Water is not Hypoallergenic

By Justin

A friend noted that if I wasn’t married I should title this blog Justin’s Rants. If you feel I have mislead you on the purpose of our blog, sorry. I honestly feel that our life is pretty ordinary and bloging about ordinary just isn’t much fun. I would rather point out the crazy and rant about it

I am not a germ-a-phobe. Never have been. I think it might be impossible to be a Boy Scout and be a ger-a-phobe. I do have a minimum standard of washing your hands after using a restroom, particularly a public restroom.

As part of my researching for my rant I have become increasingly aware of people’s hand washing routines in the bathroom at work. Guys are the worlds worst at washing hands after a restroom stop. We all know it. I have classified three types of hand washers:

First the ones that actually wash their hands, soap and all.

Second the non-hand washers.

Third the guys that turn on the water, but don’t use soap. Now these guys are interesting, some how they have taught themselves that water is naturally hypoallergenic. By simply turning on the water and running their hands under it, they are clean. You can tell these guys simply by listening to the amount of time they have the water on. There is simply no way you can get soap on your hands and wash it off in less than three seconds. What really makes me laugh is they are not only wasting water but the paper towels to dry their hands off with as well. It is a double slam on the nonrenewable and renewable resource side. Maybe that is the cause of “global warming”, Trey?

I will say that I encountered a new low last week. While doing my business I heard the water come on and turn off in a matter of one second. Litterally. Do it in your head right now. SHHHHHHt. Then I didn’t hear the paper towel dispenser. CSI Noble jumped into action. I washed my hands, with soap, and got my paper towel. Before I completely pulled open the door I ran the paper towel down the handle. Sure enough, there was no moister on the handle. So we can reasonable conclude that this guy turned on the water because I was in the restroom to make me think he washed his hands. Wow. Save the water next time bud, I am on to you.

OK. There is the rant. Wash your hands. Just please use soap. At least while I am around.

Pay it Forward

Holly and I refinanced the house on Friday afternoon. Why it takes a mountain of paperwork to say yes we will pay, we agree to how much we will pay, and you can kick us out if we don’t pay, I will never understand. It is truly legal and government craziness gone amuck. Now we have two stacks of useless papers in the filing cabinet, one from the original contract and now the refinance.

As is now customary in the Justin and Holly marriage world, any major item is celebrated with a good meal. While driving around in a relatively unknown section of the Dallas suburbs to us we ran across a place called La Hacienda Ranch. It was some delicious Tex-Mex fare. They had a very diverse menu and you could spend as much or as little as you like.

We had Eli with us. He just slept the meal away. Holly and I did what too many fat Americans do; ordered much too large of a plate plus an appetizer. I was still stick to my stomach the next morning. It was just too good to put down.

We were at the restaurant at 4:30, long before any crowd had started. We were actually the only people in our section for a long time. After our appetizer came a couple that were in their late 50’s early 60’s came in. We made eye contact and the gentleman made a whimsical comment to the hostess that I chucked and smiled at. I might have even said “good evening” as he passed by, but I can’t remember.

As our meal was winding down the waiter came by and dropped the check. I wasn’t quite finished with my meal so I didn’t look at it, and I just sat it on the edge of the table. Two minutes later he came back by picked it up and said he was sorry but he needed to do something. I figured that he forgot my refill on my adult beverage.

Two or three minutes passed and he came by a few times. It was clear we were waiting on our check and the waiter told us that the check had been paid. We were very confused. I asked on the house? He said something like that. It took me about ten seconds to realize that the couple in the corner had paid for our dinner.

I ran the waiter down and he confirmed that they had but he insisted that they didn’t want us to know that and to not acknowledge it. I made sure to inform him to express our deep deep gratitude after we left.

I was curious why someone would do that. We didn’t look struggling. We were eating a nice meal. Holly was dressed to get out of the house. Eli was in a name brand car seat. I wasn’t wearing my holey jeans. Maybe they wanted to celebrate Eli with us. Maybe they just are nice people who have means and like to spread the love. May they are Christians and heard a sermon on helping your fellow man. Maybe they just like to try to impress people.

I think they are amazing. I don’t even know their names, but I have prayed for them to get back everything they have given so humbly. I am on the look out for a situation I can do the same. To “pay it forward” and “pay it back” the same kindness that happened to me. How the world would be different if we all did what this kind couple demonstrated.

One Month Down

by Justin

Well we have made it this far. We are transitioning well. Learning the difference between wet diaper cries and hungry cries. More importantly we haven't inflicted any known harm on Eli for a whole month!

I have uploaded some one month photos on the web album link. Here is a sample.

Otherwise things are just going. Holly returns to work on Feb. 15th or there abouts. I have started my new ten hour day schedule. It is taking some getting adapting too. We have made a few decisions as of late. We are refinancing our mortgage into a low fixed rate. We have had an adjustable rate mortgage that has paid off well for us, but now is the time to lock in for awhile. We have also decided that we are going to celebrate our five year anniversary in March in D.C. I have started scoping out the best place to stay and how long we should stay. If you have any beta on the location feel free to pass it along. Lastly for my dad's birthday (Jan 11) I decided I would schedule a trip for the two of us instead of gift. Is there a better gift than the gift of time. I am scoping out a few places but I am thinking Big Bend in April or May is a good idea. If you have any good camping ideas pass those along too. All right....good day all!

EPA = SUV

While driving down the highway on my way home yesterday I noticed a Dodge Durango with government plates driving in the HOV lane. I ran up beside it to look at the logo on the door and guess who it was? The Environmental Protection Agency Region Six. I started laughing.

How ironic is it that the Federal agency in charge of cleaning up our air and keeping the environment protected drives a Dodge SUV. I decided to do some research. The Dodge Durango gets about 15 miles per gallon. On the EPA’s website [www.epa.gov/greenvehicles] it is well below the top twenty five “greenest” SUVs. In fact on a ten point scale, with ten being good, the SUV gets a 6 by EPAs own standards.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I get grief all the time for driving a Ford pickup and how economically unfriendly it is. I guess I will consider getting rid of my ride…oh who am I kidding, I love my pickup!

