David Nevue

I need to post about David Nevue, a pianist that we went to see in concert.  We are big fans now and I am practicing his Christmas music for piano

 

http://www.davidnevue.com/

Life Update Fall 2010

I haven't posted for several weeks.  We are probably closing one of the most challenging stretches I've had in the past few years. For 6 out of the last 10 weeks, I have been unavailable to be at home on Saturday.   4 of them I have had no control over, and 2 were at my discretion.  5 of them I was physically away, and for this last one I was mentally away, because I was working at home.

This past weekend has felt like a punch in the gut, because I worked around 14 hours on Friday, and got home at 2 AM.  And Saturday, my help was demanded in a high pressure way, but it was on and off throughout the day.  And these activities didn't get on my calendar until 2 weeks ago.  But thankfully things settled down and we went to a piano concert (David Nevue) Saturday night that was just fantastic.  Then daylight savings occurred and I'm super tired now at 8 PM.

Obviously, if there was no child in our house, my absence would be a more minor inconvenience.  However, I'm needed for emotional support.  Plus, I need to get some things done around the house, and the baby pretty much takes up my time that is available to do those things. Right now I'm choosing to blog rather than do those - because this is one of the things I've been wanting to do.  But when she smiles at us, it is just an awesome feeling, and we forget about any troubles we had.

Don't mean this to think I regret any of these activities, but I thought it would be fun to list
Sept 4 - Labor Day trip (don't worry i don't regret it)
Sept 11 - Disaster Recovery Exercise
Oct 2 - SQL Saturday (at my discretion)
Oct 23 - Disaster Recovery Exercise
Oct 30 - KSU vs OSU football game (at my discretion)
Nov 6 - work from home

 

Little 'Nique

New Work

New Work is a good thing.

I started working at a "large financial institution" on Monday.  I am still a consultant, so I am basically a guest at the company, a 6-month-at-least guest. I have tried to never put company names in my blog posts because that compromises my ability to be honest.

My job is to be there just in case someone leaves.  That is because this financial institution fell on hard times and everything is on pause, including bonuses, pay raises, 401K, you know the works.  I went through that at my previous company until I was let go.  One reason I was let go, I am just inferring, was to allow those benefits to continue for remaining talent.  The benefits freeze has been a lot longer for this particular institution, so many people are leaving this company.

And...it so happens that on my 4th day there, the person whom I am supposed to shadow and follow announced that he found work elsewhere and just put in his 2 weeks notice.  so I will be learning a ton in the next two weeks, and will be the Database Administrator for this company.  I will have some backup and support.

The Replacement

There are a lot of story lines with my new car. Here they are in favorite order.

#1. The drastic change between my old car and my new car.

My 91 Camry had "no power anything", and things were breaking, such as my door handle and emergency brake and the A/C lever. Not to mention it was uncomfortable and ugly. (Though it does look better than most 91 Camrys I've seen out there) There was a lot of rust and non-matching paint from when we tried to fixed rust.

The new car is 17 years newer. It has power locks and windows and cruise control. And it drives normally - like when you press the gas pedal, it goes faster. It is really really pretty.

#2. The evolving philosophy of the car search.

Well I am really used to driving small old cars, and assumed that I would always get another old Camry. I picked a price range that I felt was appropriate for our savings, and considering that we need to replace the Jeep soon as well. I tested out a couple of cars. We almost bought a 99 Camry for way under budget, but the person selling did not end up leaving for India. Then the Accord I tried out (from someone leaving for Turkey) had really bad tires, salvage title, and no proof of timing belt change.

I realized something needed to change, like stop trying to buy cars from people leaving the country the next day. We were also reconsidering our price range and the make/models. I looked into all car brands. I know so much more about 4 door sedans than I used to. But I still had difficulty finding a fair deal on a Malibu or Fusion or Impala, (ie other brands).

And all this time, it is very difficult to focus on my work and also find and test out cars, and prepare for our child. Each car I looked at would take away precious time from other things. So by this point I was more inclined to look at cars that were less likely to have problems. I didn't want to get into a car with 120K+ miles because it would feel like the same old story again for me, with things breaking. Annique was born, and the car search went on a short hiatus.

finally, a couple of weeks later, my car wouldn't start after work at exactly 162,000 miles. It upped the pressure for me to find a car. Also, my mechanic fixed it for nearly free (after we got it there through push-starting). So I decided to listen to my mechanic, who has always recommended Kia. I basically put in some specific searches in Craigslist for Kia, and came up with a couple of nice ones. I asked Courtney if she was willing to invest a little more in a car, and she was cool with that. So after I found this one, it was smooth sailing from there.

