Saturday, March 31, 2012

I Made It!!!!

I'll keep this short and sweet.  31 days, 31 slices.  I did it!  Not too bad for teaching, taking master's classes and getting ready for a new baby that is due in a few days.  Woo-hoo!!!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Spring Break!!!

Spring break is finally here!  I think that I was more excited about it than the kids today.  Now it's time to try and relax while waiting for the baby to arrive!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Another Victory for The Boilers!!!!

Picture this:  It's 4th and 10 with 20 seconds left on the clock and you still have to march the ball 99 yards down the field.  This is a pretty daunting task, but a true Boilermaker never gives up.  Everybody is expecting pass so what better play than a quarterback sneak?  The ball is snapped and the qb takes off.  He fakes left, he fakes right, he finds the open seam and takes off towards the endzone.  He could go all the way!  Touchdown and victory!  This is very similar to the scenario that happened this morning at school.  Unknown to us another teacher in the building hid an Easter egg in every teacher's room last night.  The goal was for each teacher to find it in their room and turn it in to her room along with the eggs from the other teachers in our grade level clusters.  My team was the 1st grade teachers and Kindergarten teachers, which are on the complete opposite end of the building.  I typically get into school early to get set up for the day and I stumbled across my egg when I was putting some items away.  I took it down and was shocked to see that many of the other grade levels already had a large amount of their eggs found.  I thought that there was absolutely no way that we would be able to find our eggs and get them in before the others, especially the clusters that are right across the hall from her room.  Then most of the other teachers showed up and found their eggs right away so they took theirs down.  Still, no clusters had found all of their eggs.  I started thinking that we may have a chance.  The last two teachers showed up and it was complete chaos.  Imagine 6 teachers in a single room helping another teacher find a single egg.  Yes, it really happened.  When we found the last egg the other teachers gave it to me and said to take it down.  Hey, the last teacher to find her egg is pregnant so I wasn't going to make her take it clear across the school.  Anyways, I got partway there and another teacher came out of another hall carrying her egg to turn it in.  Next thing I know we are sprinting down the hallway toward the room.  I made the pass just before we went through the door.  There was another teacher in the room crossing off her name for returning her egg at the time.  I weaved around her and put my egg in our basket just edging out the other teacher.  I crossed off the name and VICTORY!!!!!  I'm counting it as a victory for the Boilers since most of the teachers in the building are IU, Notre Dame or Ohio State fans.  Boiler Up!!!!!  And yes, this actually happened at school this morning.  I can only imagine what the kids would have thought if they would have witnessed it.  I love my school!!!!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

I Have the Strangest Dog

Today my wife and I were laughing about some of the things that our dog has done and I have to say that I have got to have one of the strangest dogs around.  Don't get me wrong, he is great, but he is still a little weird and here is why.  My dog is terrified of a few things like clothes hangers, plastic bags, trash bags and laundry baskets.  Whenever we have one of those things he puts his ears down and cowers.  However, when there are things around that he should be afraid of he is not.  Whenever I start my motorcycle or my father-in-law has his 4-wheeler running he races towards them and tries to attack, even if they are moving and they could run him over.  I sat him on my dirt bike last year and was petting him and I kicked the kick starter like I was going to start it and he went nuts!  He started growling and biting at things.  He even tore a piece off of the crossbar pad.  Whenever I have power tools going or the vacuum is running he tries to bite at them and attack them.  If the UPS man or FedEx man drops off a package he will not stop jumping on us until we put the box down.  We have learned to take the contents out first because when we put the box down he attacks it like crazy.  He rips pieces off of the boxes and if you nudge them with your foot he goes at it again.  I guess that he is my dog so I shouldn't be too surprised that he is a little crazy!  :)  He is also the sweetest dog and loves to cuddle on your lap while you scratch him.  Overall he is a great dog, he just has a few issues that need to be worked out.  :)