Eli's First Bath

Eli had his first bath today (1/2/08). A milestone for sure. He enjoyed some of it, but mostly he was unsure what in the world was going on. Holly was glad he didn't pee on her! The video is seven minutes long and 71mb, so give it some time if you are on dial up or slow connections. Happy viewing.

Pictures!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/justinandhollytx/

All of the pictures to date....now get off my case! just kidding...sorta...

The First 48 Hours

Well it has been an exhilarating 48 hour ride. Lots of visitors and lots of staring have dominated our time. We have naps interrupted by nurses interrupted by more visitors. What a blessing to have so many people come and visit, pray and care for us.

Mom and Eli are doing great. They have had some challenges with feedings. Otherwise every nurse and doctor seems pleased with their progress. I have changed my first four diapers, including one where the pee soaked through the blanket! I was actually excited to be able to do that. We have prayed and waited so long for him, that it will take awhile for these little things to be mundane and old.

Here is visitor list in order of appearance:
Jenise - honor of the first non-grandparent visitor
Nathan, Abbey, Salomae & Jachin
Mary C.
Jordan and Lisa
Jim L.
Rosemary
Honorary Aunt Erin and Uncle Bryan
John and Robin
Larry and DeeDee
Andrew and Amy
Kathy and Abbey
Jeff, Teri and Rachel
Uncle Shawn and Aunt Dana

Thanks for your continued support and prayers. For all of you who have called and we missed you (SETH) please, please feel free to call again. I promise we were just tied up with baby business as the time. Our continuing prayer request is that Eli and Holly get to working together with their feedings! A few pictures:


Pops and Grandma meet Eli for the first time (Justin's Parents with Holly's dad in the background)


Papa and Eli having their first nap together. (Holly's Dad)

Nana meeting Eli for the first time. (Holly's Mom)

Eli just chillin'

Eli Grey Noble

We would like to introduce to the world, Eli Grey Noble. He was born on December 21st, 2007 at 11:16 p.m. in Dallas, Texas! He weighted 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 18 inches long. He entered the world via Cesarean Section. Mom and Baby as well as one proud Dad are doing great.

If you are in town, visitors are welcome. Call Holly or my cell phone for our current location and visiting hours.





Justin, Holly & Eli

LIVE

from the picturesque Labor and Delivery room at Medical City...

Well we are at a nine. He has decided that hanging out inside mom is cool. So no baby yet, but we are getting there.

LIVE....

from Medical City it's another update...

Well we are at a six, for those of you who understand what that means. For those of you who don't, well lets just say we are just over half way to starting to push. They have her in the pretzel position in the bed, which is...ummm...well....comfortable if a baby is pressing on your pelvis but not exactly attractive.

Slow and steady delivers the baby.

Live...

from Medical City it's Friday Afternoon.....

Things continue to progress slowly. Holly is finally comfortable, thanks to some great meds. Nothing new to report. Have I told you one about a man and his donkey???? Ahhh nevermind.

LIVE....

from the Hospital it is Friday Morning....

Holly is uncomfortable and feeling the pressure. He overnight meds and pain meds finally hit around 1 a.m. She has been up and around a little this morning and had her shower. Now it is just a waiting game on the meds and for labor to get up to speed.

Todays the day, hopefully!
Justin

LIVE...

from the hospital it's Thursday night!

Holly is trying to get as comfortable as you can get hooked up to a heart monitor and a blood pressure cuff. She just took her sleeping pill, so we will hope that takes effect soon. Her parents are in town and my parents have set an early morning alarm. The wheels are all in motion.

I am quite sure that the updates tomorrow will be few and far between, but while I had a moment and free wireless I thought I would post an update.

Stay Tuned!

Week 38

by Holly

We had another doctor's appointment this morning and things are pretty much the same as they were a week ago. The only big change is that I'm contracting a lot more and actually was instructed by my doctor to not return to work this morning. So, I came home and slept for a slight 4 1/2 hours!!! Guess my body needed it.

We are ready for the big day, as much as we can be, and are anxiously awaiting our little one's arrival. We do appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes, and you know Justin will post the vital info and pictures ASAP!

4 more days!!!!!

Hope you all are doing well, enjoying December, colder weather, time with family and friends, and remembering our blessed Savior's birth.

Merry Christmas!

Baby by Christmas!

by Holly

Baby update for all of you wondering what's going on this week. Yes, he's still cooking, and yes, I'm still growing!

We had our 37 week OB appointment today, and the baby is still measuring 2 weeks ahead. We had a sonogram and his head is actually past 39 weeks, and the doctor is estimating that he is already past 8 pounds. While this is not huge or unheard of, she is concerned about him continuing to grow for another 3 weeks and me being able to have him without complications. Therefore, we have scheduled an induction for next Friday, December 21st. The baby is perfectly healthy as far as we can tell, and the amniotic fluid is good as well.

Justin and I are very excited about having our baby by next Friday, if he doesn't come on his own before then. Please pray that he continues to remain healthy and that the induction and delivery would happen without complications. We so appreciate all of your prayers, encouragement, support and excitement. We will let you know if anything changes or the baby decides he isn't going to wait that long!

We love you all!
Holly, Justin and Baby Noble

The Train Depot

Junior will be sleeping in his own personal train depot. Here is the bargain of a crib his Nana found for him. Hanging just over head, we will start in indoctrination early, as a Masked Rider teddy bear mobile will play "Strive for Honor, Evermore" over and over.
This is where PIP can expect many hours of stories and rocking. This happens to be a rocking chair and ottoman. Mom and Dad get the credit for this bargain find at the consignment sale, but Mrs. Amy gets the credit for giving us tickets for early entry into the event.
This is Georgie's grandma's bed. We decided to keep the old bed in the room temporarily to make it easy on those restless night to stick close, if need be. Holly gets all the credit here as she made the full denim quilt many years ago that makes this room, in my opinion.

Lastly we come back to the crib to show "Fuerte's" homemade quilt. His Crazy Grandma Kim made him a real homemade quilt. We both absolutely love the quilt and look forward to the day of telling him all the stories of how God made him so special for us just like this quilt was made special for him.

Now you may be asking yourself what is up with all the nicknames. Well since we are keeping the name secret, people have been giving our baby boy some interesting names. Holly's dad named him Junior by accident. People at my work refer to him as PIP, for no apparent reason. Holly's coworker changed names daily before settling on Georgie Porgie. Lastly after feeling his mighty kicks I often just use the spanish adjective for strong, fuerte. So until the big unveiling, name away, so long as it is endearing!

