Two birthdays on Tuesday the 25th:
Happy Birthday, Katie!
Happy Birthday, Brian! (Jenelle's other brother)
I'm thrilled that the weekend is here. It's not that I don't enjoy my job and everything else that I do during the week, but there's a reason that God rested for a day. This week was a bit draining for both Jenelle and me. So, after work, we had a nice relaxing dinner at the Chancery this evening. And now we're just vegging out for a while.
I'm not sure what else to write. Well, I'm thankful that I'm not bored.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Blizzard Weekend, Days 2-3
Before I recap today and yesterday, some announcements:
Happy Birthday, Holly!
Happy Birthday, Jeff! (Jenelle's brother)
We completed a LOT of "catch-up" tasks yesterday while the weather outside was frightful. We did four loads of laundry, and Jenelle cleaned at least four rooms in the condo. REALLY cleaned 'em. I was quite impressed. I caught up on things like bills and paperwork. As soon as we get one more W-2 form, we're filing our taxes. That's not the kind of thing I like to put off.
With cabin fever beginning to overtake us, Jenelle and I ventured out to Wal*Mart at around 7:30 p.m. We bought groceries, a year's supply of trash bags (buy in bulk, it saves $!), and a new rug to put at the top of the stairs. It matches the rug at the bottom of the stairs. We don't always shop at Wal*Mart -- I actually prefer the Woodman's 24-hour Market in Kenosha -- but the mart is pretty convenient for us, especially when we need to buy a bunch of different things.
Today, we attended a retirement celebration for the secretary at Our Savior's. She had been working since... well, probably since before I was born. Jenelle and I had a hand in preparing things for the party. We made a pretty good punch -- it had two parts Cran-Raspberry Juice Cocktail and one part 7Up. Yum.
After the party, we were both productive in our own ways. I ran five miles on a treadmill at the JMBA center (a place for SCJ folks to do stuff), and Jenelle caught up on some work. I have no problem with someone doing work on a Sunday, as long as it isn't the only thing that's done that day. And besides, I bet it will make Monday much more pleasant.
One more note before my better half and I spend some quality time together -- on Wednesday night, I brought the keyboard that was in the basement of my parents' house into the condo, along with a bunch of my old piano books. Jenelle took piano lessons for quite a few years when she was younger, and she's thinking of taking it up again. Sounds good to me! We can form a band. Hmmm, we could use a few more instruments. Anybody got a violin?
Happy Birthday, Holly!
Happy Birthday, Jeff! (Jenelle's brother)
We completed a LOT of "catch-up" tasks yesterday while the weather outside was frightful. We did four loads of laundry, and Jenelle cleaned at least four rooms in the condo. REALLY cleaned 'em. I was quite impressed. I caught up on things like bills and paperwork. As soon as we get one more W-2 form, we're filing our taxes. That's not the kind of thing I like to put off.
With cabin fever beginning to overtake us, Jenelle and I ventured out to Wal*Mart at around 7:30 p.m. We bought groceries, a year's supply of trash bags (buy in bulk, it saves $!), and a new rug to put at the top of the stairs. It matches the rug at the bottom of the stairs. We don't always shop at Wal*Mart -- I actually prefer the Woodman's 24-hour Market in Kenosha -- but the mart is pretty convenient for us, especially when we need to buy a bunch of different things.
Today, we attended a retirement celebration for the secretary at Our Savior's. She had been working since... well, probably since before I was born. Jenelle and I had a hand in preparing things for the party. We made a pretty good punch -- it had two parts Cran-Raspberry Juice Cocktail and one part 7Up. Yum.
After the party, we were both productive in our own ways. I ran five miles on a treadmill at the JMBA center (a place for SCJ folks to do stuff), and Jenelle caught up on some work. I have no problem with someone doing work on a Sunday, as long as it isn't the only thing that's done that day. And besides, I bet it will make Monday much more pleasant.
One more note before my better half and I spend some quality time together -- on Wednesday night, I brought the keyboard that was in the basement of my parents' house into the condo, along with a bunch of my old piano books. Jenelle took piano lessons for quite a few years when she was younger, and she's thinking of taking it up again. Sounds good to me! We can form a band. Hmmm, we could use a few more instruments. Anybody got a violin?
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Blizzard Weekend, Day 1
We left work around 6:30 yesterday. Jenelle managed to reach a record 4.75 miles on the EFX machine (yay sweetie!) while I was busy fixing up an "urgent" computer program issue. Yes, Mom, they had me fix it because I'm the best SCJ employee. :)
Anyway, the snow was just beginning to fall, and the roads weren't too bad yet, so we went to Home Depot and bought some paint that will be used for a youth room at the church in Winnetka where Jenelle is an AWANA leader. It's a pretty light blue color -- tropical something.
As 7 o'clock rolled around, we were getting pretty hungry. The roads were starting to get a little ugly, but we decided to drive over to Applebee's (just around the corner from Home Depot). We figured that no one else would be out in this weather. Oops. The wait was 35 minutes. So, we did what any starving couple would do. We placed a "Carside Carryout" order, got our food in 15 minutes, and were home before the roads got REALLY bad.
