Still a Toys R Us kid

What did you do at work today? Me? Well... I re-designed the lighting for a "Toys 'R Us" store in the Chicago area. Yep.. I spent my day wondering what a toy store would look like with new lighting. Pretty cool huh? :-)

The city of Oakdale now views our deck construction as a "completed project." We raised our hand rails on the stairs to pass inspection and with one quick measurement, we passed and got the project signed off by the inspector. All that is left to do now is secure the posts on the stairs for a more secured railing system and we should be all set! Its good to have that big project finished. This weekend we're hoping to finish up some of the little projects inside the house. Should be a fun weekend!

Kelsey and I got our engagement pictures' website and picked out our favorites. If you want to take a look at them go here: www.pictage.com/556179 and see what you think!

I'm hoping to get one last round of golf in before it gets too cold. Then I can clean my clubs one last time for the season and put them away. It was a good summer for golf. I was glad to get out as much as I did. I improved a lot and really got better in different areas. Hopefully I can continue that next year!

I'm studying for a big test I have to take to get "Lighting Certified." Knowing how well I did on tests in school I think I better study a little harder than I used to. :-)

Other than that... just another day in the life.


Ho K Peace out.

A commanding lead? Hell no!

Oh brother... Oh brother.... when will you ever learn? You always poked the bear, and when you did, you ended up crying to our mother. :-) Don't claim you're in the lead. I can catch up like no other! (Now that I finally have a few moments to myself.

Work is going well. Its becoming a bit hectic around here, and that is a good thing. Projects are falling into my lap and I'm trying to run with them the best that I can. I will have my 3 years working for EMC date on Nov. 1st. That is the same day I take a certification test to become "Lighting Certified." We'll see how that goes. A whole month of studying should be enough to get ready for it. Cross your fingers!

Fantasy Football... well.... I'm not doing so good. Big Ben hasn't been that stellar and I've made some poor coaching decisions, which ultimately attributes to my 1-3 start. Hopefully I will be able to turn that around. This week I am up against Rich. Blood will fly this weekend!

Our deck is "complete." We did not pass our first final inspection, so we had to make a few adjustments. The inspector will be back next week to take another look at it and hopefully this time we will pass. The deck still needs a lot of fine tuning, and I'm not sure when we will get to that. Hopefully sooner than later.

The good news is that the back yard is looking more like how we want it to. The sod took very well to the back corner of the yard and I could not be happier with how it looks. I'm also looking forward to this winter by turning inward and doing some interior projects like painting and haning more pictures.

Wedding update: I think all of the major stuff is taken care of! We found a florist, a cake, transportation, and are currently having ongoing meetings with a mentor couple. Kelsey and my mom are off to look at invitations in a few weeks and the only other major things left are addressing and mailing the invitations. I have some responsibilities coming up with the slide show and door prize .. er... umm... parting gift.. uh.... errr... what ever you call it. :-)

Kelsey and I actually went back to SJU a few weeks ago to have our engagement pictures taken. It was very nice and also very eerie to be back at school. We drove by the house where we met at a party, and our freshman dorms were close enough to see. It was weird to think that we "met" so long ago. It seems like a different lifetime! I'll post some pictures when I get them. From what i've seen they've turned out pretty good!

I guess that's it. Off to do some more work, but until next time.. BRIAN CAN'T UPDATE WORTH CRAP!! :-) hee hee


Ho K Peace out!

It's on like Donkey Kong

So... Brian posts a blog... I must retaliate and keep the lead!

Or something... Eh.. I'll just pretend we are competing if only for my own amusement. Glad to hear from the best man though!

Speaking of wedding activities... Planning for the big day seems to be in full swing! The church activities are gearing up, and Kelsey is in hot pursuit of a flower supplier and all things invitations! The good news is that in just a few short weeks I get to carry around a little laser gun and register! Just last night I learned that Kelsey got us all set to register at.... (drum roll please) MENARDS! Things are looking up for Kevin's tool collection! HA!