The Bump's Growth

BUMP

BOY

BLADDER BOUNCER

This Blog Sealed for Freshness

Holly and I went to Wal-Mart last night (not Target) to purchase some items needed for the hospital bag. While picking out some socks I noticed that the chosen sock bag had one of those resealable zipper things and a very proud statement of “RESEALABLE BAG”. I immediately began my normal mind game of who needs a resealable bag of socks? Now there are some obviously destitute people whom I am sure would need a resealable bag, however these were not the cheapest sock on the rack.

My mind quickly jumped to marketing. I am very cognoscente of marketing. I find the subject of trying to make you want things that “you don’t even know you want” to be fascinating. I want to know what study, survey or questions were asked to determine that a resealable bag would in fact be a value add to consumers and increase the amount of total sales of the product. How did they determine that resealable socks should go the way of cheese and other food products? I think most importantly, does it work? Do people really buy these socks because of a resealable bag?

Well while we figure this one out, have no fear, the stupid zipper didn’t work and it took a degree in engineering to figure out that just right place to open the top of the bag to not compromise the resealable quality of the package. Some things never change.

A quick baby update
We have started weekly appointments, which means the time is growing near. The nursery is complete, with pictures soon. Holly is completely uncomfortable. And the clock has seemed to stop while we await this final month. Tick – tock – Tick – tock…

Uninspired

By Justin

What do you write about, when you can not think of anything to write about? Life is just happening. Commutes are normal. Work is just happening. Even Baby Noble is just adding fat these days. I seem to be in an uninspired stretch of life for blogging. Sorry Dan!

We have finished our last baby shower. We had four showers and just loved being doted on. We received just about everything we needed to bring home Baby Noble, except the stroller and car seat combo. So Saturday night we headed to Target to buy it up. We were so excited that we installed the car seat that evening. We feel ready with only five weeks to go!

I do have a gripe about Target. We registered there and have received multiple duplicate gifts. We took several things back on Saturday thinking we would use the store credit toward the expensive stroller. When we went to the counter the lady explained that if we do not have the gift receipt that we cannot get credit. We knew that was the policy, except if you had a registry with them. She explained that as of August that they would not accept returns through a registry either. I was not happy and to keep from screaming at the lady, shut down. I know it was not her fault. Sounds like a policy an auditor would come up with, doesn’t it? We were allowed to return up to $30 on Holly’s license number, which we did. And we will probably return another item to get the $30 on my license. Now we are trying to determine if any gifts overlap into our other registry at Baby’s R Us to return there or if Wal-Mart sells them. Wal-mart is like Southwest Airlines, they will treat any customer with compassion, so long as you preach your undying love for them!

This gets to the heart of why I hate Target. It is a Wal-Mart store packaged in “modern” décor. It is branded to make middle class white people who shop there feel like they are not at a Wal-Mart. Heaven forbid that a middle class person shop with the lowlifes at Wal-Mart. In fact they both buy the majority of their products overseas, repackage them and ship them off to the big box store that is “convenient” for all your needs. My favorite person is a person who “loves Target clothes” then snarls at “Wal-Mart crap”.

Newsflash: They are both made by sweatshop labor in a third world country, while the textile centers of the United States of America are bankrupt and workers now working at Wal-Mart and Target to pay their sub-prime mortgages.

So thanks Target, yet another reason that I don’t have to shop your stores, unless of course you are closer than a Wal-Mart.

Maybe I was inspired?

Mecca

For old school Texas Tech students, Mecca might just be a memory of a shaved ice hut on the old Brownfield highway. Hot steamy Lubbock nights the first few weeks of school catching up with old friends while chomping on the world best snowcone, with cream, are things you will tell your children about. The old hut is gone. It has been replaced by “Paving the way to the Future” or the Marsha Sharp Freeway project. Progress, it seems, plowed through another memory.

Holly and I try to get to another branch of Bahama Bucks every time we return to Lubbock. Nothing takes you back to college days like have a Strawberry Bahama Rama with cream. Charissa will probably tell you that wedding cake was the best, she’d be wrong. Holly will espouse the glories of the Funky Monkey. She’d be wrong as well. You see in Mecca, or Bahama Bucks, it is the simple that is the best. Strawberry with cream. Yummy.

I was thinking about Bahama Bucks on Thursday of this last week. I though to myself, I wonder how much a franchise costs? I could own my own Mecca. As I stroll through the website I see an advertisement saying “Opening Soon in Plano”. In Plano? Plano, Tx? So I investigate.

Come to find out, indeed there are several Bahama Bucks scattered around the Metroplex area. One is not far from our house in Sachse. So after work, I simply tell Holly I have surprise for her and we take the fifteen minute trip to Mecca.

Our religious experience can be explained by the look on Holly’s face as she spotted the neon lights of that beacon of yummy hope. I got a strawberry daiquiri with cream and Holly indulged in a coconut with cream, of course. We lapped up every bit of goodness and told tales of the old days. It might have been 50 degrees outside, we didn’t care. We closed our eyes, heard Robert’s guitar, the cars honking as they went by and got our card punched for the free one!

Any of our long lost Tech friend’s jealous? Come see us, our treat!

Well I’ve been everywhere, man…

Dallas Love Field
Stop over in Kansas City
Change planes in Chicago
Two nights in Indianapolis
Return and change planes in Chicago, again
Stop in Kansas City
Two nights in Tulsa
Return to Dallas Love Field for two hours
Fly to Amarillo
Stay in West Texas for three nights
Return to Dallas through Lubbock

That was last week. Somewhere in there I got some work done and had a great time with the family in the panhandle. I’m tired….

A quick baby update: Things are going well. No major problems or issues. Holly is doing fine and adjusting (slowly) to not being able to do some basic things. The boy had a growth spurt and is measuring three weeks ahead of his scheduled date! Maybe New Years Eve was an optimistic hold out date afterall.

Did I Get Taken?

What a good weekend. I honestly cannot remember all the details, but I can tell by my relaxed feeling today that it was a great break from the norm.

