Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit once again in a quiet household, Phin and I are up early and I have no idea what is playing on the TV in the background, some kind of Billy Crystal movie and I'm up collecting my thoughts for the day.

We have no big plans for the day, we were going to do some smoking, but it is an electric smoker, I don't have the canopy set up and it's calling for rain all weekend those plans are put on hold this weekend.

Michelle had all of her rings cleaned a couple of weeks ago and there was a problem with one of them, since I always buy the lifetime insurance on our jewelry, the band has been replaced and it is in and ready for pickup today.

Michelle and I went to dinner last night at Apple Annies in Mount Morris, one of our favorite restaurants and learned last night that it was sold a couple of years ago and the new owners have opened up one other location in Grafton and are opening up one in Morgantown teamed with the Boston Beanery up on the Grafton Road here very soon. Same great quality and nothing to fear, still as awesome as ever.

The NFL Draft is this weekend and two local players have been selected thus far. Karl Joseph went to the Oakland Raiders at #14, making WVU the only team to have a top 15 pick in the NFL draft in 4 of out the last 5 years. Daryl Worley was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round. The final four rounds of the draft will take place today starting at noon if anyone is interested in watching it on TV.

Have yourselves a great day and make the very most of it.

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend, and a Big Ole Hairy Friday.

Well something tells me that Morgantown is going to be semi-quiet this weekend. Today is the last day of classes at West Virginia University and this upcoming week is finals week, meaning all the students are getting ready to head on home by this time next week at the very latest. Woo Hoo much less traffic around my city!!!!

Not too much planned this weekend, I kind of want to break in the new smoker this weekend weather permitting. We still haven't decided what we want to cook, but we are planning on doing some smoking for a trial run.

Not sure if I am working for RTI today unless there are some cases moved around when I go to other locations. My sections have been pretty much been worked out and for the most part has run its course.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take some time out and look through all of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off the internet. Little lost moments of time that I like to relive and share with everyone. Sometimes this is a pretty east task and sometimes it's not so easy. One thing that it always is however is a whole lot of fun.

This weeks picture goes clear back to 1977, this is my seventh grade class picture that I had taken at Suncrest Junior High School. Yes it is true and this once again confirms that I did in deed have hair at one time in my lifer and that I was not always folically impaired (bald). So there was in fact a time  that hair did reside on my head..lol

Times were much simpler when this picture was taken, Van Voorhis Road was a two lane road and the football stadium was still down town. The city was still constructing the Westover bridge and the old bridge was still in place. Burger Chef was still here in Morgantown and going strong and you could go to Chico Dairy and do a Chico Challenge. There were no WalMarts but we did have Hill's Department Store where everyone seemed to shop. The PRT had just opened it's initial portion from the Engineering Building to Walnut Street and the addition had not been built yet.

Simpler days to say the least.

Hi ho hi ho

Brain Fart Wednesday

Two days down, a couple ahead of us, now all I have to do is get up and over this noon time hump and it'll be all downhill working towards another weekend.

I've called this a brain fart blog even before I started to think of any content. I kind of liked the picture of the Dolphin and thought it to be very usable so I did. For some odd reason Wednesdays are the toughest days of the week to come up with new content or something to say that people may or may not have an interest in.

Michelle did catch a little of the stomach bug that is going around yesterday, she ended up coming home and getting some much needed rest. Hopefully she feels much better this morning and that was just a temporary thing as a few of her co-workers had also caught it.

I have been looking at some recipes and we are thinking about doing a little bit of trial smoking this weekend with the new smoker. We haven't decided what we are going to smoke yet, but we still have a few days to determine what we are going to be feasting on this weekend.

Have yourselves a great day today

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Well that most hated day of the week is once again behind us and we are staring straight down the barrel of a Tuesday, can't think of a better reason to do a tidbits.

* There have been 19,140 days since my birth, using the 911 day calendar that makes me about 21 years old.

* There have been 4,363 days that have gone by since I Graduated from West Virginia University. That is about 12 years in normal years and about half a year on my 911 day calendar.

* It was 2,964 days ago that Michelle and I went out on our very first date, pizza and a horrible movie.

* It was 2,188 days ago that we finalized our engagement, I got down on one knee and proposed marriage in the wee hours of the morning.

* There have been 1,725 days that have gone by since we had our wedding with our closest friends and family there to help us celebrate with a feast.