We got back from the Cabin in Hatfield and had a very fun time. The lake was still down, but we still got to go swimming and enjoyed a few boat rides! Kelsey finally saw all that there was to see! Even though the water was down, we still got pretty far up river thanks to Uncle Dave's amazing driving skills! I'm always thankful when I can sit back and drink a few beers on the lake. However, I did get to drive Dad's boat for a few seconds. It brought me back to my younger days. Memories of jumping out of the boat at 30 MPH and tubing at sometimes faster speeds made me smile, and hurt. I think that might be a good bachelor party idea. Jumping out of boats and making our bodies hurt for weeks on end just to say a perfect farewell to the younger years that are no more!

The good news is that we have a new young crowd at the lake! In just a few short years I'm sure i'll be volunteering to pull Trevor and the cousins behind the boat while the parents get a break on the beach! Should be a good time!

Well, I've done it. I finally got sucked into fantasy football. Thanks to Russ and his league, and the opening that Rich and I are currently holding onto. Yep.. we're team "Orton/Grossman '08." That's a Bears reference for all you newbies out there. I have no idea what the end result will be, but i'm hoping to have some fun with it. Even without the FF league i'm really excited for football to start up again!

This is definately the time of year where i start to get excited about a lot of things. This year the list is a little different. But there are some old favorites. What I can't wait for:

1) High of 60 degrees (Perfect for Sweatshirt/long sleeves)
2) Projects to get done in the back yard.
3) Engagement Pictures at SJU
4) Hockey Season!
5) Gopher B Ball Season!
6) Performance Review for work
7) Another Chirstmas in our own home!

I'd say i'm not a specific season person. I definately look forward to the CHANGE in every season. May be why i can't pick a specific season as my favorite. I get too wrapped up into looking forward to the next one after I've witnessed the same ol stuff for a few weeks.

Oh well.. i guess we just keep on pushing forward. The wedding is getting closer! I can feel the excitement building! Or is that the stress too?? Who knows! I just can't wait until it gets here!

HO K Peace out!

More updates than Brian!

Who said I was never one to beat Brian at something? Hey.. I take great pride in portraying the stereotypical older brother. :-)

Yep another post in just over a week! I think it only happens because things are starting to pick up (or slow down depending on how you look at it.)

Last night I finally stained a wine rack that Kelsey and I bought a while ago. Its part of a week long birthday celebration for Kelsey. I didn't get stuff done in time, nor did i feel like i had the time, to put something special together for her by Saturday (her birthday). So instead I'm taking 5 days and showering her with affection and presents of every type. The staining was just getting back to something that we've been putting off. Its good to do something like that every once in a while. A small chore but something that when it is complete, helps add to a part of the house. Now we can buy wine and have a nice little place to put it!

The other big accomplishment last night was that we booked our Honeymoon! 7 days and 8 nights in beautiful St. Lucia in the Caribbean islands! We'll be staying at the lovely - all inclusive Sandals resort. Nice meals, great view, and all the drinks we can handle. I'm looking forward to it! :-)

We're also putting an effort into getting our deck completed in these next few weeks. Kelsey and I will do some pre-work on Saturday and then we'll be looking for an extra set of hands or two to help install the railings. We'll see who's available and how much work we can get done by next week. Its getting closer!

Other than that, just trying to survive the week. My summer activities are wrapping up shortly, and it might be time to squeeze in some running and bike riding. I'm still toying with a Duathelon in September. I'm not looking to set records, just hoping to finish. I guess that means i don't have a lot of time. Maybe i'll just keep it casual and work on being healthy instead of running myself into the ground for a race. There's always next year!


Ho - K Peace out..

holy crap its been too long.

Lets see..


I find that time is a luxury I seem to be letting slip through my fingers lately. I have a list of things that need to get done, a list of things i want to do, and a list of things that will get done if certain things cooperate. And of course, it seems that nothing is working out the way I want it. Life is just that way i guess. No problem here, as I will take the good with the not so great, but it begins to pile up sometimes.

Maybe i just need a stress reliever. A moment or two to catch up on things. I can't really think of something that would be big enough to give me the time i need to catch up.

