Cleaning up the House

Labor Day Weekend is upon us. The local news stations all have lots of information about the big Harley Davidson celebration. Jenelle has to work on Saturday to help cover it, which is a bit of a bummer, since one of Jenelle's friends is coming to visit.

I'd usually be a bit more excited about having an extra day off of work, but it hasn't set in yet -- perhaps I'll be more jubilant about it when I don't have to wake up early on Monday. :)

I've added a "Fun" section to the links listing on the right. The first link might be unfamilar to you -- it's a site with cartoons and other neat stuff. I've been spending a decent amount of time browsing it lately.

Party on!

Three Weekends, FOUR Walks

After hearing about Joe's Run, Walk, and Roll to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Wisconsin, the three walks page has become the Four Walks site! I'm thankful to everyone who has contributed to one of the causes or just sent a message of encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Gotta make a few adjustments

We're slowly but surely adjusting to Jenelle's new work schedule. The most important thing is that she really enjoys what she does, and I know that she does a great jorb at Fox 6.

We're finding that we have to a bit more disciplined in keeping the place clean now that we're both working full-time. I'm sure that the place will be spic-and-span by the time Jenelle's friend Amanda and her boyfriend Dave come to visit this weekend.

Finally, I'm adding a fourth walk to the three that I'm already doing. I'm in the process of updating the web page. You blog readers will be the first to know once it's ready.

Big gulps, huh? Alright!

I don't know why, but I've been really thirsty lately. It must have something to do with the hot summer air. And I'm not the only one -- Hunter was so thirsty that he had some of Grandpa Milt's root beer at Gina's birthday party yesterday.

Jenelle couldn't attend last night, but she was present at the Chancery with several family members on Friday. After dinner, we embarassed Gina with the standard waiter/waitress birthday singing.

I'm off to get a glass of water. Well, see you later!

Working, Wal*Mart, and Weekend Fun

I'm leaving for work at my usual time tomorrow (around 7:15 a.m.), and yet I'm not the first to leave! That seems so strange to me. I better get used to it!

Jenelle and I usually shop at Jewel, but we sometimes go to Wal*Mart because their selection of frozen pizza is much better. So, we went there tonight. What surprised me is the number of food items now available in unnatural colors. We're used to green ketchup by now, but how about green syrup? I'm talking the color of Ecto Cooler. We also saw pringles in a whole bunch of different colors -- orange, red, blue... weird. Jenelle says, "All that artificial color can't be good for you."

This weekend should be a nice combination of relaxation and partying. My cousin Laura will be coming in tomorrow evening, so we'll be going out to dinner with her, my cousin Todd, and perhaps some other people.

Somebody deserves a mention because she turns 21 on the 21st. Happy birthday, Gina!

Promotion By Attrition

Okay, it's time to share the big news!

Jenelle, who previously worked part-time on the weekends for Fox 6, has been promoted to a full-time position! Her new schedule has her working Monday through Friday from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m.! This will definitely change our lifestyles a little bit, but I think it's for the better.

So, go right ahead and e-mail Jenelle to wish her all the best in her new position. Woohoo!

Walking, Weather, and Breaking News

I have received six messages of encouragement from the Three Walks page. I'm very thankful for those!

You'll notice that the weather is no longer functioning properly. There's supposed to be an image that displays the forecast for the next five days. It was showing up blank. Apparently, my mom clicked on it and a pop-up ad for a "free trip" came up. This is NOT the kind of thing I want family and friends to deal with, so I'm making it out of order until I can find a weather sticker that works.

Finally, there's some exciting news on the horizon. I can't give you more specifics for another day or so, but I assure you that it is something that Jenelle and I are very happy about. Sorry, it has nothing to do with babies. Stay tuned to the blog! :)

It's official!

For dinner tonight, Jenelle made salmon and steamed carrots. She used the Aroma Health Grill and the vegetable steamer, both wedding gifts. We can now state with certainty that we have used all of our electrical appliances that we received as wedding gifts. Wow. That took long enough, eh?

In other news, I updated the main site with links to the Three Walks page in hopes of getting a few more hits. I think that after I e-mail friends & family AND create a TextAd on wilwheaton.net, I'll get a few more visitors. I don't necessarily need a lot of donations. However, it would be cool to get lots of encouragement letters.

