Bye bye Facebook...

So, today I received an email from the powers at be at Facebook to make sure my business accounts were set up correctly or I would have my account suspended for violating their TOS.

Of course, I didn't want to be suspended so I logged on to fix the issue. Once I clicked the link, it logged me in and showed me 4 pages and no more profile. Facebook had deleted my profile!

I quickly rebuilt what I could under a new email account, but all my friends, photos and data are gone for good.

I decided after restoring about 1/10th of what I had up there that I don't think I am going to finish. I'll just boot instead of using Facebook so much. I was already tired of the games and annoying comments, so this should be a good thing. For all you Facebook friends that find me, follow me here and on Twitter.

Tired...

Today I find myself very worn out. I don't think any one thing has done it, but I'm just flat tired. I'm worried about getting into shape for the STP, about life and about my wife and daughter. They are both sick and I know they need a break, but I think we all do.

I doubt much will change this week but hopefully soon things will smooth out and we can start to relax and bit and enjoy life again.

For now, I need to start kicking my butt, get back to eating well again and get ready to ride 200 miles in a few months.

Sick Kids And New Jobs

I have to admit that today is the first time in 10 years that I feel like we found a great person for our shop. The new gluer should be a great addition and should hopefully get me more time in the office to sell products.

I'm not sure how I feel about losing another job at work, but I have to trust that this is a wonderful thing. So, more on that tomorrow, but for now, life looks amazing!

Daddy and Baby Day

Today was fun. It started out normal enough, with a trip to the mall and ended with a wonderful evening at home with the wife. It's nice to finally be settling in and able to enjoy some quiet time now.

Evie and I enjoyed an afternoon of running around while momma was at a baby shower for a friend. It was great to have an afternoon of running with Evie.

It's been too long and too stressful leading up to some down time. The truck is back, the car rental place is filing a claim and we are just happy its all done.

Now, it would be time to get back out to the farm next weekend to get those blackberries killed off before they get completely out of control.

Sleeping Like A Baby

There was a time in life where we could all just close our eyes and relax. Unfortunately, life eventually starts to get in the way of that. Whether it's a financial problem, sicknesses, or just someone that irratates us, it makes it hard to forget the day and just close our eyes.

What we need to remember is that no matter how hard life gets, how badly people upset us, or how sick we feel, as long as we have another breath in our bodies, we can choose to make it a great day. We can even choose to make it perfect in its own little way.

It might be a simple cup of coffee as the sun comes up. It might be going outside for a short walk. It could be a look around the living room or back yard. It could even be a glance into the back seat to see something like the picture above.

Remember though, today is going to be a great day... If we decide to make it so...

Another Day, Another Evo

So, today was the happy day that a non-light leaking, non-scratchy speaker EVO was ready for pickup. Fortunately, the line at the Sprint store was only 1/2 as long as the first 2 times I went in for help, so it only took about 25 minutes to make the switch.

Scary enough, I have a happy new version 3 hardware based EVO. Now that most of the apps are installed and my widgets are back in place, I'm ready to get rolling on the blogs again.

Now to go play some FruitNinja and relax for the evening.

Biking And Beautiful Weather

So it's March and I've really only missed one cycling goal on my list. Unfortunately, it was the first one. But we have transportation back and can now move forward to the STP!

Last weekend I did my first "distance" ride and clocked in at 17.2 miles before a monster flat ended my day. I tried to patch it, but it was too close to the stem to get a good seal. Thank goodness that I was only a half mile from the truck at that point.

So after that little incident it was off to Redmond Cycle to pick up a heavier duty tire and a new tube.

With the new tire on and all aired up I am ready for a new challenge. Maybe this week will be my 25 miler?

The Truck Returns

Today was the day we've been waiting for... for a good 2 weeks now. The truck has returned. While the shop eventually did a great job on the exterior of the truck, the interior was filthy.

The tow truck driver had to secure the steering wheel with a tie down which left a rusty mess on the wheel. Then something "exploded" on the inside of the windshield on the passenger side leaving a streaky mess.

When looking at the final bill, it escapes me how you can expect to collect $5,000 for a repair job and not clean up after yourself. For those that care, it was the Precision Collision shop on Evergreen Way in Everett.

Sad, but at least after a good cleaning it will be back to normal. Most of all, I'm just glad not to have a rental car anymore.

Annoyed Again...

So, we called once again today for an update on our truck, since they can't seem to keep us updated themselves, and found out that it still isn't done! As unbelievable as that is, the best part was when the shop told us that it was because a part just arrived!

There had been no mention of the radiator issue the entire 3 weeks they've had the truck, but now they had to wait for a new one to come in to replace it... 2 weeks after the initial delivery date the shop gave to me.

While I understand that cars are complex and you don't always know what you have till you are in, but the communication was terrible!

Get our truck fixed and get it back to us as soon as you can! Geez!

Another Day, Another Windstorm... And Still No Truck...

So we are into week 2 of missing the truck. It happens to be days when the weather is bad that I miss it the most. The comfortable feeling of your own vehicle is nice. Knowing how it reacts, how to adjust things and even flipping on the seat warmers.

Sure it is great to have the rental and I am so grateful that we visited our insurance agent a few months back to add the coverage we needed, but I miss 'normal' life.

The truck should be back early next week. Our lives should get somewhat normal next month. Overall, you can't ask for much more.

Tough Decisions...

Today we began a process that will ensure that Ara can stay hone with Evie as long as she wants, no questions asked. It wasn't the road I ever dreamed about going down again, but when the chips are stacked against you, sometimes a compromise has to be reached.

Financial security is such a funny term now, but living entirely on a paycheck to paycheck basis just isn't going to work forever. Its never easy weighing the future against the present, but when you see a little face staring back at you, pride becomes much easier to swallow and you force yourself to do something you normally wouldn't.

So for Evie, Ara and myself, I am making a choice. Hopefully it is the right thing for us and it will lead us down a path that is better than what we are on now. And if not, at least I can hope the ride is a bit more comfortable.