Dislikes

You know how when you fill out a personality related questionnaire it always has that section asking what are your interests/likes? I wish that it asked what are your dislikes. I think you can tell a lot more about a person by the things they don't like than by the things they like because if someone leaves something out on the standard form you don't know if they don't like it or if they just forgot that they do and left it out. Now if we all wrote down things we do NOT like then you will know to avoid that crazy person that puts down...puppies. I mean, who doesn't like puppies? Serial killers, that's who.

Here is a list of items I don't like: banana flavored candy (love bananas!), cats (outside of a barn), people who don't know 4-way stop etiquette/law (don't wave me through, you were there first...just go!), pretty much everyone from New Jersey and a good amount of New York (sorry guys, your accents give me a headache), hot weather (unless I'm on the lake water skiing...it could snow on the way home for all I care), convertible cars, terrorists, country music produced after 1992, litterbugs, pink colored cars, dumb and misinformed liberals (or really, all dumb and misinformed people), invasion of my personal space, when Daisy barks as soon as we get settled into a movie (happens EVERY time, its almost funny now), being woke up early on a Saturday only to be asked, "what time are you getting up?" (my mom used to do this, hasn't happened in a while), going to any type of doctor, flying commercially (to tall for the seats and I ALWAYS am sent down the "you look like a terrorist-line"), round bowl toilets, rap music, small dogs, walking through spiderwebs, running downhill, red lights, dirty vehicle interiors, dry clean only clothes (its just never gonna get cleaned), tourists from Ohio (if you've ever been to Norris Lake or driven through the touristy areas of TN you know what I'm talking about), when my wife talks in her fake Wisconsin accent, splinters, churches that use the Bible as a cafeteria (take what you want, leave the parts you don't like), the P90X program, Mazda Miatas and the people that drive them, speaking in public, people with AGS (attention getting syndrome), non-recyclers (yeah, I'm talking to you!), people who act/say they are "green" because they think its cool or it advantages their business in some way (just do it because its responsible & right), people who don't rack their weights at the gym (I've got a whole list of gym etiquette pet peeves), bullies and people who take advantage of others, buying anything above at least 70% off, watches that don't keep time (why I'm still sporting the Timex Ironman Triathlon - and always will), a dull knife, chapped lips, Texas, computer problems, when Christmas time ends, sand, tables to low to the ground to get my legs under, mice, Comcast, when I start worrying about money or anything else, picking up a pen that is out of ink (throw it away already), Nickleback, rusty bolts that are stuck, and Hillery Clinton.

I know what you're thinking, "Man, this guy doesn't like anything, especially people of all sorts!", and you know, you're right, but you know what I do like: Puppies.

Where is my underwear?

So a quick funny story...

I went to the gym Tuesday and had a pretty decent workout but the real excitement came when I finished my shower. I went to pull out my boxxers and realized that when I loaded my gym bag in the dark I didn't notice that Yegi had accidentally rolled her sleeping shorts (plaid in color like my shorts) up with my underwear. Needless to say they wouldn't fit and I had to Commando it back to the house.

-- Having A Baby -- First Timers

I really don't know what to say about having a baby other than it scares the crap out of me 80% of the time. The other 20%... I'm asleep or thinking about cars. I'm just going to let you in on some of the thoughts and happenings since we saw two lines.


Day 1: I was working (see fiddle/farting) in the basement when Yegi came running down the stair with tears in her eyes screaming. My first thought was "dang it, I've only been down here an hour and I've got to get the boat running if we're going to the lake this weekend!". Then she started screaming for me to come upstairs and look at something in the bathroom...I've heard this before so I knew that no matter what she wanted to show me it wouldn't be something I wanted to see.


Sure enough, it was positive and I felt the blood fall from my head and I needed somewhere to sit...back to the basement. Gave Yegi a quick hug and a "congratulations/that's cool" type comment and went back to work wiring the ignition (which, by the way is not a good idea when your thoughts are preoccupied, I spent the next week trying to fix what I screwed up). Fortunately I'm pretty good about just not thinking about things that are scary/disturbing/unknown. So the week went by normally until I saw my sisters kids.


So my sisters oldest child J. is a holy terror. He runs around, screams, throws things, asks a million questions to which I have no answers (why?, I don't know J, it just does. Why? God made it that way. Why? He just did. Why?) and pretty much doesn't listen to anyone. Her little girl Addalee is perfect though, she just sits, smiles, looks pretty, eats when told, sleeps when told, and never complains. That's it we're having a girl, screw the namesake.


