I’ll have a whole bunch of pictures tonight or tomorrow.
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Deck Progress (Monday)
Most of the boards are in, and we’re cutting pieces for the railing. At the same time, my dad is here helping with the stair assembly. I probably shouldn’t be taking the time to post this. Back to work.
Deck Progress (Sunday)
Most of the board fasteners and railing posts are in place, and we’re putting the boards in now. Rain, stay away!
Deck Progress (Saturday)
Dave and Jeff did a tremendous job with all of the framework today. Jenelle and Pam stained the underside of each of the deck boards, ensuring that we won’t have any problems with the deck rotting from the inside out. I helped with a variety of tasks, including hauling some excess soil away from the deck area and into a pile at the far corner of the yard. We’re in great shape to get the boards laid tomorrow.
The fun begins
This weekend is a time for exciting changes. Jenelle’s parents and brother have flown in from Oregon to build a deck for us. As of right now, we’re pouring concrete in the post holes. I’ll try and post a new picture to the BenCam every so often.
At the same time, my dad is working on mounting our new TV on the wall. He’s already drilled a lot of the holes for the cable, and his electrical expertise is certainly coming in handy.
We are extremely thankful for everyone who helps us out each and every day. From the simplest gesture of kindness to major favors, we appreciate it all very much.
Wednesday, September 13: Happy Birthday, Aunt Gail!
Tomorrow (September 16): Happy Birthday, Dad!
Smart, but not that smart
On Saturday, August 12, Jenelle and I went to Waukesha to try out for the Jeopardy! game show. We don’t watch the show very often, but we heard about the audition opportunity on the radio.
We waited in line for about an hour, and then we entered the room where the “Clue Crew” was handing out 10-question fill-in-the-blank tests quicker than people could sit down. Jenelle started her test shortly before I started mine. As I struggled through a few of the tough questions, I saw Jenelle hand her test in to be graded. In less than ten seconds, she was informed that she “passed” and was invited to a session the following day. A minute or two later, I handed in my test, knowing that I got at least one of the ten questions wrong. To my surprise, I also passed, and I got invited to the same session as Jenelle. Yay us.
The Sunday session was at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. We had to take a 50-question test this time, and the questions were a bit more difficult. Out of about 60 “candidates” in the room, only six or seven “passed” to the next round. Unfortunately, neither Jenelle nor I were among those people. However, one of the lucky folks was right next to us, and he was very excited to be selected. Apparently, he had tried out several times over the years. Yay him.
We can always try again after a year if we like. I might do that, but for now, I’m just happy that we appear to be smarter than the average bears.
“Stupid people aren’t stupid; they’re just not as smart as us.” — Jenelle
Summer Celebrations
I haven’t announced any birthdays or other milestones since June. Without further ado, herrrrrrrrrre we go:
July 18: Happy 5th Birthday, Rachel! I remember the day when Rachel (my cousin and goddaughter) was born. It was also the day I purchased the Oldsmobile Alero that I still drive. We had a fun time celebrating Rachel’s birthday the following weekend, but I couldn’t help but occasionally think about the fact that the extended warranty on my car is now expired. 🙂
July 20: Happy Birthday, Uncle Jerry!
July 30: Happy Birthday, Adam W.! Adam has his own blog, but he hasn’t updated it in a while.
August 5: Happy Birthday, Ella! My niece / goddaughter is now three years old. She’s tons of fun. I was happy to give her two CARS toys that she didn’t have yet. More on that story here.
August 7: Happy Birthday, Eric!
August 8: Happy Birthday, Tanner!
August 18: Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!
August 18: Happy Anniversary, Andrew and Holly!
August 21: Happy Birthday, Gina!
Okay, I think I’m caught up. I’d also like to say Congratulations! to Adam H. and Allison, who got married on August 5. Here’s a picture of the happy couple.
I have a few more bits of news to share, but they can wait for another post. For now, it’s sleepytime.
Italian Festival 2006
The annual Roma Lodge Italian Festival took place from July 28-30. Jenelle and I were present on both Friday and Saturday, taking in the usual atmosphere. I’m hoping the following question-and-answer session satisfies your curiosity:
Did you eat any Pane Fritto (fried dough)?
You bet I did. I had three each day, for a total of six. It helped that the price remained at four tickets ($2.00) this year.
How was the pizza this year?
Not too bad. Buona Vita provided it for the second year in a row. It was much better than the frozen stuff they had in 2004.
Did you eat anything else?
Sure — I had my share of Tastee Taters and ice cream as well. And the entire family ate their share of beef sandwiches, corn, meatball bombers, pasta, and chicken.
Did you take any photos?
Not too many — Feel free to check them out.
Was “Mr. Roma” on the scene?
Yes, he was. He was still dancing and directing the music, but he didn’t seem as excited as in years past. Perhaps he is finally slowing down. In any case, it was nice to see him again.
Why didn’t you make a video this year?
I gave it some thought, but it would be a lot of the same things that appeared in videos past. My current plan is to make another video in 2008, when perhaps things have changed a little more. 🙂
Life is Precious
I’m usually pretty light-hearted on the blog, but I felt an obligation to share a story that touched our lives over the weekend.
Returning home Friday evening, we noticed that 30th Avenue was blocked off right around where it intersects with our street, and there were lots of blinking lights from police and fire department vehicles. After taking an alternate route home, we walked (less than a quarter of a mile) to the scene of the accident. We learned from several of the onlookers that a motorcycle accident had occurred earlier in the evening.
We took a few pictures with our cell phone camera as the Flight For Life helicopter arrived on the scene.
Someone exited the helicopter and brought a stretcher over to the ambulance before entering the ambulance himself. After several minutes of no activity, I was saddened when the stretcher was brought back to the helicopter. The ambulance left the scene with the siren on, and the helicopter took off shortly after that.
We weren’t able to find anything on the internet about the accident. However, when I went out for a run the next morning, I saw this on the tree near where the accident occurred:
Even today, there are still signs of the tragedy that occurred:
We learned the whole story when we read this article on the Journal Times web site today.
Though I didn’t know him, my thoughts and prayers go out to Mike’s family and friends. May they find comfort and strength in this time of mourning.
