Just a quick congratulations to my Uncle Don on his election win last night. Keep up the good work!
Wow.......the triplets aren't even here and they've already had a profound impact on the Sella household. On Monday we ventured down to Warren to purchase a mini-van. Talk about an image change; from G6 to Montana. Somehow, "Driving Excitement" isn't the first thing that crosses my mind for this Pontiac model. I will say though, that the van has really grown on me. Tons of room, a DVD system for Lindsay (and Dad), and seemingly every option available. And thinking about it a bit more......driving a van with 4 kids may prove to be more exciting than originally thought.
Jill had another ultrasound yesterday and all is well so far with the triplets. We found out that there is 1 boy and 2 girls, making the guys a little outnumbered. That also has me thinking that I'll have to look into adding a second bathroom to the house. =)
In other news, Lindsay figured out how to crawl this week. It was absolutely crazy! She started out by crawling a couple feet on Wednesday morning and by the noon, nothing in the living room was safe from her curiosity. Needless to say, this weekend has been designated for child-proofing. It still amazes me to watch her figure things like this out. She gets so focused when she crawls, carefully planning out each move. It's just so cute.
My little girl is at it again..........seemingly growing up too fast for me to keep up. I'll admit that there have been many times where I've said: "I can't wait until Lindsay is old enough to do such-and-such with me". But, lately I'm finding myself a little bummed that she is growing up so quickly. Just when I get used to her little quirks and mannerisms and think that I have her figured out, she breaks out something new to keep me on my toes. Over the last two weeks she has cut 3 teeth and the fourth one is barely visible, and she has barely fussed over any of them. I think she is just trying to act tough now that the Red Wings are back in action. That's my little fan! All-in-all, we're now settling in with the idea of triplets. I have to admit that I was a bit freaked out at first. Now I'm just envisioning how fun it will be. Few people get the chance to experience raising triplets and I plan to make the most of it. I'm sure it will be quite a challenge, but the reward is absolutely priceless. After all, it is said: "One treasures most, that which he has worked hard for." I can't wait!
We had our first ultrasound yesterday afternoon and were given the most unbelievable news. We're having TRIPLETS! We had joked a few times about twins, but I have to admit that triplets were not even considered. Kinda makes you laugh when you look back at all of the trouble we had to go through to get Lindsay, and now we have three on the way without trying at all. We're still a bit in shock, with mixed feelings of joy and fear. It will be challenging, but I'm confident that Jill and I will do fine. God has once again blessed us and has entrusted us with the care of three more of his precious little children. Wow........that will make 4 children under 15 months!! Game on!
Lindsay is now nearing 9 months of age. How the time flies. Lately it she has been displaying an ever-evolving little personality. It's just so amazing to watch. It seems like she waits for opportune times to make silly facial expressions and she has even begun to express her displeasure when she feels someone is ruining her fun (how dare Daddy NOT let her chew on his shoe). What I love most is her very inquisitive nature. Today I let her borrow my watch and she studied it intently for over 10 minutes. She would pass it from one hand to the other, allowing the links to flip-flop and collapse back and forth. Each time she would pause for a second and watch closely as she made the transition. She seemed bound and determined to figure out how that worked. After then studying a few of the links in particular, she finally got bored (or figured it out) and decided to see if it would work for teething. She's so small and yet she seems to be learning so much. My friend Joe summed it up well one day when he said "They're really just little people." Sure she can't walk or talk yet, but she's got her own little personality, curious little hands, and tons of little mannerisms to let us know how her day is going. Watching her path to toddlerhood (is that a word?) is just simply amazing. I love being a Dad!
I must apologize for the chaos on my site the past couple of days. What started as a few technical glitches with my previous blog template, ended up being a total site makeover. In light of our new little miracle, I found the "Creation" theme very fitting. I'm still working on a few more add-ons to my blog, so hopefully I'll avoid disaster this time around.
God works in mysterious ways…
This past week, Jill and I received news that our second little miracle was on the way. Although very unexpected, the news was absolutely wonderful. It was about two years ago that the doctor had told us that there was less than a 1% chance of us conceiving without medical intervention. It was basically described as hitting a bull’s-eye with a dart while blind-folded. Many of my friends had relayed stories of people they knew who conceived naturally after adoption or IVF, but I always insisted that our situation was a bit different, based on what the doctor had told us. Apparently, pessimism doesn’t suit me well. Now that the shock has worn off, we are simply ecstatic! After the long road we traveled to have Lindsay, this new little miracle is so very welcome. We have truly been blessed!
