A Year of Change

This morning it’s still nice outside but I guess tonight a little weather is coming in. Lori is home today so we’ll probably head to the gym. I’m in Denver tomorrow for a few things in the morning.

I’m racking my brain to figure out how to capitalize on what our government is doing which appears to be purposedly ruining the economy and causing division among the people. Every decision seems to be designed to pick apart another segment of business and further divide us as a nation. Once the stalwart of things like women’s rights, freedom of religion and small business, they are now virtually the exact opposite. Interest rates are at record highs, while borrowing is tanking. Who wants to, or can afford to buy a new car or house with rates as high as they are, and the economy in free fall. Wage growth has fallen off a cliff and this is all with a shortage of workers. It’s going to be a rough landing, hold on.

There are glimmers of hope like America rejecting the woke agenda pushed by companies like Budweiser when they put a trans celebrity who has done nothing to earn celebrity status except be trans, as the face of Bud Light. America has overwhelmingly rejected this with the company losing 5 Billion in market cap (value), in less than a week. At the gym yesterday a trainer buddy of mine told me he went through his closet and threw out all his Nike gear and so did all his friends. Nike used this trans dude to model female sports bras??? Companies have been pressured to support this angry vocal group who acts like half the Country is trans. Nothing could deter them but one thing soon will, money. When they start losing value and sales, they’ll turn on a dime. If they don’t, it will be their own demise. Again, hold on.

Ok, enough of my view of the World. I do need to document it so down the road they’ll be a history of what happened. Now on to the day.

Yesterday at the hospital Lori was shocked to see parents getting their six month old baby a flu and covid shot! The flu season is over and well, we all now know about the covid vaccine. Not good. Meanwhile I was in Frisco and Marty and I hung out for a while and had a cigar sitting on his back deck in the sun, trying to figure out how to capitalize on all this chaos. The boys are well and finishing up the year. Jag has opted out of his internship this summer as he’s now taking a few more classes over the summer. The kid will graduate with 2 majors in finance, and two minors, one in Mandarin and one in math, and a quantitative finance certificate which might be the most difficult of all his accomplishments. We’re looking at starting a hedge fund focusing on 100% profit and not based on ESG ratings including emerging sectors like AI and crypto. We’ll see.

This afternoon we have cigar night. I think James will be home in time today. Time to get moving. Make it a great day and God Bless.

Anyone see the President on the news at the annual Easter Egg roll? If you did, the old saying, you can be anything you want, was 100% reinforced. Point here is if the bumbling idiot who is President can be President, you can be anything you want! I see a lot of older people every day down at assisted living where Dixie lives and if Sleepy Joe didn’t have money and was just another guy, he’d be her neighbor. Actually he’d be down the hall in memory care. What a joke. Everyone knows it but it’s like the big secret that’s not a secret at all. God help us as he’s clearly not running the Country. What a World.

Yesterday I made it to Denver by about 9:30 to meet Ty. Then after a couple stops, I went to Schultz’s house and we hung out outside and had a cigar. After that it was a quick stop at Barnes and Noble and Whole Foods before heading up the hill. It was like summer down there, almost 80 degrees. Today they say 85 degrees but in 48 hours or so, it’ll rain and maybe snow.

Lori is working in Vail today and I’m making a point to clean out my closet today. I’m also going to book our Hawaii trip for when the boys get out of school. I have the doors open now letting some cool weather in to cool down the house. Summer is our favorite time of year here in Colorado. It’s been a long winter, too long. No Global warming up here.

Western States are fighting over the water from the Colorado River. California is trying to screw Arizona and Nevada and make special rules for themselves. Arizona and Nevada are having none of it. We live at the source though so we’re ok. Dad always said, water is the new gold!

Time to get moving. I’m headed to the gym. Lori and I finally had a good nights sleep. I tried to stay up and watch the hockey game but went to bed after the 2nd period. Good thing as we lost in OT. Dixie called at 6:10 this morning to let me know she’s alive, ha! She wasn’t making much sense but that’s ok. I’m still surprised she’s still with us. Gotta hand it to God and antibiotics! God Bless.

