Family Bahler

2010 - Getting off to a Good Start?

2010-01-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

With record breaking cold, earthquakes in places unable to cope, political upheaval, terrorism activity increasing, uncertainty, and growing unemployment, it seems this year is getting off to a very bad start. But wait, God is about to do something absolutely amazing.

Funny Story?

2009-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

The oldest grand daughter challenged me to tell a funny story on my blog. Well here goes.

Ever hear the term "Old Fart"? Well I think I have officially become one. It seems my body is producing a abundance of gas and it becomes apparent at all the wrong times. I work in an office with other people around all the time. For the past several days, I am almost afraid to leave my own office and walk to the copy machine or any place. "Toot... Toot... Toot" as I walk past other offices. Embarassing.

Oh well. You can now have a great day knowing you don't have that problem.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2009-08-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

On July 30, our President issued an Executive Memorandum on embryonic stem cell research. That Order says in part:

"The Guidelines are based on the principles that responsible research with human embryonic stem cells has the potential to improve our understanding of human biology and aid in the discovery of new ways to prevent and treat illness, and that individuals donating embryos for research purposes should do so freely, with voluntary and informed consent. These Guidelines will ensure that NIH-funded research adheres to the highest ethical standards."

Now all that sounds good, right? Phases like "responsible research," "discovery of new ways to prevent and treat illness," "donating... freely, with volunary and informed consent," and "highest ethical standards" all sound pretty noble and important.

This was not covered on any news I heard. With all the debate on "health care reform" and "cash for clunkers" no one was watching. Shame on us!

My only question is: Who speaks on behalf of the embryos? When is their free, voluntary and informed consent solicited and documented?

Besides all the moral problems, check out this article in Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/15/stem-cells-research-cancer-opinions-contributors-embryonic-funding.html

Woe unto us when we call "evil" "good." Now that we have our foot in the door, what's the next step?

Comments on Health Care Bill

2009-08-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dare to read, you might be surprised by my conclusions...

The wording in the current health care bill is a slap in the face of the “silent” or “greatest” generation – the generation that lived through the depression, fought in World War II, sacrificed so much during the war, raised the “baby boom” generation (the largest ever in history), and contributed to one of the greatest periods of economic growth in human history. They have been missionaries, evangelists and, ambassadors. Many have had to give up even more due to “rebounding” children – grown children who fail at jobs, marriage, life and return home to get a second start. Now the health care fix is being placed squarely on their backs and on the backs of their children. I noted the limitations of health care in England once you are 59 (the Baby Boomers are already entering the age of restrictions). The Baby Boomers are beginning to get the idea that we need to apologize for ever being born because we are going to cause so much trouble. We will be second in line to be denied by-pass or cancer surgery. In August many in Congress are holding "town meetings." When you check their websites, however, attendance is by invitation only. So they don't really want to know what we think unless they think we think like they think???

In spite of how bad the existing bill is, I think there is a bigger issue. The common denominator in all the discussions is the government: the government grants treatments, sets the rates, controls prices, sets the rules, denies treatments, etc. God establishes governments to protect its citizens. To the extent government fails to protect the citizens but instead causes harm (dictates who can live and who must die) then such a government is no longer “under God.” Those with health issues become slaves of the healthy and those who have unrestricted health care. Such a nation cannot long endure on the face of the earth. The founding fathers warned us this time would come if we let Congress pass bills that they were not subject to. Our Congress today continually passes bills that do not apply to themselves even though they apply to everyone else.

But there is yet still a bigger issue: Whether we have “universal health care” or not is not the biggest issue. The bigger issue is: Does this nation really “In God We Trust?” More and more it appears we are putting our trust in the government, Hollywood, famous personalities, rich people, money, anything or anyone but God. I note the Australians are becoming the dominant power in international sporting events and they have “universal health care” and are an overtly Christian nation. I think the biggest need in our nation is a national revival toward God. Until that happens, we will continue to have confused leaders and self-destructive national laws. The spirit of confusion on our leaders today comes directly from God as we drift farther from Him.

Look at the “Cash for Junkers” program. It has been called an overwhelming “success.” A billion $$’s were spent in just a few days. Now Congress is trying to add $2B more. But where did the money go. Much of it went to buyers who bought cars manufactured in other countries. So we transferred much of the first $1B to Japan, Germany, and Korea. Some car new inventories were reduced but this is not a sustainable approach to recovery of the American auto industry. Calling it a “success” is the same kind of confused evaluation we have seen to nearly everything the government is doing right now. The only industry that is getting a long term benefit is the car-loans companies. But maybe not: they will be getting payments and interest for 4 to 7 years from people who were driving junkers, possibly because that's all they could afford. Does this at all sound like the housing crisis that supposedly started the recession in the first place?

See you at the Town Meeting near you.

Steve

Is This a Sign of Old Age?

2009-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I drove to a small "international" airport north of Orlando to pickup Kathi. She was flying back from helping her parents in South Dakota. The trip broke my usual weeknight routine in several ways.

Worked much later than normal
Had trouble getting back into the office after some meetings due to security
Had to drive to Orlando
Ate a really terrible McDonald's Angus burger, ick!
Had to follow the Garmen GPS all the way, because I had no idea where the airport was, and it was dark, so I really didn't know were I was going except for the compass on the rear view mirror
Had to pay a lot of tolls because the GPS routed me over every toll road it could find. mmm...
Finally found Kathi, looking lovely as usual
Went back by following the signs to I-4 rather than the toll roads, a little farther but a whole lot cheaper
Kathi tried to update me about her whole trip, I may have remembered some of it
We got home at almost 1:00 a.m.
I unloaded Kathi's bags out of the car
Went to bed
Got up at 5:45 a.m.

Okay, except for the going to bed, everything else was pretty much not a normal weeknight activity. So why is all this significant? Well I'm glad you asked. When I got into the garage to go to work this moring, the car wouldn't start. After what seems like hours of investigation, I found I had left the tail gate open and the lights stayed on all night (about 6 hours) and drained the battery. Now I couldn't get to work, had to call and reschedule a meeting, etc. Fortunately, AAA was there in about 15 minutes, so I was only late for work by about 10 min. Usually I try to get there 30 minutes early just in case.

So here's the question? Does forgetfulness come from old age, fatigue or is that just who I am? You decide.

Steve

Was This a God Thing?

2009-07-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I was working on a powerpoint presentation for a conference in Denver week after next. I was also watching TV in the background. My main prayer lately has been for family members who need new jobs. About midnight I turned off the TV and computer to go to bed. As I was waking up this morning, I began to pray for family members as I ususally do. For the first time my prayer was led pray for "sources of income" rather than just "jobs." Then as I was getting out of bed I heard noises coming from other part of the house. Turned out the cable was on, but not the TV so the sound was coming out of the surround sound system. When I checked it out it was a home Internet based business opportunity. Not sure why the cable was on. I know I turned it off too. Anyway, I listed to it and eventually called them to send the information. We'll see if this is an answer to prayer. When the Lord returns will he find any faith at all?

Love, Steve

Presidential Priorities

2009-07-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today, June 9th, President Obama declared National Summer Learning Day.

On June 4 he declared Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2009.

Let's see... a day for continuing education of our children and a month celebrating the accomplishments of those living in open sin. Does anyone besides me see anything wrong with this picture?

I guess we know where a lot of his campaign contributions came from. Here's some lemon-aid for you: At least we know the President is loyal to those who bought him into office. Just like he used the Federal government to buy car companies so he could give them to the unions.

Steve

Travels

2009-07-07T05:01:00.000-07:00

Well some of us are back from our trek to South Dakota and Minnesota. Kathi will fly back later this week. Those of us who drove got home about 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon after driving about 26 hours from Sioux Falls were we met up with Joel and Mary. I did the most driving but Mary and Joel took the overnight shift avoiding deer and successfully navigating the foggy mountains of Tennessee. I'm back at work today hoping the fatigue does not catch up with me before the day is over.

It was a great adventure.

I found a new first edition book at Needs Anonymous in Webster which I read and passed on to Michael.
Got to visit with Carissa and her family two times. (wow are the older three growing!). They are pretty settled in their home in MN and enjoying watching their garden grow and other projects around the house. We got to talk about their hopes for the future and about the Word of God, specifically some verses in Revelations.
Got to visit with Heather and her boy friend Charlie. Charlie's dog Bella is a clown, she waited outside the bathroom door then barked at me when I came out. Heather's dog Riley was as happy as ever.
Got to see Charlie's team win a soft ball game. Turns out they won the tournament, too. They are a good hitting team and have great defense, turning double plays often.
Got to visit with old friends Marc and Carole and Ann and Paul. Marc had a near death experience earlier this year when his heart stopped for a while. But he is doing great now.
Gas was about 20 cents cheaper in MN than it is in FL.

Every time I go to SD, I fantasize what it would be like to have a shop in Webster. Maybe a Christian book store, music store, coffee shop, place to discuss issues of the day. There is a store front for sale in downtown... hmmmm? I once had that same fantacy about Sequim, WA. Not long after someone else opened the exact same shop there.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Best Laid Plans...

2009-06-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Kathi is driving her parents to their summer home in South Dakota. They meant to get an early start this morning, but they didn't. It was raining really hard too so that slowed them. They they took the long way around Tampa. End result of all these delays, they hit Atlanta at rush hour and didn't get to their motel in Chattanooga until about 8:00 p.m. A long day. But they are doing well and their injured doggie is traveling well.

Watch the Frogs

2009-06-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

They say a frog will allow itself to be boiled to death if the temperature of the water is increased gradually. For this one thing I am thankful for the new President and Congress. They are turning the water to boil all at once, and the frogs are jumping out of the water. I only hope enough escape in time to make a difference!

The Irony of Iran

2009-06-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

They held an election in Iran. The incumbant won, the loser is crying foul. People have been demonstrating in the streets and some have been killed.

So what is the issue: the existence and tactics of the paramilitary organization that enforces the dictates of the Islamic theocracy on the people.

It's not about their religion (90% have the same religion), it's not about the economy (40% are out of work), it's about who controls the power, who controls the internal "security" force.

So meanwhile, back in the USA, some in the democratic party have been talking about creating an internal "security" organization that would prevent "right wing extremists" from performing terrorist activities.