About this time ago last year I began work on a sizable project. The arrival of my first child warranted something very special. After some consideration, I decided that I would build a crib. Growing up, I spent countless hours in the shop with my Grandfather and learned a great deal about woodworking. I figured this project would be a great opportunity to get back in the shop and build something very special with Grandpa. Last July, the crib was nothing but a pile of boards and a bit of ambition. Unfortunately, I fell a bit behind schedule and this was something that I refused to cut corners on. I was about 85% done and then came Christmas, New Years, and the birth of my daughter. For the first 2 months after Lindsay was born, I was a little side-tracked and will admit that the crib didn't even cross my mind. Needless to say, I remained very busy throughout the spring and summer, but managed to make it to the shop about every other week or so. This past Sunday we put on the final coat of polyurethane and the crib finally arrived home on Monday. That night Grandpa and I sat down to enjoy a celebratory beer and reminisce about the project. Building the crib was a very nice challenge, and when you have a great mentor, woodworking also offers a great deal of fun and relaxation. Overall, it was great to spend time in the shop with my Grandpa, especially on such a special project, one that I hope will be passed on down through the generations.
Little Miss Lindsay has been home since Tuesday morning this week with a little cold. It was the first time we had to go get her from the day-care because she was sick. I have to admit, that I got a little rattled at first when they called and said she had a temp of 102.2. So, I took her to the Med Express and spent the rest of the day at home with her. She was clearly not herself. In most cases, this would have been the ideal scenario, because Grandma Jan and Papa Bob typically baby-sit on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Luck would have it that Grandma had jury duty this week and Papa was out of town. In the end it worked out pretty nice, as I ended up being able to spend the afternoon with her today as well. She was feeling much better today, so we decided to visit Grandpa at the John Deere dealer. I just couldn't resist tossing on her Cabela's hat. It says "I Hunt For Hugs" on it and matched her onesie perfectly. Yep......she was definitely Daddy's little girl today. When we got to the store, Grandpa was waiting on a customer, so I sat Lindsay up on the counter to wait. After a few minutes, the farmer looked over at Lindsay and said "Hi there. You sure are a little cutie." Leave it to my little critter to smile back and then let out a nice big belch. Talk about a proud Dad. =) Later I tried to explain to her that just because she was wearing camo, didn't mean that she shouldn't have manners. All-in-all, it was wonderful to spend my afternoon with Lindsay. Days like these are just priceless!
As of yesterday morning our Yarmouth facility is now live. Since Friday morning we have logged over 60 hours of work, compared with less than 18 hours of sleep. It was great to see yesterday that all of our hard work paid off with a smooth transition to the new facility. Other than a few normal move-related issues, the go-live was a success, especially when we look back at how many things could have easily gone wrong. Being able to look back on a relative success like this makes all of the hard work worth while. Now......back home to my loving family!
First I must apologize for not posting very often. Things have been pretty hectic this past month, especially with work. However, for the most part the end is now in sight. As I sit here enjoying a nice waffle at the hotel (which are great, by the way), I realize that all the hard work by or team will finally be put to the test this weekend. This evening we will begin the physical relocation of the equipment, with the go-live taking place Monday morning. Things have gone pretty well thus far and hopefully that will carry through to Monday. In any case, I hope to at least be able to enjoy some more great seafood while I'm here.
I miss you Jill and Lindsay!
This week I am out in Freeport, Maine at our new facility. Things went better than expected yesterday and despite our 1:30 arrival at the office, we still managed to squeeze in a solid day's work. We even managed to get pictures of my coworker, Adam mopping the closet floor, and let me tell you, his skillset doesn't end at network infrastructure. That was one clean floor!
After work, we went out to eat at The Muddy Rudder, a local seafood restaurant. I had a delicious sampler that consisted of breaded/broiled haddock, shrimp, scallops, and lobster drizzled with butter and white wine. It was a true testament to the freshness and quality of seafood in Maine. After dinner we hopped over to Gritty McDuff's, which is the local brew-pub. They have a great stout! All I have to say is that Maine is a Beautiful state. It reminds me a lot of our very own Upper Peninsula.
As always, it's nice to travel but I miss my girls back home. At least I was able to see them on the webcam this morning. Time to see what's in store for day 2...
So.....here it goes. I'm finally posting my first Feisty Friday rant. For a background on Feisty Friday, check out this post.
Today's topic: The wonderful world of fast food.
This afternoon I had another episode of an all too familiar occurrence at fast food restaurants. I ordered a sandwich from McDonald's and upon opening the box, envision this: The bun is centered in the box. The all-beef (hopefully) patty is slid off to the right-hand side, partially propped up on the box and nearly 30% NOT on the bun. The slice of cheese has been gracefully applied to the back of the bun, nearly 25% hanging off of the bun. At this point it is evident that nearly no cheese is touching the burger. There is ketchup and mayo oozing out of the back and well onto the bun. There is a pile of onions in the corner of the box.
While this is a more extreme scenario than usual, more moderate examples seem to occur on a much too regular basis. I have worked at a McDonald's and as a short-order cook, and let me assure you, assembling a burger is not exactly rocket science. I really have to wonder if some of these burger engineers can color within the lines. Perhaps they are too rushed?? If so, I would gladly wait an extra 30 seconds to get a sandwich that I do not have to reassemble while driving down the freeway. At any rate....here's hoping that my next fast food excursion will be better.
