Closeted

My regular work took a lot longer than I had planned on, so the closet gig didn't get started til late in the afternoon. Which meant that it didn't get as far as I wanted.

But that was OK. The driveway needed shoveling anyway, what with all the recent snow we've been having. Which made a nice break between the sitting-down-at-the-computer-desk all day, and the staying-up-too-late-in-the-basement all night.

Meanwhile, Mary put together a very nice dinner of Chicken Alfredo using the leftovers from last night, which had everyone wanting more. Poor Deb! She was at class last night and missed it all. Oh, well, she'll come home starving and eat everything she can find. Mostly cereal and yogurt and cheese and chocolate chips and ice cream. Very healthy.

The most difficult part of this portion of the building project is putting drywall supports at all the corner points. The existing wall studs don't exactly line up with the placement of the closet walls, so I'm putting 1x4s behind each of the 2x3 end stud which gives something to support the corner.

Unfortunately, I discovered that 3 of my 4 1x4s were crooked and/or cracked, so I was only able to get one of them installed before it was impossible to proceed.

The electrical panel closet is done. The rest will have to wait til tomorrow.

Closet Framing

With Cheryl still feeling ill, we did dinner the easy way tonight: Costco's rotisserie chicken. That's the backup plan most of the time when no one really feels like cooking. For some reason, no one else is excited about my backup plan, which is to boil up a great big steaming bowl of frozen mixed veggies and smother them in butter. Yum! Sometimes, for the sake of variety, I throw in some bacon of sausage or ham.

I finished my preliminary plan for the bedroom closet framing:

Fig. 1 - Basement Bedroom Closet Framing Plan

One of the closets will be for hanging clothes, one will be for setting up some wire shelving, and the third one -- the one that sticks out a bit -- is not really a closet so much as it is an enclosure to ensure the proper clearance around the circuit breaker panel. The electrical inspector was adamant about making sure that no one stacks anything in front of the panel because that would be a very bad thing. And we don't want any kind of bad thing in the house.

The regulations dictate that there is a 30-inch width and a 36-inch depth around the circuit breaker panel to allow for a safe working space should anything need to be worked on in the panel. So right off the bat, there's nearly (2.5x3x6=)45 cubic feet of space used up by the thing. On the other hand, there's (2x2x4x6=)96 cubit feet of closet space!

Now if I can finish my work early tomorrow, there might be some time to actually cut some wood and put the thing together.

Meanwhile, it's almost Thursday, the week is more than half-over, there's more snow on the way, the weather guys are predicting a huge storm for Groundhog Day, and I'm still wondering when the rest of the parts for the Toyota are going to get here so that Deb can start driving her car and I can have the red one back.

Deb's Birthday Week

She really stretched this birthday thing out. I think there were at least three parties or events or celebrations associated with it. How does she do it?

First, of course, she had to go out to sushi with her boyfriend. Then she had to go out with some of her other friends. Then she had the birthday party here at the house with her family. Not sure why she wanted to separate the family from the friends. Oh, wait -- yes, now I remember.

Teenagers.

Still, she's doing rather well. She's got a job, a car, a boyfriend, and a plan. She's already taking college classes, she's been accepted at GVSU. So when she starts next year, she'll already be ahead of the game by 18 credits or so. Good ol' AP classes!

We did have a lovely birthday party here. I was quite proud of her for deciding to have a kind of "game night", too, since she knows her brother loves that kind of interaction. And we did have a great time. We ate some good food, took a break to play some games, then had cake and presents. She got exactly what she wanted -- money! Isn't that what every teenager needs these days? Especially those with plans to go to college.

My focus, sadly, has been on the new car she got. Not "new", of course; it's a 2000 Toyota Camry LE (Luxury Edition). She did all the research and found it on craigslist for a really good price, and I took care of the actual picking up and paying for it. She provided the funds.