#3 The debt story line. If you have known me a while you'd have guessed that I followed a debt-free philosophy long before Dave Ramsey came on the local scene. It was just how I was raised. Growing up, I had never heard of a car payment. So it is still a foreign idea to me, just like "not having a car payment" is a foreign idea to other people. To be frank, I think car payments are a really bad idea mathematically and emotionally and spiritually. This is not really the place to expound on that philosophy, so we will move on.

The other thing is that Courtney and I are not big spenders, and we save a lot. Dave Ramsey has a saying "Live like no one else, so that later you can live like no one else". I lived like no one else - for a while I have driven the oldest car out of anyone I know. And now I feel that I can finally LATER drive like no one else - have the ability to drive a nice car without a car payment.

#4. The length of the car search. It started about the beginning of March when we got a wheel bearing fixed, but the clutch problem had surfaced. My mechanic said there were a lot of things going wrong with it soon, and advised to not invest in fixing it. Which was fine with me, because I was ready for a new car anyway. But I didn't know it would take almost 3 months to find one, and happen after our child was born.

#5. God's provision I'm a believer in God's hand in my life, and how He can use events to shape other events. So I am at peace when things are in His hands. I really feel like He was in this.

#6. Protecting it This is the first time I've been protective of my car. I guess that is what the insurance is for, so you don't have to worry.

Will update with pictures sometime...

Missouri Mavericks

There's a hockey team in Kansas City again...not in Kemper Arena or Sprint Center, but in the new Independence Events Center.

I took my dad to a game for Father's Day. It was a delayed FD present, and this is a delayed post about it. He was very excited, and repeatedly told me how great of a gift this was. Of course, he bought us some BBQ ribs beforehand, kind of evening out the gift.

The Independence Events Center has a huge parking lot, and it is free. We parked about a half a mile away, toward the exits, so we wouldn't have to wait on the way out. We are so smart.

The arena is very nice, and all of the seats are close to the rink. We sat toward one end, and all of the scoring ended up being on the other end, but we did see some nice defensive plays. The PA system was way too loud. I can't stand the two second snippets of rock songs during every stoppage of play. Also annoying was how the mascot was passing out t-shirts while the game was going on, causing a ruckus in the stands. And there was a competition about which section could be the loudest for one full minute to get free pizza or something, and that was during play as well. The main entertainment product should be just the game, not all the other shenanigans.

But the game was fun, even though I don't understand all of the hockey penalties. The Mavericks came back from behind and won. My dad was VERY into the game, and he seriously cared whether the Mavericks won or lost. Hence that is what separates me from what you would call a "sports fan", my ability to not really care when I don't want to. That skill comes in handy when the Royals are your major league baseball team.

The halftime show was fun, a bunch of inflatable mascots did a dance in the middle of the rink. Some other contests were MC-ed by Holly Starr, who hosts 38 the Spot in the evening, which has the Simpsons.

Overall, I would say it's an overly expensive form of entertainment. But I am the same person who was on KCTV5 news a while back, saying that if an NHL hockey team would move to KC, I would not watch any games on TV.

http://lostlifefound.blogspot.com/2007/01/dan-on-news.html
http://lostlifefound.blogspot.com/2007/03/keeping-out-pens.html


I am looking forward to some T-Bones (minor league baseball) games this summer - you can get into that for $3 if you wear green on the right promotion day, and stuff like that. And that is a sport where I actually know the rules. Not spoken like a true Canadian, but that is how it is.

Guitar sold

I sold my Yamaha APX guitar. It was a sentimental time for me, as I have so many memories wrapped up in it. I bought it in the summer of 2000 at Mars Music for $850. That is the last time I paid that much for an instrument.

But the Yamaha has become my less favorite guitar in the last two years. The sound technicians and band have preferred my Alvarez, which has a bigger body, even though it is not as nice as the Yamaha. And I have preferred the bigger sound as well.