I think that's why I like fall so much. It is the season that makes you stop and enjoy the specific parts of life that you have a tendency to overlook during the fast-paced summer.

Kelsey and I are still working on our deck with the help of our families. We have everything up except for a majority of the railings. It is a functioning, but not safety approved, deck and we already have one admirer. Kona loves to perch up there and view her kingdom. :-)

I think the biggest problem i have is the lack of time at home. It seems to be the catalyst in not getting things done. Hopefully the work schedule will clear up and I'll be able to nail a few things down.

Other than that I guess i'm just motoring along. I'll try and get better about updating this. At least i'll try and be better than Brian! We'll see! No promises!

Ho K Peace out.

Do the new kid dance...

I don't know why i'm writing. I know i have a lot to say, but there is just too much to blurt out that I can't figure out a sound way to do it! Here goes!!.....

New Kids on the Block doing a reunion tour??? "OH, OH, OH OH Ohhhhhh" NO! Seriously, if Donnie raps again, i'm just going to die. He was SOOOOO good in Band of Brothers, why does he have to rap??? Why??

Kelsey and I went to the driving range last night. :-) She can hit the ball 75 yards straight pretty consistently! That's good enough to get out on some of the par 3 courses! Looks like i have a golf partner. :-)

Some projects at work are starting to become interesting. I might actually have something to focus my attention on shortly! Add in the fact that i get to travel some more, and who knows.. i might actually look forward to doing something at work, rather than scrounging to find enough stuff to keep busy.

Krissy posted pictures of Gwen and Trevor from their photo shoot. Gwen is 6 months and the pictures look pretty adorable! I'm a big fan of the Whale spout hairdoo. I think it looks fantastic on a number of baby girls. You better believe my girls (oh wait.. i'm not going to have girls.. all boys!) will be sporting them.

I did not participate in this years High School Alumni basketball tournament. It marks the second year in a row where I have not attended. I'm OK with that. Basketball to me is more about enjoying shooting around, rather than playing. Especially if it means playing in poor quality basketball. I can safely say that the team I would have played on lost by about 20 points each game. That, OR the fact that one of the players on our team was a complete ball hog. Either way, its not fun basketball. If it was competitive it might be something that catches my interest, but probably not.

The masters starts this week. I do look forward to the Sunday round, but overall the Masters tournament has a spot reserved in my memory that recollects watching the tournament with my dad and Grandpa in Florida. One year I was lucky enough to be in Florida during the Masters tournament. I do believe its the one thing that can be on TV and keep all three of us indoors on a beautiful sunny day. Hopefully there will be more fun memories in the years to come.

With that, i better get going.

Ho K. Peace out.

Spring in the steps

I guess i'll just write what's on my mind. Too much to catch up on, so lets leave it in the past.

Here's a list of things I want to do in a very short time period as soon as the snow melts.

1) Build a deck onto our house. We're using our tax returns to purchase the material for a new deck. We've got the design figured out, the materials are pretty much set, and we're really looking forward to some new patio furniture and warm nights and nice dinners overlooking the beautiful Stillwater Blvd. OK, the last part isn't so great, but we're still excited about it!

2) Re-creating my back yard. The garden must go. Sorry Kona, you get too dirty rolling around in the mud! The dead tree is coming down, and (knock on the dead wood) we're making it into a couple of benches for the fire pit. We'll put a hammock where the garden was, and have a very nice area to sit next to and enjoy many a bonfire!

3) Getting out on the bike. A paid a the price, now i gotta get my butt in gear. I'm probably looking forward to a few early morning rides and then getting out whenever i can. Either way, i want this to become a habit. We'll see what happens.

4) I joined a men's golf league. Rich and I are a team (i hope you can picture the heckling and "team building" that we will experience while we golf) :-) and it should be plenty of fun! I also want to have kelsey's new/old clubs re gripped so i have some motivation to keep her involved in learning the game. I think the motivation is more for me, because sharing the game of golf can be a very long lasting activity! Hopefully we can find some time to learn and enjoy it this summer!