What I do know is that we slept in on Saturday. Even our cat didn’t wake us up astronomically early, as if often the case. It had rained throughout the night and all day it was a cloudy overcast day. It has been a long time since we have had a dull day with dull weather. So very nice!

I decided that we would head over to Discount Tire and have Holly’s rear tires looked at. I am close to replacing her front brakes and while I was getting help on that our quasi-mechanic friend expressed concern over the status of Holly’s rear tires. He said it looked like uneven wear and a possible alignment problem. So I headed to Discount Tire to get a professional opinion.

The man that helped was the manager. He was a nice fellow. He looked at the rear tire and immediately said that it wasn’t alignment it was that we hadn’t rotated the tires. What? Ok. How often are you suppose to rotate your tires, I ask. Every 6,000 miles, he says. Ooops. How many miles has it been, he asks. I respond meekly, 35,000. Oh, is all he says.

He then looks at the front tires. He has the same diagnosis. I ask if we can rotate front to back and buy two new ones. He gives me this half agreeing smirk and says yes, but your front tires are pretty worn and who knows how long they will last. He suggest four new tires.

I quickly do a scenario in my head of my nine month pregnant wife calling me in Friday afternoon traffic on Central Expressway with a blown out rear tire and decide that safe is better than sorry. I have absolutely no idea how much tires cost. For that matter, I don’t know how much anything cost, short of a gallon of gas, for a car. (2.61 by the way) He begins by giving me a lot of details on warranties and mileage that is similar to me trying to explain the debt accounting accruals to Holly. A lot of ‘uhhuhs’ and head nods. He works his way through three tires, with the starting price of $678 and a low price of $616. At the bewilderment on my face of how much these cost he does offer a “low end basic tire” that is $414.

I am thoroughly confused at this point. What is the difference between a 678 and a 414, besides the warranty? He goes through it and convinces me that the 414 isn’t worth the money. I go for the 616 and call it good.

So the question is, did I get taken? How do you make spot on decisions on a subject you have no knowledge of? Would it be appropriate to say, “Hold on. I am going to call my dad” when you are 28 years old? The line in that place was atrocious as well. Anyway we have four shiny new tires, and a lot lighter pocketbook!

A Free Weekend?

I do not want to jinx it, but it seems that we have a free weekend. It is almost unheard of in our life to have a complete weekend to ourselves. We haven’t scheduled a social meal, outing or trip. Amazing. I was informed that the level of cleanliness of our house is not meeting Holly’s standards, and as such I can expect some cleaning chores. I will take that with the much desired home time!

Hankie Anyone?

by Justin

When did nose blowing become socially acceptable? My mother always taught me to go into another room, the rest room or at least excuse myself from the table to blow my nose. I was not allowed to simply pull a Kleenex and go to town on my nose. I also was not allowed to sniff it back up either. I was required to politely and discretely catch any drips until the occasion allowed to excuse myself to blow my nose. Is this not the case? Did I miss the change in etiquette or was I misinformed?

Case Study 1: The Man in the Balcony

I understand that the elderly are given greater latitudes. Hey they lived in the great depression, fought in world wars and birthed our parents in the 60’s. They can do a lot of things I could never get away with. Last Sunday morning a man, not that elderly, blew his nose three times during church. From the balcony it echoed all over the relatively small sanctuary. It was always during the critical point about grace and extending it. Was God speaking?

Case Study 2: My Cube Neighbor

The guy that sits behind me has a nose blowing fetish. It actually may be a OCD disorder. He will blow his nose no less than six to seven times a day. Most of the times it is a dry blow, meaning very little snot can be heard exiting his nose. On the rare occasion that snot actually exits it is excruciatingly gross to hear. Never does he exit his cube or say excuse me. I asked, about six months ago, if he had allergies. He said no, why? Why? I know it is just a fetish because we can sit in a two hour meeting and he never reach for a Kleenex (sitting on the conference room table), nor excuse himself. His nose blowing is not picky on the season of the year or time of day. He just has to blow it and it drives me crazy.

Crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a room. A rubber room. Drove me crazy. Crazy?

Silence....

by Justin

We have been fielding a lot of questions about the silence on the blog about our pregnancy. Rest assured we are very excited to welcome our son into the world. However, we are being sensitive to the fact that we have several couple friends who desire families of their own and for various reasons are not currently pregnant. Holly and I were there. We completely understand and remember the difficulty and tears shed as people around us received the joy and blessing we were longing for. We know the heartache it took to read other’s blogs and emails. We have decided to keep our pregnancy to those who ask and those we are around. We would be elated to share pictures, stories and even tears, if need be. Rest assured that once our bouncing baby boy is on this side of the womb, stories and pictures will abound.

For an update, we are doing great. Holly feels good and is progressing normally. We are enjoying watching and feeling him move. We have officially registered at Target and have set the dates of the showers. Now we are tackling the nursery. It is going to be train themed. I loved trains growing up, so it is a natural fit for me! I am building a shelf around the top of the room for a track, and we are buying little train knickknacks for all corners!

That’s the update. Email for more info, if you wish!

My Brother's Wedding

Well as promised here are some wedding pictures.

First off our unexpected overnight in Charlotte. Thanks Clint and Erin!
The Bride and Groom (Shawn and Dana)

The Wedding PartyShawn and I messing around in the ocean. Absolutely NO comments about my whiteness are needed. For the record, I didn't come back sunburned either....
Here is Holly's Island Hair!
Our last night on the Island
Misc Pictures:

The Highlight of My Commute

You will have to wait till Justin gets home from San Francisco for wedding pictures, because he took our camera with him. In the meantime...

I saw the funniest thing in traffic today, and I thought it would be perfect to share with you since we waste so much time here complaining about traffic. I'm driving along on my way home and I come up beside a reallllllly old car. I don't know anything about cars, but its old, its a little boat-like and I think it used to be green. Or some version of it perhaps. The windows were down, and I was surprised to see a well-dressed man in a long sleeve button up shirt with a tie, clean shaven and quite respectable looking. Hmm.... you never know. Then I look beyond him to the sign he has posted on the rear driver's side window.