* I have around 5,697 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred here or there obviously.

* WVU and Pitt will once again play in football in 2,335 as the Backyard Brawl is once again revived. I can't wait to kick some Panther butt.

* Phil's Day happens in 282 more days, you may know it better as Ground Hogs Day.

* My Goodbye 2016 blog will post in 249 more days, this is when I relive my previous year based on what has been written here.

* There are 243 more shopping days left to go until Christmas, you still have plenty of time.

* I have 219 days to go until the next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday.

* Michelle and I will be heading east in 165 more days to enjoy the 2016 Springs Festival, we missed it last year due to some bad weather,

* In just 138 more days Michelle and I will once again go on our 2016 Cruise, this will be our fifth trip aboard the Carnival Pride.

* The Parrot Heads will once again unite in 119 more days to see Jimmy Buffett live in concert in Pittsburgh.

* Michelle and I will celebrate our Fifth Wedding Anniversary in 102 more days.

* In 68 more days we will have the Third Annual Friends and Family Picnic at Krepps Park. Hopefully this one can have some special meaning or memory the same as the previous two have had.

* There are only 57 more days to go until Summer 2016. Woo Hoo!!!

* This is my 4,441st post that I have written for George's Journal in the 11 1/2 years since I started writing it.

* Mom has been in the hospital the past couple of days, nothing to be alarmed about, this is all just a precaution.

* Nothing new on the Brother Search once again.

* The Hall Family Tree still has 343 entries in the database, this is a great resource for the next generations.

* Don't forget, Michelle is having a ThirtyOne Party, so please go and order some stuff so she can get some free stuff...lol

* Have yourselves a great day, live life to the fullest and make the most of it. Live it like it is your last one.

* Anyone interested in starting a career as a police officer? Morgantown is hiring if you know of anyone who is interested.

* Next week I will be away on business to the wonderful city of Morgantown, West Virginia to the WVAGP 2016 Conference.

* You know, you shouldn't fire an airport worker while he is still on the equipment.

* A couple of years ago Michelle and I were at a Steelers game, sitting behind us was this young man who was being honored as the Scholastic Athlete of the week, this past weekend he shut down Oklahoma for the Mountaineers. Congratulations Michael Grove, clutch pitching performance.

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

Well all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately that does include those fun filled things that we refer to as the relaxing weekends. Now it's time to stick our collective noses back on the grindstone for another fun filled week of work.

Going back to yesterday though, we did find a pretty good deal on something that we have wanted foe a while. I even stopped at Cabellas to look for a smoker that we found and liked last year and to see if it was still on sale. It wasn't, however I stopped at Lowes and found the smoker I wanted at a very good price so we bought one yesterday. I'm ready to do some smoking, we have done a lot with our kettle grill, but you have to stay and watch it. This one you can run with a remote and monitor everything with it and make it pretty much worry free.

Michelle has booked her own ThirtyOne Party based off my my niece Brittany's. She did very well with obtaining points through that party, so she has decided to set up own party and see how she does with that one. The direct link to the book party is right here if you want to browse around and would like to order something.

Have yourselves a great day and make the absolute most of it.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit with a purring cat in heat in the early morning, Phin has my attention and I'm up watching Shawshank Redemption on one of the boob tube channels and collecting my thoughts for the day,

Michelle and I went to Wheeling yesterday to see my brother Gary, he is doing much better than he was last week and seemed in pretty good spirits. We took him some Reese Cups and Chocolate Milk so he was pretty happy to get that...lol

We stopped at Coleman's Fish Market for lunch, Michelle suggested it and of course I'm one of those guys you really have to twist his arm to eat fish (sarcasm as I love fish). I ended up buying some Orange Roughy and bringing it home, I think we are going to have some of it for dinner one day this week. My dad always called it the poor mans lobster and he used to love it. The price for fresh unfrozen fish was just too good and I couldn't pass it up.

I did run across an awesome website last night for people looking for fairs and festivals in West Virginia. These guys have done a great job tracking and linking all the fairs and festivals in West Virginia for 2016 that it's a nice resource to bookmark. There are a number of events I never knew about on there like the Pro Lumber Jack Competition coming up in Morgantown next month.

