Goodbye 2021

 January

* At the start of January, I was doing some contract tracing for RTI and Partners in Health for the state of Massachusetts. 

* January 6th was a sad day, as the US Congress was trying to certify the election results, there was an insurrection that took over the Capital building. 

* My career as a contract tracer ended at the end of January, our contract was up and we transitioned to doing Field Work. 

February

* Phil decided to be difficult, the little rodent saw his shadow. 

* I had to do my yearly certification for RTI, this was the first year that I did not have to travel to do it somewhere else, such as St Louis. It was all done from the comfort of my home. 

* Our old 4 legged neighbors Lilly had crossed the rainbow bridge. The little Rock of Love is still around and is doing well. 

* Michelle and I traveled to Baltimore for a job interview. I was being interviewed for the GIS person for school bus routing in the area. It was a nice trip, didn't get work out though. We both like Baltimore. 

March

* They ended up flattening the two houses beside us, Patty's old houses that she sold. Both residences were completely removed and flattened. 

* I traveled for the first time to work for RTI this year. Something that I would do pretty consistently throughout the next couple of quarters. 

* Michelle and I got our first COVID shots thanks to my wonderful niece Brittany. 

* We went over to my sister Kim's to teach her how to fly her drone, she was pretty nervous for her first flight, but it all came naturally. 

April

* April the Giraffe, someone that Michelle has a lot of memorabilia for and one that she give birth a couple of time, had passed away. 

* Michelle, Hatley and Tyler all took a trip to Bethany Beach, Delaware to check out where we were all going to be staying for the wedding coming up in June. 

* Michelle had lost her Grandmother, known as Gigi on this blog, during April. She had reached the age of about 99 3/4 when she passed. 

May

* May started out with a bang, her and Tyler's co-ed Bridal shower was held at Woodland Church and turned out pretty well. 

* I did a lot of traveling for RTI for a few months, I was spending a lot of time in the Northern Panhandle. 

* I had to upgrade my iPhone 7 Plus to an iPhone 11. Mine started to crap out on battery life and it just had to be replaced. 

* I also had to retire my Computer and replace my home PC. It was just getting old and having some serious issues, plus it was running a version of Windows that was no longer being supported. 

* Michelle got a job offer from FD Kitchens and Bath, her current employer. 

June

* Michelle and I headed to Bethany Beach Delaware to prepare for Hayley's wedding. 

* After a long weekend of festivities, about a year and a half of planning and a few worrisome moments, Hayley and Tyler had a magical wedding on Assateague Island where the wild ponies all lines up and watched the event and then came and mingled with the wedding party. Could not have been planned that well. 

* My cousin Marrianne Friel had passed away while Michelle and I were away. She always had that magnetic personality. 

* Michelle started working for FD Kitchens and Bath. 

* Hayley and Tyler enjoyed a beautiful honeymoon in San Diego. 

* As an amazing group effort, we managed to get Mom and Gerald moved into Unity Manor. It is much closer to town and more suitable for their needs. 

July

*We started out the month with a nice trip to Hovatters Zoo so that Michelle could stick a carrot in her mouth and have a Giraffe come down and grab it out of her mouth. 

* Amy and Ralph moved into their new home and hosted a House Warming Party for everyone. Michelle and I went and had a good time, I thought that they did an amazing job with the entire build. 

* I hooked Mom's glucose monitor up to her iPhone. 

August

* Michelle and I Celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Hard to believe she has put up with me for that long. 

* We were invited and actually went to a cookout at my Sister Terri's. Nick's sister Samira had come into town and her and Nasrin were coming down and we were invited. 

* I got both of our cars inspected for the year, they both come up for inspection every August so it's twice the headache and a shorter period. They both passed. 

* Michelle's family all gathered back in East Liverpool to celebrate Gigi's birthday, it was an event that they had been planning for some time and they still celebrated it despite her passing a few months earlier. 

September

* I reached the 17 year anniversary of me becoming a Blogger, hard to believe that I have been doing this for that long of a period of time. 

* I traveled to the Eastern Panhandle to work for RTI, I had worked the Northern Panhandle before, so why not cover the eastern one. 

* I accepted my offer from ConsultUSA to work for Duquense Light, I had to do a follicle drug screen and that lead to one heck of an adventure as the place they set up only extracts it from the top of the head. 