Who's a right-wing extremist? Anyone who calls good "good" and evil "evil" is labeled an extremist and would be subjected to surveillance and arrest or worse by this new "security" force. Anyone who speaks out against the dictates of the party or persons in power.

Does that not sound a little like what the people in Iran are struggling to stop? Is that not ironic, if not completely crazy? Could we descend any further from the founding principles of this great nation?

What every happened to good old American inginuity?

2009-06-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

The news is extolling China's 60 mpg car: basically a tricycle with a top. Fooey. I once had a Ford Escort station wagon with a diesel engine. It sometimes got 50 mpg on the highway and it had doors, room for four and luggage. You could actually drive it on the highway.

Health Insurance Poll

2009-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was polled about the need to reform health care in the United States. I rarely get polled, so it was kind of fun.

It goes without saying that everybody wants the best possible medical treatment to be available and affordable. You've heard the cry: "quality, affordable health insurance for everyone."

The questions were all double-edged or vague, however, so I had to answer "no" to most of them. The poll seemed to be trying to get me to say I was in favor of raising taxes on individuals and businesses and having the government control of medical insurance and services for everyone.

That's the same government that says it okay to kill unborn children, even children partially born, while on the other hand saying you can go to jail for disturbing a swallow's nest. Somehow, I just couldn't trust that kind of a government with medical decisions for my loved ones.

At the end they asked me if it would be okay to have someone from the "news media" interview me about my responses. Of course I said "no." Ummm, makes me wonder, am I on one of those "watch lists" because of my recent quips?

Why is it "health insurance" anyway. They are not insuring our health, are they? We are paying premiums so they will pay for our needed medical care. Shouldn't it be called "medical insurance?"

Movie Mania

2009-06-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

We saw the Star Trek movie a couple weeks ago. They live in a utopian society where no one is paid an income, there is no poverty, there is no hunger. Sounds just like the dream of the LIberals! Someone decides your role in society, unless you are James Kirk and you take your role by force. So if you are not James Kirk, you get what they give you and of course you are motivated because of the utopian society to excell. Actually, nearly everybody in the movie was completely incompetent, except Kirk of course, which I suspect will be the real outcome of the utopian society envisioned by hollywood and the liberals.

Oh, I forgot in the movie, there are aliens trying to destroy our planet! No big problem, though, since everyone eats synthicized food, they can focus entirely on stopping the aliens. I know I always think better when I eat artificial food.

We saw Terminator Salvation last night. The savior of humanity is named John Connor. Note the initials. However, the real savior was someone else who gave his heart to save John Connor. This hero was a murderer who suddenly became a protector. They kept talking about second chances. But that's it though, no third chance!

Quotes and Quips?

2009-06-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Our President's campaign promises are like a hot air balloon. Pretty and graceful on the outside, empty on the inside. I guess that makes him the ultimate politician.

Our President's campaign promises are like a mirage in the dessert. They look hopeful in the distance, but as you get near, they vanish. Maybe he should stop making promises.

Some think God in the Bible and Allah in the Koran are the same. God is the god of gods, king of kings, prince of peace. Allah is the god of the moon. I guess that's why our President thinks they are the same.

Companies like Boeing increase or decrease the number of employees as their plane sales increase or decrease. It is a normal part of their business. When a goverment's revenues decrease, you would think the world came to an end when they were forced into a staff reduction. They feel they are successful when they eliminate vacant positions, not real jobs. I guess that explains why our President and Congress are so determined to make more government jobs.

This morning as I was driving to work, my trip was delayed by a crash blocking the right lane: a small car was crushed under a jack-knifed truck. It made me cry out to God in tears for the person in the car. Then I realized our government wants us all to be driving in the tiniest possible cars. I only have a limited supply of tears and I definately don't want my kids driving in the smallest possible cars. One did, and it nearly killed her. Now she drives a Suburban. You go girl!

On a happier note, it is raining about an inch a day in Florida. Finally, the draught is not front page news. Some Floridians should spend some time in Arizona. They are delighted with an inch a month!.

Our Governor lost his approval rating with the "Green Folks" this week. He signed a bill making development easier in some Florida communities. That bill could create more jobs and more revenue so there is money to spend on Green Projects. The "Green Folks" should spend a few days in Haiti to see how "green" cities are when no one has a job.

Let me know if these amuse or abuse.

Steve

2009-05-30T15:52:00.001-07:00

Mike and Carissa,

You blog is so beautiful. What a wonderful family you have. Blessings in Jesus. Aunt Meg

Afternoon on Ana Maria Island

2009-05-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the whole gang.

A nice lady sitting near by

volunteered to take the picture.

We are on Ana Maria Island on the Gulf of Mexico.

Here are Tori and Sara jumping some waves.

The water temperature was prefect, it didn't feel warm or cold.

Tori is testing the water.

She really enjoyed her time at the beach.

She built a sand castle and found lots of sea shells

Kathi and Tori wave jumping.

Here Alan is having a little fun with my Mexican hat.
We did not do a Mexican Hat Dance though.

May all your days on the beach be warm and sunny!

Steve

Fishing on the Gulf

2009-05-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today Alan and I got to go fishing on the Gulf of Mexico out of the Cortex fishing dock. These are a couple of pelicans who greeted our return. Actually they were staring intently at the Captain who was cleaning the fish.

I only got sick twice.

Here I am catching a "big" shark. Actually, it was about 2 feet long. It put up a pretty good fight though. I caught a lot of little fish call red groupers that we had to through back because they were too small. Alan and also caught some Key West Snappers. They are also small fish, no pictures of them. Alan hooked two sharks, but didn't land any. You will have to ask him about the story.

Here I am holding up the shark and a king fish that I caught. The king fish we caught were really good fighters, a lot of fun to catch.

Here is Alan holding the two king fish he caught. If you click on the video clip below, you can see that Alan was a little disappointed with his catch. :-)

Here is Alan catching a really big one. He pulled and pulled, but it got away. Actually this happened a lot. We were hooking the coral reef or the little fish were pulling the lines into the coral. Eventually the line broke.

Here is Alan's Victory Dance!

May all your fishing adventures be full of success!

Steve

2009-05-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

The wedding was a success! We had so much fun. I loved every minute of it. Joel wrote me the most beautiful song. I love him so much! Having all the family together was fun. Dad and I had an awesome dance to My Girl. There are quite a few pictures on facebook of the whole day. This is one of my favorites. The photgrapher was so amazing! I can't wait to see the rest. Also the video.

Steve's Weight .... Update

2009-05-22T05:32:00.001-07:00

Can't really call it "weight lose" update this week. As is clearly visible, the moving average has actually risen by about 1/2 pound this week.

Can think of lots of excuses, but it is really that I haven't been exercising at all and only a little running. Calories in are exceeding calories burned, thus, weight is creeping up.

Hopefully, next week will be better. We are planning outings while Alan and family are here that will involve a lot of walking. Just need to make sure I don't overdo the calorie laden beverages.

Never give up! - Steve

The Florida Economy from Where I Sit

2009-05-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

My Situation:

I work for a national consultant engineering firm. Over the past few years the firm has won some very large projects, many in excess of $5,000,000 per year in fees. I am working on one such project as a Project Manager for about 56 specific projects. I know that sounds like a lot but many of them are pretty small.

The Impacts of the Economy:

Over the past few months the client has learned that their revenue to pay for the program our firm is managing has declined significantly due to lower property, sales and gas taxes. They were planning to purchase bonds to build about $500M in new projects. Earlier this year they learned that their bond rating was lowered, increasing their interest rates, lowering the amount they can borrow. Now the county is considering a 25% reduction in county staff. They are also considering a major reduction to the program we are managing. So in addition to 25% staffing layoffs, the county may be terminating or scaling back our contract.

A neighboring County is considering similar program and staffing cuts.

The Grace of Our God:

While all this is happening, the client is also considering increasing the program budget and accelerating the projects I am managing. And the client has expressed desire to keep me working on the program even if the existing contract is terminated or cut back. All around me people are worried about their jobs. We had an emergency staff meeting a couple weeks ago and everyone was afraid there would an announcement about more staffing cuts. A similar meeting was held in February where 2 people from my office were let go. This meeting was about our color copying bill – it was too high! I, on the other hand, am wondering whether I will be able to keep up with the work I have and that appears to be coming my way.

Rain, Rain DON'T Go Away

2009-05-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

When we were kids growing up in Olympia, WA. It seemed to rain all the time. We were thankful for even a partially sunny day. Here in Florida, its the opposite. This is a tropical climate that depends on rain all year to flourish.

Up until this week, we had gone over 30 days without rain and all everybody could talk about was the drought. I know - 30 days doesn't seem like much, but we didn't even have any April showers.

This week, it started raining again. These are some pictures from my commute Thursday evening. This was the third straight raining homeward commute.

I missed taking pictures of the double rainbows Wednesday evening because the camera was in the back seat in the comptuer bag.

Last night the rain was not severe and there was sunshine beaming through the clouds. Also the wipers are almost new so there are very few streaks. Actually it didn't rain hard enough to get all the bugs off the window. You can also see from the pictures that the traffic is not too bad. That is because I was slightly ahead of the rush hour and because my commute is almost always free flowing, at least for the last 20 miles.

I am sure that was about as interesting as a cup of hot water instead of coffee... but that's a whole other story.

May your rain be the good kind that brings clean air, green grass and lots of blooming flowers.

Steve

Steve's Weight-Loss Update

2009-05-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

Well with the wedding behind us, I decided to adjust the red goal line and start from where I am. That is why the red line splits and drops.

Weight was steady during the wedding and so far the week after. That's why the blue lline bumps to the right.

I need to keep up with the walking ... only did it a couple times this week. All the wedding food did not help! But it was good. And there are still mints and nuts left over.

Now we are looking forward to Alan, Sara and Tori's visit on Memorial Day week. This will be the first time they have been to Florida since we have been here. Alan wants to go fishing. Tori wants to go to Disney and a zoo.

Hope your week at head is full of promise and joy.

