Ramp

Jaguar spent most of the day Sunday asking me to build him a ramp that he could jump his bike off. Eventually I caved in and built him this ramp. He got a good start from about a 1/4 mile away :) and came flying down toward his ramp and over he went. Just like he had been doing it for years. The first thing he said was we need to make it higher :0!! I added another board to the bottom and he spent the rest of the night jumping off of it. Lexi came out and tried it a few times also. As soon as I got home tonight Jag and Lexi came out and said we need the ramp even higher :0!! So I added 2 more boards to it tonight and they both jumped off of it like it was nothing. I am sure we gave not reached the maximum height of the ramp yet.

The was my try at the ramp on Jaguar's bike. For some reason I don't seem to get the same amount of hang time as Jag does.

Summer 2008

Summer 2008

Wow!!!!

This summer is just flying by!!

We bought King's Island tickets for Lexi birthday. They had a special where you got 2 days for the price of one. We went on June 12(Lexi's Birthday) the first time and July 15( no special reason) for the second time.

Lexi decided to try some of the bigger coasters this year. :)

She rode the Beast and the Vortex. The Beast is still my favorite roller coaster of all time, although I do notice it is beating me up a lot more than it used to. Lexi has spent most of her summer playing outside, swimming, watching 3 seasons of Lost with me and Chandra, playing with her DS, and growing up :(.

Little Winnie just had to have her picture taken with Dora. She has spent a lot of the summer playing outside with her brother, swimming, and watching her favorite movie The Princess and the Pauper (the Barbie version)

Jag still has fun on some of the smaller rides with his sister. Winnie and Jag loved the Swiper Sweeper in the picture below. He loves to go on the spiny type of rides with me. He has spent his summer playing in the sand, still driving his jeep, riding his new bike, helping me put hay in the hay mound :), swimming, and wishing he had a DS.


Winnie is very independent. She doesn't want any help with anything. She insisted that she ride the carousel horse by herself. If I even laid my hand on his rump she wanted me to take it off. She has been trying to potty train herself. She wants to do it by herself. Chandra keeps an eye on her from around the corner and says everything has been going well.

July 4th

We spent the 4th of July out at Chandra's brothers house. His birthday was on the 5th so we thought we would go out and remind him that he was turning 40. Nothing says Happy Birthday like having 8 people invade your house. He wanted these new type of shoes for his birthday. They look like you are wearing Gorilla Feet. We had more fun watching him trying to get his short stubby toes into the toe pockets(that is what they are called) then he will probably have wearing them.

The kids had to try on Paul's different Star Wars helmets.

We did have some ice cream and cupcakes for his birthday. This is Winnie about 1/2 through eating her cupcake. They kept on saying it looked like a crime scene. She had red icing every where from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. I thought she looked more like a clown with a really bad make-up job.

We spent a few hours of the trip down at a park near Paul's house. The kids really loved playing there.

Lexi is sitting in her favorite place of the park. It was a spinning ride that was off center that everyone of us loved. Some more than others. Winnie loved the Piggy ride that Jag is sitting on. She would rock it as hard as she could while making piggy sounds.

ATTITUDE

Happy Birthday Lexi

My Little Lexi

turned 10 on June 12th.

We have hit the double digits :0

3 more years we will have a Teenager :0 :0

Lexi wanted a 70's party this year. This is her cake with a Skittles peace symbol on it. They are all upstairs now running around yelling and screaming so I thought I would catch up on my Blog. We had a cook out in the rain. :) I heard one of the girls tell her mom that we had eaten smoked hot dogs for dinner.

They got to go swimming for a couple of hours in between the rain.

More Fun Today!!

Like I said in the earlier post the only bad part about today was it was almost over. Well at 9:30 p.m. I received a call from a neighbor that was having trouble loading their horse into a trailer. They had been trying for over 3 hours by the time they decided to call me. This is the kind of thing I live for. The only problem was they were not at home which is less than a mile from our house they were at the Mohican State Park :0 So off I went. It is just about a hour drive one way. By the time I got there they all looked pretty exhausted. There was the husband and wife, her mother and their 2 young boys and of course 2 horses one of which was doing his best impression of a liberal(DONKEY) :) Anyways I took the horse and whispered to him and wouldn't you know in less than 5 minutes he was loaded. :) God knew that I wasn't ready for this day to be over yet.

Another Nice Spring Day

We spent most of the day outside today.

We had our lunch outside on the patio and then spent the rest of the day playing, biking, and mowing. Then we decided to have a little cook out for dinner. The kids favorite part of any cook out are the smores. Jag was a real gentleman he gave his seat to his mom so she could sit by me he said he is your husband you know. :)

The only bad part about today is that it is almost over.

I guess that is why God makes tomorrows.

Winnierella

Little Miss Winnie is having a ball running around in all of Lexi's old princess dresses. She insists on being called Winnierella when in her Cinderella dress. The dress she has on is the first princess dress that I bought Lexi. Chandra and I will never forget that first dress. A few years ago Lexi decided she didn't want any more princess dresses. :(

One of my favorite parts of taking her to WDW was the time me and her spent together picking out a new gown, so needless to say I was a little bummed by her growing up. However I now have another PRINCESS in training and will get a few more years of picking out dresses with Winnierella.

Operation Chaos

I am a little aggravated but also honored.

If you go back to October 8 2007 in my blog you will see that I initially laid out the plan for operation chaos. Rush Limbaugh obviously has been reading my blog and has now implemented my idea as his own. I guess as long as the Liberals are being screwed with I really don't care who gets the credit.

They are all a bunch of Donkeys anways :)

~~___(\

/< >\

Global Warming List

List

Someone sent me this link above. It takes you to a site that has everything listed that Global Warming has caused :0

Give me a BREAK!!!

I had diarrhea last Tuesday I think it maybe was caused by Global Warming :) Trust me it felt like it was on fire coming out!!

I think the only thing that can be blamed for more things going wrong in the world then Global Warming is a FARRIER!!

Spring Is Here!!

You can tell that Spring is here:

I come home filthy!

I stink like a nasty horse hoof!

I have horse hair all over me!

The flies are already biting!

My back is killing me!

I am sweating like a fat boy!

Everyone needs their horse shod by this weekend!

I haven't stop moaning and groaning all week!