Its been about two weeks, we haven't seen a doctor yet and Yegi is dying to tell someone. We agreed we weren't going to tell until we see the doc and they say that everything looks good (however that can be since she has a freaking person GROWING inside her). Everyday Yegi tells me how I should be SO proud of her because she hasn't said a thing to her mother or sister, never mind that they all went to eat together at Nama (she knows she can't eat sushi) and Yegi pronounced that she cannot have anything raw even though she loves sushi. They didn't catch on here but certainly did when we sent out cards to our mother/sisters saying happy Grandmother/Aunt day and Yegi called her mom to tell her to make sure and be at home and to check the mail as soon as it came. Your a steel trap honey, a real bank vault, but I love you anyway.

More good news came when we found out that Emily Jenkins is pregnant and a couple weeks behind Yegs, then came Devan & Erin Accardi three weeks after them, and the most recent is Paige & Peter. So we're building up a good support group (I think we should all get leather vests with a club patch and tattoos - Babies O-10! - or at least an airbrushed T-shirt)! Matt is really trying to get he and SB on the train, so far his bribes are not working but I've been coaching him in the art of persistence (also, try the vest thing, Sara is into fashion after all?).

Fast forward a couple months and Yegi is officially in her second Trimester and now looks like she is having a baby (or twins). This baby is going to be huge! I was 9lb 7oz and Yegi was 7lbs something so i can only figure this baby is going to be around 16lbs (9+7=16).

Just before Yegi crossed the second trimester mark it occurred to me that I'm excited about this new addition. I'm not scared (in the meantime) anymore. It just hit me while I was driving back from the gym one night that I can't control this and that's okay. God is in control and he usually(always) has a better plan than I. I'm not saying that I will stop wishing Yegi would live in a big impervious bubble for the next 5.5 months or that I will unload/disarm all my weapons and countermeasures (Chaco is becoming more protective), but I am learning to let some things ride.

We find out what its going to be in a couple weeks and its a split decision...Yegi says boy, I say girl. As long as its a healthy one or the other I'll be happy.


...but its a girl.

Stay classy San Diego

OBX

-- Outer Banks, NC

Last week Yegi and I went to the Outer Banks with a group of friends. Matt & Sara Beth graciously invited us and 10 others to stay at Sara's parents beach house. When I heard beach house I thought shantee and hammocks (which would be fine with me), but this was more like a beach Lodge. Yegi, Andrew, Emily, and I shared a room of bunk beds which took me back to the days of sleeping on Yegi's old bunk bed at her parents house where I had to pull the mattrass into the floor to be able to fit (head off top, feet off bottom) to sleep.

The whole trip was like a trip down memory lane: Matt, Andrew, Andy, and I, who were roomates in college all rode down together in Andy's company fueled company car. Ford Escapes are not the best vehicle for 6'-4"/225lb guys, but we made the 9-hr trip with little complaints and one pull over from the police 10 mins from our destination.

Background: We went to Folly Beach a.k.a. Charleston, SC two weeks prior and the entire time I was there all I really wanted to do was surf, but I was a pansey and didn't want to do it alone and Will (sister-in-law's b/f) didn't make that trip. The waves were perfect and there were hundreds of people surfing, looked like a lot of fun! Fast Forward to the OBX trip: I have a tendency of getting something in my head and not letting it go. So I wanted to surf and I made sure Andrew, Matt, and Andy knew it. They finally agreed on the 100(0)th time I brought it up. So we rented a couple Lincoln Towncar length longboards and hit the waves. First day was something I have never experienced...I paddled, swam, pulled myself on the bottom sand, jumped over, under, and through waves and NEVER got past the breakers! I tried multiple times throughout the day including my last time at 8pm that night. I tried until it got dark when my arms gave up after seeing that I was still only 15yrds offshore. Strongest currents I have ever encountered and waves that had no lapse in between them.

Next morning was a different story. Paddled out past the breakers and caught my first wave (on a surfboard). It was 3 seconds of bliss. Did this until my nipples bled (literally). Now I know why surfers all wear rash guard shirts in the water. I threw a T-shirt on for the second half of the day and we had a good time. I'm pretty much a pro now and am thinking about changing my name to Kelly Slater (only pro surfer I know).

Other than surfing my favorite part of this trip was the food. I love food and it loves me. The girls did a great job of keeping us all fed that week. I think everyone had a great time on this much needed vacation. The girls that are teachers went back to work the Monday after returning and I know this was a good final trip for my little teacher.

The Booth's are selling the beach house so I propose next years trip be a cold weather location. Hey Matt, Andrew, Andy...I've been looking into heli-sking, I really want to do it and I think you guys would love it. Don't worry, I'll get you the info!

This was my first ever "Blog", hope it was interesting enough to of published...