Random Thoughts

I really can't stand our copier, the good news is that have ordered a new one and it should be here in a week or so. Thing just jammed on at least 5 times trying to make 50 copies and now I have toner on my pants. I am not a happy camper.

Next our family will take our 3rd annual vacation with all the kids and grandkids. In fact this year will be the first one for our newest grandson and actually for his parents as well. The last two years our youngest daughter and son-in-law have only been able to visit briefly while we camped. Their work/vacation schedules didn't match up. This year they will be with us for nearly the whole time. That means there will be 12 us together this year. Another change this year is that we are not camping. Two years ago the weather was brutally hot the whole week and last year it rained nearly every day and it stormed big time one night. So I found a lake house to rent for a week and we are giving it a try this year.

Can't wait to be with everyone to watch the grandkids, all 5 of them, to play with them and watch them play. To fish with my two oldest grandsons, the others aren't into it yet. To enjoy meals with the family. To play games with the family. To laugh a lot with each other and at each other at times. To have a few rousing discussions on some random topic. I am also looking forward to just being away for a few days, though if you read my previous post you know I won't be away as long as I had hoped.

The wife and I took some junior high youth to our district campground on Monday. That was an interesting 2 hour drive, junior highers are sometimes a whole different species from the rest of us.

Family will be a theme for us in the next couple of weeks. Besides vacation next week, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are arriving in a couple of hours from Kansas to spend a couple of nights with us. We will go to a memorial service for one of my wife's uncles tomorrow and get to spend some good time together. Then the day after we get back from vacation one of my cousins and her husband from Illinois will come and visit us for a day or two. I saw them briefly at my uncle's funeral about 4 months ago but this time we will really be able to visit.

Two men in my Kiwanis club have lost their wives in the last 2 months, both had been married over 50 years, in fact the one this week had been married 64 years. Wow, what a great example, but also what a great loss for those guys. I can't really imagine it, but I really feel for those guys.

In about 6 weeks my wife and I will celebrate our 32nd anniversary. Wow, she really deserves some giant award for putting up with me for so long. I can't imagine life without her, watching those guys recently really reminded me of that.

I have the best looking, smartest grandkids anywhere, at least that is my opinion and if you disagree you are entitled to be wrong.

It happened again this week, I took the car in for an oil change and tire rotation and made the mistake of asking them to check a few other things. Bad idea, because with a 14 year old car they will always find stuff and they did. Ouch!!!

I can't wait for vacation.

Here's hoping you get a break from your routine soon. Oh yeah, Go Cubs! They swept the stinkin White Sox, I loved it.