verngator's blog

testing other gmail account

noreply@blogger.com (Vern) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:13:00 +0000

ignore!

...OK, scratch that!

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:38:00 +0000

...as those old posts weren't that great anyway.

So here I am in Kansas. The sun is shining (typical for this part of the country) but it's chilly...but it has been a relatively chilly winter in Florida so I'm not really that cold.

Devon arrived last Wednesday, and I arrived here Friday. This has been an exciting time as I've gotten a foretaste of what being a Grandma will be like. I'm trying to be as helpful as possible and at the same time trying not to hover and to give the new parents some space...at least as much space as they can have while we are in the same house. On the other hand I just LOVE the little guy and would be happy to hold him all day long. I'm sure that I will get choked up when it's time to leave. I am sad that we live so far away and that we won't be here for all the milestones to follow.

I'm sure we will be back in KS some time this summer so that K can visit birth family. But we have to keep it to small doses - it's a difficult transition for her to leave them behind.

Of course K thinks that she is old enough and responsible enough to hang out here with family, but I disagree for two reasons.

First, her siblings are all college-age and have their own lives - they can't be responsible for a 13-going-on-14-year-old girl when they are just learning to be entirely responsible for themselves. It's too great a burden, and I'm not sure any one of her siblings are up for it. I won't leave her with cousins or aunts/uncles as it is not fair to burden them, either...plus they already have things going on in their own lives. And the last time we were here, K wanted to dress and act way older than she is.

The other reason is that K is not mature enough to trust with little supervision. Each child matures differently, and I would say that while K is mature about some things, she isn't ready to be without supervision. We have had to take her phone and block her picture mail due to poor judgement on her part. K is high-maintenance.

So while I understand her desire to hang out in KS without us, she isn't mature enough.

OMG...how long has it been??

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:05:00 +0000

...I can't believe it has been so long since my last post . The other thing I noticed - I created some posts and saved them as drafts..so maybe I'll post them now.

I read somewhere that blogging is somewhat on the decline as Facebook use increases. That makes sense, as it is much easier to post a change in status than is is to think of some actual verbiage to populate an online posting.

For those of you who have Facebook, you can ask to friend me if you have not. My security level is relatively high so please drop me an email with your FB-associated email and I will friend you.

As far as FB goes, in general I try to stay away from friending work associates. There's nothing embarassing about my posts, but with only one or two important exceptions I like to separate work and home life.

OK, so what have we been up to since our last post? A New Years cruise to the Bahamas, lots of soccer...and of course the arrival of baby Devon. I'm posting this now from Kansas as I have come here to cook, clean, do laundry, and generally enjoy being a new grandma (kinda-sorta) to Monica and Gary's little angel.

I'll post a link to some pictures on Picasa:

Devon

It's Labor Day Weekend...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:46:00 +0000

...and school started this past week.

We booked the after-Christmast cruise - yay! It's a five-day trip to the Bahamas...and according to Carnival we leave in 114 days...
Soccer practice started in August. Miss K is on the field three times a week (including conditioning)...
Yes, we make a point of "dating" more, although I'd like to find a local piano bar!
Trips to Kansas and to Ohio were very emotional. That's about all I can say here. One of the Ohio highlights - visiting with my friend Joyce - we met when I was nine and she was eleven.

I've been reading more, but for some reason every book I pick is depressing: illness and death, rapes and murders...I need some ideas for LIGHT READING...can anyone help with suggestions?

It's half-way through summer...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:27:00 +0000

...and I can't believe how time is flying! Travel completed and travel to come:

The cruise was a BLAST. We didn't want to leave the ship! Spouse and I learned two things about ourselves - first, that we need to go on vacation more...and second, we need to get out more! K. had a great time as well, and it was nice that we were able to do some things together, some things apart. The excursions were terrific, although I wish we had spent more time on Isla Roatan and less in Belize. Nothing against Belize - it's just that heavy rains the day before we arrived caused flooding in the caves, so we were not able to go cave-tubing. We hung out at the piano bar most evenings...
We are flying back to KS for a quick trip to see family this month. Next month it will be Ohio.
Copper is a real sweetie...and he remembers us. He is fitting into our little family very and he is being spoiled with lotsa lovin'.
I am in love with my iPod Touch. But I'm not craving an iPhone - my Diamond is fine. Spouse has a shiny new Palm Pre, and it's terrific.
K will be on a different soccer team this year. It could have been a sad story, but it may well turn out to be a good thing for her.
Did I say that we need to take more vacation? We are thinking of an after-Christmas cruise...