October

* Michelle went on her annual girls' trip with Kim, Terri, Val, Amy, Brittany and a few others. This is the second year in a row that they have gone down and enjoyed themselves. 

* I started a new job working for ConsultUSA, a contract that is carried into 2022 and hopefully a little longer. I really enjoy doing GIS and it felt good getting back into it. 

* I made a Pampered Chef order to assist with Michelle's party that she had going. We love Pampered Chef products and we do have a great deal of it. 

* Michelle officially went on FD Kitchen's payroll as her contract with the temp company was completed. 

November

* The month started off with me getting a weekend off. COVID had made Monoingalia County ineligible to work for about a week, so no RTI work the first weekend. 

* We managed to take our AC out of the window and take our EZ Up that we put in the back yard down for the winter. 

* Michelle and I enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home. We were supposed to try to go bowling, but we both fell asleep a little early and didn't make it. 

December

* December was a busy month, for the most part, working in Hundred for RTI for the first half of the month before shutting it down for the year. 

* Michelle and I did put up a Christmas tree this year, albeit a small one that was prelit, but we haven't put a big one up since 2019. 

* Michelle and her sister cousin Julie went Christmas Shopping together in Washington PA for a day. 

* We spent Christmas Eve once again at my Sister Terri's and Christmas Day with Michelle's Sister Chris. 

* I have written 382 BLOGS for 2021, this being the final one. 

* See you in 2022. 

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward 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 New Years Eve Friday.

This is actually my next to last post of the year, coming up at around 9:00 will be my Goodbye 2021 Blog that is all set to post. It's where I go through my year month by month according to what I put in my BLOG. 

I'm off today and enjoying a nice three-day weekend, training starts up for RTI again next week so I have to take this time and enjoy it. Michelle is also off until Monday, so a few chores may be in line for us, but I plan on watching a little bit of football over the weekend. 

No plans for us tonight, we never do go out but to anyone who does know that COVID is here and more and more people, even within my own circle are testing positive. I'm fine and Michelle is fine, but Hayley and Tyler who were here Monday tested Positive on Tuesday so we are being precautious. We have both had all three shots to date and are good. If anyone else is going out tonight, make sure that you use a designated driver or install Uber or something on your phone to be able to safely get to where you are going. 

See you on the other side of 2021

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from someplace on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up and recall or relive the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it has always been a whole lot of fun.

This weeks pic goes back to my last hours of Bachelorhood, where many grooms would be out running around, we were setting up the Wedding Venue the night before the wedding. 

We did have a lot of helping hands in helping us set up that night, instead of a rehearsal dinner Michelle and I bought a bunch of Pizzas and we chowed down as we transformed the Marilla Center into a tropical paradise. We were both very thankful for so many friends and family to step in and assist, we could not have done it without you. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

One last time this year, Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* It's the week between Christmas and New Years, still a good enough reason to do tidbits. 

* It has been 21,214 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new and improved 991 day Calender. I prefer my calendar as it is the best calendar and it is variable. 

* It has been 6,448 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. This current group is finishing up finals this week and some will be graduating on Saturday. 

* 5,032 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, Pizza Hut and 10,000 BC, would you believe Michelle still talked to me after that movie choice. 

* 4,254 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she was expecting it as we had already bought the engagement ring and it was sitting in the safe. 

* It was 3,797 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, seems like it was just yesterday. 

* I have now lived 1,419 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong. It really brings into the perception of just how young he was. 

* I have 3,711 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. 

* There are 363 more shopping days left until Christmas 2022.

* The next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 338 more days. 

* The next Backyard Brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 257 days away. Good thing we didn't play them this year, Pitt was actually pretty good. 

* There are 221 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eleventh Wedding Anniversary together. =)

* There are only 83 days until the start of Spring 2022. My favorite season of the year rolls around again. 

* There are 43 days until Michelle and I head to Pittsburgh to see Reba in concert. The Concert was supposed to be this August (actually it was supposed to be in March of last year) and they have moved it until the middle of February next year. So basically I bought tickets for a concert in 2022 in 2019. 

* 34 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day, he has ended his winter vacation and can once again be seen in the back yard eating the Corn Michelle puts out. 