Peta

Peta

The link above is to a story about Peta offering a million dollars to the first scientist that creates a meat substitute that taste like chicken. Which shouldn't be hard since everything taste like chicken.

I can already tell you that I am not going to like it. :)

Greengate

GREEN

You have to click on the link above.

A bunch of eco-friendly groups were trying to celebrate Earth Day by telling all about Global Warming when they had to take refuge in a tent due to a blizzard. Stories like these just warm my heart.

Another Toilet Story

Well we had another episode this evening. After a fun filled day poor little Lexi got sick and threw up. Chandra being the good parent was in the bathroom helping Lexi. Chandra was starting to dry heave while looking at the toilet so she flushed it in the middle of the transaction. It wasn't until it was all over that Lexi suddenly realized that she must have threw up her retainer. :0 With Chandra being over zealous on the mid-vomit flush my guess would be that it is now in our septic tank. Which is all right because I know that I could not have reached in and got it and I doubt Chandra could have either. Even if we could get it back Lexi probably wouldn't want to wear it again. :)

Daddy Day

What a wonderful day!!!!

Lexi and I had a Daddy Day. We haven't had one for a while, so about 6 weeks ago we scheduled today as a Daddy Day. I let Lexi skip school and we went out to see a movie, went shopping, and ate out at Bob Evans for breakfast. We went to see the movie Nims Island since my uncle Mark and his daughter had seen it not too long ago and really enjoyed it. We both thought it was a pretty good movie. Lexi got a bear at the Build a Bear store for her and Winnie to share. She bought it a Cinderella dress since that is about all that Winnie wears anymore. We have to call Winnie, Winnierella while she has the dress on so that is what we named the bear. She bought herself a pair of black and white checkered shoes, it is like going shopping with Chandra 20 years ago. :)

Dollar Coin

A few months ago I received a email stating not to spend these dollar coins because "In God We Trust" was no longer on the coin. I made note of it and was not going to even touch one of these coins.

Today we drove 1/2 way to my sisters place, which ends up being around Dayton, to eat out for her and my mother's birthdays. They were both born on April 22 different years though. Anyways after drinking 3-4 glasses of Pepsi at the restaurant I ended up having to stop at the rest area. Of course I had to get a drink after going to the bathroom for the rest of the ride home. :) All I had was a $10 bill but that was no problem they had a change machine right there. Wouldn't you know I put the $10 bill in and out came 10 dollar coins 8 of which were the new coins. There was 2 other older men there and I showed them the coins and complained about the fact that the phrase "In God We Trust" was no longer on these coins. They agreed that it was a shame. So down the road we went with me just ranting and raving about the fact of the missing phrase. Chandra decided that she should take the coins into the bank and give them back and tell them she was not going to spend any money that did not have "In God We Trust" on it. Good now we have a plan how to handle this. Down the road we went me feeling pretty smug that Chandra was going to take care of this, when I noticed there was something written on the edge of these coins.

Guess what!!

There it is on the edge "In God We Trust"

I don't really care for where it is located but at least it is still on the coin.

Happy Birthday Be-Pa

You just keep getting better and better looking!!

Church In A Bar

Church In A Bar

First of all I am glad HE(Jesus) saved a Wretch like me.

With that said I have kind of mixed emotions about the article above. I definitely think it is great to reach out and worship with others and meet them where they are. I do have a concern that in doing so that we(Church) sometimes become so much like the world that no one can tell the difference. Where do we draw the line? Should we have Church in a brothel? I know I know Jesus hung around with a prostitute, but I don't know that he would have went into her place of business during business hours and had a worship service. I don't think I could ever go to the Lions Den for a Church service. Although they do seem to get a larger turn out on Sunday mornings then some of our local Churches.

What Took You Sooo Long?

A few years ago when I was still in High School, o.k. it's been a little longer then a few years, I was in the Pep Band (Nerd). Well after the game was over and I was done I always phoned my dad to get a ride home. I actually had to use the pay phone there were no cellular phones yet. My dad always showed up in just about 15 minutes from the time I called him except for one evening. I had phoned him and stood there waiting, 15 minutes went by then 20 then 25....
Finally he showed up. I jumped into the car and said WHAT TOOK YOU SOOO LONG?!!! Right then I got the look that said you had better shut your mouth now before I just leave you right here. My dad worked 3rd shift and always slept during the day and when I would call he would come flying out of his bedroom half awake, stumbling to get to the phone. It was close to Christmas and we had bought a bunch of 1/2 pound boxes of chocolates as Christmas presents. That evening my dog Daisy had decided to sample a few of the boxes. The chocolates had upset poor Daisy's stomach and she had left a few piles of puke outside my dad's bedroom door. Imagine flying out of your bedroom door half awake to answer the phone just to slip and fall in a pile of puked up chocolate Santa clauses.

Don't worry Daisy felt much better after she got it all out of her system :)

Super

The other day I was asked to shoe a new horse in one of the barns I go to. Being the nice guy that I am I said I would do the horse. :) The owner brings out the horse and put in into the cross ties so that I can go about my business. Just as I get the first foot done and place it back on the floor the owner says SUPER. I was thinking it does look pretty good if I do say so myself. I always wonder what a new owner is going to think about the way I shoe their horse and obviously this one was impressed. I just grinned and started on the second foot. As I am nailing the shoe on the second foot another person in the barn goes by and says SUPER!! I was amazed that I was at a barn where obviously everyone knew quality work when they saw it. That doesn't happen every day. It wasn't too much longer when a little girl about 10 years old came by and petted the horse. I was a little humbled when I heard her say how is SUPER doing today. :0 Well I guess the horses name is Super.

Isn't that just SUPER!!

Second Million

I am trying not to get too excited yet but I very possibly could win $5000 a week for the rest of my life. Publishers Clearing House have been sending multiple emails stating that I am getting into the final drawing. One of the last ones stated that someone in the Columbus area with the initials JW will definitely be a winner of at least $100. I'll try not to forget all my friends when I win my Millions. :)

Million Dollars

As I was browsing around one of my favorite horseshoeing web sites tonight, I came across a post from a farrier that stated he had already made his first million and was working on his next. At first I was impressed and a little jealous until Chandra and I started to figure up what we had earned since we started working many years ago. Well the jealousy went away and was replaced by depression on my part. We have already made our first million and are working on our next. What depressed me was looking around trying to figure out how we have already spent over a million dollars. :0 :0 :0
I am starting to think it was spent on Biggie Dr. Peppers and King Sized candy bars.