Wassup?

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:33:00 +0000

So it's officially Spring...and this is what we have been doing lately:

We have booked our very first family vacation - a seven night Carnival cruise to the Western Caribbean! We have never taken a family vacation before - it's always been a visit to this family up North or that family out West...so this should be fun. There are lots of activities for tweens, so Miss K. should be plenty busy while we adults have our own fun. We do plan to book a dolphin encounter and at least one long, lazy beach day.
Spring break is next week - and that's when I'll be picking up Copper (see prior post).
Soccer continues...and K. continues to have fun and do well on the field.
Many new challenges ahead at work. Mostly good stuff!

I'm sure there is more going on...so I'll be adding to this post when I remember : )

I suppose I can try to figure out how to delete the Backward Bush countdown...

Copper comes full circle...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Last weekend we received sad news. Due to a set of unfortunate circumstances our friend Cathy is no longer in a position to keep her retired guide dog Copper. Copper is the dog we raised for Pilot Dog while Mark was in seminary. I immediately agreed to take him in, so I will be driving up to North Carolina to pick him up next week. I'm sure there will be plenty of tears to go around.

It's been nearly nine years since we have seen our (not so little) Coppermonster - he will be eleven years old next month. Kirby is 4 1/2 years old and fairly mellow -- I think she will enjoy Copper's company. I wonder if Eureka kitty will recognize him? Our hope is that he will enjoy a peaceful and happy retirement with our little family.

Advent 2008...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:19:00 +0000

…is upon us. So as we say “goodbye” to 2008, here’s a quick update:

Yes, we ARE in a BLUE STATE! YAY!!!!
K’s reading and writing has improved noticeably since she started with the speech pathologist. Although the ride has been bumpy, she made honor roll at school this past term. Public school has pluses and minuses; in many ways I wish we could send K back to private school, but I think she is in the right place. Oh…and she is playing the TUBA in band!
The tutoring goes well at K’s school – I like being able to help out, and Pre-Algebra is fun. I’m on my second student as the first was so truant that I could not help her. Unfortunately Student #1’s family is having a lot of issues.
The soccer team is doing well again – K is having a great time. She is taking private lessons with one of the coaches on top of regular practice & Saturday games. Her team nickname: “The Beast” because she is so fast and so strong! Of course we call her that at home because she is a TWEEN.
K got her braces just before Thanksgiving; next comes a second round with the palate expander as well as dental surgery to remove a rogue baby tooth that is displacing an adult tooth.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we flew up North for the first time since seminary to visit family during the holidays. Seeing both sides of the family was great, but I really did not enjoy the cold weather.
We have stopped talking about another adoption. I feel too old : )

Our Summer...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:31:00 +0000

...has been relatively uneventful.

K started working with a speech pathologist/language therapist in May. The therapist is very sharp and is working with K pretty much as we expected - phonics & decoding, memory, etc. Once the school year begins, K will be meeting with the therapist twice weekly, early in the morning before class. We are fortunate that middle school doesn't start until 9:38AM.
The girls earned 3rd place at the Disney tournament. They did very well in a tough bracket...and we are all very proud of them. They really exceeded Coach's expectations this year. I have volunteered to be the team manager for '08-'09. We picked up three talented and motivated girls at tryouts, and I think they will be great contributors.
K will be getting braces very soon...probably within the next month.
I have also volunteered to be a math tutor at K's new school so that I can get to know the teachers. Yes, K will be in public school. In this case, private school is not the best place for K. She is going to find it difficult to keep up with the accelerated acedemic demands of the private school because she is behind in reading and writing. If she had started with the therapy sooner I might not be so concerned, but she has too much catching up to do.
Things have settled down a bit at work, although I suspect there are still many upper-management types jockeying for position. I think the best strategy is to work hard and show results.
We never really took a vacation this summer. I'm regretting that. Spouse made an emergency trip up North to see his dad, but that's about it. DFIL seems to have stabilized, which is great - but that still leaves us without having had a vacation...and once school starts, it's not likely that we will have much time to relax. I suspect we will have our first soccer tournament over the Labor Day weekend.
Spouse and I have discussed taking MAPP classes again in preparation for fostering/adopting another child...but I just don't know if I have the energy for it. Plus I am getting OLD.

