left before he can retire from the Army now; which is kind of crazy to think about (I'd be a year or two closer to retiring if I had stayed in) and I'm only 35. Hopefully, this time around, we do a better job of staying in touch.

#FunStuff #MyLife

Last Friday I was presented with an unusual opportunity - I could go to the Troy Brown Fantasy Football Camp for free. Someone had paid but couldn't attend so I got to fill his slot. The camp spanned Friday night and Saturday and normally would have cost me $1000 to participate in as a player. Normally, I could never afford to go to such an event so this was a real once-in-a-lifetime type deal for me. I was, as you might imagine, very excited.

Friday night's event consisted of a reception in the Big Green room at Marshall University's Football Stadium. My wife, my kids, and I all went. We didn't know anyone there so it was a little awkward going to a party as a stranger; especially when it was apparent everyone else there knew each other (or at least most of them did). However, the food was good and the music was nice and the girls had a lot of fun. My eldest daughter particularly liked going to the bar and ordering her Sierra Mist.

Saturday morning started bright and early. I had to be at the team breakfast at 7am which was served at the local culinary school. After breakfast we were chauffeured via stretch Hummer limo to the football stadium where we took part in a mock NFL combine. The combine consisted of five different events; vertical leap, broad jump, 40 yard dash, 20 yard shuttle, and the bench press. My performance was pretty ordinary and I didn't particularly excel at anything. My vertical leap was 21" which is about what I did a few weeks ago when I was starting the P90X. My broad jump was 7' 4" (which I was actually pretty happy with). My 40 time was a pitiful 5.5 sec while my 20 yard shuttle matched it at 5.5 seconds. Finally, I managed to eek out 6 or 7 bench presses of 135 pounds each. On most of the events I was pretty average though I think most of the people there did better than me on the bench press (not too surprising really).

During the combine I did manage to pick up a nickname - "Socks" - because I was wearing tall soccer socks. I had thought we would be outside all morning and it was cold so I wore the long songs to stay warm. However, all of the combine took place inside so I was on the receiving end of some good natured ribbing.

After the combine we went outside and watched the Marshall team participate in their first pads practice of the spring and their annual "Hoot and Holler" event. The "Hoot and Holler" is basically a scenario in which the offense needs to try to move the ball down a 15 yard long alley (about 10 yards wide) and the defense tries to stop them. In reality it is an exhibition of the two sides of the team hitting each other as hard as they can and a whole lot of yelling and screaming. It was pretty cool. After the "Hoot and Holler" we had lunch and then a "draft".

The draft was really just an announcement of what players were on what team. The two teams were coached by Troy Brown (green team) and Chad Pennington (white team). I was on the green team. After the draft the officials came in and reviewed the rules (there were a lot) and then we headed outside for about 2 hours of practice. In the practice session I learned some new names for some passing routes I had already known of by different names and we came up with a collection of offensive plays. At this point I was feeling more than a little awkward as I was moved to a offensive guard position (even though I was running my routes well and not dropping any passes). However, I think, because I was an unknown - and most of the other players knew each other - it was sort of like showing up on a new playground as a kid - I was unproven and thus not reliable yet. Next we started defensive practice and I was put on the defensive line (2 of us) and charged with blitzing the QB. In this game there are really no blockers and, in order to blitz, you need to start 7yards off the line of scrimmage. I had a lot of fun rushing the QB and trying to disrupt the plays. Likewise, I was able to drop back in coverage at times as well and break up a few passes.

Finally, the game started, and I was happy to see my dad and my youngest brother, Chris, were able to show up along with Lisa and the girls. During the first quarter I played solely on the defensive side of the ball. However, in the second quarter I was put on offense as well (as the fifth receiver) and I played pretty much the rest of the game going both ways (though I did take a few small defensive rests). However, being the fifth option the QB really didn't have many opportunities to find me behind the secondary; particularly in the second quarter. During the half time break I took a couple passes from one of our two QB's in an effort to reassure him I could, in fact, catch the football. He rewarded that effort by trying to get the ball to me twice. The first time was a beautiful deep ball (he throws a really nice spiral) into the corner of the endzone but it was a bit too wide and landed about 5-6 yards out of bounds. It was a tough throw considering he had to throw down the field, and across it, about 40 yards in the air. The second throw to me was in overtime and was also in the endzone but was too low for me to get to (hitting the turf about a yard short of me). Again, he had to make a tough throw across his body and I doubt anyone who was playing could have made a better effort at it.

On the defensive side of the ball I was involved in a handful of tackles, I had a solo sack, and I broke up 2-3 passes plus hurried the opposing QB into making some bad passes a few times. I was really happy with my overall performance and, even better, we won the game 20-14.

Our whole team played pretty well I thought. We were up 8-0 at the end of the first half but even so we barely forced the game into overtime thanks to a last second stop on the 1 yard line when they were driving for the win. In overtime they had the ball first but an errant pass by their QB was tipped and then intercepted by our team. We then drove the ball down the field where one of the oldest players on the field caught the game winning TD (he is in his 60's). It was a great moment and a really fun game.

That night we had a formal dinner banquet and awards ceremony. Each of the guys who did the best in the combine were given a trophy and our game winning receiver was awarded the game's MVP award. I was also able to get Troy and Chad to sign a football I had previously gotten signed for my eldest daughter by Byron Leftwich. The dinner was really good and the company at our table was very friendly. By the end of the event I felt like I at least knew the majority of the guys I played with well enough to greet them on the street. Chad, Troy, and Mike Bartrum (another of the green teams coaches) were all really friendly and seemed to be genuinely nice guys.

