Stacey left for Hawaii today. She'll be there for a week with Jonathan helping them transition to a new broker dealer. It's been 3.5 years since we left Hawaii and 3.5 years since she's last seen the folks she works with. This will also be the longest amount of time Stacey has ever been away from Julia - the previous being a night/day.
We took Stacey and Jonathan to the airport this morning. From the time we said goodbye until we talked to Stacey on the phone Julia was very sad. I can tell that she realizes her Mommy won't be back for awhile. This afternoon she wanted me to hold her all the time, and said things like "I miss Momma", "I want Momma back", and "Momma will be back after my nap"? While we were outside in the front yard an airplane flew overhead. Julia was convinced that Stacey and Jonathan were in the plane and waved excitedly while running down the sidewalk after it. Later that night, she made Stacey a "gift card" out of a piece of paper and a pencil. She knows what a card is and what a gift is, so I think that's why she used those two words even though they mean something else together.
After we had some ice cream we talked to Stacey and Jules perked right up for the rest of the night. I think she'll forget about everything for awhile with Grandma and Grandpa. Here, it's pretty obvious Stacey isn't around. At Umpa Oma's, the situation may be out of sight, out of mind. She definitely loves her Momma.
11 July 2010
10 July 2010
Breaker Breaker Niner
The adventures in home ownership continue. Right before the holiday weekend the electric range (oven) stopped working. I'm not very experienced with electrical issues but I'm always game for learning something new. There's a lot of good information on the internet, but I also work with some pretty experienced guys. They usually point me in the right direction.
At first we were concerned that we would be buying a new range in the next few days. Luckily, when I tested the outlet with my multimeter, one of the 120V wires didn't have power. To be sure it wasn't the outlet itself, I pulled it out from the wall and checked the actual wire screws for confirmation. I've always wondered how 220V outlets work...kind of boring but satisfying to find out that all it consists of is 2-120V wires coming to the same socket. Genius, but obvious when you stop to think about it. How can I get DOUBLE the voltage? Hey moron, try doubling the wires. At any rate, our worries then turned to something being wrong with the wiring in our house. That would require calling someone out. After talking to some guys at work, I decided I could handle pulling the breaker panel off the box and testing the breaker.
The breaker that might be broken was pulling 50A, easily enough to kill me if I touched it while it was live. I tested the breaker and just like at the range, one 110V worked and the other didn't. Problem identified: the breaker was bad. I shut the power to the house off at the top of the box. Obviously, I checked and doubled checked that everything was off. I unscrewed the wires to the breaker and pulled it right out. Actually, it was pretty easy to do. Those who have done this before know that changing one out is pretty basic even though it's not something to rush through.
Out came a quad switch that pulled a double 50A and a double 30A. 50A was for the range and 30A, the dryer. The connection was completely blown. In short, the two appliances that pull the most power in the house had been installed together in the same "slot". I set off to find the exact same breaker, but oddly enough no one in town sells them. I got close, but no one had a double 50A and double 30A. Finally (remember, this was my first time), it dawned on me that I could just use a double 50A and a double 30A separately. Duh. I had this revelation at Lowes about 30 seconds before a Lowe's employee came around the corner and asked if I needed help. Along with the guys "in the know" at work, he was shocked that the builders put that much juice in one spot. In short, it had been done wrong and not surprisingly it had blown up and charred part of the box. My new and improved version at least spreads the load out between two locations.
Stacey says the dryer works much better now also. I already owned the multimeter to be able to check the power, so not counting that the breakers were only $20 at Lowe's. I'm learning something new all the time with this house.
At first we were concerned that we would be buying a new range in the next few days. Luckily, when I tested the outlet with my multimeter, one of the 120V wires didn't have power. To be sure it wasn't the outlet itself, I pulled it out from the wall and checked the actual wire screws for confirmation. I've always wondered how 220V outlets work...kind of boring but satisfying to find out that all it consists of is 2-120V wires coming to the same socket. Genius, but obvious when you stop to think about it. How can I get DOUBLE the voltage? Hey moron, try doubling the wires. At any rate, our worries then turned to something being wrong with the wiring in our house. That would require calling someone out. After talking to some guys at work, I decided I could handle pulling the breaker panel off the box and testing the breaker.
The breaker that might be broken was pulling 50A, easily enough to kill me if I touched it while it was live. I tested the breaker and just like at the range, one 110V worked and the other didn't. Problem identified: the breaker was bad. I shut the power to the house off at the top of the box. Obviously, I checked and doubled checked that everything was off. I unscrewed the wires to the breaker and pulled it right out. Actually, it was pretty easy to do. Those who have done this before know that changing one out is pretty basic even though it's not something to rush through.