Those Sunday evening blues...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Actually I don't really get them - I like my job well enough to look forward to the work week. And this week is going to be a shorter-than-usual week at work because I'll be accompanying K's class on an overnight field trip to Tallahassee. (I need to be sure to wear something orange and blue as we dine at the FSU cafeteria!)

The official diagnosis came from K's audiologist, confirming what we all suspected - K suffers from an auditory processing disorder. The good news is that it can be treated and she can learn to compensate. She will be meeting with a speech pathologist for the first time in about 2 1/2 weeks. I suspect she will be working with a speech and language specialist at least twice a week all summer.

We have one small tournament coming up next weekend; May will be hectic as K will take part in a 3 v. 3 and the Disney Shootout. Tryouts come in June, then we have a break until August or September. Several of the girls will be going to K's middle school, so that will be nice for her.

Morale at work is low due to the change in ownership, but I think things will improve once things have settled a bit. I'm sure it's no different than any other acquisition, but it's still tough. I think there will be many opportunities for us and for the company ahead.

Dang, is this a quarterly blog?

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Seems like we never have time to post, and I know several friends/family check this space for updates.

Since our last post we have been through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week and Easter. As a matter of fact, it's Easter Monday. Hubby and K are picking up materials for her science project - she will be simulating the effects of acid rain on bell pepper plants. K's spring break is the first week of April, and Hubby will probably take time off that week as well.

Our company was purchased by a large bank - we are now a part of their payment services. That means some changes around here as we re-organize and change our focus a bit. There is plenty of work for me to do here, and I'm hoping that I will have the opportunity to do keep doing interesting projects.

I have continued to maintain my weight - it has been over a year since I made goal - and now that the sun is coming up relatively early again, I've started riding my bike to work. Today was my first day "back in the saddle" and it was COLD- it won't even reach 70 degrees today. Argh, I have no tolerance for cold weather.

Spoke with Monica just before her spring break. She is in college and seems to be doing well. We all miss her. I wish I had more vacation time coming this year - we could take another trip to Kansas. The only problem is that there is nothing to do there but EAT. No amusement parks (Wild West World closed after a couple months!), obviously no beach...it's great for K to see family, but it's difficult to keep her entertained.

Speaking of family, Hubby's dad is in the hospital again. He has been dizzy and is having some problems with his hiatal hernia. Hubby worries about him, but unforunately there isn't much we can do from here.

Software recommendation: YNAB... also known as "You Need a Budget". Easy to use and very intuitive.

Make it a great day where you are...

Testing...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:19:00 +0000

We are officially Slaves to the Piggies...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:33:00 +0000

...and we've built a roomy new home for them using the C & C (Cubes & Coroplast) method outlined at CavyCages. If you are interested, another great (and related) site is Cavy Spirit, which gives many interesting and useful links regarding the care of these happy little creatures.

Snickers and Oreo have plenty of room; one sleeps upstairs and the other downstairs. Their cage is 56" long x 28" wide...lots of room for running laps and popcorning. Now when I look at the little cage where Charlie lived, I feel guilty for giving him such a small home.

We also have a folding playpen for them, which allows them to roam all over the terrazzo floor in the living room, and terrazzo cleans up nicely.

Christmas Piggies

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:01:00 +0000

Unfortunately our beloved Charlie did not make it. He had a congenital dental problem that was causing abscesses in his jaw, and the pain was keeping him from eating. He had lost a significant amount of weight. The vet advised that this would continue to happen and would require multiple surgeries. Charlie was in pain and very weak, and the kindest thing we could do was to put him to sleep.

K and I were so upset...but little did we know that sneaky Dad had the most wonderful Christmas gift planned for us = two young male guinea pigs that we named Snickers and Oreo.

He kept the new pigs at church so that we would be surprised on Christmas Eve.

Mark saw how upset we were, and he gave us the piggies a bit early. K hit the nail on the head when she said, "Dad knows his girls so well that he could not let us be so sad...so that's why we got the pigs early."

Are we lucky to have Mark or what? He really knows his girls...

We've also built the most wonderful new home for them. Pictures will follow, but I'm going to let K take them with one of her new gifts...

December Update...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:49:00 +0000

So, what in the world have we been up to lately?

Soccer, soccer, and more soccer: we are in the thick of soccer season. That means nearly every weekened we set aside time to watch our little darling kick some booty on the field. Last weekend I missed her Saturday game do to a schedule conflict (more on that later) but heard later that parents from the other team were obnoxious and rude to the officials and to our kids. Predictibly the other team's behavior wasn't much better - one of the girls PULLED OUR DAUGHTER'S HAIR during the game. Is there ever a reason for that kind of behavior? NO! Of course our team won by a score of 8-1...

