The Highlight Reel...

Ok, let's just get it out of the way right now...Yes, I know that I've missed not one but TWO Man Law Tuesday's in a row...If my friend Brian was here, he'd come over and demand that I relinquish my MAN-CARD on the spot! I'd say that I've been busy, but that would take too much time...and when I haven't been busy, I've been exhausted!

After this week, baseball is OVER...don't get me wrong, I like baseball, but when you have two kids in the same sport this is what it looks like: Practice on Monday, games Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays not to mention tournaments on Saturdays...so, when do we have time for anything else?...we don't! I'll be happy to get my life back!

Have you ever seen the Travel Channel show, Man vs Food? This guy travels around the US in search of restaurants that have food challenges. For example: One place challenges its customers with eating a 5 lb burger (yes, it has 16 slices of cheese on it...) in an hour and another challenges its patrons to eating a dozen of their Diablo Chicken wings (made with wings that have been soaked in habanero paste, then rubbed with dried habanero pepper, then topped with habanero salsa) in 30 minutes. One might ask why?...one would be right.

You've heard of King Midas right? Everything he touched turned to gold. Well, yesterday I WASN'T King Midas...I decided to create a Windows XP bootable USB portable drive, pretty cool and really handy for extracting data from a hard drive that wont boot...except I ended up reinstalling XP over the existing copy of XP on my work laptop...that didn't work so well. But that wasn't enough, so I turned around to work on the server I was preparing and CRASH...the hard disk wont boot...3 bad sectors...sigh. And STILL that wasn't enough...I made a few changes to our main router because one of our locations made the change from copper to fiber and I needed to change the main IP address for that connection...POOF! Something broke and no one could connect using a VPN client...STRIKE THREE! It as a very frustrating day, but I was able to most of my data off my laptop before I rebuilt it and I eventually was able to fix the router issue, but I'm still wrestling with the server hard drive...I don't give up easily.

Lisa's car has had brake issues for awhile, but this past weekend when I drove it and realized that braking at 50 mph caused the entire car to shake violently, I decided to do something about it. I don't know if you've had brake work done lately, but having someone change your brakes and rotors will cost anywhere from $300 to $400 dollars (if not more). I've done my share of brake jobs in the past and decided to do this myself. It took me about 2 hours and cost about $120...I felt pretty good about doing the work and saving a ton of cash!

Densie and Randy, Donna and Rose and Debbie all came up this past weekend. I just want to take a moment to say that I love my family! And I REALLY love my sisters! We had a great time and I hated to see them go. It's funny...when I was MUCH younger it really didn't matter much to me if I saw my family or not, but now...I miss them and deeply enjoy the times we have together...just wish there was more...

~ V

Yes...It's Man Law Tuesday!

Man Law #5: Men instinctively know how things are to be assembled and therefore have no need for assembly instructions, diagrams or parts lists.

Since the dawn of time when man first lashed a stick to a rectangularish rock and made the first hammer, men have been making things.

Sometimes the things that have been made have changed the course of man-kind like Henry Ford's gasoline engine. And sometimes not initially appreciated like Eli Whitney when his boss told him to 'Get that cotton pickin contraption outta my field!'







Here we have the classic bicycle...many a father has stayed up LONG after midnight on Christmas Eve assembling a child's bicycle so that it's ready for the child to run past and totally ignore while he or she tears into the countless other gifts that they're also not grateful for...sorry, lost myself for a moment...It takes us so long to put the dang thing together NOT because we can't read or follow the directions, it's because a) We want our wives to feel like we've pushed ourselves to the brink of insanity for the sake of our kids and b) We MEANT to put the sprocket and chain up near the handle bars...it's a custom chopped bike, not unlike the bikes that O.C.C make and charge $50,000 for!

And here we have the MicroLux Drill Press #81631. I'm not exactly sure what makes the 81631 better than the 81630, but needless to say it's leaps and bounds better than the 81629! Anyway, I digress...I don't know of any mad marvel of modern mechanics who could assemble this bad boy from a box of parts, but if they can...well, they're more man than I...

So...directions? BAH! Who needs 'em?...your child...if he ever wants to actually ride that bike!

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I'm a man and that's MY law!

~ V

Welcome, Frogs!

My wife showed this Blog Hop to me and I thought it was a great idea! I've been writing blogs for the last three years. I'm happily married, between my wife and I we have six wonderful kids. I like to write about our family's simple, everyday ocurrances, my faith and things that God shows me about life and myself. And, oh yea ~ Man Law Tuesdays!

Man Law Tuesday #4

Ever since that first man picked up a hammer and chisel and created the first wheel out of stone, men have created and engineered ways to use that wheel to get from one place to another. This week’s Man Law(s) center on driving, so sit down, buckle-up and get ready for the smell of burnt rubber as I peel off this series of laws!

1) No man shall drive slowly in the fast lane.

2) No Man shall knowingly cut-off or pull out in front of another man.