My niece Brittany had a Thirty-One Party last night, I ordered a couple of things (tote for my car) and Michelle is setting up next to do a party. We have a couple of car totes for Pearl, so now I have bought one for the back of LP (my car) to assist in carrying things into the house when I go to Sam's Club without Michelle.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit yet once again in a quiet household, I'm up early watching Amy Schumer do stand up comedy on HBO and I'm collecting my thoughts for the day. The cats of course are also awake and just let me know that it was time to feed them and hurry up you stupid human.

I have to interview a respondent this morning for RTI, and 8:00 AM interview (my kind of interview) and then Michelle and I are going to meet with Joyce, a friend of my Brothers, to pick up a few of his belongings before we head west later this morning to take a few things to him. We have a small window of time this morning to accomplish this, but I think I have it well planned out and we'll be able to accomplish this within our window.

Other than that we're probably going to spend much the day in the Wheeling area. That means we'll either be eating at Coleman's, DiCarlos or some other eater up there that we do not have in Morgantown.

Have yourselves a great day today and make the absolute most of it.

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend, and a Big Ole Hairy Friday.

Well here we are once again, at the Anti-Monday and getting ready to enjoy a few days of fun and relaxation. We don't have anything planned on our agenda as of yet, but if anyone knows us that can always change in a heartbeat weather permitting of course.

I'll be working for RTI both today and tomorrow morning, but those hours will probably be limited and I should be available most of the time during these two days, not inhibiting me from any kind of enjoyment with my lovely wife. I do have a conference call later this morning and then I'll be going out to do a little bit of field work. With the Semester for WVU coming to a close, time is of the essence on this for me.

I think Phin is going back in heat again, this will be the third time in the past month or so. We are scheduled to have her fixed very soon, hopefully there won't be any conflict and we can get this accomplished without any problems.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out and look through all of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years. Little lost moments in time that were captures and stored for us all to share at a later time. It's one of my favorite blog posts of the week and I love looking through my pictures. Sometimes it is pretty easy to find that one magical moment to share and sometimes you do struggle to find one. One thing is always certain, it's always a whole lot of fun.

This weeks picture goes back to my Helmick Days (1991-97) when I used to work as a Metal Pourer / Electromelt Operator in a for a foundry that was also the oldest manufacturing operation in the state of West Virginia. That foundry is now idle and no longer runs, I poured the last ladle of metal there in 1997 and can probably make the claim that I poured more NiHard than anyone in the country at that time as Helmick was one of their primary metals that we poured.

The picture above was from probably 1997, they had made the decision to shut the foundry down and we were in the process of closing the doors on that part of the business. The picture is one if the melting room that I ran. You can see my jacket I used to wear, the ladles (front one was for NiHard and the back one was for Chrome) that I poured out of. The big yellow thing is the crane we used to load the furnace which is in the center of the picture. The lid id swung open and to the left as there was no batch in the furnace at this time. This was probably a day where I made repairs and set up the next days production (it was down to a one man operation from a 3 man operation).

Life has changed significantly for me both personally and professionally. When we finally closed the doors I had no idea where my life would lead me, but obviously there were much better things ahead for me. This was just a six year snapshot of my life where I worked as many as 82 hours in a week (yes one week, 6 12's and a 10).

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Hump Day

Two days down, now we're in the middle of the week with a couple of more days to follow. It must be Wednesday meaning we are heading up and over that weekend hump.

Today is also April 20th, or 420 as it as better known and today is referred to as Weed Day. This actually has no significance to me, but I know a number of people out there may like to partake in that activity and this is there day.

For the rest of the world it's the middle of the work week. I'll not be going out this evening for RTI, I usually like to take an evening off during the week and this is that day. If I had a scheduled interview then that may change my mind on the days I do not go out, but I'm basically through my entire roster and just trying to finalize it at this point. Maybe next quarter I can get a larger roster and something not so close to home.

I will be attending the WVAGP Conference here in Morgantown in a few weeks. I'm already registered and am planning on attending. I've attended a few of their workshops and have been a member for years, but this is the first State Wide Conference I have attended since the WVAGP was formed. I attended something similar about 10 years ago, but that was Pre-WVAGP era. It'll be nice to reach and and network with a few others doing what I do around the state.

Have yourselves a Great Day

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Well we now have our workweek started and we are looking at a Tuesday, that means tidbits on this blog.

* There have been 19,133 wonderful days since my birth, I am thankful for each and every one of them and appreciative of each and every opportunity that I can ass to that total.

* There have been 4,356 days that have passed since I Graduated from West Virginia University.