Marriage

Someone sent me this today by email and I thought I would share it:

RED SKELTON'S RECIPE
FOR THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

1. Two times a week we go to a nice restaurant, have a Little beverage, good food and companionship She goes on Tuesdays; I go on Fridays.

2. We also sleep in separate beds. Hers is in California , and mine is in Kentucky.

3. I take my wife everywhere.... But she keeps finding her way back.

4. I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said. So I suggested the kitchen.

5. We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

6. She has an electric blender, electric Toaster and electric bread maker. She said "There are too many gadgets, and no place To sit down!" So I bought her an electric chair.

7. My wife told me the car wasn't running well Because there was water in the carburetor. I asked where the car was. She told me, "In the lake."

8. She got a mud pack, and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

9. She ran after the garbage truck, yelling, "Am I too late For the garbage?" The driver said, "No, jump in".

10. Remember: Marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

11. I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her First name was ALWAYS.

12. I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months I don't like to interrupt her.

13. The last fight was my fault though. My wife asked, "What's on the TV?" I said, "Dust!"

Can't you just hear him say all of these?I love it........those were the good old days When humor didn't have to start with a four letter word. It was just clean and simple fun.
And he always ended his programs with the words,
"God Bless"

Toilets #2

Even the title is funny if you think about it.

O.K. the much anticipated continuation of the toilet stories.

I hate(along with everyone else) using porta-pots. The only thing worse than using one is being in a hurry snatching the door open just as a 70 year old woman is in mid-wipe. I am not sure who was more horrified her or me but we both screamed like little girls. Believe it or not that was such a bad day in my life that that incident was the best part of the day.:0

The first time my little nephew Andy came to our house he had to go. We sat him in on the toilet and shut the door for some privacy. A few minutes go by and we hear him gagging. Are you alright? Yes I'm fine. So another few minutes go by and again we hear more gagging. What's wrong? Nothing I'm just pooping. The poor little boy stinks so bad that he gags himself. Even when my sister passes gas in her van the poor boy almost vomits. :)

This involves going to the bathroom but there is no toilet involved. Chandra was a kid at camp Maranatha swimming in the lake, when the urge suddenly hit. The bathrooms were too far away for her liking so she proceeded to contaminate the lake. A little flounce of the bathing suit and away the evidence floated. Don't ever swim down stream of Chandra.

The next one is about my eating an entire medium sausage Donatoes pizza by myself. It wasn't long after that my stomach started to percolate. I was hoping to make it home but it wasn't going to happen. I told Chandra to pull over at the next gas station. The count down had begun and there was no way to terminate it. I went flying into the gas station and made a b-line to the mens restrooms just to see OUT OF ORDER. I turned around and looked at the cashier and she saw the panic on my face and she yelled out across the store USE THE WOMENS. I have heard stories that they had to replace the toilet in the womens restroom after I was through. The best part was the look on the 2 womens faces when I finally came out. :0

Jaguar flushed his underwear down the toilet. We had to completely remove the toilet and pull the underwear out of the bottom of the toilet.

I am sure there are more stories but that is all I think of right now.

Toilets

Another beautiful day. I did a few horses this morning came back did one in my own barn and decided to go for another ride, which was really nice. Tonight was parent teacher conferences again. Lexi and Jag had soccer practice so we asked Bepaw if he could take them and we pawned little Winnie off on my mom and dad. That means me and Chandra could go out to eat by ourselves after the conferences. Both kids are doing really well. We decided to eat at Damons. We had a real nice meal kind of a strange waiter but he kept up on the refills and got all of our order right so what else can you ask for. Our conversation eventually ended up on toilets and some of our favorite toilet stories. If you don't talk about kids, bill or work you have to talk about something. :) Actually what brought it up was my trip to the restroom. Where when entering the stall I was greeted by one enormous turd just waiting to be flushed. After a small dry heave I was able to send the big guy down the drain. Of course I couldn't wait to get back to Chandra to tell her of the horrifying experience, which led to the whole toilet discussion. See there is always a reason. :)

The only thing better than having to flush someone else's business is to actually have to plunger it out of the way before you can go, which is what happened to Chandra earlier today at the oil change place.

So here are a few of our toilet stories.

The first one happened a few years ago when I took Lexi and Jag Christmas shopping. Well I got the urge and had to take them in with me. So we picked out the big handicap stall and I put them in the corner and preceded to do my business. Everything was good until they both started to dry heave and gag themselves.

There is one where my sister reached in a toilet to fish out a hair barrette that my cousin had dropped into the bowl. It was a toilet at the Morrow County Fairgrounds during the fair so you know it was real clean. The best thing was the look on my mom and aunt's face as they came out telling about their great fishing expedition.

There is one where I know a woman who sat on a seat that still had a bunch of cleaning solution on it and it left a chemical burn on her bottom in the shape of a horseshoe. U :) I am just glad I still didn't live at home and have to see if it was getting infected :0 I just figured out that my dad might be popping his lens out on purpose.

There is one where Bepaw swings a maul back and hits the toilet cracking it. This leads to toilet water flooding out of the bowl and he panics and flushes the toilet thinking it will drain but it actually just produces more water to be gushed out.

I hate the automatic ones. If you lean too far forward at any point during your transaction it flushes causing this tidal wave experience. Even if you have finished your business and you are trying to leave you can not get out of the way before the splash. I find myself always fumbling at the door to get it unlocked to get out of there before I hear the Swoosh but I am always caught off guard because even if you get the door unlocked it always swings in towards the toilet which places you in the ultimate splash zone. It has come to the point where I now jump off snatch up my pants run to the front of the stall and hide in the corner I deem to be the farthest from the splash zone and hope for the best.

There are a few more toilet stories I will share later. I bet you just can't wait.

GOTTA GO!!

Monkey

Monkey

This story is just unbelievable. It really scares me to think where this country is heading. This woman basically goes out and tell the neighbor kids to get out of a tree and tells the father that the tree isn't there for them to be climbing around like monkeys. Well now the police have to be called and she gets a $75 fine disorderly conduct. :0

First of all this woman should have minded her own business. It was her neighbors children in their own tree with the parents watching. ENOUGH SAID!!!!! Leave it to a liberal to think they know how to raise your children better than you.