* 3 more days to go until my Goodbye 2021 Blog is posted, it's been eventful. I have it started. 

* I have written 6,640 blogs in the now 17 1/4 years since I started blogging. Seems like it was just yesterday that I started all of this. 

* Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. 

* WVU football is going Bowling against Minnesota. The game is tonight. 

* Hayley, Tyler and Luke stopped by yesterday for their Christmas Gifts. 

* I'm Not sure if I have ever mentioned to anyone ever before, or if I have even said anything on this blog about it, but I Hate Snow. 

* Have yourselves a great day.  

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

Well, the Christmas Holiday is now completely over with, even the day after Christmas that was part of the weekend. Now it is time to take our collective butts back to work and stick our collective noses back onto that grindstone of doing what we all do for a living. 

It's going to be a second consecutive short week for me, last weekend was a three-day weekend as this one will be due to New Years. Do Michelle or I have any plans? Nope, we'll both be sleeping by the time the New Year begins. 

No big plans for this week, I know the Mountaineers play their bowl game tomorrow night at 10:00 PM. That's an awful late start, I may just have to record that game and watch it the next day if need be. I'm sure I'll be up a few times throughout the night to check the score and get updates on the game. If we play a bad game I'll get plenty of sleep, I had the same strategy years ago for the Orange Bowl, and wouldn't you know I watched the whole thing.

I hope everyone has a great day. lets get this started again. 

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit in a quiet Household, the Christmas Story Marathon is over with, the Christmas festivities are completed and the Countdown of shopping days until next Christmas has begun. The good news is there are probably a number of sales to take advantage of in the next week or so. 

Michelle and I had a great Christmas Holiday starting with Christmas Eve at Terri's and culminating with Christmas Dinner at her sister Chris's house. 

Plans for the day are basically to get back to normal and post-Christmas shopping. That means planning out our meals for the week and going shopping, the same thing that we pretty much do every week and every Sunday morning. 

I have gotten a pretty good start on my Goodbye 2021 BLOG that posts later this week where I relive the previous year month by month based on the content that I have put into and shared on my blog. It's a fun time where I take a little bit of time out and reflect on my year month by month and day by day. It really is relaxing and enjoyable, especially since I try to produce a new post every day. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Merry Christmas

 

Country Christmas

Christmas Eve Videos past.

Every year I try, or should I say I attempt to try to put together a Christmas Video from our Christmas Eve. I've done a number of these through the years, enjoy some of my past work and Merry Christmas Eve.

2020

2019

 

2018



2016



2015




2014




2013

2012

2008




2007



It doesn't appear that I did one for 2006, but here is one of the first videos that I ever did to fill in a little.





2005 which is probably my all time favorite one that I have done.




2004



1999 Which was my Dad's last Christmas

Big Ole Hairy Christmas Eve Friday

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward 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 Christmas Eve Friday.

Watch this blog around 9:00, that's when the post with all the previous Christmas Eve past videos posts for you all to see. 

It's Christmas Eve, the time of the year when the family assembles for a good time and just to be together. Once again this year we will be traveling to my sister Terri's, taking some Hot Sausage and eating some of Nick's Prime Rib that he makes every year. My camera will once again be in tow and I'm going to have to figure out what music to put the pictures to for this year's video. No clues yet, but I'm open to any and all suggestions. 

Michelle and I are both off today, do you believe I get a three-day weekend? I'm quite happy for that as it is time for a little bit of a break. 

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Christmas Eve and Christmas Holiday. 

Oh, and you can track Santa on NORADS Santa Tracker to determine where the big man is at. His journey may have already started. 

Photo Flashback Thursday

 

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from someplace on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up and recall or relive the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it has always been a whole lot of fun.

This picture seems like it was just yesterday, but it has been over 14 years. Chris O (Hector from WVAQ and on the right) had a college buddy who did in game entertainment for the Pittsburgh Pirates (Chris does it for WVU). He invited me and a couple other softball teammates, Chewy (the bog wookie looking guy who runs the cameras in the end zone or on the court for WVU and Phil (yellow shirt) who was employed by the Athletic Department at the time but since went back and got another masters and teaches History in the local school district. We all took the afternoon and took in a Pirate game. The Pirates beat the Padres that day 4-1

The day was a lot of fun, and that was me with some of my boys of Summer that I enjoyed playing with. We were the team that was discussed every Monday morning on WVAQ Morning show as Kevin was our 3rd Baseman. 