The car has a few issues. Broken windshield. Broken passenger-side mirror (which she seems to think is a required-to-drive item). Broken driver door handle (manufacturing defect, per our research). Broken driver-side tail light (with accompanying bumper damage). Parking brake is non-functional. Slight hole in one of the exhaust pipes. Also, the radio works, but the speakers are intermittent.

But it has very low mileage for its age, only 135k. And the engine runs great. Just needs a few little things fixed here and there. The windshield is $200. The mirror and handle and tail light together are all less than $100. The parking brake appears to be a broken cable. The exhaust hole is a relatively simple fix. The radio -- well, that's going to be a pain to fix.

Overall, a pretty good deal for the money. And the best part is, once she starts driving it (when she finally gets that required-to-drive passenger side mirror), I get my Ruby back! And I can pull the engine and replace the main seals and the transmission seal so it stops leaking! And fix the rust spots!

Well, OK, but first, there's that basement thing...

We got the electrical rough-in inspection completed last Friday. I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, as I always am right before a test. Thinking through all the possible scenarios. What did I miss? What will the inspector want to see? And then he didn't show up til after lunch, just about the time Cheryl had to go back to school. And he didn't call ahead like I was hoping he would. Well, technically, he did call ahead - but only a few minutes ahead. Because he got lost in our development. Which isn't a surprise.

But he showed up, and I showed him around, and he looked at everything. Didn't find anything of note. Liked the way I kept the wiring simple. The only worrisome comment he made was when he walked into the smaller bedroom and asked, "Is this supposed to be a bedroom?"  I had thought it was obvious due to the egress window. But he said that they expect all bedrooms to have closets nowadays, and this one didn't have a closet framed in. I told him I was hoping to use a wardrobe rather than a closet; he was dubious about that bit of logic. Said the framing inspector might want to talk about that.

After he had left -- leaving me with a nice PASSED sticker on my building permit in the window! -- I did some research and discovered that it is not a legal requirement to have a closet in every bedroom. BUT if you advertise your house for sale, realtors (and most buyers) won't count it as a bedroom unless it has a closet. Without a closet, it is only a "bonus" room. Which isn't as valuable.

Whatever. It kind of annoys me because I think a wardrobe is classier. Plus there's always the possibility you'll find the one that goes to Narnia. And then there's the fact that, in my perception, it limits the room's use. What if I want to use it as an office instead? I don't want part of the room being used up for closet storage. But if someone comes over to stay for awhile, I'd like the option to bring in a portable closet (wardrobe) for their use.

That said, I went ahead and drew up some plans for a closet that stretches across the length of the room. It actually constitutes two four-foot closets along with the circuit breaker panel enclosure (to ensure that the thirty-six inches in front of the circuit breaker panel remain clear of obstructions). That didn't take long. And it was kind of fun.

But I have to hurry things along now. We're already past the year mark and we haven't even started drywalling yet!!

Part of the problem is that there are so many other things going on in life these days, and they are constantly distracting. Last week, I got a call from one of the Band directors because he needed some stands made for some instruments they're taking along on the Florida trip, and I've been the go-to guy for those kinds of things for the past couple of years as the Marching Band Pit Crew chief. So I put my thinking cap on and created a rolling stand for their "thunder-maker" (a 2x3 sheet of galvanized steel) and drilled holes in a set of mixing bowls they're going to mount on cymbal stands. That was all of a Sunday afternoon.

The other major distraction is the job search. The current job isn't going to last much longer, maybe another month, and I need to have something set up in the next couple of weeks. The contracting gig is not really my style, but working for The Man isn't either. I'm not sure what to do about it. Meanwhile, I've got some fantastic friends who have been sending me leads for engineering jobs which I have to look into. Which means updated resumes and cover letters. Which means more time not spent on Facebook and blog sites. I apologize in advance for my sporadic updates, but that's going to be the way it is for awhile.