Happy Anniversary

Tomorrow is my parents' 30th anniversary as well as Andrew & Holly's 2nd anniversary. Congrats to you both!

This weekend was a lot calmer than previous weekends. I spent most of Saturday hanging around and catching up a few house-related things, specifically cleaning up the guest room. We have guests coming at the end of August, so I'm planning to have the room much more organized by then.

Today, I cleaned up the music area at church, which had papers distributed all over the place. I now have all of the contemporary music neatly organized and alphabetized in one binder. If we ever have a guest musician, things will be easy to find for sure!

Finally, Jenelle and I just got back from Grandma & Grandpa's condo, where we had pizza to celebrate my parents' anniversary. That was a great time -- I even had the chance to help Grandma with some computer things, which I really enjoy doing.

That's about all for now -- before I close up this entry, check out a picture of my parents and me that sometimes appears on the SCJ intranet site. SC Johnson is truly a family company!

Three Weekends, Three Walks

On September 21, September 28, and October 5, I will be participating in three different walks to support three different causes. The CROP Walk raises money to fight world hunger. The AIDS Walk is to support AIDS research, and the Walk for Diabetes benefits the American Diabetes Associateion.

I have put all of the information together on one web site for easy access: Check out the "Three Walks" site now! I plan on using a few different methods to promote the site and raise awareness of my hopes to make a difference in the community and the world.

You can use the links on the site to join me in one of the walks or to make a donation, but you can also contact me directly if you like. I'm sure this won't be the last time I talk about this in my blog!

Blackout!

My thoughts and prayers go out to those without power tonight, including my family in Ohio. It's a bit scary that an entire section of the U.S. can lose electricity like this. I hope everything is restored back to normal operation soon.

Back in Wisconsin, I'm working on a new web site that explains something I'll be doing this fall in an effort to make a difference. More on that very soon!

Turn it up, the Guitar

At church tonight, we nearly had to do all the music "unplugged" because we couldn't find a key for the sound cabinet. We managed to locate it about five minutes before the service, and we were able to get everything ready in time.

I enjoy playing the guitar, and I should really devote more of my spare time to practicing. I've been playing for over a year and a half, so I'm pretty competent, but there's no way I'll progress if I don't practice some more challenging songs. So, feel free to check up on me and ask, "How much are you practicing your guitar?" the next time to see or talk to me. :)

Links links links

Since today wasn't all that eventful, I'll take this opportunity to mention that I have several sites linked in the right-hand column, including the ever-popular site belonging to Holly and Andrew. :)

If you have a site you would like there to be a link to from this page, e-mail me, or just click the "Get on this list!" in the appropriate section. Good night!

Tennis, Anyone?

If it's a Monday evening and the weather is warm, chances are I'm playing tennis with some friends from church. Even though all of them are significantly older than me, I get a great workout. They're all very good at hitting the lob shot, which means I have plenty of running to do! Getting some exercise on Monday is a great way to start the week. I guarantee it will help keep you energized.

In other news, I've added a "Local Weather" section to the right side of the blog. I couldn't decide whether to put it above the links or not. You're welcome to give me some feedback on that. Later!

A Gathering to Remember

Wow. What a weekend!

The picnic yesterday was quite a big event -- so big that I didn't get a chance to make a blog entry! We arrived at Franksville Park at about 10 a.m. Jenelle had to go to work at 2:30, but I stayed around past 9 p.m. Here's a photo of most of us (taken after Jenelle left, but before Dan arrived).

Today was also very busy. At church, we extended a call to someone who could very well become our next pastor, but I won't say any more about that until the candidate responds. I got a chance to go golfing in the afternoon with Dad, Todd, and Uncle Dan. I shot a 60, which isn't too bad for my first time out in quite a while. Finally, there was a cookout at my parents' house in the evening, which was another wonderful opportunity to spend time with family. I even got to play some pool.

So, the weekend is just about over, and it's time for me to get ready for work and the events of the week that lies ahead. This time is always a bit of a downer -- you spend hours upon hours having fun with relatives, and then we all have to go back to our daily routine. The last time I felt like this was the day after our wedding reception at Roma Lodge about four months ago. On that day, it was tough for me to say goodbye to my brother, and it was especially tough for Jenelle (and even me) to say goodbye to her parents.

