Happy New Year 2005

2005. The rains have come to the valley and we can't seem to get a break. It has been raining off and on now for almost nine straight days and we are beginning to wonder if we fell asleep and woke up in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is an incessant rain that has waterlogged the land and is causing runoff into local streams and canals and is beginning to cause some localized flooding. The boys were off school last week and Daniel had to haul out the ladder and unclog one of the downspouts on our guttering system on the house. I installed drain covers several years ago, but the fine debris that rains down from our white birch trees in the backyard finds its way through the slats covering the gutters and will dam up the downspout. The rest of the house seems fine, but the back yard was a problem. I don't know what got into him to have him fix it, but it's a good thing. Normally, he would internalize the information on the problem and tell me as soon as I walked into the house after a ten-hour workday. Perhaps the boys are growing up.

Our New Year celebration was quiet and very relaxing. In fact, I was in bed by 11 PM on New year's Eve. I didn't hit the spa before bed due to the rain, but I was tired and needed to get some rest. Darla stayed up with the boys and watched one of the television stations and rang in the New Year. It was pouring rain and there was a large crowd in Old Sacramento that stood wet and forlorn and watched fireworks lit in the wet and stormy sky. I guess they got a real downpour right before midnight, but the fireworks are lit by electricity and the show went on in spite of the rain and mire.

We had friends over on New Years and we played pool, Scrabble, cards and talked the day away. We had the football games on in the background, but it was simply white noise as we stayed busy with billiards and then poker in the late afternoon and into the evening. The couple we had over have boys that are in the 10th and 12th grades, the same age as David and Daniel, so it was a nice day for the group.

The article on my stock pick came out yesterday. I'm including a link at the end of this paragraph. I was at the photo studio for about 45 minutes and the photographer took at least 60-70 shots. The editors chose a shot of my head that is such an extreme closeup that it is almost a joke. Darla was a bit surprised when I showed her the shot, she kept saying, "Oh my God" over and over. Now, she just laughs every time she looks at it. Leave it to Daniel to sum it up when he said, "You look like a fat guy who picked Krispy Kreme just to get some free donuts." Nice. I had several friends call yesterday as the article was on the front page of the business section and included the color picture that you see. Here's the link: http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/11917384p-12804278c.html#more_images

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but I do have goals for the year. One is to trust God more and to put him in charge of my finances. Another is to lose a few pounds and to control my nightime snacking. Darla and I are big on a scoop of ice cream in the evening and that needs to stop. Finally, I always have golf goals and they are as follows: 1. To win my flight in the club championship. 2. To reduce my handicap to single digits. 3. To qualify for the Spyglass tournament in Carmel. and 4. To qualify for a spot on the Rose Cup team in 2005.

Jerry Tuel called me last week and then again last night. Tami, his wife, gifted him with tickets to the AT&T Pebble Beach golf classic in February. Jerry promised his brother that he could go with him, but he is a prison guard and has to work on Sunday, February 13th. Jerry said that I could go to the practice rounds Monday-Wednesday or watch the final on Sunday. Well, I'm a golfer. I don't care about the celebrities and only want to see the pros play, and what an opportunity to see the final round of the tournament. I'm in for the Sunday round and really look forward to it. It will be fun to hang out with Jerry Saturday night as well. It looks like the wives will be home and the Tomcats will be on the prowl. Of course, excitement for Jerry and I is a glass of beer and a dart board, but then we are both Christian men who love our wives.

Jennifer has added to her blog a few times recently and a link to her blog is found at the bottom of this page. She is suffering a bit right now with news that her best friend, Jason Ramos's twin brother committed suicide back in November. I had just met him on Jen's last visit home. Unfortunately, he had a very contentious relationship with his girlfriend and the mother of his child. They were having problems and he was overwhelmed. Jason was very tight with his brother. When Jen and Jason were dating, he kept an out of date cell phone for the single reason that his brother had bought it for him. Jason was heart broken over the loss of his brother and he kept it from Jen for almost a month figuring that she had enough on her plate in Kuwait. It is hard to understand, but it underscores that if you put your happiness in things of this world instead of in the Lord, you will never find true happiness and contentment. Please pray for Jason as he struggles with his brother's choice. They were both coaches for their high school wrestling team and Jason has a huge hole in his heart now.

On a happier note, it is 2005 and Jennifer will be home and out of the Army this year. As much as I have supported our decisions in going to war in Iraq, it is time to turn the country over to local control and to begin our planned exodus from that country. The elections need to go forward and the insurgents caught or killed. We need to turn our attention to Al Queda and Bin Laden and nuetralize that threat. In spite of the clear majority that President Bush carried in the election in this country, the war has caused a polarization of citizens in this country and we need to bridge the gap somehow. I'll be thrilled to see Jennifer bid adieu to the Army and begin her life back home as a civilian.

That is all the news that's fit to print. Be well, be healthy, enjoy your families and put your hope in the Lord, who sustains all of us. Ciao.