With that said come on give me a break did the police really have to be called? I would have told her that they were my monkeys and I would let them climb anywhere I wanted on my own property. More than likely I would have left a banana in her mailbox the next morning. :) I have called my own kids monkeys many of times. They all resembled orangutans when they were little with little puffs of red hair coming off of the heads and waving their arms and bodies as they took their first few steps.

I will tell you right now I would not pay the $75 and I definitely would not admit that I was being racist. Kids for years have been called monkeys and rightly so. For crying out loud they even have monkey bars to climb on. I'll bet you anything monkey bars will be called something else with in the next year or be removed all together because we don't want to offend anyone.

This poor woman was just trying to teach the kids about evolution. I maybe am starting to change my mind about this. I think we should fine everyone that teaches that we come from monkeys. These poor kids are getting mixed messages they go to school learn that we come from monkeys and that's all right but don't dare let anyone call them a monkey because that is just wrong.

For some reason I am really craving a banana right now.

Counter

I put a counter on my Blog on March 31 just to see how many people were actually visiting my Blog. Since March 31 I have had 53 different people visit the blog. Wow!! I thought there was only a handful of people. If you have a second just leave a comment so that I know who now knows all about my Charlie Angel Phase. :)

Taxes

It is April again my least favorite month for many reasons. The main one being taxes. I shouldn't complain too much because Chandra does all the preparing of the taxes and she just gets the pleasure of me coming home every night saying I OWE WHAT?? The last few years I have paid enough quarterly that by April 15 I don't get any back but usually I have a couple of hundred to but towards the first quarterly payment which is due also on April 15.

I claim everything that I make and tend to get a lot of crap about doing so. I have alot of people pay me in cash and tell me you don't have to claim this the government gets too much as it is, Wink Wink. Although I do think we pay too much in taxes which is not spent nearly like I think it should be, it really drives me nuts to hear people say this. Mainly because these are the same people that just 2 seconds earlier were telling me the main problem I have with people coming here illegally is that they don't pay taxes. :0 WHAT? I don't like people coming here illegally either and I would like them to help me with paying their share of the taxes. It just seems to be a little like a double standard to say they should pay their taxes and I should not.

Vision

As you get older your vision tends to fade and you find yourself needing glasses that have bi-focals. My dad has been wearing his bi-focals for a while now. A few days ago he woke up put his glasses on and everything was blurry out of one eye. He took a few minutes to let his eyes adjust like everyone does in the morning. Well it never got any better. He thought maybe his blood pressure or something was effecting his vision. He kept adjusting his glasses trying to see if he could get the bi-focals to bring something into focus. For 2 days this went on until my mom was looking at him and noticed that his one lens looked way too clean. He hadn't bothered to try and clean his glasses to see if something was on them, because if he would have he would have noticed that he had lost a lens 2 days earlier. I always have heard that your vision was the second thing to go. :)

HUH???

Training

I thought I would share about one of my greatest horse training experiences. We had just had Lexi and was still in the process of renovating the barn into a place to live along with a place to train horses from. I was really stressed. I just didn't know how everything was going to work out and I am someone who likes to know and plan out every detail of my life. How in the world was I going to be able to support my new family.

I brought the first horse in for training into our nice newly renovated barn. I had built all the stalls by hand. Earlier that day I had filled a stall with straw, had put a couple of flakes of hay in the feeder and filled the water bucket. As I tried to walk the horse into the stall he bulked at the door of the stall. He would not even try to go into the stall. I was getting a little frustrated after he kept refusing to go into the stall. I just could not believe this here I was the trainer and I could not even get this horse into the stall how was ever going to be able to ride him. Finally I just turned towards the horse and said You Stupid horse what is wrong with you. If you just follow me all of your needs will be taken care of. I have a place for you to sleep, you will have food, you will have water, and for crying out loud I will even clean you up after you have made a mess of things. Right then I heard the Holy Spirit say THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!!!! WOW!!! You could have knocked me over with a feather. I had such a sense of peace at that moment. All the worries about how everything was going to work out just melted away. I am not joking you right then the horse just put his head down and walked right into the stall. Often in the Bible Jesus would communicate with the people on their level of understanding and I think on this day he communicated with me in such a way that I would understand.

Beautiful Day

I know I always say that I like it cold but today was a nice change for once. It was BEAUTIFUL. The kids loved being outside playing in the sand box, running, riding their bikes and swinging. Little Winnie is having no problem keeping up with her brother and sister. As she is playing you hear her singing Twinkle Twinkle little star blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. She only knows the beginning really well. I had a good day. Jackie, my cousins wife, and her mom let me ride their horse. It has been too long since I rode and it isn't until I am on one that I realize how much I miss riding. I was able to swing up on by grabbing a hold of the horn, but it wasn't pretty. The only thing worse was when I mounted it bare back after we took the saddle off. I used to be able to mount a horse bare back like there was a saddle on it not anymore.

~~___(\

.../< >\

Charlie's Angels NOT!!!

"Once upon a time there were three beautiful girls who went to the police academy, and they were each assigned very hazardous duties. But I took them away from all that and now they work for me. My name is Charlie."

HELLO ANGELS

Alright Chandra is threatening me with telling one of my little secrets. She says she can tell it her way or I can tell it my way.

FIRST OF ALL I AM NOT GAY!!!

Back when I was a kid and Charlie's Angels came on TV I just loved the angels. In Fact I liked them so much I wanted to be one. So I took my boy scout survival kit which had the plate, fork etc all in a nice carrying case and removed all the stuff inside which left me with a empty bag that had a strap on it so it basically became a purse. Next I took my cap gun and placed it in my little purse. :0 All I needed now was some boots that zipped up the side, which luckily I had talked my mom into buying me. Now the ensemble was complete, so the rest of the day was spent with me running around (in my boots) outside pulling my gun out at every corner.

Next time I will tell you about my Daisy Duke phase:0

Off The Wagon

I have fallen off the wagon. It is all this Easter candy laying around here. I think Chandra is buying all this junk food just to keep me fatter than her so she can feel better. :)))) I am not smiling these are just all my chins coming back home. We haven't worked out in over a week. The spring break just really screwed us up and got us off of our routine. Well I got to go I hear some Cadbury eggs calling my name. :))))))))

Cute

Is this not just the cutest little girl you ever saw!!!