Steve

Mary & Joel Wedding Pictures

2009-05-14T13:31:00.001-07:00

Some (or a lot) pictures from the wedding are now apparently posted to:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30221267&id=1202455926

Mary and Joel have not seen them yet. They won't be back from their honeymoon cruise until Sunday morning. I doubt that they are paying for Internet access on the ship, but I may be wrong.

I have not seen them yet because Facebook is blocked out on our Internet at work.

Enjoy!

Steve

Uncle John Cacavas

2009-05-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hello! I wanted you all to see the picture of my mom and her Greek cousin (his dad and my mom's dad were brothers) who I had never met before this past Greek Easter. Don't they have some similar features! They call him chefas (which means outcast!) because he was considered an outcast from the Cacavas family. He told us the whole story which is fascinating. So that explains why I had never met him! They have lived in St. Pete Beach in a gorgeous home on the water for 45 years. He made his money by starting a pizza parlor in Ohio and selling it at its peak. He has multiple health problems and wasn't able to make the trip for the wedding. Their daughter would have had to bring them and had a conflict. I hope to have them over here sometime in the future.

Kathi

Aaron Hall Wins Concerto Competition

2009-05-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hall winner of Concerto Competition
By SARAH ARNEY Marysville Globe Arts & Leisure May 05 2009, 2:07 PM · UPDATED

SEATTLE — An Oso farmer, Aaron Hall is one of six winners of the 2009 Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Concerto Competition and he will perform with the Philharmonia Northwest Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Saturday May 16 in Theodore Roethke Auditorium, Kane Hall at the University of Washington. Admission is $10.

The winner of the Senior Concerto Cello Division, Hall, 16, is homeschooled and lives on his family’s farm in Oso, east of Arlington.

He began private cello lessons at age 6 and piano lessons at age 8. He currently studies cello with Toby Saks. This year Hall was named first alternate in the 2008-’09 MTNA Washington State Senior String Competition. He performed the Boccherini Sonata for Violin and Cello with his sister in the 2009 Academy of Music Northwest Benefit Concert held at the Benaroya Nordstrom Hall, and for the 2008 Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference.

For the full article, check this link:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/north_sound/mar/entertainment/44399182.html

- Steve

The Mystery Revealed?

2009-05-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

Many have asked what it is I do at work. Often I don't give a very satisfactory answer. But this Diagram is called the Systems Engineering Process "V" Diagram. It is used to guide development and delivery of technology related projects, in my case "intelligent transportation systems." I most often find my self assigned tasks in the upper left box called "Concept of Operations" or "ConOps" for short. This describes what the technology is supposed to do from the user's point of view.

Sometimes I have also been involved with development of requirements. What is a requirement? A good question. It relates to the ConOps. For example you have all seen traffic monitoring cameras along the freeway. An example requirement is that the camera image be viewed at the traffic management. Sounds simple, but a lot of other requirements must be met in order for that to happen.

Sometimes my role is actually developing these documents. Other times my role involves managing others who are doing them. For example for one County in Florida, I am managing work performed by a designer, an integrator (see on the right leg of the "V"), and a soils testing company (to make sure the poles don't fall down we need to know what the soils are). All the while working on contracting documents, cost estimates, meetings, etc. for the Client who is the County.

I am sure that generates more questions than it answers, but "You asked for it."

Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-05-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

This morning my weight, after the wedding was 203. That's a drop of 20# since January. This weekend, I decided to start a new graph with 203 as the starting point. New goal is to get down to about 170-175 by the end of the year. That is the weight I had when I was the most fit and probably a good weight to try to reach.

Since the graph only has one day on it, I decided not to put it on the Blog yet, maybe the actual weight curve (7-day moving average) will be visible by Friday.

May all your goal updates be full of promise!

- Steve

Mary & Joel's Wedding

2009-05-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

These are the church decorations. Kathi and our friend Ann who flew in before wedding to help with all the preparations. The banners were made by Joels Mom.

We wanted to make the canopy over the stage higher, but could block the view of the screen. Joel's brother in law prepared a DVD of pictures of Mary and Joel growing up. It was very nice!

After the vows, Joel sang a song that he had written both the words and the music. It was very touching.

Here is the wedding cake. It was made by Mary's friend Becky. It looked and tasted good.

Almost 150 people attended the reception. Here are Mary and Joel dancing near the end. Dancing had been going on for almost 3 hours. By then. They went though a shower of sparklers to get to the limo when it was over.

You will have to wait for the professional photos to see all the details.

We dropped them off at the Port of Tampa this morning for their 7-day cruise in the Gulf of Mexico.

More soon, I'm Sure!

Wedding Is Getting Close

2009-05-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

Mary's wedding is going to start getting real for me today. I begin to get hyper-engaged this afternoon, picking up out of state travelers who will be arriving at the Tampa airport. Tomorrow I have to try on the tux and get a hair cut. I know tough duty. But there are some church decorations that I have to help with like sand bags to hold down the poles holding up the cloth trellis that will be on the platform.

Of course Kathi and Mary and others have been hyper engaged for the past few months. I have mainly been a cheer leader.

And you wouldn't believe the number of boxes that arrive daily. Some for Kathi for the wedding decorations. Some for mary for gifts for her bride's maids. And some for Mary and Joel for wedding gifts. I have tossed dozens of boxes over the past few weeks.

Mary's friend Kerry arrived a couple days ago so she has been helping Mary a lot and spending time at the beach. The beach on Anna Maria Island is very nice and not many people this time of the year.

Joel is busy at work, I guess they are making him get two week of work done so he can take off next week for the honeymoon.

Well, enough!

Face Book Experience

2009-05-05T04:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I finally "reached out" with Face Book and now have a four whole "friends." Face Book is a little frustrating. I don't really know what I am doing yet, so I guess it will get easier.

Thanks to former boss and co-worker Duane who now lives in Arizona for being the tipping point to get me started.

I sent out a couple other friend invitations. Mainly to family but one to a former member of the Olympia High School band from the class of 1965.

Another thing I did was link the family blogs to the face book "wall." We're all tied together.

Well got to go.

Steve

Another Talented Bahler

2009-05-03T14:42:00.001-07:00

Tori is our grand daughter who lives in Washington. She is a very bubbly and delightful first grader. This weekend she competed in a dance contest. Her 3-girl team finished first.

She loves to dance. She loves to pose for pictures, too. She is bringing her parents to Florida in a few weeks. We plan to go to Disney World in Orlando and to take her dad fishing on the Gulf of Mexico. He really wants to catch a big fish or two.

Here is her trophy for the dance contest. She definately won't need that jacket when she gets to Florida. And she will definately need some sun screen!

Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-05-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

Another week, another pound lost. Just wanted to point out that during this adventure, I did not use any weight loss miracle pills, or herbs, or info-mercial exercise machines. I did use the Wii-Fit to help me get started. It has all been through eating a little less and exercising (mainly walking) a little more. The food I have been eating is what I always have eaten (except some of the food at the Greek Easter dinner was a little different!).

This week Kathi is starting us on a new belly bluge busting diet. It starts with drinking water mixed with cucumbers and some spices. Tastes kind of funny but its only for four days. If it helps reduce "gas" I will be happy.

Starting in a week or two, I will readjust the graph starting from where I am now and moving forward to reaching the ultimate goal of weighing about 175 or so.

May you accomplish all your glorious goals with gayety.

Steve

More Signal Box Art

2009-04-24T05:04:00.001-07:00

Here are some more. The following are my favorite, I took pictures of several angles.

Do you see the signature and date of the artist?

They sure spruce up the neighborhood.

Maybe Sarah H has planned Vivaldi?

Have a great day!

Steve

Tampa Signal Box Art

2009-04-24T04:34:00.000-07:00

We have all seen those big gray boxes at the corner of signalized intersections. Inside the boxes are all the equipment that keeps the signals running (for good or bad).

Not only are the boxes pretty unattractive, they can attract grafitti that can be a real eye sore. In order to combat that, the City of Tampa in one neighborhood and downtown have Signal Box Art.

Here are some examples from picures I took about a week ago when I first discoved these outdoor treasures.

The ones that look more like posters are in downtown Tampa. The ones that look like original works of art, are original works of art, signed and dated by the painters. These are in the Westshore area of Tampa.

Hope you enjoy! I will post some more in a future Post, the Blog site limits the file size.

Steve

Steve's Weekly Weight Loss Update

2009-04-24T04:26:00.001-07:00

Well another week, another pound or so. Still doesn't' look like I will make 200 by the wedding. A slower than desirable week because I ate more that I usually do. Remember the Greek Easter? What I didn't tell you was that I went back for seconds on the dessert which I am sure was pretty full of sugar. And then I didn't exercise more to make up for it.

Last night I "watched" Mary and Joel excercise to the "mother of all workouts." I don't suppose I can burn caleries by ozmosis?

Tonight is Joel's "man shower." Sounds like it is going to be mainly eating! I am hoping I am over the cold enough to were I can get back to running a little.

Anyway, is that enough excuses for today? If not, I can probably think of some more.

May you overcome your excuses with a no matter what attitude.

Steve

Signs of the Times

2009-04-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Today at lunch, I took a little walk. The weather was fine. The sidewalks and the Franklin Street mall were busy but not by any means crowded. You know me, its hard to just walk unless I have a destination in mind. And this time was no exception.

I was headed to the shoe repair shop to see if they could re-attach the sole of one of my shoes (not the ones I'm wearing today thankfully). After I asked the Middle Eastern shop keeper if he could fix the shoe, I commented that it is not good to be soul-less. I am not sure he caught my pun. First he said the shoe would be ready tomorrow. After I paid the $10, he said they would be ready in 2 weeks! I guess he did have a sense of humor, at least I think he did. We'll see tomorrow.

As I walked to the shoe repair store, a person ahead of me stopped at a used book store display. It was like it just drew her in, like a huge magnet. On they way back I saw a jewelry store that said "sale" on the window. So I went in to see if there were any "on sale" wedding bands. The one Mary got Joel on E-Bay did not pass Joel's muster. They had some rings for 60% off! A couple of them might have been just was Joel wants. Anyway, I'll pass the information on to Mary for her consideration.

So I guess the moral is, peolple are looking to save money and I am not sure if my sense of humor works for Middle Eastern shop keepers. But who really knows if my sense of humor works for anyone or if they laugh just to be polite because I get this "did you get it" look on my face!