After a candlelight dinner (in lovely plastic carryout containers), we watched a bunch of stuff that had been saved on our DVR this week, including Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, Joey, CSI, and ER.
Looking outside now -- yikes. It'll take some effort just to get one of our cars out of the complex, and the snow's still coming down pretty heavily. Here's something I don't get -- at the car dealership nearby (the old one just north of us), there are about 10 people cleaning off all of the cars and another two people driving plows. Why on earth are they engaging in this activity IN THE MIDDLE of a snowstorm? Do they think I'm going to come over there right now and check out the latest models? "Oh, yeah, I like that one, but it's covered in snow, so, forget it." At least wait until the Winter Storm Warning is over.
I feel like I've missed a birthday or two -- let's take a look at ye olde birthday reminder service -- ah, I see -- I'm in the clear for now, but next week has FOUR birthdays in it. Exciting.
Anyway, the snow was just beginning to fall, and the roads weren't too bad yet, so we went to Home Depot and bought some paint that will be used for a youth room at the church in Winnetka where Jenelle is an AWANA leader. It's a pretty light blue color -- tropical something.
As 7 o'clock rolled around, we were getting pretty hungry. The roads were starting to get a little ugly, but we decided to drive over to Applebee's (just around the corner from Home Depot). We figured that no one else would be out in this weather. Oops. The wait was 35 minutes. So, we did what any starving couple would do. We placed a "Carside Carryout" order, got our food in 15 minutes, and were home before the roads got REALLY bad.
After a candlelight dinner (in lovely plastic carryout containers), we watched a bunch of stuff that had been saved on our DVR this week, including Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, Joey, CSI, and ER.
Looking outside now -- yikes. It'll take some effort just to get one of our cars out of the complex, and the snow's still coming down pretty heavily. Here's something I don't get -- at the car dealership nearby (the old one just north of us), there are about 10 people cleaning off all of the cars and another two people driving plows. Why on earth are they engaging in this activity IN THE MIDDLE of a snowstorm? Do they think I'm going to come over there right now and check out the latest models? "Oh, yeah, I like that one, but it's covered in snow, so, forget it." At least wait until the Winter Storm Warning is over.
I feel like I've missed a birthday or two -- let's take a look at ye olde birthday reminder service -- ah, I see -- I'm in the clear for now, but next week has FOUR birthdays in it. Exciting.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Good News and Bad News...
The good news: It is finally warm enough to snow.
The bad news: It is snowing.
The bad news: It is snowing.
Monday, January 17, 2005
It Keeps You Runnin'
Jenelle and I both visited the SCJ fitness center this evening. I was suprised at how busy it was there -- nearly every treadmill and cardio machine was occupied from the time we arrived until the time we left. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised. Monday tends to be the busiest day of the week -- people who work out three times a week usually do it on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and people who work out twice a week usually do it on Monday and Thursday. There's also a sense of commitment when you work out on a Monday. The idea is that Monday is the toughest day to do anything productive (the whole weekend recovery thing), so if you have a sense of accomplishment on Monday, there's no limit to what you can do. Add the Monday effect to the January effect (people trying to make good on New Year's resolutions), and you end up with a lot of sweaty people.
For anyone out there that is trying to lose weight -- perhaps there is some value in cutting carbs or some other specific kind of food, but in my experience, all you have to do is eat a little less and exercise a little more. Decrease your caloric intake and increase your caloric output just a tiny bit. Keep doing it, and one day you'll wake up fifty pounds less than when you woke up the year before. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but you get the idea.
For anyone out there that is trying to lose weight -- perhaps there is some value in cutting carbs or some other specific kind of food, but in my experience, all you have to do is eat a little less and exercise a little more. Decrease your caloric intake and increase your caloric output just a tiny bit. Keep doing it, and one day you'll wake up fifty pounds less than when you woke up the year before. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but you get the idea.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...
As Jenelle's mom already pointed out in the comments in an earlier entry, the current BenCam picture is of me in the SC Johnson Employee & Children's Chorus, performing every year on Profit Sharing Day.
We went sledding last weekend. I brought my camera. Here's the photo album:
Sledding at Johnson Park
Update (Sunday @ 10:00 a.m.): Here's a MOVIE for you as well! It was taken with my camera and not my camcorder, so the quality isn't that great, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
We went sledding last weekend. I brought my camera. Here's the photo album:
Sledding at Johnson Park
Update (Sunday @ 10:00 a.m.): Here's a MOVIE for you as well! It was taken with my camera and not my camcorder, so the quality isn't that great, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Friday, January 14, 2005
Brrrr
Jenelle here...
It's 4 degrees out - and it feels like 7 below. It might drop below 0 tonight too. Time to turn on the gas fireplace and sip some hot cocoa.
I miss the rain.
It's 4 degrees out - and it feels like 7 below. It might drop below 0 tonight too. Time to turn on the gas fireplace and sip some hot cocoa.
I miss the rain.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Have-a, have-a Happy Birthday
Two birthdays to celebrate today:
Happy Birthday, Pam!
