Seek The Substantial

That’s my official weight. Not more than two years ago I was a sturdy 170 on a 5’9″ frame, a true force to be reckoned with. I had never thought that I was really losing weight, but I could not believe that I had dropped down to this level. That’s the weird thing, I eat a pretty big lunch and dinner. I really don’t have time to each breakfast in between taking care of the dogs, getting clean for the day and finding my way to work as early as I possibly can.

I think a big part of this is working out on some level. I am not really exercising, but at the end of the day, the last thing that I want to do is go run or lift weights. All I really want to do is sit down and relax after what is usally a really long day. I reckon I should start doing something in the morning, get the day started off right and eat a box of donuts afterwards. Two years ago I worked out almost every day. I was a member at a gym, I ate pretty good, etc. Now the thought of joining a gym makes me want to take a nap or simply blog.

Although I am not a conspiracy theorist, it is interesting that most of my weight loss has ocurred while married or while leading up to being married. So for all of you who are in the planning stages of getting married (Greggo), simply bite the bullet, get hitched and you’ll be guaranteed a loss of 15 pounds.

Most of the entire gang was there (sans Tony and Leslie, but Leslie did show up as we were about to leave).

Can you sense the uncomfortableness? Hetty practically had to throw young Connor into Miranda’s arms. Additionally, there were other photos which were less flattering, but decided not to post for fear of retribution.

Young Connor and Hetty.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve simply hung out at Stephen and Ashley’s. I used to do this almost every weekend, but due to the fact that I’m not right around the corner, it’s not as convenient. I think the winter months also has something to do with it and football season almost always means a day at Stephen’s. I really do miss my friends, I do feel a little secluded being in Terrell, but this is my own fault. Despite all of this, this is one of my favorite things to do. Nothing. Hanging out. Enjoying the company of those who I’ve grown to trust.

This is how I spent a Sunday a couple of weeks ago. I read, I worked, I played with the dogs, and I just sat outside. It was completely and utterly uneventful.

Today, I had to go into work a little bit today and when I got home, I knew that my little project would be getting a complete make-over. I’ve been thinking about and trying to accomplish the “3 column blog” for quite some time, and with the help of a Google search I was able to do this.
I always thought that the white space on the left-hand side of the blog was wasted space and I truly believe that so many people believe this to be true. I appreciate the white space and I believe that not having anything to break up the pictures and the text can be very distracting. Keeping things simple while having a little creativity.

I also wouldn’t mind some feedback as to the new design. Also, the things that appear in the sidebars, did anyone like the idea about where I wanted to go or things that I wanted to accomplish. Granted, unless you are me, you have no idea if I’m actually doing these things, and between you, me and the fence post, I haven’t taken any grand trips recently and the only thing that I have planned is a trip to Oklahoma City for a wedding in June. Just drop a comment and let me know. I hope everyone enjoys the new design.

Greg mentioned that he’s damn tired of the flowers, and I too am a little disappointed with the number of flowers that I take, but for me personally, the pictures are intended to be a part of my life and there’s not a lot going on right now. Thus the pictures around the house, of the dogs, etc. I had to go to McKinney this week and I was going to take some pictures of the Collin County courthouse, but it’s an old hospital with absolutely no character. For whatever reason, my little brain tells me that the flowers have more character than pictures of a hospital. I think that some people, and maybe rightfully so, believe that these things are on the same level.

I know that I promised more content, but honestly, I have to balance spending time with my wife versus spending time in front of the computer. Internally, I have to resolve what’s more important. I don’t have the time to post during the day, only at night or very early in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, if I could just write during the day, I’d be the happiest guy around. I love doing this stuff.

I am so happy, now my dogs must understand that they are not to dig and tear up the yard.

Green and lush, I’ll be walking barefoot in no time.

The dreaded before picture. Not only was there very little rye grass, but the dirt was so compacted from the dogs that I knew this wasn’t going to be a fun project.

These pictures are a little out of order, but you get the idea. My brother Ryan and I planted 2 pallets of sod on Saturday and it was really back-breaking work, but it was well worth it. I am not a person who likes to borrow things, so I didn’t borrow my father-in-law’s tiller and I tilled everything using one of those 4 pronged forks. I also don’t like asking for help, but I really couldn’t have done it without Ryan. While I finished up tilling and raking the smaller back portion of the yard, he pretty much laid all of the sod. Miranda’s contribution was getting Whataburger for the 3 of us and he contribution does not go unnoticed.

For the first time in a really long time, I chose to listen to an event rather than watch it on television. Our local sports station, The Ticket, broadcasted the draft and it was good times. I didn’t care to see highlights or Mel, or Chris Berman, etc. It was so much more pleasant to sit there and listen and be entertained. So my Saturday was spent doing the sod thing, but my Sunday was completely devoted to doing a few chores and sitting outside and listening to the radio. I would occasionally pick up a book during commercial breaks, but for the most part I just sat there in the shade of my trees, watering my newly laid sod and listened. Good times.

I went to Dallas last week and this is the view, looking towards the Dallas skyline, from the grassy knoll from the Kennedy assassination. I have pictures of the knoll itself, but thought that this view was more appropriate. I am sure that on that day there were only trees and not the mirrored buildings and Reunion Tower that you see here.