Christmas is coming: we are SO not ready. No tree, no decorations...and no time to decorate...this Saturday K's soccer game is 85 miles north of here!

Our DGP ("Dear Guinea Pig") Charlie has been under the weather. We adopted Charlie from a local animal shelter last year for K.'s birthday, and he has been a beloved member of the family ever since. Around Thankgiving he seemed lethargic. We took him to a small animal specialist and learned that his molar teeth were growing together in the back of his mouth, trapping his little tongue - Charlie was starving! So the vet put him under and filed down his teeth. Then we discovered blood in Charlie's urine - he was suffering from a urinary tract infection that required antibiotics. We have been feeding him Critical Care as his appetite has been low. He is not yet out of the woods...

Stop Making Sense...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:57:00 +0000

Yes, some REAL music...

And yet more explanations...from Jo Rowling

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:08:00 +0000

Click here for more....

Deathly Hallows: Loose ends...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 01:50:00 +0000

J. K. Rowling did an online chat that answers a few more questions for us...

Beware of SPOILERS: If you have not read DH yet and don't want to know spoilers, then DON'T click on this link...

J.K. Rowling chat

Excellent article on energy density...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:52:00 +0000

Weight Watcher's Core list is largely based on the practice of eating foods of lower energy density. Click here and here for articles explaining energy density, and why low energy dense foods fill you up and keep you satified longer.

Snape...too sexy!

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:09:00 +0000

Snape...

...and more Snape...

Ugh, pictures...and broken links!

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:59:00 +0000

As I've been giving out this blog address to a few more folks, I decided to look over a few older entries. Of course the first thing I notice is the fat (vanity of vanities...all is vanity!); thank goodness for Core and exercise!

I also notice that I have quite a few broken links and such that I need to update. When I find some spare time (ha ha ha) I'll start working on that!

Can school really be starting in a month?

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:36:00 +0000

We were looking at the calendar: Miss K. starts school on 8/20. She'd better hustle if she is going to get her summer reading done. Man, what a depressing thought; summer ends in another month and a half? Of course when you live in the Sunshine State, it doesn't really end until November or so...

Work is still going great for me, and I enjoy what I do. Spouse is still pretty busy at church. And speaking of church...according to Pope Benedict we really aren't a church.

Most of my Roman Catholic friends also find this puzzling...ah, for the days of JPII!

My feelings about Severus...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 23:23:00 +0000

We saw Order of the Phoenix for the second time yesterday...this time, at an IMAX theater. The finale at the Ministry of Magic was shown in 3-D, and it was AMAZING.

At my house we are getting excited about this coming Friday's release of Deathly Hallows...just a few more days to go until Snape is vindicated! : )

Order of the Phoenix...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:44:00 +0000

Yes, our little family went to a midnight showing. We really enjoyed it, even though they had to cut out so much - the book was about 900 pages! Go see it if you are a Harry Potter fan.

And it's NEXT Friday night that I will finally get my hands on Deathly Hallows...don't expect me to answer the phone or return emails next Saturday...

Reconnecting...

noreply@blogger.com (vern) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:21:00 +0000

Perhaps as a result of Holly's death, I have been of a mind to track down old classmates and friends. I even signed up on one of those annoying reunion sites - and happily located a couple of friends - one from ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and one from high school. I'm hoping to get together with Heidi, who graduated from GHS with me. She and I were very close but we drifted apart for many reasons. I'll be interested to see how much we have changed since that time in our lives.

This Friday is the culmination of many years of Harry Potter fever - J. K. Rowling's final HP book will be available at midnight. And yes, I'll be there to pick up my copy.

I began reading the HP series after a parishioner in Kansas asked us if the books were OK or if they were "satanic". Not knowing the answer, I decided to read for myself - and was pleasantly surprised to find that Rowling spins a pretty good tale! I have a hard time understanding those who think the HP books lead young, impressionable minds astray - I say you shouldn't be worried unless your kid can't tell the difference between fiction and reality. There are some wonderful lessons to be learned in this series, and it's too bad that a few extremists condemn the books before reading them.

My prediction: Neville will die. Perhaps Hagrid will die. But I just can't imagine that Harry will also die - Voldemort has got to go!