::

Post script

Mary is being inundated with mail from colleges who all want her attention. James is still planning on flying back to Germany in the middle of February. Adam is getting ready to start up school again. And Cheryl started her new job!

Is It Ready Yet?

We had a very lovely reunion meeting of my old Writer's Group this afternoon, with lots of yummy snacks and hours of interesting conversation, catching up with everyone, finding out what everyone is up to these days, not only with regard to their writing, but also their lives and families.

Adam made some brownies; I stopped by the store and grabbed some sodas. Because I am not the cooking type.

It was difficult to talk about my own writing because there has not been much of it happening lately, what with the basement obsession. And the job-hunting obsession. And the myriad of other distractions. Frankly, there isn't much time for it, and my heart can't be in it when there are so many more important things to be done.

There was a big dog at the reunion, a big fluffy dog who was shedding all over the place -- and I was wearing black jeans. Guess what they were covered with by the time we left?

Erin had a fun time sniffing me after we got home. Probably wondering who this strange dog was I'd been hanging around with. But she handled it well, didn't get all puffy and freaked-out. Just demanded more scratching behind her ears as penance. And I'm a sucker for a docile cat.

:::

Deb is in the process of buying her first car. She's been driving my red Subaru, the one James was driving before he lit off for the hinterlands of Germany. But she's been wanting to be more independent, and somehow she has gotten this idea (from her father) that a car represents the ultimate expression of freedom. So she did a lot of research on carguru.com and craigslist, asking our opinions of which car to get, and how old of a car to get (which is based on the price she can afford, ultimately). And she wrote down the list and started getting in touch with the sellers.

One car, a Honda Accord, looked pretty good, even though it had over 200k miles; it was in East Lansing, about an hour away. And we were getting ready to drive over there to take a look at it - I'd even taken the day off - when she got a text from the guy that he'd just sold it. So that didn't work out, and I was sad - because now I had to go back to work.

But then she found a real deal, a 2000 Toyota Camry with low miles (135k), just ten minutes away, and arranged for me to meet the guy around 5 pm (because she had to get to work). So I went and looked the car over. Clean engine, slight leak in the exhaust (a little loud, but not too bad), a few cosmetic issues, some broken pieces, but relatively rust-free and running good. Looked like a Mommy car. A bit more room than the old Corolla, a huge trunk for putting groceries in, a sunroof, and some other nice amenities. Best part was the price: $1k. She could easily afford that (although it took most of her savings).

I told the guy we'd take it, but since the banks were closed, we wouldn't be able to pay him til the next day. And he was cool with that. So by 9 am the next morning, Cheryl and I met him in the same parking lot and gave him the money and got the title and were ready to go.

Except we didn't get a chance to get the title transfer done because Deb wasn't available the rest of the day, owing to school and work.

So we'll do it on Tuesday after the holiday.

And then she'll finally have her own car! And I get my red Subaru back!

:::

I spent the majority of the week splitting my time between office work and house work. The office work was running remote tests on aviation software, which has its moments of dullness and its moments of fun; the house work was pure basement, prepping for the electrical and framing inspections.

One would probably wonder by this point what on earth is taking so long. And the answer to that question is easy. I'm an idiot. As I was going through my faux-inspection, checking all the things that the inspector will be (or should be) looking at, I found a few mistakes. Mostly in the area of exceeding the maximum number of wires in junctions boxes. Which meant I had to install additional junction boxes and split the wires between the two. Which meant (in some cases) installing additional wire runs in order to reroute the entire branch circuit away from the middle of the room where the ceiling boxes were, so that there wouldn't be square junction boxes scattered all over the ceiling. Which would make things very messy.

A Look Pastward

I keep a daily journal - actually an "Engineering Logbook" - to keep track of all the things I'm not getting accomplished. Been doing it for years, ever since Seattle, recording my day-to-day work activities along with whatever else pops into my head.

