sleep..........good

So here is my day, in case you were wondering why I haven't blogged in a while.

3:30 wake up to buzz playing something like Audioslave or even Godsmack.

After which I have to get up shower, eat, make coffe (have to have the java) and get my tired ass out the door.

from there I have to deal with the daily battles of the people employeed by j-ville and the temps....some j-ville people just don't like the temps being there.....what are we? 12 years old?

from there I have paper work up the wazoo.....an yes I do have a wazoo in case your wondering.

by the time I actually get out of there at 1:30 or so I go to the Y (or at least try to), then pick up the boys, get some studing done (if I don't fall asleep while staring at the screen). By that time I am late getting dinner done which means the kids only have about 30mins after supper to wind down and hit the bed....which of course means that I am only 20 mins behind them for bed time......whew....I can't wait for school to be done so I can actually wind down after work.....

well I will find something more lite to blog about soon.

A cracked what? and loose who?

Remember the last time I posted about getting new breaks on the van and how I had to spend over $200 on other stuff.

Flash to Thursday ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> I get a call from Jen who took the car in for a set of front breaks. She proceeds to tell me I need to call Marsha at the garage because she has no idea what they are talking about. So I made the call and after being told that I need back breaks along with the front breaks I have a cracked manifold, lose tie rods, need a coolant and break flush on top of everything else.


bastards!

Well after informing them that the manifold and tie rods are still covered under warranty (yep I informed them) I passed on the coolant and break flush because by the time we would be all done we were looking at over $600 in repairs. So I think next month we will be doing the coolant and break flush........cash flow is king right?

Applebee's is stupid and stuff

Last night we all went out to Applebee's for dinner (go figure, right?). It had to be the worst experience eating dinner I have had in a long time. Lets start with the french onion soup that I ordered with extra cheese shall we?.....luke warm and the cheese was not melted but since I am an optimist and it is only soup I didn't say anything...besides to make the kids sit still for any longer than absolutely necessary would have been a disaster.

Next I ordered my steak medium rare and it came medium well and so I spoke up and got half off my meal. Not bad but if I had just said something about my soup I might have gotten more than just half.

But the real kicker in the evening was when we were leaving. The kids always get a balloon on the way out....So jen took the kids outside to the car as I was getting the balloons, but there was only one balloon that was blown up, so as I asked for another for my second boy the look the waitress gave me was like "ummm I don't do balloon...mkay?"............"never mind"

Then to top it all off Tommy left his blue elephant at the restaurant (oh by the way his name is peanut).....

Yeah so the balloon thing really got me......

Happy Easter

Cute picture huh, I thought so too.

Early morning mornings are great only when it is Easter morning. The kids didn't get up to early and lets face it, it was fun to watch them look for the eggs around the house. My favorite are the ones they found in their shoes.."silly wabbit"

My Mom

A while back I had kind of poked fun of my mom a little for some of the idiosychrocies she passed along to me. But lit'l sis had posted about going to the park during the summer for theater in the park.

Well let me just pass along some the things I remember as a kid about my mom.

Maybe the one that I miss the most, even as an adult, is when I was sick, mom was there with a hand on my forehead and most of the time she even gave me a foot rub that I would fall asleep to.

I remember my mom sitting on the stone steps out at the cottage reading her book watching me swim....She did this from the boat house also where she would rock on the swinging love seat.

I remember my mom reading me books, my favorite was caps for sale which I bought my boys just so I could read it over and over again. I just hope that they read it to their kids someday.

I remember my mom's voice at all my sporting games. Usually it was OOO's and Ahhh's and of course the cheering, she sometimes got out of control...But I always knew she would be in the stands....And even before running out on the court or field to play, I knew where she was in the stands.

I remember cooking with her.

I remember the look on her face as I literally climbed the doorway frames.

I remember watching TV next to her on the couch and eating popcorn, which she is the best at making.

I remember her waiting for us kids to go to bed before breaking out the corn nuts...And even when I came back down stairs she always shared.

I remember her buying "fizzy" water to add to juice so it seemed more like soda.

