Thursday, December 5, 2013

Snow

     I know I have a blog for thankfulness but I can be thankful on this blog too.

     These past couple days we have been dumped on with snow.  I'm figuring that at our place we got 6 to 8 inches.  Others had more.  I'm thankful that even though the snow made it difficult to get around, We got out and to town or wherever as needed without getting so stuck we couldn't move.  And I'm thankful the roads are now plowed and I'm thankful that the snow blower started so I could blow out the yard / driveway.

     In these regards, the Lord has blessed us.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Small World

     We returned home today after spending several days in Brainerd Mn with my side of the family for Thanksgiving.  It was a wonderful time with lots of great food.  I hope I didn't gain too much weight. 

     When we left to head down, we left with 5 new inches of snow in the ground and the first part of the trip was not much fun as the roads were snow covered.  We even had to use the breaks because we found there are still deer around. One safely ran across the road and another turned chicken and ran back.  the second half of the trip was better and by the time we got to Brainerd there was no snow on the ground.

     While there I did some Christmas shopping with my sister hitting the early specials at Walmart.  To get one of the deals I stood in a line for an hour and a half and while standing there I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of me.  What a small world.  Turned out his sister works at Marvin Windows - the same place I work.  Not only that she lives only a few miles from us on the same road we drive several times a week to give either piano lessons or drop off/pick up a child from his job.  It is a small world.

     The next day after doing some more Christmas shopping in the morning, I went with my dad to Pelican Lake where he fishes to check the ice.  After walking out on the ice for a ways we chopped some holes to check ice thickness and found there was a good 4 inches.  Once back on shore we met another fellow who was out checking the ice - his relative (not sure which one) also worked at Marvin Windows and he has often been in the area.  It is a small world.

     I hope you were all thankful this past weekend and that you are thankful everyday - we need that in this crazy world.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween

     Today is Halloween but instead of going trick or treating - we don't really do that, I didn't something crazy or scary or something like that. 

     I got up early and took a trip to Grand Forks with my wife - so she could drive me home after having three teeth extracted. I was put under to do it.  The way I felt after coming to I could have probably drove myself home but you never know so I rode shotgun, and tried to imitate my wife when she sits in the passenger seat and I drive.

     We did stop at McDonalds to get a shake only to find that McRibs are back (my favorite sandwich) so my wonderful wife bought me one - maybe someday I'll be able to eat it.....  As of now, just soft foods.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Rain, Mud and Soccer

     This past Saturday we hosted a soccer tournament in Warroad.  This past Friday and Saturday we received 2.6 inches of rain. You could say it was a very wet, muddy tournament.  To top it off, the temps were barely into the 50's and the wind was blowing. 

     The Junior team - the team I coach took second place and while the seniors took last place, my second boy scored a goal.


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Going Out.

Soccer is in full swing with 32 kids on the team but that didn't bring me down on Monday.  Monday at work I passed out.  I guess it had a few people scared.  They decided to take me to the ER to get checked out and turned me into a pin cushion and ran this test and that test and told me I was healthy.  However...

The problem appears to be related to a kidney stone.  I have a big one they said and there appears to be some inflammation around it and my white blood count was up a little. I may have been a little dehydrated as well and when you put it al together, the stone probably tried to move a little - I was feeling it strongly that day, and that could have caused me to pass out.

Once I got home - It was back to soccer practice.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Soccer

     WOW - where has the summer gone.  I've been busy with my new job and now it is soccer season and I must be crazy because I'm coaching again this year and so far we are up to 31 kids on the team 12 of which never played last year.  Our first game is this coming Tuesday.  I hope they are ready.  On the plus side I do have three helpers.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Week #1

     I have made it through the first week at my new job which really has not seemed like a new job other than the fact that I'm in and air conditioned office with more desk space.

     I did learn a couple new things and have seen an increase in e-mails but that is about all.  Most of what I have been doing is covering my old job until the replacement has been picked.  When my replacement is picked I'll be busy cross training and once the end of the month reports need to be tabulated I'll be busy learning.

     In the mean time, I'm not going crazy - at least not at work.  At home we've been dealing with sick kids, mostly a 3 year old who wants nothing but to be held - 24/7.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

New Job

     I've done something crazy - I decided to put in an application at work for a job opening.  The job is a step up and has more responsibility than what I currently do.  I was given an interview and last Monday I was offered the job.  I accepted.