* Michelle and I went out on our very first date 2,957 days ago. Pizza and a movie were on the agenda for the evening.

* 2,181 days ago I proposed to Michelle, it was in the early morning hours around 4:00 AM, she said yes.

* It was 1,718 days ago in front of our closest family and friends that we had ourselves a wedding and a feast.

* I have about 5,704 days or so to go until retirement, give or take a few hundred here or there.

* The Backyard Brawl will be renewed in 2,342 more days as the WVU Mountaineers will take on the evil Pitt Panthers. Let's Go Mountaineers.

* Phil will once again step center stage in 289 more days as we celebrate Ground Hogs Day.

* In 256 more days my Goodbye 2016 blog will be published, reliving my previous year based on events written right here in my blog.

* There are 250 more shopping days left to go until Christmas, you still have plenty of time but it never hurts to start planning early.

* There are just 226 days to go until the next anniversary of my 21st birthday.

* We missed it last year, but we are going to try going to the 2016 Springs Festival in 172 more days.

* There are only 145 more days to go until our next Cruise, we booked this one last year while we were on the ship.

* There are only 126 more days until we go see Jimmy Buffett in Pittsburgh. Tickets are still available, come on out and have a great time and tailgate with us.

* My wonderful wife Michelle and I will celebrate ourFifth Wedding Anniversary in just 109 more days.

* The Third Annual Friends and Family picnic will take place in just 75 more days at Krepps Park. Come one, come all and lets all have a great time. Hopefully the weather will be much more cooperative this time around.

* There are only 63 more days to go until Summer for this year. I'm ready for a period of warmer weather.

* I have written a total of 4,434 Blogs for George's Journal in the 11 1/2 years that I have been writing this blog.

* Nothing new on the brother search, I'm not saying that I am giving up on this search but it's going to take a miracle at this point.

* Hall Family Tree still has 343 people in the database.  It has grown significantly over this past winter, but is probably in a holding pattern as the weather warms up.

* Spring is my favorite season of the year, I love the fresh air and all the vibrant youthful colors that it brings after a long drab winter.

* La Pizzeria on Van Voorhis Road had the best Cheese sticks in Morgantown. We ordered some Saturday night and these are the best cheese sticks that I have ever had anywhere and that is making a statement.

* I am thinking about opening up a Cicada Business. We'll ship them anywhere if someone wants some and my prices will be cheap due to an expectation of excess inventory.

* Have yourselves a great day and make the absolute most of it.

* Hi ho hi ho

Ready Set Go Again

Here we are again, the relaxing weekend is now exhausted and now it's time to stick our collective noses back on he grindstone for another fun filled week of doing what it is that we do for a living. Monday and another workweek are both upon us.

I do have to say that we had a pretty relaxing Sunday to prepare for today. We did a little bit of cooking and a little bit of napping and didn't overly exert ourselves yesterday. The cats both loved it as we were home and they were both able to go outside and lay in the nice warm sun. Oh to have the life of a cat...lol

Looking at my calendar I don't have too much planned for the week ahead outside of working. Hopefully the weather has finally broken for the season and nice warm days are all we have ahead of us.

You know one thing I do like about weekends? I usually get literally hundreds of e-mails through the week, some significant and many just spam. The number of e-mails I get on weekends, especially Sundays? Pretty much next to nothing. I guess even the spammers take a day off.

I hope everyone has a great day and a great start to another workweek. May your days be filled with productivity and accomplishment.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Well here I sit once again in the early AM up and wide awake. Phin and Sophie are playing, more like Phin is chasing Sophie and won't leave her alone, but they are both up as well as me. I'm watching King Fu Panda on HBOGO and collecting my thoughts for the day.

We did run to Pricketts Fort yesterday with about 10 loaves of old stale bread from the Morgantown Schwebel's store to make sure that there were a number of very happy ducks and fish yesterday afternoon. We had given most of the loaves to some young children there with their parents to enjoy the day, it was an added treat for all of them to feed the very grateful ducks.

We did walk around an old grave yard next to the fort, and it was there that I found the final resting place of Colonel Zackquill Morgan, one of the early historic settlers of Monongalia County and Morgantown, his father Morgan Morgan was who Morgantown is named after.

After that we took a drive around the area on some old country roads to take out a little bit of time and just enjoy the day and the scenery. Michelle works too many hours and sometimes just needs a little calm relaxation to recharge her batteries. We drove out past Valley Falls and into Grafton before returning home for the evening.

