Archive for the 'Friends and Family' Category

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Hi. I’m Erin Marie. I’m the wife. I can post here. Muaaaaaaaaa hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
But I probably won’t.
I just tried to insert a picture, but I’m too dumb to figure it out. I’m going to bed.
Riveting post, no?
I’d love to build a Berzerk (sp? I thought it was Bezerk, but the all knowing WikiPedia disagrees) cabinet. Maybe someday I can build one with the boy:
I played it last night on a server with Alien (aka, Dzedzy, Allen type). I pretty much reek. In my defense, I am slow, uncoordinated, never played that level (or any real DM since Unreal Tournment 99), don’t know the weapons, can’t shoot, and get frustrated easily.
Other than that, I am horrible.
Well, for an 18 month old. He is 36″ tall. I read or was told by my wife that the hieght at 24 months is basically 50% of the adult height. Man, he could be TALL.
Ravens 3-0 for first time since moving to Baltimore
A win is a win, right? Okay, the Special Teams gets a B+, mostly because of Stover. The Offense gets a B- because it did enough to win, and certainly didn’t make any huge mistakes to lose it (0 turnovers again). The Defense? B-, but this is a tough grade. Quarters 1, 3, 4 are A. Quarter 2 was not good.
I am not so sure that it was truly bad play, but rather the Cleveland QB, Charlie Frye, pulled some plays outof his butt that relly shouldn’t have happened. The long pass to Browns TE Kellen Winslow, Jr., near the end of the 2nd quarter was a prayer. It was a dumb pass, and he got lucky. The TD to Edwards was a good throw, and a good play call. But those 2 plays were the bulk of the offense.The Ravens had no turnover again, and ‘only’ 5 penalties. For the recent history of the club, that is a very clean game, and coming in a division game on the road says they may have their heads screwed on straight.
Which is more than can be said for the Browns’ Winslow, at times. I gather he is an emotional guy, but this is his second taunting penalty in three games. He is not helping the team when he does that. His dad was probably my favorite player while I was growing up. I just wish his son had the kind of on field class his dad had.
Overall, I am not sure this is a step forward for the Offense, but they did get all their points from longish drives, and not from/after returns from the Special Teams or the Defense. At times, McNair looked bad. But he also made some important plays when the Ravens really needed them, and the bottom line is the Ravens won. Still, I wish the offense were more consistently potent.
I cannot express the joy of the following in words, nor pictures. My son, Eli Joseph was born this evening, at 5:38 P.M (33 mins earlier, and it would have been 05:05 on 05/05/05, ah well).

I also cannot begin to describe the love and pride I have in my wife. As with all births, the Mother did all the work.

In this case, it was a LOT of work.

Yes, that is 9 pounds, 11.1 ounces. 23″ long. And I can personally attest that his Lungs, Bladder and Digestive track are all in prime working condition.
I can only praise and thank our Lord and Savior for this blessing. And pray that Erin and myself will be lifted by Him to be the parents we ought to be.
Our Baby!

Yesterday, I went to the 5th wedding this year. I have often reflected the day after how blessed I am to have the friends that I do.
[A somber note: During the reception, I had the thought that in other lands, we'd have security, and the chance of terror. That I was (likely) the only person to have that thought is a blessing that I do not want to let go.]
I live a truly blessed life. And these are the happiest times of my life. My wife is pregnant, and tomorrow we got for the first ultra-sound. We have a new house, a wonderful (silly and exasperating) dog, good jobs and a savior that loves us and has redeemed us.
Thank you Lord, for life, for my best friend and wife, for my friends, and, well, everything.
Okay, I am a slacker. My wonderful mother gave us some money to buy a stove for our new house. We did, as well as an over the range microwave (so we had a fan/filter/light). Well, I never got around to sending her the pictures since I had to go find the digital camera cable.
So I did, then thought I would just put it here, rather than in her e-mail basket.

Ooh, pretty. Lots of buttons and LEDs. Lots of things to press. [Don't get my mom started on the button / dial / alarm clock stories...]
And here is what our dog thinks of it:
Among the many things I have to be thankful for this year, the most important are my wonderful new wife (silly girl married me in May) and, just last week, a new puppy.
He’s a cutie. Baxter the Beagle.
Brings laughs and smiles (and a touch of exasperation) into my normally quiet home. A blessing. True for both Wife and Dog.










Ah, that explains it…
This is Depressing News
So my general annoyance / unhappiness with parts of my existence aren’t unique.
I mean:
And yet I feel less than successful. Like my life is not meeting standards. I’m not learning enough. I am not earning enough. My house is not nice enough. My dog misbehaves. My lawn is more weeds than grass. My house never stays clean. I am 50lbs heavier today than I was 5 years ago. I am worried about paying for fuel oil / gas / electricity. I am worried about saving for retirement. I am worried about my son’s education. I am worried that my employer will agree with me that I am overpaid. And so on.
I need vacation.