Well it’s hot out. I thought about turning on the A/C yesterday but just opened the doors instead. It’s 77 degrees in the house right now and could be that outside today but rain and snow are headed our way, so they say, by Thursday. There’s just a couple little patches of snow left in the shade in the yard but otherwise all the snow has melted. I think it’ll miss us this week too but we’ll see.

Lori is in Edwards today. I hope to be back by 1:30 or so. I’m meeting my buddy Schultz for a cigar later this morning. I’m picking some up for James to take to Amsterdam on Saturday.

We booked our VRBO in Scottsdale for Labor Day. It’s a great house with a salt water pool, a pickle ball court and other fun stuff. It’s pretty much right near Scottsdale Rd. and Shea.

I think Ty has a job as a prep cook at Whole Foods. They pay $17 an hour to start and he gets 20% off all his food. We’ll see if this works out as he needs to figure out where to live during the summer if he stays down there.

Dixie is fine. Lori stopped and saw her a couple times yesterday and I talked to her at least twice.

6:30 now so time for me to get moving. Hope everyone is well. Make it a great day and God Bless.

Everybody made it home safe, Dixie is doing fine, but tired, and Lori and I finally settled back into our routine after cleaning up around the house. I still have two dishwashers full of clean dishes to unload but that’s about it. All in all it was a good week and weekend.

It’s 5:45 now and we’re headed to the gym before our day gets going. Time for both of us to get back in the groove as we ate too much crap and missed the gym for 2 or 3 days in a row. Warm temps headed to Denver and up here starting today, whoo hoo.

I think we’re just going to head to Hawaii when Jagger is out of school. Ty wants to work as he’s trying to figure out a way to stay in Denver this summer. He needs to pay for it on his own though so it’ll be a challenge. He won’t be driving anytime soon as it’ll be a couple years before his tickets and accident drops off his record. Live and learn.

The Av’s are on a roll, the Nuggets finished the regular season with a win and both are in first place with playoffs starting in a week. Should be a fun time in Denver with both teams playing at Ball Arena. James is on Jimmy Kimmel the next four nights in a row. They film it during the day so he’s home Thursday evening before heading to Amsterdam on Saturday. A lot of people think the life of a rock star is glamourous and while it is, he works hard. I get daily texts of all the crap he goes through and there’s a lot of shit. I always tell him, everybody has shit, doesn’t matter who you are. That’s why social media is such a joke, it paints a picture of everyone with this idyllic life where everything is perfect, not true. By the way, want to stop gun violence and shootings, or at least greatly reduce them? Get rid of social media! That’ll never happen but you can trace most of the issues in the Country to false narrative from everyone from Sleepy Joe and the administration to your neighbor in his basement pushing falsehoods and lies on the internet. None of this crap happened before we were all connected now did it.

I could go on but what’s the point. People believe what they see on tv and read on the internet regardless. What a shame that so many while thinking they know what’s going on are just followers of false leaders and even bots. God help us when AI takes over.

Time to go, enjoy the week and God Bless.

He is Risen! Rejoice in His glory. It’s a great day! Happy Easter!

Yesterday was a great day too. Dixie had a fantastic birthday and was so happy with everything. We woke up early and were headed to the gym but after washing Lori’s car and realizing we had to go to the grocery store too, we decided to skip it. Good thing we did as Lori was busy the whole time until she was headed out to get her mom.

Greg and Jae made it up here from Denver right about the time Lori and Kristin headed out to get Dixie. Harley gave them her customary greeting by rushing Greg while barking loud and nudging his arm with her mouth. One she said hello, all was fine.

Lunch was great and then Dixie opened her presents. Her last present was a soft stuffed animal that was a bunny with floppy ears. You would have thought she had a new baby. She was close to tears and hugged it like a child. She wouldn’t let it go and even slept with it when Lori took her home later in the day. She was so happy with the entire day and did really well but did tire easily.

Kristin slept on the couch in the living room last night as the air bed was too soft. It’s 7:20 now so everyone will be getting up soon. Should be nice today too. It’s warming up a bunch with temps in the 70’s up here for the next 4 days or so. .

This morning at 10 the boys head home and Kristin’s flight is at 1. I think Lori is making Eggs Benedict. Hard to believe it’s April 9th.

Make it a great day and Thank God for giving his only son to save you! God Bless us all.

