A Year of Change

Again, another day zips on by, they seem to go faster and faster these days. You think with me/us getting up so early they’d last longer, but no, they’re flying by. I was in Vail and back in Denver by 9:30am, that’s a quick 150 miles, then I was up north and back home by 11:15 which was another 75 miles. Then I boxed up a dozen more cases of wine for Fed Ex. Meanwhile Lori was working hard and arrived home around 5pm.

Jagger has inter murals this morning at 7 and Ty is down with us now. Everyone is busy busy busy.

Time to get moving, but before I go, check this out,

“I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. And we should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration.” – Hillary Clinton, 2003

My how times have changed, hmmm, God Bless

It’s 4:45am and I’ve already showered. I didn’t get much sleep last night but am up and ready anyhow. Creditors don’t care if you get any sleep or not! The next 3 weeks are the weeks from hell, not sure why to call the last 3! I have so much going on even I with my Superman memory, need to write it down. I’ll get through it though as I always do. Anyhow, no time to chit chat, gotta run,

God Bless.

Yesterday Ty and his team of 5 girls placed 1st in their Destination Imagination Challenge. It was snowing and really cold, like 15 or less, when we loaded up the props at 6:45 and headed over to Alameda International High School where they hold the challenge each year. This means they will now be going to State and if they win there, then it’s off to Globals. All the parents secretly hope they don’t make it to Globals as they’re usually held back east somewhere and we all just can’t afford it. I’m a bit worried though as this is the best they’ve done in the 4 or 5 years that Ty has been on a team. You see, the kids are given a challenge along with rules of what they can use to build their stuff and most of all, parents cannot help at all. I was telling Ty to zip up his jacket, which he had glued tin foil to as he was an astronaut, but the coach told me not to say anything as we cannot even do that! More on his team and what they came up with later but it was really really good and I’m not surprised they placed 1st!

Next up,  after we arrived home, Jag and I ran a few errands and Mom took it easy on the couch. I had put a roast in the crock pot at 10 am then Lori cleaned up a bit. She, and all of us, deserved a rest. We watched Gravity and The Dallas Buyers Club yesterday. Gravity was pretty bad but Dallas Buyers Club could win an Oscar. We haven’t see 12 Years A Slave though so we don’t know. Lori likes the award shows but I’m not really big on watching a bunch of over paid, liberal celebrities pat each other on the back. I think Lori likes seeing the clothes the best.

Today is the 8th day of our lifestyle change in our diet. We eliminated all gluten, sugar, most carbs, except complex ones, and all dairy. We both feel great. This diet (not really a diet in the sense of dieting but rather a guideline of what to eat to stay and look younger, feel better and live longer) is like magic! I have lost over 10 pounds of fat, not muscle, and almost all inflammation is gone. I didn’t know how much fat I had on my body but my ankles have never been so thin and inflammation is the number one cause of disease in all of us. We’re sleeping better too which is a big plus and our mood swings are rapidly disappearing. I didn’t know but gluten, meaning all wheat, even whole wheat, ages you inside and out, faster and is generally bad for you. I personally don’t miss anything and we still get to have things like cheese cake and pasta (gluten free) and other great things. All the food we have been eating is fantastic and are basically just real food, no processed junk. Amazingly, the kids love it too! So enough about us, just had to share. As Shannon Sharpe, the great tight end from the Denver Broncos said, you can’t out exercise a bad diet!

Today Jag and maybe Ty and I are running up to Cabela’s as they have a big sale going on. We won’t buy anything unless we can find a cheap rain coat for Jagger that he needs for Outdoor Lab. We’re meeting my buddy Matt up there. I think Lori and I are going to get a  hepatitis shot for our trip coming up. I thought I had one but my doctor has no record of it. The kids have them but Lori doesn’t know if she had one either. I’d imagine she did flying every where but better to be safe than sorry.

It’s still snowy and cold outside but is supposed to warm up starting tomorrow. Time to run to the gym. I slept in until 6:30 (told you we’re sleeping better) which is late for me. Take care and God Bless.

D.I. this morning, baseball last night and Lori and I worked all day long on top of it all. We’re off at 6:45am for the D.I. tournament and then hopefully home by 11 or so. Jagger offered to help me clean the basement this weekend so maybe we can get a jump on that.

Monday morning I need to run up to Vail and be back by 9:30 or so meaning it’ll be an early morning. On Sunday we’d just like to stay in bed but the boys will never let that happen. Cold and snowy again today, so they say, we’ll see.

Time to run, have a great weekend and God Bless you all!

As it turns out, Lori is all in and now the new Practice Manager at Denver Plastic Surgery. Her plan of working until 3 or so Monday, Wednesday and Fridays hasn’t really happened as she’s been there until around 5:30 or 6pm each day! We think (hope) this is just temporary as she’s cleaning up the mess left by her predecessors. She’ll settle in but it’ll take her a couple of more weeks. Anyhow she’s making more money and we’re trying to look at that as the positive. This will help with the never ending influx of medical bills that are still arriving. Too bad it didn’t happen a month or so ago as some of the natives (medical collection agencies) are getting pretty restless! The tax guys aren’t too happy either. God willing, this will all soon end.

I picked up Jag at 2:45 but we couldn’t find Ty, turns out her had jump rope club and we forgot. I took Jag for a quick hamburger and then we went back to get Ty. Then it was off to Sports Authority for $200 (uggh) of much needed, mandatory, baseball gear. We then went for another hamburger for Jag and one for Ty. When we arrived home Ty asked why he didn’t get two!