May all your deals be good deals! - Steve

Are Blogs the New American Media?

2009-04-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Many times I have been disappointed with news coverage on TV or newspapers. Sometimes I was personally involved in the news event and hardly recognized what was being reported. On the other had I have had many e-mails forwarded to me with claims regarding events and persons. When I check into these, I find that they are often untrue or biased as well. I had a friend who was a news reporter. I asked him if he was able to report what he observed without bias or without modification of facts from his editor. He said he was, but last time I heard, he was no longer a news journalist. There are just too many barriers to reporting facts and truth.

That brings us to Blogs and other personal web sites. Blogs, at least the Blogs I am following, are chronicaling the every day lives, trials, dreams and hopes of real peole. They are generally unfiltered by others with different "agendas." They are unfettered with political correctness or ideology. They offer a window into the lives of those around us.

Some websites such as Face Book have potential, but can become tools for those with agendas to try to influence others for good or bad. Blogs seem to be the "grass roots" media of the 21st Century. Look for truth where you find it and hold onto it with all your strength.

Thanks for listening.

Steve

Ed Freeman

2009-04-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, my grandpa Blanchard sent this to us...I thought it was a cool story. Hope you like it!

Ed Freeman

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.. He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses. And, he kept coming back.... 13 more times..... And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise, ID......May God rest his soul.....

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we sure were told a whole bunch about some Hip-Hop Coward beating the crap out of his "girlfriend."

Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman!

Shame on the American Media

2009 - The Year of Weight Loss

2009-04-20T03:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Greek Easter with some of Kathi's relatives in St. Pete Beach. They have a nice place on the Inner-Coastal Waterway. It was perfect weather. Except for Kathi's folks, neither Kathi or I had met any of these relatives, except Kathi had met Uncle John, the host. There were children to grand parents, it was a large gathering of maybe 40 people all together. As I got to know some of the people I learned that several of them had lost weight in 2009, a lot of weight. Two for sure had lost nearly 30 pounds a piece. Maybe people are always losing weight and I never noticed it before or 2009 really is the year of weight loss. Either way everyone seemed quite happy about the loss.

Greek Easter family celebrations are highlighted by continuous eating. We arrived at about 5:00 p.m. and left around 8:00 or so. We were eating the entire time. Which maybe explains why all the Greek relatives were tryng to lose weight!

Love, Steve

I finally figured this out!!

2009-04-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Dad has written a quarterly report about the blogs and apparently he wants more people to post on here. I never did because I couldn't until now.

It is 21 days till the big Wedding day and I can't believe the time went by so fast. I got my dress altered last week and I think its going to look really nice. My mom is decorating as much right now as possible so she will have less to do the days leading up to the wedding. Its all coming together slowly. I even made up a dance for the father daughter dance at the reception that I taught dad.

Some people keep asking me if I'm getting stressed out yet? So far I'm not. There are things I'm wondering how its going to get done, but I'm trying to stay calm and not worry too much.

I'm also starting to pack my stuff and slowly move to Joel's condo. That is weird!

Thats all for now.

Blog Quarterly Report

2009-04-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last year it came to me that we should start a family blog. At the beginning of the year we were able to start this blog and now two others "Avials Much" and "Meleconomic Encouragment." After dozens of posts to these blogs, I thought I might share what going well and what has failed to meet my expectations.

Going Well:

The links allow us to jump to other family member blogs easily to read and provide comments;
The prayer requests on Avails Much have generally been answered to our great joy as God shows Himself to be true to His Word;
Some family members are reading the blogs regularly and even providing comments and encouragement;
Several business associates are reading Meleconomic Encouragement and encouraging me to continue;
Several others are providing posts, particularly for Meleconomic Encouragement;
The weekly weight loss reports have kept me focused on my goals there; and,
Appartently we have few (very small number) at this point of readers who stumbled onto the site without being invited, and one has provided a comment.

What has failed to meet my expections:

We are getting very few posts from familiy members. I had hoped this could become kind of a family blog to share what's happening with our family scattered as it is. But it is hard to compete with Face Book for that, I guess.
We have not yet started any "family projects" which I had envisioned would be creative multi-media works we could share on the Blog. The small exception to this are the several motivational posts on Meleconomic Encouragement.
It has not been as easy as it should be for my mom and some other family members to access the blogs regularly.

Well, I guess I need to make a "GRAM" and get going on a project or two myself. If you don't know what GRAM is, check Meleconomic Encouragement and scroll down through the historical posts until you find it. It is a quick read!

Steve

Steve's Weekly Weight Loss Update

2009-04-17T04:33:00.000-07:00

This has been a better week, if you look at the the graph. Weight is again averaging down. I have been sick this week, battling a cold. Not fun. But it has dampened my appetite a little so the weight loss continues. Only exercises were a couple dance lessons (really pretty short) in preparation for Mary's wedding. There will be a father-daughter dance that Mary has choreographed. There will also be a father-mother dance which requires you to follow the beat one-two-three-pause with your feet and lots of twirling and stuff. This is proving to be very difficlut for me. It's the pause that gets me.

This morning the scale tipped at 204. It is exciting to realize that I am one pound from reaching the 20-pound milestone. It is also exciting to reallize that this morning, my belt went on two notches shorter and has been varying back and forth between one and two notches shorter for the past few weeks.

May you accomplish all your milestones on your journey from day to day.

Love, Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-04-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

This past week was somewhat discouraging. My weight has been hovering around 207 all week. The sideways drift to the line is clear. Remember the formula? Less calories eaten + more caleries burned through exercise = weight loss. This week there has been a lot of pre-Easter nuts, candy and cookies around the house. These have been hard for me to resist so calorie intake has increased. Also, I have been working longer at my job with the long commute means I am generally too tired to go for a run in the evening, so burning less calories. Ergo, weight loss has flat-lined. Got to pick it up again, still 4 weeks to go, but 200 # by the wedding seems a long shot now. Even 4 more #'s would be a blessing. Can you image carrying around 17 #'s of lard all the time? That's what I have lost since starting this jouney!

May we all pick it up as we head to the finish line.

Spring in South Dakota

2009-04-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Spring almost arrived in South Dakota

We can see the deer moving around.

Yep, won't be long now.

{Thanks to Daryl and Sandy our friends in Sioux Falls}

Steve's Weekly Weight Loss Update

2009-04-03T03:54:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again so here is another graph of my weight loss progress. Hovering around 207 now, 16 pounds evaporated into thin air. Still about on schedule to get to 200 by the wedding. (That's the light blue line) Am well ahead of the original goal line (that's the purple line). The dashed line is a computer forecast if I continue at the overall historical pace. All that is probably more than you wanted to know.

Heather is in town for Mary's bridal shower this weekend. It will be at the house so I will hang out with Kathi's dad. Hopefully there will be some basketball games on or something. I guess baseball season is starting this weekend. Since those are all excuses for snacking, I will need to be careful that I don't over do it. Will try to run a ways again this weekend. Now I am trying to increase my speed as much as my distance. Seems these old legs won't move as fast as they used to without someone pushing them a little.

May you all finish your race with endurance.

Love, Steve

Farmer's Boys Mom becomes Mrs. Taffy

2009-04-01T04:07:00.001-07:00

At the left is a link to a new blog called "My Life on a Taffy Pull." It picks up where the "Little Farm House in the Woods" blog ended. Please read and enjoy.

Love, Steve

To the Music

2009-03-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

You are on the bus when you suddenly realize… you need to fart.

The music is really loud, so you time your farts with the beat.

After a couple of songs, you start to feel better as you approach your stop.

As you are leaving the bus, people are really staring you down, and that’s when you remember:

you’ve been listening to your ipod.

Steve's Weekly Weight-Loss Update

2009-03-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

We continue to make a little progress. The encouraging thing is that there has not been any side-ways movement in the graph for a few weeks. Also recently the moving average is slightly below the trend line. Could I make 200 by Mary and Joel's wedding? I added a new "goal" line to put some pressure on my self to do that. It will requiring losing a pound every 4-5 days.

There has been a lot of speculation if I am running a secret contest. The answer is "yes." But only with myself. Ultimately, I race against myself, not anyone else. The benefits of achieving the goals are very personal and have nothing to do with whether or not any one else exceeds their goals or not. If I can get down to a healthy weight and stay there, I will be adding quality years to my life and may be able to enjoy my wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren for many years.

As you reach your goals, may the benefits far exceed your every hope!

Steve

Co-Dependence with Light

2009-03-26T04:06:00.000-07:00

My niece Jeannette makes a point that we can be too dependent on light (Understand I am not talking about the "light of the world". That is a whole other light.) The light I am talking about are those things that clamor for our attention, seem important and even necessary to function. But when we get too focused on the visible we miss the invisible, the feel, the smell, our other senses are ignored. When we focus on the clearly audible sounds and voices around us, we neglect the subtle sounds and still quite voice within us telling us something new, different and wonderful (That's the real light). Thanks Jeannette.

Love, Steve

Working in the Dark

2009-03-24T09:30:00.001-07:00

This morning I got to work at about 6:20 a.m. The building where I work has automatic controls on some of the offices to make sure the lights are turned off at night. Our lights turn off at, well I don't know, I've never worked that late. They turn on about 7:00 a.m. Usually, however, I can over ride the computer that controls the lights by calling a special number, adding some codes and an earlier start time. When I did that today, the phone number was busy so I could not turn on the lights. There I was working in the dark (well mostly dark). There was some light from the computer screen and an emergency light outside my office.

Kathi had asked me for something via e-mail late last night that I did not get until this morning (I go to bed a lot earlier than she does normally). I had to work on it in the dark. I found that I was able to type-by-touch with no problem at all. Back in high school I taught myself how to type. Typing for me is kind of an automatic thing (if you can ingor the typos) that I can do in the light or dark. I sent her what she wanted just as the light came on!

It got me to thinking, what else can we do in the dark? By dark I mean when some input or information you normally have for a task is not available. What do we do "in the dark?" The Bible has some warnings about what some people do in the dark, I'm not necessarily talking about those things. How can we compensate when input is missing? In my typing example, I was able to compensate by years of practice and those little raised bumps on the "F" and "J" keys.

