where I talk with my inside voice
Christmas was good this year. The kids got Airzookas, Legos, Mathsharks, and a bunch of other stuff. Dixie and I got Legos too, so we all spent Christmas day at the dining room table putting our sets together. Santa also brought me a 3D printer, so I spent some time learning how to use it. I even created my first...
It’s been almost a year since I started my Notre Dame cathedral in Minecraft. Here is where I am as of today. Roughly half-way, I’d say. Still quite a bit left to do on the rear end, and a lot of stained glass left to do. So far so good.
A couple of days after Christmas last year I went to Lowes and stocked up on lights that were on clearance. This year I’m liking the results.
I certainly have a lot to be thankful for in 2016. We hosted the family again this year for Thanksgiving dinner. We also made a trip over to Eric and Mary’s on Friday morning to see Abby, who was home for the weekend from VMI. Then, in the afternoon, we made our annual trek to Meert Tree Farm to find...
Wednesday seemed like a good day to take off work and go to the zoo. The weather was cool, but not uncomfortably so, and we were about the only people there, so there were no lines for the train. We got to see some of the critters more active than usual – like the new polar bear – and Josie...
It was pretty exciting on Tuesday this week to finally publish my first novel. It’s been an embarrassingly long time coming. I wrote the first few chapters in 1999. When Dixie and I met, there were plenty of other things to occupy my time. I continued to play around with it for years, but it wasn’t until the first year...
The kids both carved their pumpkins and went trick-or-treating on Main Street in St. Charles, as well as around our own neighborhood. A good time was had by all. Photos are up in my album.
In preparation for crossing over to the Troop this spring, Noah spent the weekend camping with the Boy Scouts at Beaumont. It was a little chilly on Friday night, but the rest of the weekend was beautiful and good time was had by all. Noah’s patrol won the Iron Chef competition (for the second time), but struggled a bit with...
Noah’s birthday falls on a Saturday this year, but since we’re going to be camping with the Scouts next weekend, we decided to celebrate his birthday a week early. This year Noah chose to go bowling, so we spent a couple of hours at Olivette Lanes. This was also the year that Dixie passed the cake-decorating torch, so he got...
The kids (and Dixie) have a new obsession: geocaching. While we were in Kansas City last weekend, we did our first geocaching as a family. Our goal now is 100 geocaches and then maybe hide our own. If you don’t know what geocaching is, you can learn more here.
Sometimes you just have to go out and play in the rain. I am very grateful that the kids have had so many opportunities to do this. To learn that going out in the rain and getting wet is okay, and it’s not something to be avoided at all costs. It is if you’re a teacher, and for good reason...
We just got back today from a weekend camping and the first float trip for the kids. We stayed at Ozark Outdoors Resort in Leasburg, MO. We should have trusted the weather report for Friday night and waited until Saturday to show up to our campsite. But instead we spent a miserable night in the tent, listening to the thunder...
We like our quiet neighborhood. We like our quiet street. We like that nothing ever happens here. Which is why it was such a shock this past Thursday when a gas leak at the empty house two doors down from us caused not only an evacuation of everyone who lives on our street, but the closure of I-270 for a...
We were lucky to get some great seats to watch the Cardinals beat up on the Mets on Wednesday night. They won 8-1 and Randal Grichuk helped with this home run in the 4th inning. You can hear Josie squealing with delight during the subsequent fireworks. That was the best part for her (and me).
We made a trip to the World Bird Sanctuary today mainly to see our new “brick” that was just installed, but also to see the Amazing Animal Encounters where they fly the birds back and forth over the audience’s heads. The eagles, hawks, and owls all fly so close you can feel the wind on your face. It’s pretty cool and...
It is hard to believe it’s been four years since our little man was a Tiger Cub. He has grown so much, in every way that one can measure. He had outgrown his original Cub Scout uniform, so we went yesterday to get him a new one that will hopefully last him a couple of years as he transitions to...
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