5) Along the same lines, we bought some tennis rackets last fall and I'm really excited to play that as well. Maybe we can even bring Kona with us (once she's trained to come when called) to the courts and have her chase the balls that go astray! :-)

I guess I just really can't remember the last time i've been this excited about spring! With the promise of a bunch of activities I can't wait to do, I'm forced to sit here and wait for the snow to melt and the weather to get warmer.

HURRY UP!!! :-)

HO -K Peace out.

Sadduols and Noitch

It has been a long time since i've been to Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells. This past weekend I came as close to Noah's Ark as I could. My Dad, Mom, Krissy, Russ, Kelsey, Trevor and Gwen all went to the Kalahari resort in the Dells. The indoor water park created a great experience for everyone. Trevor got to wear himself out time, and time again on the kiddie park, and I got to feel like a kid again going down some of the fun slides. Everyone that knows me is aware of the 12 year old inside me. And this kid loves the Toilet bowl flush type water slides. Seriously, if i had access to a slide like that all day, i'd be in heaven.

Another fun part about the trip was the time i got to spend with the Godson. He really is in his element when he can show off his skills in different areas. "Uncle Kevin, watch what I can do!" "Uncle Kevin, come over here and watch me do this!" Of course, i wouldn't be the Uncle that I am if I didn't challenge him on a few things. But overall we had a great time! Kelsey did too! I secretly think she's becoming one of Trevor's favorites as well. He wouldn't let her leave! "No Buhbuh, Kelsey can't leave! We're playing the pillow game!"

The highlight of the weekend for me was playing dominoes. I had heard that its the thing to do in my family now. I like the game, and it really is a family game. My favorite part was when Trevor helped Krissy. He would play and be very patient and listen to what he was supposed to do. Somewhere along the line he called the dominoes "Sadduols." He would claim he had 4 Saduols left and then proceed to tell everyone how many saduols they had. We tried to let him know that we called them tiles, but he wouldn't have any of it. Then came the word Noitch. What this means, i don't think i'll ever find out. But it was enjoyable nonetheless.

It did end up being a vacation that totally drained everyone that attended. I think for the first time Kelsey is actually looking forward to staying in the house for a weekend. Or at least keeping things low key. I concur. :-)

No need to update on Wedding activities.. we're still trying to figure out the same old stuff.

As for me, i'm doing pretty well. Just trying to make it through the work week.

We head to the Wild Game tonight with Jill and Jamie! Looking forward to that! Hopefully we can get a win!

Ho K Peace out!

Little updates, and a look forward

Yes, late in the week, but its not my fault. :-)

Work was a little busy this week. I had to travel to Dallas for an audit. I don't like Dallas. I've been there too often and I really am getting tired of going down there. Its not the most convenient airport or area. Plus, most of the opportunities never really pan out. Hopefully i don't have to go back anytime soon. I'd rather go out to California. :-)

More traveling on the horizon. I'm off to Chicago late next week for another audit. I guess my NWA account will get some miles after all.

The wedding plans are coming along. We realized we need to make progress quickly. Our initial ideas were leading us down a very stressful path. We thought we had a date, some locations, wedding party ideas, and some other rough plans in place. The stress mounted and we decided to take a step back and start again. We still have an idea on the date, we have a list of about 7 locations we want to check out, and that's about it. After we have the location of the reception we'll be able to make some more decisions. Until then, we're OK with just getting this part done with and truly enjoying our engagement.

The weekend was OK. Pretty low key and catching up on some much needed rest and actually starting the whole workout process. I went to the YMCA with Shana's old workout that she had for me. Its now Thursday and i feel like my triceps still has some issues. That's not good.. it just goes to show how weak i am. :-)

This coming weekend we're off to Wisconsin Dells to stay at the Kalahari. It has an indoor water park and The Johnson crew will be there as well. Yep.. its time well spent with the Godson. :-)

Other than that things are pretty normal around here. I guess we're just trying to settle into being back home after an awesome trip to California. I'll let you know how that goes. :-)

No meat on Friday!