Arguably the funnest group of guys I have ever been around.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday, Meet Leon

Tuesday's Tidbits

* It's the shortest day of the year as far as sunlight goes and the start of the Winter 2021-2 season. This could be a I Hate Snow Tidbits. 

* It has been 21,207 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new and improved 991 day Calender. I prefer my calendar as it is the best calendar and it is variable. 

* It has been 6,441 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. This current group is finishing up finals this week and some will be graduating on Saturday. 

* 5,025 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, Pizza Hut and 10,000 BC, would you believe Michelle still talked to me after that movie choice. 

* 4,247 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she was expecting it as we had already bought the engagement ring and it was sitting in the safe. 

* It was 3,790 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, seems like it was just yesterday. 

* I have now lived 1,412 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong. It really brings into the perception of just how young he was. 

* I have 3,718 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. 

* The next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 345 more days. 

* The next Backyard Brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 264 days away. Good thing we didn't play them this year, Pitt was actually pretty good. 

* There are 228 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eleventh Wedding Anniversary together. =)

* There are only 90 days until the start of Spring 2022. My favorite season of the year rolls around again. 

* There are 50 days until Michelle and I head to Pittsburgh to see Reba in concert. The Concert was supposed to be this August (actually it was supposed to be in March of last year) and they have moved it until the middle of February next year. So basically I bought tickets for a concert in 2022 in 2019. 

* 41 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day, he has ended his winter vacation and can once again be seen in the back yard eating the Corn Michelle puts out. 

*11 more days to go until my Goodbye 2021 Blog is posted, it's been eventful. I have it started. 

* There are 3 more shopping days left until Christmas 2021.

* I have written 6,633 blogs in the now 17 1/4 years since I started blogging. Seems like it was just yesterday that I started all of this. 

* Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. 

* Just working one job today, done doing Field Work for RTI for 2021. 

* WVU football is going Bowling against Minnesota. We are an underdog going into the game and rightfully so. 

* I would say I have the majority of my Christmas Shopping done.  

* I'm Not sure if I have ever mentioned to anyone ever before, or if I have even said anything on this blog about it, but I Hate Snow. 

* Have yourselves a great day.  

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must come to an end, that includes those things you all get to call weekends. I too had the opportunity to call this weekend a weekend off and it was very nice. Now it is time to take our collective noses and stick them back onto the grindstone for another fun-filled week of doing what it is that we do for a living to make this a better rock to live on. 

Let's start this week off right with a preview to see what is coming up for all of us. 

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, or the first day of my least favorite season of the year Winter. I know, it pretty much starts off with the most magical day of the year Christmas, but this is the only week that has a day or so that I don't mind snow. So from 6:00 PM Friday till noon on Saturday it's almost OK if it snows. What else does the Winter Solstice bring? Well tomorrow is the shortest day of the year. Days have been getting shorter and shorter since the Start of Summer, now we flip that starting Wednesday as the days start getting longer and longer. 

I'll probably write a few more months of my Goodby 2021 BLOG. It comes on December 31 at 9:00 AM and I write it over a period of time. I have it formatted already for the year and have about a quarter of it done, now just comes the fun part of reviewing my year and writing it down for all to enjoy. 

Friday is Christmas Eve, where I post all of my older Christmas Eve Videos. It's the one time where everyone tries to get together and have fun.

It's going to be a fun filled week, but first....

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit yet once again in a quiet household, it was so nice to have a day off and I enjoyed it so much, that I think I'm going to take another one. Peanut is OK with my decision, but she's off sleeping. 

Michelle and I had some fun yesterday, starting with a trip to Harry's to pick up some meat for the freezer and for Christmas Eve. From there it was off to Rural King to buy some deer corn for Michelle's backyard friends who like to come for dinner every night. 

We came home and Michelle got to baking Banana Nut Bread, which means we'll be doing our Christmas shopping this afternoon. We're probably heading to Clarksburg since they have a bigger JC Penney and a larger selection with a Sephora store within. What does Michelle want for Christmas? Clothes and we love shopping at Penny's and the Clarksburg store is so much bigger with a much larger selection. It'll be nice to get out of town with each other for the afternoon. 

