Well, it has been over a year since I started this thing, and clearly I have not kept up on it. It isn't that important...but I noticed the shortcut on my desktop and decided I should make at least a yearly post. So what has gone on in the last year? Well, had another wedding anniversary with my wife of 21.75 years, another birthday, uneventful of course, another celebration of Christ's birthday, etc. It has also been a year of turmoil in our nation's financial stability, and the same for almost every Ameican family, some worse than others. We were also affected with job cuts, hour cuts, etc. We have been fighting the good fight, the way God instructs us to do. We have pinched our pennies (yes they yelped), bought very few Christmas gifts, haven't gone on any vacations, etc. Finally we were able to work with our mortgage company and get some resoluction there. At the end of March, Emily started a new full time job....a true answer of prayer from God who we depend on. The light at the tunnel has been seen again......

In January, I had a little scare, the doc's thought my pancreas was rejecting...it was...but with some medication adjustments, everything has turned out to be ok. They did determine that I now have Type II diabetes, which sucks, because Type I diabetes is what caused my kidney failure in the first place. Oh well, on with life I go, it has actually helped me eat healthier.

The Dog House - last summer, we cleaned out the garage because we thought for sure our house was going into foreclosure. Several years ago I bought some supplies to finish the walls. We had a couple yard sells, and boy did we get rid of a lot of 'stuff''. We also were able to donate 3 truck loads to a woman's shelter locally to sell in their store and use for the woman and children in the shelter. So, Jeff and I ripped out all the electrical in the garage all the extra nails and boards that had been added over the years to hang stuff and went to work. We put up all new wiring, insulation, and then put up OSB board for the walls (I wanted them durable, so drywall wasn't going to cut it). Then we painted it a light grey. Then the lazy's set in, and I took a few months off from working out there. About January I started painting and fixing up the cabinets, workbench, vise, and other stuff, strategically planning the layout (there are some pic's on FB). It is still a work in progess, but it is coming along nicely.

Yesterday, bought a couple new Pigmy Date Palms to plant in the backyard. Started digging out the dirt, this will take me a while - really. It is something I have wanted to add around our pool for a couple of years. We added 2 palms and 2 Birds of Paradise a few years back and really love them.

Well, that is it for now....I'll try to post something more often, but for those of you who actually follow this, I thought you might want an update.

Just another chance to say that I love my queen, Emily, who is my hero in my life, she not only deals with all my quirks, but she is there through thick, thicker, and thickest with me. My boys Craig and Jeff also are wonderful boys (men actually), and Melissa, my daughter (in-law), Craig's wife is a jewel. I love my family to the end of time, they are the sparkle in my eye.

Enjoy the read, feel free to post - my life is an open book, I hope you find this interesting....I'll try to think of a joke to tell next time.

Love to my friends and I hope you have Jesus as your Savior, He is the answer for everything.

The Boz