Rudeness

Lately every where I go it just seems like people are more and more rude. This last week end at the Great Wolf Lodge Chandra & I experienced it a few times mainly on the elevators. Over the years we have tried to teach our kids elevator etiquette if there is such a thing. Like to stand back when the doors open and let the people come off, wait your turn if someone was there before you let them get on first and try to make room for everyone. This last weekend twice we seen grown adults one woman and one man just push there way through the crowd to get their butts in the elevator. The man basically pushed a little girl to the side so he could get in there first. He was just lucky it wasn't my little girl. Like my dad would say I didn't know whether to pray for him or just smack him in the face. :) It was not the kids it was the adults. Even little Winnie would say thank you as we got off the elevator to the people standing there.

Then on the way home we stopped at a gas station to get some milk. I got the gallon of milk walked up to the counter to pay for it as the 2 employees were having a discussion that was a little pg13 to R in content. I placed the milk on the counter, the guy grabbed it never looking at me and rang it up. He never said a word to me just kept talking to his little lady employee that was standing next to him as he thrusted his hand out towards me as to say hurry up give me some money. I finally looked at the screen to see what I owed gave him a 5 dollar bill. He gave me my change and never did look at me or say a word to me. I don't want his life story I would just like for him to say Your Total is #### and when he gives me my change maybe a thank you or thanks for stopping. I definitely don't want to hear the trash that was coming out of his mouth.

This seems to happen more and more. Even at the drive thru at most of the fast food places. It is like they can't even talk to you. They are so busy talking to there buddies or the next person behind you placing an order that they just want you to sit there as they snatch the money from your hand and then shove the food at you as fast as they can. Heaven forbid if you want some ketchup or a couple of napkins. One time I sat at a McDonalds drive thru after they gave me my food because they did not give me any napkins and I just wanted a napkin. They basically threw the food at me slammed the window shut before I could even ask for anything. I sat there for just a minute when the window flew back open and I fully thought the gal would say did we forget something or do you need something. NO they just shoved 2 more bags of food at me not even realizing that they had already served me once. Then she looked at like she didn't even know what a napkin was nobody has ever wanted one of those before. :0

OK now I got myself worked up here. The other thing that bothers me is when they won't let you order. You start your order "I would like ###" and before you even finish your sentence they are already talking. Would you like that in a combo? No Do you want to Biggie Size it? NO Would you like to try our ###? NO OK your total is ### Wait I am not done ordering yet. They never let you finish an order without interrupting you. DRIVES ME NUTS!!!! I guess you just can't make me happy one talks too much and the other doesn't talk enough.

And another thing!!!:) When you are standing at the counter you have already ordered and they are now traying up your order. They say there you go I THINK it is all there. No I need 2 more cokes and 3 more fries and we had a baked potato. They get 2 more cokes and say there you go. I still need 3 more fries and the baked potato. They go over and fuss around with the fries for 3 minutes and finally come back with 2 fries and say there you go. NOOO I still need 1 more fry and a baked potato. Then they look at you like you are and idiot and then proceed to check to receipt to see if that is what you ordered when they just took the order 3 minutes ago. The one thing that doesn't really bother me is if you overcharge me a little bit as long as all the food is there and is right I don't really even pay attention to the amount you charge me. However this is where Chandra comes into play, as Stacy can testify from a trip with Chandra to a McDonalds that tried to over charge her.

It is funny because things that really bother me doesn't bother Chandra at all and the opposite is true. One of the things that just DRIVES HER NUTS is people and places over charging her. I am always surprised though just about every grocery store, clothes store, lumber store, or restaurant over charges you for 1 or more items and Chandra does a good job of keeping track of the prices and asking them when something is not right. Very seldom do you get someone to say Oh I'm sorry about that I will take care of that right away. Usually it is met more with a defensive demeanour as they insist that you are an idiot and they could not possibly be wrong.

If you really want to get me started ask me about insurance companies.:)

Last Weekend

We got up early Saturday morning and headed down towards Cincinnati to see a Castle. Not before going to our usual breakfast place the Waffle House. :)

The Loveland Castle is down in Loveland Ohio which is right next to Mason Ohio. It was a pretty neat place. I was amazed that Sir Harry Andrews built this castle by hand. Jaguar just had to have a dagger that was for sale there. It is just like a perfect sword for his size, although it may be a accident waiting to happen. While we were there we ran into Aunt Krissy and Clayton. They were there sizing the place up to see if they would like to get married there.

After the Castle we went to the Great Wolf Lodge and met up with Stacy & Shane and ALLLL their kids.:) It was a really nice weekend just needed to last a little longer, although we are all exhausted today. Neither one of the kids wanted to get up and go to school after having last week off and then wearing themselves out at the water park. After spending the weekend in a swimming suit I have decided there still is a lot of work to be done on this P90X body. 90 is an A so I guess I should say my P50X body.

The Last Few Days

This is spring break for the kids. :) Yeah !!! Everyone loves spring break. Makes you remember why you don't home school your kids. :)

We have been a little busy around here. I decided to take off some time to try to finish some of the remodeling in our bedroom. We got a little behind in our working out with Easter and everything so first thing Monday morning I said let's work out before we start hanging drywall because I know I won't want to afterwards. Not the greatest idea. I was whooped before we ever got started. By the next morning be were both moving pretty slowly. I had visions of getting all this drywall hung in one day and even mudding some of it. Didn't Happen!!

I think there should be some sort of reality show where they show parents trying to remodel or even work out with 3 kids around. You just haven't experienced Yoga until you done it with a 2 year old grasping a hold of both your legs yelling Ma Ma Ma Ma or some older kids behind you laughing because they can see certain cracks of your body. Heaven forbid if you get a little too loose and a little gas comes out then everyone is rolling on the floor laughing. I worked all day so no drywalling got done today. I have tomorrow off so I will try to get some more done. I am probably not going to work out though:)

Few More Memories

Here are a few more memories over the years.

My sister and her boyfriend eating waffles the entire trip for breakfast. Then the car broke down on the way home and we stayed in a hotel with only a waffle house next door. All of a sudden her boyfriend says he doesn't want to eat at waffle house because he really doesn't care for waffles. I thought my mom or dad one was going to shove a waffle down his throat.