Ten things i think, i think!

1) I think this might be my first successful day of no meat eating on Friday during Lent! PB&J for lunch, and grilled cheese for dinner! MMmmm.. foood!

2) I think its pretty cool to keep up to date with Nate's travels. He already posted a note on facebook about his arrival in India. I would have already spent more money on hotels, and gotten freaked out.. just goes to show how well traveled that lumberjack friend of ours is. :-)

3) I think this should be an interesting weekend. I'm planning on getting out skating for possibly a last hurrah, if it is true that they are stopping the maintenance of the rinks soon.. then i plan to hit the gym at least once to start the work out phase of "Healthy and Inexpensive Kevin." Please keep the laughter to a minimum.

4) I think i'm also looking forward to the moderate weather. Warmer temps means more walks for the dog! More walks for the dog means a less pesky dog! We all like that! :-)

5) I think next week should be pretty low key. A work trip to Dallas for a few days, and Friday off should make the week go by pretty quick!

6) I think it should be interesting at home now with a fully stocked fridge. Kelsey and I have tried to reinvent our love of cooking meals at home. We're trying to stay away from spending ridiculous amounts of money going out to eat, while perfectly good food wastes away at home.

7) I think i might get a chance to play a few video games this weekend! That's not a bad idea!

8) I think i'm also looking forward to getting back to my reading while on a plane phase too! I was flying through some good books and I don't mind doing that again! Especially with the lull in new quality DVD's that haven't been released.

9) I think it'll be interesting to see how my NWA account pans out. On one hand, with all the bonus miles i'm getting from random places, i could reach Gold status again this year.. however, with the reduction in travel i'm sensing for 08.. it might be a little depleted from last year too. Oh well.. wait and see i guess.

10) I think it's time to start the weekend! WOO!

Ho K Peace out..

I owe you at least this much

There and back again.. Kevin's tale of San Diego.

Yep.. things have changed. Kelsey and I are engaged now, and we've jumped head first into the engagement phase and have realized that we have a lot of work to do. But first... the story:

I had been planning this trip to San Diego since November of 2007. I had first thought that this would be a good place/time to propose to Kelsey, but I wanted to keep my options open in case Christmas, or some random time in January presented itself. It didn't, so I made all the plans to get organized, and ready for the "big trip." I went to look at diamonds with my sister in late January. After much deliberation, I choose the perfect rock with the help of my wonderful, older, wiser sister, and her advice paid off. (Again.. THANK YOU!) So, after picking out the diamond, we moved on to settings. At this point i gave up and chose a solitaire setting because the range of settings was more than my brain could handle. Especially without any clue as to what Kelsey really wanted. So i made arrangements to pick up the ring a week before we left. I hid the ring in a very safe place and it went unnoticed for the time it was in our house.

When it came time to pack, i took the ring out of the box and slipped it into a pair of socks. Yep.. i'm stealth like that. I did have the foresight to get the ring insured before we left, in case someone at NWA had sticky fingers. We arrived in San Diego and had a low key first night due to rain and jet lag. The next morning, I put the ring in my pocket. I wasn't planning on proposing until Saturday because I wanted to get acclimated to the area and pick out the perfect spot. However, knowing how our plans can change at any point, i wanted to have access to the ring at all times, if only because i didn't know when the perfect moment would present itself. I had hoped to do it on top of some cliffs overlooking the ocean in northern La Jolla. (the town we were staying in). But I also had thought we would visit this area on Saturday, not Friday. Turns out, we changed our Saturday plans and we were definitely not going to be in a spot that was good enough for me to propose to in the way I wanted. So I suggested that we watch the sunset on the cliffs on Friday night. We headed out to the cliffs around 5:00pm.