This past weekend was wonderful! My one request for Father's day was to spend it up at our cabin on Henderson Lake. It ended up being a very special weekend, as the cabin welcomed Lindsay, the first member of it's fifth generation. I remember spending so much time up there when I was a kid and now, seeing Lindsay up at the lake is a dream come true. There are just so many things I want to show her up there. It's a chance to relive some of my favorite childhood memories through my little girl. Absolutely priceless! Although the weekend started out by me getting the car stuck (long story), I was soon kicking back to enjoy some fishing and some much needed R&R. A storm rolled in Saturday evening and produced some very cool clouds and a variety of lightning. We sat out and watched it by the campfire until the rain got too bad. Sunday morning was awesome! A little cool to start but the sun was shining. Lindsay went on her first walk (or ride) around the neighborhood and was soon fast asleep. Upon our return, Lindsay got to see fishing first-hand, although she seemed much more interested in the bobber than in the fish. Oh, well. She is only 5 months old after all. All in all, we all had a wonderful time, and can't wait to head back up over the 4th of July weekend.
I just have to love this little Tiger!
Despite the offseason addition at 3B (or 1B now because he can't play D), the Sella household still holds Brandon Inge as their Tiger. Pure and simple, the guy is an athlete. Any guy that can catch one night and play left field the next has earned some respect in my book. And now they've got Guillen playing some left field to allow Inge more time at third. Maybe they finally miss his defensive gems at the hot corner. In any case, the wall of my rec room will always be graced with his autographed photo. I do have to give an honorable mention to Curtis Granderson. Although he's in a bit of a slump, he comes to play ball day in and day out and provides a nice spark tot he Tigers line-up. Hopefully he'll turn things around soon now that Leyland has him starting all games regardless of pitching match-ups.
Time to sound off...
Who's your Tiger?? Or absolutely not your Tiger?? Or perhaps you'd just like to vent about the Tigers in general.
Man...... I have been horrible at posting as of late. Here goes a brief update until I can get back in the blogging groove.
Things have been insanely busy at work the past month. We have a few high-profile projects going on right now that have been eating up a great deal of time. Combine that with the normal daily support and administrative tasks and there just doesn't seem to be enough minutes in a day. To top that, I just now got a call about a serious power failure in the DataCenter at work. I'll return to this post shortly....
Well, now that I'm back....
Lindsay is doing great! She has started to eat a little bit of rice cereal, and has learned how to eat that very quickly. We give her very small portions, but she is definitely getting used to it. She is starting to grab onto everything in site, including Mom's necklace (which she broke). It's truly amazing to watch all of her little accomplishments.
Today I stopped at the hardware store to pick up a few things and as usual, I used my Disney Rewards Visa. As I finished checking out, I realized that I had just purchased mouse traps with a Credit Card that sported a nice picture of Mickey Mouse. I sure hope that he doesn't hold a grudge, as I would really hat e to cause a scene when we take Lindsay to Disney World.
Our hook-up to city sewer is now complete. After trying to coordinate work between the excavators and the plumbers, I now see why people hire general contractors for building a house. The next major project will start in a few weeks when another excavator will be putting a new finish grade on the back yard after removing several stumps and the septic tank. Following that, I will be planting my new back-yard lawn. Hopefully it turns out well, but if nothing else, it will save some mowing this year.
Well, that about wraps it up for now.
Nearly a month ago, Lindsay decided that she wanted to start rolling over from her tummy to her back. It was one of the coolest sights to behold. She would get a determined look on her face, would start leaning to one side, and eventually she would rock a little until she had enough momentum to roll. I still remember the startled look on her face when she first rolled over, as if trying to figure out what just happened. The weeks following, she replicated this feat dozens of times. This past week we have continued with her tummy time, but she hasn't rolled over a single time. As a matter of fact, it appeared that she has stopped trying. I was beginning to think she was just bored with that trick. This morning, she managed to surprise us again. During her typical tummy time, she appeared a little frustrated; repeatedly wiggling her legs, putting her head down, and then lifting it back up. Then.......out of nowhere, she put her head down, pulled her knees up toward her chest and lunged forward. It wasn't quite a crawl, but it appears that she is well on her way. Within a few minutes, she had scooted a little over a foot across her play mat. I had to laugh when on her final little lunge, she incorporated a roll too. She demonstrated her new trick a second time this afternoon and it definitely seems that she has a system figured out to get her closer to mobility. It is just so amazing to watch Lindsay's developments. She is just growing up so fast!
So all-in-all, I guess she must have figured out that she couldn't learn to crawl if she she simply kept rolling over. After all, it's pretty tough to crawl on your back. =)
Has feet, will move. Time to start baby-proofing......
Day three has come to an end.......home in two days.
My class is going well, but I really miss Jill and Lindsay. The webcams have helped a lot, though. This morning Lindsay gave me a big smile on the video call, which absolutely made my day. It's amazing how that little girl has become such an important part of my everyday life. When I'm at work, I can't wait to get home to see her. When I wake up, the first thing I do is go over to her bassinet to say good morning. And now that I'm away for the week, I can't help but wish Friday were already here. Jill and Lindsay, I MISS YOU!