Same trip after spending $1000's of dollars to take all of us my sisters boyfriend informs my parents they still owe him $10. :0

My dad hiding behind the door thinking it was me and Chandra coming into the room and jumping out and yelling BOO at some poor guy who was just bringing up some chocolate covered strawberries for a night snack.

Paul going up to get his breakfast coming back to the table just to find us all sitting there with shirts on that had him doing the claw with a Santa hat on his head. Then Paul thinking Kris added more hair to his arms in the picture when really that is just how hairy his arms are.

My mom trying to give the toll booth gal her dollar and it blows away. My mom starts looking around for another dollar as the toll booth gal is yelling at us just to GO GO GO. So we went but my mom had her head sticking out of the window yelling back at her for the next 1/4 mile "I was going to give you another dollar". :)

My dad always wearing jeans then going on the water rides just to find out the next day he has chaffed himself beyond belief. By the end of the trip he is always walking a little slower.

Granny having a miraculous heeling at WDW. The first day we were pushing her in a wheel chair by the end of the trip we could not keep up with her.

Oinkle Jonny completely blowing up at Prime Time Cafe. I don't think a table has ever been served so fast at WDW as it was that day. Then they gave us free desert and Lexi started crying because she didn't get one of the make your own sundaes everyone else had gotten. The server just came back and said what is it now?

WDW While Pregnant

We went to WDW in December the year before Winnie was born. Chandra was only 7 months pregnant at the time, so you can imagine she was a little uncomfortable to say the least.

It wasn't too bad until we went to the Animal Kingdom and I finally talked Chandra into letting me push her around in a wheel chair because she just could not walk anymore. After a long day at the park Lexi decides she can not walk anymore either so she crawls up on Chandra's already shrinking lap. Now I was pushing 2 (3 if you count baby Winnie) people in the wheel chair. I was just starting to get a little winded when Jag starts to whine that his legs are tired. Chandra quickly pointed out she was already out of room. So now we are only 4-5 miles away from the car and I have Jag on my shoulders while pushing Lexi and Chandra. I have never been so happy to see the car as I was that day.

Rice Krispie Treats

The next memory involves 2 batches of rice krispie treats. This time my mom and dad and me and Chandra were heading down to WDW. We were driving and Chandra decided to make 2 batches of rice krispie treats for the drive. It had gotten late and it was my turn to drive and I decided to get into the rice krispies. Well after a few hundred miles I realized that there were no more rice krispies. CAN YOU SAY PIG!!! No big deal just a few grumbles from the others for being such a pig.

We got to WDW and went to our first meal at the Coral Isle Cafe. We had a nice lunch but for some reason I was not real hungry. During the meal my mom and dad decided to ask me when I was planning on going back to college. I snapped back at them saying this was my vacation too and I wasn't going to discuss it during this trip. Fine everyone dropped it.

Later that evening we had my favorite meal at the castle. I always got the Kings Cut Prime Rib. We got there and I ordered the Kings Cut I could not wait to sink my teeth into the prime rib. As I sat there waiting all of a sudden I realize that I am not feeling real well. My stomach is cramping my mom and dad think I am still mad about the college comment and that is why I am not talking. It had more to do with the fact that I have not went to the restroom since I at the 2 batches of rice krispies. :0

They say that you don't remember pain that once it is over you forget about the pain. Who ever said that has never passed a 5 pound chocolate covered rice krispie treat.

Vacationing

We have been talking a lot around here about some of our vacations over the years. I thought I might share just how screwed up our vacations can get just to try and scare Shane and Stacy since they decided they would join us on our next WDW vacation.

Start the National Lampoons Vacation music here :)

Back when I was pretty young my mom decided to pack me and my sister up and drive down to Texas during the summer to visit my Aunt Mary. Believe it or not we owned the famous station wagon. My aunt Mae and her two kids(Cheri and Billy) came along, and so did my grandma who was on some kind of water pill or something that made stopping at every other exit mandatory.

It wasn't too far along into the trip before little Billy was stinking up the car pretty bad. So the next mandatory restroom break for my grandma his mom insisted he try to go to the bathroom. After about 5 minutes here came my aunt with little Billy in tow and down the road we went as my aunt described how incredibly much the poor little boy had pooped down to the length and diameter of the 2 turds. The worst part is we were all fascinated by the story.

Next we stopped at a hotel for the evening. It had a pool so all of us kids were in our swimming suits in about 2 seconds flat. My mom had gotten her bathing suit on but said she was just going to sit on the side of the pool and dangle her feet in the water. Imagine our surprise when we see her plunge into the water and start digging at her hind end like a dog with mange. :0 She had sat on a crack in the cement which obviously was the home to some very upset fire ants. They were now in her suit biting her like there was no tomorrow. If you think that was the worst part of the story you would be wrong. I spent the rest of the vacation having to examine her hind end every night as she asked me if they looked like they were getting infected. I still have trouble sleeping some nights because of this. :)

The rest of the vacation was pretty good. My aunt Mary thought I was just a little guy so she would only give me 1/2 of a baked potato and a sliver of anything we were eating at the time. She also liked to count the spoonfuls of sugar that I put on my cereal. We did go to a rodeo, a six flags, a horse breeding farm, and the Fort Worth ranch that was the ranch at the beginning of Dallas. I bought a 1/10 of an acre of the ranch, I guess that is my retirement home.

The ride home was uneventful except now my other cousin had to go to the bathroom, why she could not have gone at any of the other hundreds of stops we will never know but she had to go now.

Start the Banjo music now.

We got off of an exit that you could not get back on the highway from. We went to the only gas station around and asked to use the bathroom. They said it was around back. There was no door, which was alright because there were no walls either just a toilet on a concrete slab out behind the gas station. My cousin did her business but the rest of us, even grandma who up till now had used every toilet between here and Texas decided we could wait until the next pit stop.

The best part that I forgot to mention is that grandma was on the water pill because her leg was in a cast. We had a walker tied to the top of the car that we had to take off at every stop. Just about the time we got grandma back in the car and the walker tied back on she had to go to the restroom again.

FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!!!!