What if some "critical" piece of information is missing? or some person is needed? What do we do then? Do we sit and wait? Do we give up and do something else? Or do we push forward with what we know until the missing pieces come together? I suspect that the truly successful people "work in the dark" a lot. Maybe the light comes on after we start working, maybe it doesn't. But if we wait until every thing is perfect, will we ever accomplish anything worthy of our calling as Children of God?

May the Light of our Lord Jesus shine into our lives even when there is no other light at all!

Love, Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-03-20T03:42:00.000-07:00

This week the weight loss started last Sunday morning after the 3-mile jog down to the outlet mall and back. Not much extra exercise the rest of the week. Both the moving average and the daily weight are at 210. That's a full 13 pounds lost since January. Have come a long way, still much farther to go.

I notice I do better when I know how far is left to go compared to how far I've gone. It's not so much "are we there yet?" as it is "is the target getting noticably closer?" We train to finish the race, to finish the course, not just to be on it. The target was to weigh 180 or less by the end of 2009. At the rate I am going, I could reach this goal by October!

Another reason to keep going: My friend Marc had by-pass surgery in his heart this week. His heart arteries were 95% blocked. See the prayer requests on Avails Much for more information. He had been walking a lot but may not have been keeping up with it this winter due to the cold weather and snow in Minnesota. I am carrying more pounds that he was, so need to get down to healthy weight and stay there.

Well, have a great day and may you finish your race with joy and peace.

Love, Steve

Looking Again at the Stock Market

2009-03-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

I have been watching the stock market and some stocks closely since October or so. This month there has been an interesting turn for the better. On March 12, I have cautiously moved small percentages of my 401k from bond funds back to growth and small cap funds. These funds have risen solidly since then. It may be time to consider investing again, cautiously. When the market started dropping last year, I lost over 10% of my 401k value before I moved all the money into lower yield safe funds. Since I have only a few years left to retirement, my tolerance for loss is mimimal. I am hoping for some level of growth in these funds over the next few months.

Some stock I have been watching, but have not bought:
Ford (F), it was down to about $1.60. Today it closed at $2.47
Bank of America (BAC): it was down to nearly $3.00 early this month, today it closed at $7.68, over double.
There a lot of other examples like that.

May God cause your investments and all you do to grow for His glory.

Love, Steve

Wedding Weight-Loss Contest

2009-03-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

Mary and Joel's wedding is planned for May 9. Mary, Joel, Joel's parents and Joel's uncle are competing to see who can lose the most pounds before the wedding with the final weigh-in on May 5. They asked me to join at the beginning and there has been speculation as to why I did not. Here are some of the comments:

“he is the shadow watching from the sidelines”
“Because he works out with his mind and he knew none of us would stand a chance against him. He can claim to be the champion from the sidelines or claim to not have been trying. He is one sneaky engineer….”
“I think my dad is too independent of us to do it and he wants to blog about his contest with himself.”
“Because he thinks we should spend more time solving algebraic equations and reading Latin”

I am proud of all of them. Together I think they have lost over 50 pounds! I wish you could lose mass and girth by "working out with my mind," I would be the winner for sure! But why didn't I join, really? Well I think there are two reasons: 1) I was too cheap to come up with the entry fee; and, 2) If I won, I would feel guilty taking other people's money. It's tough being raised a Catholic, even if you are born again.

They are all winners by wasting the weight, no matter who claims the contest cash.

Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-03-13T03:37:00.001-07:00

The weight is still coming down, a little at a time. I hope that by shedding the weight slowly, I will not be in such a hurry to put it back on!

This week I learned of the sudden passing of a co-worker from my days with the Federal Highway Administration in Minnesota. His name was Tom Fudaly. Apparently he died suddenly while waiting for a red traffic light to change. He was only 56. The person who told me did not have any details about cause of death. He was still working for FHWA but had moved to Lansing Michigan. He was survived by his wife Carol. I can't recall if he had any children. Tom was one of those nice guys who got along with everyone, worked hard, and played hard. When I looked him up on ask.com, it looks like he was very active in his job. He will be missed.

Tom's early departure emphasizes the importance of my quest to shed those excess pounds. My brother Larry's recent discovery that he has diabetes is another reason.

Until next time, don't wait to shed the weight before it's too late.

Love, Steve

Photography 201

2009-03-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things don't go as you expect or hope.

A friend e-mailed yesterday afternoon and wanted some pictures of some dynamic message signs (DMS) here in Tampa made by a company in St. Paul, MN called ADDCO. When I looked at what I had in the archives, I had some that looked like the DMS at the left. The words are all garbled! So I went out after work and tried again and got the same results. The sign is working fine, but the picture does not show it.

Why? I'm glad you asked. Electronic signs, light bulbs and most electrical appliances operate at 60 Hz (Hertz). Hz are cycles per second that the lights are on an off. Movies have 30 frames (or still pictures) per second but we can tell when one picture ends and the other starts. When we look at the sign with our eyes, we can't see the "off" because our eyes can't adjust that fast. So we see the lights on or smooth motion. The camera in the daylight has a shutter speed of about 1/200th of a second or faster. That means it only lets in light for 1/200th of a second. During that time some of the lights on the sign were "off" so the picture looks goofy.

This morning I tried again. This time the camera worked fine. Usually at night, the shutter speed is 1/30th of a second. That allows all the lights to cycle "on" at least once. It also allows your hand to shake a little for a slightly blurry picture. Also the other lights kind of bleed into the surrounding background.

These pictures were taken at one of the entrances to the reversible express lanes. I was in the downtown Tampa end. This entrance was closed so the lanes could be reversed for inbound traffic (from the suburbs to downtown).

Don't worry, I wasn't standing traffic. There wasn't much traffic and I was standing on a median island when I took these pictures.

I like to drive the express lanes when I can. But since I am not in a carpool any more, the $1.50 each way really adds up. I figure I can save enough to buy at least a tank of gas every other week by avoiding the Expressway. If you don't have a SunPass, the toll fee is $1.75 each way.

Using the free highways takes 5-10 minutes longer each way, but that's okay most days.

May your life be blessed and your lane be the right pace for you!

Love, Steve

A Time for Every Purpose

2009-03-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

Check out the Little House in the Woods Blog. It seems to be a time for moving. They are moving from WA to MN and taking the whole month of March to do it. They are planning educational trips to various places around the country. That will be quite an adventure and the whole story will unfold before us on the Blog.

For me, a smaller move. For most of last year, I worked in the HNTB's Sarasota office. A small office in a new office building on the border between Sarasota and Manatee Counties. It was a new office, only open for about a year or so. In October, I was transferred to the downtown Tampa office. Previously I posted a picture of the view from my office window. I moved most of my stuff from Sarasota to Tampa at that time.

At the end of February, HNTB announced it is closing the Sarasota office. So yesterday I went there to get the rest of my books and stuff, I still had the key. There is no room for these books in my new office, so I packed them in boxes and moved them to our storage unit. Who knew I would turn into a packrat. I moved about 5 boxes of stuff. That's after the car full of boxes I took to Tampa.

There is a season for every thing. I guess this is a time for moving.

Love, Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-03-06T03:51:00.000-08:00

This week I am showing both charts. The top one is the 7-day moving average. It shows my average weight for the past week at about 213. That's a full 10 pounds less that when I started. The second chart shows the daily morning weight. This morning I tripped the scale at 212 for the second time. That's progress. The projection shows me hitting 210 in a week and a half or so! Still a long way to go 'til morning.

I have probably slacked off the running for a while. When I walk the dogs, I kind of jog in place while they are doing their thing. You should see me when no one is looking, I do all kinds of weird little exercises to engage my muscles. It's not easy to get fit when you are at a desk 10+ hours per day and commuting a hour each way.

A man plans his way, but the outcome is of the Lord May the Lord bless and facilitate all your plans!

Love, Steve

5K Results

2009-02-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

Well I finished the 5K. I thought I should share some of the details. The picture at the left are some of my co-workers who participated. Bill on the left is about 2 years younger than me but finished about 3 minutes quicker. I did not meet my 30 minute goal. My actual finish time was 41 m 48 s as recored by the transponder on my shoe. (See the last picture). I will be thinking up excuses for my slow race for months.

The weather was nearly perfect for February in Florida, about 70 degrees when the race started. Of course I was training when in was 40 and 50 so it was too warm for me, excuse #1. The course went for just over 3 miles from the Tampa river out along Bayshore and back.

I was determined to run as far as I could before I started walking. Some one at the starting line had a big sign talking about Jesus. See the green arrow, that's me. Kathi could not get in the middle of the runners to get close, and the crowd made it hard to get a clear shot. Did I mention there were 8686 racers? The race started fast. I ran a few blocks but could not keep running because of all the people, excuse #2. After a few blocks a church group was singing and waving. Very friendly. After I made the turn on to Bayshore there was another person with a sign with bible verses who was shouting out how were all going to hell. One of the runners began signing a phrase "highway to hell." I guess those are words from a song.

Not to much later, I was wishing I had some water. Then along came a water station, but it was on the other side of the road. I couldn't cut in front of all the other runners so I waited. At this point it seemed like I was running backwards, so many runner were passing me! I sure could have used some water, excuse #3. At last we came to the u-turn on Bayshore to make the run back to the finish line near downtown. Just over a mile to go. I soom came to the water station I missed going the other way. As I was waiting my turn, the gentleman passing out cups ran out. After waiting around a while, excuse #4, I found another cup and got some nice cold water. I noticed a bazillion empty cups strewn all over the street after the water station. I asked myself why all these people would litter when there is a trash receptacle. I ran past the receptacle before I finished my water so I put the empty cup in my pocket until I came to another water station with trash can a little later. There were all these children passing me, many very young. Ugh, the race was getting long and I was getting tired. Just after the water I heard this squad of military persons running in formation, with three carrying flags. They were still going the other way on Bayshore, way behind me. Did I mention all the children and little old ladies who were passing me? About a quarter mile from the finish, the military squad passed me, still in formation. The runners clapped, but not for too long, since I suspect some were as tired as me.