3) Men don’t need directions because we never get lost. If we happen to go 50 miles past the turn off to the interstate, it's because we wanted to take the scenic route for our significant other's enjoyment…we’re just romantic that way…enjoy!

4) When going anywhere with your spouse or significant other, you always drive. You own the road and can always find your way to anywhere. If she doesn't like the way you drive, tell her to close her eyes.

5) Under no circumstances should a man ever ride in the back seat. Unless he’s with three or four of his male friends. If grandma can walk to the car...she can sit in the back!

6) Regardless of how horrible the music is, you are never allowed to touch another Man's radio/CD player while in his car. It is his vehicle and you are obliged to listen. The ONLY exception to this rule is if he’s playing Peaches and Herb, Captain and Tennille or Donny and Marie. Then you are required to not only change the music, but must destroy the tape or CD and you’re allowed to NEVER ride with him again.

7) When calling shotgun, all riders of the car must be outside, and shotgun can only be called when the car is in view. Riders in the car are not allowed to run to shotgun and steal it before the person who called and deserves it arrives there. The driver of the car has no authority to decide on who gets shotgun. If a legitimate confrontation comes up where the rightful owner of the shotgun cannot be determined then it will be decided by one round of paper rock scissors. If the two contenders tie 5 times in a row then the rightful owner of the shotgun is to be decided by a UFC cage match in which the first blood drawn decides the rightful owner of shotgun.It is acceptable for you to drive your girlfriend’s car. It is not acceptable for her to drive yours.

~ V

A Year in The Life

One year ago today I stood at the end of a long aisle waiting for the most incredibly beautiful, most caring and loving woman I know. As she walked down that aisle and Aleah sang ‘Have You Ever Been in Love’ I realized, no…not like this. The day was perfect…everything from the music (every piece selected meant something special to us) to our vows and the sand ceremony, was special in every way imaginable and incredibly moving!

This year was filled with laughter and tears, joys and sorrows…growth and pain and excitement and most importantly…bonding. The happiness, laughter and joys helped us maintain perspective and strengthened us. The tears, sorrows and pain made us cling to each other as we shared our fears, hurts and emotions. We learned to lean on each other and on God. With all of this blended together, God built our foundation and continues to build our house! Lisa’s boys still deal with my role as step-dad, what that means and how this may or may not make their dad feel. My kids still deal with Lisa’s role as step-mom, what that means to the memory of their mom and how they and Lisa fit into each other’s lives. It’s complicated, especially for the kids and their real or perceived loyalties, but we have seen an incredible and continual bonding both between them and with us!
With Lisa, it's been an incredible first year! Whether it's working alongside her or laying in bed at night and talking, I simply love being with her! We laugh together...sometimes AT each other...cry together...share our concerns, fears and dreams together. The love, care and respect she shows for me on a daily basis humbles me and causes me to strive to be a better man...better husband.

Lisa…if I had to do all over again, I would…gladly and without a moment’s hesitation! Because:

To Me
You are the sun
Because you brighten my day
You are the moon
Because you light my way
You are the sands of the desert
Because your beauty is measureless
You are a map
Because you brought me to happiness
You are a book
Because life with you is a romantic adventure and we are the story
You are a tree
Because you support me fully
You are keys
Because you set me free
You are air
Because you surround and hold me
You are a glove
Because you fit me like one
You are the earth
Because you are my foundation
You are water
Because you quench my thirst
You are food
Because you satisfy me so
You are the wind
Because you push and encourage me
You are a song
Because you bring joy to my heart and harmony to my life
You are the stars
Because your love for me is endless
You are my heart
Because you own every bit of it

Happy first, my love! I look forward with great anticipation and excitement to the next 50!

Today...tomorrow...forever...

~ V

Man Law Tuesday #3

Man Law #3
Man Law stipulates that every member of the male species MUST, at a minimum, be able to prepare ‘decent’ food on a grill. Some of you think that you can simply avoid violating this law by never hosting a cook-out. However, this is not the case. If you are at a cook-out and a member of the Man-Law brotherhood asks you for assistance, it is your civic Man-Law duty to step up to the plate (or grill) and assume co-pilot duties. Grilling ineptitude is NO excuse…Here are five tips to help you avoid a Man Law violation the next time a grill is in your presence.




TIP #1: Much like the garage, grills and grilling are the sole domains of men. An agreement was made centuries ago…men don’t give birth, women don’t grill…period.

TIP #2: Only a fool doesn’t use the right tool(s) - Always use long handled tools to help keep your hands/arms as far as possible from the hot grill surface when cooking. It’s difficult to impress your family with your grilling prowess when you’re sporting burns and blisters. Use a good meat thermometer especially on roasts and thicker selections of meat as this will take the guess work out of proper doneness. I use the following to help me gauge: Rare 125 deg, M Rare 135 deg, Medium 145 deg, M Well 155 deg Well 165 deg. I don’t mess with chicken, ALWAYS cook it to at least 165 deg. REMEMBER! After you take the meat off the grill cover it and let it stand for 10 min. The meat will finish cooking and letting it sit will bring its juiciness back.