Nothing big on the agenda today other than grocery shopping and our typical Sunday morning routine. Make sure that you get out and make the most of today, you never know how many days you have left so make the most of all of them.

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Well here I sit in a quiet household once again, it's just me and the cats who recovered from that beating by the Sandman last night and we're all up. I sometimes wonder if Phin ever sleeps...lol. I'm up early watching Freddie Got Fingered on HBO and collecting my thoughts on the day.

I'm going to go out this morning to work, but Michelle and I are planning on going out this afternoon and cooking something on some grill somewhere. Since it is such a beautiful day we just want to get out and enjoy it a little bit. No road trip planned other than loading up the small grill with some food and driving somewhere that is not here.

Michelle kind of indicated last night that she would like to go to Prickets Fort in Fairmont and take a bunch of old bread and feed the ducks down by the river. It's always a simple pleasure and a lot of fun, especially if there are a lot of ducks in the area. They are entertaining and refreshing to watch. It's something we had done and a place we have went pretty much every year we have been together.

Get out and enjoy this fabulous day.

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend, and a Big Ole Hairy Friday.

Well I am working for RTI both today and tomorrow, but most of my section has been completed and it's starting to wind down, so I won't be putting in as much time as I did the first week. I got off to a very good start with a section very close to my home, so this quarter was pretty easy to say the least but it has not completed by any means. I'll be out today and tomorrow for RTI.

We did have an addition to the family this week on Michelle's side, her nephew and niece Jon and Laura had their second child on Tuesday. They named her Madeline Elizabeth and she weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces. They are closing on their house pretty soon, so I think Michelle is going to go up one Saturday and assist them with their move.

Our plans for the weekend are still up in the air, we are planning on maybe grabbing the little grille and heading out some place nice and enjoy the outside and maybe BBQ up some food somewhere as we enjoy the Spring time weather. No idea as to where we will specifically be going, but I think we both need to get out a little and enjoy some nature with hopefully nice weather. It's calling for it to be in the 70's this weekend, so I say we get out and make the most of it.

I hope everyone has a great day today.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out and look through all of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years. Little lost moments in time that were captures and stored for us all to share at a later time. It's one of my favorite blog posts of the week and I love looking through my pictures. Sometimes it is pretty easy to find that one magical moment to share and sometimes you do struggle to find one. One thing is always certain, it's always a whole lot of fun.

This weeks picture goes back to I think February of 1988 if memory serves me correctly. My sister Pam and my Brother in Law George's wedding at the little Drummond Chapel Church. This is one of those rare pictures when all of the siblings are together in one picture. Pam is obviously in the forefront of the picture, I (with hair) am in the back row on the left, standing beside Kim, then a pregnant Terri and finally Gary in the Blue suit standing in the middle of the picture.

After this wedding we all went to Ali Baba's in Westover where it originated. A place where Terri met her husband Nick when they used to work together all those years ago.

It was a pretty good day for all.

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday

Well that is once again two days down, now all we have to do is get up and over this noon time hump and it will be all downhill working towards another fun filled weekend.

I can't say it hasn't been an eventful week so far. My niece Amy got a new puppy on Sunday Afternoon, lost it by Monday and found it again Monday night. He's a few months old and I think he is a little bit scared of his new environment, everything should be fine here once he gets acclimated to his new surroundings.

The weather ahead looks like it is going to be much more suitable than it was last weekend for the immediate future. Hopefully last weekends snow was the last of it for the season and we can go back to enjoying Spring. If the weather is nice I'm going to have to talk to my wife about weekend plans. Maybe a little bit of Geocaching could be in store for us. We'll just have to wait and see how everything turns out. If the weather is nice we may just load up the little grill and cook out some place =)

Have yourselves a great day today and make the most of it.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* After a very busy last week, things have calmed down a little bit and I'm ready to do another tidbits after missing doing it last week.

* There have been 19,126 days since my birth, I'm thankful for each and every one of them.

* There have been 4,349 days that have passed by since my graduation from WVU. It feels like it was just yesterday but it is going on 12 years since that day.

* It was 2,950 days ago that I actually got Michelle to go out with me on our very first date, I had tried to go out with her a few months earlier but she stood me up.

* There have been 2,174 days since our engagement where I got down on one knee and proposed marriage at 4:00 in the morning.

