To Dream perchance to Sleep

Sleep. Macbeth doth murder sleep - or was it those Excedrin.

I believe I have lost any caffeine insensitivity I may have once had.

Not yet.

My wife asked me if I had done a certain task.

I told her, "Nope, not yet".

She responded, "I think I will put that on your tombstone".

Ouch.

Here's to earning another epitaph.

The Tree House

A tree house it is!

We wanted something more for the kids to do outside. We decided on a tree house.

My son wanted a trapdoor, and the authority to keep his sisters out. (We agreed on the trapdoor).

My daughters, especially the youngest, wanted a slide. How about a fast one?

Grandma K had given us a cargo net.

My wife wanted the patio shelf/barrier/why-did-they-put-that-there-thing gone. Some of the wood could be reused.

Dad always needs another project.

And, of course, we already had the tree.

So, a few hours (plus a few hours more), and the consulting designers, chief helpers, and final arbiters get a chance to try it out. I think I see smiles.

Soccer Saturday

Today was a soccer Saturday. My son's game was first at 9:00. Then our daughter had two games, one right after the other. I get a kick watching my children play. By the end, my voice was hoarse. It is normal for me to be one of those cheering parents, but this year I have the added excuse of being the coach.

Important coaching words: To the goalie: "You can pick up the ball. Use your hands." To a forward: "No, we're going the other way".

I shared right in the joy of the team when they scored, especially my daughter's team's first goal -they had had a tough time last week, being on the less pleasant side of an 11 nothing game.

But of course for the the players the treat still appeared to be the highlight of the day!

Elaine Rocks!

Elaine Bradley rocks. As her cousin, I have known this for years. Now it is in wide release for the world to see.

She is currently in the band Neon Trees. If you are trying to find her in the band, and the fact that she is the only female has not helped you, please know she is the drummer. If you still can't find her, well, you haven't got a ha'penny.

The band's first album came out March 16, 2010. The single, Animal, has been getting play and has a music video. Watch them on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, March 23rd.

CD: Habits, both CD and mp3's of the tracks at Amazon.
Vinyl: Can you believe it is also out in vinyl, Habits.
iTunes:
Single, Animal - Free download!
Neon Trees - Habits (Bonus Track Version) choose any single or the whole album with bonus tracks.

Build as for years.

We have been doing some projects in our house for the past year. This follows the pattern we set in our previous homes. I suppose this stems from the need for improvements, which, at least at the first part of each project, is spurred on by the enjoyment of doing them.

In both our two previous homes, we felt we could be there for years. In this home, we fully plan to move away. And so, in deciding on projects to do here, we must judge what makes sense to do based on the fact we plan on leaving. One approach would be just to do the minimum that makes things livable. Yet, we still have done some substantial work - new bedrooms for our children, bathrooms, etc. on the list we have done, and have a list of more to do (a list that seems to grow by itself). We are tempering our approach (and keeping a budget), but are doing more than just the minimum.

I think a large part of this comes from wanting to make this a home now. We have made this feel like home, have made some changes that have function, and that make this space our own.

A thought from scripture stays in my mind: build as for years. To me, this has implications for making a good physical home now, to build in a way that lasts. Moreover, do everything in a way that would last, most importantly in relationships with people.

Well, hope that's not too much intro for saying my son and I finished his closet door tonight. He used his own screwdriver on the doorknob.

Holiday Trees

Driving through downtown tonight:

"Look, they finally took the Christmas tree down."

"Yes, they have to get that done so they can get ready for the next holiday, Washington's birthday. They put a tree up for that one too, a cherry tree. But that one comes down promptly. They chop it down that very day."

Groan.