Check out Dixie and her tiny tiara on her head! SO glad she made it to 92. The other day, honestly I wasn’t sure if she’d be here. God has a plan for everyone and for her, it was to celebrate her 92nd birthday! Queen for a day!

Yesterday Dixie rallied and was discharged around noon and today is her 92nd birthday! Happy Birthday Dixie! Thanks to everyone for their prayers! Praying works! I had my doubts as she wasn’t doing well but had a miraculous turnaround. Thank you God.

The boys rolled in around 6:30 and Kristin landed in Eagle around 8pm. She and Lori then stopped to see Dixie for about an hour.

Today Greg and Jae, Dixie’s nephew and wife from Denver, will arrive by noon for the big birthday party and lunch. I cleaned up the yard yesterday afternoon and took down the Christmas lights in the trees in the back. In the morning I did some major grocery shopping hitting at least four different stores. After Lori made it home from getting her mom settled, we then went to Costco too. On top of that, Carmen, our cleaning lady and her crew, showed up at 12:30 and cleaned the house. So it was a busy day.

Things at work are on a roll. This could and should be a life changing year. If all we’re working on happens, things could be real interesting. It’s been a long time coming. I’m not one to ever put the cart before the horse but things are good. I’m headed to Dallas at the end of the month to continue moving things forward. Fingers crossed.

That’s it. Time to get moving, make it a great day, God Bless and Happy Birthday Dixie! 92 is a strong number! Sign me up!

On Good Friday, we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10). Easter follows it, the glorious celebration of the day Jesus was raised from the dead, heralding his victory over sin and death and pointing ahead to a future resurrection for all who are united to him by faith (Romans 6:5).

As a kid, I remember Easter as a fun holiday with Easter egg hunts, Spring weather and a beautiful lunch somewhere with the family. Lots of times we went to The Palm with Mom and Dad down in Scottsdale. The food was endless with rows and rows of everything you could imagine and the desserts were overwhelming. Mom always hid an Easter basket for each of us kids and even when we were older, would always send a card with a small check. She was so good about never ever missing any holiday.

Dixie spent another night at the hospital. Lori was going to spend the night but they assured her she’d make it through the night. Today She’ll head back while I’ll go grocery shopping and then head home to let the house cleaners in. Ty and Jagger will leave Denver around 4 to come up and Kristin arrives from California around 8 tonight. We’re hoping to get Dixie home today but I am concerned whether or not she’ll be coming home. Say a prayer.

Tomorrow Dixie will be 92! That’s a good life any way you measure it. Still, it’s always difficult when one passes. Let’s hope she rally’s.

I’m still recouping a bit from my stomach bug or food poisoning. Lori said there’s lots of people at the hospital waiting for beds that have Norovirus, ugh.

Meanwhile the World is a mess. You have the White House telling trans kids to fight back less than 48 hours after a trans kid shot up a Christian school. It’s like they’re celebrating or justifying the shooter! WTF? Yesterday another trans kid in Colorado Springs was arrested after being turned in by a family member. She had a manifesto and planned on shooting up some places too. 95% of all shootings in the past year have been by trans kids. Anyone see a connection here? The White House doesn’t. Neither does Budweiser who just announced they’re featuring a boy turned girl on their beer cans and Nike announced they’re using him to model sports bras! That’s right, I said him. Unbelievable. I personally don’t care what anyone does with their body or life but allowing kids to decide to change their sexuality when they’re children, like under 18, makes no sense. Also trans people make up less than one tenth of one percent of the population, so what gives? The government is once again trying to deflect from their failures and further divide us. Don’t fall for it. Mom would always say, walk away, don’t engage. What a mess. One could argue the second coming of Christ is needed now! Mark my words, he will come, and you will want to be on the right side of things!

Happy Easter weekend, God Bless.

Yesterday I slept in until about 11. Then I made it out of bed, ate some toast Lori had made me and washed the sheets. The rest of the day was spent recuperating. Around 4pm, Marty was headed over to get some wine for a closing. A few minutes later Lori called and said they were taking Dixie by ambulance to the hospital and that she was leaving Frisco now. I told her I’d leave now but she told me to wait a few so I waited until Marty showed up.