On another note, my class is awesome. VMware designed it to be an intense course, packing 8 days worth of class into a week. The 8:00 to 6:00 classes make for a long day, but we have been getting out just a bit early so far and are making great progress. I have been hanging out with a good group of my classmates and just got back from my second night at the sushi bar. As always, the networking opportunities are nearly as valuable as the class material. "Virtually" everyone jumps at an opportunity to hang out with a VMware guy. We're just fun people. =)
This just in.......
My buddy Nolan called and the Tigers are up 10-1 over Cleveland. Apparently I just had to follow the Tigers to Ohio for good luck. LETS GO TIGERS!!!
Modified Tags
04-18-2008
MDS
I've been slacking a little on my posts lately, so here are some tidbits from the past week.
My "No soda, No coffee" streak came to an end. I would have expected it to be a lack of willpower, but instead it was a lack of brainpower. While at a wedding on Saturday, I had a lapse in judgement and ordered a rum and coke. About half way through the drink, I caught my mistake. All along my intent was more so to stop myself from the regular consumption of such beverages at work, home, and restaurants rather than the occasional mixed drink. But, as I did not even consider this scenario, and as much as it pains me, I shall remove the counter. After making it well over three weeks with absolutely NO soda or coffee, I am confident that I can continue to nix them from my diet. For my own peace of mind, I will however add a clause to my first dietary law.
Clause 1 to the "No soda, No Coffee" Law:
In the instance where no suitable substitutes (White Russian, Tanqueray and tonic, etc) can be obtained, mixed drinks containing soda may be consumed in moderation.
On a similar topic, Jill and I had a great time at the wedding on Saturday. Congratulations to Chris and Jen on their special day!
Papa Bob (aka: Papa Bobble; so named for his collection of MLB bobble-heads) took Lindsay on her first extended stroller trip last Thursday. I think he covered nearly the entire, vast expanse of the Richville sidewalks. He even stopped into our local tourist trap, Norm's. While we were at the wedding on Saturday, Papa Bobble and Mama Cathy then took Lindsay on a stroller trip to dinner at Fritz's. Lindsay is just living it up these days!
On Friday I sacrificed my LCD TV fund and became the proud owner of a pair of webcams and a Sony digital camcorder. I will be in Cincinnati all of next week for VMware training, and I just couldn't go 5 days without seeing her; thus, the webcams. While there, I realized that Lindsay was starting to do more and more things that I wanted to catch on film. Apparently now that I'm a Dad, memories have become more important than a TV. Hopefully I'll be able to get some clips of Lindsay out here soon.
Work on the crib has been moving along well. I have the gates nearly finished and should be ready for test assembly and finishing within a week or so. I'll be sure to post some pics once it's finished.
Sunday we went out to breakfast with my mom and dad to celebrate their anniversary. We went to Mornin' at Maggie's, a great little restaurant in downtown Bay City that specializes in omelettes. And these aren't just any omelettes. The variety of ingredients that they use is outstanding. Blue cheese and potato, fiesta, and gorgonzola with sausage and pear are a few of the selections. Absolutely outstanding!
I think that about sums it up. Hopefully I'll be a bit better with my posts this week.
Last night I flew out here to Chicago for a facility tour and personalized product briefing at the Panduit Demo Center. It was the first night that I did not get to personally say "Goodnight" to my little munchkin. Honestly, it was a very weird feeling being away from my family. I usually travel a couple times a year for a week or so at a time, but this trip was WAY different now that we have Lindsay. But at any rate, I will be flying back home this afternoon. The real test will be in April when I head to Cincinnati for a full week for VMware training. I think I may invest in a pair of webcams before then. =)
On a lighter note, the trip has been nice so far. Matt and Kristen, our Panduit and GrayBar Reps, took us out to Tin Fish for dinner last night. If anyone ever happens to find themselves in the Tinley Park area, it is definitely worth your time if you like seafood. Great food, outstanding service, and even Warsteiner on tap.
I just finished my workout, got cleaned up, and am now just taking some time to relax in my room. Unfortunately, the coffee maker keeps taunting me. If the windows in the room opened, it may have found itself a one-way ticket to the parking lot. Ah, well. 14+ days and still counting. At this point I think I can go a few rounds with Mr. Coffee. =)
Lindsay's first Easter was great!