I remember her buying apple juice in small cans so when my dad cooked out I could stand next to him while he drank a beer.

I remember her voice calling me in at night during the summer.

I remember her letting me help with putting the dirty clothes in the washing machine, just cuz I thought it was cool.

I remember seeing her look out the backyard window while I was shooting baskets.

I remember going grocery shopping with her and always getting something special.

I remember going to church with her where she would bribe me with a candy bar afterward if I was good.

I remember the look on her face when I got to the age where my nights out consisted of more than just innocent fun.

I remember knowing that I could tell my mom anything (about those nights out) and she would shake her head with a little smirk on her face.

and I have to finish this up with maybe the best compliment I ever got about my mom. She once said she that felt closer to my mom than her own. She wasn't knocking her own mother, but rather complimenting on the love that my mom gives those of us in the family.....Unconditionally.

I remember the letter she wrote for me when I was senior in high school (all the parents did for their children), which I still have and still read every now and again.

So here is to my mom. I was going to wait for mothers day to write this but I think she would rather read it today.

Mr. Sunday Night

Since I have to get up at 3:30am to head out to work I plan on doing nothing this evening....I know how interesting am I?

First let me thank lit'l sis and butter boy for a night out last Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis. Food was good, drinks were better and great company......Thanks for nursing the hang over the next day...Shouldn't have been too bad.

Next, My Love and I have figured out that when one is away for almost a week they tend to be on separate wave lengths.....Which we were. We are struggling to get back on the same page since returning, nothing serious and it happens every couple of weeks but we have done this enough to recognize when it is happening and we can correct it. So tonight will be foot rubs and cuddling.....Just cuz we can.

Also I signed up Dominic for baseball this summer. He is a little apprehensive, but really likes the idea of using all the cool equipment.......I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a catcher....Just for all the equipment he would have to put on. So one of these weeks we are going to go out and find a glove. I am going to show him how to oil it up and place the ball in the middle to create a pocket. If you ever wondered why baseball is such a great sport that is struggling to connect with it's fan base, He does a nice job of putting it all in perspective.

Lastly, it is really good to be home. I missed my family lots.....I missed Dominic losing his tooth and the tooth fairy forgetting about her duties. So Dominic came in ready to cry about how she didn't show up when Tommy interjects and says in his best straight man face "maybe it was rotten". Even Dominic laughed......That is what I missed the most....The laughing.....I love being home

Posted by P.Large @ 6:48 PM | 0 comments

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

MMMM Birthday Cake


To my wonderful wife who deserves to have a fantastic day,

Love Paul

All mushy and gooshy

Now that I am away from home for a couple of days Jen and I call on the phone to just talk. It is weird cuz we talk about all the same stuff as we do at home but where it is missing is the small comments we make to each other during the night.

I think that one of the reasons why we have stayed together this long is that she actually laughs at my jokes.....My lame, dry, stupid sense of humor. But not to be out done her jokes are not much better and I find them funny.

We are guaranteed at least one really good laugh a night and that is what I miss. I found myself wanting to say something to her and she wasn't there.....So I just mumble to myself. I know this isn't much different than normal but I am alone now when I do it which is much more scary

Ouch

I am writing this from Waseca MN,....found out the hotel had wirelss access so the laptop came along.....but it will be mainly for school.....

The drive sucked...good weather but after 6 hours I didn't want to sit anymore...my ass hurt....and lets face it I have a lot of ass to hurt.

So now I am just touching base.....I know that she will be checking in so all is well honey.

I can't wait to get the phone call tonight from the kids while jen puts them to bed.

And most of all I can't wait to talk with Jen....I already miss her.

Posted by P.Large @ 5:05 PM | 0 comments

Watch the diaper dandies baby!!!!

IT IS AWESOME BABY!!!!!!

Yep we are going to be hearing a lot of Dicky V. in the next couple of weeks as the NCAA brackets are being populated this weekend with conference tournaments....I love this time of year.

We got snow last night and that would suck even more if I had to go to work...but being it is Saturday it is not so bad I guess.

I leave tomorrow some training in Minnesota so I will be gone with no update until at least next Thursday....