Around the end (or beginning) of each year, I like to go back through my log to see what I've accomplished, to figure out if my life is going in the right direction, and make changes to my course if necessary.

So, let's take a look and see what was accomplished in 2015!

January

Oops. Not a good start. I got sick right off the bat, and stayed in bed for awhile. But rallied long enough to watch the FIRST Robotics kick-off. From home. Of course, none of my kids were involved in Robotics. They were busy doing other things - like playing in Marching Band, or performing in plays, or being very artistic.  Or, like James, moving to Germany

The soon-to-be expatriate had a big going-away part with his friends. For which we, his parents and siblings, cleaned the house. And prepared food and games and even put up temporary wall coverings in the basement so it didn't look quite so primitive while they were playing ping-pong. The kids had fun. And the house survived.

We (the parents) were not so sure about our own survival, though. It became more apparent with each passing day that we are complete failures as parents. With all the arguments with Deb over body piercings, religion, economics, and politics, and needing to start Mary in depression therapy (like her big brother Adam), the tension got so thick at times that you could choke on it.

Then there was the constant, piling snow. And the consequent shoveling. And the constant need for car repairs. And the endless (and long) Robotics meetings (for me).

YEt there were some good things that happened. We finally got the building permit for the basement. My sister, Jeanne, turned 50. Yay! I moved into a new office for work, with much improvement in decor, environment, and temperature.

Also, we saw the movie "Into the Woods", the music of which I am quite enamored. Not so much the things that happen in the play.

Years ago, the middle school music / drama teacher with whom I was working to put on the the spring musical commented that she wanted to do that play. Ic could only assume she was either joking, or quite mad. That play is just too dark for middle school. Probably too dark for even high school!

February

February didn't start off well, as the weather only got colder and snowier, and the Seahawks teased us by getting all the way to the Super Bowl and then blowing the game in the last thirty seconds.

We spent a lot of blood, sweat and tears trying to figure out how to get Adam back to school and back to work. He finally managed to renew his old job working food service at the college. We celebrated with breakfast for dinner, his favorite.

We spent several frustrating hours arguing (again) with Deb about the rules of dating. We drove James down to Chicago and spent a couple of frustrating hours trying to deal with overweight charges for his luggage before they finally let him check in. The Dodge minivan died on the road, foul victim to a muffler ambush. A huge pile of snow magically appeared in the attic, and we only discovered it because it began melting and dripped down the front-entry chandelier and onto the floor.

But there were some good things that happened, too. Deb got a job at Little Caesar's. We introduced the kids to the old classic Disney flick, "Swiss Family Robinson", via Netflix. We watched several exciting episodes of "Foyle's War" and "Backstrom".

And our arms got stronger due to all the snow shoveling.

March

March was extremely tiring. The East Kentwood Robotics team hosted its very first FIRST Robotics Competition. And we volunteers worked our little fannies off. It was a lot of work over a long three-day weekend. A lot of work.

My Writer's Group fizzled out as people were unable to meet anymore for one reason or another. At the end, it was only me and Adam and a young girl from church meeting at the library and talking about fantasy novels.

The arguments with Deb continued, getting so bad that, at one point, she stormed out of the house and spent the night with a girlfriend.

I ran out of work and spent a few very anxious days waiting for a new assignment. And wondering if I was going to get paid.

The Pontiac had to have its water pump replaced. $$

We became very familiar with the Post Office, shipping computer hardware and personal possessions to James in Germany. And discovered that shipping heavy items to Germany is really, really expensive. $$$

We had to sell the Dodge Caravan (minivan) to the junkyard for scrap. I was very upset about it, but there was no room in the garage to work on another car. Or time, for that matter.

We found some weird brownish watery substance staining the subfloor panels in the basement and had to rip them out and replace them. Unfortunately, we never did figure out what it was or where it came from.