About a 100 yards from the finish line I put it into full speed, you know for show. No one else passed me for a little while. Kathi was waiting at the finish line to take pictures.

Did I mention there were 8686 people who finished the run. I finished 6041 overall and 107th of the 152 men in the 60-64 age group. Kathi took this picture. I was putting on a good face, but was really tired and wobbled a little when I walked. One of the ladies in the office finished right behind me, but she was sick yesterday so that was no consolation. The medal was given to everyone who finished.

This is the transponder that kept track of my time. It was attached to my right shoe. Really pretty cool technology. The results were posted to a website so you can check me out if you want. Just click on the link or copy and paste it into your browser.

http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=75370

You will have to enter my name or Bib # and then press search. My personal results will pop up.

Well that's a pretty long story. I had more trouble putting in the pictures. Turns out you have to select them in reverse order that you want them to appear. Funny.

God's best to you.

Love, Steve

Oso Violinist in the News!

2009-02-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

The following is printed with permssion of Sarah Arney, Arlington Times News

Oso violinist seeks donations for travel to national competition in Atlanta

By SARAH ARNEYArlington Times News Editor Feb 24 2009, 2:09 PM · UPDATED

A 14-year-old musician who lives in Oso, Sarah Hall was named in January the region’s finalist in the Music Teacher’s National Association junior string competition. To reach this level she won the top prize in both the MTNA Washington State Junior String Competition in November and the MTNA 6 Western States Regional Competition.
She won playing a 20-minute program comprised of three pieces: Bach’s Sonata No. 1 in G minor, “Fugue” movement; the “Romance” movement of Concerto No. 2 in D minor by Wieniawski; and “Tzigane” by Ravel.
Now she is offering a public concert with those and more music at Atonement Free Lutheran Church, 6905 172nd St. in Arlington starting at 4 p.m., March 1, as a benefit to help pay her way to national competition. Admission is free but donations will be accepted.
A home-school student, Hall has studied violin since age 4 and piano since she was 6, said her mother, Carla Hall. She is currently studying violin with Ronald Patterson, a teacher at University of Washington. She studies piano with Tonya Siderius and is in her third year of a pre-college program of the Academy of Music Northwest.
“She thinks it’s funny to see how excited everyone gets,” her mother said.
“Gramma gets more excited than me,” Sarah said.
This is not the first award that Hall has won.
In 2006 at age 10, she won the SCMTA Concerto Competition and performed Mozart Concerto No. 4 in D Major with the Port Gardner Bay Chamber Orchestra in a winners concert. She and her brother Aaron won the grand prize in the 2008 SCMTA Sanford Wright Chamber Music Competition performing a Boccherini violin and cello duo, and she placed first in the SCMTA Piano Scholarship Competition in 2007 and 2008.
She performs in several orchestras and ensembles. Every Sunday Sarah enjoys playing with her church’s orchestra; she played her violin in the orchestra for the Arlington Community Messiah Concert for the past two years. And every Saturday Sarah plays with a string ensemble at the Academy of Music Northwest. Currently she is working with her brother and six other musicians on one of Mendelssohn’s string octets that they will be performing at the academy’s benefit recital June 9 in the Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.
She and her brothers Aaron and Isaac have recorded two albums, with Aaron doing the recording at Fruitful Farm Studio. Aaron was alternate winner of senior strings, but he is not going to Georgia, Carla said. He will be competing in a concerto competition here at home on March 28, the same date that Sarah will be competing in Atlanta.
Sarah enjoys reading, writing letters, baking and helping her older brother milk his Jersey cows and feed the calves at Fruitful Farm in Oso.
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to Academy of Music Northwest, 9109 196th St. SW, Edmonds, WA. 98026-6333 with “Sarah” written in the memo line.
Arlington Times News Editor Sarah Arney can be reached at sarney@arlingtontimes.com or 360-659-1300.

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-02-27T04:21:00.001-08:00

Good news and bad news. First the good news, in the past week or so, my morning weight has been down to 213 two or three times. That is a full 10-pounds below my weight for the past year. Bad news is that there is a little side drift to the 7-day moving average graph at right. Didn't get as much running and walking in as I should and ate a little more than normal with company in town. This Saturday moring is the Gasporilla 5k run in Tampa. This will be my first test.

To put this into perspective, in high school I weighed about 140 pounds, not much more in college. (Don't worry ladies, I am not trying to get back down to 140 pounds, maybe 175 or so!) I could run a long way at that time, I could lift over 100 pounds over my head and do deep-knee bends with over 200 pounds on my shoulders. I was in pretty good shape, except when my back hurt (but that's a whole other story). So at 213, it is like I am running with about 60 pounds on my back. That's quite a load. My hope is still to finish the 5k in under 30 minutes, but that may not be entirely realistic. I have not done it in practice yet. But the run should be fun. Thousands have signed-up for it, maybe 5,000. So the streets of Tampa will be pretty full for a few minutes as this throng trots by. We will have GPS chip timing devices on one of our shoes, so we won't be able to cheat, and we won't be penalized for starting back in the pack. Our time starts when we cross the start line and ends when we cross the finish line.

I will try to provide more details tomorrow.

May may your race be true to your calling from God!

Love, Steve

Office with a View

2009-02-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

For all you skeptics out there, my office actually does have a view of the Port of Tampa. While I can't see the water, I can see the tops of the cruise ships when they are in port. There are two passenger terminals with a ship in one of them about every other day or so. Kathi and I have sailed out of here a couple times.

The gray lines across the picture are not speeding UFO's or anything like that. They are the slats from my office window blind. They became almost invisible, but not completely, when I zoomed in on the ship. Even though it looks closer, I think the ship is just under a mile away, "as the crow flies."

May the wind fill you sails and take you safely to your destination,

Love, Steve

Taylors in Florida

2009-02-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

We were blessed this week with a visit from Jean and John Taylor, at right. Jean is the oldest daughter in Family Bahler. She and her huband of over 30 years stopped on their way home after a week-long cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. We had lots of time to talk, play Wii bowling, and touring. We got to hear Jessica's angel story (you will have to ask John about it). They got caught up on Mary's wedding plans and had time to talk to the family dentist about missions in Ukrane. This picture was taken at the Wrigley (of the Wrigley Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus) museum in Sarasota. Aren't they a cute couple? The highlights were the Cad-e-zan castle and the minuture circus exhibit complete with the 3-ring circus tent and the barber shop for the workers and the elephant bathing in the creek. You have to see to appreciate it. The water in the background is Sarasota Bay. They flew back to Seattle this afternoon.

More visitors welcome.

Love, Steve

Dachshund Update

2009-02-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the departure of Moo, now named George. George left with a family that is taking him to Connecticut. This picture was taken as they are driving across Georgia. Kathi misses him already. He sure looks contented though, well as contented as a dachshund can. He will have the life of Riley (well not our Riley) but you get the reference. It will be his first experience in the cold so his fur will be real handy.

Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-02-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

Another week, another pound (or so) lost. So that the graph does not look so choppy, it now shows 7-day moving average. Looks like I may be able to get down to about 200 by Mary and Joel's wedding on May 9. Maybe...

Exercise this week was not excessive. But maybe my metabolism has increased a little. Last Saturday I ran about 3 miles in 33 minutes and 45 seconds. The first mile in 10 1/2 minutes. The last 2 miles a little slower but at a more uniform pace than the week before. Still not getting close to 30 minutes for the 5K (3.1 miles).

My heart rate is 60 this morning, and that's after 2 cups of ginsing tea. That's a very positive sign. When I drank coffee, my pulse would gradually increase all day. Haven't had my blood pressure or cholesterol checked for a while, but I suspect they are down as well.

May your day be blessed and fruitful.

Steve

The Economy Hits Close to Home

2009-02-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

This morning the company where I have labored for the past 3+ years laid of over 100 employees in Florida and more around the country. Two were let go from the 18-person office where I work inculding the person with whom I have been carpooling since October. That's pretty close to home. Several smaller offices will be closed which means more commuting for those that are relocated to the larger offices.

I am fortunate to have kept my job.

The irony of this is that the $787 Billion stimulus bill signed by the President includes nearly $3o Billion in roadway projects. That's what this company does. But that did not sway the company leaders nor does it make those that left any happier.

Got to go,

Steve

Call for National Repentance

2009-02-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today President Obama signed a bill into law that will create nearly a billion dollars of new debt for our country's personal and corporate income tax payers. But who will own the debt? About 10% of the existing USA national debt is owned by China. A country that has long suppressed Christianity and human liberty. Other large amounts of our debt is owned by middle eastern nations which are controlled by religions that are sworn to destroy Christianity and Jewish faith.

At 6%, the interest payments will be about $48 billion per year? That $48 billion will have to come from the income taxes we pay to run the federal government programs and the national defense. That is more than twice the amount in the bill that will be used to improve transporation! So what programs will be cut to pay the interest? How much will taxes be raised to pay the interest?

The Bible says we become servants of the lendors until the debt is paid. One guy called the radio talk show yesterday and said it didn't bother him because he lives "off the books" and does not pay taxes. But who will pay the debt? If we don't pay the debt, are we in danger of losing our independence to nations that are quite willing to impose their way of life and values on us? In China abortions are mandatory not just legal. Will we end up in another world war besides the war on terrorism as countries try to recover by invading their neighbors?

Let's go back about 80 years to the start of the "Great Depression." Many lost their wealth in a stock market collapse. Many businesses closed. Unemployment began to increase. Some thought the government could help create new jobs. So government started to borrow money and raise taxes to create new jobs. Does this sound familiar? The depression went on for about 10 years in spite of all the government jobs and spending. Are we getting ready to repeat that disaster? Have we not learned anything?

Let's drop back about 30 years. We had double digit inflation, unemployment and interest rates. The stock market had taken a dive. The government had been trying to spend more money to end the recession. Nothing seemed to be working. So what did we do? We did the exact opposite of what we did during the Great Depression, we cut tax rates, we cut government spending. What was the result? 10 years of economic growth! Business prospered, created new jobs creating more tax revenues than before the taxes were lowered. Peace broke out in nations that had been committed to our destruction. Have we not learned anything?