Global Warming is Cool

I am not sure how much snow we have gotten but it seems to be enough. We all went outside and played for a while. It was above Wilson's head so he didn't stay out very long. Winnie was having a hard time navigating so Chandra took her inside pretty quickly. Lexi, Jag and I played for a little longer. It was hard just walking in the snow. This is the kind of snow fall that I remember getting when I was a kid. It is still not frozen under the snow so when poor Eli walks out of the barn he sinks in to the mud which puts the snow past the bottom of his belly. I am dreading the middle of this week when this starts to melt we will have a mucky mess, which is where all the horses I will be shoeing will be standing.

The Pool is Open

Jag has been wanting me to open the pool, so as of today the pool is open. All of you are welcome to come and swim. The water is just a little cloudy. Lexi and Jag were sliding off the slide into the pool earlier when they had their snow suits on. It was all fun and games until Jag was running back inside and fell into a snow drift. :0

I just couldn't wait to show off my new P90X body. As you can see there is still a lot of work to be done. Be glad I wasn't wearing my pink speedo. :)

70 Degrees

It was 70 degrees this time last year.

However it was still a crappy day.

It has been a year as of today that Yo Yo had to be put down.

It seems just like a few months ago. This was also the weekend we spent traveling out to Indiana for a wedding. Chandra and Winnie was throwing up most of the way out there and Lexi threw up all the way home. I just kept driving with my head out the window dry heaving every time some one threw up. :) Our van stunk for about a week after we got home.

Change Change Change

All the Presidential nominees are promising change.

Do we really want Obama in the White House begging for Change?

Do we really want Hillary in the White House going through the Change?

Do we want McCain in the White House who just might need to be Changed?

All joking aside who would ever want to be President anyways. On your best day 1/2 of the country thinks you are a moron. There is no respect for the office at all anymore. The media can just out and out lie about you. You have to watch every word you say because anything can be taken out of context at any moment. Why would you ever spend millions of dollars to only make $400,000.00 a year?

Rush Limbaugh was wanting all the Republicans to vote for Hillary today. :0 I was almost going to do it because I do think she would be better than Obama(he really scares me). I quickly come to my senses and asked God to forgive me of my sins. I did not and will not ever vote for a candidate that supports pro-choice. I have faith that God is in control, although I am not sure why he would have any of the 3 of them as President.

Andy

This post is for Kim(one of my clients).

This was taken at her house when she let me bring my kids and all of my sisters kids to her place to play with the goats. This is my sister's boy, Andy, with Jag behind him. They just figured out where chocolate chips come from. :)

Ice Age

I just love this article.

Forget about global warming

Welcome to the new Ice Age!!!

It seems that in the last year the earth has cooled enough to make up for all the warming in the last few years. In fact they say that if the sunspot activity doesn't pick up soon we will be in for a Little Ice Age. The last one only lasted 5 centuries. I am not going to jump on the band wagon that we are all going to freeze to death just like I am not buying into this we are all going to die because the earth is getting to warm. Can you believe that Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for Global Warming when the earth just might be getting cooler not hotter. Makes me SICK!!!!

Of Course most the Libs I know are wrong most of the time. :)

EPCOT

This is a picture of me and Lexi at EPCOT a few years ago.

There is a place after one of the rides where you can take a picture of yourself and add funny effects to it and then send it to your email. We had tried this a couple of different times over the years but this is the only one that actually made it to my email.

Clinton Tirade

Clinton Tirade

I am sure that I can not stand 4 - 8 more years of the Clintons.

He states that:

"If you were really pro-life, you would want to put every doctor and every mother as an accessory to murder in prison," the former president said, addressing pro-lifers in the crowd. "And you won't say you want to do that because you know you wouldn't have a lick of political support," he added.

It is all just about politics with him and his wife.

HOW ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG!!!

Let's just stick our finger in the air and see which way the wind blows.

83 Years

Here is a link to a story about a couple who have been married for 83 years. It looks to me as though she was only 16 and he was 18 when they got married. I bet there were some family that thought they were too young and the marriage was never going to last. She looks a little more happy than he does about the 83 years. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Jaguar Seth Wilson turned 6 today!!!!

I let Jag skip school today. We (Chandra, Jag, Winnie, & me) went down to Chuck E. Cheese today. It was a lot of fun!! We got in and out before it got real busy. :) We stopped at Toys R Us on the way home and Jag picked out another lego kit which took us about 2 hours to put together. I let Winnie also pick out a gift since we really didn't get her much. She, of course, picked out a baby doll with a stroller. We had to take the baby doll and stroller out before we left the store so she could push her baby out of the store.

Ten Commandments

I found this on a webstie today.

Ten Commandments for Horses

1. My life is likely to last 20 or more years. Any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you take me home.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial to my well being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long. Don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your entertainment and your friends. I have only you.....

5. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when it is speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.

7. Remember before you hit me that I am powerful enough to hurt you, but choose not to.

8. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I have a problem that you are not yet aware of.

9. Take care of me when I am old. You too will be old one day.

10. Go with me on the last journey. Never say "I can't bear to watch or Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for me if you are there.

Happy Birthday Winnie

Today is Winnie's 2nd birthday!!!

Two years ago I told Chandra that she had to have Winnie on February 10th because I had taken that day and the following weekend off. I told her between noon and 2 p.m. would be nice. We were in the hospital and just finished watching the end of Price Is Right when the nurse said we need to go ahead and get the doctor in here so we can have this baby. At 12:16 little Winnie(8lb 9oz) came into this world. Now that is a woman who is obedient to her husband. :)

Winter & Jaguar's Birthday Party

Today was Jaguar's and Winter's birthday party at the Jungle Gym.

About 2 hours before the party Lexi hit her head on the banister of the stairs and put a nice little gash in her head. I thought she would need stitches but when we got to the Urgent Care they decided just to glue the wound shut. Lexi was really happy that they decided to glue it instead of stitch it shut.

Jag really enjoyed his party. He loved all of his presents and enjoyed running around with all his friends from school.

Winnie really enjoyed the party. She does a good job of keeping up with the older kids. She even tried the zip line. Here she is, after a long day of running and playing, sleeping with her tummy full of cake and ice cream.

P90X

We have started our 3rd week of P90X.

We are at least getting through the warm-ups with out having to take a break. :) We are definitely getting better in keeping up with the entire routine. Chandra could not do any of the one kind of sit-ups when we first started and is now able to do around 18. There is almost a sign of a bicep on Chandra's arm. The stretching still seems to be helping me the most. This week has been nice because I didn't have to shoe too many horses after having worked out. It is still kicking our butts but just not as bad.