Have yourselves a great day, we'll do the same. 

Saturday, NO WORK!!!!!

Here I sit rather happy that this guy is finally getting a little bit of time off and can enjoy some time away from running from one job to the other. My attention whore friend Peanut is here with me as usual, but she's not talking. I'm out here watching who knows what, and planning my day ahead. 

Drying Laundry early this morning will be on my agenda before Michelle and I head to Harry's to get some things for the freezer and some hot sausage for Christmas Eve. I've also got a little bit of Christmas shopping left to do either today or tomorrow, the major stuff other than for my wife is done and over with. Now I can focus on Michelle and the things that we need for Christmas Eve's Chinese Gift exchange. 

Something else we are doing this weekend, Michelle wants to bake some banana nut bread. She bought a couple things from Pampered Chef to make smaller loaves and I think that is what she wants to use. We've got some pretty ripe bananas on the bar as our base. We bought a bunch of discounted ones at Krogers Sunday and have been sitting and letting them ripen. 

WVU has their winter commencement today, so town should be pretty empty by tomorrow and for the next few weeks as everyone is leaving for Winter Break. 

Have yourselves a great day, I will 

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward 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.

My streak officially stops, as I've worked 65 of the last 68 days, either working one job or the other or both since Michelle and the girls were on a girl's trip. I had a weekend off in early November because Monongalia County was shut down and RTI had halted any and all fieldwork in the only county I had segments. That and Thanksgiving Day are the three days off that I had during that time in question. Today I'm working as I normally do, but I will not be traveling for RTI this weekend and my year and my quarter are done for fieldwork for 2021. I'm off from doing any fieldwork until probably the second week of January as I'll have to do certifications again. 

Don't worry about me being bored, I will have plenty to do during my downtime on weekends. Tomorrow Michelle and I are running to Harry's to pick up some Hot Sausage for Christmas Eve. It's tradition, gotta have it. I've also got a Goodbye 2021 blog post to format and start writing, which is time-consuming believe it or not. Christmas is coming up, so I've got some things to do to get ready for that as well. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from someplace on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up and recall or relive the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it has always been a whole lot of fun.

This weeks pic goes back a whole 14 years, it's hard to believe that the year we did Christmas Eve at Klaer Lodge was 14 years ago already. It was an amazing year, one where everyone came together to pull it off and one that was very memorable. Jean prepared a big feast and we had a great time. 

I tried to get many pictures of the weekend, but the one that I like the most is the one where everyone is together If you look hard enough you can see at least a couple loved ones that are no longer with us. 

If you need more memories of that night, check the bottom of this blog as it was a Christmas to Remember. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is now behind us and sloth and turtle have their 100 yard sprint to see who is quicker, I think they are about 90 yard mark and it's a dead heat, good reason to do a tidbits. 

* It has been 21,200 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new and improved 991 day Calender. I prefer my calendar as it is the best calendar and it is variable. 

* It has been 6,434 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. This current group is finishing up finals this week and some will be graduating on Saturday. 

* 5,018 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, Pizza Hut and 10,000 BC, would you believe Michelle still talked to me after that movie choice. 

* 4,240 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she was expecting it as we had already bought the engagement ring and it was sitting in the safe. 

* It was 3,783 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, seems like it was just yesterday. 

* I have now lived 1,405 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong. It really brings into the perception of just how young he was. 

* I have 3,725 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. 

* The next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 352 more days. 

* The next Backyard Brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 271 days away. Good thing we didn't play them this year, Pitt was actually pretty good. 

* There are 235 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eleventh Wedding Anniversary together. =)

* There are only 97 days until the start of Spring 2022. My favorite season of the year rolls around again. 

* There are 57 days until Michelle and I head to Pittsburgh to see Reba in concert. The Concert was supposed to be this August (actually it was supposed to be in March of last year) and they have moved it until the middle of February next year. So basically I bought tickets for a concert in 2022 in 2019. 

* 48 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day, he has ended his winter vacation and can once again be seen in the back yard eating the Corn Michelle puts out. 

*18 more days to go until my Goodbye 2021 Blog is posted, it's been eventful.  I really need to start formatting. 

* There are 9 more shopping days left until Christmas 2021.