The cliffs are part of a park that gives people access to a large landing strip for gliders, parachute fliers, and other thrill seekers. It is honestly one of the most awesome places to watch a sunset. It was a cloudless day, and the sun was slowly sinking into the ocean. I had "rehearsed" what I wanted to say to Kelsey when the moment was right, but still a little shaky as to the precise wording. We found "our spot" and I took a LOT of pictures to try and freeze that moment in time for us. I took a video of the sun set, and when it was gone, i immediately put the camera in my pocket and started off with what I thought was going to be an OK proposal. This is what i said:

"You know, ever since I saw the movie Shawshank Redemption, I've had a fascination with the Ocean. It always amazed me that something so big, could make a person feel so small. (Pause for effect) and I guess I'm just really happy that I finally found someone that could make me feel so.... big."

I'll wait until you stop laughing......

Yes i used the word "Big." I stalled.. i froze.. and i would have liked to have found a better descriptor than "big" but i didn't. So after mentally kicking myself in the butt, i finally just convinced myself to shut up, quickly drop down to one knee, and ask Kelsey to marry me. There was about a .5 second delay before "YES!" was forced out of her mouth like she was holding it in for about 18 months. I looked down at the ring to guide it onto her finger, but before I could, it was taken out of my hand! She grabbed the ring, and I stood up to give her a great big hug. We stood there for a few seconds, and ironically, both of us had the same thought. "SHE BETTER NOT DROP THAT RING DOWN THIS 200ft CLIFF!" So after a nice pause, she put the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly! I was really surprised at this, because I don't know her ring size. All i knew was that her ring finger was very similar in size to my pinky finger. I guess it was my time for a little luck.

We had some passers by take some pictures of us (I had waited to propose until there was no one in sight. I knew Kelsey wanted it to be private), and after a few tries we got our excellent picture and were satisfied. I immediately started venting on Kelsey about how nice it finally was to have that ring on her finger. No more will I have to deal with the constant barrage of engagement questions or concerns. I know the questions don't stop at engagement, but the rest of the questions I can handle. I told Kelsey the story of the diamond, and all the little things I had to listen to, all while the diamond was ready and waiting to be given. It was my time to share all that I had to go through and how happy I was to finally enjoy this moment together. We spent the rest of the trip reveling in the feeling of being a newly engaged couple. It is excellent.

One thing I am surprised about is the speed at which we're getting into wedding talk. I figured we might simply discuss rough ideas about where, when, and how we would get married, but so far (and this is just my observations) it seems like we have a church, a time frame (narrowed down to two possible months) and even some of the more intricate things like music, photographers and wedding party details. WE'VE ONLY BEEN ENGAGED FOR 6 DAYS! I guess i should have seen this coming. Kelsey and I have never been good at being patient and letting things settle in.. we're always better off figuring things out sooner rather than later, and then enjoying the time we have once we have our bases covered.

I will say this, the weird part is that getting started seems to be a bigger hurdle than I thought it was going to be. We have our church, but before we can reserve it, we need a date. Before we have a date, we need a reception hall with availability. Before we have a reception hall we need to know how much it costs.. and before we can get a cost estimate, we need a wedding party size. SOOO.... we need to make our tentative lists. I now have something to do when i travel to Dallas next week. :-)

I'm taking bets: What is the ratio of Trauscht guests to Biagi guests.... The leading line is 3:1. I'm putting my bet down on 2.8:1.

I'm also hoping that our wedding is during golfing season. I think it'd be a great time for a nice big family golf outing the day of the rehearsal!

I'll keep updating with my thoughts and experiences just to keep everyone entertained at how inept I am at these kinds of things. The good news is that I'll have a lot of help along the way.

Ho K Peace out!

Almost back on the horse!

First, I apologize because I said a post would be coming on Monday's. I lied i guess. I was busy with work yesterday and I got lazy at home. Oh well. Tuesday is good enough for me.

The weekend went well. Pretty typical winter weekend i guess. Kelsey and I spent Friday night over at Jamie and Jill's for a little game night. Kona annoyed everyone and played around with Jack and Dino. Got her nice and tired though. Saturday we chose to spend the day catching up on our new TV shows (Lost and Eli Stone) and then I ended up hanging out with Shawn and a few other people at the bar. Kelsey stayed at home due to her 12 hour workday on Sunday. Sunday I had dinner with my parents and otherwise kept to a low key day. Not very exciting, but hey, I didn't have to work. :-)

This week is a three day work week with the big trip to San Diego! (La Jolla). You could say i'm a little excited. :-)

I also have the Linkin Park concert to go to on Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to that, just to be able to get out and hear some live music again. Should be a good time.

