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Holiday 2009 is Over

Jan 032010

Today is the last day of the holiday season/vacation. Tomorrow is back to normal with school and work…oh joy. This was a very good holiday season for my family. This was our first Christmas and New Years in our new home. It was nice to make all the noise we wanted without disturbing the bipolar “roommates” we were once stuck with.

There was lots of parties here and everywhere. Lots of good food and drinks to be had by all. Some of the more notable foods would be the cookies from the women in my life. Wife and her gingersnaps, mom’s nut toccis, and my sister’s dark chocolate macaroons. Plenty of rich cheese and shrimp and my tender pork roast on new years. Let’s not forget about the wine, tequilla, and chocolate martinis.

Today we are killing Christmas and finding a home for all these gifts. So much Bakugan, pogo sticks, games, books, Hot Wheels tracks, science kits, and robots. Not to mention the new clothes that need to be washed and ironed.

Also need to come up with new resolutions for this year…

Oh and it was a sucking football holiday with no Irish!!!!

Life in a Single Home

Family, House No Responses »

Nov 122009

Holy crap! What a difference having on the other side of all your boundary walls is open space. No one on either side of us, below or above us. It’s been just over two months and the life we lead is totally different than the last 10 years that my wife and I lived together. We listen to music a lot more and at high volumes. Music is used just for enjoyment and not to wake my prick neighbors up at 8AM with some Black Sabbath. We talk more without wondering who is listening in. The kids play more freely. The best part is we don’t have to listen to anyone elses lives.

The one thing I did notice about no one attached is we yell at the kids more openly. Don’t get me wrong, they deserve it. When we lived in a half a double, I curbed my anger a lot just so no one would think of what a monster of parents we were. The kids kind of knew it too and they played it to their advantage.

We still have neighbors but there is some space between us. I only hear the young guy once in awhile when he takes his Mustang out of the garage. Other than that, the other neighbor is old and we barely see them except when the ambulance shows up. It’s weird to have the police show up on your block only to help the paramedics and not serve search warrants or break up domestic disputes like in Allentown.

We Have Moved

Adventures, Family, House No Responses »

Oct 172009

Last post I mentioned we were prepping to move. Well we moved. We found a nice single home out of the city. More importantly we sold our piece of shit starter home. We didn’t get as much as we would of liked but its no longer our problem. (Neither are the neighbors.)

Thats our house! We’ve done some work to it so far. We redid the whole electrical panel and painted a bathroom. I’m also cutting out a lot of random shrubs and stumps.

Time to prep to move

Family, House No Responses »

Apr 112009

About 6 years ago, Sarah and I bought our first home in Allentown. Not our primary choice but we got tired of hunting for a worthwhile home in our range outside of the city. Well, that was 6 years ago. Things have changed. We have one extra kid, both kids are bigger, job is better (title wise), and we need the space. We also need 0 neighbors attached. I’m done with that crap shoot.

We are starting to organize our house which entails throwing out a lot of clutter. Also, there is a bit of handywork that needs to be done so the house is more presentable. If I call you in the next few weeks, I may need help painting or laying some carpet.

Hopefully in May, we will start looking for homes outside of this city and any other city in the LV. Time to go to the out skirts, but not too far out.

Glad our pre-approved mortgage is higher that our first one. This opens so much more choices for a new nest.

Almost Done Christmas Shopping

Family No Responses »

Nov 012008

I love getting a jump on the one holiday that just begs for you to committ suicide…Christmas. So much running around for family and friends, shopping, cold weather, relentless music piping from every store and office speakers. Tis the season of giving, giving all your money away. If the stores don’t get it, watch out for the bell ringers. The last two years I went shopping on Christmas Eve, but not this year. Granted, the last two years on Eve was not bad. There was barely a soul out there. However, I am not running into that issue again.

This year my kids are already done minus one more online order. My cousins are done. My wife is near complete. Her parents are near complete. My parents…still up in the air.

The bad part of finishing up so early (especially for my kids) is that there are so many days ahead where we can buy this item here and that one there, oh this is a good deal. Before you know it, a scaled down Christmas turns into an onslaught of toys.

As long as they get some cool toys for me to play with. Or maybe an awesome new game.

Salmon Fishing Trip in Pulaski

Adventures, Family, Fishing No Responses »

Oct 122008

Last week, I went on a fishing trip with my dad, uncle, and a few firefighters to Pulaski, NY. This is the first time I’ve been to Pulaski since I was 15 years old. I was looking forward to this trip for months. If you are a fisherman and never went for salmon, well, you are missing out. The excitement and experience is well worth the drive to the salmon capital of the world.

We stayed in a gigantic camper at Brennan Beach. The weather was perfect. It was cold at night, which is good for the salmon to run up the river. And, the weather during the day was warm and sunny. A huge difference from the weather when I went last time which was freezing. There was one morning which it was pouring but that stopped as soon as we got to the water. Every morning I stood in the water before sunrise and heard the salmon running up towards me. Sometimes 4 or 5 fish at a time. I had a few run into me and through my legs. Where we fished was insane. I thought I was in a fish hatchery. I’d tell you where we went, but I would have to kill you then.
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Kid’s Activities = Free Time For Me?

Family No Responses »

Oct 012008

My oldest son, who is 7 years old, is getting involved in a bunch of extra activities like soccer and now cub scouting. These activities require me to race home from work, skip dinner, and take him there. This is done at least three times a week. I have no problem taking him there and I am glad he is involved with activities other than Legos and video games. Sure, I would like dinner when I get home. Or take my shoes off. Or have a beer. However, this is not always a bad thing.

Take cub scouting for example. This is his first year and I take him every Tuesday for an hour and a half. I could always drop him off and take off like other parents, but at what cost. As soon as I get home from the meeting place, I have 20 minutes to relax and turn around. Not really worth it. So, I end up sitting in my car and read a book, listen to my iPod, play the Nintendo DS, or set up my disc golf basket and practice in the field by the church. I could also go up to the bar which I used to live by. This is usually some nice down time after a stressful day in the office. Otherwise, I’d be at home fiddling with some stressing home project, chores, or noises that occur inside my housing structure.

What makes this wrong is the cub scouts are always looking for parents to become leaders. So, while they are short-handed with male leaders, I am sitting outside enjoying my peace and quiet. Why won’t I volunteer? That’s a post/rant for another day.

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