It states:

* No air conditioning
* No cruise control
* No car payment since the Nixon administration

Now, that is funny! I chuckled about it all the way home, and actually laughed out loud when I was a couple of streets from my exit and saw him again. It really was priceless. Good for him for not getting drawn into the materialism of our world. I hope he's doing something great with his paycheck!

By the numbers

Well he did it. I didn’t think I would see the day, but my brother actually got married. We spent a few extra days and flew down to Sint Maarten to attend the ceremony. We just missed the hurricane and thankfully it swung south altogether. So here are a few numbers to get us started.

7: The number of airports we were at over our trip to Sint Maarten.
Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW)
Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
Princess Juliana International (Sint Maarten) (SXM)
Miami International (MIA)
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International (FLL)
William P. Hobby Airport (Houston) (HOU)
Dallas Love Field (DAL)

5: The total number of days for our trip
4: The total number of hotels we stayed at during the trip
3: The total number of different airlines it took to get there and back.
2: The number of bags American Airlines lost.

Or in short: Five days, Four hotels and three airlines.

What happen you ask? Well hold on…

Thursday night Mom, Dad, Holly and I are staying in a hotel by DFW. Our flight is at 7:15 Friday morning and we are flying standby, so you have to be early. Thursday night also happens to be the night the Tropical Storm Erin dumps a lot of rain on the metroplex. This causes Thursday night flight to be very delayed. Friday morning we check in and learn that due to late arrivals, the crews are on mandatory rest and cannot fly before 9:30. The airline is rebooking paying customers to the next flight, so there is no way we are getting out earlier than that.

So we finally get off the ground and head to CLT on US Airways. As expected we misconnect for our flight to SXM. We quickly make plans, rent a car and get a hotel for the evening. We do get a great break and our great friends (the ones who never comment on this blog) had an open evening and invited us over for some good home cooking. It was yummy, but the company and welcome nature of our friends is what made the evening. The next morning we get up and head to the airport for our flight to SXM.

We load on the plane and sit there. An hour later we finally move. It seems the jet bridge was stuck up against the plane without power. We arrive late to SXM and just a hour and a half before the wedding. So very tired and travel worn we check into our third hotel.

The wedding is nice. It is actually the uneventful part of the story. A separate post with pictures will follow.

We are planning to take US Airways home on Monday. I wake up and check the flight to find that it is sold out, time for our backup plan. We immediately pack and head to the airport to get on American Airlines. After a lot of confusion of whether or not there were seats on the plane we are on our way to MIA. We land in MIA with a four hour layover. We go to the gate to see our place on the standby list is 27 thru 30^th. NOT GOOD if you are dead last on the plane. We get a very helpful AA flight attendant, but some very rude AA employees otherwise. She informs us that she will barely get on the plane, we have no chance. Sure enough we were four of the six people not making it on. So we decide that we are not going to chance it with American Airlines anymore. We hop in a cab, after finding a hotel in Fort Lauderdale. We check into our fourth hotel.

The next morning we head to FLL and get on good ole Southwest Airlines. There noting quite as comforting as home. SWA treats us good, understands our predicament and is nice to us. What a concept. We change planes in HOU marking our sixth airport, landing safe and sound at DAL.

We rent a car and head to DFW to retrieve our luggage that went on American Airlines the previous night. After a lot or running around we learn that one of my parents bags is lost at DFW and the other bad went to Buenos Aires. Now that is a trip!

Needless to say we are tired. But our standby travel saved us over $800. Well sort of, now we have to deduct hotels and rent cars! However, even if we had a ticket we would have misconnected on our outbound. We had a good time and look forward to a longer trip sometime in the future, albeit not on American Airlines.

P.S. I wrote this fast and furious late in the evening. Sorry for bad grammar and no reading checks! Justin

May we introduce...

Well after much anticipation and even a few tears, we are proud to announce our baby is a BOY! To avoid child porn issues, I will spare you the pictures that prove this point. Take our word for it, there was no IF or even well lets see. The sonographer went to "take a peek" and there was no "peek" to it. Clear as day! We are excited.

We are headed to St. Maarten on Friday. Pray for Hurricane Dean to stay south and west!

Justin, Holly and our Son!

Our Crazy Life

by Holly

We are finally finished with the actual wood floor itself, but still lack transitions, so you have to be careful around the edges and in doorways. We actually went back to the flooring store with our measurements to order them, and found out that the manufacturer doesn't stain the type of transition we need with the color of stain we need. Why not? I do not know. We were advised to go to Home Depot or Lowe's, buy our own trim and stain it ourselves, and save some money as well. We'll see when we find the time to do all of that...

Which brings me to the fact that we are leaving on Friday morning at 7am for St. Maarten and will return late Monday evening. I'm going to make the most of it, although I'm not too excited about the trip and all of its family spider web-o'-drama. I'll leave it at that. On a positive note, it should be a nice, romantic getaway with my hubbie before our little one arrives on the scene in a few months. And it is supposed to be in the 80's with thunderstorms, so that beats this 105 degree heat all to pieces!

And if you ask Justin, he will roll his eyes and exaggerate at the list of other things we need to accomplish at home. I don't know if its true nesting or not, but I am motivated to clean, clean out, and organize! We have a few things for the nursery already, but can't put it together till we get the scrapbook and sewing stuff out of there, and we can't put that in the non-dining room until we get the dining furniture back to his aunt and uncle. What a maddening circle of projects!

We'll get there. I'm just ready for a break, to put my feet up and not think about the chores still waiting for me. Maybe I need a visit from my mom to help me cross off some things. Mom, where are you??

Mid-Week Questions

by Justin

Why do people finish getting ready for work in the car? It seems this week, while traveling to work, I have run across several people who are putting on makeup, shaving, plucking eyebrows, ect. Thankfully no one was putting in contacts, but I think that is next. Is it really too much to ask for someone to be five minutes late to work of get up ten minutes earlier to finish your face to get ready for the day? Is there really so much downtime on the commute that you need to fill it with “productive activities”, as my coworker explained? This is the same coworker who’s commute to work is all of twelve minutes, if she hits the lights. I think this bothers me more than I realize.

It is August 9^th in Dallas and we haven’t had a 100 degree day. This week has been very hot and humid, as the rest of the country has been for weeks. We are actually predicted to hit 100 this weekend. All I heard yesterday from people was how freakin’ hot it was. Are you kidding me? We went the entire month of July without a 100 degree day. I barbequed every week in July and didn’t burn my pasty white forehead even once. It is like complaining that it rained for two months after two YEARS of drought. Perspective people, it is all I ask.