TIP #3: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES cut into a piece of meat that is still being cooked! With the exception of Tip #1, this is the most heinous infraction of the Man Law’s of grilling. If another man observes someone about break this law, it is the responsibility of the observer to ‘take out’, ‘disarm’ or otherwise disable and keep the offender from slicing and dicing. Cutting into a piece of meat while cooking opens the meat and allows the juices to escape and will result in drying it out. Use the thermometer mentioned in Tip #2.

TIP #4: If you have to use steak sauce on a steak, then you’ve never had a decent steak. Steak sauce covers the taste of a BAD steak; a good steak doesn’t need a sauce. Spices and herbs are another matter all together as they will enhance and draw out the natural flavors of the steak.

TIP #5: While at another man’s house standing around HIS grill, remember: With the exception of Tip #3, don't tell him how to cook since most likely he's been cooking on a grill since he was a teenager. Don't tell him how to better use his grill seeing he's been cooking on the same grill for 9+ years. Don't tell him "how you do it" because honestly…he really doesn't care. Respect the man...respect the grill...enjoy the food!

Yes...I would claim that I am a Jedi-GrillMaster, but I say that in all humility, because while I have mastered many techniques, there are endless possibilities and flavors to explore. Taste is a matter of individual preference and what's spot on for one, may just be mediocre to another.

Grill long. and prosper...

~ V

The Best Father's Day EVER!

Yesterday in our Life Group, one of the ladies mentioned that her 18 year old daughter and herself had been frequently saying the same things at the same time lately. The things that they had been saying, had all been quotes and sayings that the mother had no doubt said time after time over the years since the daughter was older enough to understand…now the daughter herself had automatically started saying these same things and she was becoming quite annoyed with the thought that she was in essence, becoming her mother! This cracked me up! The LAST thing a teenager and young adult EVER wants to be compared to is their parents…I know I was the same way and I would venture to guess that at some point you were as well. Later on when I was thinking about this, it started to move me…a parent who was so consistent with the wisdom and knowledge she was attempting to impart on her children, that she saw the results of her efforts come to fruition before her very eyes! A child who was close enough to her parents and trusted her parents enough to accept that wisdom and knowledge as her own!
Have you ‘hung’ around and immersed yourself in the life and teachings of Christ long enough that the things He would say or the things He would think or do comes as second nature to you? Think about how many hours a day we spent with our parents listening to them and their instruction while we were growing up. Watching how mom cooked a meal or how dad fixed the car…receiving guidance, direction and even discipline. How much time do we spend seeking guidance and direction from God? In order for someone to instinctively accept and live out someone else’s wisdom and knowledge requires trust and trust is gained through the intimate knowledge of the person’s character and requires an investment of time.

Yesterday was father’s day and we had made plans to meet Brittany and Bill half way between us and them, go to a park and have a picnic. Nick had gone with his dad and grandfather on a trip to canoe and camp along the Boundary Waters and Trevor spent the day with his girlfriend Whitney, but everyone else was there! We brought burgers and hot dogs to grill along with some other picnic fare and Brittany had made a bowl of potato salad and brought an Ice Cream cake. Although we went through some hard rain on the way there AND the way back home, while we were at the park, the rain held off! After eating, we just hung out talking and playing a few games (Apples to Apples and that one lawn game with the PVC pipes and golf balls strung together). But the best came as Lisa and the kids gave me their gifts. Lisa had purchased two books; 100 Reasons Why a Son Needs a Dad and 100 Reasons Why a Daughter Needs a Dad. The books themselves are pretty cool, but Lisa had asked each of the kids to read through them and write a little something next to a few of the entries…I will treasure these books for the rest of my life…what an amazing gift! Let me share a few entries with you:

A Son Needs a Dad – to be the role model for the father HE will become – Vinny
A Son Needs a Dad – who will help his mother – Yep, Kyle
A Son Needs a Dad – to let him be his equal now and then – Yeah! Trevor

A Daughter Needs a Dad – who gives her refuge in a home secured with faith – Because you were always my refuge, my safe place, my listener, my comforter - Brittany
A Daughter Needs a Dad – to teach her the importance of being a lady – sometimes when we’re eating you tell me to do manners - Hope

And this from my oldest – The older I get, the more I realize you were right…God has AMAZING things in my future. And God has been consistent with what you’ve told me. “I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me.” Thank you for loving me in my best & my worst times.

Anytime, my baby girl…anytime.

Like I said…it’s a pretty amazing thing to see your children pick up the wisdom and knowledge you’ve tried SO very hard to instill and actually own it for themselves…glory to God!

Thank you Hon, for the most incredible father’s day I’ve EVER had…thank you kids! I love each and every one of you!

~ V