I then began to get ready for dinner and finish the laundry and dishes. It’s like I’m Mr. Mom. Today I need to finish some work and remember to pay the first half of the property taxes. Then we have baseball from 4 to 6. Tomorrow is Ty’s Destination Imagination presentation and we need to leave the house by 6:30am! I think we’re done by 10:45 or 11. Then lots to do to get Jagger ready for Outdoor Lab and on and on it goes. Oh yea, the cool weather and snow are headed back, super.

Take care and God Bless

It’s 4:57 and I’ve been up for 15 minutes or so but am already feeling behind. I need to get to the gym and then get back and box up some more vino. Yesterday the Chicago samples went out and today hopefully I’ll send North Carolina. Then I’ll only have Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, New York, Alabama, South Carolina and Wisconsin to go. On top of that, I need to ship out a dozen or so boxes to my team here in Colorado, then the house can start getting back to normal.

The boys had early release yesterday and then Ty went to D.I. We picked him up and then the boys and I went to Jag’s baseball practice. He did well for not picking up a bat for 4 months. He’s developed physically since last fall and has a really nice swing.

Mom arrived home a bit after 6. She’s going to ask for more money today as she underestimated the job, so did I!

Time to run and finish up my coffee with cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract (I gave up dairy) and get to the gym.

God Bless.

There’s not much but there’s a few inches and its cold. Jagger is supposed to have baseball practice tonight but I don’t know how as the field will for sure be wet and muddy even if it warms up. We’re on a roller coaster as by tomorrow it’ll be 60 and then more snow Saturday. The weather just can’t seem to make up its mind.

Lori is working hard as am I. I boxed and shipped 20 boxes of wine yesterday and will do the same today. There are tons of crashes on the roads so those of us in Colorado will need to take it easy. I need to get moving and go gas up Lori’s car and make sure its full of window washing fluid so I’d better get moving. She hates to get gas, so much that she’ll just run the car empty, I think she never looks at the gas gauge!

Hope all’s well, gotta run, God Bless.

Around noon, after much negotiating on the phone, I received a call from the trucker and he said he was just leaving the Denver Airport. Amy from my custom brokers in Chicago who helped me secure delivery yesterday rather than today, told me it’d be late in the afternoon before I should expect delivery. Well, the trucker, who’s been delivering to me for years, and who I always give some wine, jumped right on it and was 3 or 4 hours early.

I was up north but made it home about 5 minutes after he arrived. I told him he made good time and he replied, “and yea, I even stopped for a drink” and he didn’t mean soda pop either. He’s a nice guy with about 3 teeth, a beat up old cowboy hat and tattoo’s up and down his arms. He’s nice and like I said, has been my driver for 4 or 5 years. James, who used to take care of my dad, showed up, as I hired him for a couple hundred bucks to help carry it all in. Dr. Gander, the 70 some year old dentist who you’ve heard me talk about, stopped and helped also. It only took about an hour to move the 250 cases and now the house is packed.

Today I’ll need to repackage about half of those and get them ready for Fed Ex tomorrow. Meanwhile Lori was at work until about 5 or so, the boys well, were boys and that about wraps it up. It’s 4:49 now and I need to get to the gym before all the work I have here so time to run. Hope all’s well, here’s another couple stories to chew on, God Bless.

4 – Fourth Important Lesson. – The obstacle in Our Path. 

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a

our condition. 

5 – Fifth Important Lesson – Giving When it Counts…. 

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a

sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Think about that, have a great day!

Where did the weekend go? Last night the good looking one and I were saying it’s like we didn’t even have a break. It’s 6am now and we’re on the move. Hopefully I’ll get wine today as tomorrow it’ll be much colder and maybe snow. I have lots to do today though so it’s a double edged sword.

Check these 3 little stories out, something different for the day,

You can now call the misses again as she has a new phone. We never found hers despite searching everywhere, she even went back to the church where I went. Oh well, can’t dwell on the negative.

Yesterday, besides spending 3 hours in a packed Verizon store, I managed to get some groceries, pick up a new vacuum at Sears, clean out the garage and take 4 boys to Buckaroo’s for Ty’s belated birthday celebration. The last chore was the worst. Buckaroo’s is in the mall and it was like a third world country. Not very many white or english speaking people, I felt naked not being armed!

Last night we had some snow, I’m not sure if it was expected or not but I was surprised. Today I’d love to get a start on my basement as I’ve been putting it off for what seems like years!

Peggy was gone most of the day to Cherry Creek and even drove down to Colorado Springs to look at some Old English Sheepdog puppies as that’s what she grew up with and has been thinking of getting one. They had three and she didn’t care for any of them so she came home empty handed. Then she was off with some girlfriends to Toby Keith’s new bar across town. I’m not sure when she made it home. I told her not to stay out too late! She’s headed home to Aspen today but she’s a great house guest as she’s never really here! She’s always going here, there or somewhere.

My wine will arrive via British Airways in Denver this afternoon and hopefully clear customs by 6am tomorrow. If we’re lucky, it’ll get to me tomorrow. Then the work begins, I know I have 50 cases of 12 bottles each that need to go out by Wednesday at the latest. If the wine arrives Tuesday, it’ll be a long, long day! Lori of course will be at the office. Throw in housing taxes due on the 28th, Colorado State 2013 taxes due now, a payment on Federal taxes due on the 20th, and one to the accountant, and there’s a crappy week. It sure gets old, the more you make, the less you have!

Oh well, guess I’ll run, everyone is still sleeping, the boys (Vinny spent the night), Peggy, Lori, Ty and Jagger. It’s just Mojo and me and he’s outside enjoying the dusting of snow. Have a great day and God Bless.