* I have written 6,626 blogs in the now 17 1/4 years since I started blogging. Seems like it was just yesterday that I started all of this. 

* Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. 

* Just working one job today, I may be heading out one more time for RTI this year tomorrow night. 

* WVU football is going Bowling against Minnesota. We are an underdog going into the game and rightfully so. 

* Michelle and I are planning on a trip to Harry's Saturday to get some Hot Sausage for Christmas Eve. 

* I'm Not sure if I have ever mentioned to anyone ever before, or if I have even said anything on this blog about it, but I Hate Snow. 

* Have yourselves a great day.  

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday Countdown

All good things must come to an end, and that includes those fun-filled things we refer to as weekends. Now it is once again time to take our collective noses and stick them back onto the grindstone for another fun-filled week of making this a better place to live. For me it is also a countdown as I'm not working this coming weekend. 

I've made my last Hundred trip, I'm going out tonight and maybe Wednesday if need be, but that will do it for me doing fieldwork for RTI for 2021. I still have training and other things to do to prepare for 2022, but that is all going to be done from home. I have to say that I am ready for a break, I started this all when the girls were away for their girl's trip in October.

Looking ahead at the workweek, nothing major planned other than that light at the end of the tunnel. The Big News for Morgantown for this week is it is finals week at WVU. What's this mean, it means slowly but surely probably starting about Wednesday that you will notice a dropoff in Morgantown's population over the next few days as they start winter break. The next Semester begins January 10th, and most if not all of them will be home for the Holidays, so enjoy the break. I know most of the Masters or Doctoral students that I worked with when I was at the NRAC all used this time to go back home. Many to foreign  Countries as they all tended to stay during the summer months for summer sessions. This is actually the longest break where nothing is going on at WVU, so enjoy less traffic. WOO HOO

Michelle has her office Christmas Party on Thursday, they ordered them lunch and will be having a get together at their office. I did get a nice $25 Gift Certificate from ConsultUSA for Christmas, it was good at Starbucks and since I'm not a coffee drinker Michelle gladly put it on her Starbucks ap. 

Have yourselves a great day and the start (or continuance in my case) of a great week. Let's get to the weekend.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit on a quiet Sunday morning, hopefully, it is nowhere near as wet today as it was yesterday. I was looking for the ark at some points yesterday. It did pour down the rain multiple times. 

I'm sitting out here smelling cookies that Michelle baked yesterday and wondering if I should have one. She did not go crazy and wanted to do some banana bread. 

On my agenda for the day, well grocery shopping of course then I'm heading to Hundred once again. I've already informed my supervisor that this is my last weekend working for RTI in 2021. I'll work a couple of days this week, then they can shut down the project for 2022 and start prepping for 2022. Hopefully, I can stay dry today. 

I did talk to Terri about Christmas Eve yesterday, asking her what she wanted me to bring. She was looking forward to the Hot Sausage that I do every year. We wondered since there is so much food if she wanted us to change it up a little, nope she wants the Hot Sausage and that is what she will get. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho this is 17 in a row (and my streak stops Saturday!!!)

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit yet once again in a quiet household, the animals are all resting peacefully as is Michelle. I'm here watching who knows what, as the TV is always on mostly for noise more than anything else. 

Can anyone guess what is on my agenda for the day? You guessed it, I will once again be working for RTI and hitting the road this morning as I head towards beautiful Hundred West Virginia to work once again. I feel like I am just spinning my wheels at this point as I have already made numerous visits to places where people just are not home. This quarter is winding down and there is light at the end of the tunnel, I will say that much at least. 

Michelle is planning on doing some baking today. Christmas Cookies and Banana Nut Bread I believe are on her agenda for the day. So when I return from Hundred, the official cookie taster will be the next hat I wear. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward 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.

Here is a good question, what the heck do I write about on Friday's now that High School Football's 2021 season has been completed? WVU's Football team is preparing for a Bowl Game, but that is post-Christmas. The Turtle and the Sloth are still in a dead heat in their 100-yard sprint, hopefully, that should complete in the near future. What can I bore everyone with and use to fill up content on Friday's BLOG? 