So why are we blind to the path the works and rushing head long into a strategy that resulted in years of suffering for many families? When a nations ways please the Lord, even its enemies are at peace. When a nation's ways displease the Lord, he allows a spirit of confusion to cloud the judgement of the leaders. So have we displeased the Lord? If so how? We have all turned to our own wicked ways dispising the law of the Lord. What law? Love God, love our neighbor as ourselves, love our enemies. We are obsessed with love of self to the exclusion of all others. What's in it for me, not what can I do to help?

Turn the clock back 60 years to the start of World War II. Taxes were raised, government spending increased, but unemployment decreased. What was the difference. Were we united in our love for our brothers around the world who were being oppressed. We sacrificed our national wealth, our sons, our families to restoring liberty to the world. We did not spent money on ourselves but saved what we could. In fact, much of our savings was in the form of War Bonds. The citizens owned the debt that funded the war, not other nations. The government literally became servants of the people. When the war ended, the money saved was invested into new homes which started one of the largest building booms in world history. During the Depression, we had nothing and were suffering greatly (we were looking for handouts from the goverment to save us). During World War II, we had even less but lacked nothing because we were committed to saving the world.

So where will we be a few years from now? Will we be in the midst of a great depression with the world on the verge of war? Will we be entering into a era of new prosperity? The answer lies within us. If my people who are called by my name with humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and restore them and prosper them and heal their land.

You ask, Is not our global war on terrorism proof that we are already humbling our selves? I say, What did we sacrifice to bring freedom to Iraq? We lost some soldiers and marines and that has been sad primarily to their families. But what did we give up as a nation, as a people? Did we give up any of our personal lusts? Did we sacrific anything at all? Did we buy "war bonds" to pay for the additional debt the war caused? Did we pray earnestly for the war to be over the same way we prayed for the new car or the new job? Did we pray for our enemies? Some did, but most just complained.

So God has sent a spirit of confusion on our land. The spirit will not depart until we repent and a new revival spreads across the land.

So what do we do now?

Love, Steve

Steve's Weight Loss Update

2009-02-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

This was a troubling week on the weight loss effort… actually gained a pound from last Friday. No excuses, just not maintaining. There are two formulas:

Calories burned greater than calories consumed = weight loss.
Calories burned less than calories consumed = weight gain.

It is pretty simple really. I really can’t eat much less. So just need to keep calorie consumption higher.

This week my extra exercise included:

Saturday: ran/walked 3 miles in 33+ minutes (goal is 5 KM in 30 minutes)
Sunday: none
Monday: none
Tuesday: Used Wii Fit and got 60 fitness points, including jogging in place for several minutes.
Wednesday: Walked 1 mile (two tips around the neighborhood with the dogs)
Thursday: Climbed up & down 7 flights of stairs in the parking garage & walked ½ Mile

Two weeks until the Gasporilla 5K event for which I have been training. My pulse is about 64 this morning.

May you exceed all your expectations,

Love, Steve

Dachshund Update

2009-02-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

Many know that at the end of November we were blessed with the arrival of 5 new Dachshund puppies from Ruby and Chauncey. Kathi has been working hard to find families for them (and make a small profit doing it since they are AKC registered). As of yesterday we are down to two males with the departure of Frankie to a new home (he will live with his father, Schatscy, and his family). Moo, the big rolly polly one who walks and acts like a bull sometimes and Dasher (Kathi is shortening it to Dash, but the new family will no doubt change the name again) who is mostly quiet and shy except when Moo tries to take his treat. Both are playful and have great personalities and love to cuddle especially when they are tired. Both have long hair and lots of colors: brown, red, gray and black. Let me know if you want more information or pictures. Kathi has some on-line places where you can view the pictures. Ruby and Nanny Lucy seem to be taking the departure of the pups in stride except Ruby was still a little testy with the neighbors on the walk last night.

Love, Steve

2009-02-06T04:41:00.000-08:00

Looks like the weight loss is again heading in the right direction.

Some of the excitement about this progress is dampened until we hear more details about Mom's treatment options. Please add your prayer to the Avials Much Blog. (see link on the side).

Well, that's all for now.

- Steve

Please Check Avails Much for Prayer Request

2009-02-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

Please click the link to the side to access the Avails Much blog to view the latest family prayer request.

Thanks, Steve

Steve's Weight Goal Update

2009-01-30T04:55:00.000-08:00

Today's weight loss report, while still positive, shows a definate sideways and up/down trend to the data. I believe this is because I have not been as consistent as I was the first two weeks in doing something every day. Of course there is always an excuse. Last night it was raining (well it was.... even if it was only a slight drizzle :-)). No excuses tonight or this weekend, weather promises to be dry and cool. Perfect for walking and jogging. Another good report, I am almost always using the middle notch on my belt the past week or so. Before I started it was always one notch larger.

Enough for today. Does anyone else what to report progress on New Year's Goals or other personal/family projects? Please go ahead and do so or sent me the info via e-mail and I will add the post for you.

Love, Steve

"Psycho Mom"

2009-01-29T07:20:00.000-08:00

You may be aware that our miniature dachshund Ruby gave birth to her third set of puppies at the beginning of December. She is a good mother and for the first few weeks is very dutiful about latrine duty, keeping each puppy’s #1 and #2 from getting on the towels in the litter box. (Do I have to paint a picture?) That’s no small chore with five puppies. After those first few weeks she tends to focus on feeding the puppies and ignores the other.

Well, we have a female from Ruby’s first litter named “Lucy.” When Ruby began to neglect the cleanliness chores, Lucy began to step up to the plate…with a vengeance. She cleaned them front and back during live action, if you get my drift.

Now that they are a little bigger and using the puppy pads for #1, this is how it goes. We get the puppies up to go #1 on the pads. They are usually very prompt. Lucy then chases them around the floor until she catches them in the act of #2. She licks it clean so that not a milligram hits the floor and if it does she cleans that, too. She won’t stop until they are all done and if she misses one, she fixes that too. It is quite a site seeing her franticly run from puppy to puppy until the job is done. Then she is ready to go out and take care of her own business.

Due to her devotion to duty we affectionately call her “Psycho Mom.” She is practically perfect except when she barks when someone comes to the door. Do we need a visit from the Dog Whisperer?

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-01-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Mom!

81 and still going strong

A life like that deserves a song

But since I can't sing

This simple poem I bring

Hope you are able to have some fun
At least an hour or two in the sun

A delightful place to dine
A glass of your favorite wine

The joy of family and friends
To gladden the day before it ends

To each of us you mean so much
As our lives you continue to touch

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Love, Steve

Prayer Request Update...

2009-01-25T05:19:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me just say thank you! Those who responded to my request for prayer and those who didn’t, but still prayed, Thank You! David is doing better in that he’s not getting worse. They didn’t keep him in the hospital and he doesn’t have MRSA like they feared. Still, nobody knows what he has, so he could still use your prayers for healing.

Blessings to you all for a happy Sunday!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy’s Mom

PRAYER REQUEST!!!

2009-01-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

Please, if you read this blog...would you please storm heaven and pray for our friend David. His body is covered with unidentifiable sores...what started out as a simple infection in his finger has turned into something else. He is on the way to the hospital...he is the sole provider for his family and deeply loved and needed by them. Please pray for him.

Carissa

Steve's Weight Goal Update

2009-01-23T04:33:00.000-08:00

A little progress this week. Another pound or two gone. My initial hope was to lose about a pound a week. So far I am staying ahead of that pace. Belt and pants still feel tight but sometimes I can take the belt in a notch.

All in all a good week. Plan to do more running this weekend. Trying for 1.5 miles, half way to the goal of 3+ miles for the 5k run at the end of February.

Steve

Bet Ya Didn't Think of This

2009-01-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

Parents are always careful when selecting names for their children. We don't want to encourage bad nicknames or create initials that spell something awkward. My Dad's middle name was "Spurgeon" after the famous preacher, his friends figured out it rhymed with "sturgeon" so they called him "Fish." I just got a call at work from a lady whose first names starts with "S" and her last name is "Pike." "SP" - no problems with the initials. However, when she formats her e-mail address according to the company pattern, it becomes "spike" @....com. "Spike" how cool is that but probably not something most parents would want their daughters to be called.

King of the Hill

2009-01-21T18:01:00.000-08:00

The call went out to the neighborhood boys: “We are playing king of the hill!”

That was the call for all able bodied youth to climb over or through the barbed-wire fence west of the neighborhood, gather cow pies, and form teams to see who could conquer and hold the top of a small hill just outside of the fence.

There were five or six boys in the neighborhood ranging from about six (me and the boy in the Quonset hut to the east) and 10, I think, the boy in the Quonset hut to the east. If you remind me, I’ll talk more about the “neighborhood” in another story.

This hill was a small flat-topped rise. We used it for sledding in the winter, but that is another story, too. It sloped from the top eastward down to the fence. That was the longest slope. There were other, shorter slopes on the west and south sides. The north side was a short, easily scalable cliff, even for a six-year old. The cliff did afford a way to sneak up on those on top of the hill.

Cow pies were plentiful as cattle freely roamed the acres behind the fence and the climate was dry – this part of Washington State is a high desert. The cow pies were usually about a foot in diameter and a couple inches thick. Each pie would break up into several throwing size clods. Nobody like being hit with them, but they weren’t dangerous because they were rock free and would usually “explode” into harmless but smelly powder when they hit something or somebody.

On that day I did not hear the initial call to pies. But I did notice the commotion a little later. Quickly, I ran to the fence and crossed it. It is not easy to cross a barbed-wire fence by yourself. It is better if you have someone holding the strands apart a little, but I made it without ripping my shirt or pants.

I found a friend sneaking up the hill. “Can I be on your team?” I asked. “Sure” he said. So I quickly ran to gather an ample supply of pies. As might be expected, being late, the supply of these coveted missiles was in short supply, at least near the hill. So I scurried off to find some pies but quickly got out of sight of the hill. Finally finding enough pies, always careful to watch for rattlers (you’re right, another story), I headed back to the hill circling around so that I approached the hill from the cliff so as not to be observed.

I carefully cradled the pies while I scaled the short rocky cliff. The climb was not difficult just slow – didn’t want to drop any pies so I could only use one hand to pull myself up.