After breakfast, I sat on the couch with Lindsay and explained why we celebrate Easter. I'm not sure that she quite understood, but she did at least appear to be entertained by my story. Jill and I then explained to Lindsay that there are some very special people in heaven, watching over her and smiling, to which she smiled right back. Then, it was off to Unionville for our first dinner, with my grandparents. She looked absolutely precious in her Easter dress. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get more pictures. For this holiday, we enforced a rule that anyone was welcome to hold Lindsay while she was awake, but once she fell asleep, the next place she went was to her carseat until she woke back up. It was very hard to tell people that they couldn't hold her, but after seeing how she reacted after being passed around like a hot potato at her baptism and St. Patrick's Day, we had to try something. This system seemed to work out very well for Lindsay, as she did not seem a bit over-tired when we got home. And......a happy peanut = a happy mom and dad. From Unionville we ventured down to Grand Blanc for dinner with Jill's family. After being fed and changed, Lindsay was a little angel. She was alert and interactive as she tried to entertain anyone who wanted to watch her. She already likes to be the center of attention. All in all it was a very peaceful day; great food and wonderful time spent with loved ones.
Easter is a time to reflect on all of the gifts that God has given us. We are so very blessed!
Once again I have decided to try to clean up my diet and exercise habits. Over the past few months, I have really begun to appreciate the role that the Grandparents have played in Lindsay's life. After witnessing the joy that she has brought to them, and all of the love that they have showed her, I truly want to be happy and healthy in the hopes that one day I will be able to do the same.
My plan is to slowly start eliminating garbage from my diet and step up my exercise regimen. I will admit; in the past I have tried the same plan, and have failed on countless occasions. It always seems way to easy to skip my workout, chow down on a burger and some fries, and kick back on the couch for the rest of the evening. The problem: I was not holding myself accountable. This time however, I will be held accountable by all of my readers, a nice ticking counter on my Blog, and a beautiful baby girl.
Step 1: No Soda. No Coffee.
In the past I have found some success in giving up soda and coffee as a launching point. This will eliminate a great deal of empty calories, sodium, and caffeine. In the morning, I will switch to green tea. It will provide a nice bonus of antioxidants and will still provide a little caffeine boost in the morning, while avoiding the negative aspects of coffee. The remainder of the day, I will drink water, milk, and natural fruit juices (absolutely no high fructose corn syrup). Overall, a small step, but it takes a few small victories to get the ball rolling.
Hopefully this is the just beginning of a healthier new me. Wish me luck!
Hello World.
Dad is engulfed in Jeopardy at the moment, so I decided to sneak over to his laptop. Surprise, Dad! I'm on your Blog!
Today was a wonderful day at day care! My new teeth didn't bother me too much today, though I wish that they would just come in already. My meals were par for the course. Same old food, day in and day out. I can't wait to get a little variety. The naps however were absolutely fantastic! I just love a good snooze, and today I hit the jackpot. Right in the middle of my "Quest for the Golden Binkie", I was suddenly flying. It was the greatest. I was so close to finding the Golden Binkie that I was drooling. As I was flying high above my changing mat, I heard a voice... "Well........good to see you're still drooling, Peanut". What?!?!?!? Peanut??? That means........ Dad!!! When I opened my eyes and saw Mom and Dad, I let out the biggest smile that I could. I think I almost made Dad cry. All this baby stuff must be making him soft. Then I realized that Miss Kara was carrying me. I guess I wasn't actually flying. Bummer. Well, I better wrap this up before Dad finds me. Now..........back to finding that binkie. I know it's around here somewhere.
~Lindsay
Today was the first day of "Boot Camp". Our employer basically built us a gym last year and provides us with a very reasonable rate. Since last spring, a coworker and I have been working out pretty regularly, 2-3 days per week. Not super aggressive, but you have to start somewhere. Lately, we have been on a good regimen of lunch-hour workouts. As a good number of us "techies" have been utilizing this flex-lunch, one of the trainers finally convinced many of us to join a new class. As it was no cost to us, we pretty much had nothing to lose, except a few calories of course. So, today we all joined his Boot Camp. I knew we were in trouble when Marty (the trainer) showed up decked in camo and sporting a rambo-style headband. He then informed us where he had positioned the barf-bucket. At this point I think it was safe to say that most of us were wondering just what we had gotten ourselves into. At any rate, the class was a blast; all body weight exercises and high tempo. And now.........I hurt. But, I worked out hard and left it all on the floor, holding nothing back. I may wince a bit when I wake up tomorrow, but I will grin knowing that I have survived round 1 and am ready for more.
BRING IT ON!!!
Today, our little Lindsay was baptized. She was an absolute angel during the service. I have witnessed countless baptisms, but it is far more emotional when your own little girl experiences this special event. After the service, we hosted a brunch at our place. I would like to send a special "thank you" to everyone who helped with the breakfast. In all, we had 23 adults and 2 children for Lindsay's party. At times it was a bit overwhelming for me, but it is always wonderful when I see how well our families and friends get along. I am so very thankful that everyone can get together and have a wonderful time on occasions such as this. Thank you also to everyone who traveled to be here today. It means a lot to Jill and I that so many people could make it to the early service. Also, I would like to thank our sponsors; my sister Angie and her husband Andy, and our good friends Lance and Liz. We are so happy that these couples accepted such a special role in Lindsay's life. Today was such an incredible day! Looking back on it now, it makes me a bit teary-eyed to realize how truly blessed we are to have such a wonderful daughter, family, and friends.