To top it all off, I called my doctor's office to set up a physical because I was having some difficulty breathing (like asthma), and the receptionist went into hyper mode and demanded that I immediately go to the Emergency Room. In fact, she called ahead to let them know I was coming. So then I was afraid to not go because they might come and get me. So Cheryl drove me to the Emergency Room and we spent a few hours there while they poked and prodded me and found absolutely nothing wrong, other than the fact that I couldn't get a deep breath. They finally shrugged and sent me home.

Perhaps it's just stress. Not like there's a shortage of that around here.

On the good side of things, we watched the Spring Musical at the high school, "Cats". And I remembered why I never really liked that musical, other than the song, "Memory" (and always wondered why they didn't call it "Meowmory").

April

My body continued to fall apart. I'd wrecked my back the previous October and was getting shooting pains down my leg, like sciatica, which prevented me from getting a good night's sleep. I finally started some physical therapy for my back. The therapist said that I walk crooked and twisted so that one leg appears shorter than the other. So I started doing special exercises twice a day.

The garage door spring broke. The other one broke last year. The warranty must have finally expired after 11 years. I guess they're just 10-year springs. But at least I remembered how to change it.

My green Subaru, Serenity II, had to have a front bearing and ball joint replaced. $$$$

There still wasn't a lot of work at work. So I updated my resume and started looking around to see what else was available.

On the positive side of life, we learned how to use Skype so we could do weekly chats with James and Tabea. Live! From Germany! It's the James and Tabea Show!

Some good friends at church gave us their old couches, with built-in recliners, so we were finally able to upgrade some of the family room furniture so that it looks less like we are still in college (and getting our furniture from Goodwill).

I had Mary drive me to a Nature Center way down south in order to help out on an Eagle Scout project. She got some good driving experience and I got sore hands.

May

May started out with a couple parties. First was Adam's 21st birthday, which we celebrated in grand style: chicken and burgers on the outdoor grill. Then Deb went to the prom with some girlfriends and had a good time. Mostly.

Deb, Mary and I drove to Derby, Kansas, for their cousin Caleb's Open House. And then we drove home in a pouring rain that was so intense I couldn't see most of the time.

On the bad side, Cheryl's best friend's father-in-law died. We had spent many a happy hour hearing his stories about living in New York and being a teacher. We were sad that he left us, but grateful for the joy we have getting to know his family.

Speaking of dying, that's what Adam's laptop did, too.

But I managed to fix an issue on my Subaru which made it run much better. Funny how just a knock sensor can improve the engine performance...

June

This was already going to be a crazy month because we had plans to fly out to the Pacific Northwest to attend the Green Family Reunion. And traveling on airplanes is just all kinds of fun these days!

But first, there were a few things to do around the house. Working on the basement (obviously), fixing gutters, moving things around between basement and garage. Watching a turtle lay its eggs in right next to our front sidewalk.

We took Adam to a local recruiting company to see if they could find him a job.

We attended a few Open Houses for high school graduates we knew from church and school.

We watched "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Jurassic World".

I turned 52.

And then (finally) we flew to Oregon for the Green Family reunion, and got to hang out on the beach for a few days, just visiting and eating and playing silly games and taking lots of pictures. We also took some side trips up to Seattle to visit some very dear friends we hadn't seen in a long time. And spent some time with Ron, Eileen, and Uncle Bob down in Kelso.

And when it was time to go back, we experienced all the fun -- and ridiculous cancellations and delays -- that the modern airline travel system can boast.

Ugh! I don't like flying.

July

There are a few events in July that generate a lot of enthusiasm around here, one of them being the Downs family reunion down in Bloomington, and another being the 4th of July parade in Kentwood. The former because we get to see some of the relatives and go on hikes in a pretty park and swim in a very nice outdoor pool and eat way too much food (including home-made ice cream) and try to figure out how to beat cousin Bob at chess (a futile effort on my part). The latter because the high school Marching Band gets to march for a couple miles while I drive the Pit Crew tractor behind them. I march best while seated.