Thanks for allowing me my mid-week vent.

We concluded our Summer Barbeque Series last night. I think they were a rousing hit. Last night was a potluck meal. We provided a salad and some drinks. It was so nice not to have to grill outside and worry about all the details. We played a couple rounds of Pond Scum (a wonderful group game I might add, with such a pleasant name). We communed with one another, which was the ultimate point. In the end, over the course of the summer we merged different generations (from retired to newborns), different groups (church to friends) and different personalities to create quite an great mix. I really enjoyed them and look forward to doing it again in the future. Albeit maybe not four in a row ;)

Make it a great week!

Summer Fun

We have been hosting a summer BBQ series at our house each Wednesday night. Our first shindig, “Flip-Flop Pary”, was marked by good burgers and great company. Last week we our “Dog Days of Summer” hotdog party was busting the roof off the house. This week we welcome our in-town friends to a “Tiki Party”, complete with grilled chicken breasts and fixins. We are excited to merge our diverse set of friends into one place and let the good times roll. They are very informal, which is our style, and full of food and conversation. We will round out the summer series next week with a pot-luck style spread. Wish you were here!

Over the weekend Holly and I scooted off to San Angelo to attend one of Holly’s BFFs from High School wedding. As we sat through some Friday afternoon traffic, Holly and I realized that the six hour drive was the longest we had been in a car since we drove to the Texas panhandle for Christmas. Does anyone else think we are spoiled to free open airline seats?

We are also barreling towards some major milestones. On August 15 we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We are pretty excited about that, but still nervous. We’ll keep you up to date. On August 18^th my brother gets married in St. Maarten. I have never been to the Caribbean, Bahamas or anything like it, so I am excited.

Finally we need to welcome Jackson David Kolb to this side of the world. The bouncing baby boy of Seth and Kristen Kolb was born on Monday. We are super excited for the first time parents and anxious await meeting him someday soon, even if by webcam! For super cute new baby pictures follow the ‘Seth’s Blog’ link on the sidebar.

Make it a great week!

Warning

Not completing a blog post within a current 12 month period will get your link removed from this bloggers roll. Come on folk, that isn't asking too much, is it?

The Cat Won

Well it stopped raining. I, for one, never complained. This might go down as the greatest summer ever in my book. It is July 17^th in Dallas and we haven’t had a 100 degree day yet. Yesterday was the first ‘Ozone’ day since who knows when. It has been great.

Well the cat won. As you know our cat, Trigger, has diabetes. We don’t know why but after five or so years he peed on the carpet for the first time ever. From day one, he has always used a litter box. We don’t know if he just couldn’t make it to the box this one time, or what. Since his pee was already there we battled him over the next three weeks of using the same area of carpet multiple times as his restroom. We tried our normal discipline routine. We tried new forms of discipline. We even took him to the vet to check for a urinary tract infection. No dice. So after three weeks of battle, Trigger won.

What did he win, you might be wondering? Well he won a new wood floor. I have a low tolerance for cat pee smell, but Holly is even worse. Last week we pulled up the carpet in our living room, hall and yanked the linoleum in the laundry room. Over the weekend and after work this week we have been laying our new oak wood floor.

Now I helped Dad lay his laminate floor some time back. I figured my extensive knowledge and practice would pay off. I also knew I could call on Dad to return the favor and help. Sure enough Dad and I laid the hardest part, full of notches and un-straight walls, over the weekend. Mom was a trooper and pulled all the grass and weeds from our flower beds! Holly and I have been working to finish the remaining area by Wednesday.

Why Wednesday you ask? Well Holly and I have initiated a summer barbeque series at our home. Our first one is a ‘Flip Flop Party’ to be held this Wednesday. I really thought we could finish the flooring over the weekend. I didn’t count on the extensive notching needed to get into the laundry room. My expertise failed me there.

So here we are. Trigger likes the new floor. My knees and back hurt. Holly is a handy flooring assistant.

Happy Fourth of July

Holly and I are headed to Phoenix in the morning to celebrate my dad's graduation on the 6th. I will blog more about that when we return, but here is my thought for the holiday:

"How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy." - Paul Sweeney, author

Plus you can't have a fourth without:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands, which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

~ Declaration of Independence
~ July 4th, 1776

Entitlement

Holly has been confronted with a series of events lately that all boil down to people thinking they are entitled to certain items. After she brought this up I also have been noticing a lot of entitlement mentalities as well. Since we haven’t posted in a while I thought I would post a few that I have seen and see if any of the far off bloggers have any other real life examples.

1. I am driving down the highway at 70 mph and you decide that you want in my lane. You simply turn on your blinker and think that you signaling your desire entitles you to the lane. However, I am driving faster than you. You don’t care you speed up to get in front of me then slow to your original speed, because you desire to be in that lane, not that you need to be in MY lane. (yes I realize this is reverse entitlement)

2. A co-worker has studied and passed a certification exam that myself and two other people have. He feels that because he is older he is entitled to get a promotion. However, he has less years of experience than I do and people don’t want to work with him because he is adamant that he is good at his job. No one likes to pick up after his messes. He has been told these things by management, but feels they are just being ‘picky’ and he still DESERVES the promotion because of his certification.

3. Another co-worker is very upset because she can’t fly to see her friend this weekend in Florida because all the planes are full. She feels that the company should block some seats for employees to fly on. She obviously feels that she is entitled to a free flight as apart of her benefits. She obviously hasn’t figured out that full seats means someone paid for that seat and conversely paid her salary, whether she is in Florida or not.

Many people feel they are entitled to a lot of things. I could go off for hours, but I am wondering if any of you have any good entitlement situations…

We're Pregnant!

If we haven’t been able to tell you in person, please forgive us. We have waited until we just can’t wait anymore. Our due date is 12/31/07, a New Year’s blessing for sure! You can expect more updates soon!

What happened here?!

by Holly

I came into work on Wednesday morning to find my desk all in upheaval. There was potting soil from my plant all over the shelf, the water bottle that has a plant in it was out of water, the Kleenex box was empty and everything else on my desk was out of place. Hmm…. what could have happened here? And why?