Out came a quad switch that pulled a double 50A and a double 30A. 50A was for the range and 30A, the dryer. The connection was completely blown. In short, the two appliances that pull the most power in the house had been installed together in the same "slot". I set off to find the exact same breaker, but oddly enough no one in town sells them. I got close, but no one had a double 50A and double 30A. Finally (remember, this was my first time), it dawned on me that I could just use a double 50A and a double 30A separately. Duh. I had this revelation at Lowes about 30 seconds before a Lowe's employee came around the corner and asked if I needed help. Along with the guys "in the know" at work, he was shocked that the builders put that much juice in one spot. In short, it had been done wrong and not surprisingly it had blown up and charred part of the box. My new and improved version at least spreads the load out between two locations.
Stacey says the dryer works much better now also. I already owned the multimeter to be able to check the power, so not counting that the breakers were only $20 at Lowe's. I'm learning something new all the time with this house.
09 July 2010
08 July 2010
4th of July Party
On Sunday we headed next door to Adam and Shayna's house for their 4th of July party. They threw a party for a bunch of family, friends, and coworkers. All in all it was a pretty good time. They provided most of the food and drinks, and all of the illegal fireworks. A few weeks prior they took a trip up to Wyoming to buy the good kind of fireworks.
We had our own personal, small scale fireworks show that was just as good as heading downtown when you factor in not having to battle the crowds, traffic, and weather. Speaking of weather, only in Colorado on the 4th will you see fireworks, rain, ping pong sized hail, and the hostess wearing her ski jacket. The weather was crazy but in the end it added to the experience. At least since it was raining we could forget about setting anything on fire.
This was Julia's first exposure to sparklers and fountains. I think she liked them but also was a little bit unsure of this new experience. Jonathan came along for the ride. As the night got later, he woke up and soaked the festivities in.
We had our own personal, small scale fireworks show that was just as good as heading downtown when you factor in not having to battle the crowds, traffic, and weather. Speaking of weather, only in Colorado on the 4th will you see fireworks, rain, ping pong sized hail, and the hostess wearing her ski jacket. The weather was crazy but in the end it added to the experience. At least since it was raining we could forget about setting anything on fire.
This was Julia's first exposure to sparklers and fountains. I think she liked them but also was a little bit unsure of this new experience. Jonathan came along for the ride. As the night got later, he woke up and soaked the festivities in.
07 July 2010
One Month Old
Yesterday Jonathan turned one month old! Stacey took the below picture of Jonathan...doing what he does best (although not at the times we'd like). Yesterday, exactly one month since he was born, he rolled over all by himself. Stacey put him down on the floor for a second and came back to find him on his other side. He's been trying to move a lot already and seems to be pretty strong even though he's on the smaller side (like the rest of his family).
Happy 1 month birthday JD.
Happy 1 month birthday JD.
06 July 2010
The Semifinals Are Set
I love this game. The quarterfinals (by far) produced the most entertaining, dramatic, cruel and unexpected results to date. In the end, Uruguay will face the Netherlands (today) and Germany will face Spain (tomorrow). Going into this round we could have ended up with a semifinal comprised entirely of South American teams - instead, 3 teams of the 4 teams left are from Europe. Sure, the Europeans had a poor showing in the group stages but 3 of the final 4 is pretty impressive.
I really enjoyed every match I watched (since I didn't really watch the Spain Paraguay match). Since I knew the style each country plays, I was convinced that Paraguay would defend against Spain at that they would have a hard time breaking them down. Translation: not a fun game to watch. There were a few penalties missed but all in all I was glad I chose to watch that game in fast-forward on the DVR.
Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
I have never seen Brazil self-destruct like I did yesterday. At the end of the game we were told that Brazil had never lost a game in the World Cup after leading at half time. Well, that explains why I've never seen it happen before. In the first half Brazil played great. They scored an early goal and looked in complete control. However, from the start they seemed to be complaining a lot about and to the referee. They seemed a bit agitated even though they were winning. Then, in the second half, a mistake and the game was tied. At that point Brazil lost their composure. Brazilian players never get sent off with a straight red card. I'll give credit to the Netherlands for playing well, but they really got on my nerves. I used to casually root for them since they've always been the best country never to win the World Cup. Last night I felt like they were the big bunch of whining, diving, acting little punks. The way they played, straddling the line between tactical and disrespectful (in my opinion), left a bad taste in my mouth. I looked around at most of their players and decided that I didn't really like what the team was about in this game. I'm not a big fan of their individual players anyway. So, I hope they don't win it all.
Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (4-2 PKs)
This game had one of the best finishes I've ever witnessed in a World Cup game. With the game tied and in the last minute of extra time, Ghana had a chance to win it. There was a scramble in front of the Uruguay goal an Ghana came within inches of taking the lead in the final minute. A shot was saved, then another shot cleared off the line, then a third shot saved of the line by an intentional hand ball by Suarez. Of course, we all know Ghana missed the resulting penalty kick and then lost the penalty shootout a few minutes later. I loved the reaction from Suarez as he was leaving the pitch when he saw the ball clatter off the crossbar. I'm really surprised that there is some debate on whether or not he is a villian or hero. I think we're used to this sort of play in this country (intentionally fouling within the rules) in order to prolong your team's chances of winning the game. In my opinion, this was a great play. I really hope Uruguay advance to the final...then maybe Suarez can score the wining goal (or penalty) for his country. That would make for a great story.
Germany 4-0 Argentina
Germany are my new favorite team. I have really been impressed with them this tournament. They've scored 4 goals in 3 of their 5 matches so far. It's not just the fact that they've scored that many, it's how they've played doing it. They've been organized in the back while at the same time very creative and attacking. They seem like the most complete team I've seen - at least compared to the remaining teams in the tournament. Sure, Spain and the Netherlands are probably just as good if not better, but Germany have been the one to most show their class on the field.
All in all this has been a good tournament to watch. Some games are better then others, but overall, good. Let's hope we get the same level of entertainment in the final 3 meaningful games. I'm going to miss the tournament when it's over.
I really enjoyed every match I watched (since I didn't really watch the Spain Paraguay match). Since I knew the style each country plays, I was convinced that Paraguay would defend against Spain at that they would have a hard time breaking them down. Translation: not a fun game to watch. There were a few penalties missed but all in all I was glad I chose to watch that game in fast-forward on the DVR.
Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
I have never seen Brazil self-destruct like I did yesterday. At the end of the game we were told that Brazil had never lost a game in the World Cup after leading at half time. Well, that explains why I've never seen it happen before. In the first half Brazil played great. They scored an early goal and looked in complete control. However, from the start they seemed to be complaining a lot about and to the referee. They seemed a bit agitated even though they were winning. Then, in the second half, a mistake and the game was tied. At that point Brazil lost their composure. Brazilian players never get sent off with a straight red card. I'll give credit to the Netherlands for playing well, but they really got on my nerves. I used to casually root for them since they've always been the best country never to win the World Cup. Last night I felt like they were the big bunch of whining, diving, acting little punks. The way they played, straddling the line between tactical and disrespectful (in my opinion), left a bad taste in my mouth. I looked around at most of their players and decided that I didn't really like what the team was about in this game. I'm not a big fan of their individual players anyway. So, I hope they don't win it all.
Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (4-2 PKs)
This game had one of the best finishes I've ever witnessed in a World Cup game. With the game tied and in the last minute of extra time, Ghana had a chance to win it. There was a scramble in front of the Uruguay goal an Ghana came within inches of taking the lead in the final minute. A shot was saved, then another shot cleared off the line, then a third shot saved of the line by an intentional hand ball by Suarez. Of course, we all know Ghana missed the resulting penalty kick and then lost the penalty shootout a few minutes later. I loved the reaction from Suarez as he was leaving the pitch when he saw the ball clatter off the crossbar. I'm really surprised that there is some debate on whether or not he is a villian or hero. I think we're used to this sort of play in this country (intentionally fouling within the rules) in order to prolong your team's chances of winning the game. In my opinion, this was a great play. I really hope Uruguay advance to the final...then maybe Suarez can score the wining goal (or penalty) for his country. That would make for a great story.
Germany 4-0 Argentina
Germany are my new favorite team. I have really been impressed with them this tournament. They've scored 4 goals in 3 of their 5 matches so far. It's not just the fact that they've scored that many, it's how they've played doing it. They've been organized in the back while at the same time very creative and attacking. They seem like the most complete team I've seen - at least compared to the remaining teams in the tournament. Sure, Spain and the Netherlands are probably just as good if not better, but Germany have been the one to most show their class on the field.
All in all this has been a good tournament to watch. Some games are better then others, but overall, good. Let's hope we get the same level of entertainment in the final 3 meaningful games. I'm going to miss the tournament when it's over.
05 July 2010
04 July 2010
Happy 4th Of July!
Two years from last time (check out the picture). The real test is, what changed from last night? Where's Waldo addicts post a comment with your guess.
03 July 2010
Grandparent's Visit
On Friday Stacey's parents flew down from Spokane and spent Saturday with us. This was the first time they had seen Jonathan and about 8 months since they had last seen us and Julia. We pretty much just hung out all day and talked while they got to see the grandkids.
It was good to have them here and good for them to see the area during the summer. This was their first visit not in the month of December (wedding, birthday's, etc). One thing's for sure, Jonathan looks like John!
It was good to have them here and good for them to see the area during the summer. This was their first visit not in the month of December (wedding, birthday's, etc). One thing's for sure, Jonathan looks like John!
02 July 2010
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