A minute or two later I was able to peer over the cliff to the top of the hill. To my surprise the top was empty. Getting fully on top there was no one, anywhere, just cow pie debris. Sad at first, I consoled my self by tossing the pies – a chunk at a time at a nearby fence post.

I was king of the hill; no one took the hill when I was king! I soon followed the other boys. I arrived home with dirty hands, more than slightly thankful I had not been hit by a ton of cow pies.

Perfect Wii Bowling Game!

2009-01-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, first – ask Alan who beat him in our last bowling match!! Check this out Steve- I GOT A PERFECT GAME!! 300!! 13 STRIKES IN A ROW! How cool is that? I must’ve been in the zone or something! We all freaked out! He’s still trying to get one – and practicing every day!! Hee Hee! Talk about lucky!! 224 is pretty darn good though – Alan’s average is about a low 200 and mine is usually mid 200... but now my average is way up – like that’ll ever happen again! (Sara B)

The First Fishing Trip

2009-01-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

This is the first installment of what I hope to be a series of stories from times long, long ago and far away.

It was going to be a fine spring, opening day of fishing in eastern Washington. I was probably six or seven. Dad got my younger brother and me up really early, before daylight. We loaded up the 55 Ford black and white two-door Crown Victoria and drove out into the country. The fishing gear, worms and moms sandwiches were all packed in the trunk with ease.

I don’t know where we went (I must have slept most of the way), but finally we parked. We got our fishing gear out of the trunk, it was barely light. We climbed over the rocks along the side of the road and were rewarded with a dark, deep lake in an old gravel quarry.

We climbed down the rocks to the side of the water and couldn’t wait to start fishing. I think Dad hooked all the worms.

The morning was cold but we started catching rainbow trout so we didn’t really notice. Nice ones about eight inches or so. The sun rose and the chill was replaced with a warmth and glimmer off the pond.

But as the sun rose, my joy sank; both Dad and my brother had caught four fish each, I only had two. The time was rapidly approaching for us to pack up and go home. Finally, Dad made the call: “Time to go.”

In my frustration, I began to fling the worm out onto the pond, trying to snap it off so I would not have to touch it, I guess. After about three or four of these “casts” (my bamboo pole had about 20 feet of line, no reel) when to my great surprise and joy a trout bit. I pulled it in more excited than I can put into words. On top of catching the fish in this manner, it turned out to be one of the biggest fish we caught that day.

That was a good ending to a great fishing trip. We climbed back up the rocks to the car, loaded up, and started the trip home.

A few miles into the trip, a small thunder storm started to the right side of the car. As we drove I noticed it was raining on the right side of the car the wiper struggling to clear the water and the sun was shining on the driver’s side, the wiper squeeking on the dry surface. It was really cool, but kind of odd, something like the writer of this story.

I think we went fishing opening day nearly every year until I graduated from college about 16 years later. I can't remember for sure, but we likely had fried fish for dinner that night. I like trout but always make quite a show of removing all the bones.

Sarah and Her Violin

2009-01-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

To ALL of you who are interested in Sarah's violin competition, today (Sat.1/17) in Spokane. SHE WON the all Northwest area which included Alaska, Wa, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana -- I think I have all the states that Carla told me when I asked & when she just called to tell me of Sarah's success. Now she goes to further competition in Georgia at the end of March. I do not know how many were competing today, but I gathered it was quite a number. Of course all the Halls are really pleased as are each of us, huh. Pleased & Proud that all of Sarah's determination with practicing, practicing had very good results.

So, with that latest Family Update ---------------- 'Bye for now, Love, Mom/Grandma/GG

Note: the picture is about a year old. If someone sends me a new picture, I will replace this one. (Steve)

Old pictures

2009-01-19T12:14:00.001-08:00

I thought papa might enjoy these.

They are a little old, but still are pretty cute.

Sorry, I had to remove one of the pictures! We'll replace it pretty soon. :)

I hope you like them!

Farmer Boy

P.S. If anybody else has any pictures that you would like to share, you should make a post. :)

Steve's Fitness Update

2009-01-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Saturday) was a good day, but I over did it. Started with a one mile run/walk, took 11 minutes. That was good. Followed up with 30 minutes on Wii Fit. That was very good. Then I found out that Kathi committed me to steam cleaning the carpets for her parents new (used) mobile home. They are moving a lot closer, but that's another story. The carpets looked like they had not been cleaned since the home was built. So that resulted in just over three hours of operating the steam cleaner and another two hours this morning. Lots of gallon of cleaning water and more gallons of really black waste water. The carpets looks a lot better. My shins and back hurt a little, but only when I move :-). Good news though about my left knee. It seems to have held up just fine.

Love, Steve

Wedding News

2009-01-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that Mary is engaged to marry Joel Fisher.
The wedding date is now set for May 9, 2009.
Location here in Bradenton Florida. Exciting time around here. Joel and Mary have been seeing eachother for over 2 years. Joel is a worship leader at a local church and he also teaches guitar. He has a business called "workship works" where he teaches worship teams. He and along with Mary have most of the high scores on the Wii Fit. Mary and Joel tied on the final game of the New Years family bowling tournament on Wii. Definately a good match.

Steve

2009 Goals

2009-01-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

At the end of 2008, I made some goals (most of us do). But this year I wanted to let all of you hold me accountable. On Jan 1, I weighed a record 223 pounds (Actually it was not a record. When I looked at my 2008 goals, my starting weight was also 223, but look where that goal got me!) My first goal is to lose about 20 pounds by the end of May. Here is a graph of my progress so far:

The red line is the goal, the jagged blue line is my progress. About 16 to go. Have started using Wii Fit and started some jogging. I'm up to about 10 minutes of jogging. Goal there is to be able to run a 5K run at the end of February.

Fringe benefit, my resting pulse seems to have dropped to just over 60. That's good for me. But my balance in the Wii Fit exercises still needs a lot of work. It gives you your age. Depending on the day, my Wii Fit fitness age has varied from 67 to 45. I'm 61.

If you would like to share your goals, feel free. If you have any good ideas, please share.

Love, Steve

Paralysis by Analysis

2009-01-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

Farmer Boy's (he's actually a teen!) story reminded me of what I go through when I buy a new car. When the time is getting close, maybe out there a year or so, I analyze, investigate, discuss and other wise exhaust the topic especially for those around me (Dr. Watson). When the day comes, I usually get the first car I see. What is that? Holmes? At least I am at the right dealer (most of the time) .

My analysis paralysis is partially due to being an engineer. We are taught to check and double check every calculation (which is especially important for me since I nearly failed 4th grade arithmatic - I got better when we finally got to algebra, trigonometry and calculus, not sure why).

What is the moral of the story? There is a verse somewhere in Proverbs that says something like a man plans his ways, but the outcome is of the Lord. So I guess planning and analysis are okay but know that an action is what the Lord desires and what He guides.

Love, Steve

Astronomy Joke

2009-01-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I got this Joke from my Science book.

Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. Watson go on a camping trip. They find a beautiful spot and set up their tent. After a full day of enjoying nature, they go into their tent and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes Dr. Watson and says, "Look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Watson was awestruck. After a moment, he says, "I see countless stars." Mr. Holmes replies, "What does that tell you?" Watson considers for a moment and says, "It tells me that the universe is vast, and it will probably take us several lifetimes to gain even a small amount of understanding as to how is functions and what our place is in it." Mr. Holmes asks, "Anything else?" Mr. Watson thinks for a moment and says, "Based on the position of the stars, I would say it is approximately two o'clock in the morning." Once again, Mr. Holmes asks, Anything else?" Desperate now, Watson replies, "Because the sky is so clear, we will probably have a beautiful day tomorrow." Once again, Mr. Holmes asks, "Anything else?" Frustrated, Mr. Watson says, "I can't think of anything else. What does it tell you?" Holmes is silent for a moment and then says, "Elementary, my dear Watson. Someone has stolen our tent."

Isn't that weird?

Farmer Boy

Family Picture - January 2008

2009-01-15T10:17:00.001-08:00

Picture includes four generations of Bahlers and their spouses ranging from 80 to a few weeks old who were gathered at Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma's 80th birthday at the Tacoma Yacht Club.

An Engineer

2009-01-15T07:14:00.000-08:00

Thought you might be enjoy this.

Steve

Attention Family Farmers and Cooks!!!

2009-01-15T06:22:00.001-08:00

Dear Family Farmers and Cooks on a Budget,

Please see Barbara's response to the "So Why This Blog, Why Now" Posting. She has a great opportunity for you to consider!!!! We can make a difference in the next generation.

"Find a Need and Fill It!"

New Posts to Blog

2009-01-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

Blog Authors!

If you received an e-mail from the Blog inviting you to be an "author," you will be able to add messages like this, rather than "just" providing comments to what I wrote. Once you are logged in, look in the upper right hand corner of the blog page, you should see a link called "New Post". Click on that and it will let you add a post. Type your message in the window provided. Be sure to use the font and background tools, add pictures, etc. When you are done, click on "Publish Post" at the bottom. If there are any problems with them, I can fix them up from here.

Please send me e-mail address of any other family members who may want to be "authors."

Love, Steve

So Why This Blog, Why Now

2009-01-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

What are we going to Blog aobut? Here are some ideas, you may have more... Family news and history; family recipes; words to live by/life lessons; prayers/answers; practical information on parenting, home schooling, farming; creative works - stories, poems, music; links to personal Blogs. If you received an e-mail inviting you to be an author, please feel free to be one! Also if you have other family members who want to be authors, let me know their e-mail address and I can add them.

We have all been trying to communicate by e-mail, phone, U-Tube, Face Book, and other ways. This will give us an tool to communicate that we can all access and use.

Love, Steve

Find a Need and Fill It

2009-01-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

The maternal grandfather of the Bahler family, Laurence, was ofter heard to say: "Find a need and fill it." This was for him a life creed. He used that creed to flourish during the Great Depression and ultimately founded the first Nursing Home in the City of Tacoma, Washington. What needs is this generation of the Bahler family filling? - Steve

Thus It Begins

2009-01-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

Thus begins the Bahler Family Blog. A small start, but a start indeed. It is my plan for all who are interested to be able to add content, stories, messages for all to read. - Steve