Michelle is off today, she and her cousin Julie are going to spend the day Christmas Shopping up in Washington PA, Tanger area. Julie is her cousin that is like her sister as they are the same age and have just grown up together. She's get's a nice day off, I'm working today as I do every day. One thing I could start to do is start to format my Goodbye 2021 Blog that I do as the last blog post of every year, maybe I'll strat to do that this weekend. 

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from someplace on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up and recall or relive the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it has always been a whole lot of fun.

This week's pic goes back a few years, back to my very first Jimmy Buffett concert that was actually held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. I had gone up with Mark Devault and his clan, and we tailgated in a lot that was probably the player's lot as we were right beside the stadium. 

Not sure who the girl was, it was just some random girl who was wandering around and we gave her a jello shot since she invaded our tailgate. This was the first of I think 10 times that I have seen Jimmy in Concert live. The rest of them are all at the Amphitheater in Burgettstown (it'll always be Star Lake to me no matter how many name changes it goes through.). 

Hav yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is now behind us and sloth and turtle have their 100 yard sprint to see who is quicker, I think they are about 70 yards into it, good reason to do tidbits. 

* It has been 21,193 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new and improved 991 day Calender. I prefer my calendar as it is the best calendar and it is variable. 

* It has been 6,427 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. Everything can be explained with space, place or time. 

* 5,011 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, Pizza Hut and 10,000 BC, would you believe Michelle still talked to me after that movie choice. 

* 4,233 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she was expecting it as we had already bought the engagement ring and it was sitting in the safe. 

* It was 3,776 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, seems like it was just yesterday. 

* I have now lived 1,398 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong. It just goes to show you how short the time we are on this rock is. 

* I have 3,732 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. 

* The next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 359 more days. 

* The next Backyard Brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 278 days away. I'm really looking forward to this game. 

* There are 242 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eleventh Wedding Anniversary together. =)

* There are only 104 days until the start of Spring 2022. My favorite season of the year rolls around again. 

* There are 64 days until Michelle and I head to Pittsburgh to see Reba in concert. The Concert was supposed to be this August (actually it was supposed to be in March of last year) and they have moved it until the middle of February next year. So basically I bought tickets for a concert in 2022 in 2019. 

* 55 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day, he has ended his winter vacation and can once again be seen in the back yard eating the Corn Michelle puts out. 

*25 more days to go until my Goodbye 2021 Blog is posted, it's been eventful.  I guess I should start my formatting and writing of it. 

* There are 16 more shopping days left until Christmas 2021.

* I have written 6,619 blogs in the now 17 1/4 years since I started blogging. Seems like it was just yesterday that I started all of this. 

* Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. 

* Working both jobs again today as I did yesterday. Might replicate it again today or wait until tomorrow. 

* WVU football is going Bowling against Minnesota. 

* WVU hosts former Big East Rival UCONN tomorrow night in the Coliseum. It's part of Big XII v Big East Challenge that is going on between our former and current leagues. 

* I'm Not sure if I have ever mentioned to anyone ever before, or if I have even said anything on this blog about it, but I Hate Snow. 

* Have yourselves a great day.  

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

Another fun-filled and relaxing weekend is now behind us, it was a good one where I actually got to take a little bit of time to relax, no not really but I can pretend that I did. Now it is time once again to take our collective noses and stick them back on the Grindstone yet once again and begin another fun-filled week of doing what it is we do for a living.

We did manage to put up our Christmas Tree this weekend, we went to Lowes and bought a small (less than 2') white pre-lit Christmas Tree and threw a couple ornaments on it. We brought out Yoda Clause and left Sammy in the box this year. Walla, Christmas Decorations are up. Funny thing about the tree, it was normally $25 and then it was half off then I got an additional discount using my lowes card and it cost me around $11.00 for the tree.  Yeah us and we are decorated for the season...lol

WVU Football has learned their Bowl fate. We will play 8-4 Minnesota on December 28th at 10:30 PM. Yes that is a Tuesday Night game at 10:30 at night, something tells me I'm going to be dragging at work the next day unless we play like crap, then I'll be well-rested. It's the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix Arizona. Congratulations Mountaineers, bring home that trophy. 

Have yourselves a great day and the start of a greater week. I'm on Day 9 of this round of consecutive days worked, but there is light at the end of the tunnel as this quarter ends before Christmas. I'll probably work this coming weekend then I might just reel it in for the year for RTI. 