Happy Birthday, Nancy!
And I have even more content on the website because of another birthday that occurred on the 1st:
Happy 80th Birthday, Grandpa Nick!
I should have taken a lot more pictures at the party we had on the 2nd, considering that about 50 people were in attendance. In any case, here's what I've got:
Grandpa's 80th Birthday Party
Happy Birthday, Pam!
Happy Birthday, Nancy!
And I have even more content on the website because of another birthday that occurred on the 1st:
Happy 80th Birthday, Grandpa Nick!
I should have taken a lot more pictures at the party we had on the 2nd, considering that about 50 people were in attendance. In any case, here's what I've got:
Grandpa's 80th Birthday Party
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
NellBen, Sit right here!
That's right -- much like J. Lo and Ben Affleck, we too have developed a new nickname, courtesy of our three-year-old nephew Lucas.
Lucas is by far my favorite nephew and is definitely a lot of fun to be around. Spending time with Lucas and the rest of my family was the highlight of the trip. One of his favorite things to do was to sit and watch the Christmas tree, especially when the lights were on. He would drag you in the living room, tell you exactly where to sit (and you better not move!) and then we would just watch the tree. He loved sitting there and looking at all the ormaments on the pristmas tree (we're still working on some of those sounds)That is -- until Santa Plaus came down the pireplace bringing a choo choo train, a few green teddy bears, and of course, a stuffed Bambi.
In the days after Christmas, we spent some time with some old high school friends -- Michele and Ashby from Westside -- and Amanda and Dave, our most recently married friends. And, we spent plenty of time shopping, being lazy and playing with Lucas' very cool new train set.
Since things at the Walter compound were a little crowded over the holidays, Ben and I stayed at the Embassy Suites -- only about a mile or two away from home. I learned something very important about Ben this trip -- he gets very excited about free breakfast! The hotel offered a free cooked-to-order breakfast every morning for hotel guests, and Ben made sure we didn't miss it! (Except for the morning when mom made us some very delicious chocolate chip pancakes.)
Overall, the hotel was very nice -- I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to visit good ol' Beaverton. However, we did notice something mildly annoying but still pretty comical. Apparently in Beaverton, a Ford Expedition counts as a compact car. And here I was feeling guilty about parking the camry in a compact space. No door dings on mom's car! In the hotel parking lot alone, we saw about 10 trucks, SUVs, and vans taking two spaces to park -- and not necessarily intentionally. These people are just lousy parkers too lazy to readjust.
Our trip back wasn't as fun as the trip out -- no free business class upgrade. But we did manage to take a bump and get a free roundtrip ticket each. All we had to do was spend a little extra time in the airport. And we finally got to see the wonderful film, "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement." It's one of Ben's new favorites.
So after a long vacation, we finally went back to work today. It was hard to get back into the swing of things -- and we already miss sleeping in. It's supposed to snow all night tonight and all day tomorrow -- maybe we'll get lucky and get a snow day!
Lucas is by far my favorite nephew and is definitely a lot of fun to be around. Spending time with Lucas and the rest of my family was the highlight of the trip. One of his favorite things to do was to sit and watch the Christmas tree, especially when the lights were on. He would drag you in the living room, tell you exactly where to sit (and you better not move!) and then we would just watch the tree. He loved sitting there and looking at all the ormaments on the pristmas tree (we're still working on some of those sounds)That is -- until Santa Plaus came down the pireplace bringing a choo choo train, a few green teddy bears, and of course, a stuffed Bambi.
In the days after Christmas, we spent some time with some old high school friends -- Michele and Ashby from Westside -- and Amanda and Dave, our most recently married friends. And, we spent plenty of time shopping, being lazy and playing with Lucas' very cool new train set.
Since things at the Walter compound were a little crowded over the holidays, Ben and I stayed at the Embassy Suites -- only about a mile or two away from home. I learned something very important about Ben this trip -- he gets very excited about free breakfast! The hotel offered a free cooked-to-order breakfast every morning for hotel guests, and Ben made sure we didn't miss it! (Except for the morning when mom made us some very delicious chocolate chip pancakes.)
Overall, the hotel was very nice -- I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to visit good ol' Beaverton. However, we did notice something mildly annoying but still pretty comical. Apparently in Beaverton, a Ford Expedition counts as a compact car. And here I was feeling guilty about parking the camry in a compact space. No door dings on mom's car! In the hotel parking lot alone, we saw about 10 trucks, SUVs, and vans taking two spaces to park -- and not necessarily intentionally. These people are just lousy parkers too lazy to readjust.
Our trip back wasn't as fun as the trip out -- no free business class upgrade. But we did manage to take a bump and get a free roundtrip ticket each. All we had to do was spend a little extra time in the airport. And we finally got to see the wonderful film, "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement." It's one of Ben's new favorites.
So after a long vacation, we finally went back to work today. It was hard to get back into the swing of things -- and we already miss sleeping in. It's supposed to snow all night tonight and all day tomorrow -- maybe we'll get lucky and get a snow day!
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