There's also Vacation Bible School (for which I love volunteering), but it's hard to get a lot of enthusiasm from anyone but me because all the kids are grown up and they're not into teaching little kids like I am.

And the big event is Marching Band Camp. Because Deb's attended it and I'm in charge of the Pit Crew. Which means we were both there all week long, soaking up the hot sun and doing a lot of running (or marching) around. By the end, we were both exhausted.

But there was so much more to do!

I learned how to replace the calipers on Cheryl's Sonata. And jury-rigged an exhaust system repair on my Subaru to try and reduce the noise level. A new system would cost $$$, but my fix only cost about $5 in parts.

And I started a new job, this time working as a kind of jack-of-all-trades Systems Engineer for a Research and Development group, designing and building three flight simulator labs.

To try and get ready for Band Camp, which is very physically demanding on the Pit Crew, I started running every morning, because I am so out of shape. I needed to be able to run at least a mile without stopping. It took me most of the month to get to that point, and my pace was nothing to be proud of, but it kept me from having a heart attack during Band Camp.

Cheryl and I also started some marriage counseling. Dealing with the kids has been really straining things (and I count myself as the 5th kid).

At the end of the month, Cheryl volunteered to go down to Texas to spend a few weeks with Mom while she's getting ready for back surgery.

And for our family "date night", we used some of Jan's Fandango Bucks to see "Inside Out".


August

Cheryl drove down to Texas.  For two weeks or so, it was just me and the kids. It's a miracle the house was still standing. Not because of the kids; they were as quiet as church mice. But it just wasn't right to be in the house without Cheryl. It's like the place was missing its soul.

I was very busy with my new job and regular Marching Band practice which had started up, and working on the basement, and anything else that would fill up my mind while she was gone. Calling my parents' house nearly every night helped some. But there was still a void here.

So when she came home, we celebrated.

And when Adam got his new job, we celebrated.

Cheryl and I also celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary!

September

First day of the new month, I got a parking ticket for having the car facing the wrong direction on the street. Seems the local law enforcement folks got nothing better to do with their time.

School started up, and Deb started her dual-enrollment schedule. She's taking two college classes along with all her high school courses, so she's quite busy.

The plumbing company we hired finished installing pipes and vents and all the things we needed to get the basement ready for heating and cooling and showering and all that stuff. They didn't do a fantastic job, though. In truth, it looked kind of sloppy.

We called the exterminator to come out and get rid of some yellow jackets that had crawled into the superstructure of our gas fireplace. Took 'em a couple days to stop buzzing before the poison finally got to 'em.

We had our first Marching Band performances. Apparently, there was some kind of a "game" going on at the same time. Not sure that all that was about. Something called "football"...

With the news of Dean Jones' death, we paid our respects by watching his most excellent one-man play, "St. John in Exile". That was an amazing performance, one I'll probably watch several times.

We started attending a  Home Bible Study group. Kind of weird to finally start attending one after being at the church over a decade, but sometimes our over-involvement in so many other church-related things means we don't have time to just relax with some other believers and share our thoughts.

On the car front, I had to replace the brake pads and rotors on Adam's car, and put a new radiator in Deb's red Subaru.

And Mary had her Sweet Sixteen birthday!

October

We probably got a bit ahead of ourselves in the basement, ordering cabinetry before the framing was even completed. But we're dreamers. So when the cabinets for the kitchenette finally arrived, I had no idea where to put them, other than in the garage. Where they took up an entire bay. Which means I'll be parking my car outside for the duration.

But we did make some forward progress: the electrical permit for the basement was applied for and granted. Now to finalize the plans, implement them, and get through the inspection!  But first I had to go backwards, reworking the framing that the plumbers did and fix a few things they broke before I could finish the bathroom wiring.

James returned from Germany, looking to earn some money before heading back next April to start school.  Now where are we going to put him? I already tore up his old room.

We had quite a few Marching Band performances and competitions this month. So busy working Pit Crew that I didn't have time to get everything done in the basement like I wanted.

The Greens, who came out for a visit, were hoping to help with some drywall and painting, but we weren't even close to it, so all they got to do was sit around and chat. And work on family history stuff. And hang out with the kids. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit, although it would've been much better had the basement been further along.

But there had been other distractions.

Deb's car wasn't quite done with repairs yet; in addition to the new radiator, we had to replace quite a few coolant hoses up on top of the engine block, and then we put a brand-new exhaust system on it because three feet of pipe mysteriously disappeared one night. I suspect the Rust Bandit, who wanders around the streets of Michigan loosening exhaust pipes and mufflers while people are sleeping, so that all the rusted parts drop off during the day when they're out driving.

November

Mary got a great part in the Fall play; not only did she get a lot of lines to say, but she got to kiss a boy from New Zealand! It was her first kiss, too. Not sure if it counts, though, being as it was in a play. Does it?

Deb got a new job at Old Navy, which is a good thing because we spent even more money on her car, putting brand-new wheels and tires on for the winter.  Adam lost his job for one reason or another, but it was probably for the best anyway because it was a sales job and that never seemed to fit his personality anyway.

We watched Mary in her play -- I was there all three nights! -- and then we got to watch another high school play ("Our Town") with one of my favorite kids from church in it (my third daughter, Sarah). And then we all went out and saw "The Martian" in a theater with electronic reclining seats! It was so awesomely comfortable, I could've fallen asleep in it -- except that the movie was very exciting.

Marching Band season ended, and I hosted the Pit Crew Breakfast, hoping to pass on the keys to the next "lucky" individual who will be Pit Crew Chief next year.

In an effort to pinpoint the trouble we're having with Adam, we had him tested for Asperger's. And found out he is right on the edge of high-functioning autism (because they aren't allowed to diagnose it as "Asperger's" anymore). Which means we're going to need to do a lot of research to figure out how to deal with his situation.

We celebrated James's 20th birthday. Wow, is he old, or what?

Then we had some dear friends over for a wonderful Thanskgiving feast.

And my job came to an end.


December

And then I got called back to work to cover for someone who was on vacation.  Just for a week, of course, but what a fun week it was!

Took me almost two more weeks to get another job, and this one only goes through the middle of March, but at least it keeps the money coming in.

Cheryl put in for another job, something more aligned with her English degree, teaching Reading to kids who don't read so well. She got the job, of course, but won't actually start it until mid-January.

And I decided to take a kid-free vacation so that Cheryl and I could enjoy a little break from Life, the Universe and Everything that Stresses Us Out by driving down to Texas for Christmas without the children (who are obviously old enough to take care of themselves anyway).  We had a marvelous time hanging out with the family, going out to see "Star Wars", exchanging gifts, celebrating Cheryl's birthday, eating lots of yummy food, and sitting around relaxing. In fact, I got so relaxed that I didn't really do much of anything except read books and watch movies.

But when it came time to head home, we found ourselves driving in the middle of the worst storm ever. So far. They called it "Goliath". We called it "So Much Rain We Can't See the Road". Two days of driving in it nearly wiped us out. It did wipe out several roads around Interstates 44 and 70, but we kept ahead of the brunt of it and managed to get home with only a slight delay.

And then we got to celebrate Christmas and Cheryl's birthday all over again!!


The New Year

And what of the New Year ahead?

It's going to be challenging. We have lots of things to do, lots of issues to figure out, lots of house projects to work on.

I need to find a new job.

Cheryl needs to see if she's going to enjoy her new job.

We need to figure out how to get Adam through school. And through life.

We need to help James get back to Germany.

We need to get Deb graduated and on into college.

We need to prepare Mary for her final year of high school, picking colleges, etc.

And I need to lose some serious weight (as those of you at the reunion can attest).