So.......here it goes. My first "techie" post.
Since the beginning of this blog, I have received a few questions about posting comments to my blog. In most cases, the main inquiry was related to having an ID with which to post the comments. So, I figured that it may be helpful to create a quick post to outline a few of the options for those who may want to create an ID.
Option 1: Google
Blogger (the site I use to host my blog) is affiliated with Google. As such, any Google ID already has the ability to post comments or even start their own blog on Blogger. In addition to providing a very usable email service, Google accounts also have many other advantages such as Google Talk, Google Apps, and Google Reader. Overall, Google has become a great source for cutting edge collaboration tools and provides a lot of bang for the buck. The only downside to using this option is that not all blogs accept a Google account.
Option 2: OpenID
OpenID is an evolving architecture that is intended to provide a single username and password for multiple web sites. As this technology gains an increasing acceptance, the intent could ultimately be to use an OpenID account to access everything from email to online banking. Most OpenID providers also offer the ability to store various bits of personal information such as your street address, full name, and email address. When using an the OpenID at certain sites, this information can automatically be populated into the appropriate fields on the web page. I have just begun to use an OpenID, so I haven't experimented with all of the features yet, but so far it has fulfilled it's primary purpose of allowing me to post to multiple blog providers. Setting up an OpenID is a little more involved than a Google account, but it is still relatively straightforward. As OpenID is an open architecture, there are quite a few sites that offer the service. I chose Verisign Labs, as they are a major player in the internet security market, and the basic account setup was pretty simple. But, as I wanted to push the envelope of what I could accomplish with this account, I have spent a few extra hours experimenting with it's capabilities.
Consensus:
Based on it's own merits, I recommend a Google account for anyone. If you plan on only posting/commenting on Blogger, then a Google account is a perfect fit. If you plan to interact on multiple blogging sites or if you are a bit of a geek that enjoys riding the wave of up-and-coming technology, then an OpenID is definitely worth a look.
Edited for grammatical typo.
02-24-2008 11:02 PM
MDS
Last night Lindsay had her first night out on the town. The evening started with dinner at Olive Garden with our friends Lance and Liz and their daughter. Lindsay ordered the Chicken Marsala, but changed her mind when she found out that it did not come in a bottle. This was her first restaurant experience, and she was a total angel. She slept through all of the noise and just as we were finishing dinner, she decided it was time for her to eat too. Talk about perfect timing! After dinner, the six of us went to Babies R Us. For those of you who don't know, that is the hip new Friday night hang out. =) We spent over an hour meandering around the store and picked some new clothes out for Lindsay. All-in-all it ended up being a nice, relaxing evening.
Well.....where to begin?
It was quite an interesting morning to say the least. Last night, Lindsay started to come down with a little cold and spent much of the night sneezing, sniffling, and coughing. I felt so bad for her, as she sounded miserable and there wasn't much I could do to help. Despite that, she seemed to sleep rather well; that makes one of us. Around 5:00 AM we lost power, and after further investigation, it appeared that most of Richville was in the same predicament. We soon realized that this also meant that our daycare was without power. Then, another realization. Yesterday, with the steady rain on top of the snow, our sump pump had been running pretty regularly to keep our basement nice and dry. No power meant no pump. No pump meant trouble. I called DTE to report our outage and got the standard 4-hour estimate, meaning that I could possibly expect to have power for dinner. After making arrangements to get a generator and making arrangements for Lindsay (thought it might be a bit difficult to hook up a generator while trying to watch her), I began to mentally plan out my day. Then as Murphy's Law would have it, just as Jill was leaving for work, the power came back on (7:00 AM). Unbelievable! So, a couple calls later (cancelled the generator plan), I was scrambling to get Lindsay ready for daycare. Things appeared to be turing around. We had Lindsay ready in time for Jill to drop her off and I would be able to get to work only about an hour late. Just after I began getting ready for work, Jill had returned with Lindsay. Daycare would remain closed all day. Come to find out, the day care had left a message on Jill's phone, which she had left at her aunt's on Saturday. Oops! To put icing on the cake, with the power flickering on/off about 7 times in 15 seconds, my wireless router decided it would be better off dead. Just peachy.... I hate troubleshooting on my days off. =)
All-in-all, it did end up being a very nice daddy-daughter day. We met mom and the Asplund Grandparents for lunch, watched a movie and took a nice nap. So, the old addage that every cloud has a silver lining did manage to hold true today and it goes to show that even the most frustrating days do not have to remain that way.
Behold.....the power of a cute little smile!
