It has been a really really long time.  I didn't even remember that some of this stuff existed.  How times have changed and I've changed I cant really believe it.  I was reading some old posts and can't imagine where the time has gone.  I'll see about returning to the blog.

My kids went to St. George for this whole week. They left on Sunday with my parents and I am going to drive down Friday after work to pick them up and stay for a few days in the amazing heat and relaxation that is St. George. I just wanted to say, I didn't pawn my kids off on my parents, not in the least sense of the word. I will admit how much I miss them and their screaming voices in the house, honestly it's kind of lonely without kids. Must be force of habit but I just get a lot of Xbox time in and about nothing else. I do love those two little twerps and can't wait to see them on Friday, I might even have to wake them up when I get there and give them a hug and a kiss.

Well here's a recent photo of us for all of you that aren't on Facebook. These were taken the morning of Madi and Dan's wedding in St. George. OK i couldn't figure out how to post the photos because I copied them from Facebook to my computer. If I get the CD from Sarah then I'll upload them directly from the CD.

Work

I was working today just minding my own business when a three pound sledge hammer jumped out and smacked the end of my left ring finger. I could not believe the pain that this inflicted at first I almost threw up on the floor from the initial pain and then I almost passed out because of the lack of breathing that this smack caused. I don't think that I have ever had such pain caused by a hit to the finger. Maybe I haven't ever smashed a finger with a sledge hammer either.

This all occured before lunch today so probably around 11:30 a.m. and it is almost 4 o'clock and it is still throbbing. May be broken may not, and if it is I guess the only thing to do is suffer through the pain and the swelling that most likely with follow.

That's where it got hit, and it wasn't a direct hit to the fingernail either but rather a whack to the side of the finger which suprisingly didn't break a nail at all. But I am sure it will build up some pressure underneath the nail that I will have to relieve in the next few days.

At least my boss let me go out and buy a split, that the company will pay for, wow $2.10. Thanks Berk. So I don't keep hitting it against things unknowingly and sending shots of pain up my left arm.

I guess just the joys of working on a Tuesday at AmeriFill International, Inc. Oh yeah we did finally get the company bought out by some new investors so we are no longer Sorenco, Labs. But that doesn't stop us from hitting our hands with hammers or lfiting things wrong and over stressing our backs.

Well that about how life went to day.

Talk to you later.

weekends without the kids

I decided weekends without the kids really do suck this morning. Ok i always liked sleeping in, but it's really only good when you do it because of need not just because you're lazy and don't want to get out of bed. I always think on Saturday mornings that I should get to sleep in but for some reason Matthew and Ariana haven't figured out that the best sleep of the week is on Saturday morning from 7:30 on. They like to wake up at the butt crack of dawn and come into the bedroom really queitly and just sit at the edge of the bed staring. Ok they are really cute but this can be utterly freaky, I mean imagine waking up and still being drowsy and you turn over and there, 2 inches from your face is your six year old daughter and the instant you turn over she says "Hi dad can I watch tv?" TV is the last thing on my mind what I'm thinking about is what the ....? Where am I? Who's this face staring at me? Oh then life comes back into my body and I realize it's Ari she's up way to early and she wants to watch cartoons.

Then after a few minutes the monster comes in, and for some reason he always wants to watch "cars". It's a funny movie and all but come on starting at 7:30 he would watch that movie constatly all day if I would let him until bed time at 8:30. This is more than a mere infactuation, this kid is possessed. Everything he owns has to do with cars, I mean everything. We cleaned out the toybox a few weekends ago and found, literally 200 cars. But that's all right a kid's got to love something.

Well back to why I don't like the weekends without the kids. I have my kids every night after work and it's been that way, just Ariana, Matthew, and I for almost 3 years now. I miss them. I only don't have them 2 nights every 14 days. Ya I say sometimes I need a break, but that's just me complaining and getting overstressed. I love those two kids they are the best. We love doing everything together. And weekends that I don't have them I always think, great I will be able to clean the house, wash the dishes, laundry, maybe some maintenance work at the apartments. None of that every really solidifies rather I kind of just mope around the house thinking how much longer until they come home.

I love this photo, they are the best of friends.

Matthew and Grandpa taking a "shower" by the pool

Matthew's expression just seems so priceless, "grandpa cooking oh great". But really Dad you cook great and we are all always glad for your breakfasts.

Funny Tuesday

Two very funny things happened today one by Matthew Levie and the other by Ariana Chanel.

I was sitting at the computer looking over some blogs, stalking if you will. I just happened to be on my sister Sarah's blog (one of the best blogs to stalk especially if you have a dry sense of humor like her). I got the part on her page where there are pictures of her 5 kids and I was asking Matthew who they were. Now it has been a little while since he saw his cousins. We have been hanging out with a friend that has a boy and girl and Matthew called each boy cousin Kaylen and all 3 girl cousins were Rylee. I corrected him with their correct names then had to find a picture of the whole family so that he could tell me who Sarah and Damian were. When I pointed to Sarah he said and I quote "that is a mom". Ok I guess that is really right and when I asked him who Damian was he just said very resounding (like duh if she's a mom) "he's a dad". He says really funny things and can't always remember names but always has something to say.

After that I went into the kitchen and was throwing some garbage away when Ariana approached me asking me if I could help her undress one of her barbies. I have never been good at dressing or undressing these stupid dolls and then I noticed which one of her barbies she was undressing. Her aunt Sarah gave her a "Peruvian" barbie a while back, one of those collectors dolls with the peruvian braids and everything. I proceeded to try and convince Ari that this was not one of the barbies that she should really "play" with but it was to no avail she just told me "Dad they are just action fingers" I said they are what "action fingers dad they are for playing with". I couldn't help but laugh at the funny things that she says even though she is almost 6 she still cracks me up everyday.

Well got to go, see you all later.

Easter

We got to go to St. George last weekend and we just had a great time. The kids love all of their family down in St. George so much and they got to meet a new lady friend of one of my little brothers, Maddy. Maddy, along with their newest aunt Becca, made for some very fun conversations and also hanging out. Aunt Becca already has Matthew won over, he talks about her all of the time and loves to see her whenever he gets the chance.

Even when Michael is in a photo with Becca, he always says that Becca is in the picture first and of course later says that Michael is also. Sorry Michael he does love you he just has a "crush" on his aunt Becca, and what two year old wouldn't she is a great aunt and enjoys the kids a ton.

The first night that I was there I sort of pawned the kids off on my Dad, he does really good with Ariana and Matthew also. (I think this is why I love going to St. George so much, free baby sitting and the kids enjoy it also). Eric and I went to a movie, "Fast and Furious", they trick you into seeing it by putting Jordana Brewster in it. She is only in it for a few scenes and that doesn't make up for the other hour and a half of crappy movie that you are then forced to watch. When I got home, at 11 o'clock, I was sure that the kids would be asleep. They weren't which was all right I guess Daniel and Maddy had just been there so they were up playing with them.

Saturday, I had made plans with my Dad to go and get in a few games of racquetball at the Palms. Now let me say Dad has been playing racquetball as long as I can remember. We lived in Valdez which just seemed to have a surplus of funds so they had some really nice free city facilities. Like there were two racquetball courts in the Elementary school with a very large changing room, possibly nicer than the facility at the city swimming pool that was located inside the high school. (It will be hard to put the kids into the Utah school system, way under funded and way overcrowded after being raised on such luxury in Alaska).

Anyways we went to play racquetball and had a very good time the final scores were 3-1 in games won. Of course Dad won three but it is always fun to go and release some energy and also it makes it that much better to at least beat your arch nemesis once. I will have to keep up the games whenever I go down, he will be getting older so maybe I can pull off a few more wins.

We will have to see if he will keep playing or not, and I forgot to show him how to blog so that we could start hearing and remembering some of his very off the wall stories. Like has anyone heard about how he helped build the apartments when he was just three years old? Or what about the friend he shot in the butt? Love you Dad, and if anyone reads Becca and Michael's blog they will know that yes that 2 am conversation on Saturday night was ended because we woke up my dad or he was already awake and he came out to remind us that it was very late. I do love you Dad you always make the best of any situation.

One last thing, I stayed a little later than I should have on Sunday because we had just enough people to play a round of "five crowns" (my moms favorite game). We played with all of those that we could get these were those that played and order of how they sat around the table; Dad, Daniel, Maddy, Mom, Paul and Eric. Yes this was Maddy's first time playing and she came in second place it was amazing she was ahead of almost all the Goold's the whole game pretty much until the last few hands. Good job Maddy hope that luck never runs out.

Oh and it was fun to finally watch Eric kick Daniel's butt, he must have pinned him in about 3 seconds flat. I honestly never thought I would see the day that happened, it was really funny. In front of Daniel's girlfriend even, man that must have been embarrassing.

New favorite past time

yes this will probably change in the next few weeks, but I found something that is really fun to watch. Hockey, probably not on television, but I went to a semi-pro hockey game here in Salt Lake with some friends this last weekend. What a great sport!!! If you were there you will know what I mean, if not let me tell you about hockey. Who in there right mind would know how the sport is played sometimes they call a penalty "boarding" this is when you hit someone up against the boards, well it seems like every two seconds someone is getting hit up against the boards. So I am not sure how a ref can call one thing boarding and not everything boarding. Or "slashing" this is when you intentionally use your stick to "slash" another player. Hello isn't that why you have a stick so that you can use it against another player?

The best is yet to come, everyone knows about how big that a hockey rink is, well there are three skranny referees and at least 12 players between the two teams playing, and yes the players look like they should be playing football only they have on ice skates. So the best comes after there has been some slashing and boarding. What proceeds is what looks like an very staged brawl. It got the point where there were at least 4 players on the ground while the other members where just trying to hold everyone off. This brawl type will go on, yes they are throwing uppercuts and hooks at each other, once it looks like the skranny refs can get in there they start to break it up. I actually thought that I saw a few punches hitting the refs, but I guess that this comes with the job. So these refs have to break up these big huge players and decide which ones get penaltized and which ones get thrown out. Well you would think ok I knew that they fought a little in hockey, no this was not the end and this was only midway through the first or second period. What looks like happens is after the first brawl there are just a bunch of mini brawls that proceed. And little to my surprise the refs really don't do much until after the fact because obviously they don't have a very good dental plan. So what turned out to be a rather fun and new experience for me turned into something really really awesome. I paid $10.00 to see some really good fights, probably better than the ones that the E-Center usually has.

And towards then end it was just an all out fight against this little man from the Anchorage Aces and what looked like a much larger man from the Utah Grizzlies. One whole end of the rink was devoted to this throw the gloves off, beat the hell out of each other fight. It went on for a couple of minutes really until finally they both ended up on the ice and the Grizzly was literally on top of the Ace just wailing on him. And ya they had instigated a fight, those two, earlier on in the game.

I was so enthused after this game that I can't wait for the next Grizzly game, which yes it just so happens to be against the Aces, and it is during the playoffs. Man hockey rules, I might not understand it and probably wouldn't have liked it had it not been for the real devotion that these players obviously have for this sport.