An update on the Lent Swearing reduction program... I've sworn 5 times since last Friday. Once was because i got a paper cut and those things HURT! I swore twice because I was a little drunk and excited, another time because I dropped something and I thought I broke it, and another time because I was mad.

All in all, i think i'm doing better! Its interesting to try NOT to swear. When you're a kid and you first learn of these words you try TO swear. I dunno.. i think its just a fun new thing to try and limit, yet expand one's vocabulary at the same time! Yep. Just the dork in me i guess.

Rich and I messed around with our basketball skills at the YMCA last night. Let's just say I need a little work. :-)

Only two more days and I get sun and 70 degrees! I better remember my sunglasses!

HO K Peace out!

Keeping it Real Time

As promised, on Friday's here's 10 things i think i think.

1) I think the band We the Kings is going to make it big very soon. Call it a hope, a gut feeling, or a not so insightful observation, but I think its going to happen. Check out their new debut self titled CD. You shant be disappointed!

2) I think i don't have any plans for this weekend. This doesn't happen very often. The only thing i can think of is sitting around, playing with the dog, and maybe firing up a few video games.

3) I think i better start packing for San Diego earlier rather than later. I can pack for a business trip in about 10 minutes tops. A personal trip is a little different and the fact that I haven't done it in a while makes me a little weary, and because i really should try and remember everything i need, it might be better if i pack when i have the time.

4) I think i'm excited to go see Linkin Park on Wednesday! I'm a fan, although not a die hard, and so the aspect that a nice night of music with the guys might be a great start to a 6 day vacation. Here's to that!

5) I think i'm enjoying my little sports activities. Basketball, Hockey and Logrolling are some things that are becoming regular occurrences and i don't have a problem with that!

6) I think work needs to pick up a little bit. I know plenty of people are busy around here, but i'm kinda feeling like my stuff is idle. I'm hoping for a package that might lead to an audit which would give me something to do! I can only do so much reading up on codes, practices, and technology before i go insane!

7) I think I want to go back to Zion. Probably next spring.

8) I think i want to shoot in the 70's twice next year. (that's a golf reference people.)

9) I think with such a promising begging to the movie year, i might be spending my fair share at the box office. Maybe i can convince Kelsey into doing more double headers as long as we have two movies that we want to see. :-)

10) I think I hate missing people's birthday celebrations. Sometimes you can't avoid it, and last night was one of those nights. If i had to do it all over again, i wouldn't change anything. But i've been on the receiving end of it too. People have skipped out on my birthday and its one of those things that I remember. So when I do it, i make a point to celebrate with that person on a different day. I just hope we can find the time!

Happy Friday!

Ho K Peace out

Holy crap, its been a while.

NOVEMBER OF 2007??? That's a long time without a blog! Actually i just sorta lost interest in the whole thing. HOWEVER, its a new year. And its also the time of year where us good Catholics practice the Lent tradition.

I've always been one who mocks people's choices for things to "give up" during Lent. Mostly because i think the Lent season is grossly misunderstood. I often hear of people giving up pop, or something mundane for Lent. That kinda bugs me. People don't need Pop to survive. (I know someone who couldn't live without it) And for the most part, if these people never drank pop again in their lives they wouldn't miss it. Lent to me projects itself in two different applications. 1) The whole meat avoidance is to remind us that there is a deeper meaning behind it. Not eating meat isn't going to kill us, it just makes us adjust and constantly reminds us why we aren't eating meat. At least that's what it is supposed to do. Next time you see someone "posing" on a Friday and not eating meat, ask them this; "Why are you not supposed to eat meat?" If they have an answer in the form of "Because I'm Catholic" please give them a condescending glare for me. :-)

So i've also kind of decided that I'm going to change the content of my blogs. Today I'll include the "Ten Things I think I think" section, but from now on, i won't be doing them with each blog entry. I feel like i could have written more in here but i felt that I didn't have the mindset or energy to think up ten things. Stupid i know, but it did end up deterring me from writing, and with my brother and sister both being somewhat regular now, i feel like i should complete the Trauscht trifecta of blogging and do my fair share. So from here on out i'm thinking i'll do a Monday "Weekend update" when neccesary, and then on Friday's i'll do my Ten things. I seem to be more insightful on friday's anyway.