Today was the first day of day care for Lindsay. The morning started out a bit hectic, but we quickly got things in order and got Lindsay there in plenty of time. I must say, it is awesome having the day care facility a block away. The staff said that Lindsay was a model baby today. She ate well, slept well, and didn't act up outside of diaper changes. I was very happy to hear that she did so well today, because this morning when we dropped her off, I almost felt like I was abandoning her. Seeing the quality of care that the children receive at least makes it a bit easier on me in that regard. And of course, Grandma Jan stopped in to see her this morning. She called me to report that Lindsay already has a cute little admirer. Apparently a little boy kept wandering over to the infant's little "gated community" and would look at her with a big smile. My, oh my..........already flirting; Dad's in trouble. =)
All in all, it turned out to be a great day. Lindsay did very well with day care and it was absolutely wonderful when we got to pick her back up. It's amazing how my baby girl already has me wrapped around her little finger. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Wow, how time flies!
My little girl is growing up right before my eyes. Her once tiny little hands and feet, while still small, have become noticeably bigger, and does she ever have a good grip. This past week she has also started to out-grow some of her "newborn" size clothes. It seems like she only wore some of them once or twice. I am very excited that she is now starting to interact with us a bit more. Jill and I have started to work with her on the Boppy to help develop head control and it is pretty amazing how well she can move her head around already. We also have "music time" on a regular basis and have been working with her to track motion and sounds using pictures and rattles. It is so exciting to see the progress she is making.
It is also amazing how much my life has changed. Before Lindsay, it seemed that Jill and I were almost always on the go and barely ever at home. Now, we forgo many of our dinners out, our impromptu shopping trips, and other events so that we can spend more time with Lindsay. We had to try so very hard to have Lindsay, and now that she is here we are treasuring every moment that we can spend with her. Even from a financial perspective, I find myself sacrificing many of the "me" purchases in favor of getting Lindsay a cute new outfit or something. All-in-all it has become evident that my life now revolves around a cute little girl; a little girl that has made me realize how lucky I am.
This week I finally decided that I was tired of shoveling snow and purchased a snowblower. I'm not exactly sure what pushed me over the edge, but my driveway and sidewalk do appear to get a little longer every time I shovel. At any rate, I did at least manage to hold out until now, thus scoring a great deal as many equipment dealers are trying to liquidate stock this late in the winter season. My dad dropped the snowblower off today, just in time for the impending snow storm. It looks like I'll at least get one good use out of it this year. I am one of the few in my family that really enjoys the snow, and it will be even better now that I don't have to shovel it.
This evening I did come up with one question. As I go in to work at 7:30 AM, I usually did a bit of shoveling between 6:00 and 6:30 to clear a path to the cars. As the snowblower is a bit noisy, would it be inconsiderate to run it at 6:00 AM before I leave for work? In the summer, I usually wait until at least 9:00 AM to run the lawn mower or trimmer. However, unlike the lawn, snow is something that usually needs to be addressed in the morning. And perhaps the snowblower isn't even that loud when you're not standing right next to it. If anyone has a comment on this topic, I'd love to hear some opinions. For tomorrow morning........I'll play it by ear.
A little over 2 weeks, and my Blog has already seen it's 100th visitor. Either I have a big group of fans or a few very loyal readers. =)
In any case, I just wanted to shout out a quick thank you to all of my readers! Hopefully it has been as enjoyable for you to read as it has been for me to write. Thank you again for checking out my Blog, and I hope to see you again soon for more updates.
~Mike
This past weekend Lindsay got a chance to see what it's like to grow up in the country. Saturday morning, she and mom were seen watching CMT and were singing along with the music videos. Apparently she likes country music, as she was seemingly waving her arms around and smiling. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to break out the JD hat that Grandpa Eric had bought her. That's my little girl!! I can't wait until the fall when she can wear her pink JD hoodie (also courtesy of Grandpa). I am sure one proud Dad.
Sunday afternoon I decided to break out the grill for the first time this year. Hamburgers just sounded too good. As I was out getting the grill ready, I had to step back a second to consider the image I was portraying to my neighbors and any passers-by. There I was wearing jeans, an old fleece pullover, sandals with socks (needed the socks to keep my feet warm, as it is in fact winter), armed with a beer and a propane torch, trying to get the charcoal lit. Wow...... I imagine that this is the point, years from now, where Lindsay would be truly embarrassed.
Sunday, Lindsay went on her first trip to Patriot country to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa. Lindsay enjoyed the visit and even got to go down to Grandpa's shop to see how the work on her crib was going. Mom showed her the "work in progress" and she looked very confused and/or concerned. It was almost as if she was trying to say: "Dad,are you sure you know what you're doing. This isn't exactly what I had envisioned as my crib." I just hope I can get the crib finished soon, as I think she'll be ready for it sooner than I had thought.
Well....that pretty much sums up the highlights of the weekend. I just love being a Dad!!