I do not believe I will ever forget that magical time when Ben, Bob, Joe, Gabe and myself watched the entire NFL draft one Saturday. I had slight interest in watching, and the morning started much like every morning in law school. I got up early and made coffee for everyone who wanted it. We had planned a long day of studying in the school library, but much like things happen in life, we were quickly distracted by Chris Berman and Mel Kiper. What was thought to only be 10 minutes of coverage quickly turned into an all afternoon affair. I believe the only break we had was to go to McDonald’s for dinner. We normally had really good intentions and in fact, we normally did study all day, however, this day was different.

Now, this year’s draft is almost upon us and instead of firmly planting myself in front of a television on Saturday morning, I will be planting the sod that I ordered last weekend. As you well know, there are certain portions of my yard which desperately needs turf and this is the time of year to do it. It’s not as hot, won’t require as much watering, and there’s hope that rain will help that issue too.

I also remember, that it was only about a year ago that I was finally able to move into my home. Me and Rage. The trigger that sparked my memory was watching the Mavs on Sunday evening and thinking about the last time that I watched the Mavs in the playoffs. Last year I wasn’t able to watch any games in the second round unless they were on without cable. That’s right, for a very long period of time, I lived without cable and solely relied upon “rabbit ears” to satiate my television experience. I distinctly remember listening to the game on the radio when they were on cable television. So much time has passed in-between now and then.

Miranda, Ashley F. and Justin F. spent Easter with Miranda’s parents. A nice relaxing Sunday. I spent most of Friday working on the house, continuing to caulk. Although I have no evidence to prove otherwise, I truly believe that it will make my house most energy efficient. Laugh if you wish, but there were a lot of spaces where cool air could escape in the summer and warm air in the winter. I have officially put a stop to all of that escape. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a little bit more to go, but I have gone through 3 boxes of caulk and I’ll probably need one more for the front porch area and the garage. Actually, I should probably purchase two boxes since I believe that caulk will solve most of my home’s problems, kind of like duct tape.

Flowers on the front porch.

Flower at Miranda’s parents’ home.

Flowers from a hanging plant in the back yard. As you can tell from the previous three pictures, there’s quite a few from home. I haven’t been anywhere in quite some time. Actually my little trip to McKinney was the first “trip” which was more than one hour away. I am getting restless and it stinks. I really need a vacation.

I’ve lived in my home for almost a year now and through all this time, I’ve never noticed this carcass of a tree that grew into a chain link fence on the side of my yard and then, obviously, what’s left of the tree has slowly worn away. You would think that with all of the mowing and yard work that I do that I would have noticed something like this over the course of a year, but I didn’t. It’s pretty amazing to think about it. A lot of things had to happen over the course of time to make this “tree” look the way it does, time, sunlight, water, heat, etc.

There’s a couple of reasons why we may be delaying a vacation. First off Miranda has school obligations which keep her from getting away right after school is finished. Secondly, Miranda is thinking about going back to school and becoming a nurse or something else in that field. I truly support this decision and I want her to go. This will mean very lean times for myself and my beloved, but it will eventually provide a better life for the two of us. Not only from a monetary standpoint, but she will have days off that she would not have now, it would allow her to essentially be a stay-at-home mom when that day comes. It’s not happening anytime soon, but eventually.

This weekend I finally figured out how I need to take close-up pictures. I know that this is slightly less than manly, but as I’ve said before (at least in my head), I love taking pictures. It makes me happy and it doesn’t seem to cost me any money, just time. Running around my backyard and frontyard with my camera makes me feel less than cool, but it’s my thing.

I am very much looking forward to the long weekend. I plan on finishing the calking job that I started two weekends ago. It is a boring and laborious process, but I keep thinking that it will help with the cooling bills this summer.

I suppose I could write something poetic as Ben did in the previous post. Something like, bluebonnets are the lavender buoys in a sea of spring green. Sprouting from nothingness and surviving for only a short while, they bloom to please parents who must take pictures of children on the side of the highway, taking time out as people in other cars think how silly they are for stopping and taking the time to make a memory. The bluebonnet retreats quickly, at least until the next year.

A happy Puppy Dog Blue.

Zoey will never stand still.

This absolutely has to be my all-time favorite of Blue. Her eyes say it all.

This tree is on Daniel’s parent’s property. Really pretty.

This is Ben’s comments, very nice:

Which tree? I mean there are two. You wonder, has it always been like this, you know, one tree vying for all the attention and accolades, while the other takes the back seat. One wider, one taller.

Who gets more sap? I see them as two kings, setting alone in their throne-meadow, watching their fiefdom. In my part of the world, single trees standing in the middle of a field are very odd. How do they get survive without the companionship of other trees? How did they avoid the endless attacks of livestock, equipment, and agricultural blitzkreig? Tornados, lightning, etc.

They are greek gods that defy mortality, and their names are William “Willie” Golden and Duane “Big D” Allen. You will figure it out seth. OR, they are reincarnations of traveling salesmen, who in life were always moving, and never able to put down deep roots, but who good and righteous, and this is their reward.

Conclude the Monday rant.