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Time for Golf

Aside from not riding my dirt bike this year I have also not had the opportunity to play golf yet.  This weather has been amazing and everyday I drive past the golf course where I have a membership.  I get very envious of the people who are out playing a round on that beautiful green course.  I cannot wait until I have the opportunity to get out there and play a round myself.  I've been working on convincing my wife that I can take the baby with me when I go, but she doesn't buy it.  I keep telling her that it will give her a much needed break from the little guy but she doesn't think that it would be safe.  I think that I could definitely find a way to mount the car seat into the golf cart and he can ride along with me.  It would probably be soothing for him to bounce around in the golf cart and listening to the swish of the club and the clicking sound of the club hitting the ball.  I mean, seriously, what could possibly go wrong with an infant strapped into a golf cart while there are people are sending tiny hard objects in all different directions? 

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Last Appointment (Hopefully)

This afternoon my wife had her final doctor's appointment before her official due date.  So far everything looks good and we are hoping that next week we will have a baby boy!  She is ready to be done with the pregnancy and I am ready to be done with sitting at the doctor's office once a week.  I know that does not even compare to what she is going through, but after teaching all day the last thing that I want to do is wait for an hour in the lobby of the doctor's office because they can't stay on schedule.  The place that we are going to is extremely busy and they are typically behind schedule.  If the appointment is for 4:30 it typically means 5:30.  With work schedules we could never schedule early appointments, which means long evenings.  Today was the first day that things went on time and, hopefully, it is the last time that we have to worry about it. 

Sunday, March 25, 2012

I wanna ride!!!!

The past couple of weeks have been brutal!  The weather has been gorgeous and I still haven't been able to go riding.  It's just been too busy between teaching, master's courses and getting ready for the baby.  With the baby due next week I have to say that it will probably be a month or longer before I can even begin to think about throwing a leg over a dirt bike.  It's still early in the year so I know that there is plenty of time left in the year to get out there and have some fun.  Until then, though, I just have to say that I wanna ride!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Days Go Too Fast

Today was one of those days that went fairly quickly but it didn't seem like I got to do much.  This morning my wife and I went to Rise & Roll bakery to get some awesome donuts for breakfast and then headed to her school to drop a couple of things off.  By the time we got home we had lunch and my wife took a nap while I did some work in the garage.  Before I knew it we were eating dinner and then I headed over to my cousin's house to watch the supercross race.  Overall it was a good day, but went way too quickly.  Why does it seem like the weekends go so fast and the weeks take forever?

Friday, March 23, 2012

1 More Week

In one week from today spring break officially begins!  I have to say that I am pretty excited about that.  My kids have been crazy and they need a break from school and from each other.  To be honest, I sort of need a break from them also.  More importantly during spring break is when our baby is due!  I can't wait to meet the little guy and I can't wait for my wife to be less miserable.  She has been a trooper and I will be much happier when she is not so uncomfortable.  Here's to hoping that the next week goes quickly!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Rabbits, Rabbits, Rabbits

It's only a couple of days into spring and I'm already sick of rabbits!  It seems like every year one or two find their way inside our privacy fence and end up having babies.  This drives my dog absolutely nuts and it is a mess trying to keep him away from baby bunnies that show up out of nowhere.  This evening my wife noticed a rabbit sitting on our patio right outside of the house in the back yard.  Fortunately my dog didn't see him right away so I was able to get out there to chase it away.  I can already tell that this is going to be a year full of rabbits and bunnies.  I'm not looking forward to it at this point.  If you have any suggestions for a non-lethal way to evict the pests from my property I would greatly appreciate it.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Yard Work...Yuck!!!