My brother Terry and I ventured into home-brewing a little over three years ago. During the first batch, we experienced quite a few issues that we chalked up as "learning". Despite the boil-over and syphoning problems, the end product amazingly resembled and tasted like a "Pale Ale" should. It was not necessarily great, but at least we hit the target. In the fall of 2006, we finally made the time to get a couple more batches going. We had purchased some additional equipment (learned from batch 1) and were both excited to get to work. We devoted a full Saturday to the brewing and we were able to complete two recipes. Unfortunately, both of our kettles had leaks at the handles, so we did have a few problems with the boil again. Everything else seemed to go flawlessly until secondary fermentation, at which point I noticed that both batches appeared to have mold. After a few days of research, Terry and I could not identify a concrete cause. The best that we could figure was that while trying to correct the boiling issues that we may have introduced some bacteria, which is always possible when working in a kitchen. After losing two batches of beer, we greatly increased our attention to equipment sanitation procedures for the next batch. The procedures we follow now are probably far more strict than necessary, but we didn't want to risk wasting another batch. In November of 2007, Terry and I started work on the Batch 4, a dark holiday ale. Armed with a new and much larger kettle, we went to work. It was very evident that we had at least gained valuable experience with the first three batches. With an outstanding coordinated effort, every facet of the brewing process went seamlessly. Within five hours, we had the beer in the primary fermenter and all was looking great. The only problem we had in this batch was that the airlock kept getting clogged in the primary fermenter, eventually causing a breech in the lid. This was identified quickly and was corrected. On Christmas Eve, Terry and I cracked open the first bottle and after a toast, we sampled our end product. Dark, full bodied, a citrus accent and a hint of cinnamon.
Finally.....SUCCESS!
Excited with how Batch 4 turned out, we are anxious to get the next batch going and I'll be sure to post the details.
Edited to correct grammatical typo.
01-27-2008 (MDS)
So, as I just recently had an enlightening (by that I really mean, ridiculous) support call with Citrix, I decided that I may start a series of posts where I can vent a little, and any readers can in turn vent as well. While working on my blog the other night, I thought to myself. "Self, why don't you create a series of blogs titled 'Feisty Friday' and make them a bi-weekly, Friday post?" Now for the quick history lesson...
The exact circumstances surrounding "Feisty Friday" are a bit fuzzy, but it's origins are rooted in an plush cubicle, filled with Cisco paraphernalia. It was in this cube that Telco-Joe was engaged in a similarly enlightening conversation with Verizon, regarding high-speed internet. As I sit in the cube next door, it was pretty apparent to me that Joe was getting a little fired up on this call. It wasn't long before half of our group was huddled around his cube to witness this masterful display of call escalation. In the weeks following, Joe would occasionally arrive at work with the disclaimer: "I'm a bit feisty today, guys". Soon after, this became a running theme and received it's own designated day, thus the coined term: "Feisty Friday".
So, every once in a while (on Fridays, of course) I will open discussion on some topic that warrants a bit of venting. People who can't park. Level-1 tech support. The sky's the limit. And just maybe, we'll even see a "Feisty Friday" post from Joe himself.
Stay tuned...
It's now been a little over two weeks since Lindsay was born, and so far things have gone very well for the rookie Dad. I've gotten the hang of diaper changes, I can usually tell the difference between a "hungry cry" and a "dirty/wet cry", and I am pretty darn good at the whole "getting Lindsay dressed" scene, though she really tried to challenge me on that with an endless flury of kicks and flailing arms. However, it is becoming apparent to me that the more I learn about being a Dad, the more uncharted waters I begin to uncover. Although I enjoy the on-the-job training, I figured that it may be very helpful and fun to recruit the advice of some experienced professionals. If anyone would like to share any snip-its of wisdom for the new guy, or if anyone wants to recommend any cool, must-have products such as the "Diaper Champ" (Thanks, Miller), I would love to read your comments.
- When Lindsay sleeps, we should sleep.
- For Lindsay, diaper changes are as equivalently pleasant as a root canal.
- You can't take too many pictures.
- Diapers are nearly a currency. $$$
- Caffeine is my friend.
- A "Diaper Champ" came out of my tool budget.........and it was my idea.
- Going shopping is now a planned event.
- You can in fact survive an entire day on Kraft Easy Mac.
- Lindsay already has me wrapped around her little finger.
- Treasure every moment.
After an emotionally taxing couple of years, Lindsay Catherine is now here. Jill and I are so blessed to have had such wonderful support from our friends and family over the last few years and even continuing now, after Lindsay has arrived. It is often said that the things one has to work the hardest for are often the most precious, and Lindsay is truly our little miracle. I am still in awe at how quickly my life has changed, and for the better, though I will admit that the little cutie has me pretty much exhausted these days (Tired......but smiling).
As Lindsay was the motivating factor for starting this blog, I'm sure she will have much more publicity to come, so stay tuned.
Well......nearly two weeks ago today, I became the proud father of Lindsay Catherine. Lindsay was born on Friday, January 4th at 2:03 AM. I had talked to many friends and read several books for dads-to-be, but nothing could have prepared me for the joy that she would bring. Simply put, it was the most amazing moment of my life. I could not have been more proud of my wife and our new daughter. After seeing my coworker's blog (Thanks, Joe), I decided it would be fun to provide some updates for my family and friends.
And that, is where this post ends..........and my blog begins.
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