International Hoof-Care Summit

I attended the International Hoof-Care Summit down in Cincinnati this week. Balance balance balance was the main topic of discussion. There are a lot of different opinions about what balance is and how you actually achieve it in the horse's foot. There were lectures on how nutrition plays a part in the horse's foot and the biomechanics of the horse's foot and lower leg.

What amazed me the most was how different farriers look from one another. The other thing was we all seem to be a real conservative bunch of individuals. I enjoyed the conference but I hate being away from my family. No matter how loud they are in the mornings.

Sad Day

This was one of those days you hope that will never come.

We just came from a funeral for my cousin Donnie Wilson. He was only 30 years old. He was killed in a automobile accident on January 23.

Everyone kept telling me that they were sorry about my cousin but there was more to it than that. Up till about 10 years ago Donnie was my cousin, I would see him maybe once a year at family events and just did the customary Hello how are you greeting and that was our entire relationship. Then 10 years ago we started to attend the same Church as Donnie and his wife Shawn. We were in the same Sunday School Class and a small group of us all the same ages with kids became pretty close friends. Donnie was much more than a cousin to me he was a very close friend. He will be missed.

Our prayers are with Shawn, Trey, and Taylor.

Damron Party of 2

10 - 15 years ago I decided to take Chandra out on Valentines Day for dinner. The plan was we were going to eat at the Holiday Inn at the airport and stay all night and go swimming. When we got there the pool was closed so we decided not to stay at the Holiday Inn but we were still going to eat there because we really liked the restaurant's prime rib. When we went to order guess what no prime rib. We were kind of bummed out with how the evening was going so we decided to try Longhorn and see if we had any better luck. I forgot it was a Friday evening and Valentines day, when we arrived at Longhorn there were people every where. There was no way we were going to get eat for at least an hour or two. As we went up to put our names in the Hostess was shouting this is the last call for Damron party of two. Me and Chandra looked at each other and about the same time said we are Damron. The hostess just looked at us like we were crazy but she went ahead and sat us at the table. The rest of the meal I just sat there worrying about a 300 pound muscle builder showing up and saying he was Damron. I decided if Damrons showed up we were just going to offer to buy their meal, but as far as we know Damrons never did show up. I know, I know it is not the most ethical or Christian thing to do but you just can't mess with a man and his Prime Rib!!!

P90X

P90X

P90X is a new work out program that has been on TV lately. Chandra's brother Paul purchased the program and has been working out. He said it really wore him out after the first couple of days. Well we know what he means me and Chandra bought it also and have been working out since last Thursday. After a week of doing the program all we can say is OUCH!!!! It is definitely intense. The hardest part for me is still trying to shoe after working out. We have done more push ups, pull ups, sit ups, and stretching in the last week then we have in the last 10 years put together. Chandra couldn't wait until we did the Yoga DVD because it would easy she said. Yeah Right!! There is nothing easy about any of the DVDs. I have really enjoyed the stretching aspect of the program it has helped out my back already. You can not believe how buff we are already. HA HA HA HA. I would just like to lose a chin or two and a couple of love handles.

My right wrist is killing me. I was trying to figure out what exercise was aggravating it the worst. Well I have finally figured it out. It is me playing too much Decoder and Sudoku on the computer. Who would guess that just rolling around and clicking on a mouse would make you so sore.

Swimming Suits

Well I wasn't far off, the other day I was in Target shopping and guess what... they have swim suits on sale. It is hard to think about buying a swim suit on a day like today. I am going to have to buy a pair or two since my other ones are from the 80's and are looking a little rough. I have to get there before all the speedos are purchased...I hope they still have some pink ones in stock. :) That's not a pretty visual!!!

Blogging

I have been neglecting my blog lately. Part of the reason is I got hooked on this game Decoder. It starts out pretty easy but gets a little harder as you go. I used to play this during study halls with a friend of mine. We never had more than 4 colors though. Tonight I have been fussing around with a puzzle that Kristen sent to Chandra.

The object is to figure out how the bolt got put into the wood. The wood is not cut and the bolt is not cut. This is one I made tonight but I am not sure I did it right. The original puzzle said it could have a bolt, nail or pencil through the wood. I can do a bolt or nail but I do not believe I could get a pencil in there. I am sure there is another solution but I can not figure it out yet. The puzzle is called the Mole Creek Wood Puzzle. I searched for it online and found all kinds of neat illusions.

Jaguar

Jaguar is a very sensitive boy. When it gets late at night he starts to think about things. Before you know it he is upset because he misses Grandpa Maya. Next thing you know he is missing Uncle Seth, Uncle Paul, Clayton, and the entire Pape family.

When he prays he often prays for me to feel better with my gall bladder. If anyone is sick he prays for them to feel better. He asks God to let Uncle Paul and Clayton to have save trips home.

I am always amazed at the prayers that come out of his mouth. They are definitely from his heart and I know that God hears and answers his prayers.

Horseshoes

I usually buy around $10,000 worth of horse shoes and supplies(rasp,nails,etc..) a year. The company I buy them from has never sent me the wrong item. About a month and a half ago I ordered a bunch of shoes and when they arrived they were not what I ordered. They were a make of shoe that I don't use very often. Now I had enough of them to last for 3-4 years. I went back and forth on if I should send them back or just keep them in stock and use them up over the next few years. I decided to keep them.

One of the Farriers that shoe around this area died on Christmas Day this year. My phone started to ring off the hook on December 26th. He had been sick since October and these horses were now behind on their shoeing. I took a few of these barns on as new clients and started shoeing for them. The first horse I shod was wearing that make of shoe that had been sent to me. I didn't think too much about it until the next horse came out and sure enough it was wearing the same kind of shoes. By the time I got done shoeing at the first new barn and then another new farm a few days later, I had used up almost all of those shoes that had been sent to me.

All these people had been using this farrier for 27 -33 years. Needless to say they were not real thrilled with having to change and get used to a new guy. Having the same shoe in stock that this other farrier had been using on their horse made the transition a lot easier. Now I have a hard time believing that it was a coincidence that I received a shipment of shoes that I didn't order that was exactly what I needed.

Funny Email

I got this funny email today.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a Well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the Well needed to be covered up anyway; It just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and Help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the Donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up. Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.

Live simply and appreciate what you have.

Give more.

Expect less