I couldn't believe it when I looked out into the back yard and saw how tall some of the grass has gotten.  It's still March and it already looks like it is time to break out the lawn mower to take care of the yard.  Now if there is one thing that I can honestly say that I do not like doing it is mowing the yard.  I dislike it so much that I bought a riding lawnmower even though my yard isn't too terribly big just so that I could get it mowed faster than if I push mowed it.  When I do mow my goal is to mow it faster than the time that I mowed it before.  (I've timed myself and compared before)  I guess that's the racer in me.  If it were up to me and it wouldn't embarrass my wife (and if it wasn't so hot) I would probably suit up into my riding gear before I started to try and get the whole racing effect.  Hey, if I have to do something that I don't like I may as well try to make it somewhat interesting.  I'm also guilty of putting my race gas in the weed eater so that it smells like a dirt bike running while I'm trimming.  It's about the only thing that I have found that keeps me somewhat willing to do that part of the yard work.  The weather the past couple of weeks has been absolutely awesome, but I have to say that it's not so awesome that it's time to start doing yard work again.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Grilling Out

One of my favorite things about this time of year is grilling out.  To be honest, I use the grill all year round, but it's nice to be able to actually have it outside instead of just opening the garage door and putting it at the edge of the garage like I do during the winter.  There's just something about cooking your food with fire while enjoying the nice weather instead of being cooped up in the kitchen.  I love it!  Hopefully the weather stays nice so that there can be a lot more grilling out. 

Monday, March 19, 2012

Bummer for the Boilers

I could not believe what I was reading this morning when I woke up and saw that the Boilermakers fell to Kansas by 3 points.  It was heartbreaking.  The worst part of the whole deal is that they lost it in the last 45 seconds!  I didn't get to see the game but I read a lot about it and it sounds like they played great...for 39 minutes and 15 seconds.  It's been the story of the season.  They play solid and get a lead only to let it slip away from them in the late stages of the game.  On the bright side, they were able to play a very tough Kansas team and take them down to the wire.  I feel bad for Hummel because he played his heart out and deserved to end his career at Purdue with a better tournament run than that.  I guess that's just the way the ball bounces.  We will have to give it our best shot again next year.  Go Boilers!!!!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Another Big Game Tonight

Tonight my beloved Boilermakers will be facing another difficult opponent.  They are taking on the #2 seeded Kansas Jayhawks.  I have to say that I am a little nervous, but extremely optimistic after seeing so many upsets throughout the tournament.  I'm just hoping that we can put a complete game together and give Kansas a surprise by eliminating them from the tourney.  Unfortunately I don't get the channel that is showing the game so I will have to resort to checking scores online and hoping for the best.  Let's go Boilers!!!!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Big Win for the Boilers!

I am one of those people who does not have cable or satellite, so unfortunately I was stuck with checking in on the scores of the Purdue vs. St. Mary's game last night.  I was watching Duke get beat and kept an eye on the top of the screen.  I was feeling pretty good when there was still an 8 point lead with only a couple of minutes left.  However, I nearly broke down into tears when I saw that St. Mary's took the lead with 45 seconds left.  I kept thinking "this cannot be happening."  Fortunately, as soon as I got to see all of the Duke players crying due to their loss the station turned to the Purdue game for the last 30 seconds.  It was enough time to see Robbie Hummel get fouled and sink a couple of free throws to solidify the win.  Let me tell you, after a disappointing football season and seeing some leads slip away during basketball I was a little worried.  Somehow, though, the boys pulled it off.  I'm hoping that they got the first game jitters out of the way and they can give Kansas a serious shock by beating them.  We are still in it!  Go Boilers!!!!!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Let's Go Boilers

In a little less than an hour the Purdue Boilermakers will begin their quest for the NCAA tournament championship.  They start off by playing a feisty St. Mary's team that is seeded ahead of them.  I'm hoping that the Boilers can put it all together and avoid an extremely early exit from the tournament.  Let's get the madness started!  Boiler up!!!!!!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Halfway

As I sat down today I realized that when I post today I am halfway through the SOL Challenge for this year.  It's amazing how quickly it goes.  For those of you that haven't noticed I am one of those glass is half-full people most of the time.  Because of that I am excited to think "we are already halfway there."  I apologize for sounding so upbeat if you are one of those people that prefer to think "Oh my gosh, we are only halfway done."  I would have to say that overall it's a pretty good day.  March Madness is in full force and we are halfway through the SOL Challenge for 2012!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A Bright Spot for the Colts