Upon further inspection, I realize there is a horrible screeching noise coming from under my desk, and the general power strip area. The computer will not come on at all.

So, I cleaned up the potting soil and water mess, and put everything back in its place. I then sat down (and realized my chair was wet) to call the help desk for some help with the offending noise and the fact that my computer will not come on. My phone doesn’t work. Oh, there is a dial tone, but when you push the buttons, all that happens is a suspicious ‘squish’. That’s right. My phone is wet.

After notifying my supervisor of what’s happened so far, I went to the secretary’s desk to use her phone. After a few questions such as “And you say the phone is wet?” and “What did you say the noise sounded like?” I was able to get someone to come check it out.

Turns out that the power strip had gotten wet as well, so after replacing it, I was good to go and the computer works fine. And no more screeching noise!

The phone? That took a couple more hours and a very nice old man to tell me that my phone was in fact, broken. That was his technical diagnosis for the problem. I got a new one, and he even showed me how to program numbers into it.

Everything is fine now, but my questions remain: What happened here? And why? And one more: Who? I assume I’ll never get my answers b/c people are just that immature. That is today’s society. Do whatever you want and don’t mind the consequences. Someone else will clean up your mess.

So, I hope you had a better start to your Wednesday than I did! Happy Thursday!

P.S. I’m not in a bad mood. Just pensive, pondering the direction of our society, and if it has anything to do with the fact that parents are letting TV’s raise their children and others are insisting on removing God from our lives. Hold that thought- Who was it that created us? That’s right!

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1

By Justin

A few weeks ago I returned home from a week on the road to find that Holly had bought me a surprise. It was tickets to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Myerson. I was super pumped. So following in those people from Chicago and their refined reviews, here is my take on the concert. Now some of you might think I know something musical. I played in the high school band, as did Holly, but our limit to musical theory is whether or not it sounds good. So what follows is the ‘Texan’ review of our evening.

The valet guy was super nice and not too expensive. We drove up in our Ford and he parked it right next to a Jaguar, so that was cool. We had never been and were obviously turned around and he pointed us in the right direction. We really like the valet guy.

The Myerson is beautiful. You can tell it was designed by a really small Asian guy (I.M. Pei for you architecture types). The aisles are long and the rows are narrow. He needed to account for Texas boots and American stomachs, but the seats were comfy.

We arrived in time to hear musicians warming up. That was fun. They sound good even when they are not all playing the same thing. Maybe that is a sign of talent.

The order of the evening was as follows:

Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Connesson: Une lueur dans l'âge sombre, "A Glimmer in an Age of Darkness"
Ravel: La Valse

The Piano Concerto was by far the hit of the evening. It was 33 minutes with great crescendos and movement. Parts were familiar which always increases the entertainment value for me. Holly and I even resisted the temptation to clap during the first and second movement, however I think that is because we read a beginners guide and knew not too.

The third piece was by a newer French composer (sorry couldn’t resist). What was nice was the conductor spoke after the intermission to explain how the piece was about a new star filling the vast darkness of space. He went on to explain melodies and movements within the piece. Holly and I hate interpreting art and music so it was great to hear what he was talking about and visualize what the composer envisioned in writing it.

The final piece was great. It was a really fast waltz, a very peppy and lively tune. I was really getting into it and bam it was done. I really wanted to hear it again.

I will also say that intermission was interesting as well. My critique is that they should put how long intermission is going to be on the playbill. Having never been I didn’t know how long I had to down my glass of champagne. I finally asked a really nice usher who explained that it is 20 minutes and that we will hear bells when it is time to return to our seats. Bells? Sure enough bells were piped in. Why bells? I always thought you just flashed the lights, with one minute till. Sure enough they did that as well! Good planning guys.

Our only critique of the concert itself was a certain French Horn musician. Having played the FH in high school I spent a lot of time listening for their parts. It was annoying me at times to see a FH slumped over his horn while he was not playing. I know the concerto has long piano solos, it is a PIANO concerto, but still no one else looked bored. He, on several occasions, put his elbow on the bell of the horn and propped his head on his palm. Nothing says can I go home more than that. It was very distracting to me. Holly noticed it as well. She also noticed another player of a fairly large “baritone like” instrument fold his hand over his horn.

So we like the symphony. My final critique is the Myerson is beautiful and has great valet, ushers and champagne! Was that B-flat suppose to be sharp?

FAM Team

By Justin

I am going to admit that I don’t know anything about the game called ‘Fam’. My guy friends play this game in which you say the word fam. There are rules and I just don’t know them. There is a history, I don’t understand. I honestly don’t know the first thing about it, except to say fam.

The word fam occurs a lot in my life. In fact, at work I have joined a FAM team. This team responds to any accidents involving planes. My role on the Family Notification Team, FAM for short, is to call the next of kin for passengers and notify them of an accident and gather some information. It is a high stress but very necessary part of disaster planning.

Yesterday we had a full scale drill. At 9:15am a Southwest plane hit an F-16 on landing in Tulsa, OK. In the drill we had 100 people on board the plane plus crew. I received my notification of activation at 9:45am. It was a nerve racking day. I made actual calls during the drill to actors playing family members. I was assigned to crew to start the day and my first call was to the wife of the pilot to notify her that her husband was injured and transported to a hospital. She was already onsite in Tulsa. I could hear over her cell phone the sirens and people in the background. As the day went on it became easier to pick up the phone and call to check on the family members.

It brought to life, somewhat, what a real activation will be like. At Southwest we don’t assume it won’t happen and we don’t act like it won’t. We talk and live like it is going to happen today and are prepared if it does. As they like to say in training, we are the safest airline in the world, flying the most flights per day. That is where you want to be, but we have to be prepared for the inevitable.

For future reference, if you ever hear of a Southwest incident, don’t call me call Holly. I'll already be on the phone.

Oh and

FAM (whatever that means)

And Now My Turn

by Holly

My hubbie has tagged me, so here we go…

1. I love my cat, Trigger, more than most people probably think you should love an animal. I like to kiss his head between his ears and scratch his armpits till his purr rattles the roof. I have to pick him up for a quick squeeze and kiss before I shower every night and he can jump in bed with us on weekend mornings if I’m changing the sheets that day (Justin’s more lax on this than I am!) And we’re learning to give him insulin injections for his diabetes since the supplements didn’t work, but its worth it for my baby!