     My current job title is Quality Senior and as such I am kept busy.  My new job title will be Quality Technician which will likely keep me busier and I'll have 4 to 5 quality seniors indirectly under me.

It looks like my transition into my new roll will come mid May as the department needs to fins a replacement for me.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Forgotten Glasses

     I'm surviving the weekend without my glasses.  Friday at the end of the work day I forgot to place my glasses and my book into my lunch box to bring home.  To survive I've been enlarging everything on the computer.  Forgetting the glasses makes me realize just how much I've come to depend on them for reading.

     Beyond that, work has been keeping me very busy.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

4 - 3 - 2

     The craziness at work is over. We made it through the worst of our moves at work and have named the lines we now have  4, 3 and 2 with the last line yet to come being called 1.  as a result we can try to form a new normal and not have to work Saturdays, at least not for awhile.  Of course, working Saturdays made for some nice pay checks.



Friday, March 15, 2013

Crazy Choas?

     This week we made some big moves at work as far as rearranging our lines.  Needles to say it has been Crazy.  In fact, today I worked a 12 hour day as the major part of the moving was done today and I'll be going back tomorrow to help finish getting equipment up and running so we can run production come Monday morning.

     Beyond the craziness at work, I've been busy writing our Standard Work Procedures for all the new equipment / processes that we brought into the plant from our other plant.

     In the meantime we are still waiting for spring but the weatherman says 15 below followed by a potential for 6" of snow.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Over Time?

     The craziness at work has settled down a little, maybe.  Everyone is settling into new roles as we get ready to turn more of the department topsy turvy.  We are even working overtime as we continue trying to catch up before things go crazy again.

     As for myself, in all of this, I've been working on our standard work procedures - trying to figure them out so we can track everybody as to what they are doing.

     Here at home, the kids finally got their ski trip in after canceling three times and now the oldest boy is waiting to go to the chiropractor to be put back in place.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Crazy Work

     Work has been crazy as of late.  We are in the middle of a major re-layout involving moving our clad double hung windows to the Grafton plant, while moving things around and bringing into the plant the ultimate casement windows from the Grafton plant.  And we are doing this while keeping production running - at higher speeds or at least trying to.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Book Worm-ing

     For Christmas this past December I received gift cards from Amazon.com - a favorite shopping spot of mine. I like shopping there because I can often find used books in good shape and this year is no different. I decided to again increase my library and this time I chose the following:
  • Mysterious Universe - A Handbook of Astronomical Anomalies
  • The Ultimate Proof of Creation
  • The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods
  • Genetic Entropy & The Mystery of the Genome
  • Why People Don't Believe: Confronting Seven Challenges to Christian Faith
  • Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design
  • Dragons or Dinosaurs
  • Creation: Facts of Life (Revised & Updated)
  • The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask: (With Answers)
     I'll be reading for awhile - If I can find time.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Shoveling

     This past weekend we got some snow and as a result we needed to have our driveway and turnaround cleared out.  No problem I have a snow blower that doesn't want to start so with the help of my oldest boy, we shoveled, and shoveled and shoveled some more. Now if it warms up above zero I might go out and finish it.

     In the mean time, the temperatures here have gone from 50.5 on my new thermometer on Thursday to -22.4 Sunday morning.  It doesn't sound like well get much above zero this week and next week it sounds like the cold is suppose to come.  -22.4 is not really that cold for this time of year..

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

New Computer

     I've been wanting to upgrade the computer in our living room for a while for my wife and early last week it started making funny noises and shutting down and not starting up and......  I think it was the hard drive going.  So, I found an excellent deal, ordered up everything I needed, and on Tuesday, built a new computer.  I have most of the software that is needed loaded back on and was able to retrieve all the needed files, pictures, etc from the old hard drive.  This time I actually built the new one and it wasn't for me......

Wiper Blade

     Right around Christmas I noticed that the wiper blade on the drivers side of my car was busted so I bought a new one while shopping in Bemidji New Years Week End.  When we got home, I put it on and thought nothing more about it.

     A couple days ago my wife told me I should have changed the wiper on the drivers side while I was doing the passenger side because it absolutely did not work.   It WAS the drivers side I changed.  Apparently, the wiper doesn't like working when you forget to take the protective plastic off of the blade itself.  That said, It works great - now.