Reggie Wayne is staying!!!!!  I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be any veterans left on the Colts' roster for next season.  It's been tough to see all of the players that I have enjoyed watching leave the team that I love.  Fortunately there will at least be a few players that I recognize.  Maybe next season won't be so bad after all.  Go Colts!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A Good Afternoon

Today my wife had an ultrasound because of some concerns with the measurements with the baby.  Unfortunately I couldn't go because I was working.  I had been thinking about it all day and was hoping that everything came out alright.  Around 4:15 my wife texted me and said that everything measured great and that she is right on track.  It was huge relief and just feels like one more hurdle that we cleared.  To top it all off my sister stopped by and brought us a delicious dinner that she made.  It was just a nice way to end a somewhat stressful day.

Monday, March 12, 2012

I love this weather!

Once the rain finished this morning it was absolutely gorgeous!  After looking at the weather forecast it is supposed to be awesome all week.  Even though we didn't have a real harsh winter I have been looking forward to this weather.  It's time to start riding dirt bikes, golfing and cooking with fire!  I am so glad that this weather is here and I hope that it's here to stay.  I don't even mind the occasional showers and thunderstorms (as long as they are not severe) in the evening.  It's sort of relaxing actually.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

We're Going Dancing

It's official, Purdue is going dancing for the 6th year in a row.  I can't say that I'm thrilled that we are a 10 seed and that if we win our first game we are more than likely playing Kansas, but we are still in.  Besides, flying under the radar isn't always a bad thing.  So at this point, as a true Boilermaker, I'm rooting for my team and believe that we can go all the way to win the tournament.  Robbie Hummel and Matt Painter deserve it and stranger things have happened.  There's a reason that they call it March Madness!  Go Boilers!!!!!!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Family and Friends are Great

Yesterday we had a scare with my wife's pregnancy.  We spent all afternoon and night at the hospital getting tests done.  Since I began notifying family and friends of what was going on my phone has gone crazy ringing or beeping to notify me of texts and e-mails wanting to know how things are going.  It is so wonderful to know that we have so many people looking out for us and willing to help us in any way that they can.  My wife and I are truly blessed and we cannot thank our friends and family enough.

Friday, March 9, 2012

And the Colts Keep Cutting

I can't believe how different the Colts are going to look next season.  They let Manning go and now they have cut Addai, Brackett, Clark, Bullitt and Painter.  Honestly, I can see the last two because one of them has been hurt more than he has been healthy and the other one simply didn't play well.  Addai, Brackett and Clark, though, that was a shocker to me.  These three have been with the team for so long and have done so much it is going to be difficult to see the Colts without them.  Hopefully they don't end up trading Freeney like they are talking.  I'm telling you, it's gonna take a while to get used to this new team.  Hopefully they surprise me and do well right from the start.  I have a feeling that it's going to be tough to be a Colts fan for a couple of seasons.  I'll keep rooting for them, though.  Go Colts!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

What a Surprise

Yesterday afternoon I was blown away by something that happened in my classroom.  We were about halfway through our math lesson when the classroom door opened.  When I turned around there were two parents pushing a cart with cupcakes, juice and gifts.  When they entered the room all of the children in the class yelled "Surprise!"  Unknown to me, my aide and these two parents coordinated a surprise baby shower for me.  They had been working on it for a couple of weeks.  Kids knew, parents knew and other teachers knew.  I think that I may have been the only one in the building that didn't know.  It was awesome!  I feel like I work with the greatest people in the world and this goes to show me that I really do work with wonderful people and that I have great kids and parents.  I will never forget what they did for me.  It was a great afternoon!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