* 1,711 days ago in front of our closest family and we had ourselves a little wedding at the Marilla Center here in Morgantown.

* I have about 5,711 days to go or so until I enter into the world of retirement, give or take a few hundred here or there of course.

* The Backyard Brawl will be renewed in 2,349 more days as WVU and Pitt take to the gridiron once again to do battle.

* There are only 296 days to go until the next groundhogs day, where Phil can once again lie to us, but I would rather him lie than tell me it's going to snow. I Hate Snow.

* I have 263 more days of content to write this year before I finalize my Goodbye 2016 blog and publish it as my last blog post of the year.

* If you are paying attention, there are only 257 more shopping days left to go until Christmas. You still have plenty of time despite what the recent snowy conditions this past weekend would have you believe.

* I have about 233 more days to go until the next anniversary of my 21st birthday.

* Michelle and I will attempt to go to the Springs Festival in 179 more days weather permitting. Last year Mother Nature was not so cooperative.

* There are but 152 more days to go until our 2016 cruise aboard the Carnival Pride once again.

* There are only 133 more days until we go and see Jimmy Buffett yet once again. This is something Michelle and I have done every year since we have been together and an annual event for us. The tailgate is a blast.

* Michelle and I in 116 more days will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary together, these have been the best years of my life.

* Time is slowly creeping up on us, in 82 more days the Third Annual Picnic that we have every year at Krepps Park is scheduled to happen again. Hopefully this years weather will be more cooperative.

* There are only 70 more days to go until Summer, I'm ready for some warmer weather to get here and stay.

* I have written 4,427 blog posts in the 11 1/2 years that I have been writing George's Journal.

* Nothing new on the missing brother search, hit a brick wall and are hoping for a miracle.

* The Hall Family Tree still has 343 members in the database, I'm not doing too much work on it during this time of the year.

* There are a number of great albums floating around Facebook about the city of Morgantown and days gone by. One, a series Part I, Part II and Part III. Remarkable photography of a time gone by.

* Since we have had so much fun bowling the past couple of months, I think we need to find a good miniature golf course around the area and play. I know that there is Coal Country in Fairmont. There are a number of Frisbee Golf courses around town, heck how many people have been to the top of Dorsey's Knob here in Morgantown? Kickball? I'm open to suggestions.

* How about a family blackberry pick / pie bake when they get ripe. Take a day and go out looking for blackberries (and geocaches) and culminate the day with baking pies and a cookout?

* Have yourselves a great day today

* Hi ho hi ho

Back to Work Monday

Well all good things must come to an end and that includes the fun filled things we call the weekend. Now it's time to stick our collective noses back on the grindstone and get back to work for another fun filled week of doing what it is we do for a living.

Going back to yesterday however, Michelle, Amy, Ralph and the kids and I all went to the Johnny Koon Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund Bowl-a-thon yesterday at Suburban lanes. We all had a great time and Michelle and I bowled three games a piece, I got the first two, she got the third one and would have won the series if this were league play as well. It was actually the first time that both of us bowled together where both of us bowled. It was a very nice turn out and I'm sure that they raised a nice amount for the cause.

Looking at the week ahead, this week should not be as intense as last week was for me, last week was the quarter kickoff and I was quite busy to say the least, but I am off to a very good start and should be able to cruise through the rest of the quarter with the bulk of the task already completed.

Hopefully Michelle will get some help at work and the help that she requested. Now maybe she can start to make a little bit of progress in getting everything caught up there, especially with everything that has been happening the past few months.

Have yourselves a great day today

Hi ho hi ho

It's a Bowling Kind of Sunday

Here I sit really early on a Sunday Morning, I am the only one up and I'm up watching Super Troopers on HBO and contemplating on laying back down and going to sleep for a few more hours, it's early even for me.

Today's plans are to attempt to go to the Johnny Koon Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund Bowl-a-thon and bowl this afternoon and help raise money for a good cause. I think there are a few people from my side of the family going today, so it should be a whole lot of fun.

Of course this all happens after we do our grocery shopping later this morning, a typical Sunday morning for us as we head out to Walmart and the Pheonix Bakery. Hopefully we will be able to make it to all of these events today, Michelle has been a little bit under the weather the past few days and that may possibly inhibit our ability to do some things, but we'll have to wait and see.