2. I love anything orange scented and currently am loving the Bath and Body Works Mango-Mandarin shampoo and conditioner. Smells like an orange grove in our bathroom every night!

3. I have to go through the house each night and ‘pick up’ everything that’s not in its place. This is not the same as cleaning, but just to make things look neat and tidy. I’ve become a little more relaxed about it since marrying Justin, but he’s also had to learn that this is important to me and I’m not going to stop doing it.

4. I miss my family terribly and wish that I could go home to see them more often. This is complicated only by the fact that we have so many friends here in the Dallas area and are so involved in our church that we don’t have all that many free weekends. A nice problem to have though!

5. I don’t know what I would do without peanut butter or peanut butter flavored fudge or peanut butter cups or peanut butter ice cream….

6. My favorite place to eat is IHOP, any time of day, any day of the week. And any given night, if I can’t sleep, I try to persuade Justin to get up and go have pancakes with me. This has only worked on weekend-nights typically, as we get up at 5:30 to get ready for work each day and need our sleep!

7. My hero(ine) is my grandma, who I call Mom. She is a prayer warrior and has devoted her life to serving God and her family. She has had some difficult times in her life and has always chosen to be the source of strength for our family, trusting in God to carry us through. She will have many crowns in heaven, for her service to others and her selfless acts of kindness that come so naturally to her. I love you Mom!


I'm not going to tag anyone, b/c we have the same blog-world friends for the most part, but if Abbey and Charissa want to do it, I'd love to read yours! Aimee has done it already if you want to check out her list.

Tagged

Here are the rules: each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to blog about their seven things and post the rules as well . At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!
Where to start??

1. I am a fanatical Texan. The guest bathroom in our house is complete with everything Lone Star State. For my one year anniversary with Southwest I received a stained glass wall hanging that is full of Texas artifacts. The bathroom is rounded out with a state flag shower curtain. Even my pickup is Lone Star red!

2. I hate painting. Holly loves to spice up the house with painting and accents. I do it out of husband obligation, but I really dislike it. I love the result just not all that blue tape and clean up.

3. I have a goal to see every one of my distant friends this year. I am off to a slow start, but I think I will still make it.

4. My driving routine to work is very regimented. I go the same way every morning and a different way every afternoon. I turn on the radio change stations and turn it off at very specific points. If an accident causes me to change my routine it is very disruptful to my day or evening.

5. If I wasn’t married and lived alone I would be like Hugh Grant’s roommate on Nottinghill. I consider myself pretty well kept, but I know it is all Holly’s doing.

6. I love the Chapel. I attend Plano Bible Chapel. It is significant to me that we don’t call ourselves a church. I love the fact our founders and elders value that difference. I love my Sunday school and especially the people who teach it. I love my pastor and his enthusiasm and passion for effecting change in peoples lives. I love just being in the company of the people of the church.

7. I know a secret about a blog-world friend, but I can’t tell. I am however open to bribes…

I tag Holly, Seth, Jonathan, Paul and Sarah. Sorry but everyone else is taken so I second the tags on Ethan, Armand and Jelanie!

Main Landing Gear Warning Light

It was a normal flight, for the most part. I was riding as a crew member from Fort Lauderdale on a packed plane to Houston and then on to Love Field. Our early arrival into Houston Hobby was well received by the passengers. I always like being early and I like to see the passengers happy when it is announced. As we landed we learned that we had an aircraft swap. There goes the time savings.

We went to our new gate to board our new plane and it was late. Every board showed delayed, so something crazy was going on somewhere. The crew and I board the plane, go through the pre-board checklist and start to re-board passengers. We takeoff with no problems. After we reach 10,000 feet I jump up and start to pass out peanuts. I get three rows of peanuts passed out when the captain calls the flight attendants. Normally this occurs when he is going to request the FAs sit down due to turbulence. I stop passing out peanuts and head to my seat, in anticipation. Right then the captain comes on the intercom and says that we have a ‘Main Gear Warning Light’ and that we are returning to Houston.

Now there are precious few things that you don’t want to go wrong on an aircraft. Almost every system on a passenger airplane in the US has two and three backup systems. This fact has made air travel in this country the safest in the world. The last thing you want to hear on an airplane is that the one system you need to land without incident has a warning light.

Thankfully all the readings in the cockpit showed that the gear was functioning properly and that the light was faulty, but those were some intense minutes. The other thing that was odd was that the flight crew knew that the system was operating as normal, but the passengers were not informed of anything other than a warning light. The FA stated that for the most part the less the passengers know the easier it is to handle any situations that arise. I found that very interesting.

Well we landed at Hobby without incident. We then transferred our passengers back to the original plane that we had left at the old gate and headed on our way to Love field. I was originally irked that we were taking off late. After our incident it made me ignore the fact that I was getting home 2.5 hours later than scheduled and glad to know that I work for an airline that values the safety of passengers so much that they don’t ignore warning lights just to get a flight on time or make money.

Imus in the Mornings

by Justin

I don’t know Imus. I have never even heard of him till last week. I am quite sure, based on what I am told, I wouldn’t enjoy listening to him. I do, however, have a problem with him being fired.

The problem I have is the discourse of racism in our country. Imus said “nappy headed hos” or something like that to cause him to get fired. No sooner than he said it did the NAACP, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were on a plane to protest.

My question is why isn’t the NAACP, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson protesting at the record company’s door step or the phat pharm corporate headquarters? Why are they not protesting the MTV awards show?

The answer is simple, they are not white.

I am sure I am racist in some form or fashion. I am sure that I have discriminatory beliefs and actions. I do however try not to be hypocritical. If they want me to respect the NAACP or even begin to listen and learn about a “new civil rights era” in this country, then it is time to clean their own house. Till then, stay our of mine.

It is time for a change is discourse in this debate. It isn’t white vs. black, cacasion vs. African American or even you vs. me. It is all of us trying to learn from each other. It is about us all holding each other to same standard. If you call your friend, brother or even your mother a ‘ho’ and it is an endearing term, then don’t be shocked when I call them the same thing.