I am going to try to find some guess bloggers for ya all.....but I am not sure I know enough people to fill all the dates...

great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts...

you know what I got to do today down in the factory? I got to de-knot sausage casings....you want to know what sausage casings are made from....well they are the hog intestines.

First, we take the bag of casings from the water where they have been soking and open them up, then pull through our fingers the pig intestines trying to feel for the knots that we can get out....I know...Ewwww

Actually it is a sought after job....the soaking position. Why one might ask..well it is because the warehouse is all of 42 degrees and the water is 115 degrees...people like it because it keeps them warm..and well it did....although thank goodness that we are all done with that.

ummm yeah it was gross in case your wondering.

everyone is waiting

ok your wondering how my new job has been going....welllllll

it is hard to say if I am going to like what my actual job is going to be cuz I have not done it yet....this week I am working the lines like everyone else.

This morning I got to load the 5 pack tray of brats....and even though they said I did a great job for my first time I think they were kissing ass because they know I am going to be their boss in the future....and how can I really blame them, I would do the same thing.

later in the afternoon I was boxing up the party packs, after the brats are shrink wrapped I would take them off the line and put nine to a box and send it off down the line. slow work, but most people like it because it is simple.

The whole operation is really cool actually, from the chuncks of meat to the final product for shipment...it is a tight operation.

On Sunday I leave for Waseca Minnesota to do some training at another plant that my company is on site at.....I won't be home until thursday, which is a long time away from Jen .......But I am sure I will be able to find a local pub to grab some sports on tv and a good burger...should tide me over.

The ongoing Argument

Jen and I have been in this disagreement for at least 10 years now.

There is this shampoo called Tea Tree....It is suppose to make your head (and any other body part) tingle when you use it....And well it is Jen's favorite.......Me I can't stand it. In fact I think if feels like dropping acid on your head and letting it burn through your scalp....Ok maybe not that bad, but I don't like it....freaks me out.

Jen can't believe that I don't like this stuff and keeps buying it....I know she uses it but I can tell it bothers her that I don't.....In fact you wanna know what really gets her goat? I have found that I like a product called "skinny"....yep it is made up for those with really thick hair and it is suppose to "skinny" up the hair to make it lighter. Well I already have "skinny" hair being that I am blond.....so I am using a product that is not designed for my hair type....and I love it......but it drives Her insane.

The End

Well the end is here, today is the last day before I have to enter back into the work force. I mean isn't this what I was going to school for? This is part of the plan, the second part of the plan I may add....The first part hasn't completely been finalized yet, which is graduation.

Speaking of graduation, in case anyone is interested is on Sunday, May 22nd at the US Cellular Arena (the old Mecca) in Milwaukee. Can't give may more details than that at the moment but hey don't ever say I didn't tell ya.

So I am kind of sad today, I am going to miss the boys and taking them to school and then the YMCA. I am going to miss hearing Tommy singing along with the Backyardagains while I am upstairs studying. I am going to miss having the free time for nap if I wanted and mostly I am going to miss yelling at the kids in the morning to get their ass's in gear so we can go. Yep I am going to miss all that......I guess I am trading it all for a paycheck......

Get......ting......my......streg......nth......back

Well the flu has officially ravaged our household....

Dominic will have missed a whole week of school.....Tommy actually takes a nap in the afternoon now because he is so tired...and I...well....I get better then seem to crash for a couple of hours...then better again....then....well you get the point. It hit Jen this weekend....saturday morning she woke up and looked like death warmed over.....by Sunday afternoon...She was looking better...Now today she is getting worse again.....This is so wack!

I have been doing as much school work as I possibly can but I have a hard time keeping my eyes open for longer than 20 mins at a time....Luckily my professors have been very understanding.

So tonight I have the chicken boiling for chicken dumpling soup....Which I modified from mom's recipe and added some other "tabasco" ingredients......Talk about your booger fest.

I am hoping that tonight I will actually be able to sleep through the evening without sweating profusely....Because as Jen would say.......EEEEEWWWWWWWW.