Also during the ceremony when each player was given their certificate for participating Troy or Chad said something about each players performance. I felt pretty good about how I played and, based on most of the comments, I felt like I did a decent job (of course it could have just been my socks; he got another jab in on those as well).

One of the organizers of the event asked me to come back next year - I told him only if I could get in the same way I did this time. I just don't have $1000 to donate to any charity, even one as deserving as the Child Development Academy at Marshall University I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another fluke opportunity!

There are additional photos in this album.

#Sports #FunStuff #MyLife #Entertainment #Photos

I signed up for a Twitter account a long time ago but I have never really seen much value in it. Perhaps it is because I live in a small town, or maybe it is because I have no social life, but really the micro-blogging aspect just hasn't made much sense to me.

I've tried to find a reason for it in my life. And I even occasionally use it. But until today I hadn't seen an application for it that I saw provided any value - either practical value or purely entertainment wise. However, today I came across the site StrawPoll Now which uses Twitter to broadcast a simple poll everyday and then everyone who wants can participate in it. Sure, the polls can be pretty stupid - but they are still somewhat entertaining and the implementation of the website is pretty slick.

As a technical aside StrawPoll is actually hosted by the same folks who host this website so if I had to guess I would bet the site is built in Ruby. Regardless it's a nice front end and the idea is sort of fun.

#FunStuff #Entertainment

My older brother and I both use netflix but I'm wondering if anyone else who reads my blog uses it? They have a "friends" feature on there that could be cool for using in getting recommendations to other movies based on the stuff your friends like. So far just 2 of my brothers are on there as my friends so it would be cool to add a few more. I'm not sure of the best way to connect with others who are using netflix already but hopefully we can figure it out. I know you can click on this link to be my friend I'm just not sure if it is reciprocated or not automatically.

#Movies #FunStuff #General #Entertainment

A couple weeks ago a bunch of us went skiing. A few months ago Lisa and I had bid on a condo package at Snowshoe Mountain here in WV at the March of Dimes Chefs Auction. The condo accommodates 6-8 but I think we had 11 of us stuffed in there. The floorplan had a second floor loft bedroom with a double bed and a set of bunk beds. Lisa, Shannon, Emily, and I slept up there. The first floor had a bedroom in the back and Dad and Patty slept back there. The Joe, his girlfriend, Chris, Justin, and his fiancee' Jules slept in the common area. The quarters were pretty tight for sleeping but overall they were still pretty nice.

Joe, his girlfriend, Justin and I didn't spend much time in the condo as we tried to get a lot of skiing in. Dad and Chris didn't show up until late Friday night (we had arrived Wednesday night). Jules tried to have Justin teach her to snowboard but that didn't work out too well so she ended up taking lessons which was much more successful. Joe really didn't know much about snowboarding when he started on Thursday but he got substantially better over the four days we were out. Dad is, sadly, out of shape (or old) and couldn't ski too much on Saturday or Sunday. Chris, it turns out, doesn't really know how to ski as well I was led to believe and he almost killed himself when I took the crew of people who claimed they could ski to a black diamond run called "Cup". Cup is one of my favorite runs and I held off on going to it until I knew Joe could handle it. Sadly, however, neither Chris or Dad told me Chris couldn't ski (well, he can ski he just can't turn or stop). Cup is a pretty easy black diamond but the surface was very icy and he just barreled down the mountain scaring the shit out of me. He eventually crashed (when he had to turn) and left his skis and poles way behind. He slid across the slope and crashed into the woods. Fortunately he was OK. A little shaken and sore but luckily alive and unharmed. I helped guide him down the rest of the mountain and then we left Cup behind for safer pastures. I went back to Cup alone on Sunday and Joe and his girlfriend also went there a bit.

On Friday Shannon took some ski lessons and then on Saturday I took her out on "Cub" run. Cub is a pretty short green (easy) slope. However, on that day it felt incredibly long. I skied backwards and watched her. She would slide about ten feet and start to pick up speed and then start chanting "Oh My Goodness! Oh My Goodness" before catching up with me and holding on for dear life. She had a blast. My knees and feet however were taking a pounding from the way I was digging in to keep my speed down. We did one run down the hill and by then my body was so sore we headed back to the cabin for lunch. Then, on Sunday I took her back out. This time we went to the same hill she had taken her lessons on and instead of skiing in front of her I skied beside her and let her hold the handle of my ski pole while I held the other end to help control her speed. We did about 10 runs and had a blast. She gained more confidence on each run and she loved going up the chair lift. On the first run she was holding the pole with a death grip but by the fifth or sixth run she was barely holding it at all. It was awesome to see her improve and enjoy it so much. That morning was my favorite part of the trip. My knees were still really sore by lunch time but nothing like they had been when we went to "Cub" run (Cub is much longer than the hill we went on on Sunday).

#Sports #Family #FunStuff #MyLife #Travel #Entertainment #Photos

While there are quite a few places where Mike Huckabee and I don't see eye-to-eye I do have to say he is a very good public speaker and he has a lot of charisma. It turns out he also has a good sense of humor as well as evidenced by his recent appearance on Saturday Night Live.

[swfobj src="http://rawlinson.us/blog/documents/movies/huckabee_snl.flv" height="368" width="480"]

#FunStuff #Commentary #Entertainment