I'm  not sure if I have ever mentioned it here on my blog before, it's obviously something I never talk about, but this is April and I really Hate Snow. What is up with getting hit by this white stuff and the cold weather this late in the year. It's springtime, it's time for flowers and birdies, not reminders of Bing Crosby songs.

Have yourselves a great day and come and bowl if you can.

Saturday Morning Ramlings

Well here I sit yet once again in a quiet household, I'm up early with the TV on in the background and the two cats are on the prowl protecting us from any rhinosorus that may think about coming out of no where and doing a sneak attack. I have rewarded both of these feline warriors with some magical cat elixir, better known as cat food for protecting us and keeping us safe.

My plans for the day will be going out in the field this morning and working for RTI, the first week of the quarter when I wanted to hit it real hard are now over and now it's time to cruise through the rest of the quarter. Much of my section is completed, but there is still a good bit of clean up work to complete for this quarter yet to do. Maybe it is now time to sit back and catch a breather for a little while, I am taking tomorrow off to spend some quality time with the family.

Michelle ended up coming home from work yesterday morning sick, I think she may have caught a little bit of a flu bug but appears to be much better now. She has been working herself into the ground trying to carry her department until some relief is available, hopefully that all changes Monday as she gets dome full time assistance and some breathing room. It is taking a toll on her health and that is my primary concern. It's not a financial issue, it's a dedication to job issue.

Have yourselves a great Saturday and get out and enjoy yourselves to the fullest.

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend, and a Big Ole Hairy Friday.

Well that is partially true as I am working my second job today and tomorrow, I think I may take Sunday off as I believe everyone needs at least one day off from all of the chaos.

However this Sunday Michelle and I will most likely be going to Suburban Lanes for the "Johnny Koon Pedatric Brain Tumor Research Fund" and bowling a few games to help raise money for a very good cause. We went to light up night this past August and had a pretty good time there, so we thought we would do this bowling thing again. Shoe rental is free and it's $2.00 a game to bowl, come on out Sunday and help raise money for a real good cause. Plan on being there if you can.

Have yourselves a great day today and live it to it's absolute fullest.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to reflect upon my past and look through all of my pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years. Little lost moments in time to be briefly relived and shared right here with you the reader. Sometimes its pretty easy to find that one special image and sometimes you look and look and look and struggle, it is always a whole lot of fun however and something I always look forward to.

This weeks pic is of my Birthday Girl Sisters three lovely children, back in a day when they were all so cute and innocent. This was actually a family portrait that Terri had done and I scanned a few years ago. Randy was just a newborn, so my guess is that this picture was probably taken in the fall of about 1988 if I had to make my best guess.

It's amazing when we look back on times like these that it makes us reflect upon our own lives and how quickly time passes and we are just here for a brief moment in time. With that being said live each day to its fullest and make the most of it.

Hi ho hi ho

Happy Birthday Terri Rehmani

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my lovely Sister Terri a very Happy Birthday today.

We met Sunday morning for Brunch as a family to celebrate Terri's Birthday, all of the pictures that Michelle or I took are on Facebook. My sister Kim surprised Terri with a Miss Beasley doll, a very popular toy between the two of them during their youth. It was a good day where everyone could get together and spend a little time with family.

Terri is a very lovable person, I can't say that I have ever met anyone who has ever had the first derogatory thing to say about her, and in today's day and age that is one heck of an accomplishment. She makes everyone feel welcomed at at home any time anyone is around her. She has been a big help and inspiration to me in my life and my career and I am forever grateful that she didn't let me chicken out in 1999 from going to college.

If you happen to see this wonderful person today, make sure that you take a little time out and wish her a very happy Birthday today.

Happy Birthday Terri.

Hump Day

Well there are a couple of days down, now it's just a matter of getting up and over this noon time hump and it will be all downhill working towards another fun filled weekend.

Sorry about the lack of the tidbits yesterday, the time I set aside to write it was just a little hectic and I didn't really have the time I needed to commit to writing the most time consuming blog of the week. Hopefully everything returns to normal as far as blogging now.

I did have a good day out in the field Monday working for RTI, only problem was around dinner time I ran home real quick to grab something to eat and forgot my portfolio that had everything in it I needed. I had to return home to pick it up and by that time my get up and go was pretty much shot to say the least.