I was having a tough time with it, but I have nowhere to place the guitar in the house. And I haven't been playing it lately. (But it was still tough to let go!) So I'm glad that God brought along the right buyer. This man hardly looked me in the eye, but told me how he hasn't played guitar for 6 years because of a wrist problem. But he got good insurance and has a new wrist. He only plays guitar for worship. And he lives just a couple of blocks away from our house. The fact that he was dead set on worship was comforting, because my only purpose for the guitar was worship as well.

An interesting thing is that he never picked up the guitar itself, never asked if it had any defects. I'm pretty sure he would have bought it in the case, without ever looking at it. He just was absolutely positive that this was what he wanted.

Anniversary State IV: Indiana

We went to Indiana for our 4 year anniversary trip in February. The reasoning for February was that travel would become much more uncomfortable as the pregnancy progressed, and would become more difficult when we have an infant. The reasoning for Indiana was that 1) Jeff and Louise live there and 2) driving distance 3) If we are going to go somewhere in February, might as well be somewhere where museums and restaurants are the only thing to do.

Highlight 1: we stayed in a brand new hotel that opened the previous day. It had some bold colors and designs. Indianapolis is building hotels to go with their indoor stadium for the Super Bowl in 2012.

Aye Caramba Carpet

Highlight 2: Indiana State Museum

We viewed maps indicating where Indiana was throughout the entire evolution of the universe. And saw some old stuff. And we learned about famous Indianaians such as Michael Jackson

I got a big kick about how the TV in this thing is tiny, but the container is huge.

Attraction 2: Eiteljorg Museum of Indian and Western Art

This included a show of artistic guns, "a strange blend of art and violence"







Attraction 3: Indianapolis Museum of Art (No pictures allowed in modern art section, which is the best section)



Attraction 4: Jeff and Louise (my cousin)

They are a fun couple. We dined together a couple of times, went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. And we hung out and talked. Very fun to talk to people during vacations. I have relatives everywhere. Jeff is studying at IUPUI.




Attraction 5: Restaurants. Will blog about that later.

Attraction 6: Stopping by St Louis on the way back, and seeing our sister, bro-in-law and two nieces.

Feed The Hunger

I helped a couple of times with Youthfront's Feed The Hunger initiative. I am proud of Youthfront for helping students serve the needy by packaging meals. This program has been in place at camp since last year, because today's students are not only interested in having a "fun time", but they want to express their faith in real ways.

When the Haiti earthquake occurred, Youthfront used their experience with this to invite students and families to Youthfront auditorium to package meals for Haiti.

The first time I went, I moved around 40 pound bags of rice and soy for a few hours.





The second time, we came with mom and dad and packaged a bunch of meals. How it works is you bring money to pay for the supplies, which Youthfront already purchased in advance, and you package the meals.









Courtney works for Youthfront and helped several times with registration.

Happy New Year!

I really enjoyed my New Years weekend. Mostly because we paid someone to take care of a few home renovations . I didn't have them "hanging over my head", figuratively or literally. So we went out and did things that people tell us to "do before you have kids", such as eating out and seeing a movie in the theater.

We saw Invictus. We didn't see a movie in the theater all of 2008. But we are poised to see at least two in 2009, as we are planning to see Avatar in 3D.



We ate at Stone Canyon pizza in Parkville, MO, and saw Devin do some magic there.


And we hung out with my friends from India. Continuing my grandparents legacy of being friends with international students, (but not for that reason, I haven't even talked to them about it - I just wanted to help people in need), I became a partner with ISI (International Students Inc). These guys are the most fun people from India imaginable, it seems. They also bought us a toy for our baby coming up. I will post a picture of all of us.

Happy Day!

Four days after I was informed that I lost my job, I finally worked my last day, and left the building with my picture of Courtney as the last item. I am not saying this for dramatic effect, or to harp on the issue, but it is a powerful part of this story. I left the building with a lot of gratitude for my wonderful job at S1, and I was proud of the way I went out, with a lot of respect, hard work, and love. So when I arrived at home, I was not depressed, but I was emotionally tired. Also, I had evening activities the previous 4 days, so I was really ready to stay at home.

After dinner Courtney suddenly said, "Hey, let's go to Liberty Memorial, we can play bocce ball, and walk around." That spot in KC is our favorite place. But I eventually accepted to go only because she really wanted to.

So we drove there, and there was an event on the top of the Liberty Memorial, but there is still a long lawn. So we parked on the side, and climbed up the steep side hill and played bocce ball on the lawn. After that, Courtney had me sit down on the lawn and wait while she went and got me something out of the car to "cheer me up", about my recent job loss.

Then she came back up, and said "Dan come here". She had her hands behind her back, as if she was hiding something. So I was chasing her trying to find out what this gift was. She was standing on the edge of the hill. When I looked over the crest of the hill, I saw the most amazing message I will ever see.



It took my breath away and it was really mind blowing. We had been trying for a few months, and even though it was a short time, I had fears that maybe we wouldn't be able to get pregnant. I was taken completely by surprise. And then Courtney and I embraced, and it was an amazing moment.

Courtney had found out the previous day. She had always viewed this as her version of the engagement, that is, the amazing event that she got to plan and surprise me with! She did an amazing job!

Here are some more pictures we took:


Proud future parents!


Amazing view to complement the event!

Making its Lostlifefound debut...Baby Gras

On August 28th, Courtney told me she was pregnant, in a very creative way. More on that later.

It's worth mentioning that on August 24th, 4 days earlier, I was informed by the owner of my company that "we have to make some changes to keep the company afloat and these changes are going to affect you". After a minute or so, I realized that "affecting me" meant that I was being let go along with four other people. I finished out the week, transitioning my knowledge, and August 28th was my last day. I just wanted to sit at home. But Courtney REALLY wanted to go to the Liberty Memorial, where we have gone before to relax. Anyway, more on that later.

Right now I am emptying the guest bed room of stuff, since it will be a baby room. Here are the guests we have had in the room:

1. B.J. Anderson - Aug 15th, 2006
   
2. B.J. Anderson - May 19th, 2007
3. Brandi Knouse - October 6th, 2007
4. Hayley and Arlen Redden - March 22, 2008
5. Hayley and Arlen Redden -April 26, 2008
6. Suzette Runyan - June 29th, 2008
7. Alan Boyles - October 5, 2008
8. Cara Gentry - Jan 25, 2009
9. B.J. AND Natosha Anderson - April 14, 2009
10. Dale Lusk - May 15, 2009
11. Emily AND Alan Boyles - October 23, 2009

B.J. is the winner! This blog will now show up on Google searches of your names, sorry!

The Beej after his 2nd stay

Anyway, I may start a new blog for baby stuff, and keep this as it is. But I'm not sure yet.

Due date is May 7. The mother is tired often, but not too sick.

How we told Courtney's parents

Five Year Anniversary

As of September 24, Courtney and I have been officially a couple for five years!

2004 (official for a month in this picture)

September 24, 2005 (engagement)

2006 (married for four months)

2007

2008

Unemployment update

I know that many are interested in how I'm doing. Unemployment is kind of a slow process. And it isn't a process that I've done before, so I'm learning as I go along.

My first reaction was to sign on with an IT staffing company that was going to place me into a 6 month contract. Even though it was a contract, I was excited because it was the exact type of work I'd like to continue doing, and it was relatively close to my house, and I think salary was going to be decent. My contact said that I needed to improve my resume, which I was going to do anyway.

So I decided to have a resume work day. An old college friend saw my Facebook status, which said "resume work day", and offered to help. She had recently read a 500+ page book on resumes and had become an expert on it. She said that she felt God was calling her to help me out. She worked on it really hard, in the midst of homeschooling several children and having a trip to the beach on Labor Day weekend. And I love the final result.

By the time I got this ready, some people were already interviewing for that 6 month contract, and the IT staffing company didn't want to send any additional candidates. So this is when my "get a job quick" mentality was killed. And I started to set in for more of a longer term job search.

I met with a friend my parents' age who had helped me to find my first job. He reminded me of the power of networking, and advised me to spend most of my time on that, because it is the most effective way of finding a job.

There are a few other things I need to focus on before jumping into networking. That is, I need to sign up for some health insurance. And I need to make a variety of resumes for the different opportunities that come up. I also need to prepare some answers to standard interview questions such as "Tell me about yourself". So it's really an exercise in preparation, and I can't wait to get to the point where I'm pursuing the actual opportunities.

Success!

Voice of the Martyrs sent me a book that I didn't order, Marx & Satan, by Richard Wurmbrand. It details how the father of Communism was a Satan worshipper. It sounds intriguing. There was no letter or explanation enclosed. I am almost positive that someone at VOM read my blog post about Tortured for Christ, and they liked my blog post, and sent me a free book.

This doesn't quite match when Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat, sent me a letter and a book, but I think this is awesome anyway!

Different worship experience

We went to a Black church with Mom and Dad on Sunday. The church belongs to my former coworker, Rachel, and her father is the preacher. I always told her I would visit her church, but never did, so I finally arranged to go.

First, I want to write about the term "Black church". You know, it's not really a fair statement to categorize a church by race, but I feel that is the most concise way to express my message. A more accurate term would be "a church founded by and mostly attended by African-Americans". I believe that the term "Black church" is only offensive in the sense that "White church" is. It boils down a spiritual institution to a race, rather than a belief.

I know it's not for me to decide, but I think the term "African-American" gets really wordy. I would guess that the term "Black" is acceptable when talking among friends. It just feels odd to me, especially during a private conversation, as if being PC is necessary in private. In public, the term African-American should be used, because someone might have strong feelings about it. Maybe we should ask the person we are talking to how they feel, before choosing a term. (How, blog reader, do YOU feel about it?)

The denomination was Church of Christ, so there were no musical instruments. The vocalist had a huge voice. There was powerpoint as well as song books. The songs were easy to pick up on, so we didn't need to open the song books. It was nice to hear the four part harmonies, including some call and response tunes.

The preacher was really energetic, and obviously knew the Word quite well. He was bold, and I don't think anyone could have gone through it without being woken up spiritually. I got a lot out of the sermon, and it had a symmetrical outline, so it was easy to remember. A few members of the congregation urged the pastor on. The lay people had a large part in the service and knew Scripture well and prayed beautiful prayers. Prayers are also a time where the congregation can say an "Amen" or a "that's true!" You know, I really like that, but in most White churches we don't do it.

There was an invitation, and one little girl made a decision for Christ, and was baptized a few minutes afterward in the baptismal font, which was above and behind the podium. There was a time for the greeting of visitors, where they said our names, and we stood up, and everyone clapped.

It seemed that everyone wanted to meet us and know our first AND last names, and wanted us to know theirs. And they urged us to come back. I would like to go back sometime.

Louise and Jeff's wedding

We danced until the end. This was really strange and fun because the only other wedding we've danced at was the Simpson-Fehr wedding. In that one it was impossible not to dance because of the live blues band. We didn't even dance at the wedding in Iowa where I knew absolutely no one. I totally could have had some fun with it. Courtney and I had our first ever conversation at a wedding reception when EVERYONE was dancing except us.

So this is where I found out that Courtney could dance. And she looked hot!

It was the environment (outside), the people that helped us to dance. Once we got to 11:45 pm we knew we could make it to the very end. I know I'm cheesy, but that's how it is.

Someone brought out glow sticks, and we wore them around our necks, wrists and ankles. We danced to standards like Love Shack, Ice Ice Baby, and some other songs I hadn't heard before

I saw a different side of my cousins, who I grew up with, but have been across the country (or continent) since 8-10 years ago. I was surprised that they knew the lyrics to all of these dance songs. Christian kept ordering the DJ what to play next and chiding him for poor song choices like MJ's "Rock With You". The end.

Daniel Sock

I had to throw away my Daniel socks, since the elastic is worn out and there is a hole in the heel. I originally thought I bought these in Australia in 1999, but now I am not sure. Maybe it was a gift from one of my sisters.

These have been my favorite black socks for 10 years.

Restaurant Review: C. Jacks Sidewalk Cafe

I went to this new place with Courtney for lunch. I basically picked a location on the map (69th and Mission) that is somewhat between our work places, and found a restaurant there, and that is where we went. I picked a place that Courtney would like - basically with a lot of bread. That was a sacrificial option, because I can't eat bread, and I was left to eat a salad.

Now, normally at restaurants, the salads are filling. The salad I got with turkey and ham did not have enough meat in it. I left feeling like I had snacked on some lettuce. Actually, I think I was robbed, because when I eat salads at Panera or Wendys, I am quite full afterwards, and I'm pretty sure those places were cheaper.

The place also had weird acoustics because it was so small. With just a handful of people in the restaurant, I felt like I was at an indoor swimming pool, where the sound bounces of the walls and you can't hear anything.

We walked around the shopping area a little bit afterwards. Overall it was nice to see somewhere new and to take my wife out to lunch. I enjoyed my drive to the place, which was a path that I had never taken before.

I stopped by Toon Shop afterward. I didn't remember how awkward of a place that was. It was completely silent, when I walked in, the workers looked at me as I was the only customer all week, and people repeatedly asked me if I needed any help, of which I needed none. I am rather picky with music store employees. They should just leave you alone in my opinion, and if you need help, they need to be available. It doesn't help that many music store owners seem to be on the brink of not making a profit, and probably put pressure on their employees. Toon Shop does have a good selection of sheet music, but I'd much rather visit the Mountain Music Shoppe with its laid back atmosphere and nice selection of instruments.

An exciting arrest next to our house

Here is the story of when the police called in a SWAT team to retrieve our neighbor from his house. A couple of weeks later, the guy was back mowing his lawn. I guess when you want to arrest someone, you really want to do it, regardless of how long they will be jailed.



I opened my blinds while I ate breakfast as usual, but this time there was a police officer with a rifle pointed at my neighbor's house. So I woke up Courtney and we watched the situation unfold.



Then I looked out the front door, and could see officers there with guns pointed at my neighbors house. Check out this guy in camo, with our Jeep in the foreground.



Courtney had to teach Sunday School. And it was weird to go outside while there were guns drawn. She didn't know if she was allowed to leave the house, but we asked an officer to make sure. I stayed behind to see what happened. Then a big armored vehicle pulled up to the house. It used loudspeakers to negotiate with the suspect.




Then nothing happened for about 30 minutes. I tried to do other things while keeping an eye what was happening. Eventually the SWAT team (called STAR team here!) showed up and began preparing for action. I was being discreet, basically opening the front door slightly and taking the picture.



Then around 10:20, they suddenly stormed the house, so I started taking a video. I've never taken a video with this camera before. At the end you'll see that the rescue vehicle drove up and parked in exactly the wrong spot.



The rescue vehicle blocked my view of the guy surrendering, but I took an interesting picture of the officers on the side of the house.



Finally, the man surrendered and in this picture he is in the police car. The STAR team is packing up. Notice the police dog?




Here is an article about what happened

http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2009/apr/05/police-respond-after-man-barricades-himself-shawne/

At 6:39 a.m., police responded to a physical disturbance between an unmarried couple at a house. The woman escaped to a neighbor's house and called 911. When police arrived, the man locked himself in the residence, where a standoff ensued.

Arkansas Trip - Wedding Anniversary 3

Arkansas got chosen as state #3 because it was within driving distance. Sure, we could have flown somewhere with low cost. But we didn't consider it. It turned out to be good because we spent time with family. Next time around I think I'll be ready for more adventure in some random state far away.

The lesson learned in this trip is to completely discuss all plans with your family ahead of time. It is not ideal to search the Internet for stuff to do WHILE in that town! It all turned out fine, but I can go without the stress. And to further reduce stress, we will definitely buy GPS before our next driving trip. I think I have always gotten lost on the way to places, but I didn't really notice until I got married and had someone get impatient with me for getting lost. To me, a main goal of trips should be to have low stress. I feel that having GPS and planning ahead are things I learned for next time.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

I am a very slow packer and reluctant to leave the house, so the fact that we left ahead of the planned time was an accomplishment. Courtney drove the first part of the way, all the way to Springfield. Along the way we made a stop at Osceola Cheese. When we drove up I said "I thought it would be a lot classier." The outside look didn't matter. They have hundreds of cheese samples it seems, and a lot of creative flavors, such as Taco, Pepperoni, Spicy Garden Vegetable, Hickory, and so on. We chose a gift for Uncle Paul and Aunt Martha, and settled on the Basil Tomato Cheese and we also got a summer sausage.





o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

As you drive into Arkansas from Branson, it gets really curvy and hilly. The scenery is beautiful, and I saw some camping areas that I'd revisit if I ever get into camping. A few hours later we reached Bradford, AR, the home of my aunt and uncle.


o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Paul and Martha live in a house with a long driveway. They have two dogs - one black one that barked at us the whole time, and didn't get close to us. He "took his job seriously". Then they also have a golden retriever that wanted lots of attention. Uncle Paul was mowing and welcomed us in, and Aunt Martha was visiting her mother, who had fallen recently and was in the hospital. He cut up the sausage and cheese we brought, and we caught up. Aunt Martha came later and we had a nice dinner together. Then we talked in the living room and caught up some more.


Me and the nice Golden Retriever


This clock is in their kitchen


The next day we went out and played disc golf, especially because rain was in the forecast for later that week, and we wouldn't get the chance later on. Uncle Paul went along. The course was in a town about 20 minutes down the highway. We got turned around and had to ask for directions at a gas station, and no one knew where the road was. And they pulled out a map, and it happened to be about 2 streets down. We couldn't find the first tee, but a shirtless middle aged man (it wasn't hot outside) sitting in a car told us all about the course. We had fun completing the course, and headed back to town. We had dinner with the family again, and packed up and headed down to Little Rock.

Courtney captured this stunning photo in Bradford, next door to their house:


o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

At the Ramada hotel we were greeted by a sign printed that said the pool was closed - sorry for the inconvenience. We didn't bring bathing suits, but we believe there should be some accountability for hotels and travel sites to communicate about broken amenities. The person at the desk was not really that friendly - and I signed a couple of things and gave a card for incidental damage. It was just not that welcoming. But the only thing that matters in hotels is a comfortable sleep, and we got that.

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In the morning we picked up Jennifer (got slightly lost along the way, even though it's a mile away from the hotel). She directed us to the Big Dam Bridge. There were two 5Ks ending, so we had to park a ways away, and we walked to the bridge




We headed down to the Clinton Presidential Museum. It truly is partisan and self-aggrandizing. I mentioned this and Jennifer said, "Are you really surprised?" The silence on the issue of Monica Lewinsky was screaming out in my opinion. But it is a good museum in the sense that it chronicles a lot of the political and cultural events of the 90s. It also has an impressive collection of gifts to the president from many countries.



We found a place to park and a place to eat at the River Market - Big Whiskey Bar and Grill. We really got to get to know Jennifer better. Then we *should* have walked down the street and gone to the Old State House museum because it was still open, but we did visit Ten Thousand Villages and some girly store. Then we went to Jennifer's apartment and played some Settlers of Catan. And we had dinner at Caruso's and continued to hang out with Jennifer, and then we took her to get her car from the shop, and headed back to the hotel.


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Sunday was my favorite day of the trip, because it was the least filled with uncertainty about what we were going to do. This has to do with how Courtney researched things to do and wrote down directions to everything.

First stop: the Central High School museum. This is right across from the high school and chronicles when the 9 Black students showed up to the integrated school and were greeted by a mob. And the military came in to help the students go to class. Just imagine how they were treated on the inside. This museum is spectacular.



Second stop: Riverfront. We didn't really find the "art on the riverfront" but we had fun walking around. We eventually went inside the hotel there and looked at the trained ducks that they have in the lobby. We took a ride up and down the elevator.

We went next door to the Old State House museum. This was the previous state capitol building until it deteriorated in the early 1900s. The first area had documentation on how they made the building a museum. "A museum about the museum." But there were better things, like recreated rooms with original style of furnishings, and first lady of Arkansas inaugural gowns.

Then we drove across the river to get a tour of the Inland Maritime Museum. It's an old submarine that is sitting in the harbor.




We left the submarine museum and headed West, then North through the scenic route through the mountains to Fayetteville.

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When we arrived at the hotel in Fayetteville, the receptionist said, Mr. Gras? I asked how he knew, and he replied sarcastically "We're really busy." We watched the Simpsons, and then decided on a place to eat. Then we cruised around the U of A. It is really compact, and has less green space than K-State. I'd say it's not impressive looking for a major state university. But the sports complex is right on campus, which is nice.

In the morning we decided to go to Devils Den State Park, which is 30 minutes South of Fayetteville. I really enjoyed it. I think the most fun things Courtney and I have done on trips are the outdoor/ hiking things. We took a nice hike and looked at caverns and waterfalls. Then we headed back home. state #3 down. Happy 3 year anniversary!!