A Sad Day for Indiana

I was shocked.  I was baffled.  I couldn't comprehend what I was hearing.  I know that all of the rumors for months had been that the Indianapolis Colts were going to let Peyton Manning go, but I just couldn't believe it.  He has been the face of the franchise for years and he is the reason that the Colts have been so good for so long.  I have been a Colts fan for as long as I can remember so I remember some pretty terrible seasons.  However, until this past year those seasons have been a distant memory.  With Peyton gone I'm not sure how long it will be before the dominance of the past decade will return.  I know that they will draft a great quarterback in the draft, but I can only imagine how much better he would be if he was able to learn from the best to ever play the position.  As a true fan (one that roots for his team no matter how good/bad they are) I will continue to pull for the Colts.  I will also, however, continue to root for Peyton regardless of the team that he plays for.  (I guess this gives me an excuse to watch more football :) )  I must say that as a diehard fan part of me still hopes that this was just a ploy by the Colts to get him for a cheaper contract and that they will re-sign him after other deals don't turn out to be what he is hoping.  I believe that this is very unlikely, but I still have to hold out hope.  I'm a Cubs fan and a Purdue fan, so I know what a big letdown feels like in the world of sports.  I'll keep rooting for my teams and hope for the best.  Go Colts and best of luck Peyton!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Something From Nothing

I'm not sure if any of you from last year remember but I had bought a beat up non-running pile of a dirt bike with the hopes of using a combination of my motorcycle repair skills and parts that I had laying around the garage in order to make a complete running motorcycle that I could ride.  Well, I never sliced about it, so I thought that I would provide some before and after pictures so that you could see the final product.  The bike took some time to get together and I swear that it was doing its best best to not have to go back together (I think that it was afraid of being completely abused like it was from its previous owner) but in the end it didn't have a choice.  Since then we have come to an understanding and I think that it realizes that it's better off keeping all of its parts and remaining a complete motorcycle instead of being sold off one-by-one on ebay.    There are some things that I would still like to do to it, but I'm fairly pleased with the end result.  It looks worlds better and runs great!




Monday, March 5, 2012

Poor Poor Boilermakers

I can't believe it.  Last night Purdue lost to Indiana in basketball for the second time this season.  What is this world coming to?  It is extremely difficult to face the IU fans with a smile and positive attitude after they have humiliated my beloved Boilermakers both times that they have played each other this year.  Fortunately I am a true and loyal Purdue Boilermaker and I will continue to support my team no matter what.  Things will get better and we will bounce back.  Besides, no matter what happens I can always be relieved that even though we were beat by IU this one season I do not have to go through the pain and suffering of being a lifelong IU fan.  Boiler Up!!!!!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Are You Ever Ready

Today my wife and I spent most of our time sorting things that we got from the baby showers and trying to get things ready for our new addition.  I cannot believe how much stuff we have and how much we still have to get.  One look around the nursery would indicate that there is no possible way that we don't have everything that one would need to raise a small child for the next five years.  However, my wife has still been able to come up with a whole list of things that we need to get before we are ready for the little guy.  I'm beginning to realize that no matter how prepared we think we are we will never truly be ready. 

Saturday, March 3, 2012

A Great Day

Today my mother and sister threw us an open house for our baby shower.  We got to see lots of friends and family and had a great time.  It's always fun to catch up with people that you haven't seen in a while and to spend time with the ones that you love.  We were even fortunate enough to have some of our co-workers come to see us.  We work with the greatest people in the world!  What a great day!

Friday, March 2, 2012

School, School, School

There is something that I have realized about teachers.  We are never finished with school!  Growing up I always said I couldn't wait to get out of school.  When I graduated what did I do?  I decided that I better have more schooling so that I could get a good job.  And, of course, what did I decide to do?  I decided to become a teacher, which means that I will always be at school.  Now I am also taking my master's courses.  Apparently I can't get enough school!  Something else that I have learned, though, is that it is much more fun to assign the homework than it is to be assigned the homework.  I can't wait until I am done with school!  :)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Last Month

This is my first slice for the SOL Challenge so I'm going to keep it short and sweet.  Today is the first day of the last month that it will be just my wife and I.  In early April we are expecting our first child, a baby boy!  We are nervously excited and are looking forward to the adventures to come!