I guess the next family get together will be on May 28th at Coopers Rock. It's just going to be a pot luck bring a covered dish get together for everyone during Memorial Day Weekend. Traditional and historic Hall Food Fight is optional...lol

Have a great day

Hi ho hi ho

A different kind of Tuesday

With me being so busy right now, my normal Tuesday's Tidbits has been postponed for this week. This is the one blog during the week that is the most time consuming on me and I was just swamped from the minute I walked into the door at work yesterday. So I'm going to do an absentee Tuesday's Tidbits this week.

See you next week.

Monday

Well here we go once again with the start of another fun filled week of doing what it is that we do for a living. It's time to stick our collective noses back on the grindstone for another fun filled week of doing what it is we do for a living.

It's back in the office at my regular job today after working the last three days at my part time job. It seems like there is no rest for the wicked, but I'm about half way through a schedule where I am may possibly take a day off from both jobs. I do understand that to be effective one needs a little bit of down time to rejuvenate. I think mine is going to be this coming Sunday, but we will have to wait and see how everything shapes up.

Michelle is going to be back at it as well today, she puts in the long hours because they are basically short handed right now and she is trying to carry her entire department right now despite the fact that they are very short handed. There is relief on the horizon for her as well, getting a solid employee for assistance her partner in crime coming in a few days to help assist and train someone to fill that position.

I hope everyone has a great day today.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit yet once again in a semi-quiet household, Phin the cat that never sleeps is playing with my feet after reminding my to wake up and put fresh food in her bowl that she's not going to eat. We're up too early looking for something to watch on NetFlix and catching our collective thoughts for the day.

Later this morning we are going to do a Birthday Brunch for my sister Terri, her birthday is later this week but we are using the opportunity for a little get together time for the family. We are trying ti do one a month and this will make the fourth month in a row we have had some kind of get together, now we just need to start planning for May...lol

I had my second day out in the field yesterday, it was a rough start to the day, but I did manage to work through and visit my entire quarters list the first two days, now it's going to be a going back and trying to fill in the gaps of people who were not home and completing some of the scheduled interviews that I have. I did have one or two households that were less than receptive yesterday, but I did manage to finalize of of them and won't have to return there. I'll head back out in the field this afternoon and ending a long seven day stretch of working before I start another week long stretch tomorrow. It's not so bad, there are times when this job is fun as well as the times when it is not so much...lol

I did try a new Pizzeria yesterday, La Pizzeria opened up a couple of days ago across the street in the Valley Mart Plaza. We had the Pizza and it was actually pretty good, home made dough and fresh toppings at a fair and reasonable price. They offer Pizza, Rolls and Calzones, Subs and Wraps, Salads, Appetizers and offer daily specials. There are three new businesses opening up across the road this just being the first. There will be a hot spot going in where the Downstairs of MiHaley's used to be and a new bar/nightclub called Mick's will be going in upstairs above the Pizzeria and Hot Spot.

I hope everyone has a great day today.

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Well here Phin and I sit in a quiet household, we're both up watching the  Rocky and Bullwinkle Movie and collecting our thoughts on the morning and trying to wake up. I'm probably going to lay back down after I write this as I have a long day ahead of me.

Yesterday was my first field day with RTI, I actually kind of wore my mentor out as the area we were doing was just a whole lot of stairs and many of the places we had to do were very high up and it seemed like we got all of those...lol. I'll be heading back out this afternoon as this will be my longest field day of the week typically

My morning however is free and I'm not sure if we are going to get into anything. Yesterday morning I drove to Fairmont to pick up a bunch of Yanns Hot Dogs. It had been a number of years since I had been there and Michelle had never had them before, so I took advantage of the opportunity for her to try the Yanns. If you have never had Yanns before, they are very spicy and very hot, Michelle took one bite and was in need of some chocolate milk, but she liked them once she had time to sit down and eat them with something to cool her mouth down.

I hope everyone has a great day today, I'm sure that I'll be getting my exercise in that is for sure.

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend, and a Big Ole Hairy Friday.

I really am not starting a weekend, but instead just switching gears and going to start my fieldwork today for NSDUH and my second job. I'll be rather busy on that job starting now until probably the end of the quarter, so my free time that I once knew is going to start to become more and more scarce so to speak. to say that I am going to be very busy is an absolute understatement, but I guess that this is a good thing.

No weekend plans for me other than working and trying to spend a little bit of time with my wonderful wife since we have spent next to no time together over the past few weeks and that is coming from the extra work load from her job as well as mine.

Hopefully we can take a few hours out this weekend and spend some quality time together.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho