Jolyn, Post Something!

For god sake woman, I don't know what you are up to!

Just felt the need to harass you because I can and I am a jerk.

And I love you.

Stephanie, you are next so if you don't want to feel my wrath then get something new up!

I may break into the SISTERS song now, sing along if you know the words!

The begining of a great school year!

Well my first day was GREAT!!! My homeroom teacher is very nice and has the same birthday as me.(creepy) Well i have know idea when to go to my locker so i went after homeroom and went to my locker and was late to my second class Language arts:( she is a pretty nice teacher but doesnt explane things very well, but thats just me. so i went to my locker then my next class and the teacher was nice well he was the same as my homeroom. Next were my two encores gym and chorus and i was late to chorus cause i didnt know how to read my schedual so i just did it in a list. BAD IDEA so i was late for chorus but after everything was great after that!
Oh and my school lunches are awesome you can choose form like 5 different things! and there are slushies! YUM:)


well thats it!
i think

PS stay tuned for my first bball game!

End of Summer...Start of School

Today was the first day of school and I don't know who was more nervous: our children or US!!! We should be seasoned "vets" at the school thing, but this is the first year that both kids won't be attending the same school, so that's what we are blaming the nerves on. Lex and Liv will both ride the bus.

Lex is starting Middle School at J.S. Wilson. She has 5 classes a day and the school she is attending is amazing. It is a newly remodeled "Green" school with all the modern technology. It utilizes the "pod" structure that has each grade in a separate section of the school. There are computer monitors throughout the school that show how much energy is being used, how it is being generated, and the savings compared to traditional energy. Ang and I were EXTREMELY impressed with the school and the curriculum. I wish Lex would have allowed me to take more pictures of her, but I had to beg for the few that I got.

Liv will be attending 2nd grade at Chestnut Hill Elementary. She has Mrs. Issacks and she seems VERY nice. The school is also really nice and they have about 10 brand new Apple computers in every room. Ang and I were very impressed with the principal and the curriculum that they are teaching. As you can see from the picture of Liv getting off the bus, they use the "old school" buses that look like trucks.

Our Version of Randomness!!!

We (or I should say "I") have been slacking on the blog lately. Betweeen job hunting, yard work, and being a stay-at-home father I have plenty of excuses, none of which are reason enough to be such a SLACKER. I do hold myself to the same standard as everyone else, and I have let down my TEAM and my COUNTRY (oh ya the Olympics are another excuse I have). I thought as a tribute to my laziness; I would post some of our favorite pictures of the last week. The first picture is of the girls at Niagara Falls. You will notice that there are several Tilley girls missing from the picture, that is: STEPH and AVA, JO, and DENISE. They have not yet come to visit us, although I'm sure the NEXT beach vacation will be Lake Erie!!! The Barnes Girls, now that's an entirely different story!!!

The next picture is of Lex next to the tallest man in the World. Or should I say the tallest man in the world in 1972, which was the last time the Guinness Museum updated their exhibit. If you ever go to Niagara DO NOT go to this museum.

Moving on....we have a picture of Rick and Sheryl overlooking the falls and the darling Olivia!!!

The next few pictures are of swimming at Presque Isle and Lex showing Rick and I how to play basketball.

Finally, these kids have been going through bird feed like its candy. We fill up the bird feeder about once a week and then its empty. The picture below shows why. None of us has seen how he gets up there, but Lex said he jumps over to the pole and slides down like a fireman when he's done eating!!!

Not much

Nothing much going on just figured it was time for a new post!

I am getting pumped for my first anatomy spanking, I mean practical, it will consist of 50 tagged items in the lab, an oral portion and a written portion. I got an email today that the oral portion would be videoed, so I guess they can watch you make an ass of yourself over and over again. I can't wait to see what obscure piece of anatomy they tag on the cadaver and expect me to figure out! So the lab and oral portion are Friday and then the written portion is Monday...my weekend is shaping up to SUCK!!!

The kids are in final preparation for school, the countdown is on...6 more days of summer. I guess it is time to get the rest of their school shopping finished.

Nate is back to the job hunt and dealing with a crazy wife and two demanding children.

The baby is basically free reign...she is practically a pro at the electric fence. It is so nice to be able to go out with her and not have her tied up and tangled up on a leash.

We already miss Jen, Mom and Rick. The house feels really quiet and empty. Nate has no one to argue...I mean debate with, Jen come back!

Basketball team????????

DID I MAKE IT?????

Hey everyone I guess you are probably wondering if I made my schools basketball team, well I am not going to tell you until the end so don't skip ahead! Well tryouts started on Monday and went 'til Wednesday and I didn't care if i made it or not because its a new sport for me and i just barely started so i did my best. On the last day we did our practice as usual we did some drills and then scrimmaged. At the end she made all of us line up in alphabetical order first the eight graders then the seventh she called us out one at a time and when it was my turn i was the first of the seventh graders (why did my last name have to start with a B) any way when i went out she asked me why i thought i deserved to be on the team? I said i have enjoyed being able to try a new sport and i have made a lot of great new friends.(something like that)Then she said...................................................................................................................................................................

(before i tell you take a moment to breath!)

CONGRATULATIONS I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!! I MADE THE TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!

well now that the hard part is over the even harder part begins!

GO RAMS!!!!!

Training Day

Turn up the volume on your computer before you proceed!!!!









For the last two days, we have been installing an "invisible fence". When it says that it only takes a couple of hours to install; I don't know if that includes or does not include the 500 feet of trench that must be dug by hand and the 500 feet of cable that must be buried. I'm sure it doesn't include the 60 flags that must be placed while testing to make sure it works and hoping that somewhere in the 500 feet of cable there is not a break that would force you to dig up the entire thing.



Enough complaining...the system is now operational and baby is in day #2 of training. So far she is EXCEEDING any expectations that we had!! There is a training video that came with the fence, so the whole family is in training mode. Ang had her off leash this morning, and so far so good. Maybe when you set your expectations so low; you are always pleased with the results, or maybe we have a FABULOUS dog!!! We will all continue to believe the latter.



The kids (including Ang) now think we need another dog, but I remain skeptical. We will be updating you on baby's training because this is an eight week course!!

Furry fashion

I don't want to study...is that a bad thing? Enjoy the fashion show!



I bought these coats for Baby because everyone tells us how horrible the winter weather is here, I needed them now because it is summer! I know I am 'tupid but I couldn't help myself when I stumbled on a website that made clothes specifically for Italian Greyhound's, if you think you have a hard time finding clothes that fit try walking in Baby's shoes. (Which reminds me Petsmart has these really great neoprene pink boots...does she need them???)



I especially love the cheetah snood!



I mean this thing is cozy and warm and ready for winter .... or just a nap! Okay I will now proceed to study, maybe.

Easy Money

Before

I stole that title from MarK; I thought it fit well here! For the past three days we have been trying to refinish the girl's upstairs bathroom. It has been usable for the first two months we have lived here, but the vanity, sink, medicine cabinet, and toilet were obviously put in when the house was built in 1969. They were NASTY. I had originally hired a plumber to put in the toilet, but after getting reassured by Jen and my next door neighbor we decided to give it a try!

Overall, both the vanity, sink, and toilet were fairly easy to put in (it's a lot easier to say that now)!! We had to replace all of the pipes under the sink because they were corroded and the bolts that held the toilet on had to be chiseled away, but other than that we came out unscathed. It is pretty scary thinking Ang and I can do this kind of work, because neither of us were blessed with ANY handyman skills. It has been and will continue to be a learning experience, but with the use of neighbors and GOOGLE; anything is possible!!!

AFTER

The First Two Weeks

Well, I have made it through the first two weeks of school and there is no end in sight. The pace at which they throw information at you is ungodly and I still leave school everyday overwhelmed and surprised.

I had my first two tests earlier this week and did really well on one and really crappy on the other. So I am already meeting with my advisor for help. Way to start off on the right foot!

I have gotten much more comfortable in the anatomy lab, you really have no choice but to as we are in there 3 days a week. There is no time to feel bad or sad you have so much to do in such a limited time. And I realized after this week that I will probably have to go in on weekends on my own time to really learn the anatomy, 3 days a week is not enough to learn where all the muscles, bones, nerves (which are a nightmare, because every body is different and they look nothing like the drawings in the book) and vessels and arteries are! I don't think I will ever get used to the smell and am counting the days to October 21st when it is over.

We had our first lab in Osteopathic manipulation medicine this week to. For those of you who don't know about it, it is using your hands to touch, feel and palpate muscles, tissues, bones, organs, etc... to diagnose abnormalities and can also be used as treatment in some instances as an alternative or addition to drugs or surgery. Similar to physical therapy. It is a bit uncomfortable because we are all in a room in shorts and shirtless, girls are allowed to wear a bra obviously, and then you are feeling other people up basically. My partner is a wanna be meat head who talks to himself. He is very nice but kept flexing and tensing his muscles as I was trying to identify the bones of his neck and spine. AWKWARD!! It was nearly impossible and I really don't know what the Hell I am doing anyways. I guess I have 3 people at home that I can torture so hopefully that will help.

That is about as good as it gets for me, I am excited for Jen to come so I can blow off school for a couple of days!

The Garage Quandary

When Ang went back to school, she gave me a list of several tasks to complete. First, she wanted a fence (hasn't happened yet), second, she wanted the kids to have a new toilet, vanity and sink in their bathroom (it is in progress), and third, she wanted our "two" car garage cleaned out.


For the last uhmm, 2 months, I have been putting off cleaning out the garage and using the excuse, "I am trying to get ideas on what to do with it and how to best organize it". This is my VERSION of the "truth" because: (a) I hate cleaning the garage, and (b) there is a lot of pressure on me because in this family, garages are a BIG deal. Jeff has turned his garage into a lavish office, that is nicer than any room in our house and my father has a casino and serves family meals, including Thanksgiving, in his garage!!


Well, alas, my project is complete and we won't be able to kick back and play on the computer or spend holidays in our garage, but we will (fingers crossed) be able to find what we are looking for and fit two cars into our garage!!

Before

After

Family Fun!!!

The girls and I dropped Ang off for school on Wednesday and decided to go to the Erie Family Fun Center, which is an entertainment park just up the street from our house. We have been wanting to get a new vanity, sink, and toilet for the kid's bathroom, so I told the kids we would just make a "quick" stop to Lowe's on the way. This is where the family "fun" began!

The guy who was helping us took literally two hours to round up everything we needed and get some paperwork filled out for the toilet installation. The girls and I were definitely running out of patience at this point. We got everything loaded up on the cart, paid for it, and took it out to the car. I first tried to fit the toilet in the trunk and it fit easily. I then tried to put the vanity in. It was about an inch too wide. I decided to put it in the back seat, but it was about 1/2 inch too wide. The only other option was to take it out of the box. So we preceded to un-box the entire vanity in the parking lot with a bunch of spectators watching us as they walked into the store...only to find out that it was about 1/4 of an inch too big to fit in the trunk or back seat. This whole process took about 45 minutes and none of us (meaning ME) were in a very good mood through the process. We ended up having to rent the Lowe's truck for $19.99 just to get the thing home. Family Fun at its best.

We did end up at Family First for about 45 minutes, when Ang called us to come pick her up. This was probably a good thing because we had all the "FUN" we could take.