It's just God's way of reminding us how precious each moment with loved ones can be, and to treasure them always.

Family Fun Weekend

Another exciting weekend is in progress! This afternoon, I participated in the first annual SCJ IS softball challenge (also known as FASCJISSC), and I had a great time playing softball with my co-workers in the Information Services department. Jenelle even got to play a few innings!

Most of tomorrow will be spent at Franksville Park for the big Isaacson Family reunion. Our family will be looking cool because of the amazing t-shirt design that Jenelle worked on. The shirts came out great, and we managed to get Ella's name on them as well!

There's a meeting on Sunday after church in which our congregation will vote on extending a call to a new pastor. As president, I get to chair the proceedings. There should be a lot of interesting discussion that will really show what is on the hearts and minds of the people of Our Savior's. It won't exactly be "fun", but it will certainly be enlightening.

So, I'm thankful for another weekend in which I get to spend time with my work family, my "real" family, and my church family. It's better than staying at home all day!

Baby Ella

Remember how I said that Andrew and Holly were well-prepared for Ella? Well, Holly has managed to get pictures of her up already! Ella is adorable. Simply adorable.

Celebrate good times, come on!

Ella isn't the only family member born in August. I have a cousin whose special day is today. Happy birthday, Eric!

It's a girl! (Well, we knew that already)

Announcing the birth of my niece, Ella Joy Isaacson, on August 5. Eight pounds, twelve ounces, 22 inches long. A big congratulations to Andrew and Holly! As they adjust to the increased level of happiness and excitement in their lives, let's continue to keep them in our prayers.

There is something about the night...

I've been listening to it for over a week, but I still enjoy the catchy rhythms of Los Flores, a newly released song by Bleeding Charity.

To give it a listen yourself, go here and click on "Music" on the top menu bar. The link to the Los Flores MP3 is near the top of the page.

And the winner is...

Those of you who check both our page and Andrew & Holly's page know that the hit counters are very close in number. I just checked them myself -- our page is at 999, while Andrew & Holly's is at 1003. So, congratulations to Andrew, Holly, and their soon-to-arrive daughter for winning the race to 1000! :)

Benches and Houses

I had carryout pizza from Tenuta's for dinner today. In the area where you wait for your food to get done, there are two park benches consisting of wooden bars held together by a rickety metal frame. Whenever I sit in one, I wonder if I'm going to be the one to break it. (Jenelle says "I don't trust them.") I sat down, and nothing happened. Still, maybe I should suggest they get some new furniture in there.

Anyway, I just heard some news my buddy Jeff Austin in Missouri. He's the one who got married in January. He and his wife Jennifer signed a contract on a house. Congratulations, you two!

Luke 13:10-17

After a slight delay due to a power failure, I have successfully updated my church's web site. If you're reading this AND you happen to be a member at Our Savior's AND you'd like to help out with keeping the site up-to-date, send me an e-mail -- I would very much appreciate your assistance. :)

Picnics & Festivals

Jenelle and I had a great time at the SCJ picnic. It's tough to have a bad time at a place where there's free popcorn, snowcones, soda, beer, cheeseburgers, sub sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken wings, cheese curds, donut holes, lemonade, fresh fruit, and probably some stuff I'm forgetting.

Tonight, I visited my work buddy Jim at the St. Joseph Festival. He is a faithful servant, working three hours tending bar. He even bought me a drink. What a guy.

Rachel knows how to fly safe

There's a picture of my cousin, Rachel, on the Baby B'air Flight Safety Vest main page. The picture is from over a year ago, but you can see her on the left side just below the red line that says "FLY SAFE". Cute, eh? :)

Happy August

Jenelle and I have a busy weekend ahead. In addition to Jenelle's usual work commitment, there's plenty of things to keep us occupied. I'm getting the oil changed in the Alero this afternoon, and we're going out to the Corner House for dinner this evening. We also plan to visit some family and show off the movie I made from last weekend's Roma Lodge Italian Festival. Tomorrow is the big SCJ picnic. Sunday will also be exciting, as the members of my church get to meet and greet a candidate who could become our next pastor. The forecast calls for plenty of rain, but I'm hoping to spend a decent amount of time outdoors while the summer warmth is still with us.