As soon as Marty showed up 30 minutes later, I headed to the hospital. Dixie still wasn’t there when I was on the road but Lori was. By the time I made it there, Dixie and Lori were in the ER. Apparently Lori told assisted living on Sunday to check her for a UTI. I guess they did but didn’t get the results, which were positive, back until yesterday, and then, no one was there to give her an anti-biotic. So of course she had an infection. Lori said her blood pressure was low and her lips were blue when they took her! By the time they let me go back at ER, she looked great and was joking away with me.

They ran all kinds of tests from an EKG to a CT of her stomach and when done, decided to keep her overnight as it was close to 10. Lori had me go home around 8 and she made it home a little after 11. We’ll get her this morning and take her home barring any unforeseen complications during the night. Lori said when they took her up to her room last night she looked at the guy and said, “are you my bed mate”? Funny, Lori said the guy turned red.

Dixie will be 92 on Saturday and Kristin arrives tomorrow. Marty and I were talking and we both agreed we’d sign up today for 92 in a heart beat. Dixie is in general, in pretty good health, considering all her issues. She can get around on her own, use the bathroom just fine and pretty much knows what’s going on in real time. She gets confused about things like her parents, who she thinks are on an extended trip to Europe for 2 years, and some other stuff but that’s about it. Thank God she has Lori or she would have been long gone if left alone in Sacramento.

While waiting to go back to see Dixie and Lori, I ran into Dr. Yarberry who is a long time doctor that always wears Hawaiian shirts and works at the hospital. He lost his daughter years ago which was devastating but always has a smile. He saw me and smiled and I stood up and said hi and shook his hand and asked how he was doing. The moment struck me as he said, “I had a really good day”. He said it in such a way that you could tell he was genuinely happy about it and pleased to have just lived another day. It was surreal and caught me off guard. Just something about the way he said it, you could tell he was really thankful and appreciative to be alive. Made me think just how fragile life is.

Well that’s it, back at it, time never stops so time to get back on the horse. Make it a great day, warm weather is coming. The boys come home tomorrow and Ty is kicking a cold. Easter is also this weekend! He is Risen! Get ready, big weekend, God Bless.

What a day. After a poke bowl in Edwards, it hit me in the afternoon. I won’t go into details but by 8pm I was dripping with sweat, dehydrated and barely able to move. So far this morning at 6:20, I feel a bit better and was able to drink a little bit of water. Man it was rough.

Lori is in Frisco today and I’ll just be hanging at home trying to recoup. Jag has one class to take this summer so he’ll graduate halfway through his fifth year. With a double major and a minor and the Quantitative Finance degree, it takes that long.

I was headed back to Denver today but cancelled. Lori and I have an appointment tomorrow in down there anyhow. No snow on the ground and not really any clouds, just a little hazy. Warm temperatures are headed this way with it being in the 70’s up here by Monday. If we’re lucky, winter is over.

Time to go, have a great day and God Bless.

Yesterday on my quick trip to Denver, I met up with my buddy Art who has been dealing with severe depression for about a year. Happily, he’s doing way better than he was last year. Last time I saw him he was so drugged up he was like a zombie. He’s almost back to what we all think is normal, at least on the outside. Mental health these days is a big deal. Guess it probably always was but when we were kids, it didn’t seem as common. Maybe everyone just kept it in, I’m not sure. Anyhow, glad he’s doing well.

Lori is in Edwards today and she’s going with the girls, (Adriana, Melissa and Eleni) to dinner tonight after work at Zino. She’d rather just come home but should go as she committed and it’s right after work and she’ll have fun.

No snow on the driveway but a little on the grass so far. We’ll see how the rest of the day plays out. I have to go to Vail later today so hope it misses us.

They’re now pushing a covid nasal vaccine. When will people learn? Not sure about you all, but we’re through with any more shots. Follow the money and you’ll have a whole different view of the covid thing.

We’re trying to decide where to go for summer vacation. We want to do it on points, airline and hotel, so we need to plane it out. Good news is we have over 1 million United miles and about 700,000 Marriott/Westin points so it’s pretty wide open. We just need to check schedules. Right now I have France mid-July and we’re all in Arizona for Labor Day, so end of May or early June looks like the best time.

70’s this weekend for Dixie’s birthday and Easter, whoo hoo! Better start getting things prepared. Have a great Tuesday and God Bless.