Since the last entry a lot has been done, said, and cycled through. So i'll just leave it all out because its too much to catch up on. What is really exciting is the trip to San Diego that is coming up! So not dwelling on the past and focusing on the future... here we go!

Kelsey and I are taking a trip to San Diego. I like the idea of taking trips on Credit Card Points, frequent flier miles, and any other freebie reasoning i can come up with. So this trip is kind of nice because we're staying in a really expensive part of town (or so i'm told) called La Jolla, and its really only going to cost me about $400 for the trip. (Exculding meals and entertainment.) I'm just hoping it warms up about 10 degrees. It's keeping around 65 right now, and it just might peek into the 70's while we're there. That'd be fine with me. :-)

We've got all kinds of things planned and i guess we're just going to have to see what ends up happening because i'm not really sure how we're gonna feel when we get there. If we're ambitious enough maybe we'll get out and see all we want. If not, we'll be by the beach and have enough to do right around town.

Other than that I guess i really can't complain. Life is good, i've found things to keep myself occupied and I get by from day to day. What else is there? :-)


Ten things i think i think.

1) I think the biggest surprise that I've found in this year is that I like to play hockey more than basketball. I shouldn't really say "play hockey" so much as i like to go shoot around and skate. I love the sounds of the ice, the goal posts.. everything. Its very peaceful and enjoyable for someone who spent 20 years playing basketball.

2) I think i still enjoy basketball plenty though. Rich and I shot around last week and it was a lot of fun. We're trying to make a habit out of it and I think its a good way to keep in touch. We played for Dylan's league team and throughly embarrased ourselves so those trips to the gym might need to happen on a more frequent basis.

3) I think i'm getting a little too comfortable with my eating habits. I still eat like i'm 19. My plates of spaghetti are the size of something a small bear would demolish. I feel like if i eat less i might see a little improvement on the waistline. OH WAIT!! i don't really have a waist line. But seriously..i worry that the food i eat isn't the healthiest to begin with, and that one day it might catch up to me in the end. I just feel like i need a little better discipline is all. John pointed out how much sodium is in a beef stick to me the other day. Wowzers. I had a few of those on Super Bowl Sunday... not to mention all the long islands. YUM! I mean... BAD KEVIN! :-)

4) I think it'd be nice to go to the track this spring and run a 400m race and actually finish without passing out. I wonder if it could be done. :-)

5) I think this will be my last summer for lumberjack sports. My sponsor might be catching on to the fact that i'm not being really beneficial anymore. Here's to one more year of being able to call myself a professional competitive lumberjack!

6) I think Kona is becoming a normal dog now. She loves her morning routine with her big guy. She actually lets me pet her and the other night nestled in between my legs just like Rudy used to do. I loved it! Such a cute dog!

7) I think i'm really excited that my sister did our taxes for us. I know what you're thinking... "Poor Krissy! She did your taxes for you!" When in actuality she OFFERED to do them! And the thing is I trust her over myself! She is the smart one in the family after all! We're getting a great return too! More than enough to build a deck on the back of our house! Does anyone know if you need a permit to build a deck? :-)

8) I think i know a few people who will work for food and beer this spring to help raise said deck. :-)

9) I think I should try and figure out something Valentine's Day oriented to do when we arrive in San Diego. Otherwise last year's Valentine's Day will still rate above this years. That's not something i want to have happen. :-)

10) I think i might actually stick to this new schedule of blogging! We'll see what hapeens!



Ho K Peace out!