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Rambling

Here I once again sit on a quiet Sunday morning, Peanut and I are out here checking on that sprint between the turtle and sloth that started a few weeks ago, they are in fact beyond halfway right now and at a good 56 yards in their 100-yard race. They are still neck and neck, so this could still be anyone's race. I'm collecting my thoughts for the day and who really knows what is on the TV. 

I'm out working again for RTI. I'm heading to Hundred WV once again to try to find a few people home and close out a few lines. I'll try to head out today and possibly next weekend and I got to be honest, that might do it for me in 2021 for RTI. I think the drop-dead date to stop is the following weekend, or the week before Christmas. I'm ready to shut it down for the year and quarter and get a little bit of a break until after the new year. 

Before I do that, Michelle and I will be doing our weekly grocery shopping. Then come home and do our weekly chores before I head west again. 

No major plans for Michelle or I think week other than working. I've been putting in about 60 hours a week since the beginning of October, other than the week of Thanksgiving and the week when they closed Mon County and I got a weekend off. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit once again, the calm before the storm we could say. Peanut and I are discussing the Sloth and Turtle race which has now covered almost 40 yards. There is something playing on the boob tube, no idea what it is as it is just noise to me as I never pay attention to it.

There is no rest for the wicked as I am once again jumping into the car and heading west for about an hour. I will once again be working in Hundred WV today and tomorrow for RTI. I feel we are at the point where I am just spinning my wheels, I've already been to all of these places numerous times and not found anyone home or they are just not answering the door for me. I'll keep chugging along though as we are trying to get any numbers that we can to make our yearly total. My production this quarter has went way down for a couple reasons, shorter days and I'm working two jobs mainly. 

The Mountaineers play basketball this afternoon against Radford at I think 4:00. I've got to do my best to avoid that traffic, but it should not be much of an issue to be honest with you. 

It's dead week at WVU this coming week, which means the following week will be finals and that's when all the students leave for Winter Break until January 10th. Town should be empty for a few weeks giving us locals some relief from the traffic. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Happy Birthday Kim SanJulian

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my Sister Kim SanJulian a very Happy Birthday today. We started out in life where I was one year older than her, but since I am only 21 years old, she has passed me up by a couple of years by now. 

Kim is an amazing sister, one that I have had numerous arguments through the years, but there has always been a great deal of respect for her and her viewpoint even though I would never let her know that. 

Not sure what Kim and Robert have planned for the day, but I'm sure it will either be a nice dinner or something from Menards which is her favorite restaurant if they are still open, or something along those lines. 

If you see Kim today, take a little bit of time out and wish her a very Happy Birthday today.

Happy Birthday Kim

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward 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.

No local football this weekend but the West Virginia State High School Football Championships are this weekend in Wheeling/ The only local team would be Fairmont Senior in AA playing for all the marbles as a 16 seed. 

The Mountaineer Football team is off and waiting for their bowl invitation, which will probably be on December 28th, but that's all speculation at this point. I guess after this weekends games and the final rankings are completed for the playoffs that everything will fall into place like a domino effect. 

The men's Basketball team is hosting Radford who is coached by a former Mountaineer player and legend, Darris Nichols. Darris played three years under John Beilein and one under Bob Huggins. Should be a good game to watch. 

My plans for the day, after work I have a meeting with a company for a position that may work out in my favor. The employment situation is pretty good right now, but when opportunities present themselves you follow through on them. I was told it will be a zoom call and I was told I have a very strong resume and to wear a shirt and tie rather than a polo for tomorrow's meeting. This might turn out to be a very nice opportunity or at least put me on the right journey for one. We'll have to wait and see how it goes. 

Michelle became a great aunt again yesterday as her local niece had her baby. 

I hope everyone has a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from someplace on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up and recall or relive the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it has always been a whole lot of fun.

This week's pic was from Christmas 14 years ago. We had rented Klaer Lodge for Christmas Eve and the day before to prepare a big family get-together. This pic is of my siblings in front of what is referred to as Treezilla, a tree that Gary brought that was huge. So big, we only used the bottom part of it and cut a few feet off the top. 

We all gathered for the pic, and I think I did some photo editing to put Dad in above the photo and looking down at us all. I thought it was a great Christmas Eve and a very memorable one.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday