Hey, today is the last day of 2007!  I know, it’s pretty exciting for me too.  I get to go to work!   I am ending the year a little wiser (My wife would debate you on that!), a little stockier (we prefer ‘husky’), a lot more employed, and by far richer in my life because of my family.

That is not to say that I have accomplished EVERYTHING I wanted to this year.  I did NOT manage to find a way to keep the books on the shelves in the basement.  Almost though!  Of course, you need a screwdriver and a lot of patience to get to some of the books, but the Almond can’t get them out either.

I did manage to get the garage cleaned out.  Several times actually.  Right now in fact, you can get ONE vehicle into the garage.  Ok, two if you include the mower.  It moves, so I guess it is technically a ‘vehicle’.  I did not get the tree house started, maybe this coming year.  I did get a path mowed out to the meadow, it will be fun to keep that clear for the kids this year.  We also finally planted grass on the north side of the house.

We celebrated many birthdays, and had some sad times too, but overall, I think that 2007 has been a truly stupendous year!  I really appreciated spending it with my family, and friends.

 On  to 2008!  Hopefully 2008 will bring prosperity to you and all you know.  If it does not, then I wish it to bring you the wisdom and strength to deal with all the life offers to you.  Remember to look at what you have with optimism, see the forest for the trees.  Enough of me trying to philosophize (and spell).  For 2008 I hope to shed a few pounds, spend time with my family, and grow with our church.   I wish you all the best of luck in 2008!  Happy New Year!

Just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  Hope your day went well.  I know, it is actually Dec. 26th when I am writing this, but hey, I was busy yesterday!!

We had a great day.  Gifts were opened, relatives visited.  We played with toys, played games, just spent some quality time as a family.  I also had the greay ‘joy’ of spending 4+ hours installing Windows Vista on the wife’s PC.  UGH!  That one is a bear with the update.  I have done it with a clean install (new computer) and it was pretty easy.  Not so with the upgrade from Windows XP.  It is amazing how many hardware items (still) don’t have drivers, and software conflicts.  But it is just about done now.  Just need to find new drivers for the DVD drive and it should be good to go.  Except for the HP Photosmart 7600.  There is no drivers, and it is no longer supported by HP.  What is that!?!?!  Good thing there are so many good online printing resources.  I just don’t feel the need to purchase a new printer.  Of course, the printer we have that is 10 years old works just fine.

For those keeping track.  I have given up on the laptop for the time being.  I am taking a trip in Feb. (maybe) and I would like to have it fixed by then.  I really only NEED it to watch DVD’s on. I guess I could just get a DVD player, and perhaps a TV.  Who knows right now.  Much more important things to worry about, right? 

Have a safe and happy New Year.  2008 is just around the corner.

I broke my laptop, as you well know if you read this (and many people don’t!).  So I ordered all the parts I needed, including a copy of the O/S, since I can’t find the disks that came with the laptop.  It all came today, I anxiously tore the box open, took everything out(HD, memory, OS, etc.).  I got the memory installed, no problem.  Took out the old HD, and got the new one…wait, what is that!  They have different connectors!  NO!  After all the time I spent to make sure I was getting the correct one, I still got the wrong one.  Well, not a whole lot I can do on Christmas Eve.  Not that I didn’t try.  I did stop at a certain retailer of electronic goods.  They had quite the large selection of computer hard drives, but alas, none for a laptop.  When the young (and I mean YOUNG) man asked me if I wanted any help, I replied, “Yes, I need a 2.5 inch internal hard drive for a laptop.”  I felt that I was pretty direct about what I needed.  He looked very confused.  “I don’t think we have those.  How about an external HD, they work really well!”.  No thanks, I told him.  I didn’t need to be lugging an external HD around with my laptop, not to mention having it connect over a USB cable all the time.  I will just wait and order the correct one.  It will only take another three days.  I have waited nearly a month already, I think I can wait three more days (four if you include Christmas, which I won’t)

Hey!  Merry Christmas, and I mean just that.  We just got home from celebrating at my dads.  It was good, but with small kids, you can only stay so long before a meltdown begins.  It is good we go there.  We leave after the kids are all wound up, and then they fall asleep on the way home and sleep pretty well through the night.  No getting up early like when I was a kid.  Well, gotta go, sounds like ‘Santa’ is almost here!

Hey, I guess my readership isn’t too picky about how often I post.  I don’t hear any complaints.

 Here I am on Christmas Eve Eve (That would be Dec 23)  I am home alone because I have to work tomorrow, and my wife doesn’t.  So she is staying at my dad’s tonight with the kids and I will join them tomorrow.  May they have all the fun in the world.

Of course, it’s snowing.  I made it home today from the Cities, and went right to work plowing out the driveway!  Yea.  Now I can get out of the drive way to go to work in the morning.  Hope fully when I get home from work, Santa (in the big brown truck) will have delivered a great present for me, like a box full of the stuff to fix my laptop.  Or I may just have to wait for him.

 After plowing, I got straight to work on Santa duty.  I got everything ready ahead of time, since we will get home late tomorrow night.  I do realize in my horror that there are NO stocking stuffers for the wee one.  I will have to fix that tomorrow.

 Well, enough rambling for tonight.  Time for bed.  Gotta get up an work tomorrow.  I love work,  it’s going great and I really enjoy what I am doing.

 L8TR!